An Extended Workday

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 37, Post Number 913

-Shirotsume, Mister Burke's Residence, the third floor-

Wearing her typical casual outfit of purple t-shirt, black skirt with pockets, and white thigh-high stockings, Diana carried Saint Sinner Valentine slung over her body with the safety on. She doubted that she would need a weapon for today's job, which was courier work delivering Jewels from her longtime client Mister Burke to her acquaintance Catherine Corvinus. She still carried Saint Sinner Valentine with her just in case any hoodlum in Capital Crocus decided to try and steal the briefcase of Jewels that she was going to be carrying. Just having the weapon on her back was likely enough to deter all but the most determined or the most foolish of thieves.

As Diana walked into the third floor meeting room standing behind the computer desk was Mister Burke, who looked to be in a pleasant mood today. She could tell because he had a large smile that nothing could seem to erase. She wondered if he had scored a big success at the workplace or had just gotten a sizable raise. She stopped in front of his desk and waited for him to speak.

"Hello Miss Winchester. It has been awhile since we last met." Mister Burke politely greeted Diana. Diana raised her right hand in greeting.

"Hello Mister Burke. I understand that you have a courier job for me." Diana said to him. He wordlessly set a black leather briefcase on top of his desk and made eye contact with Diana.

"Yes, Miss Winchester, I do. I would like for you to carry this briefcase of Jewels to Miss Corvinus, another one of my most valuable freelance agents. She has done some work for me over the past few days and I owe her a considerable some of Jewels for her time and effort. I want you to deliver them to her." Mister Burke explained the job to Diana. Diana analyzed his body language to check for the truth behind his words and determined that he was not lying to her. For all the time she had worked for him Mister Burke had always told her the truth and her analyzing his body language was more out of force of habit than any serious concern over whether he was being honest regarding the nature of his task.

"Very well, Mister Burke. I will carry the briefcase to Miss Corvinus as quickly as I can." Diana accepted the job that had been offered to her. She took the handle of the briefcase into her left hand.

"Excellent. You do not have to be in any big hurry, Miss Winchester. Deliver the Jewels to Miss Corvinus and return to me afterward." Mister Burke told Diana exactly what she was supposed to do. Diana had done this sort of work before, so there should not be any surprises. It promised to be a simple job for decent pay.

"I will be on my way then." Diana said to the client before turning and walking towards the office door, then opening it. She closed it behind her and walked towards the staircase that would take her down to the first floor, where she would reclaim the shoes she had left on the mat at the entrance to Mister Burke's home. From there she would leave his house and go to the outskirts of Shirotsume, then teleport to the outskirts of Capital Crocus.

-On the outskirts of Capital Crocus, ten minutes later-

Thanks to Diana's power of teleportation she had arrived on the outskirts of Capital Crocus in a matter of seconds. It had taken Diana longer to go get her shoes, put them on, and walk to the outskirts of Shirotsume than it did for her to actually teleport to her destination. Now all she had to do was walk through the big city and work her way towards Catherine Corvinus' house. She knew the route to the house like the back of her hand, so the most trouble she anticipated was making her way through the city's dense foot traffic. The foot traffic was a minor obstacle that would not give her too much trouble because she had experience in navigating it.

Clutching the handle to the briefcase in her left hand, Diana began to walk towards Capital Crocus to start the delivery job she had been hired to do.

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-Capital Crocus, inside Catherine Corvinus' house, one hour and five minutes later-

The walk to Catherine's house was a bit slow because of all the foot traffic, but it was nothing that Diana had not experienced before. She had walked to Catherine's house several times in the past, so she did not get lost on the way to her destination. The toughest problem was winding her way through the heavy foot traffic that filled the sidewalks of the city. Once she traveled through the heart of the city the rest of the trip to Catherine's neighborhood was an easy walk that was accomplished without any undue difficulty.

Having made it to the house without incident and having been let inside, Diana was standing in the living room of Catherine Corvus' home and facing her hostess, who was wearing her usual outfit of blue DJ Dynamo t-shirt and black gym shorts. Catherine stood in front of her living room couch and faced Diana. The black-haired young woman looked glad to see the blonde mage.

"Hey Diana! What brings you here?" Catherine greeted the blonde. Diana raised her right hand in greeting.

"Hello, Catherine. I am here to deliver payment that Mister Burke owes you for services rendered." Diana informed the black-haired young woman of the purpose of her visit. Diana then handed the black leather briefcase to Catherine, who turned around, set it down on the couch, and opened it. She looked inside, picked up the large bag of Jewels, and faced Diana.

"Tell Mister Burke that I appreciate his generous payment. Tell him that if he ever needs me to do some work for him that all he has to do is ask me. I'll drop what I'm doing and help him right away!" Catherine gave Diana a message to take back to Mister Burke.

"Very well, Catherine. I will tell him that on your behalf." Diana calmly assured her acquaintance that her message would be delivered. Catherine smiled.

"Do you need the briefcase back?" Catherine asked Diana. Diana nodded.

"Yes, please." Diana replied. Catherine turned around, closed up the briefcase, and set down the bag of Jewels. She then walked over to Diana and handed her the black leather briefcase to take back to Mister Burke. Diana took the handle of the briefcase into her left hand.

"Do you need to get going right away?" Catherine asked Diana another question. Diana nodded again.

"Yes, Catherine. I must return to Mister Burke at once. I will see you later." Diana said to her hostess. Catherine smiled and waved at Diana.

"I'll see you later, Diana!" Catherine bade the blonde mage farewell. With briefcase in hand Diana turned around and walked for the door, then opened it. She closed it behind her and started the walk back to the city outskirts. Once she got to the city outskirts she would teleport to the outskirts of Shirotsume, then make her way to Mister Burke's residence since he had requested she return to him after completing the delivery to Catherine Corvinus.

-Mister Burke's residence, the third floor, one hour and forty minutes later-

After a long walk to the outskirts of Capital Crocus that took almost an hour-and-a-half to accomplish Diana had teleported after making sure that no one saw her teleport. Once she arrived on the outskirts of Shirotsume she made a beeline for Mister Burke's residence and was inside the meeting room on the third floor within ten minutes of her arrival. She stood in front of the client and wordlessly placed the briefcase back on the desk.

"Thank you for making the delivery to Miss Corvinus. I take it she was pleased with the payment?" Mister Burke inquired about Catherine's reaction to the money.

"She was pleased with the payment, Mister Burke. In fact she told me to tell you that any time you need her help with something all you have to do is ask and she will drop everything to help you." Diana answered his question and passed along Catherine's message to him. Mister Burke smiled.

"Miss Corvinus has consistently done good work for me whenever I have hired her, so I will be certain to keep her in mind." Mister Burke informed her. He was not offering an empty platitude to placate Diana... his body language showed that his praise of Catherine's work ethic and his assurance to keep her in mind for future job offers were both sincere. Diana was glad to be dealing with a genuinely honest client like Mister Burke.

"Now that you have completed that task for me, I would like to ask for your help with another task." Mister Burke said to her, offering more work to the blonde mage. Diana was interested in his offer.

"What else do you need me to do for you?" Diana asked Mister Burke.

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When Diana asked her question Mister Burke produced a bag of Jewels from under the desk that he set beside the briefcase. He opened the briefcase, put the Jewels inside, and then closed it again. He then pushed the briefcase towards the blonde mage.

"I need you to make another delivery for me, Miss Winchester." Mister Burke said to her.

"Where do I need to go next?" Diana asked the client.

"I need you to go to Magnolia Town and deliver payment to another freelance helper of mine. Her name is Cassandra Clark." Mister Burke informed Diana of her next destination. Diana wordlessly took the briefcase into her left hand. Mister Burke reached under the desk again and put a paper on the table that Diana took with her right hand.

"On that paper is Miss Clark's address. Follow the instructions and you will find her home. She lives in the nice part of town, so the local hoodlums should not be any problem. When you get there, tell her that I sent you." Mister Burke told her. Diana made eye contact with him.

"Very well. I will set out for Magnolia Town immediately." Diana informed the client of her intent to depart for Magnolia Town.

"Before you set out for Magnolia Town, there is one last thing I must tell you, Miss Winchester." Mister Burke told Diana.

"What might that be, Mister Burke?" Diana inquired.

"Miss Clark is not fond of weapons being openly carried. It would be wise if you left your assault rifle with me, Miss Winchester." Mister Burke told her. Diana wordlessly set down the briefcase, took Saint Sinner Valentine off of her body, and handed the assault rifle to him. He put it in the corner behind his desk.

"Do not worry, Miss Winchester. It will be waiting for you when you get back." Mister Burke assured Diana that her assault rifle would not go missing while she was gone. Diana analyzed his body language and saw that he was telling the truth, so her reservations about being parted from Saint Sinner Valentine disappeared almost instantly.

"Very well then, Mister Burke. I will make the delivery and return as quickly as I can." Diana said to him.

"Good luck, Miss Winchester." Mister Burke said to her. Diana waved goodbye with her left hand, then turned towards the door and walked out of the meeting room for the second time today. Just like last time she would go downstairs and reclaim her shoes, then she would walk to the outskirts of Shirotsume before teleporting to the outskirts of Magnolia Town. From there she would follow the instructions on the paper in her right hand and get to the freelance worker's house.

-Magnolia Town, outside Cassandra Clark's house, fifty-five minutes later-

It had taken Diana ten minutes to get her shoes and leave Mister Burke's house to go to the outskirts of Shirotsume in order to teleport to the outskirts of Magnolia Town. Once she had teleported to Magnolia Town it had taken Diana another forty-five minutes to actually get to her destination. Now she was standing outside of a white two-story townhouse that was twice as wide as her own and had a single-car garage on the right side that faced the street. Diana looked down and checked the paper to make sure that she was in the right place. The address on the paper and the address on the house matched... that address was 1848 Watson Lane.

Diana walked up to the white wooden door and rang the doorbell on the right side of the doorframe. Within moments the door opened and out stepped a young woman with waist-length red hair and icy blue eyes. She was wearing a pink DJ Krill tank top with the artist's name printed in black letters and a short white skirt. The redhead made eye contact with Diana and looked the blonde over.

"Mister Burke sent me." Diana informed the young woman. The young woman recognized the name and her demeanor changed instantly and dramatically.

"Come on in!" The young woman said, seizing Diana by the arms and pulling her into the townhouse. That was not what Diana had expected to happen, but it had happened. The door was shut behind her.

-Inside Cassandra Clark's house-

Diana now stood in a foyer that led into a medium-sized living room with beige carpet and a flatscreen television mounted on the wall. There was a black leather sofa with a dark wooden coffee table in front of the television, but the coffee table was loaded down with books on computer programming and books on foreign languages. On the walls were a few music posters pertaining to DJ Krill, DJ Dynamo, and DJ Ampere plus posters of a few other musical artists the blonde did not recognize.

"Welcome to my house! I'm Cassandra Clark! What's your name?" The redhead introduced herself to Diana and asked the blonde for her name.

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"Diana Winchester." Diana calmly gave her name to the stranger.

"It's nice to meet you, Diana." Cassandra said to the blonde. The redhead's eyes then moved towards the briefcase clutched in the blonde's left hand.

"You said that Mister Burke sent you, right? What did he send you for?" Cassandra asked Diana.

"He sent me to give you this payment." Diana replied. She then walked over to the redhead and handed her the briefcase. Cassandra took it, gently set it on top of the stacks of books on the coffee table, and then opened it. She reached inside and took out the large bag of Jewels.

"I'm glad he sent this payment. The mortgage payment's gonna come due in about a week and I need the money. Once I make the payment I'll have enough money for food and other things for the next two weeks. Only ten more years to go before the mortgage is paid off." Cassandra commented to Diana about her financial situation. Diana's analysis of the redhead's body language told the blonde that the redhead was telling the truth. As a freelance mage who had to pay for the upkeep of a townhouse in Capital Crocus, Diana knew that money was hard to earn but easy to spend. Furnishing her home had cost quite a bit, to say nothing of buying necessities like food, water, toilet paper, and other items.

"...Do you need the briefcase back, Diana?" Cassandra asked Diana. Diana nodded and the redhead gently closed the briefcase, then handed it back to Diana.

"This payment couldn't have arrived at a better time. It's safe to say that at this point Mister Burke keeps me alive and I mean that in more ways than one. He's my best client and if he asks for something I drop what I'm doing and help him immediately. It's the least I can do for the man who saved me from poverty." Cassandra commented on the money a second time. Diana did a second analysis of body language and again Cassandra was telling the truth. Diana was not going to ask about how Mister Burke had rescued the redhead from poverty because it was none of her business. It was likely a deeply personal story that Cassandra was likely not inclined to share with just anyone who walked through the front door.

Diana too considered Mister Burke to be her best client. He was honest about the details of the jobs he hired for, he was reasonable when it came to setting parameters for completing the more dangerous jobs he offered from time to time, and he was punctual when it came to paying for completed work. Mister Burke was a client who was a gift from above for the blonde mage.

"How about you, Diana? How do you feel about Mister Burke?" Cassandra asked Diana.

"He is my best client, Cassandra. Like you I will drop everything and help him whenever he calls for me. He has only to send a job offer to me and I will gladly take it." Diana replied truthfully. Cassandra smiled in approval.

"You too, huh?" Cassandra asked a rhetorical question.

"Me too." Diana replied calmly. She knew it was a rhetorical question, but the blonde had a favorable opinion of Mister Burke and knew that she was in front of someone who shared that opinion. In this situation the blonde had no problem with voicing how she felt.

"This probably isn't any of my business, but I'm curious. What do you do for a living, Diana?" Cassandra asked the blonde.

"I am a Guildless mage, Cassandra." Diana answered truthfully. Cassandra blinked.

"Guildless? What does that mean?" Cassandra asked with genuine surprise. Diana nodded.

"That means that I am not a member of any of the guilds." Diana defined the term in a calm voice. Cassandra did not take offense to the explanation and smiled at the blonde.

"Heh. I shoulda been able to put two and two together. That question had a pretty obvious answer." Cassandra commented on her question. Diana let the remark pass without comment.

"I'm just an ordinary computer programmer who also repairs computers as a side business. Computer work's my bread and butter. It's not the most exciting work, but the work's steady and the pay's decent. I can't complain too much, especially when I consider the alternative of being out on the street." Cassandra told Diana what she did for a living and commented on the nature of the work. Diana was not sure if Cassandra really liked her job or if she did it only to avoid living on the street, but the blonde was not going to ask such a question. That was a question of a personal nature and Diana was not going to pry into Cassandra's life.

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After that last statement Cassandra paused for a moment. She looked at Diana awkwardly for a few moments before finally speaking to the blonde.

"Speaking of work, I've got some work that I need to get going on, so if you don't mind leaving..." Cassandra requested that Diana leave. While it seemed like she was being unceremoniously kicked to the curb in a fashion so sudden that it could induce whiplash, the blonde had no problem with leaving Cassandra's house. The delivery had been received and she had gotten the briefcase back, so with her work here done Diana did not have very much reason to stick around.

"Very well then. I will see myself out." Diana said. She waved goodbye and turned towards the door, then walked to it. When she reached the door she opened it with her left hand and exited the house, then closed the door behind her. She noticed that the redhead did not bid her farewell, but that was no big deal. Diana wasted no time in starting her trip back to Shirotsume.

-Shirotsume, Mister Burke's residence, fifty minutes later-

The return trip did not take quite as long as the trip to Cassandra's house. Diana made it to the outskirts of Magnolia Town in forty minutes of walking through the busy streets of Magnoli and then teleported back to Shirotsume. Within ten minutes of arriving in Shirotsume she had walked back to Mister Burke's residence and taken off her shoes at the front entrance. She was now standing in front of her client with the empty briefcase in hand.

"Hello Miss Winchester. I see that you have returned from your second trip." He said to her. Diana wordlessly put the empty briefcase on his desk and pushed it back to him. He took it with both hands and set it behind his desk before facing her again.

"You have done well, Miss Winchester. Allow me a few moments to see if there are any other deliveries that I need you to make." Mister Burke requested. He turned his attention to the computer monitor on his desk and began typing on the keyboard below it. He reached over to a mouse and clicked it a few times, then did some more typing. Almost a minute later he turned his attention back to the waiting mage.

"There are no further deliveries that I need you to make for me today, Miss Winchester." Mister Burke informed Diana that her work for the day was over. He then reached behind his desk and put Saint Sinner Valentine on top of the desk, then gently pushed the weapon towards her. Diana took the weapon into her hands and slung it around her body.

"Very well then. If there is nothing else for me to do, I will see you later, Mister Burke." Diana said to him after making sure that Saint Sinner Valentine was not going to slide down or slide off of her completely. Mister Burke waved goodbye.

"Should I require your help with anything else, I will be certain to let you know. Thank you for your help today." Mister Burke left the door open for future jobs and thanked Diana for helping him today. With that Diana waved goodbye one last time, then turned to walk out of the room. She reached the door, opened it, and then shut it behind her. As soon as she reclaimed her shoes she would teleport to the outskirts of Capital Crocus and then head for home.

-Capital Crocus, outside Diana's townhouse, two hours and sixteen minutes later-

Ten minutes after leaving Mister Burke's residence Diana had teleported to the outskirts of Capital Crocus. However, getting through the city had taken a lot longer than she had anticipated. For whatever reason the pedestrian traffic had been particularly dense and it had taken her a little over two hours to get through it in order to get to her townhouse. Now she was standing outside of it.

Diana was about to knock on the door to get Ami or Crescent Moon to let her into her house when she heard a voice from the right. She heard it a second time and learned that it was a female voice that was calling to her. Diana faced right and saw that the voice belonged to her acquaintance Amber, who was dressed in a white t-shirt, black skirt, and white tennis shoes. She looked happy to see the blonde mage.

"Hi Diana!" Amber greeted the blonde and hugged her before the latter could react. Diana's skin crawled until she was released from the embrace, which was thankfully seconds later.

"Hello, Amber." Diana calmly greeted her acquaintance.

"Listen, Diana, I'd like to ask for your help with something." Amber informed the blonde of the reason for her unexpected visit.

"What might that be?" Diana asked the black-haired young woman.

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"I need you to go with me to Capital Crocus Mall to The Music Vault. Catherine was supposed to go with me to pick up an album I ordered a few weeks ago but she said that she's busy with work and I don't have anyone to go with me. I know that this is on such short notice, but do you mind going to the mall with me?" Amber explained the nature of the request before asking for Diana's help.

"I will go with you, Amber." Diana replied calmly. Even though she really wanted to go home and stay there for the rest of the day she did not mind helping Amber with what sounded like a simple errand. The dark-haired young woman reached out and hugged Diana, causing the blonde's skin to crawl until she was released. Diana kept her discomfort to herself and faced Amber.

"Thanks, Diana! I don't expect to encounter anything worse than getting caught up in crowds of shoppers, but I just like to have someone with me!" Amber said. Diana was not expecting any trouble because the way Amber explained it this was going to be an easy job. All she had to do was follow Amber to The Music Vault and then follow her home.

"Allow me to put this weapon in my house and I will gladly go with you to the mall." Diana requested that Amber wait a few moments before the pair started their trip to Capital Crocus Mall.

-Inside Capital Crocus Mall, one hour later-

After putting Saint Sinner Valentine in her bedroom and leaving her house in the care of Ami and Crescent Moon, Diana and Amber went to Capital Crocus Mall. The worst part of the trip was getting through Capital Crocus' dense foot traffic, but now they stood in the area between the entrance hall and the food court. As usual the food court was packed with shoppers... there were four lines and each line averaged forty people waiting in it. Amber put her hands on her hips.

"I'm glad we're not here for food because if we wanted something to eat we'd be waiting awhile." Amber said to Diana. The blonde did not comment and turned towards the stairwell that they would need to use to get to the third floor where The Music Vault was. There were surprisingly few people using it, a discovery which prompted Amber to make another comment.

"Look, Diana! The stairwell hardly has anyone using it! Let's go climb it while we still can!" Amber said to Diana and began walking briskly towards it. The blonde followed behind Amber and the pair reached the stairs within seconds of each other, then began climbing the stairs. They were going to go all the way to the third floor while the stairwell was still lightly populated.

-On the third floor, three minutes later-

It had taken the pair only three minutes to climb the stairs and now they were standing on the third floor, which had a sizable crowd of shoppers but not a crowd so big that movement was difficult. The pair could move about fairly easily if they stayed in single file and moved quickly. That would not be a problem for them because they knew exactly where they were going.

"Follow me, Diana!" Amber commanded the blonde. The black-haired young woman began walking briskly towards the music store and Diana wordlessly followed behind her, merging seamlessly with a crowd that was heading for the other side of the third floor. Amber and Diana moved swiftly and were able to break away from the crowd they had joined, then turn right and easily pass in front of a crowd of shoppers coming from the other side of the third floor before it could pass in front of The Music Vault. Without breaking stride the pair quickly entered the music store.

-Inside The Music Vault-

"Well, here we are, Diana! The Music Vault!" Amber said with relief. Diana was glad that they had reached their destination ahead of the crowds. The Music Vault was only lightly populated, so they would have no difficulty moving around the store.

"I'll go to the back counter and pick up the album I ordered. It shouldn't take long for me to get it." Amber told Diana before walking to the back of the store. There was nothing that caught Diana's attention, so she began to head to the back of the store at a leisurely pace. There was no need for her to hurry to her neighbor's side since Amber would be within sight the entire time Diana was walking towards her.

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-Outside The Music Vault, eleven minutes later-

"Well, I've got what I came for. Unless there's anywhere else in the mall you want to go I'm ready to go home." Amber said to Diana while holding the small shopping bag containing her purchase in her left hand. She had been able to obtain her order without a hitch. The only real problem had been from a new employee having trouble locating the album, but that was a minor problem compared to what could have happened.

"I am finished here if you are, Amber." Diana replied. There was nowhere else she wanted to go in here, so she was ready to go home herself. Amber pointed towards the stairwell with her right hand.

"All right then, Diana. Let's get outta here!" Amber said. With that Amber began to walk forward. Diana fell in behind her so that the pair could move through the crowd more easily. The crowds of shoppers were out in force again and it was going to be slow going until they reached the stairwell. Once they reached the stairwell it would be an easy walk to the mall entrance... they hoped.

-On the first floor, eight minutes later-

There had been a bit of congestion in the stairwell around the second floor, but after a few minutes it had cleared up enough that the rest of the walk was easier. The other shoppers were going towards either the stores on the first floor or lining up to get into the food court. Amber and Diana, on the other hand, were heading for the mall entrance so that they could leave. The entrance hall was only lightly populated, so getting to the entrance was going to be easy.

They walked side-by-side and soon reached the exit. Diana opened the right door and walked out followed by Amber. They seamlessly merged with the foot traffic outside the mall and passed by Capital Coffee on their way back to their neighborhood.

-Crown Lane, two hours and thirty-five minutes later-

The foot traffic in the city had been so dense that it took the pair almost three hours to get back to their neighborhood, but they had made it without incident and now they were standing outside Amber's house. It was almost the same design as Diana's townhouse except for the addition of a single-car garage off to the right side.

"Thanks for agreeing to go with me to The Music Vault on such short notice, Diana!" Amber thanked Diana for going with her on the excursion to the mall. Amber reached out and hugged the blonde, making the latter's skin crawl until she was released.

"It is no problem, Amber." Diana calmly replied. While the blonde had not really wanted to go to the mall with Amber, Diana had a reason to do so, a reason that was a bit selfish. Amber lived in her neighborhood and it was a good idea to be a good neighbor because Diana might need help from the dark-haired young woman someday.

"I won't hold you up any longer, Diana. I'll see you later!" Amber said. Diana waved goodbye with her right hand and watched as Amber unlocked the door to her townhouse and went inside, then locked it. Once Diana was certain that her neighbor was safely inside her home the blonde turned around and began to walk to her own home. Maybe she would be able to call it a day.

-Inside Diana's townhouse, the second floor, twenty minutes later-

Diana was sitting on the edge of her bed after having removed her shoes and her white thigh-high stockings. She was glad that the unexpected trip to the mall was over. Maybe now she could stop traveling for the rest of the day. She listened out and heard the sound of knocking on her front door.

"I'LL GET IT!" Ami called out from the bottom of the stairs. Diana stood up and began walking towards the hallway. She was going to go downstairs and see who was knocking on her door this time.

-Diana's townhouse, the first floor-

Diana walked to the front door and opened it as Ami stood in the living room. On the other side was Catherine Corvinus. She was wearing her usual blue DJ Dynamo t-shirt and black gym shorts with white tennis shoes.

"Hey Diana!" Catherine greeted the blonde. Diana waved at Catherine with her right hand.

"Hello, Catherine." Diana calmly greeted her unexpected guest. The blonde motioned for Catherine to come in and the latter obliged. Once Catherine was inside Diana shut the door behind her and walked into the living room.

"Hey Diana! I know it's a weird time for me to drop by, but I need your help with something." Catherine stated the purpose for her unexpected visit.

"Oh? What do you need help with?" Diana asked Catherine.

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"I need you to follow me to my house. There I'll pick up a laptop that I repaired for Amber. I need to carry it back to her, but I don't want to walk the streets with an expensive piece of electronics in my hand without someone by my side." Catherine told Diana what she needed help with. Diana took only a few moments to reach a decision. She was going to help her longtime acquaintance.

"I will help you, Catherine. Allow me a minute or two to get ready and I will be with you shortly." Diana replied.

"Great! I know you've gotta get ready, so I'll wait for you here!" Catherine said. Diana then went back upstairs to her room to get ready for the unexpected errand. She would need her shoes and she would need her white thigh-high stockings.

-In Diana's townhouse, the living room, four minutes later-

Having put on her thigh-high white stockings and tennis shoes and having made sure that her house keys were in the right pocket of her skirt, Diana was now ready for another unexpected errand. She was standing in the living room and standing front of Catherine, who looked towards the door. Ami faced Diana.

"See you later, Diana! Be careful out there!" Ami said to Diana. Diana waved at Ami with her right hand.

"I will be careful, Ami." Diana replied. The blonde then faced Catherine.

"Are you ready to go to your house, Catherine?" Diana asked Catherine. The black-haired young woman turned to face Diana and nodded.

"Yeah, Diana. Let's go!" Catherine replied. With that the pair walked towards the front door and Diana opened it. She let Catherine pass through first before closing the door behind her and locking it. Once that was done the pair proceeded to Catherine's house at a brisk walk.

-Inside Catherine's house, one hour and ten minutes later-

"It'll take a minute or two for me to find the laptop since it's buried under some boxes of computer components on my bed, so feel free to sit down on the couch while you wait for me. I'll try not to take too long." Catherine gave Diana permission to sit down while the latter waited and asserted that it would not take her long to find what she was looking for despite the mess in her room. Catherine then walked off into the back of the house while Diana went to sit on the couch. The blonde noticed that the living room had been cleaned up since the last time she was here... there was not a single pizza box or box of computer components in sight.

Diana sat on the couch and waited for Catherine to reappear with the laptop. While she waited she looked straight ahead at the wall in front of her, then at the clean living room area. She looked down at the glass coffee table in front of her and noticed that it too was free of pizza boxes. The blonde wondered what had prompted her hostess to clean up her living room. Maybe Amber had said something to Catherine or maybe Catherine figured that it was time to clean up her living space.

Diana did not know and she was not going to ask. How clean Catherine kept her home was none of Diana's business anyway. Her only concern was helping Catherine with her errand and getting her acquaintance back home safely. Speaking of Catherine, the black-haired young woman soon emerged from the back of her home holding a pink laptop in both hands.

"I finally found Amber's laptop! It took a bit of searching, but I found it!" Catherine announced triumphantly. Diana stood up from the couch and turned to face her hostess.

"Are you ready to go, Diana?" Catherine asked her.

"I am ready to go, Catherine." Diana calmly replied. Catherine then walked over to Diana and handed her the pink laptop. Diana took it into her hands and held onto it tightly.

"I'll need you to hold onto this for me while we leave my house. Once I shut the door and lock it behind us you can hand it back to me. I'll carry it to Amber's house while you watch for trouble from the local hoodlums." Catherine said. With that the pair walked towards the front door. Catherine opened it for Diana and the blonde walked outside, leaving Catherine to shut the door and lock it behind them.

[Post Word Count: 746]
[Total Word Count: 6,320/7,000]

-Outside Amber's townhouse, two hours and fifteen minutes later-

After meeting with Catherine at the latter's house it had been a fairly uneventful trip from Catherine's house to Amber's townhouse. The streets were only lightly populated, so the pair did not have to maneuver through large crowds like they would have had to do during the daytime. The worst part of the trip was the distance they had had to travel. Diana had kept an eye out for any local hoodlums looking for a chance to snatch the laptop and run, but she had not seen any of them... not she was not complaining. An easy job where everything went smoothly was a gift from above.

"Hey Diana, would you mind knocking on the door for me?" Catherine requested of the blonde. Diana wordlessly walked over to the front door and knocked on it three times. Within a minute the door was open and Amber stood just inside.

"Hey guys! What brings you here so late?" Amber asked the pair. Diana motioned towards Catherine, who stepped forward with the pink laptop in her hands. Catherine held out the laptop to Amber, who took it with both hands.

"Oh, you finished the repairs already?" Amber asked Catherine.

"I prioritized repairing your laptop since it was a pretty easy fix. All I needed to do was replace the faulty hard drive and make sure the replacement hard drive worked. It didn't take more than two nights to do the work and that's because I had to balance your repair request with those at my workplace. It took longer for the replacement part to get here than for me to do the fix." Catherine explained how she had managed to repair her friend's laptop so quickly. Amber took it inside and disappeared upstairs, leaving the two standing outside. A minute or two later she came downstairs with a bag of Jewels in her hand.

"You're a lifesaver, Catherine! Here, take these!" Amber said, pressing the bag of Jewels into her friend's hands. Catherine tried to push them back to Amber, but the latter made eye contact with her friend and pushed the bag into Catherine's hands again. The latter soon relented and accepted the payment.

"You didn't have to pay for it, but thanks, Amber." Catherine said, putting the money in the right pocket of her gym shorts.

"Yes I did, Cathy. You helped me out on short notice and did the work for less than I would have had to pay someone else." Amber defended her decision. Diana continued to remain silent as the two friends talked.

"Everything should work fine now, Amber. I tested everything and everything worked fine." Catherine assured her friend. Amber smiled.

"I know it'll work, Cathy. You're a perfectionist when it comes to computer work." Amber assured her friend. Catherine smiled a little.

"Thanks, Amber." Catherine thanked her friend for the compliment. There was a brief pause in the conversation.

"Well, we won't hold you up any longer, Amber. I've got to get going now. I'll see you later." Catherine said. Amber smiled again.

"See you later, Cathy! And thanks again for your help!" Amber said before waving goodbye. Catherine and Diana waved goodbye and started walking away from Amber's townhouse. Moments later the door closed.

"I know that we didn't talk about this beforehand, but would you mind walking with me back to my place?" Catherine made another request of Diana.

"I would be glad to walk with you, Catherine." Diana calmly replied. She did not have anything important to do, so she was glad to accept the unexpected request. Besides, having Catherine as a either a good acquaintance or a friend could pay dividends in the future.

"Thanks, Diana." Catherine said. After that the two stopped talking and continued the trip in silence. Once this side trip was completed Diana was going to call it a night... unless another job opportunity came up. If Stella Herschel or Mister Burke called with a job opportunity she would readily answer them. In Diana's opinion sleep was good, but money was better.

[Post Word Count: 684]
[Total Word Count: 7,004/7,000]

-Diana's Townhouse, Diana's bedroom, two hours later-

After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the streets of Capital Crocus Diana was finally back home. She had chatted briefly with Ami and Crescent Moon before going to her bedroom. There she had taken off her shoes and her white thigh-high stockings and was sitting on the edge of her bed. Diana was glad that this day was over.

Soon Diana would try to go to sleep so that she could wake up and look for another job. She was not sure what kind of job that would be, but she needed to keep finding lucrative work so that she could fund a vacation to Crescent Island and possibly buy a vehicle at some point in the future. Hauling her purchases home on foot every time she went shopping was getting to be really old and being able to put them in the trunk or in the back seat of a car would make life a lot easier. However, her townhouse did not have a garage to it and there was no space to have one built... if she was even permitted to build one.

Diana would worry about that later. Right now she needed to try and sleep as long as she could before it was time to wake up and look for a job. Diana swung her feet onto the bed, then reclined on her left right and faced the door. She was thankful that this extended workday was over and that she could finally sleep... or at least relax a bit.

[Post Word Count: 264]
[Total Word Count: 7,268/7,000]