Step City

---

Work for the UG Leader had been…. Going, to put it mildly. Steven had been grateful to see that UG wasn’t a complete mess when he returned, thanks to the hard work of the accounting department and Joules - May he rest in peace… living his best life and doing his daily ‘Joule's Power Hour.’ However, any personal work he did in the past, whether it was maintaining his helper UG bots to keep the orange district in good nick or keeping an up-to-date list of new and old promising members had fallen to the wayside.

The bot problem was something Steven could deal with in his own time, or what little he had of it. His many lists, however were out of date by 9ish years.

Every single one of them.

Steven only realized this when he had asked one of his underlings to contact a vibe user who seemed to be very good with controlling concrete for one of his projects, only to find out they had died a few years ago. He sent some belated flowers and condolences to their family but damn… Plus Lolo was now working in accounting at UGHQ which he still found weird, to be honest?

The disconnect Steven felt from this was huge...enormous even. He had all of these plans for UG, for its people, and then he has been gone for so long-

Instead of falling just into despair, Steven- after a few hours of doing just that- decided that he would make a new list!

Yes! It was going to be a new list for a brand new Steven and a brand new UG! He was going to go over his old promising vibe users list and get them ready for all the new and cool things he had in store! This was going to be great!

…

Steven had gotten through a few names on his list and it was going… ok? He was surprised by how many people had grown and started their own families, not leaving UG completely behind but weren't as active as they had been back in X102. Some were, of course, dead. It happened. But a few had changed factions. Betrayed UG.

Steven did his best to look at the positive, however. Some people left UG for a multitude of real reasons, it wasn't a life for everyone, but that didn't mean that with a little incentive of meeting Steven in person, they couldn’t be reinvigorated with the cause and rejoin!

That is why the UG boss was at the local gymnastics gym, JUmpOnIT!! - The logo was spelled just like that, random caps and all in a very 90’s font with bold, colourful geometric graphics to match. - to talk to one of the ladies on his list! She worked here and Steven did his best not to yell on the inside that maybe him finding that out might be weird, but after the first few attempts of meeting old members at their homes hadn’t been as smooth as he first thought they would be. Now he looked back at it, having your ‘once dead’ Boss turn up on your doorstep might have been scary… But meeting them at their workplace MIGHT be a little less intimidating…

Maybe…

“Ugh, I used to be so good at this.” Steven grumbled to himself, hidden in the shadows of the alleyway across the street. He had spoken to 2 people today about rejoining and one had cried on him?! He had gotten slightly used to being around so many people again, and had acted like it was ok but like come on- he was only MIA for a few years?? Like, get over it??-

Steven knew he was stalling. He just wanted to go home but no- no sitting in his office being sad about things. He was going to walk into that gym and talk to Carla Watkins if it was the last thing he was going to do!

Steven strode out of the alley, face set in a semi-scowl as he crossed the road, right to the gym’s front door. He had made sure to wear a sporty orange tank top and shorts combo just in case Carla wasn’t there and he could avoid any embarrassing conversation and just pretend he was there to work out!

The plan was perfect.

The door jingled as Steven swung it open and made his way to the front desk.

Game on!

---

Much to Stevens's dismay there were a few people standing at the front desk. Two random gym-goers with bags on their shoulders looked to be chatting it up with the receptionist, who did not notice when the door gave its opening jingle.

They continued to catch up for a moment until one of them spotted Steven waiting, they each made their goodbyes and the guests leaving passed Steven on their way out without a second glance.

The receptionist pulled up her phone and typed into it quickly before giving him her attention. "Oh hi!" She gave him a once over, and it showed in her expression she didn't recognize this interesting-looking stranger. "Can I? Help you with something?" She asked through a squint.

The walls behind the receptionist's desk were transparent, and the rest of the gym could be seen clearly. It was a big space with high ceilings, and a variety of gymnastic equipment set up everywhere; uneven bars, beams, springboards and the massive open mat for free form. High energy music pumped through from the other side, where at least a dozen children were gathered watching their instructor go through a routine for them.

Carla the instructor, was a short black woman; curvy and stocky, with long natural hair dyed blonde. Her hair had grown out a lot since the last time Steven had seen her, but her voice was still the same, along with her taste in neon-pink animal printed workout clothes.

She happily sprung across the mat for the children to watch, hitting an impressive amount of air during her routine. And once she was done, her junior tumbling class continued on without any knowledge of the visitor.

---

“Sup.” Steven gave the receptionist a quick grin as he leaned an arm against the front desk. Smooth and casual. He’s got this.

“I’m here to- “His sentence trailed off as caught the end tail of the brightly dressed instructor’s routine through the glass wall. Oh, that was tight!

“Er, I’m here to see Carla?” He finished quickly as he jerked a thumb at the loudly dressed woman behind the glass. He looked at her again as he tried to match her up to the fuzzy image he had in his head. The animal print was triggering some kind of memory...

“That’s her, right? It’s been a while. Do I… need to sign up to the class to talk to her?” He looked down at the desk to see if there was a guestbook. Maybe he had to sign something?

“It’s official UG business by the way, but if I need a pass to like, talk to her, let me know. I can pay, I guess?” Steven fished his wallet out of his pocket before he added with a small smile. “Got to support local businesses, right?”

---

“Haha what? No you don’t have to pay to talk to her. It's not that kind of gym. Um.” The receptionist gave Steven an even harder look over this time, the mention of UG business seemed to make her skeptical, even hesitant. But so far this visitor appeared to be harmless, though it would probably be better to tell Carla about it before sending him in. “But donations are always appreciated.” She managed to add in before looking over her shoulder to the class in progress, going through its final few minutes.

Carla looked like she was still unaware of the visitor, and the receptionist was a little stuck on what to do. “Oh! We have a membership!” She suddenly remembered as she turned back to Steven. “If you really want to you can join one of her classes, her sign-ups are always open. I mean- I would if I could she's really fun to work with. And like- crazy good. It's like she can be in five places at once I swear to god.” She tittered and shifted through papers on the desk, looking for the appropriate form for Steven.

The receptionist placed a clipboard with a few papers attached on to the counter of the desk. “If you fill this out I can sign you up!” She handed him a pen, and then picked up her phone once again, texting something quickly and then glancing behind to the class. “So- UG huh? Like? Really?” Her skepticism surfaced once again. “Carla's not with UG. Or y’know any of them.”

---

“That kind of gym?... You mean...like-? ”Steven didn’t actually know what the receptionist meant, so he shook his head, looking a bit confused. “No, sorry. I haven’t been to a gym since I was like, my 20s or something so I don’t really know how this all works.” He perked up at the idea of giving a donation. That is something he did know about!

“Oh sure. And yeah man, I’ll sign up too! I haven't had a lot of free time recently but I can try and make some to come and train.” He hummed as he looked through the glass once again, watching the class of tots do their tumbles. Ah, maybe Carla was happy just doing this. She looked like she was having fun… Maybe she didn’t want to be in UG again-

Steven was snapped out of his thoughts when the receptionist passed him a clipboard with a form to sign up. He went to grab the pen with his right- rolled his eyes hard and mumbled “Old habits...Thanks” And took the pen with his left. Ugh, who had paper forms anymore? Steven started making a go of it as he tried his best to make his writing legible when the receptionist spoke up again.

“Er-” Steven couldn’t help it. He bit his lips together to try and stop it from happening but after a moment he couldn’t stop the bubble of soft laughter escaped him.

“No, yeah. I’m here, from UGHQ actually. I’m actually- pft- a big deal..” He covered his mouth with his hand as he tried to get his giggles under control. It caught him so off guard for someone to be so skeptical of him and it was delightful. A few seconds passed, and all was left was the bright, genuine smile on Steven’s lips and a slight orange flush on his cheeks but, man. The UG Boss felt a lot more at ease at that moment than he had for a while.

Steven went back to slowly filling out the form with slightly wobbly but clear letters before he added with a cheeky grin. “I know, but that’s why I’m here. To maybe change that! Also, do you have a reader where I can make my donation?”

---

“Big deal huh? Okay Mr. Big Deal.” The receptionist laughed a bit smiling back to him. His genuine demeanor made her more at ease, but no less curious about his business. From the look of him, he must have been through a lot and yet he was practically glowing- Carla must know more about him. She took the clipboard and hung on to it. “Yeah! Right over there, that ones online.” She pointed to a wall where a few tablets were set up near some humming vending machines. “I’mmm just gonna go talk with Carla for a sec, and then we can get you set up!” The receptionist left, hurrying through the lobby to the gym to talk to the instructor. As she went in the class ended, and there was a moment of stillness until the kids left in a mob.

Tiny people raced through the small carpeted lobby toward the front door to meet their rides or start their walks home. But a few children lingered whispering to each other, gawking at Steven wide eyed. They were silent as they passed, staring at him unblinking until the second they reached the entrance. Once they were out the door the kids erupted in excitement, shouting at each other about who they just saw.

“Car-la!” The receptionist caught up to the instructor in the empty gym. Standing right in front of her, clipboard hugged against her chest. “Girl I’ve been trying to text you. There's this dude who wants to talk to you. Him. He says he's with UG, the HQ, he wants to like- talk to you about it. But he wants to sign up too? Were you in the UG? Do you know him? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Wha? What?” Carla blinked rapidly as she was suddenly pelted with unexpected questions, she looked over the receptionist's shoulder to Steven in the lobby. He was like no one she remembered. “Was I in? No! What? And I don’t know him.” Carla squinted through the glass to see if that was true. “Did he say what his name was?”

“Oh I- I didn’t ask.” She looked down at her clipboard, unable to read the scrawling Steven had put down. “Uhmm?” She turned the clipboard to the side hoping to read it better.

“Y’know what dont worry bout it. Go round the front, make sure the kids leave okay.” Carla gestured to a door at the side of the gym for the receptionist to leave through. “I’ll talk to him.” And with that the receptionist nodded quickly and left, Carla tossed her hair out of her face, and swept up a water bottle to meet this UG visitor.

Contrary to what the gym staff knew, Carla was indeed a former member of the UG, and she went to great lengths to keep that a secret. Although her dance battling days were long past, Vibe still coursed through her, every once in a while she could make use of it in a scuffle on the street but it was too infrequently to satiate the urge.

“What's good? I heard you wanted to sign up?" She leaned against the door frame that led into the gym, granting Steven her attention. She made a few assumptions what this unexpected meeting could be about, but of course wasn't sure exactly. "Might be a little too old for this class, but there's spots open.”

---

While the receptionist left to talk to Carla, Steven waited for the tiny herd of tots to make their way out before making his way over to the tablets she pointed out. He made eye contact with a few of the kids as they openly stared, giving them all a smile and a wave as he did.

Once the foyer was clear, he walked over to the tablets, finger scrolling through the text and images till he found the donation section. Luckily for him, his kid had taken a hold of his account after he went missing, so he still had quite a few funds left, even after her buying all that junk for her live streaming v-tube job thing.

Steven had just added the last zero and clicked the button to process the payment when he saw Carla approach. His eyes lit up with recognition when he actually could see the woman standing still. Sure, the heights were way different, and her hair was different but the blurry image in his head solidified now.

“Hey, sup.” Steven walked up to the shorter woman, left fist outstretched for a bump. “ Yeah, naw. I’m way too old.” He chuckled.”I’m Steven, by the way. We met a few times like wayyyyyy back. I hope this isn’t a bad time to talk to you?”

---

Carla put her fist out to bump Stevens, “Psh, Never too old to learn something new.” She tilted her chin up to study Steven from over her nose. Now that they were face to face, there was something glaringly familiar about him. She could feel energy radiating from him, just like- “Nah not a bad time. Kinda unexpected, I don’t get UG visitors really often.”

“The owner tries to keep anyone in the gangs out of the gym, y’know. But they ain’t around so you’re good.” She shrugged and pushed herself off the doorframe, she swayed her head toward the gym for Steven to follow. Carla brought him back to the open mat, where she stood in the center, taking a sip of water before rolling the bottle off to the side.

“I wanna say I know you, I mean I did know a Steven back then.” Carla began to stretch as she spoke, weaving her fingers together and stretching her arms over her head. “He was tch- a lot shorter than you. Not as polite either. But a good dude.” She held her elbows out to twist at the sides. “Y'know for a second, I thought you were him or something.” She was so tickled by her own thought her cackle echoed through the gym.

---

“Ah understandable.” Steven hummed as he followed Carla into the gym. Being directly affiliated with UG could bring trouble from rivals… Maybe once he got UG running at full capacity again, he should make sure local businesses are more protected.

“ Oh yeah?” Steven’s nose crinkled as he smiled, positively glowing with mirth at Carla’s almost realisation. “I’ve been getting that a lot recently.” he hummed as he mimicked Carla’s movement as he stretched his arms and back till there was a slight pop.

“So what is it that you teach here? I saw your er, routine from the reception and-“ He let out a low whistle. “Very impressive! You still dance too, right?” The boss asked as his eyes roamed the large space.

“I’m pretty good at, ya know-” He bounced on his toes for a second before he stepped into a very smooth one handed cartwheel. “But the whole doing it with all the flips and stuff across the mat may be a little over my head.”

---

"Eyy! Alright alright, I see you're not a beginner." Carla chuckled, easily sliding down into a split to continue stretching. "No surprise from a UG. Still gonna have to bend over backward to get a spot in the intermediate class tho." She giggled a little, rolling her eyes at her own bad pun. "Oh what do I do?” She pulled herself back on her feet with a hop. “I mean, you're lookin at it." Carla flipped her hair and twirled in place, arms held out toward the open gym space.

"Bars, rings, beams, practice routines for gettin kids ready for non-life-threatening competition." She smiled at Steven as she gave her short pitch. "Personally I want my students to incorporate dance in their routines. But that's not for all of em. You just wanna have lil fun jumpin around? That's cool too."

Music was still pumping into the gym, and it suddenly increased at that moment. "I got a feeling tho-" The volume rose as Carla went from stretching into a simple quick network step.

A bright yellow light surrounded her, trailing from her hands as she built up momentum. From behind her, someone appeared. It looked like a twin of Carla, exactly the same as her in every way, except silent when the original spoke. "I gotta feeling you came to see if I can still do more than some back handsprings." With the same yellow trail the copy moved perfectly in time with her, looking like a mirrored image until it spun away from her, and from that copy came another and another, until there were 6 Carla look-alikes.

“Unless you really are just here for lessons.” Said the original Carla at the far left. The newly formed dance team rested their forearms on the shoulder of the one on the right of them, except copy Carla at the right end who was caught between folding her arms and faking having a prop next to her.

---

Steven watched Carla stretch with ease before he joined in. It seemed like Carla was very about her job! Steven could respect that. He was about to ask a question when the instructor used her vibe, eyes growing wider with each clone made.

“Impressive!” Steven hummed as he approached one of the Carla’s, not touching but he was itching to see if the clone was solid or not. “Yeah, no. I’m here for official business but I wouldn’t mind taking a class now and then if I had to tell the truth.” Steven took a step away from the 7 ladies, eyes bright as he took them all in.

“ And if we’re on the truth train, you were on one of my lists before I went missing! Not a weird list, like a list of people who interested me...Like your Vibe! And you seemed pretty cool back in the day, if I’m being honest.” Steven could feel the 7 pairs of eyes on him- his hand came to the back of his neck to grip it, fingers drumming to the soft up-tempo beat of the music that played in the gym as he sorted out his thoughts.

“What I’m saying is, UG is kind of lacking at the moment. In power, in leadership and in active numbers. Mafia has- been busy since my absence. And I, The Rizz, am offering you a place back in UG! But only if you want it. Like I said, you impressed me in the past, but I never really had a chance to like even talk to you about before ya know-” He makes a vague hand gesture, as if something was being whisked away.

“So yeah. Just dropped in to see if you were interested.”

---

The many Carlas broke their poses and exchanged puzzled, skeptical looks with one another, it seemed they were able to listen to Steven, or at least, pantomime their original thoughts. "Wait what?" Carla squinted up at Steven approaching him by herself while the copies followed a step behind. "When you went-?" Went where? No one leaves the island. The only one who did was Steve, the one she- and everyone else- put so much stake into. The one they were all going to fight beside and unify the island, without him what reason was there to even claim UG? She wanted to hold out hope that he would turn up again, but the hope ran thin as it became too exhausting to see the impostors over the years, enough to make her skip the recent UG leader announcement completely.

With her vibe heightened, as Carla drew closer she could feel the raw, burning vibe emanating from him, of course it was familiar, she could never forget. "Rizz? Rizzle?!!" She gasped sharply once the realization hit her square in the forehead flinging her head back. The Carla copies behind her reacted even more exaggerated, jaws dropping, eyes flung wide, hands thrown in the air, fits of gesticulation before a few disappeared in a haze of yellow mist.

"You are him!!" Carla practically shouted, reaching out to grab a hold of his arm to make sure he was real. Her remaining copies acted in exactly the same way, there was a split second of contact when their phantom hands gripped Steven before they dissipated into yellow vapor instantly. "And you! You just let me talk at you like- like a fuckin dumbass and didn't say shit!? You- you fuckin punk!" She bopped him with her fist on the shoulder.

The copies were gone, it was just Carla and him now. She grimaced after she retracted her hands feeling an aftershock from the brief contact. She was unsure whether she should be embarrassed, relieved or angry.

"Chaka Khan,” She heaved as she studied how different Steven was; the build, the height, the scars. Carefully looking at him from head to foot, this time to see if she could find the old leader she knew once. “I have so many questions. I don’t know what to ask you first? I? Well? I'm glad you're alive." A light huff escaped through her nose as she cracked the slightest smile, a genuine gratefulness in her eye. “Shit, look at you- do I look this much older to you too?”

---

“Ah, Rizzle is a bit…I prefer Rizz now. More grown up, right?” Steven did his best to not react to Carla’s dawning realisation- Maybe he needed to be more public so people realised it was him who was back? He had heard about the ‘pretenders to the throne’ and some of the conspiracy theories about ‘death’ people had spread over the years. He hoped people didn't think it was just a prank.

Steven couldn't help but grin when Carla bopped him though, calling him a punk. Now that brought back memories. He held up his arms in mock surrender, eyes shining brightly as he couldn’t contain his laughter anymore. “Naw, I like it when people are truthful though.”

Steven prepared himself for Carla to get more angry, maybe? He still didn’t have a full grasp on how his disappearance affected everyone. Everyone he had interacted with so far had reacted so differently from one another from tears to anger to relief to...Well, a lot of things! But when Carla offered him a smile in the end, Steven felt himself relax even more.

“Ha, I’m guessing you didn’t catch the show? No worries. I can er, like answer some questions? Also, pfft.” Steven waved his hand at Carla. “You look the same to me? Like a tiny bit older but who doesn't?” Steven motioned down at himself, a solemn look on his face as he does so. “Plus black don’t crack, so ya know.” He grinned broadly at that before popping a squat.

“So like, what do you want to know? Like, because I’m still working through some paperwork, but I’m trying to get UG back on track..."

---

Carla cracked up in a short stint of cackling, slapping her leg and grinning wide at Stevens comment, relieved he was comfortable enough to joke with her even after invading his space. But her laughter was short lived as she was still reeling a bit from her own obliviousness.

"Yeah I didn't watch that shit, I thought it was more of the same kinda sensationalist propaganda. Making UG a boogie man, like damn y'all don't even get it." Carla pulled her mouth to one side smacking her lips. She had a look around the empty gym to try to gather her thoughts, and shook her head slightly as the task of putting her confusion into words seemed almost monumental. And yet there was only one question she wanted the answer too.

"Man where do I start?" She chuckled weakly and it eventually subsided as she sighed heavily resting on the mat a few feet from Steven. "Well I mean?" Carla shrugged, unable to think of a better way to dress it. "What happened?" She started, and began to feel the urge to get a little interrogative. "Where did you go? Where were you this whole time when we needed you? How- like?"

"Alright okay, listen I'll tell you, I left because- I don't know if you remember- but my fam is important to me, and they always wanted me to keep my head down. They want me to be around, and I want to be around too." Carlas focus was on the gym again, finding it easier than looking directly at Steven.

So I left after I could tell UG was going nowhere, and well- I can't lie, I like what I do, it's good enough so I can actually enjoy life on this fucked up rock. But there's probably not a night I don't think about how things could have been, if you were still here." She shook her head gently, bringing her knees up to rest her elbows on, disappointment was apparent in her tone.

"Steven we- or I thought- we could all do something great together, but before we could even get started, you just?" Carla met eyes with him, "Left? Disappeared? Why? What made you do that to us?"

---

( For context of the next post please read these flare event rps : http://archive.tewi.us/tegaki/dblog.php?u=123725&e=1584194&p=1 - The James Stuff
http://archive.tewi.us/tegaki/dblog.php?u=125464&e=1660852 - Bonita/Steven fight (well the beginning of it LOL)

“I didn’t fucking LEAVE! I was fucking tricked! This is fucking bullshit.” The UG boss grumbled as started to pace around the large room, his steps were interspersed with a heel ball change here and a flick of the ankle there, all in time with the quiet up tempo music that played in the gym. He did this for a few seconds longer before he came back to Carla, his skin and eyes looked considerably more orange.

Steven stared down at the younger woman, brows furrowed in more frustration than actual anger before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. A large plume of fluorescent green smoke tumbled from his lips with each exhale but after a few times, his skin was back to its normal glow. He sunk back into his squat, looking considerably less riled as before.

“Sorry. Still a little bit of a sore spot. I didn’t leave intentionally…”Steven said steadily, the streams of neon smoke dwindled between each breath. “ Look. What do you remember about the time where everyone's vibe powers got super fucked 8 years ago?”

Steven then went on to tell Carla the basics of what happened. How his vibe abilities were very opposite from his own. Like some nega version of himself... Nega space, dimensional bullshit where he was deaf for most of it. Also he saw a ghost at some point??

How he was confronted by Don Bonita over some stupid box he found in UG. How she tried to flood the orange district after she almost caved his skull in. How they ended up having to fight in a pocket dimension he could make at the time just so Bonita wouldn't try some horseshit again. How he found out she was possessed by the vibe spirit of Don James Fucking Cornell and he was just just fucking hell bent on destroying everything. Steven paused there for a moment just to exclaim how fuck up that was.

“Fucking James!! I saw his fucking dead body during the war! I just- I can’t! I fucking hate ghost vibe bastards!!” Steven had to yell into his arm for a moment before he could continue.

He told how their fight shredded up the little pocket dimension they were in and how there were now holes that led to god knows where. How they finally ripped James out of Bonita and how it was how he was running out of his garbage new ability and how he thought:

‘Oh, I just helped out Bonita, maybe she’ll use her great gravity abilities to maybe help fix the mess they made since er, is that a hole to space about to leak into the hole to the Step City hole?’

But no, she just fucked off, and closed one of the tear on his arm, leaving him there stranded with one missing arm and he didn’t know what the fuck physics bullshit would happen if the tears got bigger. He made robots, god damn it! So he did the best he could do and just used the last of his vibe and closed it all onto himself because ??? What do??

“ And I woke up, on this island but like two degrees to the left. Universe A and 1 bullshit except the island was empty except for fucking beasts and shit there were no cowboy hats and I didnt have my fucking vibe for several years! So yeah, not fully my fault… Partly but mostly Bonita’s… And now she’s dead or some shit and I can’t even kill her and now but I’m back now and that's cool. But yeah. Not a fucking spa trip, ok?”

At some point Steven during his retelling, he had just laid on the floor because how could a fight that took less than 15 minutes with Bonita just fuck up so much?

---

Steven likely missed the visual journey that took place on Carla's face as she listened. Though she felt the urge to interject some pointed comment in the beginning, it subsided quickly. All through the rest of Stevens retelling she sat patiently, keeping her reactions (mostly) to herself and listening for him to finish.

Once the leader of the UG had finished spouting off Carla sat frozen for a moment. Her back was stiffly upright, and she was staring down into the mat wide eyed, able to see everything take place as he had told her.

"Um. I? I think I need a minute to? Process this?" Carlas wide eyes suddenly blinked rapidly, long lashes fluttering the images of the intense, dimension bending battles out of her mind. She shook her head to better toss the images away, and raised her attention back to Steven, orange steaming, and starfished on the floor in front of her.

Carla scooted across to sit on her knees next to his missing arm. She looked over him, finally understanding, and only surprised he didn't come out more damaged than he seemed.

"Damn." She huffed heavily, feeling like she was the one who lived through the retelling. "I really am lucky to see you in one piece again, aren't I?" Very lightly she placed a comforting hand on his chest.

"So they're really gone? What about 'Nita? She's not-? Wait what box?" Carla cut herself off knowing full well there was a better time and place for more questions. And once she got back into the UG she could find them out herself. "Nah y'know what? Forget it. Thanks for telling me, you didn't have too. I don't think I could've." She took her hand away, and rested them flat on the mat at her sides

"So," She paused for a moment before continuing. "What do we do now boss?"

---

“Yeah, it can be a lot. But I’ve had a lot of time to process it all, you know?” Steven grinned up at Carla, barely recoiling when she placed a hand on his chest. Since he couldn’t just sink through the floor to escape it, he just accepted the nice gesture.

It was nice, he guessed. She was being nice...

Steven patted the back of Carla’s hand in what he hoped was a gesture of returned comfort.

“”Bonita died a while back, not by my hand. Unlucky me, I know.” Steven sat up,his shoulders rose in a hapless shrug. “Been telling it so many times now, what's the harm in saying it once more.” He felt like he’d have to tell it a few more if there were people who still thought him returning was just a prank. Ugh, he’d need to look for a replacement for Joules soon, he didn’t want to deal with all this by himself.

Steven paused, mid-rising to his feet when Carla asked him what we were going to do next. His whole face lit up when he smiled, not with a glow for once but with pure joy and relief. He offered a hand to the smaller woman once he was on his feet, absolutely beaming before he told her.

“We’re going to take back every club, every street, every vendy Funk Mafia stole from us for a start. And after that? I just want to fuck their whole shit up for a while, to be honest.”

---

Carla beamed joining in the infectious warm glow, she grasped onto Stevens hand and weightlessly sprung back to her feet, her golden after image making a trail of light behind her. Stevens' conviction sent a spark through her, reigniting the flame she thought she was unable to regain.

"Fuck yes, you know it! And I'll be right there in it. They won't even know what to do when the C-crew shows up 25 deep."

'Unghhh! I can't wait." With her vibe accelerating from the excitement, she clapped her hands and it echoed loudly through the gym, the glowing after image of an army of herself barely able to cling to her as she danced in a circle, whipping her hair while she twirled. She brought Steven into it, shuffling, jumping and hip bumping with him.

"Hoo-ee, it's gonna feel good to be in the action again." Carla exhaled loudly and finally stood in one place; calmer, less likely to split into a dozen copies at any moment. She rested her hands on her hips and looked up at Steven.

"I'm down for whatever you got planned, boss but you know I can't be at the HQ though right?" Carla folded her arms, wondering if he had considered this. "At least not full time, not right now, until I figure out something to tell the fam." She trapped her chin with her first finger as she thought. "Guess I gotta use the second job cover up."

"I don't know how long that'll last, but I can't have it following me here. You get that right?"

---

She wanted in!

This was the most positive reaction he’d had yet at even the idea of rejoining. Steven joy grew at Carla’s reaction as she pulled him into a little dance. It had been a long time since he danced with anyone but he found himself easily falling into her rhythm after a misstep or two. Steven’s vibe began to thrum with each step and hip bump. By the time the short dance was over, Steven's skin was flushed with more orange. The glow receded a bit when Carla said she couldn’t be full time however, but part time was better than no time!

“No, no, yeah. I feel ya. You gotta look after your own. And with Mafia being as shit as ever, you don’t want a target painted on your back.” Steven trailed off as he paced a small lap around the group of Carla’s, shoulders and hips periodically popped and locked into place, stuttering his moments almost mechanically as his mind began to whirl.

“No...no...maybe… We could- Ah!” Steven froze in place, body rigid before just his head swiveled to Carla, followed torso, hips then feet. “Information. All my bots were put out of commission, so UG’s information network has been drastically cut. Sooo...since you aren’t ‘officially’ back on the books, how do you feel about gathering some info on Mafia for me? No fighting or anything. Just a bit of dress up and ya know, ‘gathering intel', since they don't know your face”

“I used to do it, but I’m not a cute little kid anymore… Plus, ya know…” He motioned at his missing arm. “Plus, I’m so handsome now, they’ll clock me from a mile away.” Steven said forlornly.

---

There was a grin on Carla's face as she watched Steven, she suddenly doubled over holding her knees as a laugh sputtered out of her. "Pffft! Listen to you." Carla giggled as she straightened back up. "Actually y'know what? No no no! I take it all back! I knew it was you the whole time, I saw your big ass head a mile away."

"If anyone's too pretty it's me. Tch. Funk Mafia could never." She flipped her hair as if it were much longer and held her hand out to look at her chipped neon nails. "Okay but really though, it's been so long I feel like I should. I'm sure they got a new rotation of folks in since I was around. It'd be helpful to know what kinda power they got." Carla nodded a bit, drumming her fingers over her lips as she thought over what kind of cover she could put together. "There's no way in hell any a them remember me."

"Hmm. You say no fighting but-" She grimaced, hissing air through her teeth anticipating some issues with being too passive. "But if one of those purple bitches wants to start with me? I will put them in the ground, early." She said with great confidence, not a trace of doubt in her tone. "It's long overdue, I don't have any more patience for long games."

Carla caught the front door jingle as the receptionist came back in the lobby, a greasy paper bag in her arms, she noticed Steven and Carla were still in the gym as she was in the middle of popping fries into her mouth and quickly ducked into her desk. "I have some things I can bring over," Carla nodded again to Steven, rethinking her wardrobe. "You have me run it by you over at HQ before we get started?"

---

“Wow.” Steven looked shocked as he touched around his head as if it was a size too big. “Oh wait, I forgot height can distort your vision. You can only see up my nose from down there, so it’s not your fault you can’t see all this prettiness.” He bent down a few inches till he was on the same level as Carla and did a little heart sign with his thumb and forefinger next to his cheek.

“We can both be pretty, ok.” Steven snorted as he rose back to his full height, grin wide on his scarred lips. “Yeah, there’s been so many changes… But I heard Mafia’s been creeping on our borders, enticing UG kids like the fucking creeps that they are. So they might not even be bothered if they do remember you...” he kissed his teeth loudly, his weight shifting from one foot to the next. It wasn’t like they were hemorrhaging members but it was still a problem.

“Well…Damn. Not even started and you’re ready to start trouble! You can start shit… But I prefer for you to have backup if you do, or at least a plan. And yeah, just come over and ask for me at the office. We can print you anything extra you need.” Steven looked over to the receptionist. Ah… maybe they should continue this later..

“I’ll be around and if I’m away, you can always wait at the bar or something.”

---

"Creepin on kids? Ugh, fuck that. I'll be there tomorrow." Carla sneered at the thought of younger UG members being coerced by Mafia members. This was never about UG's shortcomings, there were none as far as she was concerned. Maybe during her early years she might had considered seeing things from the other side, but that time and patience was gone, in her mind purple was exactly as predatory as Steven said. The state of her Boss and the Funk Mafia overreaching was a sign they deserved everything coming to them.

With her arms folded Carla watched the receptionist disappear behind the desk, and she seemed to share the same thoughts as Steven about talking elsewhere. She tilted her head toward the entrance, offering to lead him out. Once she was outside with him, "Hey-" She gave Steven a pat on the arm. "Thanks for coming back around to me. I spent a lot of time wondering about you, it's good to see you in one piece, boss." Carla huffed, dropping her shoulders. "We got some work to do, don't we?"

She smiled at him and with that parted ways with Steven for now, going back into the gym.

"What'd he want? Are you gonna tell me how you know him?" The receptionist asked Carla the moment she came back in. "Is he coming back for an advanced class? He looked like he had some skills."

"Damn girl, mind your business eat your burger. I bet you did all that and didn't even get one for me neither." Carla came around the desk and snatched up the paper bag to peek inside. There was a second burger wrapped up inside. "Aww. Ok, I take it back. We were just catchin up about someone we used to know that's all." Carla told her, flipping a hand as if it were unimportant. "He does have skills, but he's still gonna have to try out if he wants to be in the advanced class."

"Awh nothing, that one's for me too." The receptionist giggled, sipping from a straw. "Hehe, but I'll let you have it I guess."

Carla hopped up to sit on the counter, and the two ladies ate together at the desk, watching out the windows as the sun began to set.

"How many times you think people tell that dude he looks just like Steven Rizz?" The receptionist wondered, swiping through to see the recent transactions for the day. She was curious how much of a donation Carla's visitor left.

"Probably every goddamn day." Carla smiled as she gently swung her feet, excitement brewing inside of her for the next day.

The receptionist spat her drink at the donation amount.

Through the windows daylight was waning as the sun sank down on the island. Outside a few students were rounding the corner to approach the gym's doors, early to Carla's next class.
A ballad from the era of The ArchAndroid echoed through the empty gym.

Focus.
Trance.
Wake up.
Dance.


[FIN]

This is finished LOL I hated it said 0 in the replies, so i make a reply >