Waves of Destiny (Twisted Wonderland)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I made sure the contract I signed with Azul was beneficial for both of us with no hidden clauses or tricky wording. I would work Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays - unless Crowley had me doing some other random task. I could have left that part out in an attempt to get out of whatever Crowley had planned for me, but I figured he had more power and would cause trouble for me if conflict ever arose.

From my calculations, it would take me eight weeks to earn enough money to buy a surfboard. Of course, other expenses might come up - I fully expected Grim to hound me for tuna at the end of every payday - but even if it took me twice as long, I would still be ready by the time the weather warmed enough to surf. Floyd reminded my of the promise I made to teach him the sport. I told him he would just have to buy his own board. He was cool with that.

At the beginning of my first shift, Azul gave me an Octavinelle dorm uniform to wear - tailored to fit me perfectly. It felt pretty nice, seeing as how Ramshackle did not have a dorm uniform. He then put Jade and Floyd in charge of my training. Floyd was eager to show me the ropes, but Azul did tell me to pay more attention to Jade to learn the right way to do things.

"Excellent work today, Ona," Azul said when the four of us convened in the VIP room at the end of the night. "I believe this venture will proof fruitful for both of us."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. I was thinking the same thing."

"It will be much more fun working with you around here, Lil' Shrimpy!" said Floyd.

"I hope that means you will take your work more seriously," Azul said.

"Ona's presence could just as easily distract him, you know," Jade said, not appearing sorry about it in the least.

Azul gave me a critical look. "Ona, I trust you can handle this."

I blinked. "I'm not sure what you want me to do, but I'll try my best."

"That's the sporting attitude I like to see. We can call it a night."

Something suddenly came to mind. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Can I visit your pool?"

Azul appeared taken back. "Our... pool?"

"Yes. I love to swim, and I hear your dorm has a pool. Can I visit?"

Azul chuckled lightly. "That would not be a problem. You may visit whenever you like. Jade and Floyd can show it to you on your way out."

"We can go swimming now!" Floyd said excitedly.

I hesitated. "I didn't bring my wet suit with me, and it's getting late, but... We could go swimming at the end of my shift on Thursday."

Floyd brightened. "Okay! That sounds like a date. Is it a date, Shrimpy?"

Alarmed, I looked to Jade, but he simply smirked at me and said, "Indeed, it does, Floyd."

"Heheh. I thought so," Floyd said, suddenly hugging me from behind.

I sighed and relaxed into his hold. "Call it whatever you want. I just need to swim."

***

The Octavinelle pool was the most amazing pool I had ever seen. The main part was about the size as a football stadium, and each side jetted out and curved like a snake and connected with each other, making it appear like some sort of water park or water obstacle course. The water in the center was very deep. Perhaps best of all, this late at night, it was completely empty.