Out of This World Gaming [~ read description]

Chapter 37: Calm After the Storm

"Alright, check this out, Stephanie!" a female's voice beckoned. "Um, Ken? What in the hell is that?" Stephanie responded. She gazed at what appeared to be a normal broomstick, but the handle was green and the bristles were gray with a touch of green on one of the sides. "It's a broomstick, genius, but it's not just any broomstick. All you have to do is press a button it sweeps automatically." Ken informed as she pressed a button. 

"Floor contamination detected. Let the sweeping commence." 

Immediately, the small broom began to sweep normally, but a couple of sparks were ejected from the device as the two researchers stepped back. "Hey, where did you get this anyway?" Stephanie inquired, poking the broom handle. "Let's just say a borrowed a neck accessory from a broken team member." Ken sheepishly admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck with one of her hands while her face had an expression that conveyed slight embarrassment. "Ziazan's gonna get pissed off when he finds out you used his Identity Choker. Let's just take this off of the broom." 

Stephanie grabbed the choker from the lower end of the broom where the rod and the rows upon rows of bristles connected, but it wouldn't budge. "I find the emblem to be quite interesting. Say, what is this specimen?" the eldest of the two questioned as she eyed a white silhouette of a broomstick on the screen in the center of the choker. 

"This specimen is what is known as a sentient broomstick. They are known for sudden one-liners and have enough strength to push an adult male of several species in the omniverse." 

"What's the harm of having one of these in the house? House gets cleaned faster while we chill out." Ken's body plopped on the leather sofa. She laid on her side as her arm from the hand underneath her body supported her chin as the other hand was raised above her and held a remote pointed to the television's box. With the click of a button, the channel that was once the news morphed into a channel that had a program depicting what appeared to be a pre-teen girl with three other men that seemed like an alien species living in a coastal town to protect it. 

"Y'know, I can't help but become invested with this show even if season one seems a bit off. Ever noticed how Jade is the saltiest out of all of them?" Ken spoke. She continued to watch the screen before Stephanie stepped in her line of sight with her arms crossed; Ken was trying to adjust her position so she could see it, but Stephanie kept moving to accommodate. "I don't think we have any rights to chill, Ken, what if that broom starts to malfunction?" 

Despite the broom sweeping and announcing it was time to clean the floors with a gravelly, masculine voice, Stephanie still pointed at it whilst wearing an expression that told Ken that she was still feeling apprehension towards the presence of a sentient broom. "Would you just chill out? I'd rather watch Estefania Cosmos with my sister than clean up our captors' messes." Ken retorted. 

"We're not your captors, you two chose to stay with us until you could find somewhere else to stay, remember? Don't you remember the conversation we had this morning?" A robed, young man with a fish tail trailing behind him spoke. 

- - - - - 

"C'mon, please let us stay, we'll do anything! Just give us some time to find somewhere else to stay!" Stephanie had her hands clasped together as she dropped to her knees and looked up with pleading eyes towards Zander and Clover. "Why should we let you in when you're the reason our friends were running away?" Clover crossed her arms as she looked down at the pleading researcher. 

"We'll do things like housework and yard work."  Stephanie continued. "Plus we've changed, we don't want to work for our boss anymore!" Ken chimed in, also getting on her hands and knees. "Boss?" Clover mused. "Who sent you?" Zander interrogated.