“Ah.” June’s face grew an intenser shade of rose as she handed off the package. This was certainly not going to be the highlight of her day. Even worse when Annalise said that she wasn’t the one who ordered it. That red only got brighter as she quickly returned to her phone.

“What do you mean you didn’t… oh, thank Arceus,” June let out a massive sigh. “Person was anonymous. Said it was for you for… ‘doing a good job’.”

June didn’t ask questions. That special point usually got forgotten at the end of her ad, but it was arguably the most important thing on there. Discreet, no-questions-asked service that lets you get away with a lot of stuff that other places would send cops your way for.

But it also allowed for moments like these, where it also could make for some touching moments. Hopefully, this was one such case.

While June pulled out and set down a clipboard in front of the girl for a signature, she looked past her and towards the coffee machine. Likely filled with cheap garbage, as per usual with these places. Yet the frigid air outside crept up her skin like a snake. Ready to pounce as soon as she stepped back outside.

“... Say, while you’re here. What if someone, and it’s not me, wanted some coffee. You know where I could find some? Maybe a little milk to go along with it.”

---

annalise henderson

“Well, that person isn’t here, but I am,” June said confidently. She left the clipboard where it sat and waltzed right past Annalise and to the coffee machine. She helped herself to a nice, full cup of coffee, with only a modicum of room at the top for a splash of milk. But before the girl could get it in there, she stopped it moments before it spilled out.

“Oh, this?” She waved the cast around to her side, “Couple weeks. Right after the holidays, which is really awkward.”

This season would be extra rough, down full arm capability and her trusty mount. But she’d make it work. Didn’t have a choice, really.

“But just means that when the season is over, I get to pop the sucker off and try to relax for however little I can.”

“How’d you get yours?” June turned the question back. Only now did the milk stream come from the opening, landing smoothly into the dark brown to turn it into a much lighter substance. She used a stir straw to mix the concoction as she turned around. “What’d you break? And how? Fall on some ice or something?”

June sipped the coffee, the only thing that stopped her from asking another four questions. Sure enough, the only thing that made it bearable was the splash of milk. But, it was warm, and it was caffeine. That’d be enough to tide her over as she stared intensely into Annalise’s.

---

annalise henderson

Damn Rockets. “Someone should really put a stop to this ‘Rocket’ gang. Sound dangerous.”

Any smirk that appeared on her lips gets wiped away rather fast, as the conversation returned to her. Her arm… she looked down at the cast, coffee forgotten. Annalise forgotten. She’s back on that island, if only for a moment. On the ground, terrified and confused. The Manectric.

“... That big fight in October. Got jumped by this really fucked up person. Ran away from them. Fell down a ravine.”

How did the other girl talk about her injury without any of the pain associated with it? Even the bare bones, censored version of it put a dark taste in her mouth. Despite it being a few months ago, a fake pain flared up from the thought of it. Enough for her to steal her gaze away from the cast and back to Annalise.

“Not important. Doesn’t matter.”

“Anyway,” June spoke up suddenly, “It’ll be tough, but I’ll manage. Always have. Won't let a little thing like this stop me!”

She waved the cast again, to shake off the dregs of the just-now-abandoned conversation. She put a weak smile on her face instead, determined to not think about it. If June did that, then it was as if it never happened. Out of mental-sight, out of mental-mind. Just like her–

“Say, what do you do around here anyway?” June asked. “Despite the… y’know, you guys seem to have a pretty nice place and nice enough work. Is it just getting the Pokémon out of the trees and making sure people don’t start wildfires in the forests?”

---

annalise henderson

The delivery girl nodded along. Figured. As Smokey the Bewear always said: ‘Only YOU can prevent forest fires!’ Kind of odd, though, that she hadn’t seen the mascot anywhere in the building yet. Maybe they cracked it out for special occasions.

But June abandoned that thought as soon as the neurons processed Annalise’s question. “Called ‘Sleigh Fast Delivery’! Fastest delivery service in Hoenn, or your money back! Ran all by yours truly right here! You want something but don’t want to wait half a week minimum? You give me a call!”

She stopped herself from going any further into the sales pitch, though. Perhaps not the best idea to advertise yourself as delivering many a product, maybe not always ‘legally’, to a Pokémon Ranger. That would cut into her sales rather hard, given the time of year. Instead, she pulled out a business card from the ‘general use’ pile in her back and offered it over.

“In case you’re interested. Always looking to get more people in the know, and all that,” she said. It looked like it was made in half an hour on the most basic, free-est editing software available. But it had the business name, the things that made this service better than others, and a number-slash-email combination.

“Made it myself. You need any last minute holiday deliveries, give me a holler. Might just give you a discount,” she laughed nervously.

Try as she might, it was rather hard to hide the sheer amount of desperation in her voice. As if she had actually said ‘please please PLEASE order something through me, I am BEGGING you’.

---

annalise henderson

June didn’t even hesitate. She reached directly to Annalise’s hand, and then promptly pushed it down. A small shake of her head accompanied it. “I appreciate your offer. I really do.”

“But there’s a reason I started my own thing, rather than join some big corporation that churns through employees like nothing: I don’t like having a boss,” she said. Simple as that, but a voice filled to the brim with conviction. Something she’d either thought to death, or something that needed no thought at all.

“Listen, Annalise, you seem nice,” she leaned back against the countertop, “and I’m sure you mean well… but I don’t really know you. At all. And I don’t want to find out the opposite, or that I’d be at the command of someone above even you, that’s a dick. That won’t end well. Trust me.”

Besides, something like this didn’t happen with a handshake and a ‘see you tomorrow’. They’d need to negotiate a salary, hours, expectations, her position at the League Rangers, the works. Right now, she couldn’t afford even a day off. After all, Holiday Season waited for no one or thing. Either you acted fast and got your share, or you lagged behind and missed out.

And June was NOT about to miss out just so she could have a shirt that said ‘Courier’, a consistent pay, and the strongest urge to murder someone because they spoke to her in a condescending manner.

“And hey, you’re still welcome to order something through me. Do it the night before, day of– I’ll get it to you lickety-split.”

June followed up with her own weak yet genuine smile. “Unless you want the HPS to drop your package off a cliff and throw it through the washer for a cycle.”

---

annalise henderson

“Oh. Um.” June scratched the back of her head. So Annalise didn’t want to take her business, pull off all the valuable parts, and then scrap the undesirables for chump change? This was unexpected. Extremely unexpected. Fuck, could she salvage this?

Did she want to salvage this? “Sorry. Misunderstood there. Well, uh, I’d need to know details of what you had in mind regardless of what your meaning.”

On one hand, guaranteed deliveries were always positive. On the other, that got her a shiny bright spotlight that could be narrowed in on the occasional bad delivery she did. One that needed absolute discretion from the law. They’d have all her information, could bait her in, and then swoop in for the kill. She’d be ruined.

But options were never a bad thing.

“Here, if you’re still interested, write me up something fancy and official looking and email it to me. I’ll look it over, and we can go from there,” June offered. This time, she raised her hand to Annalise. “Can’t promise anything, but I’d hate for this to go to waste because I haven’t had my full morning coffee yet.”

---

annalise henderson