Joseph didn’t know why everyone was accusing him of not being human when he had the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, and nose of one. He thought the accusation was ridiculous. “I am human, even if my designation is as a weapon.” he paused for a moment, and then he looked from the carpet to her, and then back at the carpet. “Why do you want to be a designer?” 

“Because I like making clothes, of course.” Petunia replied, her face lighting up again at a chance to talk about something she loved. “I made this dress here, see?” she stood up and did a spin, and Joseph briefly smiled because she was smiling. 

The dress resembled a white rose, and looked softer than a rose’s delicate petals. He couldn’t deny that it was fun to watch it spin, even if he couldn’t appreciate the subtler details that had gone into it. Once she finished spinning, she continued, “Anyway… I feel like I have a much grander purpose than just cleaning things and taking care of plants, you know? It hurts to just be sorted into such a depressing category. I mean, anyone can clean and take care of plants, but not everyone can design beautiful clothes.” her face fell as she explained her position, and Joseph wracked his brain desperately for the reason why she was so sad about the fact that she was good at cleaning and therefore it was her designated job, but could find none that made sense to him.

“You should be proud of your function. You are of use.” Joseph told her. 

Petunia smiled at him, shaking her head incredulously. “You really don’t get it, I suppose. Well, that’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Petunia gave him another curious, piteous look--which he detested--and then she clasped her hands behind her back. “Still. If you would ever like to relax and take a night off, make sure you come to the Revenant. It’s the best bar in town. Sorry for chatting your ear off. I just wanted to thank you again and get to know you a bit better. You can go to bed.”

Joseph nodded, heading for her door. He was about to twist her knob when he looked over his shoulder at her and said after clearing his throat, “It was nice talking to you.”

Petunia was looking down at her feet with a thoughtful frown on her face. She briefly looked his way and nodded absently. “Yep. Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Joseph went on his way, then, and headed to his shower and afterwards, to bed. He was glad that, tonight at least, he had no awful dreams. When he awoke, however, he awoke to Maru’Chi in his room, and he immediately became tense. He felt a small pounding in his brain--like there was a tiny hammer chiseling away at it--and wished, more than anything, that he could prevent it from continuing. Unfortunately, the hammer seemed to be tied to Maru’Chi’s presence, and it would not go away so long as she was there. “Good morning, Mistress.” Joseph said mildly. 

Maru’Chi was grinning. “Guess what? After you’re done with your work today, I’m going to give you a week off.”

Joseph stared at her. His heart was pounding as well as his brain now. He felt like he was bloodless as he listened to her words, and for a moment, his vision spun. He stood up, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing at her intently. “I am perfectly fine. There is no reason to give me the week off.” 

Maru’Chi made a face. “Everyone needs to rest. Even chattel like you. Who knows? You might even enjoy it.”

Joseph’s eye twitched involuntarily again. “What about my assignment?” 

“I convinced my father to stop loaning you out to the city, so you are no longer under the Guard’s jurisdiction. You are entirely privately owned.” Maru’Chi said with a smug smile. 

Joseph’s fingers dug into his palms as he barely contained an impulse firing through his system to punch the young Erulanite girl in the face. In a moment, he took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll get started on my final day of work before my vacation.” 

Maru’Chi nodded. “Good thinking. I’ll leave you to it.”

Joseph turned the water on blazingly hot in the shower--so much so that it turned his tanned skin red and was so hot that he could momentarily feel pain because of it. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he thought about Maru’Chi. He had trouble reading facial expressions, but he knew she was taunting him when she forced him to take the day off. He had no idea why she was tormenting him, he only knew that a week of having nothing to do would only serve to make him feel useless. 

He shook with barely contained fury, and then punched the wall under the shower head, leaving a dent. He panted heavily and then turned the water off. He stepped out of the shower, dried off, and then got dressed. He looked at himself in his uniform one more time in the mirror. He touched the material lovingly, as if this were the last time he would ever be able to wear it, and felt a wave of nausea curdling his stomach. In a moment, he tore his gaze from the mirror and left his room. He marched down the hallway, hoping to dash out the front door so that Maru’Chi would not be able to talk to him, but on his way out of the hall, he saw someone who shocked him. 

It was one of his brothers--Jorge--who he had grown up with. He stopped in his tracks and favored his brother with a rare smile. “Jorge. I haven’t seen you since we were fifteen.”