//------------------------------// // Arc V Episode II: The Rumor Mill Churns // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Spoiled Rich placed the document on the principal’s desk. On it were a few emails she had received and printed out alongside those three photographs that Wendy had taken. A final act of spite from the girl, unbeknownst to anyone in the building. “...” Celestia picked up the documents and read over each quote from the parents. “These photos are a little suspicious. Someone needs to check him out.” “I don’t think he’s a weirdo, but it’s odd that everyone likes him so much.” “He doesn’t look like that type of person, but you never know…” “My daughter said that his lessons were fun but she’s there to learn. Not mess around.” Celestia sighed, and put the paper down. “I see…” Spoiled had crossed one of her legs over the other. “I’m not one to jump to conclusions, personally. But it would be in your best interest if Mr. Iota kept his...eccentric methods to himself. At least for a little while so their concerns can die down and so that the students won’t approach him as much.” “What--you want me to tell him to stop having fun with the students?” Celestia gave a defensive retort, “He’s done nothing wrong. Their grades in all of their math classes have improved since his arrival.” “Calm yourself, Celestia,” Spoiled responded bluntly, “He’s under your jurisdiction. Whatever you want him to do is up to you.” She grabbed up the documents and put them away. “I’m merely doing my job and reporting to you what I found. If he’s as good as you say, then I wouldn’t want to see him go anymore than you do.” “Hm…” the principal sighed and replied, “I’ll talk to him before he starts up his next lesson today.” With that established, Spoiled got up from her seat and got ready to take her leave. “Good. As I said--what you say to him exactly is entirely up to you. I have another important matter to deal with right now before the school opens.” She started to walk away. “Good day to you, Ms. Tia.” As Spoiled Rich left, Celestia leaned upon her desk as she thought of a way to break this news to Aidon. “What am I going to say when he gets here? And who took those photos anyway? Is someone trying to incriminate him? I’d better get Luna’s opinion on this.” Spoiled Rich made it back to her limousine, and gave a command to her driver. “Take me to the estates,” she quipped as she filed her nails, “There’s someone I need to have a word with.” The limo pulled away from the school and drove towards the Rich Family Manor in the middle of the city. As one would expect, it was a large mansion with an endless amount of luscious, green lawn and other shrubs in all directions surrounded by guards with weapons on all sides. One could only imagine how much it was all worth if they needed their own security… But that wasn’t the limo’s destination. The chauffeur stopped at a luxurious condominium across the street from the manor. It looked like something out of a resort’s brochure with its large, wide structure. Standing at about five stories tall with a beige and pink color scheme on the walls--mimicking that of both Spoiled and Filthy’s favorite colors. Spoiled exited the limo and spoke to the driver. “Thank you, sir. Head on home for the day. I can walk back to the manor from here.” She handed him a few folded hundred dollar bills to which he gleefully accepted before pulling off. Now by herself, Spoiled would make her way into the condo building, and travel through the main lobby to the elevator. Then, she traveled up it and towards one of the rooms on the third floor. Pristine red leather carpeting lined the halls along with each door being made of the finest of hardwood. But Spoiled in particular was headed towards one specific door: Apartment #3R. She gently knocked upon the door with the back of her hand and called out. “Mr. Ketsuki. Your rent is still past due and you have school in one hour. I hope you’re up and at ‘em.” The door was swiftly opened by a teenage boy--about the same age as the other Sophomores at CHS such as Applebloom--with a dark-green complexion, short, silver hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing a set of goggles and a labcoat with red spatters of liquid all over it. And he had a slight overbite with a pair of fangs protruding from his upper lip. “Erm...yes, I’m on my way now.” “...What is...all of that on your…?” she pointed down at his messy coat and the red liquid that had stained it. “Oh, uh…” The boy looked down at himself, and quickly thought something up with an embarrassed poker face. “...Cranberry juice?” “Mm-hmm…” Spoiled folded her arms, and stared down at the boy with an annoyed expression. “And what of your rent? Weren’t you working a job at the local supermarket?” “Heh-heh. I...funny thing about that,” he gave an awkward laugh while looking up at the businesswoman, trembling from her powerful aura. “So I--ahem!--I was uh...let go, so to speak.” Unsatisfied with such an answer, Spoiled leaned downwards, now mere inches away from his face with her hands now on her hips. “Be clear with me, boy. I can’t figure out what to do next if you don’t explain yourself.” “...” With the curvaceous woman so close to him, his gaze wandered ever so slightly from anxiety. In his state of confusion and rattled nerves, his eyes inadvertently traveled down to Spoiled’s ample bosoms. “Err...I--uh…” Snap. With a snap of her fingers, she caught his attention. “My eyes are up here, son.” “...I quit!” he blurted out with a shaky smile, “I couldn’t stand dealing with idiotic customers who bitch and whine about sale prices, expired coupons, and don’t control their annoying children!” “Ugh…” Spoiled stood upright once more and covered her face with her hand. She shook her head in a dismissive fashion in response to the reasoning behind his current lack of a job. “Blech. I empathize with him. I know exactly what that’s like. Even so…” The woman put her hand down, folding her arms once more. “I see...so have you managed to find another job since?” “Well...no…” the boy admitted shamefully as he broke eye contact, “...Turns out the job market is very competitive around the holidays...” Spoiled sighed, and thought to herself. “Once again, fair enough. I suppose everything has been made more difficult...and he may be more useful than the bumbling idiots for servants at the mansion.” After a moment of consideration, she rolled her eyes and gave him a command. “Alright, Keiji. Here’s what’s about to happen.” “Hm?” he tilted his head as he raised his goggles, “What’re you planning?” “Starting today, you’re going to work for me,” she proclaimed with a proud expression, “I’ll make sure to pay you enough so you can work off the rent you owe and buy yourself some extra trinkets.” A sudden, stoic frown cropped up on her face, “But you’d better work hard. Understood?” Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the boy eagerly accepted this offer on bended knees. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Mrs. Rich...I-I won’t waste this chance.” The lady rolled her eyes once more. “Get up. Quit blabbering. Your first job is going to be a bit of a unique one, so listen up.” He rose to his feet, and got ready to listen. “I’m ready. What’ll it be?”