Chapter Text
The late-afternoon sun cast long shadows through the streets of Mantle as Penny walked through the business district, her handlers not far behind. She wasn’t really sure what she was looking for. A job. But how did one find a job? From what she understood, there wasn’t any kind of central service where one could register one’s skills and interests and be matched with one. That would certainly have made things easier, she thought. But Dad and General Ironwood had said she should find one in Mantle. So that’s what she was doing.
---
“We’d like you to improve your social skills, and start building a rapport with the people of Mantle,” said General Ironwood.
“But--I do not understand. I...am I not designed to help people already?” Penny asked.
“You are, Penny,” Dad replied. “But… some things can’t be programmed in. Or, not by me, anyway. Think of it this way--everyone in the Kingdom of Atlas, or close to everyone, has some kind of a job. And every person’s job helps make Atlas what it is--no matter how big or small the job is. Like the gears and hydraulics in your body, Penny. Why, if even a small part didn’t work properly, you’d find yourself in a spot of trouble!”
“I see,” Penny said. “So by finding a… job…. I am helping Mantle.”
“Precisely. Think of it as just another part of your training to be the Protector of Mantle. Only this time, in addition to training, you’ll also be helping real people,” Dad said.
“We have full faith in your ability to serve Mantle, Penny,” Ironwood said. “We just want to make sure everything is working as intended. We’ll send a security retinue with you, of course, just in case. But as much as possible, we want you to take the lead on the decision-making. I’m instructing your handlers to avoid intervening unless you are in serious physical danger.”
“I will do my best, sir,” Penny replied, feeling more confident. “Where do I begin?”
“Well, try just….walking around!” Dad said. “Talk to people. See what they need, and if you find a shop or business that interests you, see if they need help.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Penny said. She walked over to her father, and threw her arms around him. “I won’t let you down.”
“You never could, my sweet girl,” he murmured.
---
So far, nothing had really caught Penny’s eye. She had started by asking random passersby if they needed help with anything, but all it had gotten her was a few suspicious looks and a handful of polite dismissals. She had passed a few shops with “Help Wanted” signs--but when she had inquired inside, the owners had given her skeptical looks, and after brief conversation, thanked her politely and turned her away.
Penny didn’t understand. If they needed help, why didn’t they want to accept hers? It was one more thing she didn’t understand about humans, and she wasn’t sure she would ever understand. So much of human behavior was just illogical!
So she trudged on, letting her mind wander from the difficulty of the task, and dwelling instead on the brick architecture of the Mantle buildings she walked past. They were so different from the buildings in Atlas! She knew that Atlas was wealthier, and its buildings supposedly nicer, but she couldn’t help but prefer the red bricks of Mantle over the sleek white walls of Atlas. In a world where everything was new to her, these buildings felt old. It made Penny glad that she would be the Protector of Mantle one day--her own history was so short. Sometimes her lack of experience filled her with uncertainty. She knew she was a real person. Her father made sure to tell her that, and so did General Ironwood. But she heard the things the soldiers whispered when they thought she was out of earshot. She knew that if more people knew the truth about who she was, they would treat her differently. But if the long history of Mantle and its brick buildings, if that history could be hers….maybe that would make her feel more like a real person, like everyone she met who had so many years of experience and history. And maybe it would allow everyone else to accept her too.
As Penny turned a corner, a glimmer of blue and green caught her eye--light from a shop, spilling out into the street, the colors and patterns shifting on the cobblestones in the dimming evening light. Penny picked up the pace--most lights in Mantle cast the same boring yellow light, produced by Dust discharges through sodium vapour. Penny was curious why a shop owner would go to the effort of using something else.
When she arrived at the storefront, she found that the store did in fact use the same lights as everyone else in Mantle. Through the large window of the storefront, she could see that the shop’s interior walls were all painted a bright blue--and the yellow Dustlight was being filtered through several large rectangular tanks of water that took up most of the window. Each tank was full of bright green and red plants, all waving gently in the current. Small colorful fish darted in and out of the plants, chasing each other, and pecking occasionally at the leaves. Penny wondered if there was food on those leaves.
One fish lingered long enough for Penny to capture an image she could cross-reference against the Atlas encyclopedias she had stored in her memory banks. Hyphessobrycon amandae , the ember tetra--a small, orange fish native to small streams in the tropical regions of Sanus. Penny wondered how they had been brought to the Kingdom of Atlas without getting too cold. She read that they fed on tiny invertebrates and something called zooplankton --another search revealed that zooplankton were even tinier organisms that ate decaying matter, algae, and other tiny living things that were too small to see. Penny marvelled that such a complex world could exist on such small scales! And that this fish somehow knew it was there, and was eating it!
Penny wondered if such incredible tiny ecosystems existed outside of water, too. Several minutes later, a flash of colour in her peripheral vision brought her back to the present moment. She had been deep into several database entries on ecosystems in the digestive systems of humans and Faunus, and she marked them for continued reading later on.
In her distracted state, she hadn’t noticed the fish that had swam up to the glass in front of her. It was relatively small, smaller than the palm of her hand, but it had elegantly flowing fins that made it appear larger. The fish swam excitedly back and forth across the glass as Penny leaned in for a closer look, as if it were reacting to her. Penny cautiously brought a hand up to the window, and the fish backed away slightly, all its fins extended rigidly, the small fins on either side of its head flared outward and fluttering madly.
“Oh! Er...salutations, little fish!” Penny said, pulling her hand away from the window. The fish seemed to relax, and darted across the glass once more, seemingly showing off its fins. Most of the fish was a deep red, with some white spots, and a blue tinge around the end of its fins.
“Gosh, you’re really pretty,” Penny remarked. She scanned her databanks for images matching the fish. She had a surprisingly hard time finding one--there were many fish that had similar shapes and long flowing fins, but none with the same colors. Maybe they varied in color? The way humans varied in hair and skin color, or faunus varied in their animal traits. The fish that seemed to match most closely were all from a species called Betta splendens --a fish that in the wild was native to ponds and rice paddies in tropical Anima, but had been bred for colorful, showy fins by the Mistralians. And--she read--had been bred to fight each other.
Penny furrowed her brow. But--why? Why breed such beautiful fish to fight each other? Who would do such a thing? Sometimes people were unkind, and it made no sense, and that infuriated her. She noticed, now, that there were no other fish of this species in this tank. That made sense, now. A beautiful fish, created artificially to be outstandingly beautiful and graceful, but doomed to be forever alone by its very uniqueness.
Penny sighed.
“He’s a beauty, ain’t he?” came a voice from the shop door.
Penny hurriedly straightened up, and turned to face the newcomer. A woman was leaning against the doorframe, well-muscled arms crossed in front of her chest. Her hair, dyed a bright pink, was styled in a row of sharp spikes running down the center of her head.
“Oh! Uh! Salutations, ma’am!” Penny said, snapping a sharp salute. “I, er, I was just--”
“Oh, come on, no need to salute me,” the woman interjected. “I got nothing to do with your military. Though I see you probably do, from the looks of those soldiers. My name’s Leah. Anything I can help you with tonight? I’m not in trouble, am I? I do file my taxes on time.”
Penny looked over at the soldiers, standing at attention a few meters behind her. “Oh, no, I apologize--they are here for me--my father makes sure I have protection everywhere I go.” The woman raised an eyebrow, but Penny continued. “My name is Penny. I was just walking down the street when I saw your store. And I had never seen anything like it, so I stopped to look. And then I saw this fish--” she pointed to the small red fish now fluttering around the tank-- “and I could not help but stare!” Realization dawned on Penny, and she raised her hands to her mouth. “Oh! Oh no! Staring is rude! I am so sorry!” she said.
Leah laughed, unfolded her arms, and stepped out into the street. “Well, Penny, I don’t know what they’re teaching you up there in Atlas--you’re from Atlas, right?” she asked, glancing over at the soldiers as she walked over to the tank. Penny nodded, and she continued, “but no, staring at fish isn’t rude. I stare at Sid here all the time. I’ve had him for several years now, and he is such a character, and just so darn cute! That’s why I keep him in this tank--I want him to have a great environment, and you’re not the first person to stop and stare. He’s good for business!” Leah leaned over and wiggled a finger in front of the window glass. Sid swam over, flaring his fins once more.
“Is that what you do here?” Penny asked. “Do you sell fish?”
“Sure do!” Leah responded. “Fin-ominal Fish--” Leah paused, and looked at Penny expectantly. “You know? Fin-ominal? Like, phenomenal? Fin…ominal? Like fins?”
“Yes, I understand!” Penny said. “It is a pun, a play on words! Appropriately clever, ma’am.”
Leah gave Penny a strange look, and continued. “I specialize in tropical freshwater fish and invertebrates. Best store in Mantle. You want to come inside, have a look around?” she asked, gesturing to the open door.
“Yes, I would love to!” Penny replied. She didn’t want to get her hopes up about a job--but Leah seemed really nice, far friendlier than most other shopkeepers she’d spoken to today, and something about the fish had captivated Penny. The way they inhabited their own little contained world, and the magnificent colors and personalities they had on display despite that containment--she couldn’t stop thinking about those beautiful fluttering fins.
The inside of Leah’s shop was astounding. Aquariums lined the walls, each one full of colorful fish and bright green plants. There must have been well over a hundred tanks, and they filled the air with the sound of gentle bubbling. Penny gazed around herself in awe, information on the various species of fish streaming past her vision as she locked eyes on each tank in turn.
She’d had no idea . How incredible the world was, to have so many tiny yet wonderfully unique kinds of fish! And to think that they could all be here, available for all to see!
“Pretty great, huh?” Leah asked, grinning at Penny. “Took a little while to get set up; I started off with just ten tanks in the store, but over the last fifteen years or so I’ve been working hard to expand. Here, since you liked Sid so much….” Leah beckoned to Penny, and walked over to the far corner of the store, where a large rack held rows and rows of smaller tanks.
Penny goggled. Each of the small tanks held a single betta, along with a small plant. Each betta was vividly different from the next, with different colors, differently-shaped fins, and as she watched, even different personalities--some watched her calmly, some darted around their tanks, while others appeared to be napping in their plants.
“They’re all so beautiful….” Penny murmured, as she stared at the bettas. “Why are they all alone?”
“Male bettas don’t play well with each other,” Leah said. “That’s why Sid was the only one of his kind in the display tank.”
“But why not keep these ones in larger tanks of their own, with other small fish, like the display tank?” Penny asked.
“Oh, I’d like to,” Leah replied, “and I’m sure they’d be just thrilled with that! But these fellas don’t stay here for long, and this makes it a lot easier to fish them out and sell ‘em--if I had to chase Sid around, it’d be super stressful, and not good for his health. And bettas don’t need a ton of space--a few gallons of water is fine.”
Penny nodded. It made sense, although it made her sad that they couldn’t all just live all their days in big tanks like Sid’s. “When people buy them, do they put them in big tanks like that at home, then?” she asked.
Leah winced slightly. “Well, ideally, yes. I ask folks what their plans are, and try to make sure they know what the fish needs. But you can’t control everything, and I do have to make sales. I do make sure nobody goes home planning to put them in bowls, and if they’re just starting a tank, I give them some of my filter media to get things going.”
Penny frowned. What Leah was saying made sense--but it made her sad that these fish wouldn’t all have perfect homes.
“How about you, then?” Leah asked. “You clearly love these fish; want to take one home? I can give you a discount; I haven’t seen someone with your enthusiasm in years.”
Penny’s breath hitched. Oh boy, did she want to. Dad surely wouldn’t mind. But she knew she wanted more than that, too. She had received rejection after rejection from other shop owners. Those rejections hadn’t stung all that much--she hadn’t had any serious interest in those shops, only in completing her mission. But she had fallen in love with these fish. And Leah seemed different--she had treated her as a person. Maybe this time would be different.
“It’s okay,” Leah said, “you can take your time if you--”
“I want to work for you!” Penny blurted. She slapped her hands over her mouth; she hadn’t intended to interrupt, or to just come out and say it--she just wanted it so much!
Leah stared at her for a second, eyes wide, then burst out laughing. “Hah! You know, it’s funny you should say that; I was actually thinking recently I could use a bit of help running this place,” she said, slapping her knee gently. “It’s hard to find the time to place orders for imports, maintain all the tanks, and also help customers all at the same time. Couldn’t pay you much….but look, you seem great. I love your enthusiasm. You do strike me as kind of new to fishkeeping, though. What makes you think you’d be a good fit for working at a fish store?”
Penny gasped. “Is this… a job interview?” she asked.
“Sure, I guess. If you can convince me that I should hire you, I will,” Leah responded.
“Well then!” Penny stood tall, her feet squarely shoulder-width apart. She could do this. “My name is Penny Polendina. I am a hard worker, I am honest, and I am good at math and keeping records. I have an excellent memory, as well, and while I may look petite, I possess abundant strength that allows me to lift all but the heaviest objects! I may be new to fishkeeping, but I think you will find that I am a fast learner! For example! Sid is a member of the species Betta splendens , which are anabantoids, a group of fish which possess an organ for breathing air! He requires warm water, ideally around 27 or 28 degrees Celsius. Fish of his genus are usually native to acidic waters stained a light-brown from decaying leaves and wood, but the ones available for sale can thrive in normal water as well! They do well on most prepared foods, but are most fond of frozen and live food, and their delicate fins mean they should only have non-aggressive tankmates!”
Leah stared. “Well, shit. You seemed like you didn’t know anything about bettas when we started talking.”
“Like I said, ma’am, I am a fast learner!” Penny replied.
Leah squinted at Penny, then turned and beckoned her over to a tank near the floor. “Here, this is a test. See these fish here?” She pointed to a group of small fish gathered on the sand of the tank. They had elongated, thick bodies, and long, thin whiskers protruding from the sides of their wide mouths. When Leah’s finger came near the glass, they darted away, emerging a second later on the side of a piece of wood. “What are these?”
Penny knelt and watched the little fish, scanning their images against the databanks. There were far fewer matching images and entries for these, but after a few seconds, she found a photo that seemed close enough. “I believe these are...wood catfish?” She guessed, looking up at Leah. Leah nodded approvingly.
“Very good,” she said. “What can you tell me about them?”
Information streamed through Penny’s vision. “If I am correct about their species, then these are Centromochlus reticulatus , also sometimes called purple oil cats!” she said, pulling as many references as she could find from catfish discussion boards. “They are….also native to tropical regions; these ones from the east coast of Sanus. They like streams, and they are nocturnal. And…..and they have sharp spines, and can tear nets!”
“Alright,” Leah said, “that’s scary. I have no idea how you’re doing that, what kind of encyclopedia you got there in that head of yours. Maybe one day you’ll tell me how you’re doing that. But yeah, these are my purple oil cats. They’re one of my favorites to keep, and fortunately, they’re shy enough that they don’t sell well except to really experienced hobbyists. Means I get to hang out with them here in the shop. So since they can tear nets--how would you get them out of the tank, if someone wanted to buy one?”
Penny scanned her databanks, but while there were many entries explaining how dangerously sharp those spines were, and how caution was therefore needed, none explained how to actually catch them without nets. “I….I….” she stammered, trying to buy time as she frantically searched discussion boards. Oh no. She was going to make a fool of herself, she knew it. She was going to fail this job interview, and then not only would she still not have a job, but she would have lost her chance to have the coolest job in the world . She frowned, furrowing her brow as she pushed herself to scan entries faster and faster.
“It’s okay,” Leah said with a gentle chuckle, “ain’t nobody but me who really knows what to do with these. I had to figure it out for myself. I don’t expect you to know the answer. I want to hear what you come up with on your own. Just, think about it--what would you do?”
Penny paused. Right. She could think through this. She was smart. She could do this. Let’s see--how would you catch something without a net?
“Could you….” she started, hesitantly. “Could you set a trap of some kind? Lure them into a… a cup or something?”
Leah nodded approvingly. “That’s one way, sure! They’re shy, but they’re food-motivated. There are fish traps you can use for fish like them. But the best way, I find--I just use my hands. I let them get comfortable enough to come onto my palm, and then I just lift ‘em out and plop ‘em into the bag, bucket, tank, wherever they’re going.”
“Doesn’t that….take a long time?” Penny asked.
Leah chuckled. “Yeah, they’re still pretty darn tricky. Another reason why I’m glad they don’t actually sell all that often.”
“I see,” Penny said. “So… you don’t want to sell all the fish here?”
“Weelllll,” Leah said, putting her hands on her hips and looking about the fish room. “To be honest, I’m not in this to make money. The real reason is I couldn’t really afford to keep all these fish if I wasn’t selling some of them. I do try to make enough profit to, you know, keep myself fed. But mainly I just like having and working with all these fish. It gives me the freedom to try some of my own projects, too--I’m trying to breed some of the rarer species in here. That’s why I couldn’t pay you much if you were to work for me--I could maybe give you minimum wage? A bit more?”
“Oh, I could even work for free!” Penny said. “I don’t really need the money--my father takes care of me. But I am supposed to find a job to gain valuable experience helping the people of Mantle! And I think that selling them fish and telling them how to care for them would be a valuable service!”
Leah gave her a long look--one that Penny was not sure how to interpret. “Well, I’m glad you think so,” she said. “I wouldn’t make you work for free, though--you help me sell fish, you earn some money. If you don’t need it for necessities, then I guess you can spend it on something fun for yourself,” Leah said.
“Wait, does that mean you want to hire me?” Penny asked. “I passed the interview?”
Leah laughed. “Yes, Penny, you passed, alright. You’re hired; I love your enthusiasm, I love seeing a young woman get interested in fishkeeping, and like you said, you’re clearly a fast learner.”
Penny clapped her hands, jumping up and down with excitement, as the relief washed over her. “Oh, wonderful! Thank you, thank you so much!” she cried, and threw her arms around Leah in a tight hug.
“Oh! Oh, haha--” Leah gasped in surprise at the hug-- “th--thank you!”
A thought occurred to Penny. “You said I should spend my wages on something fun. Could I…. could I spend them here?”
Leah laughed. “Sure, if you want. You’ll get an employee discount, too. Can you start next week? It’ll take me a few days to come up with a schedule for you, and decide how to divide the work.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Penny replied. “I’ll be here first thing in the morning on Monday!”
“Okay, Penny,” Leah said. “I’ll see you Monday.” She turned to an open notebook on the counter, and began making notes.
Penny stood in the store a few moments longer, hardly believing her luck. Leah’s pen scratched loudly on the page, bringing Penny back to her senses. As Leah shook the pen and gave the nib an experimental lick, Penny turned and began to head for the door. A few of the soldiers that had come in with her had been peering into various tanks during the interview, and snapped to attention as Penny drew near.
“Oh, and Penny?” Leah called from the counter.
“Yes, ma’am?” Penny asked, pausing at the door.
“Call me Leah.”