Ignoring Mr. Crisologo's cries, I turned my attention to the party I brought with me: Kaley, Tatiana, Quinn, Jared, and Ibarra who were still by our vehicle waiting—though Jared's attention was watching the camera's feed through one of our tablets—but it seemed like Mimi caught wind that we had just arrived and stayed put for a few minutes.
I looked briefly at my watch as I turned to her, "It's past eight, what are you still doing here?"
"Dr. Lo— Dr. Nichols is still here too, you know? We usually clock out way~ later in the university, sometimes even in the morning. We're still getting used to things here too so the extra hours wouldn't hurt. Besides, we're used to this kind of stuff..."
"Don't push yourselves too hard..."
"S-Sure... U-Umm..." Mimi trailed as she was staring at the blood on my hands after briefly glancing at the door I came from.
"..." I didn't utter a word as I wiped the blood on my pants before I scratched the back of my head.
She then took a deep breath before she opened her mouth, "D-Did you... Did—"
"I killed three people today— Two, technically speaking, but that's why I have blood on my hands."
"..."
"..."
"Then... The place you drove—"
"Right. Technically speaking, I didn't kill more people but I still ordered a dozen or so deaths so it's pretty much the same thing. Other than that, there are now 50-ish people who are free from their grasp but they'll pretty much do the same thing but with higher incentives and better living conditions instead. I'll tell you the bad stuff and I'll tell you the good stuff.
It'll be in the reports or said in the meeting tomorrow but that's just how this place goes."
"T-That's great, I guess..." Mimi trailed once again as she looked at the floor solemnly.
I then grabbed the top of Mimi's head, ruining her hair even more, as I looked at her seriously, "Look... I know you're tough in this little ol' head of yours but you can't even stop me from ruining your hair—"
"B-But it's you, why would I—"
"What if that other guy starts doing it?"
"T-Then I'll kick his ass!"
"Then what if he fights back?"
"Then I'll aim for his nuts?"
"I'm serious here, Mimi. It's great for you to not be a pushover and be tough but you gotta be smart too. I got bullied like you when I was in high school but even if I was a pushover then, I know how to fight back. It's just that I didn't. I'm not comparing you to myself but what we both did was wrong. I should've fought back while you should put some safeties in place."
"I-I know the s-story... K-Kaley helped you..."
"Yes, that's right. And right now, you have everybody here to help you if things go south. A little bit of hazing works to toughen some of you up but it's bad when it goes too far. I won't behead him if he keeps pushing work on you but the moment I see you come home with so much as a tiny little scratch, heads will roll. Do you understand that?"
"I-I do... Thanks—"
Jared suddenly jumped from the roof of my truck as he pushed the tablet on my face:
"Bro! BRO! LOOK—"
"Don't push it too far onto my face!"
"But that fuck had already ripped his hand off! H-He's bleeding a lot! Wait... I thought the other guy already moved from y-you know... Why's he-it 'sleeping' again?"