Dina let out a sigh as she looked over the buildings of the city, she'd had the same route for over a hundred years now and it looked very different than the first day she seen it. But then again, that was to be expected, while she delivered changed each and every day to those that needed it, she, like all of her sisters, never changed at all.
That was the way it was with fairies though and she couldn't complain, even if her wings were tired from flying all around to help the humans. Most of the time it was a fun job, helping people change for the better and achieve things they never thought possible. Once in a while, well, it wasn't quite so much fun, but it was at least never boring.
Dina sat on the edge of the building, resting her wings for a few minutes and closed her eyes and just let the sounds of the city wash over her. Then she opened them again and slipped her hand down into the outside pouch of her canvas bag and pulled out the list of assignments for the day.
She smiled as she stroked through the last one with her finger and a line magically appeared through it, Trudy had been one of the best changes she'd delivered in a while. She was sure the poor shy girl was in for a wonderful life now that she had so much more confidence!
She pushed her notepad back into the pouch and then frowned just a little as she felt something else in the bag. Opening the main compartment, the slight pink glow confirmed her suspicions and she let out a moan of defeat as she titled her head back.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Tina asked as she floated down and landed just behind her.
Tina had, for the last thirty years, the same route of the city just to the east of Dina's and they were at least work friends. Dina was still pretty new at the whole change fairy thing, but had a good head on her shoulders none the less.
Dina stood up and turned to Tina, spreading her bag wide open and Dina grimaced.
"Aren't you done? Are you behind schedule?"
"No... I'm done... It's a spare change orb."
"Shit, that's not good."
"I know, I mean, they don't make *mistakes* upstairs, which means we're going to be blamed for it." Dina said, shaking her head.
"Did you maybe miss someone on your list? Skip a name?"
Dina shook her head again as the two of them sat in silence for a moment. The last time someone had come back with a "spare" change orb, the entire team had been demoted. As far as she knew they were still working on the pet brigade, with at least another hundred years to go before they'd be allowed to work with humans again.
"Let me look..." Tina said as she slipped her hand into the pouch and pulled out Dina's list, double-checking it to no avail.
"Shit." Tina said once more and handed the notepad back to Dina.
"Yeah, shit."
"Uhm... could you... you know, get rid of it somehow? Before we head back I mean?"
Dina was shocked for just a moment, such a suggestion was heresy against the code they followed, how could she even suggest it?
But then again... the pet brigade.
Dina shook involuntarily and then spoke again, "Ah, how would I even... I mean... we don't choose who..."
"I know, I know, it's a crazy suggestion... but I don't know. Maybe just stand at the edge of the building... and toss it over your shoulder?"
Dina looked over the edge of the building at the street below, filled with people walking around and shrugged her shoulders, "Well, I guess..."
She turned back to Tina and pulled the change orb from her bag, then closed her eyes and tossed the change orb over her shoulder.
"Ok, let's go, I don't want to wait around for this..." Dina said and lifted off the rooftop, flying as quickly as she could.
"Agreed!" Tina said and followed along behind her.
* * *
Jessica looked at the sign she had painted by hand and smiled, "Women are not objects!" it said on one side and "Sex isn't work!" on the other.
She grabbed it by the long wooden handle and then headed out of her apartment towards the elevator. When it arrived there was a couple inside, both of them gave her disapproving glances.
She was used to that though, her short black hair, nose and eyebrow piercing, dark makeup, unfashionable military-style clothing and "combat" boots did nothing to interest men and she was perfectly fine with that.
Jessica was on a mission to free women from the tyranny of men, not win beauty contests. She had a destiny before her and the disapproving looks of others wasn't going to get in her way!
She decided to have some fun with the man and turned to him, holding her sign with the "Sex isn't work" side towards him.
"Hey, haven't I seen you going into the strip club I'm protesting at before?" she asked of the man and his face went white as the woman gave him a dirty look.
"What!?! No... I'd..." he started to say but looked over at, what Jessica assumed was, his wife as the woman frowned even more.
Jessica was sure the shouting was about to start as they arrived at the ground floor and she took her leave of them, quickly making her way out of the building and towards the subway.
* * *
Jessica arrived at the strip club just as the street was getting busy with people leaving work, the perfect time for her to protest. She quickly raised her sign in the air and started to walk back and forth in front of the building.
It was a modest building in comparison to those around it, obviously it had been there for a long time and never been redeveloped. Too much profit in selling young women to dirty old men, Jessica thought as she almost snarled at the thought.
"Women are not objects to be sold by the hour!" she cried out on one of her passes and a few people looked her way, but did nothing else.
"Sex isn't work! Sex is for making babies in marriage!" she called out once more, feeling just a twinge of hypocrisy on that one, she'd had sex before marriage, with who she thought was going to be her husband. But, like all men, he'd shown his true colours and cheated on her after just a few months and she'd dumped him as soon as she'd found out.
Since then, she'd be true to herself and not engaged in sex with anyone.
Just as she turned around she recognized one of the strippers coming towards the main entrance of the club, the brunette was beautiful and her hair was styled perfectly. Jessica approached her quickly, "Don't you have any shame? You're worth more than just cash!" she said in a raised, but as respectful of voice as she could manage to the woman.
The woman rolled her eyes as she continued on, "Honey, you have no idea what you're talking about."
"I know I'm worth more than just what a man will pay to paw at my body!" Jessica retorted as the other woman opened the club's door and walked inside, the loud music filtering out to the street for just a moment until the door closed again.
Jessica shook her head and walked back to her protest area and started parading back and forth once more.
A few minutes later, as she paced around, waving her sign in the air, she heard a voice call out from across the street, "Hey! Watch out!"
She stopped in her tracks and looked across the street at a man point to the air above her, "Huh? What?" she called back and then tilted her head back to see what he was pointing at just in time for her vision to be filled with a glowing pink orb racing towards her.
* * *
Jessi blinked several times as her head spun around and around, until things finally settled down and she looked over at the door to the strip club. She tilted her head to the side slightly and then turned to look across the street, hadn't someone been shouting at her?
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled as she turned back to the club. Well there wasn't anyone there now so it must not have been important.
She opened the door and stepped inside, letting it swing closed behind her as the music filled her ears and she looked into the mirrored surface of the hallway to check to make sure her makeup was alright. Noticing a slight smudge on her pink lipstick she cleaned it away with her finger, making sure to get none of it on her long fake nails as she did.
A quick tease of her mass of blonde hair later, she stepped up to the bouncer that was sitting at the end of the hallway, checking IDs of any patrons that came in.
"Hey Destiny. How are you doing tonight?" the bouncer asked, using her stage name in public.
