Eventually, things had to stop being awkward. Eva's new "status" did at times tempt some to call on her, but they learned the lesson to not abuse it quickly enough. The best way to keep it aside was to not indulge in the sudden easy options. They started being a bit more cautious with their dating and the vigilante system, sending the idea to the others to have backup. It gave something to do with those who might not be AS eager for violence or tempting people.
Back to the cafe, where the service was arguably better and often fit for the price. Despite the increased price tag, people started to come more often. In fact, some started to feel it a bit exclusive in a rather idiotic move. There seemed no hope for this generation, but maybe some of the next ones will get the message.
Eva found this work to be a bit grounding, keeping her from going crazy in other ways. The normal and traditional way of doing things. Practice made perfect and she was getting better. After asking Tom to see that her recommendations no longer tried to get her angry, so did the internet started being better once she could see all of the victories around, all of the ways people were doing it their way without such incentive. Things were getting better and often one could not see it.
By now she thought that all the entitled customers were gone. Always one more left, but her approach to them getting better. Stand her ground, smile smugly, and let them dig their own hole. Far too often they were women, older ones who seemed to forget their place. When the increased price got quoted for her attitude, it got worse since they thought it was the means to reverse it. The price kept climbing and so did the rage of that customer. And Eva just smiled. She now saw it for the pathetic display that it was. She wanted to laugh.
Leave it to them to escalate it, the older woman grabbing the offered mug and trying to throw the contents at the astorian. This brought a much wider grin... just a slight adjustment to the physics... and somehow the cup moved in a way to make the hot coffee get all over the woman to her petulant screams, and by all outside accounts... of her own fault. The girl laughed, causing others in the place to join in this collective shaming. That was the point of it... make them see the error of their ways. Even wild swings would hit the hard counter between them rather than the girl. Such satisfaction.
Eventually, when one sees this approach to bring nothing but ruin, they had to turn away and consider the damage. Maybe consider their ways. A few more businesses around were taken on by aliens, just enough to provide a moment for these people to see what they became. The fun thing was that even though those astorians were in the minority here, they offered such fair treatment that people flocked to them. Other franchises were slowly starved of their vital employees when they found a better place to go. They tried to demolish these companies in every other way but this... lawsuits for unfair competition, illegal action or influence peddling. But nothing seemed to work. People were wising up. A judge outright made a plaintiff pay damages themselves to their old employees just for wasting their time with it... whining about people leaving for better conditions. Evil was not winning.
It took a good amount of resources to invest back in people, some wasted as there was no hope for some, but others so wisely consumed for the task. Her boyfriend told her of the much better standards companies were adopting simply because they saw where the wind was blowing. They lost their monopoly on low salaries and disposable people... and had to adapt or die.
Such things brought smiles to plenty of faces.
*
Jack never had trust in the system. Ever since he was young, everyone above him was out to get him. There was a saying that if voting could change anything, it would be illegal. The last time he went to vote on anything was five years ago. And yet the two left the building where the process was held, just a bit of hope in each.
"Still feels like nothing would be done. Also, technically you shouldn't be able to vote." He told her.
"Why not? I live here. I pay TAXES! Oh, it's fine for people to do it when they keep the current people in power?"
Eva was technically an illegal immigrant. Some might say she was not even an immigrant and was just here as a spy. The argument could go on for days.
"Eh, well... there... we did it. Doesn't matter. The guys upstairs never change."
"Which one did you go for?"
"You're... not supposed to say who you vote for." He said with caution.
"Because people argue over it. Yeah, yeah... come on... it's me. If we let THIS separate us we're doomed. So, who did you pick to be the next leader of the people around here?"
"Uh... that Jules guy."
A very, very unpopular choice... at least for the journalists, businessmen, other politicians, loud women and several other people who tried to demonize the man. He had a stance about reducing the power of many things... marriage, corporations, politicians and women. Not quite pushing them back to before women's rights, but if he had his way... a judge could be disbarred for ruling against a man in custody without a strong cause. Obviously, all of the women benefitting from child support and divorce, all of the buisnesses to enjoy their lack of real consequences and the fine elite of the planet wanted him gone. Somehow he was still there.
"Same here. I'd like to see what he does with the place." And so did 70% of the population.
"Well, we can agree on that. Might be at least entertaining to see the next year."
"Oh, very entertaining..." She let out a long, dramatic pause. "He's from Redlight."
"HE'S WHAT?!" That name did ring a bell. "Are you saying we just voted for an alien?!"
"Wow, racist much?" She joked. "And yeah. Him and his wife. And humans. Fun to occasionally hear what his team have to deal with. Glad I'm not there!"
"Well, now everything makes sense! You think he'll succeed? Even with him, there's congress, parliament... all that and such. They're just gonna block him."
"Nah, there's already a majority of our guys... not necessarily ours, but ones who believe in the cause... holding spots there. They covered the bases. Stuff is gonna change!"
And in what grand and dramatic ways. Slowly, but with visible progress to convince people to keep those leaders in office and strike down those who care more for their pockets. Jack was surprisingly okay to know that his country was basically taken over by aliens.
"Sounds like your whole infiltration is successful. Are we gonna become part of the empire in ten years?"
"Nope!" A smoke was finally pulled as they found a quiet spot. "Just teaching you guys how not to be idiots before letting you go. It's enlightenment. Has to go gradually, letting things slip in. Honestly, I think we'd rather have some neighbors. Decent ones."
"So..." Jack pulled his nicotine out as well. "Any other fine institutions that Astoria has taken over that you know of?" It only rarely came up. And he didn't ask.
"Told you about schools, in some places... others we took to the law enforcement, legal system, and in one they took over the entire underground operations. Easier than the rest since those have that go for them constantly. Not gonna tell you which, so just look around and guess."
It was not in his country, but with such fresh perspective, he could start to notice it... fairer trials in Asia, cartels in south america outright being trusted over law enforcement, America somehow having much smarter kids than before, Africa was seeing such a collective restructuring that it would be unrecognizable in a few years. The process was slow and painful... filled with resistance from the old world unwilling to give away their consequence-free runs.
