Shifting Change

'If I want more change, I especially have to start it with myself.'

Trying to build on your self-confidence is no walk in the park... Continuously doing so or not.

For weeks, Taiga has been training more regularly with her nata; along with more fighting techniques.

She felt kind of weird, and surprised, thinking about it when the fact was realized; yet not disturbed.

Taiga wasn't ever focused much on her weight in her life, or anyone's for that matter, but recently saw that she was now 113lbs.

She was usually more self-conscious about other parts of her body, but in general, was starting to feel less... Exhausted. In more than one way, these days.

Taiga thought beauty definitely came in all shapes and sizes... But still had doubts about herself and her situation at times, despite how much she tried not to stress over it all. She'd pretty much usually gloss over herself, if addressed in such praising ways. Or just stay in bashful silence; like with Luci. She was one of the first to try and encourage her to realize her potential.

...

Yet compared to the past, she felt much more... Alive!

Ready to take on the day with more assurance, and willing to accept everything.

Taiga still felt awkward a bit looking at her reflection, regardless. But, she truly couldn't recall feeling any actual hatred for her appearance recently.

And it was interesting.

It's not that she thought she was ugly right now either, but... The concept of praising herself a lot was foreign to Taiga, and felt very strange. Overall, she wanted to at least continue to try and take better care of herself, but still not push herself too hard.

'I guess it will all take getting used to, like most things I struggle with... But I actually do think I look... Nice today.'

She thought that maybe it was because she finally got answers, and a sense of direction, along with a greater purpose now, for her life, along with Spark's, possibly.

'He is happy for me as well...'

Before it was just... Try to survive, go to work, repeat. Never really knowing if Spark and her would ever get any answers.

Not that she was ungrateful accomplishing those previous goals...

But now, Taiga could actually do even more impactful things.

And the better she felt, the more she most likely could do.

That was just a fact.

She knew she wasn't useless beforehand or something, but actually knowing the truth helped her feel more at ease, and like there are even better things awaiting them.

If she had given up before... Taiga wouldn't be here. Who knows what would happen if she had hurt herself more, or worse.

It was surreal to think about how everything changed. Yet didn't change much at all at the same time.

Her mind could still go all over the place, but when she thought about those she could possibly help, it just started to make more sense to Taiga for what to do next.

She's never felt so sure before.

Those who was on her side, who could help in these tough situations and that Taiga could converse with especially, helped her feel more like she knew what she was doing.

"I'm so glad I have had the opportunity to make trustworthy friends in this time."

Taiga started to get lost in thought once again, but this time, her thoughts were about her dream journal. Every now and then, especially when Taiga was extremely scared thinking about future conflicts she had a high probability of getting into, Avis would continue communicating with her in that way through dreams.

Taiga started keeping the dream journal, to make sure she wouldn't forget details that were extra important to her.

She still kept learning even more. Even if Avis could only talk for a short time, Taiga was more than grateful. For everything, to be honest.

Some things she read back on would still make her feel negatively. But she would rather know the truth than not. Every time.

She definitely started to figure Séthyan was trying to taunt her, looking back on it...

Turning Spark into a cat that looked similar to her doll.

Taiga sighed to herself, but then kept re-reading over her writing. Negative or positive feelings would sometimes mix together. But processing it all sometimes helped Taiga become more at ease afterwards.

While she had her dreams, she kept picking up details of the cat always accompanying Avis...

Looking at them as much as possible while they were near Avis caused Taiga to question why she's much more purple than said cat.

Apparently, the experiments she had to go through as a child wasn't the actual root cause of her skin's change of color.

Instead of her body breaking down like any humans normally would in response, along with getting sicker, Avis and her guide had to use more of their power to try and keep her as healthy as they could at the time. Which caused side effects. Her body took a part of their own forms with her. Like Avis said, she was never really alone, and still isn't. Even if they knew Taiga wasn't supposed to go so soon, the two could only do so much. Especially after Séthyan trying to curse Taiga from the start and doom her.

Luckily, Taiga was strong enough to get through all the other hardships thrown her way, from Séthyan or otherwise, and avoid any other tragic death.

Taiga tried not to let herself get too angry when thinking of all Séthyan has done. That familiar feeling similar to when she hurt that man before...

She knew she was allowed to feel angry, and everything else in between, but steering herself back towards possible solutions to the problem started to become easier and more helpful to her. Especially when she needed to calm down. Taiga tried letting it out in healthy ways. She never wanted to become like Séthyan. It's what she would want.

Those feelings can be in everyone. But Taiga would rather use that energy for the best solution, whenever possible.

She took some deep breaths and closed her journal.

Taiga then remembered her phone after a bit; and the conversation she'd been having, among other things...

Researching everything was almost overwhelming, but at the same time, it was worth it. The meetups, trips to the library, everything... Taiga felt more at ease again whenever thinking about moving with this newest air about her. On how Rory and her could more preparedly tackle what lied ahead, after she filled Taiga in on her fully thought-out plan.

"You sure you want to get involved with this?" Spark suddenly spoke out.

He'd been worried ever since he first heard about it all, but wasn't going to stop Taiga if it's truly what she wanted to do.

She smiled slightly, looking over at him beside her on her bed. "...I truly believe I'm here for a reason, and I want to fulfill it... I aspire to continuously follow my truth no matter what may stay in my way.

And yes... I know that I cannot fix everyone's problems, but I'll do what I'm able."

Spark nodded in understanding.

"I just worry... I know you know as much..." He chuckled a little. "But yes, you're right... I do agree with you."

Taiga pet his head and then brought Spark in for a hug, which he happily returned to the best of his ability.

"I never want to be helpless against my will again, so I want to keep trying to take my life into my own hands... You know?"

Spark felt the same, and let Taiga know that. "I'm actually... Glad I could adjust to this new body, at least.

I know I didn't deserve it whatsoever, and despite how much I wanted to give up as well sometimes... I just couldn't fully. And I'm grateful I didn't. For myself, and for you."

Taiga teared up and hugged him more. "My sentiments exactly."

Her voice cracked while saying so, and happy tears ran down her face. They both felt so lucky to be here after everything... Together.

---

Taiga would get antsy still, though. Thinking about actually going through with this... Figuring out when they could best try to put their plan in action...

Rory already got Isolde's schedule down pat, and knew when the store would pretty much be closed.

And Taiga knew the info she absolutely needed to.

Taiga was new to these things obviously, but was a fast learner...

They had to get behind a VPN, a free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication,

and anonymously sign up for an account with a secure email service that is open source and protected by ethical privacy laws.

Then scan all of their proof of Isolde's illegal activity into a single PDF file and sanitize it of all metadata. Rory had a lot over the years, and Taiga was impressed. She was glad Rory was smart about all this, and thankfully never got caught.

'I guess Isolde shouldn't have gotten too comfortable, and underestimated those around her. She's relatively new to it all too, but didn't cover all her bases in the end... Maybe she thought everyone was scared into submission fully now.'

Taiga sighed to herself again.

It made Taiga sad that she would do all this. That anyone would. But that's just how some people acted, and she knew she couldn't change that sometimes. At least if this all worked out, those people would be free from Isolde's basically iron grip.

And lastly, once they had a clean package that can't be traced back to the both of them, Taiga and Rory started thinking to tell Isolde's father and show almost everything. But they weren't going to expose any of the innocent people's secrets Isolde was using against them. They don't deserve that at all. All they needed to do was expose her crimes, nothing else.

And Taiga agreed with that. They've already been through so much... But now Isolde had to face the consequences of her actions.

Rory believes Isolde's father will actually do something about this right away after finding out. We'll have to go to the submission emails of multiple news companies and send everything out, letting them take the risk of confronting the company and its lawyers if he doesn't...

But Rory said she knows he had better morals than his daughter, but figured that we should do this just in case. No one has ever had enough proof before. Or were too scared to try anything...

...If he doesn't do what's right...

They knew that they could be sued, or worse, if caught.

"What we are exposing is illegal and true... So slander/libel, etc, etc, suits are unlikely to stick." Rory told me.

Taiga knew that she was not given a NDA. At least not yet. But certain others were. Mostly those that Isolde saw as a possible threat.

The plan went through Taiga's head so many times. She was ready, but still had to get through another shift first.

And since Rory wasn't working tonight, she would meet up with her again later.

Taiga knew that she had to make sure everything was especially ready tech-wise.

Taiga helped when she could, but had to go to Rory's place way more than she'd ever gone to the library in her lifetime, for sure.

It was a wild experience seeing all she had at the ready, compared to her, but Taiga wasn't envious, or anything alike.

Again, she was more impressed and grateful than anything else.

It had been nice getting to know the girl more in between it all as well.

She wasn't very bubbly, understandable why, to Taiga at least, but Rory wasn't unfriendly towards her. She wasn't used to having many friends either, and was very hospitable when Taiga came over. She seemed to respect her, and so did Taiga. So, she felt more comfortable, and shared some of her similar struggles. They both seemed to have tried to fight for a long time to get a stable job, and a better life in general.

She just was determined to get the truth out as quick and as safe for all they're helping as possible. And was thankful Taiga didn't think she was crazy, or worse. Taiga felt more compelled to do what she thought was right too after personally seeing Rory in action especially. And maybe one day, they could get closer...

Either way, Taiga was happy to have met her. Even if it was by unusual circumstances. And Spark seems to trust her as well, from all the times he's heard about and met her. Mostly, he stayed home, as per usual. He liked to guard their place. It's not like he could talk to Taiga out loud in public much anyway. When he tagged along, Spark was usually a quiet observer. Pretending to be a "normal" cat. He got out when he could/wanted to. And Taiga made sure to check on, and talk with him, like he did with her; whenever they could. But they trusted each other, and did their own thing, knowing how much space they both needed.

What mattered was that the two were always there when they needed each other, and their bond was so special.

...Despite any nerves, Taiga was not going to turn back.

---

Her shift went as usual... Filled with much embarrassment.  But Taiga was comforted more by the fact that she might not have to put up with it any longer after tonight.

It was time for her to go on break, when she saw a few familiar faces.  Literally. Taiga laughed a bit to herself inside at that play on words that popped in her head, but was truly happy to see the little girl and that couple once again. After all, she didn't get to know them much at all last time.

The little girl's eyes lit up immediately at seeing Taiga again. And that made Taiga really touched that she could make her day, or anyone's day for that matter, like that. Taiga didn't know what had her so down last time, but it was nice to be responsible for making someone feel better...

So, okay... Maybe for her, Taiga could put up with this outfit a bit more.

The little girl looked like she wanted to immediately hug her again, but the couple reminded her that she should ask first. And she politely did.

'So cute!'

"Of course you can! I-It's nice to see you all back..."

Taiga was still trying to work on keeping eye contact with the couple especially, for the most part. Despite how she felt around them, Taiga had a hard time looking directly at people she didn't really know. But thankfully, they didn't seem offended or anything alike.

"Yes! Oh! Sorry," the brunette beside her jet black haired partner spoke, "I don't believe we've introduced ourselves. I'm Ali, and this is my wife, Cait!"

She gestured over to her, and she smiled wide, waving, before speaking up herself.

"And this is our little gem; Adira."

"She is a dear, huh?" Ali joked, earning a soft nudge to the side from Cait, who smirked a bit before playfully rolling her eyes.

Taiga genuinely smiled watching them. She truly loved seeing people, well, in true love! It was beautiful to her.

She knew it existed. And these three got to become such a great family, it seemed.

Maybe one day she'd find that as well. But that wasn't on the top of her list of priorities at the moment anyway.

Taiga introduced herself as well, but then remembered she was wearing her name tag anyway, and tried not to feel embarrassed afterwards. They didn't laugh at her or anything, so she felt relieved and tried to move on from that.

Taiga knew she was on break, but didn't really care right now.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked each of them.

The women ordered two coffees to their liking, and Adira got a small hot chocolate. Along with some treats to share with her moms.

Taiga was happy they were all enjoying their order once again.

...She decided to use her money and cover it for them this time. It wasn't a big deal to her. Especially since she actually had money to spare for once.

They didn't have to be so nice to her, but they genuinely were. Taiga knew she didn't owe them like that, but just felt like doing this.

Adira wanted to play a bit more outside with her like before, but Taiga knew she didn't have much time left before she had to fully get back to work. Taiga felt bad, and had to force herself not to move her ears downwards too much. Even if they poked out a bit, she didn't want too many people to focus on specific details and possibly cause a scene, etc. 'This scratchy headband already makes me hyper aware of the placement of my ears... Resist the urge to scratch the itch, or twitch- Okay, focus, you have to answer-!'

"Um... Well, I'd love to, but unfortunately, I have to get back-"

Suddenly, Adira's parents stopped conversing with themselves and pulled Taiga to the side.

"Hang on, sweetie." Cait spoke to Adira, making sure she focused on finishing her food first.

"We apologize that this is so sudden, but... We wanted to ask anyway..." Ali said, looking at her wife. "You two get along so well; we're so grateful for that. Adira can be so shy and not like, or connect with many... And we were thinking that maybe every now and again... We could set up play dates. We'd be there as well, of course, but if you're interested and it all works out... Maybe you could be her babysitter whenever you're able. We haven't been able to find anyone recently, but we'd like to get to know you better and see how it goes, if you're willing."

Cait chimed in again, looking melancholy. "We've been homeschooling her, and she's been liking it over the past couple of years. It also works out for us. Usually we take turns staying home during the week while the other works. Everything seemed fine for a while, but we can tell she's been wanting a friend. She tries hard, and we try to help her too without butting in too much. But, she's only six after all, and sometimes can't communicate her wants, needs, feelings in general at times. As parents especially, sometimes you just wish you could snap your fingers and make everything better, but... Of course, it's not that easy."

"I get what you mean, in a way." Taiga spoke gently, being able to look up at them for a bit.

"Time flies, regardless!" Ali chuckled a bit, but also looked weary deep down thinking about all this.

"We obviously didn't want to pick some stranger for this... But we were getting desperate for a while. It can be hard... We'd never take back the amazing opportunity of being parents, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't struggle."

Cait started speaking again after, gently running a hand down over Ali's arm, then holding her hand tightly.

"We're so happy whenever we see her truly smile." Cait spoke with some tears in her eyes. "...Lately she's been dealing with bad night terrors. Or feeling like she's being watched at times. Obviously the latter spooked us even more, so we even set up security cameras just in case her physical wellbeing was being threatened, but there's never been anyone around."

Taiga's eyes narrowed slightly, and she stood up straighter, listening even more intently. Direct eye contact not becoming an issue anymore.

"We try to get Adira out more and take her mind off of these things." Cait continued. "Whatever she feels like doing, for the most part... Anything we can afford, and whatever we feel will truly benefit her. We know a child needs more than just their parents sometimes... She even really loves her judo classes. We're glad it all worked out for her in those areas. But sometimes she still seems so... Sad. That's another reason why that last time, we were so happy you actually cheered her up. And we're still so grateful. So, thank you. Really."

Cait tried to gather her composure, along with Ali. Taiga never rushed them.

"Thank you for telling me, and for everything you've done... I'm glad I can help in some way. And I think you're amazing parents. You're trying your best, like most of us in this world... I will take you up on your offer." Taiga offered them a comforting smile. They seemed more relieved and smiled back. They shared their contact info with each other, and planned a play date first off, which Adira seemed super excited about. She seemed to not be disappointed as much that they couldn't play right now, since she had something even better to look forward to in the future.

Adira suddenly remembered something and asked her moms if she could give it to her now. They looked confused at first since they were distracted by all they talked about, but then remembered what she was talking about now as well.

"Oh, right! Sorry, hon. You worked really hard on that! Good thing you remembered!"

Ali pulled out a box from her bag and gave it to Adira.

She went up to Taiga and gave it to her.

Adira made it to thank her for playing with her last time.

Taiga opened it, and smiled wide.

It was a beautiful necklace. It had a simple design. A soft silk cord with the clasp at the ends. And resting at the bottom of the necklace, connected to the cord was a carefully carved 3D, black puffed heart.

There were matching bracelets resting in the box as well.

Adira admitted to Taiga that she did need some help from her parents, but she tried her best to do what she could herself.

Taiga was so touched, regardless. And Adira's parents were proud of her too.

Taiga knelt down and hugged her again, thanking them all.

"I'll try them on as soon as I get home! I absolutely love them! I love creating things as well... You did a wonderful job! You're a talented little girl!"

Adira beamed and was excited she loved the gifts. She went to sit back down and immediately thinking of all the creative stuff that they could make even more next time, swinging her legs back and forth.

They all were happy to see her in such high spirits.

Unfortunately, Taiga knew she'd get in trouble if she stayed here any longer. She knew her break has long since been over, but thankfully anyone else around just thought Taiga was regularly serving the costumers. However, she didn't want to push her luck. So she stood up and straightened herself out.

"If you need anything, I'll try my best to help."

"Likewise, Taiga." Cait spoke, and Ali waved goodbye this time, along with Adira.

"Have a lovely evening~!"

---

Taiga felt such positive energy putting on the jewelry back at her apartment. Spark was delighted to hear what all had happened. And he agreed that it suited her nicely. Black did become her favorite color. She didn't care what anyone said, it IS a color!

Her shift ended way better than expected.

She carefully took a picture and sent it to the couple's number. In it, Taiga had a big smile with her eyes closed; wearing the pieces and showing them off properly, while doing a peace sign at the camera. It looked nice! Taiga wasn't used to taking selfies (as she found out they were called), but surprisingly didn't think about it much this time. Taiga just felt genuinely at peace right now. She typed out thank yous once again and sent it without another thought. Not too long later, they responded saying that they look great, and Adira was even happier to see her wearing them; calling her a hero once again!

Taiga didn't feel like a hero deep down, but, it made her smile to know that she was thought of in that way.

Flipping her phone closed, she took off the jewelry, putting it away safely in her lock box.

...

She sat there for a while, not really thinking about much.

The time was drawing closer to when her and Rory would go through with everything.

It's all been such a blur to Taiga, yet she didn't forget a bit...

Suddenly, she felt even more amped up.

Was she really ready, though?

...The answer was yes.

Looking through her closet and drawers for what seemed best, Taiga tried to dress in all black at least. Something comfortable, and easy to move in...

Rory and her both figured they should obviously dress in something inconspicuous for their task.

Taiga ended up going with a long sleeved shirt and belt, stretchy socks, an old pair of hiking boots, cut resistant, high performance protective gloves, a mask, and lastly, a beanie.

She put her hair up in a bun and tucked it back, putting it underneath. Taiga tried her best to tuck her tail in as well, but it wasn't very easy with jeans. It would have to do, though. At least she could still move.

And at least her little phone had a flashlight on it. Now she wouldn't have to carry around a regular, big flashlight. She put it on silent then put it in her pocket.

Spark was still worried but agreed to stay home, so Rory and her can get in and out faster without more questions possibly being asked and all. But he told her that he'll of course be here whenever she gets back.

Taiga thanked him and gently put her forehead on his, closing her eyes. They had another small moment of peace. Then Taiga got the call she was waiting for and it was time to leave. Stepping out the door and locking it behind her, she let out a breath she subconsciously was holding in.

---

Rory's plan was working out so far. She even knew the outside cameras' biggest blind spots. Even if they were caught on any, it'd be hard to tell their identities. But Rory had Taiga stay behind her frame as much as possible, just in case. She had very noticeable skin after all.

No one was there at the bakery, as expected, but they had to get in without alerting anyone, or setting off alarms. Isolde had a security guard patrolling the property, so they had to act fast while still being quiet.

Thankfully, Rory had that covered as well. She would watch Isolde when she let her guard was down, putting in the code for the building's alarm system. It took her a while, but she memorized it. It's how she got in before to even get most of the proof they had. Rory had a mask and gloves on too, and went ahead entering it in the back of the building. Taiga was relieved they weren't going to hurt anyone.

And that they weren't going to do something dangerously ignorant like going through the vents or something. 'That probably only works in movies. But what do I know?' Taiga thought to herself.

Rory whispered, "I think she has gotten suspicious, though. I didn't go into her office or through her stuff too many times, but Isolde's not a complete idiot... She most likely knew someone started snooping. Her stuff was always left very precise. I had to make another copy of her key after she changed the locks. I almost got caught so many times, but... Our time frame to even go for this has been running thin. I think she was planning on getting a fingerprint scanner for her crap soon."

Rory rolled her eyes, obviously angered her so-called boss spent money on these things instead of using it how an employer should.

"I understand. I'll be as careful as I can be too." Taiga whispered back.

They successfully got in before the guard made his way back around and went straight to Isolde's office. Rory took the key out of her back. She struggled with it for a bit, but it ended up working.

They were both relieved but didn't want to count their chickens before they hatched, so they hurried up and looked through all they could.

A lot of what they needed was on her computer. Rory couldn't really search on it before as much as everything else. Taiga had to admit she was gutsy for even trying to look through all this while on the clock, but she knew that she really wasn't very afraid anymore.

Rory would always say: "Do or die."

And Taiga herself would rather try than not. So she strengthened her resolve.

The two went as fast as they could without also being reckless.

They saw, what Isolde thought were hidden, messages on her computer. They deleted the sensitive information/dirt she has on others, and destroyed whatever copies they could find so she can't blackmail any of those individuals anymore. While Rory was dealing with the physical files, Taiga acquired Isolde's most damning records on her computer, adding them to the "pile." She found Isolde's father in her contacts and immediately started informing him on everything going on, showing copies of what they had already saved.

The message notification must have woken the man up or something, because he soon was displayed as "online."

Isolde wanted to be more successful than her "lousy father."

"That fucking piece of shit"

And so on.

It made Taiga physically ill.

He just wanted to entrust this business to his daughter, especially since he's getting up in age, and she treats him, along with others, like this?

'I guess it shouldn't surprise me...'

They got all the extra proof that they could find left around here... So, the two started the next, and final, process of publicly exposing her. It was almost over with.

Then Rory noticed something with the computer during this however, and she went kind of pale, frowning.

"It looks like she's gotten better "toys" than I thought she would. We should hurry!"

They knew they might get caught, or worse, but apparently... Isolde set a trap to see who was going through her room. She purchased something like a "snoop stick" to monitor the activity on her computer. Isolde could also remotely monitor her computer while away, so she most likely saw what they did.

Confirming as much, Isolde suddenly burst into the room looking scarily angry. But Taiga didn't cancel anything, letting it go through on the computer. They both stood up straight though, staring her down.

"So it was you two..."

They both noticed that Isolde didn't bring the guard in.

"I suggest that the both of you leave right now before you do something you regret."

She seemed to not know that they already got the information out at this point, just that they got on her computer. Isolde must have just immediately rushed from her house or something.

They could use this to their advantage, though...

"Or what? ...You could have called the cops, but you know you're guilty!" Rory barked at her.

Taiga slowly moved while they spoke to each other, removing all they needed from the computer and sliding it into her pocket. Taiga could see Isolde's father started typing in her peripheral vision for a second. Something about calling him ASAP or else he'd call the police right now.

"You're so nosy..." She laughed slightly, but it wasn't in jest. She stepped forward slowly, like she was about to pounce. Glowering at us. "I'll give you both just one last chance to back off before I make your already pathetic lives hell!"

Her usual façade was completely gone, and her cold, cutthroat side was on full display.

"Try it. You can barely even play the role of a criminal well. How does it feel to fail at everything you do!?"

Taiga quickly went for it and clicked the button to video call her father; he answered almost immediately, looking distressed, angry, confused. So many things. But before Taiga could think anymore about it, she acted on instinct. Before Isolde could slash Rory in the face with the knife she was carrying, Taiga pulled her back just in time.

---

...It all happened so fast...

"We need to go!"

"You crazy bitch!"

We struggled with Isolde for a while, and tried to get out of there.

It was terrifying.

Her father yelled out, which seemed to actually jar her and Isolde saw that he was watching. We were able to book it out of there, hearing him scream at her, that the police were coming. Everything.

We got far enough away to hear the distant sirens, but we didn't stop running until we made it back to Rory's house.

We were out of breath, and filled with adrenaline.

"Oh my god... Thank you... She tried to kill me!"

It was the first time Taiga saw Rory show her fear like this. She didn't say anything, but just stayed there by her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. Rory puts hers over Taiga's and squeezed it.

For a while, after they calmed down a bit more, the two sat in Rory's room in silence. They weren't really paranoid anymore at this point, but in shock mostly. Especially considering the fact that they actually got out of there. Intact.

Rory looked at Taiga seriously. She wasn't in tears anymore, but she truly looked grateful.

"Thank you. You basically saved my life. And we were able to do, and get, what we needed to save others as well."

"We couldn't have done it without each other."

Rory smiled fully for the first time ever in front of her.

"I haven't felt so happy in years. I- I can't believe we..."

"Yeah... We did it."

Taiga gently smiled back, processing that fact herself.

They both felt like they could trust each other even more now.

Rory spoke up again, "I've got your back, no matter what happens."

---

For weeks, what happened was in the news. Papers, posters, the internet, you name it...

Isolde was finally exposed, and arrested for her spying, bribing/intimidating to keep employees quiet, assault... Everything she's done that she didn't cover up fully, at least.

Either way, she especially wouldn't be in charge of anything like a business for a very, very long time. If ever at all.

And of course, the bakery and Isolde's father were under investigation for a while.

Taiga kept in touch with the couple still. They had questions too, of course. They tried stopping by and saw it was temporarily shut down.

Taiga told them the main bits.

Obviously not her own part of being directly involved in this all happening.

Maybe one day she could tell someone besides Rory and Spark about that. Not like she needed to. Honesty was a great policy most of the time...

But Taiga was content with how it turned out either way. And some things for sure have a certain place, and time, to be addressed.

Babysitting on the side was really working out for them all.

Taiga said they didn't have to pay her, but they insisted.

Isolde's father actually even reached out and kept paying the workers while everything was going on.

That worked out for Rory too, of course.

We, naturally, were nervous when he called Rory and I to directly meet with him after things seem to die down. We knew he most likely clearly saw us on video before, and this confirmed that... But he wasn't angry with us; none of that.

"I couldn't just sit by and let her get away with it all. She's been doing this all behind my back, and it shouldn't have gotten to that point... I apologize." He ended up apologizing in the end. To all of us.

"You aren't the one who owes us all an apology, sir." Rory said.

I absolutely agreed.

"Thank you for bringing it to my attention. She's my flesh and blood, but I cannot excuse what she has done."

Long story short... It's still baffling to us, but we aren't complaining; He made Rory CEO of the bakery, and I'm co-CEO. She's been a long time hard worker, and the fact she cares so much for her fellow employees, and is such a good-hearted soul in general; for sure in his eyes even more now... Made that decision easier for him. And he commended me as well for helping; doing all I did. We both took such a risk on both sides. For ourselves, and strangers, despite everything. He gave us the option to decline, but after making sure the business wasn't in any more danger, he didn't want to make any more bad decisions on all this.

We didn't see any problems with this, and he'd be here as much as he could if we needed assistance.

So, we agreed to take those positions.

Taiga thought Rory especially deserved it after everything.

Rory reminded Taiga that she worked hard and deserved this just as much.

And speaking of, we started making sure that each and every employee always got what they really deserved. The mood around the bakery once it was up and running again lifted greatly. Everyone directly effected by Isolde especially was relieved to not have to be scared, or worse, most of the time.

After they settled into their positions more, Rory and Taiga actually felt... Happy at this job for now. Taiga still kept babysitting when she could. She didn't have such a tiring schedule anymore. Everything thankfully seemed to work out for the better. And Taiga found herself waking up more excited for the day's events. Spark was so happy for everyone, and that Taiga was becoming more successful in these ways.

He never doubted her.

Taiga even took him to see the reopening of the bakery. It was given proper care and remodeled. Rory and her kept making sure the money for the business was used properly, instead of how Isolde ran things.

And all the positive outcomes from their newest responsible decisions started to show, to most people.

It felt great after all they've dealt with.

The girls couldn't thank each other enough for the help they've given; not just to themselves, but for everyone's benefit.

They kept being there for each other, and actually did start to become better friends.

Taiga loved seeing everyone in much better spirits, and wondered what tomorrow would bring.

---

And yet...

Taiga somehow almost forgot what she was initially training for after the recent constant highs of life.

It all felt like it was about to break apart at the seams after the news she just heard.