B's POV

Location: Undisclosed for safety reasons.

The view from the eighteenth floor was always perfect, especially as the entities swooped into the first level all at once, giving rise to a commotion of mammoth proportions. It was the only time anyone could use profanities without the fear of getting reprimanded, which is precisely why this was my favorite time of the day.

As the employees settled in and calm prevailed, I lost interest and walked to the cafeteria. If there was anything interesting brewing in this awfully boring organization, that was the place to get a taste of it.

"Kamloon and Yao are at it again." Dol, manager of 43, whispered to Bon, manager of 56. The two had been friends since before they had taken on their managerial positions.

I just realized all these random numbers coming out of my mouth must sound confusing to any mortal from any dimension. So before we proceed, it is only polite that I introduce myself and this incredibly uninteresting place.

Hello, I am B. Yes, just B. I had a proper name once, but it didn't suit my personality, so I changed it to B. Luckily, only a few of those who knew what I was named at birth back then are still walking, figuratively speaking, of course, because we are not just talking about humans here, are we now?

Anyway, I would like to welcome you lovely entities to The Central Headquarters of the Multiverse, aka TCHM. As the name suggests, we are located-Nevermind. I can't give you the details because Brams, the head, or as humans would put it, the CEO of this organization, has forbidden it.

If you thought there was only one universe, you would be wrong. Actually, there are 108, one per dimension. The ancient Indian texts of 96 (96th dimension) had cracked that code thousands of years ago, but the west had taken all the credit for it despite being about seven thousand years late.

Each dimension is managed by its respective manager; he is responsible for its smooth functioning. He, she, or it has almost free reign over it, meaning they are the God of that dimension. They can go wherever they please and do anything they want 24/7 as long as they don't mess with the mortals' fates.

However, this was the limit of their Godliness. Once they stepped inside TCHM, they were all just managers and were addressed as such.

Pale, naked walls and appropriately measured cubicles with the ones overlooking the 108 dimensions slightly larger than the rest completed the competitive- or so Brams thought- atmosphere. I had seen better, but meh.

At first glance, this place would seem like any other human office with the occupants either typing away on their lappys or speaking on their mobiles, a sense of urgency lining their every action, with everyone needing to be
somewhere or get something done right the heck now!

Everyone here had only one thing on their mind: getting the D. The biggest D there was, the
DharmaArthaKamaMoksha position.
Why? Because that was the position of power here.

It was common knowledge that Brams was boss only in name, and the one taking all the important decisions was D, the Spock to Brams' Kirk.

No offense to Kirk. He was a good fictional character, very popular with most females and a few males of this not-so-fine-establishment.

Since technology had found us, especially me, thanks to tech support from 96, my workload had reduced, confining me to my desk. No wonder I had gained weight. You should have seen me thirty years ago. I was a stunner!

Though I did venture out every so often, especially to 96, it had been roughly three hundred years since I had vacationed.

Thanks to Brams rules about not interfering with the dimensions, I was getting bored out of my mind and constantly looking for something… anything I could do to liven up my life. Thus, the cafeteria visits.

"You are kidding, right? It's like they don't care about being sacked." Bon replied, holding out the plate of vegan cookies to Dol, who scanned the cafeteria for any wayward entities before taking a seat two tables across from me.

Ya, they can't see me. I am pretty high up in the food chain and can go unnoticed if that's what I want.

"Kamloon is ancient, dude. He must act his age." Bon continued, joining his friend and picking up the vegan crap that everyone except me seemed to think was oh-so-lovely.

Dol shook his head, "Well, would you act your age if someone from 56, someone with no talent other than possessing the most beautiful dimples ever, stood next to you as your equal shortly after the end of their mortal life?"

"True," Manager 56 agreed, "But you must admit that the ancient one wronged him first."

Manger 43 raised a brow at that. So did I.

"Dude, don't tell me you didn't hear the gossip!"

Both 43 and I shook our heads.

"Oh my Brams! So, I heard from manager 78 that Yao hates Kamloon's guts, metaphorically speaking, of course, I mean, the ancient one doesn't have any guts."

"Of course. It's common knowledge."

"Exactly. Anyway, I can see why that's the case. You see, Kamloon, for some reason, was super unfair to Yao when the young one was a mere mortal on the 69th. Did you know, despite being born to a whore, Yao worked hard and did everything humanly possible to win his biological father's approval? His father was an-" he stopped narrating and scribbled something on the table with what I presumed was a drop of water.

"Capital A and capital H, was he really that horrible?"

Asshole.

No, I am not calling Dol the A word, but that is what Meng Yao's father was, according to Bon.

"Oh yes, he was the worst; and Dol, stop distracting me, man!"

"Alright, alright. Sorry."

"So, all Meng craved was a place next to his father, at least in his court, if not his heart. And what did that B-word of a father do? He insulted and rejected Yao, pushing him on a path that claimed the lives of not only his father but countless innocent mortals. Of course, when Yao went over and beyond the official limit, Kamloon created a condition that led to Yao being stabbed to death by the only man he had ever truly cared about and loved; sad, isn't it?"

Both Dol and I bobbed our heads in unison.

"Now, do you understand why, even though Yao is polite to the ancient one, he secretly wishes misery upon him?"

"Oh, damn, dude."

As the two got busy loading more vegan items on their plates and continued to stuff their mouths with the same, a thought slowly started to take shape in my mind.

For reasons I don't want to disclose at the moment, at least, I had a beef to pick with Kamloon, and Yao seemed like he had potential; if I could make these rivals butt heads, it could potentially take care of my boredom and if I was lucky, either earn me an extra pair of hands or remove a thorn from my side.

A few minutes later, both manager 69, Kamloon (don't ask me why it calls itself that or looks the way it does: like an earthworm accidentally came under a child's boot but miraculously survived) and manager 96, Meng Yao, were standing on the eighteenth level's deck with me.

Incidentally, 69 and 96 were my first and second favorite dimensions, respectively.

Speaking of dimension 69, there was just something about clean air, clear, plastic-free water, and men riding their swords while decked up in beautiful flowing gowns, meditating and harvesting energy that could do everything except bring the dead back to life; it was all very alluring to me.

Dimension 96, on the other hand, had its charms, and one among them was Gorden Ramsey; when the chef's time was up, I was going to put my authority to use and bag him for TCHM; I was sick and tired of eating vegan, alright!

Kamloon squeaked first, "Madam, why have you called me here? I have matters to attend to."

The thing was always rude like it owned the place. No wonder even after millenniums he was still where he had started: a dimension manager.

Not to be left behind, Meng Yao- the possessor of the most beautiful dimples in existence, apparently- bowed graciously and spoke politely, "Madam, how may I be of assistance today."

Kamloon was naked, and when one is almost see-through, covering oneself is unnecessary, am I right?

Meng Yao, on the other hand, was dressed in elegantly embroidered fluorescent gold robes that fell to his knees with his hair hidden under a half-dome cap.

If I batted for that side, I would have definitely considered spending more time with him.

Making eye contact with both, and without wasting either of their time, I enquired, "I hear that you guys are not on good terms with each other, is it true?"

Kamloon grunted while Meng Yao replied sweetly, "I am sorry, merciful one-"

I raised my hand, "Madam B would suffice; go on."

"Madam B, I am sorry to inform you that you have heard right... the thing is-"

I interrupted him again, "I don't care about your personal matters! What I do care about is that your antics are putting a dent in the productivity of this otherwise well-organized establishment."

Yao fell to his knees and my heels and begged, "Madam B, please overlook it just this once; I promise-"

"Did I say that I was done speaking, young man?" I sassed, and he fell silent.

Putting on a show, I fanned myself- my trademark move for when I was super-duper upset; it was a signal that someone was about to lose their position or worse: life.

"Kamloon," I addressed the naked one, who was drifting further and further away as we spoke, "would you mind staying still for one human second?"

Kamloon grunted again and slithered closer, "Hurry, your highness." he spat out the words like he had had enough of me.

"After much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that for the sake of all, peace must prevail among you. From what I have been told,  the root cause of all your troubles stems from the fact that you are peers."

For the first time since presenting itself in front of me, Kamloon seemed interested; it swayed from side to side as if seeing me in a new light.

"Rise," I commanded Meng Yao before making them an offer, "You know how I like to watch interesting events, am I right?"

Both bobbed their heads.

"And that's the challenge. You need to pick out two intertwined souls who will act as your stand-ins in a game where both of you will make the rules, and whoever wins will be promoted. Since it will involve Interdimensional travel and other formalities, you need to bring in the proposal for my approval." pausing, I looked at Kamloon, "Since Meng Yao is younger, I will let him choose the souls, do you have a problem with that?"

Kamloon shrugged-  that's what I speculated- and hissed, "Let him choose the souls; as long as the terms are fair, I wouldn't object."

Meng Yao bowed again, "Thank you, Madam B, I am obliged." He hopped from foot to foot excitedly.

I was probably not the only one bored out of my freaking mind.

"That settles it; I want the document ready and on my desk in six human hours." I chirped, then fixing with a friendly gaze, I added, "If you fail to entertain me, I will have your heads; so for your sakes, please put your best foot-" I eyed Kamloon, "-or tail forward." Then waving my hand, I dismissed them.

Watching them leave, I fist-pumped the air and muttered, "Time to get entertained, baby!"

Little did I know then that this game would make me shed tears; oh, so many tears, all of them, in the name of love.

*****
Word count: 2044

First milestone reached.