Chapter 39 : Rules of Engagement

Lindsey looked around as plate after plate of food were brought to the table hastily put in the garden. Everyone was turning around it, except for Izzy’s two friends, Mabel and Lisa. Both of them came and went, bringing ever more delicious-looking sausages, French fries and avocado and too many other food to count them. The not quite yet teenager was almost jumping at the food, only the fear of looking like an uneducated tool in front of her crush kept her in check. And she couldn’t start eating until everyone has chosen their seats, anyway.

“So, I was thinking… Why not put the guest in the upper end of the table?” chirped Shannon.

“I…” started Izzellah but her voice was drowned by her step-sister’s, who didn’t seemed to have even noticed the Minor wanted to talk.

“That’s a great idea, don’t you think Izzy? I’ll get you a booster seat. Or you can sit on my lap, if you feel like it” she added, as if it was an afterthought and not something she clearly had in mind from the beginning, suspected the youngest Ferrand.

“The booster seat will be fine” hissed Izzellah, glaring at Sabrina, who flinched a little.

“Are you sure?” inquired Shannon. “No one would judge you if you felt more comfortable on your sister or friend’s lap than on a booster. I’m even sure that….”

“No” cut her off “Rando, rather sternly. “I’m not eating on anyone’s laps. I’ll take a booster too.”

“But…” started Shannon, before sighing deeply when she looked into the Minor’s eyes. “Fine.”

“And it isn’t as if we had ridiculous boosters” said Lindsey, trying to brighten the mood a little, as if was souring rather quickly. “We’ve got very moderns seats, which don’t look like stuff made for babies or little kids.”

“Well, that’s great to hear, but have you anything my size?” shouted Lisa, as she brought a plate of shrimps which smelt absolutely delicious.

“Won’t a normal booster seat works for you, shorty?” asked Mabel, carrying two enormous jugs of orange and apple juices, in each hand.

“Nope! Halfsies are too large for the usual shit!” she laughed.

“More like your ass is too chubby for it” chuckled Izzellah. “I told you that you need to exercise more!” she added with a chortle.

“It’s not MY fault that I’ve ways to lose some weight that you don’t want to hear about!” complained Lisa, as she carefully dropped the shrimps on the table.

“Lisa!” yelled a scandalized Izzy, turning bright red.

“What? I said nothing dirty, you pervert” chuckled evilly the half-MAJOR.

“You… That’s…” babbled Izzellah, before letting out a small and –to Lindsey- very cute yell. “Can’t we just get to eat? I want to see New Orleans…” she grumbled, walking toward the far end of the table, a reaction which made all the MAJORS laugh, and even ‘Rando smiled.

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Once everyone was seated, but Mabel and Lisa, who were still bringing food on the table, Lindsey looked at everyone. Izzellah looked rather stiff, as if she was still uneasy around so many MAJORS, but she suspected it was mostly because of Shannon. Sabrina was, obviously, sitting next to her step-sister, to her left, and Lisa would seat to her right. She knew she had surprised everyone when she decided to not be just next to her crush, but Lindsey was willing to play the long game; it was better to not smother her, it would have been overplaying her hand.

At the other end of the table, were Shannon and Alejandro. It wasn’t surprising that the giantess wouldn’t let her fiancé sit away from her, but it made their respective statures look even more different. Shannon was truly gigantic, sitting she was still a lot taller than all the other MAJORS standing, and her over-abundant curves made somehow hard to look at her without being either a little aroused or intimidated  And ‘Rando… well, he looked so small and vulnerable like that! And hunched over his food, probably the result of the many times Alaric and her pilfered his plates when they were younger.

“You should try those shrimps my love, they are delicious!” said the black behemoth as she picked one with her fork and approached his face with it.

“I’m fine Shannon! I can pick my own food” he grumbled, moving his head farther away from her, which was kind of funny, had to admit Lindsey, since the billionaire had such an height advantage that she wasn’t even extending her arm to reach his head.

“I know your fine sweetie” chided the massive MAJOR, in a tone which made chuckle Lindsey with how cute it was, “but you really need to taste those! I just know you’ll love it!”

“Put it in my plate then… I’ll eat it, promise” he sighed, which unleashed a wave of chortles around the table, except from Izzy, noticed Lindsey.

Shannon looked a little dejected, but then carefully put down the shrimp where ‘Rando had asked her. She then leant and managed to kiss his head, without knocking anything down, a feat of strength considering the vastness of her breasts and how stuffed the table was. A roasted chicken came perilously close from one of her cups, but she didn’t touch it. It made Lindsey really envious to see her being so affectionate with her brother. I want to be this close with Izzellah. I’m sure we would look just as cute as the two of them!

“Enjoying your food?” suddenly asked Shannon.

Lindsey blinked and almost answered immediately, before realizing she wasn’t the one talked to. The gigantic MAJOR was talking to Izzy, who seemed completely dumbfounded and unable to answer. It made the young Ferrand sad to see her crush at such a loss of words. It was also surprising to discover she was this afraid of a taller than average MAJOR. She would have guessed that she would have had a greater ease than her ‘Rando to accept it, after all, since she had had a rather normal childhood. But in fact, it seemed that more interactions with normal MAJORS had ingrained in her an innate fear of the tallest ones.

“It’s fine” mumbled Izzellah, and Lindsey knew it wasn’t.

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The mashed potatoes and bacon had a ashen taste in her mouth as she looked at the two pure-blooded Minors sitting next to each other by the pool. Lindsey felt knots in her stomach and there was nothing she could do. She knew her brother also had a secret crush on Izzy, and she would never held him responsible or be angry at him if he acted on it. But it didn’t mean she was any less anxious about it, quite the contrary. It was hard to see the two small figures, side by side and alone, talking about things only meant for Minor ears.

“Does she do that a lot?” asked Shannon. “I mean, I’m not that experienced with Minors, so perhaps it’s only natural but it seems strange to me.”

“She’s just a little overwhelmed” explained Mabel matter of factly. “Far from home, uneasy about herself and her feelings…”

“Don’t speak as if you had any idea what went into her head, Red!” huffed Sabrina. “Izzy’s perfectly easy with her feelings. She’s in love with me but don’t want to admit it!”

“Dream on Rodriguez!” spat Mabel. “She’s crushing pretty hard on the little guy, and she has feelings for Mei and even the kid” she ended, pointing at Lindsey with her chin.

“And me!” yelled Lisa, immediately defusing the tensions which were rising at the table, even as Shannon looked at the younger MAJORS, her face inscrutable.

“You? Aren’t you her best friend?” asked Sabrina, smiling in spite of herself.

“Well, duh! I am yes, but I’ve also all the advantages of a MAJORS, without the drawbacks. Which are brutality, stupidity and being too tall for her taste.”

“So, she has a problem with size” interjected Shannon, sounding pleased, somehow. “That’s good to know” she strangely added after a moment or two.

“Well, I don’t think she has a problem with size per se. It’s just that her father is really tall for a normal MAJOR, and I think she hasn’t come to term with the fact that he isn’t the tallest and thus can’t protect her against everyone” explained Sabrina.

“Why would she need to feel protected?” asked Lindsey, frowning. “She’s a strong independent minor, she doesn’t need anyone to hover above her…”

“You’ve no idea what Minors truly live at school, haven’t you?” sneered Sabrina.

“What does that even mean, Rodriguez? Are you so small that you pass for a Minor in your school to know how they feel?”

“You little… It means that there is a lot of peoples wanting to get their hands on Minors at any cost out there. You don’t know it because your little bro is a stay at home kid but…”

“Enough” growled Shannon, putting an immediate stop to the feud which was starting. “I won’t have you throwing shade at each other like that. Not when clearly fragile Minors can hear you and see you!”

“Hey! What am I then, if not a fragile Minor?” yelled Lisa in mock anger.

“A strong and shrewd Minor, far more dangerous than she looks?” asked Shannon, which made a lot of eyebrows around the table to be raised, even if it brought a huge grin of the halfsy’s face.

“You do know how to talk to a lady!” laughed Lisa, leaning forward on her seat to fish another bowl of rice and shrimps. “Some girls may need to take lessons from you!”

Mabel, Sabrina and Lindsey herself glared at the halfsy, who didn’t seemed to care at all, even as Shannon chuckled softly. Huffing, the young Ferrand turned her head to look at the two Minors, only to gasp when she saw Izzellah’s head on her brother’s shoulder. A flare of jealousy rushed in her mind, but she quickly dashed it, mortified to feel that way about Alejandro. He’s the right to be happy, even with her! I can’t judge him, I can’t be angry at him! But it was easier to say that than to suppress her feelings. She felt so damn torn, and the fact that only Lisa seemed to be okay with what was happening by the pool didn’t help at all.

Suddenly, her brother got up and, after exchanging some more words with his fellow Minor, he returned to the table, shouting a smile at Lindsey, which surprised her and made her feel even les worthy of his support. Which he noticed, obviously, and he walked toward her. She blushed and shook her head, trying to convey that it was okay without using words, nor the bond, since she knew how much he still disliked the idea of MAJORS rummaging in his head, no matter the reason. But he didn’t seem to care and stopped near her chair.

“Everything’s fine, I swear” he whispered to her, low enough that no other MAJOR around the table would be able to hear without leaning suspiciously close, something none would dare to do, for fear of admitting their interest in the exchange.

“You know it isn’t important if…” she started replying, speaking just as low than him.

“Sorry, can’t hear you Little Lind, I just have Minor ears” said her brother, smiling. “But, anyway, I asked her to not break your heart. I…” he stopped to take an intake of breath, as if he was steeling himself. “I’ll try to help you more, but right now, I don’t know how. Perhaps you should propose some excursion or something, Izzy really want to move around town.”

“I… I think about it, thank you” she said, speaking just loud enough to be heard this time.

“You’re welcome.”

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Shannon grumbled to herself. She could have spent a wonderful day with her Alejandro, but had had to give up on it, partially because of a business meeting. Which was a shame, but in the same time, a necessity for her many, many projects. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a meeting taking too much of her time; it was simply a matter of getting her due, after all. Contracts were agreed upon, especially the price, so it should be a simple matter, really. She would greet the envoy, play it, get the data she needed for half the price it was worth, even if the head of Matsumoto only did half of what he had promised and be done with it.

“Miss Matthewson” greeted her receptionist. “Your partner from Matsumoto Corps is here.”

“Really? Where did you send him?” she asked briskly, already walking toward the elevators.

“The… the office in the side dominating the Mississippi, Ma’am. I have had your penthouse be prepared in case you needed to change your clothes” explained the receptionist as she walked by her.

Shannon stopped and looked at the other woman. She wasn’t sure, but she thought her name was Isabella or something like that. She was Hispanic, no doubt about it, petite for a MAJOR, at barely 2m41 (7f9), with shoulder length brown hair and big, brown eyes. Shannon tapped her teeth with her nails for a second. She had had a rather pleasant night, but nothing has raucous as she had hoped, Alejandro refusing to have sex in his sister’s house. His house, really, but he could be really stubborn when he wanted to. And she needed to have a clear head before her meeting…

“Come with me” she ordered as the elevator doors opened. “Now!” she barked, when the receptionist hesitated.

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“Madam, are you sure that it’s very appropriate?”

“Who cares if it’s appropriate or not?” grumbled Shannon, irritated by her employee’s nagging. “Seriously, no one will be the wiser, there won’t be anyone to see us…”

“Even so… Isn’t it a little embarrassing? I mean… You are quite the woman, if I may speak freely.”

“Are you calling me fat?” asked the giantess, glaring at the smaller woman. “Do you think I’m not pretty enough? Not fit enough, perhaps?”

“Ma’am, I wouldn’t! It’s just that… I don’t think I’m strong enough, or deft enough…”

“Nonsense” huffed Shannon. “Just do it already; I’m not asking much from you!”

With a sigh, the far smaller MAJOR want to task. She picked an enormous bra, frilly but not too much, and present it to her. Shannon nodded approvingly and quickly put the garment in place. She waited for the receptionist to walked toward her back and huffed when the bra was adjusted and closed. She then rose to her full size and donned her red business dress. She then gestured for her shoes, stiletto, jet black, which made her even more imposing. Thanks to Isabella’s help, she had been able to get dressed in a matter of minutes.

“Thank you. I’ll remember your help” she said to her diminutive helper, who seemed both afraid and pleased, as if she had expected something else and wasn’t quite sure if avoiding it was good or not.

Shannon exited the penthouse with her employee in tow. She called an escalator for Isabella and took another, leading directly in the room adjacent to her office. Once there, she straightened her professional bun and opened the door. She did her best to hide her surprise. She had expected one of Matsumoto’s usual representatives, Fujiwara-San or perhaps Minamoto-San. Instead, there stood a young girl, who could have been anywhere between sixteen and twenty years, good looking, athletic and with a steely expression. Oh, it’ll be good…

“Are you the representative of the Matsumoto design firm? I was expecting a man” she said bluntly, extending her hand to shake the far smaller one; she felt some pressure, which meant that the girl didn’t held back, another telltale sign that her morning would be spent a lot longer here than she had hoped, but she started to feel exited now.

“My mother took ill” informed the girl, -Mei Matsumoto then. “She’s a minor and prone to fevers. She couldn’t fly and my father wouldn’t dare to leave her side. I have the design blueprints and data as agreed upon.”

“Well then this should be quick.” Shannon smiled as she took a seat across from Mei. “It seems these meet the specifications we agreed upon. Good.”

“I believe they actually greatly exceed the requirements.” Mei informed.

“Of course they do. Your father is quite the visionary. Now I just need the data and- Is there a problem?” she asked, her voice soft as the teenage girl took the data away from her.

“Unfortunately we can’t finish this transaction until the price is renegotiated.” Mei stated flatly.

“The price was already agreed upon by your father.” Shannon informed.

“Yes. My father is a visionary, but he is also an artist and greatly undervalues his own work. After looking it over anyone with even basic business acumen could see this initial price is an insult. Especially from someone of your abundant wealth.”

“Your father may be a visionary but he is not the only designer in existence. My abundant wealth as you put it affords me the opportunity to shop around.”

“If that is your decision…” said Mei, bowing as Shannon stood up to leave the table. “I do doubt however you will find anyone capable of meeting your rather unique energy containment requirements outside of Japan, or for that matter a designer as capable of handling such difficult materials….anywhere.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” asked Shannon.

She knew her lips had pursed into a predatory grin, but she couldn’t care. It has been so freaking long! I can’t remember from the top of my head the last time I had a business meeting with someone willing to put their asses in the game like her… Wonderful. She could feel her blood boiling, her breath quickened and she felt her muscles contracting, as if her body prepared itself to pounce on a prey. And in a way, it was just that. She was an apex predator, and a smaller one had come into her den, to confront her. It was an awesome feeling, once she would never share with Alejandro, because he wouldn’t understand, but one she cherished nonetheless.

“I’m afraid this meeting might not be as short as you originally intended” Mei smiled back, her face also contorted into an amused grin.

“Don’t worry, I’m quite happy about that” purred Shannon. “But let’s cut the chase, if only because I have a fiancé to return to. What’s the price you want?”

Mei’s eyes lit with a strange fire at the mention of a fiancé, and Shannon had to control herself to not giggle with glee. It was an old tactic of hers, to actually show weakness in an early negotiation. Apparent weakness, that is, not actual. Most MAJORS were utterly unable to do so and thus easy to guide where they wanted them to be. They attacked her from this angle, trying to play for time, thinking it would make her more susceptible to agree with them. It never did, however. She was far too shrewd for it.

“”I understand. However, I don’t think that we should rush things out” replied Mei Matsumoto. “However, I can give you my price. Fifty-five millions.”

“Fifty… Are you crazy?” blurted Shannon, taken aback by such an insane demand.

Mei’s father data was extremely valuable yes, far above the ten millions they had agreed upon previously. But fifty-five millions? It was at least fifteen millions too many and the teenager before her knew it. For the first time in her life, Shannon felt as if she was being played. It wasn’t really a pleasant sensation, and she wondered what would happen in the future, when Mei would take the reins of her father’s company. After all, no one rules forever. But today, she still had some ace in her hands.

“Thirty millions. Not one penny more or I’ll rescind my generous offer concerning Izzellah’s future protector as an Ambassador for my Campaign for Minor’s Rights” she said sternly.

“You wouldn’t” spat Mei, flinching, which brought back Shannon’s smile.

“Really? Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but the protectors are usually peoples with close ties to the Ambassadors, but not a lot of clout by themselves. You would be an exception, one I would have to sell to Izzellah Ivory, after all.”

“But you can’t use it as a bargaining chip” replied Mei. “You haven’t convinced Izzy-ellah yet. And she is terrified of you!” she added, as if it was a definitive argument.

“Correct, on both counts. But I have several possibilities to make sure she’ll leave New Orleans securely in my pocket as one of my employees” smiled Shannon.

She enjoyed seeing the younger girl biting her lips. It didn’t last long, half a second perhaps, but it was a tell-tale sign of her victory today. Mei Matsumoto would be a great and worthy rival in a few years, but she was still too green to compete with her and come on top. Which meant that she had to prepare for those next few years. Today, she would get the data she needed to complete the Project Renewal, and pay a lot more than she had wanted to, but a lot less than the other wanted. A draw, in a sort, even if she counted it as a small win for her.

“Fine…” sighed Mei. “But I want to sign the papers now, which will designate me as Izzellah’s protector. You won’t use it against me ever again.”

“Of course” affably replied Shannon. “And remember, today’s your win” she added in a very hypocritical way. “Your father’s company will receive triple the amount previously agreed upon, so you can be proud of this achievement.”

From the look on her face, Shannon could tell that Mei felt anything but pride right now. It made her quite happy.