Recorded for Posterity

"I can't believe they rostered us."

Chrissie tried to ignore her coworker. Her entire attention straining to focus on the streams of columns, the numbers forced into the little cells. Contained and controlled. Forced to try and give up some meaning.

There were no formulas in the sheets. It was an export from another company. Which meant that most of the results were floating point numbers - and rounded. Which meant the results couldn't be relied on, and had to be reforged by the depths of her mind.

"I mean, it's actually snowing! It never snows here. Snowing. At Christmas. In Australia... And we're at work, looking at stupid accounts, and it isn't even an emergency or anything!" Lisa continued to complain.

Chrissie was entirely grateful for the simplicity of GST. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only tax that applied, and the ones that did... They changed over which state the product was manufactured in, or worse, which it was shipped out to. Often both. Stupid numbers that were made stupidly complex, just because someone wanted to hide how much they could get.

The average person was still burnt by it.

She delicately adjusted the numbers in the spreadsheet, making sure they accurately reflected the correct tax rates. It was a painstaking process, requiring precision and attention to detail. One wrong calculation, and the entire report could be thrown off. Most of the numbers were right, but...

Every number could shift the others, and the nature of floating point numbers meant that the accuracy didn't shift with time, it shifted with similarity to certain squares of two. It was frustrating, and hard to spot unless you knew what you were looking for.

"This stuff isn't even due until March!" Lisa said with frustration, "It's snowing! I can remember it snowing just once. I was going for my Ls, and terrified, and that was a mess, but... Once! It's snowing and I'm in here with -"

"Seven fifty four!" Chrissie snapped.

Lisa nodded tiredly, "Yeah. Complex and frustrating, because spreadsheet programs just don't wise up and use fixed point decimals. Especially with an adjustable precision! This thing just sucks."

Chrissie sighed and looked over at the window, at the rain drops rolling down it, and the tiny white powder trying to gather at the bottom but melting away just a little bit too quickly.

She didn't really care about the numbers. She wanted to escape into it, because her head was full of a lot of things. Thoughts that she couldn't safely share with Lisa, or anybody really.

Part of it was why she was in the office. Her Christmas was ruined. Working on the day had come as a relief, her boss had almost rejected her volunteering. If she was at home... She might well have curled up in tears on the couch, whilst a takeaway pizza lay on the table and went cold.

Unfortunately, part of it was still waiting for her at home. And tomorrow. And the day after. She couldn't actually escape it. Being at work instead of on holiday was an attempt to escape, but it was waiting. Today would end, and it would still come crashing in on her.

The bed lying so very empty.

Her blanket feeling so very big.

Random things like the BBQ outside that she would never think of using. All of it were reminders. Conversations and memories of a past that led towards a future that would never be hers.

So instead she was looking at the numbers, and cursing CSV for its inherent inaccuracies. The company probably did use it to sneak a cent here and there, but it was just the format being a difficult one. Floating point numbers belonged nowhere near financial applications, but still somehow was the standard for most spreadsheets.

"I didn't actually have Christmas plans." Lisa admitted, "Kinda hate Christmas, to be honest. Last year I spent it with the fiancé. The one I caught up my ex-best friend's duff on Boxing Day. Screw Christmas."

There was a topic of conversation that pissed Chrissie off. Even ignoring her own sensitivity, she had boiled over on Lisa's behalf every single time it came up. "Bastard."

Lisa scoffed. "They all are! The right lot of them! I should go lesbian."

"That's not something to kid about." Chrissie sighed.

Her coworker blinked, "Oh. That's right. You're bi, aren't you?"

"Yup. Not a lesbian." Chrissie pointed out the difference for the n'th time. Why was it that everyone always thought the two were the same?

Lisa pushed back her chair so that she could face her more deliberately. Looking rather serious, brow furrowed. "So how was it that... You realised? That you were bi, I mean."

Chrissie really just wanted to work. Unfortunately, this was always one of those serious conversations that your whole day should stop for. Everyone deserved to hear it, because... Well... Anyone could need to hear it.

She swivelled her chair around to face her coworker, "Some people always know. Wasn't that way for me, though. I only dated guys, right the way through university."

"Wow. So... What was it? What changed your mind?" Lisa cocked her head.

Chrissie shook her head, "My mind never got changed. I just realised that love and sex can actually feel exactly like it seems to in the books. I fell in love for the first time. And that, was a woman."

"So... You lean more towards girls, then?"

Chrissie shook her head, "Nope. The other way. I just managed to date a lot of jerks, first."

Lisa fiddled with a couple strands of her hair, "So... Dating anyone, now, then?"

"Nope." Chrissie turned back to her computer.

Her coworker flinched, "Oh shit. Totally spaced. I am... So sorry, Chrissie. Really."

"Fucker can burn." She muttered angrily.

Her angry typing filled the room for a while, as if Lisa wasn't even daring to breathe. Not that she could really blame her for that. Chrissie hadn't sworn in front of anyone for a very long time. She didn't ever swear.

The numbers didn't come as easily to Chrissie, though. That burst of anger had pushed something of her mind to the side, and now she was just distracted from it all.

She might have been typing a little harder than was strictly necessary. It wasn't the keyboard's fault that her past was a piece of crap that she wished she could forget and didn't have its claws in her.

Lisa shocked the hell out of her, by putting her hands on Chrissie's shoulders. She jerked and stared at her coworker who had silently crossed the room, and was now trying to gently massage her shoulders.

"You need it." Lisa shrugged.

Chrissie's shoulders dropped and so did her head. "I'm sorry. It's... A sore point. Like your Boxing Day. I'm not the only one hurting."

Lisa's chin landed softly on the top of Chrissie's head, "Yeah. It does feel like crap. World's seriously unfair. So if escaping into this helps you -"

"It isn't." Chrissie leaned back into her coworker, "I mean, I hoped it would. But it isn't. Not right now. I'm all... Fired up."

"Not something I've seen much of before." Lisa said with a little mirth. "Kinda makes me scared to see full pissed off Chrissie, to be honest. She must be a real fire."

"Flamethrower behind these teeth." Chrissie blushed.

Lisa gave her a small squeeze, "So... We both agree life sucks. Anything we can do in a cold office, with snow outside, to cheer ourselves up?"

"We are not building a snowman."

Her coworker gave a little tune, "I wanna build a snowman..."

"No." Chrissie said flatly.

"Come on, let's go and play! I wanna build a snowman!"

Chrissie shrugged her off, singing lightly, "You'll not see me anymore, if you try and build a snowman."

Lisa sat down on the edge of the desk, "Aw. You're no fun. There's no one else here. We could do... Anything! I wanna do... Something."

"Snow is cold, wet, and it gets everywhere. No."

Her coworker sniggered at that, "You have no idea who you sound like, do you?"

"I... Did not mean that." Chrissie flushed.

Lisa shrugged, "But you're the villain, here. I'm just looking for a better day than tapping away at work that... Feels like someone should already have done it. Forget the numbers. Forget freaking IEEE 754. Let's... Let's... A Christmas feast!"

"Nowhere is open." Chrissie shook her head, "We could get fast food. At best. Forget it. I'm happy with my sandwich from home."

"God!" Lisa rolled her eyes, "You are determined to be in a stink, aren't you?"

"Yup. So I'm gonna work now, because I'm a smelly ruination. You do whatever." Chrissie sheepishly turned back to her keyboard.

Lisa turned the monitor off.

Chrissie looked up at her, "You said it yourself! I'm ruining everything, Lisa."

"But, you are the only other person here. Even the boss is off on holidays." Lisa rolled her eyes, "So... Stink or not... You and I are going to do are damndest to have some fun."

"I'm the opposite of fun."

Lisa shrugged, "I dunno. It was fascinating finding out about the other side. There's a lot more than one side. Other genders? I've only ever thought I was straight. Never been attracted to a single woman. Wanted to kick a lot of guys in the nuts... But one or two had an interesting something."

"I don't really like talking about being bi. It feels more like work, than actual work does." Chrissie shrugged, "Though... I thought everyone questioned, at some point."

"Nope." Lisa shook her head, "Guys have always done it for me. Never even thought to question it. I mean, I joke now and then, but that doesn't mean a single thing. Even though I now sound like I'm in denial."

Chrissie smiled sheepishly, "Well... I didn't, either. I'm not making sense am I? I said I didn't realise. I didn't question it, ever. I was straight, and then very slowly, someone else entered the dating pool. But... Gotta say... The first time I kissed a girl? I was terrible. Not like kissing a guy."

"Huh? How the hell would it be different?" Lisa stared.

She shrugged, "Its... There's all types of women. Some are hard, and firm, like a guy. All chest that you can melt into."

"I do love a tough guy... But the tummy pouch is to die for."

Chrissie grinned, "Similar tastes. Anyways, you can't both melt, when you kiss someone. There always has to be one who sort of leads. I thought I always wanted to be the one who melts... But... Dating her? Taught me I wasn't. I wanna melt with a guy. I wanna be the tough wall with a woman, though."

Lisa seemed distracted, even as she was looking at her. Some question resting behind her eyes, that she wasn't ready to say yet. The woman shook her head and smiled brightly, "Totally rude question. But always wondered... Do bi chicks go for trans?"

"Random, but... Sometimes? Not everyone. The ones who do tend to go by pan or gender-blind? It gets super complicated, super fast." Chrissie answered the question.

"You?"

She shook her head, "'Fraid not. Not that it isn't an option, but never met someone trans who did for me. Could happen. No reason it wouldn't, I guess."

Lisa shrugged, "Mmm... This is absolutely fascinating. But, we need things to be fun, too. Shouldn't really drink on company premises, so can't go that route. No spin the bottle."

"There's two of us." Chrissie said dryly, "You wanna kiss me in the server cupboard?"

"As good a test as any." Lisa shrugged.

Chrissie stared, and then took a very deep breath, "So... You're serious about working out if you've got a bit of bi in you?"

Her coworker shrugged, "I've never tried. So... Kinda? I really hate guys right now. Sorry, but my fiance... I wanna burn his fucking house down, with him inside. Asshole. Just... Asshole!"

"Never talk to a cop." Chrissie tried to joke, even though she sympathised. It just hurt too much.

"Did you play spin the bottle, before you figured out that you went both ways? Did that hint to you?"

Chrissie shook her head, "I did. But... No. The games and stuff was just awkward. Besides, I was mostly focused on getting a particular guy at those things. Everything else was a disappointment."

"Yeah..." Lisa sighed.

There was a short pause, Chrissie ended it by clumsily trying to renew the conversation. "Snow is a disappointment. I have done cross-country and downhill skiing, and it... Just sucks. Didn't enjoy any of it."

"Really? Snow fights are awesome." Lisa shook her head, "Plus, nothing beats snuggling up with someone beside the fire afterwards. I miss having a real fireplace."

"They are snugly." Chrissie agreed.

Lisa frowned, "Too bad we don't have one here. Or I might actually get you to agree to a snowball fight."

"Never."

"You'd never snuggle?" Lisa said with a grin.

Chrissie rolled her eyes, "If that was your attempt at flirting, you might need to consult a tutorial."

"Huh." Lisa suddenly looked extremely thoughtful.

She winced, "That was supposed to be my idea of a joke."

"Yeah." Lisa shook herself, and then smiled prettily, "Anyways... We really should do something for Christmas. If not a snowman, or a decent feast, then... Music? I guess? We could play some carols as we glare at the stupid numbers from these stupid companies."

Chrissie shrugged, "I s'pose we could do fireplace screensavers. That might feel like a fire, right?"

"Carols and fireplaces." Lisa nodded slowly, "That's... Something?"

"I'd watch a movie with you. Then it'd be a real Christmas."

Lisa stared, "O. M. G. Did *the Chrissie* actually just suggest skipping out on work?"

"Screw work. Not like they can fire us. No one else can do this, and nobody else would come in on Christmas." She gave in to what was happening.

Her coworker clapped excitedly, "Hell to the yeah! Okay, okay. Got to make this work, somehow. A movie... I guess the one where he says, 'Welcome to the party, pal'?"

"If... You want? I prefer... Eugh... What's it called? Um... The one where the ghosts and the puppets? The Dickens' story." Chrissie said.

Lisa grinned, "Oh, I love that one. Totally. But there's no popcorn in the break room. And you brought a sandwich. That's not party food."

"Oh?" Chrissie raised an eyebrow, "So what's your party food?"

"Two slices of cold pizza." Lisa said glumly.

"That's not party food." She said with more disappointment than she'd expected.

Lisa shrugged, "Come on, Chrissie. I'm trying to make this work. It's not a movie date unless you're totally into it, too."

She leaned back in her chair and drummed her knuckles on the desk, "Well... You should grab the movie. Find whichever streaming site actually has it, this year."

"None of them." Lisa rolled her eyes, "Penny pinching. Making you more likely to buy next year, or not wanting to pay the people who worked on it, or some other shit from the modern world."

"Gross."

Lisa shrugged, "So... Piracy? I guess. I won't tell."

"Not like we can actually support the people who made it." Chrissie replied glumly.

That agreed on, Lisa sat back at her computer to grab the movie, and Chrissie half-heartedly pulled up the local food delivery apps. Someone would be working on Christmas day. Someone would be in a bad enough place they'd need the bonus.

She might even be making their day by ordering something. Hopefully something that could make Lisa's day, because the honest truth was that the both of them were just plain sad. Depressed and too depressed to even run from the world by getting absorbed in work.

However, something instantly distracted her. Chrissie couldn't help grinning to herself as she quickly tapped through the app. She placed a custom order in a frantic pace, glancing up to make sure Lisa wasn't about to come back over.

Right as she was tapping out and back into food, that moment actually happened. Her friend sat on the edge of her desk again, "Movie is downloading. Any chance any of those people do popcorn?"

"The petrol station does the pre-popped kind."

"Eugh. Chewy. I'm not that desperate." Lisa shook her head, "But... Grab it, if you want it."

"Nope." Chrissie agreed, and tapped into one of the local fast food places, "You know, I've never actually ordered a family feast type thing. We could end up with too much, and it might be semi-edible."

Lisa smiled warmly at her, "I wasn't trying to be a downer. This is fun. We're actually doing a thing. And sneaking out of work."

"Screw that. If it weren't snowing assfall outside, I'd even suggest going back to mine." Chrissie replied.

The woman blinked, "Really? Never been invited home by anybody here, before."

"Well, not normally, but... Never?"

Lisa shrugged, "Nup. Work is work. Home is home. Seems to be how it is, here."

"Well, I feel like a bitch." Chrissie winced, "I've... Actually had a few Australia day things. Barbecue and footy. You should totally come, next time."

Her coworker shook her head, "Don't call yourself that. There is nothing that could ever make you a bitch, Chrissie. Nothing. Not ever."

She blinked, "Wow. You think I'm a lot nicer than I am."

"You didn't freak out when I asked about bi and lesbian stuff. That is so much more than anyone here would ever do." Lisa shrugged.

Chrissie frowned, "I'm always open to ask about that. Some people get sick of all the questions, but you're never going to know if you don't ask. So...?"

"Mmm... Later." Lisa said and pinched her phone, "How much for a feast...? Geeze. I'll send you half in a second. Ordered!"

She took back her phone, half disappointed because she hadn't actually decided on the meal yet. All the same, the incoming surprise was going to be a fun little something.

Checking the phone and seeing what had been ordered, she was even less certain. It was a sizeable something, but it wouldn't have been her first choice. "Iced tea?"

Lisa grinned, "Yeah! I always get one, if I can. I'm not really one for soft drink. Dad used to grow his own tea trees at home. Man, do I ever miss that. Fresh tea is something else."

"I don't think I've ever had actual fresh tea of any kind."

She shrugged, "Most people haven't. Everyone has tea bags and whatever is cheapest. We want a relax, but we all got purses. They're limited."

"No." Chrissie shook her head quickly, "Uh ah. We aren't going to be all depressed again. A feast, a movie, and a decent day. On our boss' time."

"Our borrowed time." Lisa retorted.

Chrissie sprang to her feet, feeling like she was ruining the moment, and began to pull down the blinds. Lisa immediately joined in, grinning. The two went around the room and partitioned it off.

"You know, I... Can't actually remember the last time I went to the movies." Chrissie aired, "This doesn't really count, either, but it is the closest."

Lisa sighed, "Yeah, easy to get buried in everything. That's why I adopted a policy of taking myself out for tea on Sunday lunches. I have been to most of the tea houses in the city."

"You're really a tea girl, huh?"

Lisa shrugged, "It's calming, but sweet. Also makes me nostalgic for my parents' place. Dad used to grow a few tea plants on the window sill. I can remember the way he smiled, as he snipped half a leaf here and there."

"Sounds like a quiet old man." Chrissie said with a warm smile.

The other woman sighed heavily, "I miss him. I really do. But... I've never managed to grow a tea tree of my own. Killed a bunch. Usually try and buy one to grow, on his birthday. Latest one I gave up on, last week. Not that it really would have survived this winter-in-summer crap!"

"I have a black hand. If my shadow passed your doorway, everything inside would die." Chrissie snorted.

Lisa grinned at her, "Oh, you think so, do you? If it lives in my house, that is because it is too stubborn to be taken by the Reaper! I killed a cactus last year. One you're meant to water once a year."

"Best I've done is murder some snake plant. They like it when the soil goes dry."

Blinds down, the two women started rearranging the room. They didn't ask each other. Just responding in perfect synchronicity. If one needed help with a table, the other was there.