Every night after closing up the office and shutting down the computer, Miss Planner ate dinner in the Tower of the Chosen's cafeteria. She never cooked for herself at home. Maybe it was because the food at the cafeteria was always filling and delicious, or maybe it was just because cooking demanded too much of Miss Planner's limited effort and energy. Whatever the reason, almost every bite of food that entered her mouth was prepared at the Tower's cafeteria.

Miss Planner sat with her personal assistant Milly at their usual table. Miss Planner had a tray piled high with greasy fried chicken in front of her, along with a side of curly fries and a large glass of soda. Milly, for her part, was eating a salad with no dressing. A cheerful young woman who loved to talk, Milly was wearing a sunny yellow dress and had her brown hair in a ponytail with a red bow.

The two women had a strange relationship. There was some amount of genuine affection between them, but they weren't exactly friends. Miss Planner ordered Milly around constantly without any real interest in what she thought or felt. As far as Miss Planner was concerned, Milly was something like a trained dog who obeyed her every command, no matter how ridiculous. The truth is, Milly wasn't very bright, but she did have a lot of enthusiasm and she made Miss Planner's life a lot easier.

"You look tired," said Milly. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. I'll feel better after I eat."
"Oh, well then, let's dig in!"

Milly smiled brightly at Miss Planner. The look on Miss Planner's face was not nearly as pleasant.

"Don't stare at me like that, Milly," said Miss Planner, munching on some chicken.
"But I love your hair! It's so shiny and beautiful!"
"Stop staring, please."

Milly grinned. Miss Planner glared.

"So, what did you do today, Miss Planner?"
"Oh, I went and checked out the main production plant," replied Miss Planner as she dipped a curly fry into some sauce. "Black Wolf was with me... everything is running smoothly over there. We went to meet with the Ghouls, too. Very nice people."

Miss Planner paused for a moment to take another bite of her meal and wash it down with some soda.

"The Ghouls? That's that gang of homeless criminals, right?" asked Milly with an innocent smile. "I've heard about them. They're scary!"

"Oh, they're not that bad," said Miss Planner as she chewed. "They're a bit more violent than I'd like, and they do have a bad habit of getting trash everywhere, but they can be quite useful sometimes. They're willing to do things that other people aren't, and they're really good at finding things."

Miss Planner wiped her hands on a napkin and pushed away her plate of chicken with a sigh. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

"Black Wolf seems to be having trouble adjusting," said Miss Planner. "He's still bitter... you know, I am worried about him."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Miss Planner," said Milly cheerfully. "He's been through a lot. He just needs some time to work through his issues."

"I hope that's all it is. What did you do today while I was gone, Milly?"
"I worked on the taxes at the notary office like you asked. I was busy with it all day. Actually, I didn't quite finish."

Miss Planner sighed again and opened her eyes.

"That's alright. You have all month to take care of it. I'll see you tomorrow, Milly. Don't forget to bring bagels tomorrow for the research division. They've been working hard."
"Yes ma'am!"

Milly waved goodbye. Miss Planner stood up, stretched her arms above her head, yawned, and went home.

Although she was always dressed in perfect business attire and she generally presented herself as a pillar of poise and sophistication in the office, Miss Planner lived in a humble one-bedroom apartment on the bad side of town. For most people, living in the slums was a sign of poverty and desperation, but Miss Planner was more than happy with her modest accommodations. She loved how little she had to pay for rent, and she didn't care if the neighborhood was dirty or dangerous. Despite her unassuming appearance, she was more than capable of defending herself when it came down to it.

Miss Planner walked through a maze of dirty dark alleys and past a homeless encampment to arrive at a building that looked like a giant concrete box covered in graffiti. Before going inside, Miss Planner sat down on the porch and lit up one of the sample Rampage cigarettes. The taste was absolutely horrible. It was like a combination of cough medicine and burning plastic. The smoke it gave off smelled awful, too. At least it was strong enough to make Miss Planner feel alert after a long day.

Once she settled down, she got out her phone and made a call. Her grandmother answered on the first ring.

"Jessica! Thank you for calling, sweetheart. I was so worried about you!"
"Hi, Grandma. I'm sorry I haven't called in a while. Things have been pretty busy at work."

Miss Planner, that is to say, Jessica, was abandoned by her mother and father when she was very young. She was raised by her grandmother, a retired teacher who selflessly sacrificed her golden years to give Jessica a life filled with love, stability, and encouragement. Jessica's grandmother was possibly the only person in her life who she actually cared about.

"You always work so hard! I'm very proud of you, dear! You're such a wonderful granddaughter! How are you doing in your new position?”
"I'm making a lot of money, I'm learning a ton of new skills... to be honest, I was worried the promotion would make things more stressful, but it's been great!"

"That's wonderful, darling! The higher-ups are a bunch of stubborn old-timers like me, aren't they?"
"They're old, but they're still working hard. They have to, since our industry is changing every day."

The tiny blonde woman took a deep drag from her cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke into the cold night air. A wave of nausea rolled over her tiny body. The smelly smoke was so thick that it almost seemed to have physical weight.

"You're a smart cookie, Jessica. I bet they're glad to have someone young around who can help them keep up with the times!"
"Thank you, Grandma. It's hard work, but I'm glad I'm part of something that's helping people. Hey... I'm going to visit you at the nursing home this weekend. Is there anything special you'd like to do? Maybe go to the park or something?"

"Oh, that sounds nice, sweetie. I'm looking forward to seeing you."
"I love you, Grandma. I'll see you later, okay? Goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Miss Planner crushed her cigarette butt in her hand and threw it away. She walked inside the building and went upstairs to her tiny room. Her loafers made loud tapping noises as she walked.