Short Story: [Emberfate] Work-Life Balance

Hey everyone! 

This is the last installment of the First Argument short story series for Emberfate — Khanyisa's story! It's written by Nic W and edited by me. 

Next month, we should be switching back to Reanimation Scheme short stories — but if most of the patrons would prefer to see more Emberfate stories instead, I might put up a poll to see which game I should do the next monthly short story series for. So be sure to leave in comments your preference! 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this story. 

---

10:57 pm.

The bright, glowing clock on your phone hasn't changed since the last time you checked it 20 seconds ago, but that doesn't do anything to soothe away the roiling upset that has made its home inside your stomach. 

Khanyisa is late. 

For most of the time you have been together, Khanyisa has had a much better work-life balance than she did previously, but ever since her coworker went on paternity leave last month, it feels like she was returning to her old habits of drowning herself in work, taking on everyone else's tasks that they can't handle.

On the floor nearby, Willow stirs restlessly, letting out a mournful whine as she rests her head upon your feet. "I know, girl," you say softly, gently rubbing her head. "It's okay. She'll be home soon."

You lean back with a yawn — you've been up since 6:00 am, and your dry eyes and pounding head feel every minute of your long day. Frustration bubbles within you as you longingly glance towards your bedroom, but you don't want to go to bed without making sure Khanyisa is back safe and sound. Sighing, you reach for your phone again, intending to send her a quick text to see if she is at least getting close to being done for the night. 

"Where are you? It's really late. Are you even planning to come home tonight, or are you just going to sleep in your office? Lol" Your text's tone comes out a bit more frustrated than you mean it to, but you don't bother going back to rephrase it.

A moment later, your phone dings with a new text from her. "Sorry, I lost track of time. I'll be home in the next hour. I just need to finish this one last thing."

You bite your lip and scowl at your screen. It only takes 15 minutes for her to drive between her office and your shared home, so she's clearly planning to work at least another half hour. At this rate, she won't be home before midnight. Still, there's not much you can do to change that, so with a long sigh, you load up Emberfate on your laptop instead. Most of your guildmates will no doubt be asleep like reasonable people, but at least Nathan will be on, and the two of you can probably party up and do some quests to keep you preoccupied for now.

—

12:37 am. The sound of the front door clicking open startles you and Willow; thankfully, there's only one person it can be.

Willow jumps to her feet and bounds down the hallway with a happy bark — you, however, follow at a more sedate pace. You turn the corner and catch your girlfriend kneeling and affectionately greeting her dog, though there is an unmistakable weariness to her movements and her expression. Usually, you compete with Willow to fight to greet Khanyisa first, but tonight you merely hang back, a sour feeling churning in your gut. 

Sensing your stare, Khanyisa pulls herself to her feet and gives you a tired smile, one that you don't return. Taking in your expression, her smile drops, and a gulf of silence opens between the two of you.

Neither of you are particularly confrontational — you can count on one hand the number of times you've had even minor disagreements, and you don't want to change that tonight by starting a fight. 

"Right," you say softly. "Since you're home now, I'm heading to bed then." You turn, trudging away from her, but you only make it a few steps before Khanyisa calls out and gently touches your shoulder. You don't pull away from her touch, but you don't turn to face her either.

"...You're mad at me, aren't you?"  She lets out a sharp exhale, and you don't have to look at her to know that she's pinching her eyebrows in concern. 

"Is it because I didn't come home when you texted me?" She asks, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow you off and be so late, but I needed to finish everything tonight."

You feel a sharp stab of irritation. Shaking her hand off, you spin around to face her. "Of course you did. Work is the most important thing for you lately, isn't it? I'm surprised you didn't just camp out at your office; it's not like I even rank in your priorities anymore."

Khanyisa's eyes widen, filled with shock and hurt, and you feel a flicker of regret, but it's not like you can take it back, and even if you could, would you? 

She immediately rebuffs your accusation. "Of course you're still my priority. I know I've been working more lately, and I'm sorry, but it's not like I have a choice. I have a really complicated case I'm responsible for right now. I know it's not ideal, but my client deserve my best, and it won't be much longer…"

"I need you too," you snap, and nearby Willow whines, but you don't turn your attention from Khanyisa. Instead, you take a deep breath and carry on, determined to say your piece. "You said you didn't have a choice, but you did. You didn't have to volunteer to take on so many of Jack's cases while he's gone! I don't mind that you have to work more, but I mind that it always seems to be the first and last thing on your mind and the driving force behind all of your decisions. Sure, this case might not last for much longer, but what happens when Anna retires? When Matthew takes on more than he can handle again? Will you step forward and take things over for them too?"

You swallow, chest heaving with emotion, and you struggle to calm yourself down. "I may not have been there to see it in person back then, but don't you remember how you described what your life used to be like before we met? Never home before midnight, always exhausted, scarcely taking the time to scarf down a cup of noodles before diving back in more work. I don't want you to return to that. It's not healthy, Khanyisa. I'm worried."

Khanyisa freezes. For a minute, she just stands there, staring at you. Willow slides herself between the two of you, pressing her wet nose against your leg and staring up at the two of you with concerned eyes.

"I'm sorry," Khanyisa says quietly, "this has been bothering you for a while, hasn't it?" 

You give a terse nod in response, and she lets out a soft sigh. "I wish you would've said something earlier, I knew it was taking its toll, but I didn't realize how much it was festering. You're right — I see why you're concerned, but I swear this time isn't like that." Her eyes stare into yours. "I've already given most of the cases I took from Jack back to the other lawyers — in fact, I only kept one case of his."

You blink, startled. "Wait, so you only have one extra case you're working on? How on earth is it taking so much of your time?"

"As I said, it's a very… complicated case. It was a mess when I got it, and it's still a mess now, to be honest. I can't say too much about it, but... let's just say that I'm not really sure what the odds of winning are." She gives a wry smile and sighs again. "I'm trying my best though. I'll admit this case has several similarities to my aunt's, so perhaps that's why I'm so focused on it."

With her explanation, most of your frustration fizzles out, quickly replaced by guilt. The last thing Khanyisa needs is for her partner to blow up at her over some false assumptions because you never asked to clarify before quietly seething over it. 

"I'm sorry, Khanyisa. I thought you'd taken on lots of extra cases again and were prioritizing your coworkers and job over me... I didn't realize that it was just this one case."

"Well, you're not wrong there. That's exactly what I did at the start, at least," she admits. "But I quickly realized that I'd be in over my head and, in your words, end up basically just living at the office. So I decided to take your advice and allow myself to lean on my coworkers more and ask for help when I need it. Perhaps I shouldn't have kept this case either, but I couldn't bring myself to give it up." 

You nod in understanding, reaching forward to pull her into a hug, resting your forehead against hers. "I know, you've always been so empathetic, and I love that about you — really, I do. I'm sorry for getting mad at you — I really should've mentioned this sooner and not assumed what was going on by myself."

She smiles, brushing a lock of hair out of your face. "And I should've been better at communicating myself and making you feel more of a priority in my life, so I'm also sorry." 

For a moment, the two of you stand there locked in a warm embrace, letting the earlier unpleasantness and stress wash away. "I meant what I said, though," she adds. "The case will likely wrap up in a week or two — after that, I will be very much ready for a break. Perhaps we can go on a small weekend trip to make up for lost time?"

You light up at the suggestion — a weekend to just relax and spend some uninterrupted time with your girlfriend feels like precisely what you need. "I'd love that," you smile, "and I love you."

Khanyisa's cheeks darken. "I love you too," she replies. Not wanting to be left out, Willow lets out an agreeing bark of her own, causing you two to laugh, which quickly turns into a pair of yawns. 

"Right," you say, blinking away the exhaustion, "I think today's gone on long enough. Want to call it a night?" Khanyisa nods in agreement. 

Fingers entwined, the two of you head to your bedroom, ready to put it all behind you.