After school, nothing special

Posted on Wed 20th Mar, 2019 @ 5:24am by Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller & Commander Paul Graves PsyD
Edited on on Sat 23rd Mar, 2019 @ 2:59pm

1,216 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Tram line, SB109
Timeline: MD 1, 16:20

Yucholl and Aiko proceeded together away from the food cart. Aiko, the Human, walked; Yucholl, a Lamian, used the lateral undulation of her long, snakelike lower body to stay beside her friend -- a method of locomotion her detractors referred to as "slithering," which made Yucholl detest the verb. The pair entered the tram ramp marked with a green-and-white globe lamp as the down-station local, which stopped every twenty-five decks. Aiko had been known to call the globe a "pokéball," for reasons which remained a mystery to Yucholl.

It was sometimes easy to forget that they lived in an artificial habitat, Yucholl mused, particularly living in Tivoli Gardens as they did. Tram station ramps, though, destroyed the illusion -- as one proceeded along them, it felt level, but the eye perceived the twist as gravity was reoriented at right angles to the decks. The experience was one which had been known to make the young Lamian girl queasy, and she concentrated on looking at her crêpe while maintaining just enough track of Aiko to keep following her along the ramp.

They reached the platform and moved along, down-station, making room for the girls behind them. They liked riding in the first car of the tram, which was more likely to have a seat available next to a standpole. "That was good," Aiko commented, peeling the last of the paper cone away from her crêpe and finishing the treat. "Thanks!"

"Sure, now," Yucholl drawled, imitating the accent of a group of her home-world's folk who were noted for their facile use of language, "it's glad I am that you're after enjoying it." She batted her eyelashes coquettishly at her friend.

Aiko blushed slightly and looked up-station along the platform. Yucholl was her best friend, but sometimes Aiko felt confused about the slightly-flirtatious tone the Lamian often took with her.

Behind them, Menali Coburn walked, her nose in a PADD, as it usually was on the way home after school. Today's book was about neuroelectrical mediation between host and symbiont in joined Trills. It was not homework. She vacillated between reading odd books about rarefied neuroscience topics and reading romance novels. Rarefied neuroscience was less embarrassing for someone on the tram to read over her shoulder, if they should happen to have the opportunity.

"Hey, Stinker! What're you reading today?" Menali glanced up, blinked, and smiled at her friend Miranda. Miranda Callas always looked gorgeously made up, even though she could barely see past the end of her nose. "Hey, Randa! It's about Trills." Menali slid her PADD into her purse. "Where's Jenna?"

"She had to go home early. Doctor's appointment. And Anne's staying late for Chess Club."

Menali snickered. "I think what she really wants to do is walk by Orchids & Jazz afterward and sigh over their doorman."

"Oh, God, he is cute, isn't he?" Miranda exclaimed. "I accidentally-on-purpose dropped my purse in front of him the first time I saw him, so I could get a better look. Drop-dead gorgeous!"

"That, he is! Hey, I've been meaning to ask--You want to get together, the four of us, Friday after school and have afternoon dessert at O&J? We could even make it a larger party."

"Twist my arm, Br'er Bear," Miranda replied as they boarded the tram. "And the more, the merrier!"

Menali headed to the first available front-facing seat she saw. "You want the window seat today?" she asked Miranda, who always deboarded first. They usually traded off.

"It really doesn't do me much good to sit by the window," Miranda pointed out

"Okay." Menali slid into the window seat while Miranda took the aisle seat. She pulled off her backpack and stowed it under her seat. Menali did everything on her PADD--reading and assignments--so she simply leaned back and yawned.

Avik walked slowly in an effort not to catch up to the girls in front of her. Part of her was wistful that they always had at least one friend, while she had none. Part of her thought they were silly and wasted a lot of time doing worthless things. Still, it would be nice to have the choice ... perhaps. She climbed aboard the tram and took a seat toward the middle, pulling out her math tutor slate as she did so. Quadratic equations were not difficult, but they were time consuming and she was looking for a shorter way to do them. Better minds than hers had tried, but that didn't deter her from making the effort.

Teagan was nearly always the last to arrive to class and one of the first to rush out at the ending bell. Today, she was one of the last to leave histories class. Although her test grades were exemplary, her attitude left a great deal to be desired. Teagan was friendly enough with the other students but found homework and arriving on time to class too frivolous a use of her time.

Aiko and Yucholl moved into the front carriage. Aiko sat down with her back to the window; Yucholl wrapped her lower body around a standpole, anchoring herself in place with her torso facing Aiko. The bing-bong warning sounded, the lights flashed twice, and the doors shut just as Teagan made it onto the tram. Aiko smiled, waved at the other girl, and then considered Yucholl, still picking daintily at her own crêpe. "Are you going to do your homework before dinner tonight?"

Yucholl raised an eyebrow. "Prithee, fair maiden, wherefore dost thou enquire?"

"How can you be so good at archaic conjugation, and so bad about relying on the translator function?" Aiko asked rhetorically. "I know you'll be calling me about the lit homework, so I want to know if I should take a bath before or after dinner."

Yucholl waggled her eyebrows. "Which answer gets me a bathing beauty on the com?"

Avik knew the girl who sat down across from her - Teagan - but they were in different forms, and so she didn't know her well. She nodded her head gravely toward her. "I calculate that is the 76th time you have made the tram with seconds to spare, against 6 times you have not. An acceptable 92.7% success rate."

Teagan grinned. "Professor Markum kept me after class." Her eyes involuntarily rolled in their sockets. "He said If I'm five minutes late coming in, I should be five minutes late going out. That way I get the same education and opportunity as everyone else." She shook her head. "Now, I have an extra assignment in chemistry class and history."

"There is an interesting logic to the Professor's statement. Human logic, that is," Avik clarified and then asked hesitantly, "Do you have ... hmmm, difficulties with the class?"

Forward, Aiko twisted in her seat to look out the window. Even at these levels of the station, many of the decks had landscaped areas around the tramline, and the sides of the tube were striped with track and transparent areas. Aiko watched parklike decks flashing by for a moment. "You know, Yucholl," she started to say, when she saw the flash of light ahead of the tram. A moment later there was a thump and a bump, and the lights and gravity went out in the car, hurtling her into the air.

 

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