Tetraball Scores!

Posted on Fri 14th Aug, 2020 @ 1:53am by Carlo Rienzi

1,285 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Deck 1552: Starcrossed Stadium

Whistling, Carlo knocked on the door to Reon's apartment, They had about 45 minutes to get to the tetraball court, find seats, and perhaps buy snacks before the game started. He had left 10-42 in (name's) charge for the afternoon and was looking forward to some intense relaxation.

Velasquez crossed to the door and opened it himself, expecting Carlo. He wasn't disappointed, and invited him in rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Let me grab my ID and I'm ready. You gonna back the winning team this time?" he asked. "By which I mean Andoria, of course."

"Andoria? As soon as those guys break into a sweat, they'll fold from heat exhaustion," Carlo said. He grinned. Half the fun of tetraball was he and Reon trash-talking each other's teams. "You watch those Trills, especially the joined ones. They're devious."

Reon picked up his ID case and stuffed it in the back pocket of his well-worn jeans. "I can't disagree with you there," he laughed. "Aren't they the team that has the most 5-point deductions in the Beta League? Can't understand why they haven't figured out that holding on to the ball is a no-no!"

As they exited, he thumb-locked the door. "At least they aren't knocking out their opponents with head butts, like the Klingons!"

Carlo nodded in agreement. "And they spike the ball too hard, too. In a way, I was surprised Klingons would go for tetra. But I guess the game is so intense, they like it. So how's work been?"

"Pleasant, not very challenging, normal," Reon summed up the recent days and sometimes nights. "We've had an interesting customer or two, though. Have you ever met Muffet Langston?"

"Nope, never heard of her," Carlo said. "Is she some sort of holo-vid star?"

Velasquez threw back his head and laughed, as they exited the lift, causing a few people in the corridor to turn their way, half-smiling in response to his genuine amusement. "Not even close!" he said. "We actually have had a couple of those in the last few years, but that is so far off. She's a security officer, I think. At least, she came in the club with someone I know is one.

"That's not what's interesting about her, though, or what made her unusual in my week. She's an Arachne." Reon paused thoughtfully and then added, "Actually, she's cute and I suppose she could be a holo-vid star if she had the inclination."

"Arachne. As in 'arachnid,' meaning spider?" Carlo asked. "And she's cute? How does that work, exactly?"

As they made their way to the stadium, following a crowd of others, Reon thought about that question. "First, get spiders out of your head. Yes, part of her body was spider-like, but ... well, think of a centaur, maybe? You know what those are, right?"

"Sure. The nuns at school insisted we learn all about the Greek myths," Carlo said. "Never made much sense to me--centaurs, I mean. But okay, so she's half-woman, half spider. Weird, but cool. I'll have to look her up sometime. I've never seen anyone like that around, though. I figure she would be memorable."

Reon nodded as they entered the stadium doors and handed over their tickets. The ticket taker pointed them toward a staircase about a third of the way to the left. "That she is, my friend, very memorable, but cute overall. Blonde. I've heard she knits, though I didn't observe that for myself. If you ever see her, you'll remember her, but she's an intelligence officer, so you might hope you only meet her socially," he grinned at his friend. "You've not been smuggling Romulan ale, have you?"

Carlo chuckled. "I never snitch on my sources." He walked with Reon to the stairway and then climbed the stairs to their row and took seats. Once they sat down, Carlo stretched his long legs out in front of him. "I've been thinking of building a house here. Have you ever thought about doing that?"

His friend shrugged. "Not really. I know there are plenty of places, but I'm not committed to staying on 109. I've traveled quite a few years with Miss Lantz, and we've moved locations several times. I don't know if I'm ready to be tied to one place yet. Where are you thinking of putting it?"

"There's this little area on Deck 1551 called Tiny House Hills. I'm thinking of contracting with someone to build a container home for me. I saw a sweet design for one that uses three twenty-foot shipping containers."

"Shipping containers? You mean like cargo travels in on ships? You can build a house out of one of those?" Reon asked curiously. "I can't imagine that, actually. Isn't it all ... metal-like?"

"Oh, yeah. The exteriors are metal, but the interiors can be insulated and paneled with whatever you like. I've seen vids of some of these places. You would never know they weren't houses built on a foundation. I thought about it because I don't need much; I'm just a single guy, so why pay rent forever? It's not like I need four bedrooms, a dining room, and a living room. Maybe just a master bedroom and a guest room/office, and make everything else in the house multi-purpose. Might even make the master bedroom multi-purpose, too. Why would I need a bed taking up floor space when I'm not sleeping on it?"

Reon thought about that, watching the teams warming up on the floor. "What if you find someone you want to bond with, a live-in partner? Won't that limit your options?" As people moved up and down the stairs of the seating sections, settling in or going for a snack, he supposed, the air was warming in the stadium.

"That's why I'm still mulling it over," Carlo said. "Tiny houses are great if you live by yourself; not so great, once you get married and start having kids. On the other hand, a lot of people with tiny houses upsize or downsize as their needs change, or they build additional houses where the kids can stay, once they get old enough. And I'm more looking at a small house rather than a tiny house. I like to be able to stand up in my bedroom and have real stairs, not a ladder."

He leaned forward to watch the players in the court. "Looks like they're about ready to start."

"Care to place a small wager before they get going?" Velasquez asked, as the teams trotted to their respective corners. Andoria was in corners 1 and 3, the Trill team in corners 2 and 4. "Or are you going to concede Andoria's win before we start?"

"Well, let's think about that. You want to wager credits, GPL, or food and drink?"

Reon thought about that for a moment. "Let's keep it cheap and simple. Dinner for you at Orchids & Jazz if your team wins, and dinner for me at 10-42 if mine does? Or perhaps a trip to Pearl With a Chainsaw, and the winner pays all?"

"I'm prepared to make you a homemade lasagna," Carlo said, "but Chainsaw has the advantage that neither of us work there, and neither of us would have to cook."

"I don't cook! But since I'm going to win, or the Andorians are going to win for me, I'm good with whichever you choose," Velasquez grinned, as the starting whistle blew. "Better bet fast!"

"Chainsaw," Carlo said. "I'd rather make the lasagna for your birthday."

"Ha, so either way, I get two meals out of one game," his friend laughed, as the teams rushed on to the court and play began.

 

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