6
"So, are you going to tell me about it or what?"
Tox took a sip of wine and leaned back in his chair. Ness had restrained herself for almost two hours. There had been another couple of rounds of drinks, then a set from the Kaf Quartet. Then the entree and the main meal. She had fidgeted more and more as time progressed but she had done extremely well.
Tox shrugged. "Not a lot happened really. He asked me a couple of questions. We chatted for a while."
"Yes, but..."
"I've actually decided that the meeting was to give me a chance to talk my way out of the Academy, not into it. They wouldn't have gone to all this expense and trouble." Though 550 crits was probably nothing to them.
"So did you talk yourself out of it?"
Tox shrugged again. He was worried that he'd been too casual about it. Two scotches or not, he should have shown more respect. He should have shown more care.
They brought out desert and Tox pushed his dumplings around on his plate. He ate one but wasn't really interested. The idea that he might be a part of the Flight Academy in little more than a week was too big a thing for him to be able to continue with his life as if nothing strange had happened. Ness contented herself with eating again though she glanced up now and again. By the time she'd finished Tox had made a mess of the cream and not much else.
"Do you want a game of 3D Boliards?" Ness asked eventually, perhaps inspired by his efforts with the remaining dumpling.
Tox nodded and followed her to the table on the Up side of the room. She stopped a waiter. "We had a bar credit-- can we use it on this?"
The woman explained how, giving them the passkey number that would allow them to do it.
"Thanks. And can we have some more drinks?"
"Of course, Miss."
They were playing before the man returned. The electronic balls floating in the glass box of the table were brighter than and table Tox had played on. The sounds of the balls hitting together was crisper and cleaner. The collisions were more exact. But still he could not stop thinking of the academy. He didn't know how Ness thought he could. After the first game it became apparent that she realised the same thing and decided to increase her efforts.
"Come with me."
"Where to?"
She took his hand and led hi macros to the other side of the bar. There were some stairs there that Tox hadn't noticed.
"Where are we going?" Tox asked again.
But at the bottom there was a sign. There were docks to the left where private yachts could be berthed and sensi-cribs to the left.
As Tox and Ness stood in the intersection, a group of people strode up from the docks. Three of them were obviously guard with Mahute uniforms and weapons at the ready. The other five were strange to say the least. One was barely five feet tall-- a hairy man with a missing arm and beard that hadn't been in fashion for a century or more. Another was a woman with dark hair and an annoyed expression. The other three were closer to normal height. One was slim and pale, the others were as solid as service droids. They were broad across the shoulders, heavily muscled, and looked as if they didn't trust their escort at all. They all wore a badge on their breasts-- two triangles, sides curving inwards, laid one atop the other to form a star.
Tox pressed himself against the wall as they passed. The woman saw him looking. She gave a small, tight smile and nodded once. Then they were up the stairs and gone.
"Come on," Ness said when they were out of sight. She took his hand again and pulled him towards the sensi-cribs.
"I don't know, Ness. This isn't going to distract me." He glanced back once more to where the strangers had gone. But he allowed himself to be dragged along the passage and into one of the cribs. Ness closed the door and examined the controls. She typed in the passkey they'd been given earlier but then had to add an extra ten crits from her pocket.
"What do you want?"
"Really, Ness, I'm not in the mood."
"It's too late now, Tox-- I've already paid. Come on, this is your party. What do you want?"
"All right." He sighed and went over to study the screen. As he examined the list, Ness started to remove her clothes. "Here we go." He hit the button and watched as a beach started to materialise around him. A slight breeze picked up. Waves washed over his feet. When he turned to look at Ness, the system had dressed her in three tiny triangles of material that were hardly worth the effort. He was more distracted then he expected.
Ness started to undo his cummerbund.
Tox took a sip of wine and leaned back in his chair. Ness had restrained herself for almost two hours. There had been another couple of rounds of drinks, then a set from the Kaf Quartet. Then the entree and the main meal. She had fidgeted more and more as time progressed but she had done extremely well.
Tox shrugged. "Not a lot happened really. He asked me a couple of questions. We chatted for a while."
"Yes, but..."
"I've actually decided that the meeting was to give me a chance to talk my way out of the Academy, not into it. They wouldn't have gone to all this expense and trouble." Though 550 crits was probably nothing to them.
"So did you talk yourself out of it?"
Tox shrugged again. He was worried that he'd been too casual about it. Two scotches or not, he should have shown more respect. He should have shown more care.
They brought out desert and Tox pushed his dumplings around on his plate. He ate one but wasn't really interested. The idea that he might be a part of the Flight Academy in little more than a week was too big a thing for him to be able to continue with his life as if nothing strange had happened. Ness contented herself with eating again though she glanced up now and again. By the time she'd finished Tox had made a mess of the cream and not much else.
"Do you want a game of 3D Boliards?" Ness asked eventually, perhaps inspired by his efforts with the remaining dumpling.
Tox nodded and followed her to the table on the Up side of the room. She stopped a waiter. "We had a bar credit-- can we use it on this?"
The woman explained how, giving them the passkey number that would allow them to do it.
"Thanks. And can we have some more drinks?"
"Of course, Miss."
They were playing before the man returned. The electronic balls floating in the glass box of the table were brighter than and table Tox had played on. The sounds of the balls hitting together was crisper and cleaner. The collisions were more exact. But still he could not stop thinking of the academy. He didn't know how Ness thought he could. After the first game it became apparent that she realised the same thing and decided to increase her efforts.
"Come with me."
"Where to?"
She took his hand and led hi macros to the other side of the bar. There were some stairs there that Tox hadn't noticed.
"Where are we going?" Tox asked again.
But at the bottom there was a sign. There were docks to the left where private yachts could be berthed and sensi-cribs to the left.
As Tox and Ness stood in the intersection, a group of people strode up from the docks. Three of them were obviously guard with Mahute uniforms and weapons at the ready. The other five were strange to say the least. One was barely five feet tall-- a hairy man with a missing arm and beard that hadn't been in fashion for a century or more. Another was a woman with dark hair and an annoyed expression. The other three were closer to normal height. One was slim and pale, the others were as solid as service droids. They were broad across the shoulders, heavily muscled, and looked as if they didn't trust their escort at all. They all wore a badge on their breasts-- two triangles, sides curving inwards, laid one atop the other to form a star.
Tox pressed himself against the wall as they passed. The woman saw him looking. She gave a small, tight smile and nodded once. Then they were up the stairs and gone.
"Come on," Ness said when they were out of sight. She took his hand again and pulled him towards the sensi-cribs.
"I don't know, Ness. This isn't going to distract me." He glanced back once more to where the strangers had gone. But he allowed himself to be dragged along the passage and into one of the cribs. Ness closed the door and examined the controls. She typed in the passkey they'd been given earlier but then had to add an extra ten crits from her pocket.
"What do you want?"
"Really, Ness, I'm not in the mood."
"It's too late now, Tox-- I've already paid. Come on, this is your party. What do you want?"
"All right." He sighed and went over to study the screen. As he examined the list, Ness started to remove her clothes. "Here we go." He hit the button and watched as a beach started to materialise around him. A slight breeze picked up. Waves washed over his feet. When he turned to look at Ness, the system had dressed her in three tiny triangles of material that were hardly worth the effort. He was more distracted then he expected.
Ness started to undo his cummerbund.
posted by Scott | 8:46 pm
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