Tenure
By Cassie Valentine
Disclaimer: Tribune or whoever it is owns the pond, I'm just taking a little late night skinny dippin' in it.
"So, here we are again," I said to him as we met up on the board walk over looking the ocean on Katzman.
"Here we are," he said as we stopped to stare out at the almost purple water that was quickly changing colours in the sun set. "How have you been?" he asked me.
"Good. Business was slow at first, but things have picked up," I said. "I guess the Nietszcheans are good for something other than bailing us out and causing us trouble," I added with a smile. He just gave me that same, disapproving look. "Sorry," I said with a shrug.
"Same old you," he said with a shake of his head.
"Is that good or bad?" I asked as I looked at him.
"Well . . . . I haven't decided yet."
"Still? We've known each other for what? Ten years now?" I asked. He paused to think about things for a moment.
"Ten years today I think," he said as he turned to me. "We should do something." Now it was my turn to look at him.
"Like what? I hate to break it to you, but I think we may be a little too old for clubbing," I said with a smile.
"I was thinking something a little more grown up," he pushed off lightly from the railing and offered his arm to me. I took it and he began to lead us back to our rooms at the hotel.
"Yeah, as much as I do care for you, I won't do this grown up thing with you," I told him. He sighed and shot me a look.
"Just go put on something nice. Preferably a dress." I looked at him for a moment. Since when has he wanted me in a dress? "Just go," he said as he gave me a little push. I sighed and went into my room and dug the lone dress that I took everywhere with me, for 'just in case' things like this. I put it on, cursed at myself for hiding my shoes and quickly added a little make up and put my hair up just as he knocked at the door. "Ready?"
"Always," I said as I walked to the door. "Pick your jaw up, it's impolite and not very pretty to look at," I told him as I sauntered past him slightly. "Coming?"
"Uh, yeah . . yeah," he said as he pulled himself together and took my hand this time, leading me towards what ever he had done in the half an hour we had been apart.
"So, where are we off to?"
"A nice place. You'll like it," he assured me, saying nothing more. I looked at him and got ready to pester him about it, but decided against it. He just smiled a little when he didn't hear anything else from me. We wandered the streets for a while, talking about things that had happened to us since we had all split up. The commonwealth had been reformed and stabilised and a lot of us went our own ways after that, picking up from where we had left off. We went back to jobs, our friends and other adventures still with a zero credit rating, but with a reputation and a little more experience. His big surprise turned out to be a private dinner where we talked even longer, until we were among the last left in the restaurant before we decided to take our conversation and ourselves back to my room. It was almost morning before we parted ways, hesitating in the door way for even longer, trying to postpone the parting and the things we knew we had to return to. He had a ship and a family to go back to and so did I.
"We need to get together again some time," I told him.
"Hopefully before another ten years pass," he added with a smile as he turned and left. I watched him go before I went back into my room to pack, hopping that we would see each other again before another ten years passed.
By Cassie Valentine
Disclaimer: Tribune or whoever it is owns the pond, I'm just taking a little late night skinny dippin' in it.
"So, here we are again," I said to him as we met up on the board walk over looking the ocean on Katzman.
"Here we are," he said as we stopped to stare out at the almost purple water that was quickly changing colours in the sun set. "How have you been?" he asked me.
"Good. Business was slow at first, but things have picked up," I said. "I guess the Nietszcheans are good for something other than bailing us out and causing us trouble," I added with a smile. He just gave me that same, disapproving look. "Sorry," I said with a shrug.
"Same old you," he said with a shake of his head.
"Is that good or bad?" I asked as I looked at him.
"Well . . . . I haven't decided yet."
"Still? We've known each other for what? Ten years now?" I asked. He paused to think about things for a moment.
"Ten years today I think," he said as he turned to me. "We should do something." Now it was my turn to look at him.
"Like what? I hate to break it to you, but I think we may be a little too old for clubbing," I said with a smile.
"I was thinking something a little more grown up," he pushed off lightly from the railing and offered his arm to me. I took it and he began to lead us back to our rooms at the hotel.
"Yeah, as much as I do care for you, I won't do this grown up thing with you," I told him. He sighed and shot me a look.
"Just go put on something nice. Preferably a dress." I looked at him for a moment. Since when has he wanted me in a dress? "Just go," he said as he gave me a little push. I sighed and went into my room and dug the lone dress that I took everywhere with me, for 'just in case' things like this. I put it on, cursed at myself for hiding my shoes and quickly added a little make up and put my hair up just as he knocked at the door. "Ready?"
"Always," I said as I walked to the door. "Pick your jaw up, it's impolite and not very pretty to look at," I told him as I sauntered past him slightly. "Coming?"
"Uh, yeah . . yeah," he said as he pulled himself together and took my hand this time, leading me towards what ever he had done in the half an hour we had been apart.
"So, where are we off to?"
"A nice place. You'll like it," he assured me, saying nothing more. I looked at him and got ready to pester him about it, but decided against it. He just smiled a little when he didn't hear anything else from me. We wandered the streets for a while, talking about things that had happened to us since we had all split up. The commonwealth had been reformed and stabilised and a lot of us went our own ways after that, picking up from where we had left off. We went back to jobs, our friends and other adventures still with a zero credit rating, but with a reputation and a little more experience. His big surprise turned out to be a private dinner where we talked even longer, until we were among the last left in the restaurant before we decided to take our conversation and ourselves back to my room. It was almost morning before we parted ways, hesitating in the door way for even longer, trying to postpone the parting and the things we knew we had to return to. He had a ship and a family to go back to and so did I.
"We need to get together again some time," I told him.
"Hopefully before another ten years pass," he added with a smile as he turned and left. I watched him go before I went back into my room to pack, hopping that we would see each other again before another ten years passed.
