* * *
Shortly after lunch, the nine young adults found themselves inside the impressive Lenin Institute, the Mecca of Mobius' young revolutionaries.
"Home sweet home." Svetlana chuckled. To her out of town friends, she explained. "The Institute seeks out the brightest Marxist minds that they can and help them grow. From the age of 13, the Institute provides seven years of education in Marxism and socialism."
"Seven years? Studying an ideology?" Nick said, not able to keep the surprise and disbelief from his voice.
"Not quite," Aeryn corrected. "The Institute effectively teaches us how to expand our minds, to ask questions and form ideas to further socialism. Like college, but it revolves around Marxist thought. After they graduate, many students attend the University of Marxism-Leninism."
"So it teaches Soviet students on how to be better Reds?" Nick asked, tactless as ever. Naomi wanted nothing more than to step on his foot, but their hosts didn't seem to mind Nick's big mouth.
"Not quite. It teaches many different philosophies from many different leftist thinkers, from Earth and from Mobius." Christopher clarified. "And it isn't just Soviet citizens like us. There are students from all over the world; the Floating Island, Downunda, Mercia, the Acorn Kingdom, Albion--"
"Those lousy sons of-" Lara muttered angrily, not forgetting the humiliation or degradation she'd been put through at their hands.
"I thought the Communist Party was illegal in Albion." Naomi said cut in. Aeryn nodded.
"It IS illegal, the same as it is in the Mysterious Cat Country and the Overlander Empire. But that doesn't mean the Party doesn't exist there. And it certainly doesn't mean that there aren't people willing to face imprisonment for their views when they go home. That's the whole purpose of the Institution, to bring new ideas and concepts to societies that suppress new thoughts and restrict the thoughts of its own people." She said, as if quoting an enlistment poster. David rolled her eyes at her earnestness but Aeryn didn't notice or simply ignored him.
"Why don't we show your our dorm?" Ibrahim suggested.
"I'll be right up," Naomi promised. "But Christopher promised to show me your library."
"I did?" He asked. Naomi winced and stepped down on Christopher's foot, hard. "YEOW!"
"Yes, he did." Naomi said, a fake smile on her face. "Why don't you guys go to your dorm? We'll meet you there in a few." They left, leaving Naomi and Christopher alone to head for the Institute Library.
"What was that for?!" Christopher demanded after they entered the library.
"I wanted to talk to you." She said as they sat down in a far corner.
"About what?"
"Aeryn." Christopher groaned at her answer.
"Look if you dragged me over here to talk about my love life, or lack there of, then you can--" Naomi shook her head.
"That's not what I meant." She said.
"Oh." Christopher said sheepishly. "Then what about Aeryn?" He asked. Naomi looked around, to make sure they weren't being overheard.
"Truth be told, I'm kind of worried about her."
"You are?" He asked, puzzled.
"Don't get me wrong, she's a wonderful person and a great friend-"
"--But?" Chris prodded.
"But, I'm afraid she's going to end up killing herself with stress." Naomi finished.
"Say what?"
"Let me start again. Chris, I've noticed that--oh, how to put this?--Aeryn seems to be more...obsessed with this whole Marxism thing than you or any of the others I've met."
"Nice understatement." Chris said dryly.
"Then you've noticed?" He nodded.
"She's very passionate about what she believes in." He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"Aren't you too? And David and Ibrahim and Svetlana?"
"Well, yes --"
"Are any of THEM as stringent as Aeryn is?"
"No, I guess not." He admitted slowly.
"I don't mean to stick my nose where it doesn't belong--"
"That's Lara's job." Christopher said bitterly.
"--But I just think she just has to RELAX every once in a while." Naomi finished.
"She does, she's been relaxing all week." He said.
"I mean from all this communism stuff." She explained.
"That's who she is, Naomi." Chris explained softly. "It's not like you can take a break from being you."
"Perhaps, but even I take a break and stop acting like a princess every once in a while."
"You mean like when you stomped on my foot?"
"I'm serious, Christopher. It can't be healthy for her to always be thinking about how everything relates to dialectic materialism or Leninism or whatever it is. When was the last time she took five minutes and did ABSOLUTELY nothing?"
"Well..." Christopher scanned his memories of Aeryn, but couldn't think of her ever just sitting back and doing nothing. "Never really. I sometimes try picturing her sitting on a beach with nothing to do."
"I just bet you do." Naomi slyly thought to herself. "And?"
"And the image usually ends with her head imploding." He shrugged. "She's not the kind of person who simply does nothing."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Naomi said. "I've never seen her unwind, she's wound so tightly that she will eventually snap under all the pressure."
Christopher paused as he gathered his thoughts. "Naomi, I'd be lying if I said Aeryn was the most laid-back person I know. In all honesty if she isn't thinking about some new struggle or working to fix some new problem, she's liable to go nuts. But I don't think trying to tell her to relax is going to help any."
"She's going to burn herself out." Naomi protested.
"Maybe. But you have to understand, her views aren't just some hobby she can turn on and off. It's what helps define her as a person: A tireless, relentless fire-breathing revolutionary. She never stops thinking about revolution; she thinks, feels, and breaths it. I don't think you really can separate the communist from Aeryn, they're intertwined." Christopher explained.
"There is no way that can be healthy for her." Naomi sighed again.
"It's her life. Aeryn's a big girl, she can make her own decisions without us second-guessing her. Besides," he added with a grin. "Whenever someone tries to second guess her, they are invariably wrong."
"You know her best." Naomi said. "I guess I'll just have to trust your judgment on this."
"For what it's worth, I do think she should try to loosen up, but that's her business."
"I guess." Naomi agreed reluctantly. "When was the last time she was on vacation? Besides our 'little misadventure' a few months ago?" Christopher scratched his head.
"Last year she spent some time in Paris, but I don't know what she was doing."
"Oh." She smiled. "Maybe you and her can find something nice and relaxing to together? Hmmm?"
"Don't go there." He said as he felt his face grow hot.
"If you insist." Naomi shrugged. "Come on, the others have been waiting for us." As they walked out of the library, Naomi turned to Chris once again. "Don't think for a moment that this is over." She said right before she revved her feet and dashed off at incredible speeds. Christopher was left standing alone. He found at that moment that he could sum up his life in two words:
"Why me?"
* * *
Shortly after lunch, the nine young adults found themselves inside the impressive Lenin Institute, the Mecca of Mobius' young revolutionaries.
"Home sweet home." Svetlana chuckled. To her out of town friends, she explained. "The Institute seeks out the brightest Marxist minds that they can and help them grow. From the age of 13, the Institute provides seven years of education in Marxism and socialism."
"Seven years? Studying an ideology?" Nick said, not able to keep the surprise and disbelief from his voice.
"Not quite," Aeryn corrected. "The Institute effectively teaches us how to expand our minds, to ask questions and form ideas to further socialism. Like college, but it revolves around Marxist thought. After they graduate, many students attend the University of Marxism-Leninism."
"So it teaches Soviet students on how to be better Reds?" Nick asked, tactless as ever. Naomi wanted nothing more than to step on his foot, but their hosts didn't seem to mind Nick's big mouth.
"Not quite. It teaches many different philosophies from many different leftist thinkers, from Earth and from Mobius." Christopher clarified. "And it isn't just Soviet citizens like us. There are students from all over the world; the Floating Island, Downunda, Mercia, the Acorn Kingdom, Albion--"
"Those lousy sons of-" Lara muttered angrily, not forgetting the humiliation or degradation she'd been put through at their hands.
"I thought the Communist Party was illegal in Albion." Naomi said cut in. Aeryn nodded.
"It IS illegal, the same as it is in the Mysterious Cat Country and the Overlander Empire. But that doesn't mean the Party doesn't exist there. And it certainly doesn't mean that there aren't people willing to face imprisonment for their views when they go home. That's the whole purpose of the Institution, to bring new ideas and concepts to societies that suppress new thoughts and restrict the thoughts of its own people." She said, as if quoting an enlistment poster. David rolled her eyes at her earnestness but Aeryn didn't notice or simply ignored him.
"Why don't we show your our dorm?" Ibrahim suggested.
"I'll be right up," Naomi promised. "But Christopher promised to show me your library."
"I did?" He asked. Naomi winced and stepped down on Christopher's foot, hard. "YEOW!"
"Yes, he did." Naomi said, a fake smile on her face. "Why don't you guys go to your dorm? We'll meet you there in a few." They left, leaving Naomi and Christopher alone to head for the Institute Library.
"What was that for?!" Christopher demanded after they entered the library.
"I wanted to talk to you." She said as they sat down in a far corner.
"About what?"
"Aeryn." Christopher groaned at her answer.
"Look if you dragged me over here to talk about my love life, or lack there of, then you can--" Naomi shook her head.
"That's not what I meant." She said.
"Oh." Christopher said sheepishly. "Then what about Aeryn?" He asked. Naomi looked around, to make sure they weren't being overheard.
"Truth be told, I'm kind of worried about her."
"You are?" He asked, puzzled.
"Don't get me wrong, she's a wonderful person and a great friend-"
"--But?" Chris prodded.
"But, I'm afraid she's going to end up killing herself with stress." Naomi finished.
"Say what?"
"Let me start again. Chris, I've noticed that--oh, how to put this?--Aeryn seems to be more...obsessed with this whole Marxism thing than you or any of the others I've met."
"Nice understatement." Chris said dryly.
"Then you've noticed?" He nodded.
"She's very passionate about what she believes in." He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"Aren't you too? And David and Ibrahim and Svetlana?"
"Well, yes --"
"Are any of THEM as stringent as Aeryn is?"
"No, I guess not." He admitted slowly.
"I don't mean to stick my nose where it doesn't belong--"
"That's Lara's job." Christopher said bitterly.
"--But I just think she just has to RELAX every once in a while." Naomi finished.
"She does, she's been relaxing all week." He said.
"I mean from all this communism stuff." She explained.
"That's who she is, Naomi." Chris explained softly. "It's not like you can take a break from being you."
"Perhaps, but even I take a break and stop acting like a princess every once in a while."
"You mean like when you stomped on my foot?"
"I'm serious, Christopher. It can't be healthy for her to always be thinking about how everything relates to dialectic materialism or Leninism or whatever it is. When was the last time she took five minutes and did ABSOLUTELY nothing?"
"Well..." Christopher scanned his memories of Aeryn, but couldn't think of her ever just sitting back and doing nothing. "Never really. I sometimes try picturing her sitting on a beach with nothing to do."
"I just bet you do." Naomi slyly thought to herself. "And?"
"And the image usually ends with her head imploding." He shrugged. "She's not the kind of person who simply does nothing."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Naomi said. "I've never seen her unwind, she's wound so tightly that she will eventually snap under all the pressure."
Christopher paused as he gathered his thoughts. "Naomi, I'd be lying if I said Aeryn was the most laid-back person I know. In all honesty if she isn't thinking about some new struggle or working to fix some new problem, she's liable to go nuts. But I don't think trying to tell her to relax is going to help any."
"She's going to burn herself out." Naomi protested.
"Maybe. But you have to understand, her views aren't just some hobby she can turn on and off. It's what helps define her as a person: A tireless, relentless fire-breathing revolutionary. She never stops thinking about revolution; she thinks, feels, and breaths it. I don't think you really can separate the communist from Aeryn, they're intertwined." Christopher explained.
"There is no way that can be healthy for her." Naomi sighed again.
"It's her life. Aeryn's a big girl, she can make her own decisions without us second-guessing her. Besides," he added with a grin. "Whenever someone tries to second guess her, they are invariably wrong."
"You know her best." Naomi said. "I guess I'll just have to trust your judgment on this."
"For what it's worth, I do think she should try to loosen up, but that's her business."
"I guess." Naomi agreed reluctantly. "When was the last time she was on vacation? Besides our 'little misadventure' a few months ago?" Christopher scratched his head.
"Last year she spent some time in Paris, but I don't know what she was doing."
"Oh." She smiled. "Maybe you and her can find something nice and relaxing to together? Hmmm?"
"Don't go there." He said as he felt his face grow hot.
"If you insist." Naomi shrugged. "Come on, the others have been waiting for us." As they walked out of the library, Naomi turned to Chris once again. "Don't think for a moment that this is over." She said right before she revved her feet and dashed off at incredible speeds. Christopher was left standing alone. He found at that moment that he could sum up his life in two words:
"Why me?"
* * *