" uh... hanging with some chick"
" I see. Doing what?"
"You're a big boy now, do I have to spell it out for you?"
Dylan just looked at him with his glare of anger.
"And why are you here? Shouldn't you be at that reception?" Harper asked.
"It ended already. I had to make excuses for you, but don't worry, I've become quite good at it." Harper could notice Dylan's anger by now.
"Where's Beka, Trance, and Rommie ?"
"They were able to take a break and tour the city after attending the reception that you missed.I tried to find you, but one of the doormen said that he saw you going off to the Central district. So I thought I'd wait."
"UH.. I see. Look, I'm sorry, I just lost track of time, okay."
"The official hosting the reception was a bit insulted."
" So?"
"Excuse me?"
"He'd probably get pissed if I had breathed the wrong way." It always annoyed Harper that a lot of times, in diplomatic situations, little stupid things could offend people
"This is not funny" Dylan's voice was starting to rise."Look I put up with your oddities in social situations for a while now because I knew that you lived a hard life, and did not have the time to learn social nicities, but it's been about two years, Harper! You no longer have an excuse!"
"But boss...."
"Don't say it! I'm getting sick and tired of making excuses for you. Harper, You will go back to the ship, and I will tell the officials that you had to take care of some business."
Harper was starting to worry, as he had to meet Corrina
"Come on boss, give me another chance."
"You actually want to go to an state function?"
"I want to prove myself"
"I see"
"Fine. I'll give you another chance. On one condition."
"What?"
"You'll stay in your hotel room, when there is nothing to attend"
"Sure boss" Harper figured that he would sneak out.
"Better yet, tonight is free, and so you will spend it with me"
"Doing what?"
"Playing Go!"
"But I don't like playing Go!. Don't you trust me?"
"I trust that Go! is funner to play with two people and I trust you to be you."
Dylan and Harper played 3 games of Go! That evening, with Dylan winning most of them.
"Harper, the key of this game is to look to three steps ahead."
"I know I know." Stategy games were never really his thing.
"Hey I know" he said. "Now that we got to play your favorite game, why don't we play one of mine, Yoshi-doe-doe?"
Dylan just sighed and said "Fine"
So they did. They betted using littles rocks that Harper had stolen from the hotel garden.
So, they played until it was time for bed, and Dylan had Rommie keep track of Harper with her sensors.
Hence, that night, Harper could not meet Corrina.
However, during yet another annoying reception, in the evening, Harper was again, outside, away from the crowd, when Corrina came called him from some bushes.
"Harper?"
"Corrina?"
"Why didn't you show?" she asked as she came out of the bushes.
"My boss found out that I was out all night, and so He made me hang with him, and had someone keep on eye out."
"Does he suspect anything"
"Not really. He thinks that I was just out with some girl"
"I see."
"I need you to come help us now!"
"Why?"
"To fix something?. You can say that you felt sick or somesuch"
"Fine. I'll go"
And so he went. By the time his finished it was late, and so he rushed to the Hotel, so he could play the whole sick game. Unfortunatly, on his way, he ran into Dylan, who roughly grabbed him by the arm.
"There you are"
"Hey Dylan..."
"Someone saw you go off on your own with some strange woman."
"Oh?" He could hear Dylan taking a few deep breaths as he said this.
"Yes. Who in the hell is she?"
"No one, just some chick"
"Look, let's just go, You are going back to the ship!"
Rommie gave Harper a quick ride to the ship, which was in orbit. Once there, she had him confined to quarters, per Dylan's order.
"Aw man." Harper thought to himself.
Later, on, Dylan went to visit him in his room.
"So, you have yet to answer the burning question. Who in the hell was she?"
"Your granma."
"Excuse me?"
"Your granma.."
"Look, if she was just some fling, she would not have risked herself by visiting you in the middle of some reception. She must have had another reason to want to see you."
"Can't you accept the fact that I'm irresistable?"
Dylan just glared at him.
" Well, I am irresistable"
"If you don't tell me who she was, then I will toss you in the brig"
"Look, she needed to meet me then cause um... her husband was coming back that night"
Dylan just sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
"Harper, just tell me who she was."
"Well, let's just say that it's better for the Commonwealth that you don't know" Harper knew that not telling Dylan who Corrina was protected her and him, as Dylan would have good deniability.
"That's not for you to decide"
"Yes it is. I'm the one who knows the freaking secret."
"No it isn't"
"Yes it is"
"DAMN IT HARPER JUST TELL ME!" Dylan yelled rather louder than usual. He was getting tired of Harper's shinanigans, especially the more recent ones and was still mad that Harper indirectly caused him to almost go blind perminently. Dylan took some deep breaths after he said this to try to calm himself.
Harper just looked at him in surprised, as it was not like him to yell like that.
"Look, boss, ya gotta trust me. It's better for you if you don't know."
"Actually," Holo-Andromeda said "Dylan does need to know what happened in order to better protect the Commonwealth from any scandal that could get signatories to change their minds.
"But if he doesn't know, he doesn't have to lie."
"But I do know that there is something iffy going on, and I have to know what it is"
"No you don't."
" I see. Doing what?"
"You're a big boy now, do I have to spell it out for you?"
Dylan just looked at him with his glare of anger.
"And why are you here? Shouldn't you be at that reception?" Harper asked.
"It ended already. I had to make excuses for you, but don't worry, I've become quite good at it." Harper could notice Dylan's anger by now.
"Where's Beka, Trance, and Rommie ?"
"They were able to take a break and tour the city after attending the reception that you missed.I tried to find you, but one of the doormen said that he saw you going off to the Central district. So I thought I'd wait."
"UH.. I see. Look, I'm sorry, I just lost track of time, okay."
"The official hosting the reception was a bit insulted."
" So?"
"Excuse me?"
"He'd probably get pissed if I had breathed the wrong way." It always annoyed Harper that a lot of times, in diplomatic situations, little stupid things could offend people
"This is not funny" Dylan's voice was starting to rise."Look I put up with your oddities in social situations for a while now because I knew that you lived a hard life, and did not have the time to learn social nicities, but it's been about two years, Harper! You no longer have an excuse!"
"But boss...."
"Don't say it! I'm getting sick and tired of making excuses for you. Harper, You will go back to the ship, and I will tell the officials that you had to take care of some business."
Harper was starting to worry, as he had to meet Corrina
"Come on boss, give me another chance."
"You actually want to go to an state function?"
"I want to prove myself"
"I see"
"Fine. I'll give you another chance. On one condition."
"What?"
"You'll stay in your hotel room, when there is nothing to attend"
"Sure boss" Harper figured that he would sneak out.
"Better yet, tonight is free, and so you will spend it with me"
"Doing what?"
"Playing Go!"
"But I don't like playing Go!. Don't you trust me?"
"I trust that Go! is funner to play with two people and I trust you to be you."
Dylan and Harper played 3 games of Go! That evening, with Dylan winning most of them.
"Harper, the key of this game is to look to three steps ahead."
"I know I know." Stategy games were never really his thing.
"Hey I know" he said. "Now that we got to play your favorite game, why don't we play one of mine, Yoshi-doe-doe?"
Dylan just sighed and said "Fine"
So they did. They betted using littles rocks that Harper had stolen from the hotel garden.
So, they played until it was time for bed, and Dylan had Rommie keep track of Harper with her sensors.
Hence, that night, Harper could not meet Corrina.
However, during yet another annoying reception, in the evening, Harper was again, outside, away from the crowd, when Corrina came called him from some bushes.
"Harper?"
"Corrina?"
"Why didn't you show?" she asked as she came out of the bushes.
"My boss found out that I was out all night, and so He made me hang with him, and had someone keep on eye out."
"Does he suspect anything"
"Not really. He thinks that I was just out with some girl"
"I see."
"I need you to come help us now!"
"Why?"
"To fix something?. You can say that you felt sick or somesuch"
"Fine. I'll go"
And so he went. By the time his finished it was late, and so he rushed to the Hotel, so he could play the whole sick game. Unfortunatly, on his way, he ran into Dylan, who roughly grabbed him by the arm.
"There you are"
"Hey Dylan..."
"Someone saw you go off on your own with some strange woman."
"Oh?" He could hear Dylan taking a few deep breaths as he said this.
"Yes. Who in the hell is she?"
"No one, just some chick"
"Look, let's just go, You are going back to the ship!"
Rommie gave Harper a quick ride to the ship, which was in orbit. Once there, she had him confined to quarters, per Dylan's order.
"Aw man." Harper thought to himself.
Later, on, Dylan went to visit him in his room.
"So, you have yet to answer the burning question. Who in the hell was she?"
"Your granma."
"Excuse me?"
"Your granma.."
"Look, if she was just some fling, she would not have risked herself by visiting you in the middle of some reception. She must have had another reason to want to see you."
"Can't you accept the fact that I'm irresistable?"
Dylan just glared at him.
" Well, I am irresistable"
"If you don't tell me who she was, then I will toss you in the brig"
"Look, she needed to meet me then cause um... her husband was coming back that night"
Dylan just sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
"Harper, just tell me who she was."
"Well, let's just say that it's better for the Commonwealth that you don't know" Harper knew that not telling Dylan who Corrina was protected her and him, as Dylan would have good deniability.
"That's not for you to decide"
"Yes it is. I'm the one who knows the freaking secret."
"No it isn't"
"Yes it is"
"DAMN IT HARPER JUST TELL ME!" Dylan yelled rather louder than usual. He was getting tired of Harper's shinanigans, especially the more recent ones and was still mad that Harper indirectly caused him to almost go blind perminently. Dylan took some deep breaths after he said this to try to calm himself.
Harper just looked at him in surprised, as it was not like him to yell like that.
"Look, boss, ya gotta trust me. It's better for you if you don't know."
"Actually," Holo-Andromeda said "Dylan does need to know what happened in order to better protect the Commonwealth from any scandal that could get signatories to change their minds.
"But if he doesn't know, he doesn't have to lie."
"But I do know that there is something iffy going on, and I have to know what it is"
"No you don't."