A/N: And here we are again. I got this up rather fast, relatively speaking. It's not very long, but I didn't have that much to say.
Zima and Dita had decided to stay at Kameko's house alone again, still slightly fearful of being spotted. This time Kameko and Marie were at the airport, picking up Allie.
Dita was lying down with her head at the foot of Zima's bed. She was staring at the painting that hung over it. In the classically toned room, the modern picture was a jarring focal point. It showed a girl, slightly from the side, sitting with her back to a corner, knees. The walls of whatever room she was in were dark gray and black. Her own dark clothes would have blended into them entirely if she hadn't been painted giving off a sort of white light glow. She was wearing a pair of slacks and a black leather jacket, buttoned up all the way so that only a small triangle of white shirt showed above. On her short hair was perched a black fedora, it's red feather the brightest part of the picture. One of her hands, wearing a black fingerless glove, rested on her knee, the other on a black guitar case beside her. The girl's face was pale and shadowed, but a small, mysterious smile played across it. Dita was still staring at the picture when Zima stopped in the doorway.
"Did you know?" she asked him.
"What, about Kameko being an heiress?" She saw him shrug out of the corner of her eye. "Hard to say. Florence wiped out so much, it's hard to tell what I did and didn't know. Whatever the case, it was news to me. I think I would have told you. The fact that I didn't makes me a little suspicious. I'm starting to think that 'Naito' isn't her real name." "Can't really hold it against her, can we? Given our situation." "Right." Zima came over and sat down on the bed next to Dita. He followed her gaze to the painting. "Wonder who that is." "Nancy, apparently. Look at the feather." The name was written in tiny black print along the red feather.
"That's helpful. I want to know if she was a figment of the artist's imagination, or a model, or what." "She's my best friend- I painted this while we were still in high school." Zima and Dita turned their heads to see who had spoken. There was a willowy woman with long black hair and large green eyes standing in the doorway. She was wearing a short white skirt and a blue sweater. "She's a wonderful musician, and she was active in theatre as well, expressive, graceful, very fun subject. This is one of several paintings of her I've done." She smiled. "I'm Allie. You must be Zima and Dita. Kameko and Marie have told me everything." "Pleased to meet you," Zima said, standing up and walking over to Allie to shake her hand. Dita did the same. "How was your trip?" "All right, as they go. Family reunion in upstate New York, in the town I grew up in. Boring little place. I have to wonder sometimes how I lasted so long there." "Good thing I came along and rescued you." Kameko came up behind Marie. "I see you've met everyone. Well, you're bags are in our room. Why don't we all go upstairs? Allie, do you want a drink?" "Oh, very much. You know my family, they don't drink at all. A gin and tonic would be sublime."
Allie was different from Kameko. Kameko was always so much in charge; she had a goal and worked towards it in the most efficient way possible. Allie was not quite so commanding. Kameko's humor was sarcasm and dry banter; Allie was funny in the shameless, daring way many artists are. That was at the heart of it- Allie was and artist, Kameko was still too close to her days as an agent to give herself over completely to an artist's life.
Maybe that's why Minoru sent use here, Dita thought. He felt Kameko was unsatisfied without the intrigue. Dita liked this explanation, but she wasn't sure it was true.
Dita noticed how much happier Kameko seemed to be with Allie around. Even Marie seemed to be doing better than usual. All three gears off their machine were in line again. They were like a modern family unit, one that had learned to live and work with each other perfectly.
This did not mean that Zima and Dita were outsiders. They were accepted just as they had been all along, with few questions and no complaints. If Kameko, Marie, and Allie knew that the story of Zima and Dita's escape was all over the news, they remained quiet. The search for the missing persecoms continued, but there was no sign of it anywhere near their neighborhood.
Dita, ever the pessimist, was sure it was coming. She knew that before long someone would come looking here. Kameko would hide them, and they might get away with it. If they were caught all hell would break loose, not only for the two persecoms but for Kameko and Allie as well. The contented life they had made for themselves here would be over, all thanks to Dita and Zima's selfishness. Dita had thrown herself on the mercies of these people, and they had endangered themselves to help her. She couldn't let anything happen to them.
They were all asleep when she left. If Zima hadn't been recharging, he would have sensed her actions and stopped her. She had kissed his forehead once and slid out the door.
Now Dita was walking down the icy sidewalk. If she had been human, her breath would have made puffs of smoke in the air. The cold didn't bother her the way it would have bothered a human. She still wore thick black pants, a heavy gray knit turtleneck, a black pea coat, and black woolen gloves. Anyone who wasn't dressed for the harsh weather would attract attention.
Dita paused when she had been walking for about an hour. She knew the hotline number from the paper, she didn't need to memorize anything, she was a computer. It nearly danced in front of her eyes as she dialed it internally.
"Hello," she said into the night air. "this is the line for the escaped persecoms?" She was silent while an affirmation sounded in her head. "This is Dita speaking. I'm calling to turn myself in."
I think I'm going to throw out two more chapters before I call it a day with this one. I won't be doing a sequel, exactly, but I did plan on some short pieces that develop some minor characters more. Allie, Florence, especially Marie. I think I might write more of Chi into those, because you all apparently enjoy reading Chi the way I enjoy writing her- heartbroken and bitter. Hey, people change, and in the manga she is portrayed much like a human person. After what she's been through, we'd all be a little sadder but wiser. (Sandie breaks into the song from The Music Man, remembers that she didn't mention that in her disclaimer, fears a lawsuit, goes to sleep.)
Zima and Dita had decided to stay at Kameko's house alone again, still slightly fearful of being spotted. This time Kameko and Marie were at the airport, picking up Allie.
Dita was lying down with her head at the foot of Zima's bed. She was staring at the painting that hung over it. In the classically toned room, the modern picture was a jarring focal point. It showed a girl, slightly from the side, sitting with her back to a corner, knees. The walls of whatever room she was in were dark gray and black. Her own dark clothes would have blended into them entirely if she hadn't been painted giving off a sort of white light glow. She was wearing a pair of slacks and a black leather jacket, buttoned up all the way so that only a small triangle of white shirt showed above. On her short hair was perched a black fedora, it's red feather the brightest part of the picture. One of her hands, wearing a black fingerless glove, rested on her knee, the other on a black guitar case beside her. The girl's face was pale and shadowed, but a small, mysterious smile played across it. Dita was still staring at the picture when Zima stopped in the doorway.
"Did you know?" she asked him.
"What, about Kameko being an heiress?" She saw him shrug out of the corner of her eye. "Hard to say. Florence wiped out so much, it's hard to tell what I did and didn't know. Whatever the case, it was news to me. I think I would have told you. The fact that I didn't makes me a little suspicious. I'm starting to think that 'Naito' isn't her real name." "Can't really hold it against her, can we? Given our situation." "Right." Zima came over and sat down on the bed next to Dita. He followed her gaze to the painting. "Wonder who that is." "Nancy, apparently. Look at the feather." The name was written in tiny black print along the red feather.
"That's helpful. I want to know if she was a figment of the artist's imagination, or a model, or what." "She's my best friend- I painted this while we were still in high school." Zima and Dita turned their heads to see who had spoken. There was a willowy woman with long black hair and large green eyes standing in the doorway. She was wearing a short white skirt and a blue sweater. "She's a wonderful musician, and she was active in theatre as well, expressive, graceful, very fun subject. This is one of several paintings of her I've done." She smiled. "I'm Allie. You must be Zima and Dita. Kameko and Marie have told me everything." "Pleased to meet you," Zima said, standing up and walking over to Allie to shake her hand. Dita did the same. "How was your trip?" "All right, as they go. Family reunion in upstate New York, in the town I grew up in. Boring little place. I have to wonder sometimes how I lasted so long there." "Good thing I came along and rescued you." Kameko came up behind Marie. "I see you've met everyone. Well, you're bags are in our room. Why don't we all go upstairs? Allie, do you want a drink?" "Oh, very much. You know my family, they don't drink at all. A gin and tonic would be sublime."
Allie was different from Kameko. Kameko was always so much in charge; she had a goal and worked towards it in the most efficient way possible. Allie was not quite so commanding. Kameko's humor was sarcasm and dry banter; Allie was funny in the shameless, daring way many artists are. That was at the heart of it- Allie was and artist, Kameko was still too close to her days as an agent to give herself over completely to an artist's life.
Maybe that's why Minoru sent use here, Dita thought. He felt Kameko was unsatisfied without the intrigue. Dita liked this explanation, but she wasn't sure it was true.
Dita noticed how much happier Kameko seemed to be with Allie around. Even Marie seemed to be doing better than usual. All three gears off their machine were in line again. They were like a modern family unit, one that had learned to live and work with each other perfectly.
This did not mean that Zima and Dita were outsiders. They were accepted just as they had been all along, with few questions and no complaints. If Kameko, Marie, and Allie knew that the story of Zima and Dita's escape was all over the news, they remained quiet. The search for the missing persecoms continued, but there was no sign of it anywhere near their neighborhood.
Dita, ever the pessimist, was sure it was coming. She knew that before long someone would come looking here. Kameko would hide them, and they might get away with it. If they were caught all hell would break loose, not only for the two persecoms but for Kameko and Allie as well. The contented life they had made for themselves here would be over, all thanks to Dita and Zima's selfishness. Dita had thrown herself on the mercies of these people, and they had endangered themselves to help her. She couldn't let anything happen to them.
They were all asleep when she left. If Zima hadn't been recharging, he would have sensed her actions and stopped her. She had kissed his forehead once and slid out the door.
Now Dita was walking down the icy sidewalk. If she had been human, her breath would have made puffs of smoke in the air. The cold didn't bother her the way it would have bothered a human. She still wore thick black pants, a heavy gray knit turtleneck, a black pea coat, and black woolen gloves. Anyone who wasn't dressed for the harsh weather would attract attention.
Dita paused when she had been walking for about an hour. She knew the hotline number from the paper, she didn't need to memorize anything, she was a computer. It nearly danced in front of her eyes as she dialed it internally.
"Hello," she said into the night air. "this is the line for the escaped persecoms?" She was silent while an affirmation sounded in her head. "This is Dita speaking. I'm calling to turn myself in."
I think I'm going to throw out two more chapters before I call it a day with this one. I won't be doing a sequel, exactly, but I did plan on some short pieces that develop some minor characters more. Allie, Florence, especially Marie. I think I might write more of Chi into those, because you all apparently enjoy reading Chi the way I enjoy writing her- heartbroken and bitter. Hey, people change, and in the manga she is portrayed much like a human person. After what she's been through, we'd all be a little sadder but wiser. (Sandie breaks into the song from The Music Man, remembers that she didn't mention that in her disclaimer, fears a lawsuit, goes to sleep.)
