Across.the other Pond
Riis was nervous and jumpy as Lianne lead her around the airport. Lianne smiled. Must be all the new sights and sounds, Lianne thought. Riis sneezed, and smells, Lianne added as an afterthought.
Riis kept her eyes moving. She looked at everything from people to food stands to newspapers. Her real ears twitched and swiveled following every sound that they could. This task, however exciting it was, eventually gave her a headache. After that, she took to laying her ears flat against her skull and rubbing the bridge of her nose. She sighed heavily. She hardly knew anything about this 'Hitomi' she was going to go live with.
"What?" Riis asked when she realized Lianne had asked her a question. Lianne looked into Riis' odd coloured eyes and repeated her question.
"Would you like to get something to eat?"
Curiosity overcame her headache and her ears perked forward. She nodded her head and followed Lianne as she turned to an oriental food place. She ordered lo mein, sesame chicken, orange chicken, and beef broccoli for both. Riis watched all this with great interest. She had never seen a restaurant like this. There was odd-looking food. She sniffed certain ones that looked appealing, her actions causing her to salivate. She and Lianne got drinks, paid for the food, and finally found a table. Lianne handed her two sticks, picked up two for herself and started to eat her food.
It amazed Riis. She scrutinized her eating habit with the sticks, turned her attention to her food, then back at Lianne. Her ears drooped. She had no idea how to use the sticks. She stared glumly at Lianne. She had heard it said that the feel of a person's gaze made others uncomfortable.
Lianne looked up to see a miserable looking Riis. She was puzzled. She looked at her cooling plate, then back at her face. Riis eyes moved somewhere, then back to her eyes. This puzzled Lianne to no end. She looked down at her hand that held her chopsticks and back to Riis' odd eyes. Riis nodded. Sudden realization dawned on Lianne. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
"You don't know how to use chopsticks, do you?" She asked Riis.
"So that's what they're called." Riis stated thoughtfully as she looked down at them. Lianne giggled when she saw Riis attempt to hold them.
"No, like this," Lianne said as she repositioned them in Riis' hand.
"Oh. Like this?" Riis asked with the new position.
"Yes," Lianne affirmed. She returned to eating her food.
Riis found that with this new position of hold the chopsticks, the food was much easier to eat. After their meal, Lianne led them around the airport some more. Riis thought that Lianne resembled Tour Guide Barbie from Toy Story 2 explaining everything and telling how it came about. She smiled. All too soon Lianne stopped in front of a terminal for a flight to Tokyo. Riis looked up into Lianne's eyes.
"Now Riis, I've been e-mailing Hitomi and she is very excited," Lianne began. Riis' odd coloured eyes were making her slightly uncomfortable. She sighed. "In this situation, I really think that you have a chance at a better life if you go. Please take that chance." Lianne hugged the girl. "Your dog should be there when you arrive," she whispered into her ear.
"Thank you for everything," Riis said as she hugged her back. When they released each other, a stewardess came over to escort Riis from West Coast, US, to Tokyo, Japan.
"Oh, Lianne," Riis called back.
"Yeah?"
"Tell my doctor to look in the frigerator in the break room, the back seat of his car, and the machines in my room," Riis instructed. Then, as an afterthought she called, "I wouldn't wash any clothes without checking the pockets first." She couldn't say more for the stewardess was pressing that they had to leave. Lianne called back that she would, watched the plane leave, then went to car and started to drive back home.
@%&!$^)!*(%_!(%*^!)&^@!&
Driving down the highway, Lianne thought about what Riis had told her, especially the part concerning her doctor. Curiosity finally got the better of her. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Dr. Tobre's number.
"Dr. Tobre speaking," a masculine voice said.
"Michael, this is Lianne," she said. There was a contemplative pause before he spoke again.
"Oh yeah, I remember now!" Michael said. "You were the one that dealt with Riis' case."
"Yeah, that's-"
"She's gone, right?" Michael said, cutting her off.
"Yes. Why?" Lianne asked confused.
"That twit hid my most important-"
Lianne smiled as she was put on hold to weather the doctor's emotional storm. After a few minutes, the 70's rock dissapeared to be replaced by Michael's voice.
"Did she say anything before she left?" he asked.
"She told me to tell you to look in the refrigerator in the break room, the machines in her room, and the backseat of your car," Lianne informed him.
"Son of a b-" the phone went dead. Lianne was very confused. Why did he hang up on her? She would have to ask him some other time.
!($^!($^!!$#@^!&^982&)%^5
It had taken naught but a few minutes for her to get comfortable. She listened with drooping eyes to the captain's drone on how the flight was going to be, the weather, time, blah, blah, blah. When the engines revved up to full power, she fell asleep only to be assaulted by nightmares of the accident that happened not that long ago.
!)%^&!($#%!&#%!)#%*!)#%*
So she was like you sister? Van asked her again one night.
Yep, Hitomi replied as she washed the dishes.
Interesting.and now her kid is going to go stay with you. Interesting.
What's so interesting, Van? Hitomi asked pausing in her task.
Do you think that she'd be able to come to Gaia and meet her "brother"? Van filled his question with all sorts of secret meanings. Hitomi smiled to herself. Van had asked her to marry him for her eighteenth birthday. She wasn't sure if he had timed it or was just lucky that he had asked her a week or so after graduation. She had accepted hands down. They had been married and had such an extravagant wedding. And then nine months down the road his heir had been born. Hitomi had felt uneasy so Van had taken her home. She lived with there with her son, Koyo, until the disturbance went away.
Even though it had gone away, she felt like she was waiting for something before she went back. When Koyo was four, Hitomi had called Van to come and take him back to his rightful home when he started to experiment with his wings by jumping off of the house. That caused him to laugh. She looked at the clock on the wall in the midst of her laughter, the time making her sober some.
I must be going to bed, love, Hitomi thought to him.
Sweet dreams, my Hitomi, he called back.
Hitomi pulled the plug on the drain and got ready for bed to the sound of gurgling water.
!)!%*#)^*!#%^_!$^@)^@%
Riis was unceremoniously awakened with a hard thwack to her head. She rubbed her head and blinked owlishly as she righted herself in her seat. She stretched and yawned some more in the confined space of her seat. She stopped when she realized the captain was speaking.
".about the turbulence. We will be arriving in Tokyo in a few minutes. And if you're awake, you can watch the sun rise. Enjoy the rest of your flight."
Hrm. there already? That ride didn't seem that long. Riis thought to herself. As she yawned and stretched some more, she wondered what Hitomi was like and what she was going to eat for breakfast.
Riis was nervous and jumpy as Lianne lead her around the airport. Lianne smiled. Must be all the new sights and sounds, Lianne thought. Riis sneezed, and smells, Lianne added as an afterthought.
Riis kept her eyes moving. She looked at everything from people to food stands to newspapers. Her real ears twitched and swiveled following every sound that they could. This task, however exciting it was, eventually gave her a headache. After that, she took to laying her ears flat against her skull and rubbing the bridge of her nose. She sighed heavily. She hardly knew anything about this 'Hitomi' she was going to go live with.
"What?" Riis asked when she realized Lianne had asked her a question. Lianne looked into Riis' odd coloured eyes and repeated her question.
"Would you like to get something to eat?"
Curiosity overcame her headache and her ears perked forward. She nodded her head and followed Lianne as she turned to an oriental food place. She ordered lo mein, sesame chicken, orange chicken, and beef broccoli for both. Riis watched all this with great interest. She had never seen a restaurant like this. There was odd-looking food. She sniffed certain ones that looked appealing, her actions causing her to salivate. She and Lianne got drinks, paid for the food, and finally found a table. Lianne handed her two sticks, picked up two for herself and started to eat her food.
It amazed Riis. She scrutinized her eating habit with the sticks, turned her attention to her food, then back at Lianne. Her ears drooped. She had no idea how to use the sticks. She stared glumly at Lianne. She had heard it said that the feel of a person's gaze made others uncomfortable.
Lianne looked up to see a miserable looking Riis. She was puzzled. She looked at her cooling plate, then back at her face. Riis eyes moved somewhere, then back to her eyes. This puzzled Lianne to no end. She looked down at her hand that held her chopsticks and back to Riis' odd eyes. Riis nodded. Sudden realization dawned on Lianne. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
"You don't know how to use chopsticks, do you?" She asked Riis.
"So that's what they're called." Riis stated thoughtfully as she looked down at them. Lianne giggled when she saw Riis attempt to hold them.
"No, like this," Lianne said as she repositioned them in Riis' hand.
"Oh. Like this?" Riis asked with the new position.
"Yes," Lianne affirmed. She returned to eating her food.
Riis found that with this new position of hold the chopsticks, the food was much easier to eat. After their meal, Lianne led them around the airport some more. Riis thought that Lianne resembled Tour Guide Barbie from Toy Story 2 explaining everything and telling how it came about. She smiled. All too soon Lianne stopped in front of a terminal for a flight to Tokyo. Riis looked up into Lianne's eyes.
"Now Riis, I've been e-mailing Hitomi and she is very excited," Lianne began. Riis' odd coloured eyes were making her slightly uncomfortable. She sighed. "In this situation, I really think that you have a chance at a better life if you go. Please take that chance." Lianne hugged the girl. "Your dog should be there when you arrive," she whispered into her ear.
"Thank you for everything," Riis said as she hugged her back. When they released each other, a stewardess came over to escort Riis from West Coast, US, to Tokyo, Japan.
"Oh, Lianne," Riis called back.
"Yeah?"
"Tell my doctor to look in the frigerator in the break room, the back seat of his car, and the machines in my room," Riis instructed. Then, as an afterthought she called, "I wouldn't wash any clothes without checking the pockets first." She couldn't say more for the stewardess was pressing that they had to leave. Lianne called back that she would, watched the plane leave, then went to car and started to drive back home.
@%&!$^)!*(%_!(%*^!)&^@!&
Driving down the highway, Lianne thought about what Riis had told her, especially the part concerning her doctor. Curiosity finally got the better of her. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Dr. Tobre's number.
"Dr. Tobre speaking," a masculine voice said.
"Michael, this is Lianne," she said. There was a contemplative pause before he spoke again.
"Oh yeah, I remember now!" Michael said. "You were the one that dealt with Riis' case."
"Yeah, that's-"
"She's gone, right?" Michael said, cutting her off.
"Yes. Why?" Lianne asked confused.
"That twit hid my most important-"
Lianne smiled as she was put on hold to weather the doctor's emotional storm. After a few minutes, the 70's rock dissapeared to be replaced by Michael's voice.
"Did she say anything before she left?" he asked.
"She told me to tell you to look in the refrigerator in the break room, the machines in her room, and the backseat of your car," Lianne informed him.
"Son of a b-" the phone went dead. Lianne was very confused. Why did he hang up on her? She would have to ask him some other time.
!($^!($^!!$#@^!&^982&)%^5
It had taken naught but a few minutes for her to get comfortable. She listened with drooping eyes to the captain's drone on how the flight was going to be, the weather, time, blah, blah, blah. When the engines revved up to full power, she fell asleep only to be assaulted by nightmares of the accident that happened not that long ago.
!)%^&!($#%!&#%!)#%*!)#%*
So she was like you sister? Van asked her again one night.
Yep, Hitomi replied as she washed the dishes.
Interesting.and now her kid is going to go stay with you. Interesting.
What's so interesting, Van? Hitomi asked pausing in her task.
Do you think that she'd be able to come to Gaia and meet her "brother"? Van filled his question with all sorts of secret meanings. Hitomi smiled to herself. Van had asked her to marry him for her eighteenth birthday. She wasn't sure if he had timed it or was just lucky that he had asked her a week or so after graduation. She had accepted hands down. They had been married and had such an extravagant wedding. And then nine months down the road his heir had been born. Hitomi had felt uneasy so Van had taken her home. She lived with there with her son, Koyo, until the disturbance went away.
Even though it had gone away, she felt like she was waiting for something before she went back. When Koyo was four, Hitomi had called Van to come and take him back to his rightful home when he started to experiment with his wings by jumping off of the house. That caused him to laugh. She looked at the clock on the wall in the midst of her laughter, the time making her sober some.
I must be going to bed, love, Hitomi thought to him.
Sweet dreams, my Hitomi, he called back.
Hitomi pulled the plug on the drain and got ready for bed to the sound of gurgling water.
!)!%*#)^*!#%^_!$^@)^@%
Riis was unceremoniously awakened with a hard thwack to her head. She rubbed her head and blinked owlishly as she righted herself in her seat. She stretched and yawned some more in the confined space of her seat. She stopped when she realized the captain was speaking.
".about the turbulence. We will be arriving in Tokyo in a few minutes. And if you're awake, you can watch the sun rise. Enjoy the rest of your flight."
Hrm. there already? That ride didn't seem that long. Riis thought to herself. As she yawned and stretched some more, she wondered what Hitomi was like and what she was going to eat for breakfast.