Eternal City Crystal Tokyo
New Arrivals
"Damn, I wish I could have come along with you to Aqua," Erica Tenoh complained, her black hair falling into her eyes, "it sounds like you had a lot of fun."
"I don't know if I'd call it fun," Ran Mizuno said, looking amused as they sat in one of the common areas in the Palace of Crystal Tokyo.
The group of four women were sitting on couches as they caught up on their lives as natural light shone in through crystal windows. Hotaru Tomoe and Princess Usagi sat on a loveseat nearby, both young woman listening eagerly while drinks and snacks sat on a table between the different seats. They had already covered the diplomatic tour that they had just finished, and were listening to Ran recount her adventures.
"So do you think the leader of the Free Amazons is really Ranma Saotome?" Usagi asked curiously, the princess' long pink hair tied up in twin buns, her white blouse and skirt shimmering.
"I don't know," Ran admitted. She sat back, frowning as the blue haired woman thought about the enigmatic redhead she had known while staying with the Amazons when she was younger, "She certainly has the knowledge of twentieth and twenty-first century Earth and Tokyo but that doesn't necessarily mean anything."
"And she doesn't actually claim to be Ranma?" Hotaru asked wisely, her short black hair coming to her shoulders, wearing a roman style toga.
"Nope," Ran said, "she's careful not to do so."
"That's pretty canny of her," Erica noted, "on one hand she can use the aura of being Saotome, while on the other not be caught lying."
"Very smart," Ran agreed. "Do you think the double curse might explain how she hasn't aged?" she mused aloud.
"It's possible," Hotaru nodded, "some cursed forms don't seem to age. There were reports that Pantyhose Taru was seen well into the twenty-second century..."
Munching on some crisps Erica looked at Ran and asked leadingly, "What's this I hear about you fighting the successor to the White Devil, too?"
Ran grinned, "That's a bit of a long story..."
The group listened as Ran told them about the theft of the intelligent device Raising Heart from Midchild by the mysterious Alicia Testarossa and her giving the magical gem to a local high school student, one Subaru Yagami. And the fight that Ran and several members of the Hardsuit Corps members got into with both young women, too.
"You must have been pissed," Erica noted.
"Not really," Ran shook her head no, smiling in memory. She leaned forward intently as she told her listeners, "You know how rare it is, fighting against someone who uses a completely different system of magic? It was incredible!"
"I hadn't thought of that," Usagi conceded.
"Crazy pilot," Hotaru muttered.
"Smile when you say that," Ran grinned, surprisingly not taking offense from her regular sparring partner. She added, "You all know that since the Time Space Administration Bureau stopped recruiting from Earth, we've had only limited contact with them."
"Looks like that'll be changing with Alicia being here," Erica noted, "and Subaru having Raising Heart. And I heard the Cloud Knights are planning to visit more often too. Is the TSAB still planning to charge Alicia with theft?"
"I think some kind of plea is being worked out," Usagi said, the princess being more aware than the rest of them about the high levels of diplomacy involved. "From what I hear Bardiche is Alicia's property by Mid law, and Raising Heart went on it's own. The most trouble she might be in is over property damage," she concluded.
"Good," Ran nodded. She smiled slightly, "I like Alicia, at least what I've seen of her, and I don't want to see her get in trouble."
"What do you think of Subaru?" Hotaru asked Erica curiously, knowing the young woman had visited her recently.
"I like her," Erica admitted, "she's refreshingly normal. I think I've talked her around to transferring to Tokyo Central High, and she should be starting this week."
"Does Alicia have to go to school too?" Usagi wondered.
"Looks like it," Erica said.
Schools in Crystal Tokyo were required up to what would have once been considered senior high level, though they actually worked more like vocational schools. Students were given a general grounding in science, maths, language and history, and otherwise were given great freedom in choosing classes and course work.
"Bet she tests out of a lot of stuff," Ran predicted. The strange blond girl had seemed very sharp to her, and she rather suspected that their schools wouldn't have much to teach her.
"Not taking that bet." She looked at the time and sighed, "I need to start on my weekend homework, gotta go. Unless you'd like to help...?"
"Oh no!" Usagi quickly exclaimed even as Hotaru and Ran smiled, the two also shaking their heads in the negative.
"Meanies," Erica sighed.
The next morning was far too bright as Erica got off the maglev train, dressed in a traditional boy's school uniform as she headed to class. Uniforms were chosen by students, so she could wear boys or girls if she liked, and honestly the boy's suit was easier to move in.
"Erica!" Catrine called with a smile, the young woman catching up to her as they neared the fence around the school buildings, her uniform skirt swirling around her legs.
"Hey," Erica grinned, reaching out to squeeze her fingers before letting go. The blue haired woman was in the Hardsuit training course, which meant they weren't spending quite so much time together. Of course Erica snuck out to the base regularly to spar with Ran, so they still got together pretty often.
Catrine squeezed back, smiling up at Erica. She was still a bit shy about dating a relative to the senshi, but she seemed to be getting over it. "Did you hear the latest rumor?" she asked curiously.
"No, what?" Erica asked curiously.
"Rini knows someone who volunteers at the office," Catrine said, "apparently we're getting two transfer students. And in the middle of the year too!"
'Rini, she has the pink hair like Usagi,' Erica remembered. The much more outgoing Catrine had a large network of friends and acquaintances, and she often found it hard to keep track of them all. "That's a interesting coincidence," Erica mused aloud, "I was talking to Subaru Yagami about transferring here."
"You think it's her?" Catrine asked, curious.
"It's possible," Erica conceded, "but it's a big school."
Catrine pouted slightly, then nodded, "I guess so."
Erica was unaware of how they looked walking to school together, and Catrine didn't tell her. At least some of their classmates looked on them as a romantic couple, and Catrine had even heard that members of the literary club were even writing romances about them. It was all kind of embarrassing, though she didn't mind TOO much.
Various classmates called out greetings as the two entered their classroom, and Erica hid a smile as she saw girls and boys pouring over shared homework. "Finished the weekend assignments?" she asked Catrine curiously as they lingered by her desk.
"Just barely," Catrine laughed. "Tracing the Jurain bloodlines on Earth was torture!"
Erica snickered as she agreed, "It's a mess, isn't it?" They were doing a 'history' segment on Jurai, following up on a discussion some months ago, and the convoluted relationships in the royal families had come up.
Before they could follow that conversation Miss Hikari Yamada bustled in, the blond haired older woman carrying her teacher's data pad along with the old fashioned papers she used too. "Good morning," she called cheerfully, "don't worry, you still have a few minutes."
Erica tried not to chuckle, watching the others working even faster to try to finish their work before class officially started. "I bet that Miss Yamada is making a note of everyone who wasn't finished in time," Catrine mused.
"Oh yeah," Erica agreed.
The warning bell rang and the remaining students tricked in, even as some of the others frantically copied even faster. The second bell rang and everyone went to their seats, a few students looking rather glum as they did so.
"Rise!" Glen called out traditionally as everyone shuffled to their feet, "Bow!"
"Good morning everyone," Miss Yamada smiled cheerfully, the youthful woman pushing her blond hair back from her face. "We're going to be welcoming two new students to our class today," she told them.
The door to the hallway opened and two figures walked in, both wearing the usual girl's uniform, one of whom Erica instantly recognized. 'I guess Catrine was right,.' she thought as she waved hello to Subaru Yagami.
"This is Alicia Testarossa," Miss Yamada nodded to the little blond then waved to the brown haired girl, "and this is Subaru Yagami. Please make them feel at home!"
"Please take care of me," Alicia blushed as she bowed slightly, her twin blond pigtails bobbing.
"Oh how CUTE!" most of the girls in class squealed.
Subaru looked amused, bowing as well as she repeated, "Please take care of me."
"Please take any open seats," Miss Yamada instructed the two of them with a smile, "and everyone, keep in mind Miss Alicia tested out of over half her school requirements. She's probably brighter than most of you. Even if she IS cute."
Alicia blushed furiously as she sat down, and Subaru deliberately sat down nearby her. They plunged right into class, Miss Yamada reviewing the homework and then starting a discussion about Earth's various first contacts with aliens. She kept everyone busy and interested with pointed questions, right up until the first break, where most of the class mobbed Subaru and Alicia.
"Easy, easy," Catrine helped get the boys and girls back when she thought their questions were going to overwhelm poor Alicia, "one at a time."
'I thought she was going to panic, and considering Alicia has a intelligent magic using device...,' Erica thought, relived. "She's right, go easy," she said. Erica smiled at Alicia gently, "You transferred in from off-world, right?"
"Yes I did," Alicia smiled gratefully. She looked at their classmates, "I was mostly home schooled, so I'm not very used to crowds."
Everyone politely backed off, which seemed to make her feel better. "What sort of planet were you from?" Henry asked curiously.
"El Hazard," Alicia answered, then smiled at their blank looks, "don't worry, it's quite remote. That's why I decided to come to Earth in the first case."
"Did your parents come along too?" Hiro wondered, the brown haired young man studying her thoughtfully.
"My parents passed away," Alicia shook her head slightly.
Nearby Erica smiled at Subaru as she said, "Welcome to Tokyo Central."
"Thanks," Subaru smiled back slightly. She dropped her voice, "Do you think you can get them away from Alicia? She really doesn't handle crowds well yet."
"I'll try," Erica offered, "but there's something... mysterious about her. The others feel it, even if they don't quite understand it."
"That's true," Subaru conceded as she looked at Alicia, her own expression becoming more tender, some how.
'Well, isn't that interesting,' Erica noted.
Things settled down once the initial information feeding frenzy stopped, and by lunch hour things had calmed down a bit. Then there was another ruckus when Erica invited Subaru and Alicia to join her and Catrine for lunch, but it was mild in comparison.
"Thank you very much," Alicia sighed as the four settled down for lunch, the gawking students at least maintaining a polite distance.
"Don't worry, Miss Alicia," Catrine told her gently, "it will die down once people get to know you a b it better."
"I hope so," Alicia rolled her eyes and the others laughed warmly. "And please," she added, "just call me Alicia."
"You two trained together, right?" Erica asked. She teased Alicia gently, "I hear you're beating up on hardsuits regularly."
Alicia blushed, "Well, somewhat."
"And you and Erica know each other, Miss Subaru?" Catrine asked curiously.
"We've met," Subaru smiled wryly, "and please, just call be Subaru." She looked at Erica and Catrine, "I hope we can be friends."
"I'd like that," Erica admitted, "and you two, as well."
Alicia smiled, "Please."
"Let's do that, then," Catrine agreed, smiling at the other three even as she firmly tromped down a surge of jealousy towards Alicia and Subaru, knowing that some part of her didn't want to share Erica. ESPECIALLY with two people who had powers and whom might relate to Erica better than she did.
"Good," Subaru nodded then grinned as she added, "you know, this could be a good school year after all..."
To be continued...
