Chapter 02: Pardon My French, Part 2
"Guess who I'm rooming with this year!"
"I haven't even checked my own room assignment yet. Who'd you get?"
"You, roommie! Another year with my bestest bud. Cadets Capitaine and Flores: another year at the Starfleet Academy for learnings and shenanigans!"
Returning Elisa's hug, Capitaine wasn't sure if she was excited or disappointed; sure they had agreed upon it, and sure they've been friends for several years now, but Capitaine was curious about observing other personalities on a daily basis. However in the meantime, Elisa was her best friend too, and she couldn't yet think of life without her.
"Any idea how Frankie's doing? We haven't heard from her all summer?"
"She has alotta stuff going on, she needs to work that out! We're sophomore cadets now! I'd rather not have 'freshman-level' drama."
Laughing along with Elisa, Capitaine knew Frankie was troubled, as usual, there was nothing she could do about that. But hearing Frankie rant about everything always helped her to understand others better too.
"Where's your stuff? My stuffs already up and unpacked."
"Already?"
"I got the *inside tip* that we were approved to be roomies. So, I unpacked early."
"Guess you picked the better bed?" Capitaine looked over at Elisa, smiling humorously
"We'll see about that, I'll meet you down by Club 602, couple drinks I want to try out!"
"Its not even lunch time, I don't want to carry you to bed drunk."
"You know we're not allowed to drink." Elisa restated sarcastically. "I wanna see whose new and if they've got any new mixes."
Trotting off, Capitaine was left to retrieve her suitcase, backpack, and collection of small boxes as she headed to the dormitories.
"Capitaine?"
Hearing her name, Capitaine stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around as not to drop anything. Not sure what to expect, Capitaine saw a Bolian wearing a yellow cadet's uniform running up to her.
"Okay, so that *is* you! ... We had a class last year, but it took a little for me to register your name with *you*. My name is Zarva; according to the rosters, we have two engineering classes together!"
Shaking her hand, Capitaine did recognize Zarva, but likewise, hadn't matched a name with a face.
"Need some help with your bags? Apparently, my roommate left to go clubbing at 602 and left me to unpack alone. Unlike those red-shirts, we yellow-shirts gotta stick together!"
Smiling, Zarva gestured to the armful of small boxes that Capitaine was carrying. Handing over a single box, Zarva looked disappointed but changed as she almost fell to her knees. Struggling under the weight, Zarva gasped each movement as she slowly came to her feet, each step requiring a great deal of balance and effort.
"WHAT'S IN THESE?! You're a lot stronger than you look, you hold all of *that* with one hand? I can barely hold *one* with *both hands*!"
Turing a corner, Zarva ran straight into a Vulcan; both collapsed to the ground, the small box fall straight onto the Vulcan, knocking her breath out. Being pinned to the ground by the small box, the Vulcan painstakingly pushed it off her chest to the ground; the box fell less than a foot but landed with an audible 'thump' on the floor. The Vulcan was surprised but displayed next to nothing. She too struggled, but helped Zarva to place it neatly off to the side of the hallway.
"This is your's, cadet?" she plainly asked Zarva.
"Sorry, ma'am. I was helping a friend, they're heavier than they appear."
"Indeed. ... May I help you two?
You're companion seems to be struggling to do so."
"No complaint here! I'll carry one and you can carry a second."
Not wanting to involve someone else, Capitaine casually reached over and selected a relatively lighter box from her armful, giving it gently and letting go gently into the Vulcan's hands.
"Fascinating. Your physique hides a great deal of physical capacity."
Trying to be humble, Capitaine lightly smiled as she held up her boxes, appearing effortlessly, "I'm sorry too, I should have had Zarva lead the way instead."
"Indeed. You're 'Capitaine', correct?"
"Yes. Do you know me too?"
" 'Know' you, no; 'recognize' you, yes. Both of us are only second-year cadets, but I've heard interesting things about you."
"'Interesting' as in *good* or *bad*"? Capitaine shifted her attention, wanting to hear what others besides Elisa or Frankie thought of her. Looking at the Vulcan, she was light skinned with long black hair, her cadet uniform showed she was of a science's career. Capitaine hadn't seen her before, but hadn't thought to notice her if she had; regardless she was still interested in hearing what she had to say.
"I believe it is 'good', but that is your decision ... "
Arriving at her room, she saw that Elisa had already selected her side of the room. She had already made her bed, filled the closet, and had boxes of her stuff all over the room. Having Zarva and the Vulcan put everything down in the entryway, Capitaine was set to unpack everything and meet Elisa later, until Zarva interjected,
"We're heading the 602 after this, care to join Capitaine and me?"
"Apologies, I'm currently preoccupied for the afternoon, so another time perhaps?"
"Another time."
"My dormitory room is a couple floors above, I was only here helping another and I'm still occupied with that. We will see eachother again, Capitaine, my name is T'Vrell."
Capitaine wished Zarva hadn't interrupted T'Vrell but as she nodded to depart, T'Vrell turned and quickly walked down the hallway back towards the elevators, leaving Capitaine and Zarva with their baggage.
"She seems nice. What *do* other people say about me?"
Giggling, Zarva nudged Capitaine as they switched carrying baggage, "First of all, Vulcans don't *do* nice, you should know that. Second, I got better to do than gossip. Most of the things I've heard is thinking your hair would match a science's blue instead."
Club 602 was crowded but wasn't busy.
Many people wore cadet uniforms, but many also wore civilian or on-duty uniforms too. Being able to hear most, if not all, the conversations, Capitaine took several moments to focus on each voice, trying to find Elisa's voice or anyone's she knew. Having closed her eyes to listen, when hearing Anne's voice she opened her eyes, but was shocked when finding Zarva standing curiously in front of her.
"You kinda stopped for abou'ta minute, missing something?"
Capitaine smiled to shrug off her embarrassment, "Just listening to the room, trying to find my roommate."
"Oh, well, ... mine's not here; shes a senior, Packled, tall hair, couldn't miss her if you wanted. She probably grabbed a drink then went off-campus. Find your's?"
"That's her over there." moving towards a table next to the bar, Elisa was sitting along with a few half-filled cups and glasses. Anne was with her, holding another cup of something fizzling; Anne Potter was a another tactical cadet, much like Elisa but she had lighter skin and shorter red hair. Granted they weren't as close friends, Anne's personality seemed less direct and more cynical.
"Capitaine! Over here!" Elisa waved her half-full cup about, Capitaine could see the thick pink drink sloshing.
"Anne, good to see you made it to the second year too."
"Hey, of course I did, Capitaine. Good to see you too. Join us for a drink?"
"Nice to meet you two! I'm Zarva, by the way." pushing herself to the front of the conversation and putting her hand on Capitaine's shoulder, Zarva lurched herself into the conversation. Chuckling at her new friend's insistence, Capitaine did her best to reintroduced Zarva.
After a several tastings of bubbling, sweet, sour, or crunchy drinks, Capitaine was ready to return and finish unpacking. Elisa, on the other hand, was starting to come down off a sugar rush, but wanted to keep it up and going in full company of the public. Capitaine wasn't much of a drinker, her favorite was a somewhat childish drink of hot chocolate, although hot or cold did depend on the weather. Anne and Zarva seemed to be enjoying themselves, listening to their stories and nonsense. Capitaine had learned much in the past couple years, but she still couldn't explain to herself or her counselor the troubles of simple social interaction. She was always told that it was because of her late introductions, but Capitaine knew she was a fast learner, she knew her handicap had long expired.
Boarding school was difficult, but she got along well-enough, almost solely due to Elisa and somewhat Frankie. The first year of the Academy was enjoyable, everybody else seemed to be in the same situation of social issues, making new friends and finding new circles. Elisa was always the more aggressive one, Capitaine depended on that for learning socially; she had the chance to observe someone who was by far more experienced and less withdrawn than she was. But that did come at a price, Capitaine was often the one to keep Elisa grounded in reality, sometimes sacrificing other social and academic opportunities. Despite their disagreements, the two of them seemed a perfect pair; Capitaine knew she would miss Elisa when they would graduate.
"I don't really like all this. The drinks, the attitude, the attention, the *attitude*; I'm not ready for this *and* I don't really want to be."
Capitaine trailed Elisa by several steps, but not wanting to leave her friend alone completely. It was already halfway through the semester, and Elisa was well-off enough that she would be invited to night clubs and parties. Capitaine usually refused to go, but this time she had felt guilty about leaving Elisa alone and having to ask so many questions when Elisa would come back to the room, usually drunk or a partied-out mess.
"Capitaine, you trust me right? I think this'll be something good, we haven't gone to any parties together since boarding school."
Defeated at that point, Capitaine sighed loudly at Elisa, knowing she wanted to go see what this was all about. But on the surface as well as most the layers following: Capitaine did not want to go, at all. "I *do* trust you Elisa, stop bringing that up. But sometimes I think you're a little too over-enthusiastic where you shouldn't be."
"Urgh! Don't be like that, besides, your outfit still looks great. This night was meant to blow off some steam before midterms."
"At least you waited this long, but I don't have *that* kind of steam to blow off."
Becoming frustrated, Elisa took Capitaine by the shoulders, talking to her directly.
"Alright, *look*, I'll level with you, Capitaine ... we both know I've got some deep-rooted attention-*issues*, but you have them too, ... just on the opposite side of the spectrum. I think this'll be a good experience for you, it'll be an easy, safe place to *observe and listen*. If it makes you feel any better, I'll do all the talking and stay by your side, alright?"
Feeling a little better, Capitaine reluctantly agreed but knowing that she didn't had a choice anyways.
The club was busy but wasn't crowded, yet was poorly lit with flashing strands of light and hazy air. Staying within arms reach of Elisa, Capitaine worked her way through groups of people, politely trying to avoid attention. Coming through what was the fifth group, Capitaine was horrified to find that she'd lost Elisa; looking back and around, she didn't see her. Standing frozen with uncertainty in the middle of the club, the first thing Capitaine felt was familiar was seeing her former roommate, Frankie, who was returning to the bartender. Not having the greatest of respects for Frankie, she was still the only familiar person that she could find at the moment.
Sitting two chairs over, Capitaine sat still at-attention, hoping to not stand out; as the bartender walked over, Frankie ordered some kind of wine, Capitaine however just ordered a hot chocolate. Frankie didn't seem to notice her or anybody else, she seemed caught up in the moment, enjoying the event as a whole, not anybody in particular. Relaxed that she at least had something to fidget in her fingers, Capitaine turned around in the bar stools, trying to figure out where Elisa went.
With the music, drinking, and dancing, Capitaine made eye contact with some people and she felt this wasn't a comfortable thing, making every effort to be more discreet. There was a group of guys who motioned to her but she politely waved them off, still trying to find her friend. After making her third scan of the area, Capitaine noticed a dark skinned man with very short, fuzzy hair started approaching her. Instinctively knowing he was walking towards her, she slowly spun around in her chair, refacing the bar; despite this, he still sat down next to her.
"Hey. I'm Asher, Asher Moss. I've heard very unique things about you. Its 'Capitaine', right? You looked kind of lonely, mind if I get you a drink?"
"Yes, it is. Not lonely, I already have a drink." trying to be as nice as she could, Capitaine felt like she had seen and heard enough. She desperately wanted to leave, but also knew she would feel guilty if she did without Elisa.
"Is that hot chocolate? Maybe I could interest you in some spices or ales?"
"Yes, it is, but I'm fine with this."
Seeing another approaching, Capitaine hoped Elisa would come back, she wanted to leave. He sat the opposite side, introducing himself as Anthony Wright, he said the same things as Asher but in the reverse order. A third and forth started walking over and Capitaine was debating whether to leave now or try to ignore all of them.
The other two stopped short and and grabbed Asher by the shoulder, "Asher, what are you doing, man! You got other things!"
Annoyed, he turned around to his friend, "Rosark, go back. I'm trying to be *polite*. ..."
Attracting the rest of the group, Capitaine felt she should leave this conversation to them, but couldn't without re-attracting their attention. Feeling more overwhelmed with each continuing sentence, directed at her or not, Capitaine was about to chug down her drink and wait outside.
"Hey! Back off! She's mine." Elisa boomed her voice and pushed her way through to Capitaine's side, defiantly inviting the group to leave. Capitaine watched as Elisa whacked Anthony on the back and the group joked him as they walked away. Making sure they walked back to their own scene, Elisa took a chair and ordered a tulaberry drink.
Overwhelmingly grateful to have her friend back, Capitaine wrapped herself around Elisa like a child and buried her head in Elisa's cleavage. Shaking with relief, Capitaine squeezed Elisa tighter and tighter. Struggling to pull Capitaine off of her, Elisa made enough room to take a take a short breath before struggling against Capitaine's embrace.
"Can we go back to our room now?"
"Ffff-fine, fine, but first, let go. Ccc-crushing me. ... I think we talked about this before ... "
" 'Talked' about *what*? and where did you go? You disappeared from me!"
"Pull your face out, first! We're not like that! An'ah don't want you giving others ideas that I don't want thought about us."
Innocently pulling her face out and straightening both their hair and dresses, Capitaine then scooted a chair's distance away from Elisa as they recomposed themselves and resumed their conversation. The whole time, Elisa had a smirk on her face but Capitaine couldn't muster the strength to look Elisa, or anybody else, in the eye. She was still weary from the sudden and intense social experience and then from having to remember all these social etiquettes.
"S-sssorry, Elisa, I-I-I'm very sure that I think I know that I *really* want to go now ... "
"Already?! But we haven't even been here an hour yet!"
"Well, I want to go now, maybe, but ... "
Seeing somebody walking up, Capitaine and Elisa turned to a Benzite, one who didn't have a breather, he seemed a little hesitant.
"Sorry about my friends, they can be a little t-too forward at times. I-I'm Morek, I believe we have a class together so I h-hope there's no hard feelings."
Quickly turning and walking away, Capitaine didn't notice until afterwards that Elisa was glaring at him to leave.
"Another semester is now one semester less! Its Cadets Capitaine and Elisa, bestest friends forever. And I know we'll be fine, cause we've got each other to rant and relax on!"
Sighing loudly, Capitaine watched as Elisa cleared her desk by shoveling everything into a replicator recycling bag.
" ... Fresh start, Elisa? uhhh, ... we still have to *pass* each semester."
"Yeah! Don't'cha forget it too!"
Social confusion had become nothing unusual to Capitaine, despite having lived with Elisa's attitude for the past few years. Silently analyzing Elisa's comment, she sat on her bed re-calibrating her tricorder, the same one the doctor had given her years before.
"Capitaine, Ah'm heading down to un-replicate last semester's and to re-replicate some dinner. You coming with?"
Putting her tricorder on hold, Capitaine grabbed one of Elisa's recycle boxes and together they went downstairs together. Because of her greater strength, Capitaine knew she held the heavier box but noticed that Elisa's was practically empty.
"How much stuff are you tossing?" she pried, curious to what she was holding.
"All of it. That's why its in the 'Recycle box'."
Noticing Elisa's generality, she tried asking again, more specifically, "I-I mean, what's in these boxes, they seem heavier than expected."
"Just the usual, roomie; its anything I don't need for next semester! ... Or stuff I don't want people to know."
Visually digging through the box, Capitaine stopped a hair's width from Elisa who had abruptly stopped in front of her.
"What's wrong, Elisa, you forget something?"
Peaking past Elisa's head, Capitaine saw Frankie approaching along with a tall light-brown furred Caitian. Knowing Elisa and Frankie had developed more than just a creative difference, Capitaine saw this as time to practice her social leadership. Quickly rounding Elisa, she greeted Frankie enthusiastically, whose first reaction was to give her a hug, despite holding a heavy box.
"Capi! I'ven't seen you all semester. Where you been hiding from me?"
Before answering, Capitaine leaned to the side, giving Frankie direct eye contact with Elisa.
"We're roommates and she's been keeping me all too busy!"
"Ohhh, has she then ...
Is the pretty couple too busy for an old friend?"
Chuckling with Frankie, Capitaine didn't understand the turn this conversation had taken, but she could see a silent scowl developing Elisa's face. Capitaine had taken more than a year to understand the roadmap within the Elisa-Frankie relationship, but she *did* understand it. She enjoyed talking about it but knew very well that Elisa did not.
"Frankie, you know me better than that. ... Feel free to join us anytime; in fact, we're heading over after we recycle this."
"Awesome Capi, see you there, Ellie!"
As Frankie and her Caitian friend departed Elisa roughly grabbed Capitaine by the arm, insisting for an explanation.
"Why did you do that!?"
"I thought it'd be nice than to catch up with Frankie, and I think I recognize the Caitian too. What was his name again?"
"His name is Rraak; he's an operations cadet; same class as us."
Rounding a corner and turning back to Capitaine, Elisa quickly finished voicing her anger, "Frankie and I *do not* get along! We didn't in *boarding school* and we still don't *now*. Don't you remember any of that?"
Barely needing a moment to remember the disagreements and fights they all had as grade-schoolers, Capitaine explained she thought it would be a good 'try-again'. Elisa wasn't so enthusiastic about giving Frankie-and-herself so many chances, still insisting to cancel or bail on reconnecting with Frankie. Eventually Elisa stopped and agreed to stay and eat, but couldn't guarantee a 'peaceful meal'.
As dinner time soon came around, the two decided to wear a complementary style, Elisa picked out a tight dress and skirt and gave Capitaine a similar style but a longer, modest, and conceiling style.
Elisa had picked a restaurant and Capitaine forwarded the address to Frankie, saying she'd meet them there. With their formal wear, the two of them gathered some attention walking from the dorms and across several blocks. This marked one of the first times Capitaine had dressed so with such formality outside a scheduled event, the attention was still uncomfortable but felt less hostile or condescending than she thought it meant. The restaurant was bustling with activity, but still had plenty of tables to choose from, Capitaine settled for a spot near the front windows. With one side facing a window, Elisa took her seat next to Capitaine, leaving the opposite booth empty for Frankie.
Frankie still arrived a little late, but that wasn't unexpected. Frankie was always full of life but sometimes a little unorganized. Capitaine waved her over, noticing Elisa was silent through the whole issue. Frankie wasn't wearing as much as they were, simply wearing her cadet jacket along with some colorful shorts.
"So you two are a *couple* now! I always thought I saw something cute about you two."
Caught unawares of *that* impression, Capitaine hastily stammered out that they were only friends, but not before Elisa wrapped her arm around Capitaine, planting an affectionate kiss on her cheek and letting out an agreeing hum of approval. Already becoming stressed by keeping up the conversation, Capitaine, slowly shrugged off Elisa and turned to face her, with an expression of betrayal and confusion.
Frankie didn't seem to notice the one-sidedness of the two's apparent romance, but still jested about how they got together and will be planning their Starfleet careers. For the most part, Capitaine expected Elisa to answer as she was the one responsible, yet she did nothing but act romantic: nuzzling, sharing food, calling 'sweethearts', and trying to share a kiss.
The food was good, as Elisa had explained beforehand, Frankie ordered a number of appetizers, basically snacking while holding a conversation. Elisa was normally the talkative one but this time acted strangely, she was rather quiet while Capitaine was forced to do the conversing. She took food on and off of Capitaine's plate and even told the waiter they'd share a bottle. Towards the end, Elisa dozed off onto Capitaine's shoulder, having to keep her upright lest she fall on to her lap. As their *date* ended, Elisa was sleepily tired, her walk was slow and Capitaine had to hold her up all the way to the Academy grounds, where they parted company with Frankie.
Once inside their dormitories and away from Frankie, Elisa perked up, struggling to keep herself from falling from laughing at the whole event.
" *You* should have *SEEN* your face! I wish I took a picture of that! You were absolutely precious!"
Now having to support her shortness of breath from laughter and not feigned-exhaustion, Capitaine walked Elisa up to their quarters. Leaping to her bed and changing her clothes, Elisa faced Capitaine with a teasing attitude "Darling, can you fetch me my nightwear? They're in the bottom drawer, off to the right."
"Is that the right one, *sweetheart*?"
Grabbing random handfuls of clothes from the bottom drawer, Capitaine chucked them at Elisa, almost knocking her on her back and off the bed. Regaining her breath, Elisa lied on her stomach, watching Capitaine washing up and getting ready to sleep.
"You've been watching me since we got back. You weren't serious about *us*, were you?"
"NOOooo, of course not. ... But ah've been trying to think want kind of guy or gal would go well with you."
"Not exactly something on my mind, or a kind of thing I have time for right now"
"*Oh right*, you have to graduate first and make your namesake or whatever. But tonight was fun, and I think you *need* somebody to keep your life that way."
Jumping down to her bed and turning off the lights, Capitaine kept her eyes open, turning to look across the room. "Are you still *admiring* me?"
"Not at the moment." Elisa replied accompanied by some laughing and shuffling in bed.
"Before you doze off; *WHY* again did you do that to me?!"
"It was *fun* and I was actually playing with Frankie, not you; she seems to like you for some reason."
"Well, *I* don't pretend to be someone's girlfriend."
"Oh, don't be like that; I'll tell you ahead of time, how'bout that?"
"No. Not again, if you pull that act again, I'm not playing along!"
"Where's the fun in that, *sweetheart*?"
The waves were warm and the wind was cool, typical of an extended weekend away from the city and into the watery wilderness. The waters were constantly beating, but were rather gentle; Capitaine had found an isolated region where the tide was calm and merely lapped at the beach as she stood with her tricorder. Having almost a miniature laboratory attached to her belt in hip holsters, Elisa had accompanied her to even-out the apparent lack of social imagery.
"Make yourself comfortable, Elisa. Except for my tricorder, everything I got is only what a student could afford."
"Well, I'm in no hurry, isn't it beautiful out here!"
Taking off her shirt and pants to reveal risque swimsuit she had replicated just for this weekend, Elisa paused halfway through, looking herself over.
"... I think I made this a size-or-two too small, but ... hey! ... you're covered up from socks to collars, aren't you at least going to get comfortable?."
Not pausing to look over before answering, Capitaine continued to take readings into her tricorder.
"I *am* comfortable, and anyways, my skin doesn't tan; I think we've been over this before."
"You could at least humor me with something appealing."
Knowing her friend would be bugging her for a while longer, Capitaine paused her readings as she headed back over to Elisa.
"You wanted me to wear a *shirt* the size of a PADD!"
"Well, yeah, ... I thought maybe this beach trip was supposed to be relaxful, not some extra credit assignment!"
"Its not ... "
"Oh, ... this a *regular* assignment?"
"Well, no ... "
" ... *why* am I not surprised, you're doing this for *fun*!"
Staring glumly at her overly-studious friend, Elisa settled down and started digging through the drinks and snacks, seeing if a boring afternoon could be made into an enjoyable one. It was only a satchel, but Elisa dug through it in hopes of some entertainment. On re-checking for at least the fourth time, Elisa found nothing alcoholic, phenomenal, or something to ease a day that would drag on for hours. Handling a container of fruit, Elisa sat munching and staring at the ocean and distant water-faring ships.
Walking off, it appeared to Capitaine that Elisa was now content and enjoying the beach on the weekend. Capitaine didn't quite know why she was doing what she was doing, but she had heard there were whales that often came by this area. She wanted to see one, or at least see through scanning equipment what these sea creatures were composed of.
After two hours of only birds, small crustaceans, and the occasional fish, Capitaine turned and back tracked to where she last saw Elisa. Still scanning but now more focused on the scenery, Capitaine enjoyed this. The naturalistic feeling of the air, the critters in the background, and the gentle waves on the beach, and with all the other beach goers seemed to be wrapped up in their own lives. Coming back to Elisa, her skin was strange and when Capitaine touched it, it glowed an uncomfortable-looking color.
"Elisa! ... Elisa? ... Wake up!"
Groggy, hot, and itchy, Elisa sat up on the beach, not realizing she had dozed off, and without applying any radiation cream either.
"Capitaine? What time is it, how long have I been out?"
"I wandered about the beach a little bit, you were awake when I left, but I'd say at least six hours."
"SIX HOURS!? What could you have been doing for *six hours*!?"
"Sorry, just observing the little types of coastal life, didn't see the whales though."
"'Whales'? Oh, forgot those. ... Wow, am I sore'n scratchy ... "
"I don't think you applied any radiation cream, your body is redder than I've ever seen it."
Rubbing her eyes and glancing down, Elisa saw half her body was gleaming a shade of red that it shouldn't. Having sleep-rolled onto her side, the left of her body was almost as red as her hair, yet the right was its normal shade.
"... and ... *and* with good reason! Capitaine, I'm blaming you for this! This weekend is already off to a bad start!"
"Elisa! I already packed up, we can go to a care station and get your skin fixed."
"' *Already* packed up', you mean you were watching me cook myself?!"
"Not *watching* but I figured ..."
"You *figured*?! ... Alright, fine ... y'know what, alright, lets get going before I get redder."
Looking somewhat like some type of cheap political symbol or a botched paint job meant for animals, Elisa spent the return trip hiding behind Capitaine. Covering herself as best she could, every step caused a small tremor of pain from her hyper-sensitive skin and from her sweating body. The rest of the night didn't get much worse from there, the walk wasn't very far and Elisa didn't want to chance passing anyone she knew. The care station medics were more sympathetic than Elisa thought, but still let out a couple chuckles as they healed her skin to normal.
"It's been a while since I've seen you're parents, Elisa?"
Packing for a week-long trip, Capitaine had everything she needed tucked efficiently into a small duffle bag. Homework, textbooks, as well as some engineering equipment she needed for some long-term experiments. Elisa's parents lived across the planet in the European prefecture, both worked, one as a physicist and the other as a tactical officer. Elisa was an only child, so she received a lot of attention; it was T'Vrell's hypothesis that *that* caused her initial 'falling out' with her parents.
"Yeah, we don't exactly *get along*, but we know we love each other. ... Ts'why I got sent to boarding school,"
"I thought you said you were caught-in-the-act while ... "
"Shut up! If anyone asks, 'we don't get along', and I think you're the daughter that they always wanted ... "
" ... I don't understand, but you are their only daughter."
"We all love how innocent you are, Capitaine, but sometimes, you need to dial it back a little."
" ... I don't understand *that* either."
Rather than transport or take a shuttle, Elisa insisted they take ground-based vehicles: grav-trains, continental-ferries, or hover-cabs. Capitaine understood that Elisa's parents were more old-fashioned than Elisa was, but Capitaine didn't quite understand the need to wear a long, formal dress. Since they were arriving right at dinner time, Capitaine decided to wear her dress for the trip, that way she wouldn't need to quickly change her clothes, however, Elisa was convinced she could switch clothes in less than five minutes. Capitaine knew otherwise, but wasn't going to argue about their choice of travel clothes while visiting Elisa's parents.
Elisa just wore shorts and a t-shirt, compared to Capitaine's long dress. She felt a little uncomfortable, given the time it took to travel; but already on their way, it was too late to change. Arriving at the Flores' estate, it wasn't a large vineyard or a ranch but a large house with a decently sized garden yet not much else.
"Dad!
Mommy!"
"Elisa!"
Watching Elisa run up to her parents, Capitaine noticed they were wearing normal clothes, nothing overly formal, as Elisa described the their stay would be. "Hello, Mr and Mrs Flores."
"Capitaine! What a lovely dress you're wearing!
... Elisa, maybe all of us should wear something nice for this special occasion?"
"Naw, mom, Capitaine always likes to be like that, we're fine as we are."
Slowly turning to catch Elisa's gaze, Capitaine was angry and embarrassed. Giving her a sly smile and a wink, Capitaine knew Elisa had planned this from the start, all for a cheap prank. Now really frustrated at Elisa, she accompanied the three of them up the walkway into the house.
Hearing Elisa laugh out loud at something, Capitaine watched as Mr and Mrs Flores let Elisa continue on into the house while the two of them waited for her to catch up.
"Your room is still as you left it, Capitaine."
"I thought I cleaned up last time ... how much did I leave here?"
" *Nothing*, it was all tidied up and spotless, but ... we'd like this to be your *home* too.
"W-well, Well, Mrs Flores, I'd rather not impose myself on ... "
"Nonsense, Capitaine! You're just as much our daughter as Elisa is. ... Now, what do say about all of us wearing something nice, clean, and formal?"
"No, Mr Flores, I'll change into something standard instead."
"Okay, we'll wear something 'standard' then."
"Oh! Uhh, I, uhh,I think I mean *normal* or *daily* instead, ... sorry, I think ..."
"If you change your mind, your *dad and I* will have dinner ready in thirty minutes."
"Okay, ... *mom*? I'll talk to Elisa about that too." Despite *both* the Flores telling her this plenty of times before, calling them 'mom' and 'dad' always left a strange feeling in her mouth.
Finding her room, it had been recently dusted, cleaned, and with a fresh pair of bedsheets. After making the bed, Capitaine picked out a set of daily clothes to wear instead of her dress. In the middle of changing her clothes, the door creaked open, expecting Mrs Flores, Capitaine saw it was Elisa instead.
"Can you smell dinner? Its lovely!"
"Elisa, I'm a little busy."
"Naww, but it looks like you could use a little help."
"I put these on by myself, and I can take them off with out any help."
"Fine, be like *that*."
"So ... What was with me dressing up for the trip here?"
"I don't know ... you've been looking so cute over the past week."
"And what's *that* supposed to mean?"
"Can't you take a compliment? You're one of those lucky ladies who doesn't need much to look beautiful."
Setting up her engineering equipment, Capitaine set it in view for Elisa to see. "I'm not *trying* to look beautiful, I'm trying to graduate the Academy! As you should too."
"I've set days aside for studying! But I think you should enjoy your time here with my family, which is *your* family too, if I heard correctly, *little sister*."
"Don't be like that ... and we're the same age."
Dinner was lovely. It was the four of them, Elisa, Capitaine, and Mr and Mrs Flores. Although they all shared some conversations, Capitaine listened to Mr Flores's physics theories while Elisa and her mother shared stories of the Tactics professors. After dinner, everyone slowly moved outside to wander the garden and work off their meal. Although not quite old enough, Elisa graciously helped herself to some of the wine in her parent's pantry, and as a result, Capitaine had to discreetly guide her to bed while saying 'Goodnight' to her parents.
The next few days were fair and productive. Capitaine helped out were she could around the house, all the while exploring the city and night-life with Elisa. However, it wasn't until Mrs Flores bought pairs of clothes for Elisa and herself. Looking at all this, Capitaine had to admit: she and Elisa were like sisters; and Capitaine was comfortable with that.
'Finals Week' was always a stressful time for everybody, including both the students and the professors. The students had to try to maintain their grades or save them. While the professors had to put up with the sudden onslaught of desperate students and questions.
This time more so, it was their senior-finals, their graduation depended on more than just their grades. Capitaine had worked out her methods from back grade-school, studying wasn't something she did during the week before, it was almost a style of living. Elisa, on the other hand, crammed through everything and usually lived 'in the moment'. But nevertheless, they each picked up habits from the other, not all good and not all bad.
Capitaine and Elisa still depended on each other, a little more than usual too. Despite having been friends for almost six years, one still couldn't understand the other's methods and values. If it wasn't for Elisa, Capitaine would likely be struggling with social etiquette; her academics needed no aid but her social life would be more than *just lonely*. On the flip side, Elisa would likely have had to repeat several classes, and she would not be alone in her shortcomings.
It was common for tightly knit social groups to crowd together during times of struggles, their senior-year finals was a perfect example of such times. A group of about eight, sometimes leaving or coming depending on the time of day or time of the month, would usually pick a quiet, cool spot within the Academy's library. Within the group, Capitaine, Elisa, Razkii, T'Vrell, and Zarva were often the core of the group with others coming as needed. Even over the years and within the confines of such a small group there existed social drama that Capitaine still couldn't quite grasp as of yet.
Because of Elisa, Capitaine did know was that T'Vrell and Elisa got along well enough, but not by very much; they might have only stayed close because of her. Often one would be condescending and other would be mocking, other than that their conversations would be kept to one syllable words. Usually seeing from a third person perspective, their personalities often clashed. The others would have their moments, but Elisa was often a force that kept others away or kept them within the group. Frankie, for instance, was strange; Elisa didn't think very highly of her and most of the group didn't either, she was loud, disrespectful, undisciplined, and often incompetent.
"Excuse me, Capitaine, can I speak with you?" glancing to Elisa, "Privately, I prefer."
Standing above Capitaine as she sat, T'Vrell looked eager and begging for a private talk, something Capitaine hadn't seen before in her Vulcan friend. Curious, Capitaine stood up and walked a distance with T'Vrell before speaking anything.
"Uhhmm, is something bothering you? Is it Elisa? ... again?"
"No, Capitaine, not in this instance. I want to ask your opinion, about one of my exam scores."
Knowing this wasn't something she actually had any thought about, Capitaine continued to look concerned as her friend had initiated.
"I have reviewed my notes and my texts, but do you believe I should try to retake my linguistics exam? I scored acceptably and we do have other preparations to make."
"Do they allow that? Uhmm ... "
"Recently, if I may admit, a long time friend was experiencing an out-of schedule pon farr. He choose me as his mate, but at the time, I declined."
Still not quite understanding, Capitaine repeated T'Vrell's thoughts, " ... And you are feeling this has affected you now?"
"You are correct, Capitaine. It is not something I usually consider or prefer to speak of, and it took me longer than I realized confirm that effect. But to point, I do value your advice despite our different professions, if I should reapply."
Excited that T'Vrell thought highly of her yet troubled by the magnitude this decision weighed, Capitaine stood still and silent for a moment.
On the table behind them, however, the conversation wasn't as serious and more light hearted, if not more prodding and friendly. Gossip wasn't common, but often times they couldn't help themselves, this kept their friendship alive and invigorated in addition to their usual combinations of downsides and upsides.
"Hey Elisa, what do you think they're talking about over there?"
"What do I look like, a Vulcan?! How am I supposed to know what goes on in the Vulcan mind?"
"Well, ... you've known both of them longer than I have, and Capitaine looks awfully focused."
"Razkii, she *always* looks that focused, whether its helping us study or trying to relax at the bar."
Suddenly speaking was Zarva, whose interruption quickly got the entire group's attention, "Sorry to interrupt, ... again. Something troubling is going on with T'Vrell, I noticed her voice was actually showing *something*. Sooo, just let them work it out, all of us have our own worries."
" 'Something'?"
" 'Something' like an emotion."
"You don't think that Capitaine *and* T'Vrell are ... ?
" ... not *that* kind of 'something', just leave T'Vrell alone, Elisa."
The conversation quickly dwindling, with each opinion and comment, Capitaine soon returned, indicating that T'Vrell needed to be elsewhere. As time passed, the group's purpose was really only to help keep each other focused; everybody keeping everybody on track simply by their own presence. The loud, sudden drop of a box of PADDs shook the table, breaking everyone's focus and attracting the attention of the entire floor.
"CAPI! I thought I would find Ellie and the gang here!"
After a startled yelp, Capitaine repostured herself as she waited for the area to return to its quietness.
"Didn't mean to startle you guys, mind if I join you?"
"Does it matter what we say?" Elisa mumbled before nudging Capitaine.
"Hey, Capitaine, could you get me a raktajino, I need a strong pick-me-up to keep me from beatin' her ass."
"CAPI! You're getting Elisa some tea? Could I get one too!"
Elisa and Capitaine looked at Frankie, then to the rest of the group as they slowly chimed in for something to drink. Watching Capitaine neaten her space before going off to get everybody their drinks, Elisa turned suddenly to Frankie, glaring angrily.
"Why're *you* looking at me like that, Ellie?"
"Its 'Elisa', Frankie; always has been, always will be. And why are you here, exactly? I thought your exams were 'a-piece-of-cake'?"
"Well, ... yeah! I-I ... I-I-I a-actually just wanted to spend some time with you guys, my-my *friends*, before graduation."
Annoyed instead of angry, Elisa rolled her eyes as she made room for Frankie to sit. Seeing Elisa allowing Frankie to stay, the group opened up more for her, making chit-chat and sharing stories. Noticing Capitaine approaching with arms full of cups, Frankie was the first to jump up and run over to help.
"Here we go; Ellie, one raktajino; Anne, a cola; Morek, some tea; ... "
"They know what they got, Frankie. Can I have my hot chocolate back?"
Timidly handing Capitaine her drink and placing the rest on the table's center, Frankie slowly sat back down in her seat. Conversation quickly died down as everybody refocused onto their studies. Everyone who wanted a drink picked theirs up, leaving one glass alone in the center.
"Is that for me, Capi?" Frankie hesitantly asked, not wanting to appear needy and entitled.
"Yes, the same as Elisa." Capitaine spoke without noticing Frankie's tone, although most of the group did. Not having much want or need to study, Frankie quickly reached out and grabbed the last glass. Her hastiness drawing some eyes but then she loudly bolted down the entire glass, stood to her feet and slammed down the empty cup.
"I-I-I think I'm going to have to head out, I kinda need to catch up with one of professors."
"Coming back after?" Anne asked, still fixated on her texts.
"Don't know, I'll try.
Thanks Capi, I owe you a drink too."
A short while passed and the area could be heard quiet again, Elisa sighed relived, almost knowing Frankie wasn't entirely out of hearing's reach. "Well, she was brief!"
"She left her empty cup here ... " Razkii briefly glanced up, but otherwise was sympathetic to the situation.
"I wonder what got her up and going so soon" Zarva looked curiously over at Capitaine who seemed a little confused by Frankie's sudden departure.
"I wonder too." she replied.
- END OF CHAPTER -