Troy brought his car up to the valet station at the hotel, handing his keys over and taking a ticket. Noah just shook his head in disbelief.
"I can't believe you actually use valets." Noah said as he helped Quinn out of the car.
"Why wouldn't I?" Troy asked him.
"You don't know who's driving your car! One of the guys we went to school with was asked to park a Bentley two weeks after he passed his driving test!"
"Well, I guess that's what insurance is for." Troy answered as they made their way into the lobby. "Besides, it's better than trying to find a parking space at this time of day. Give the guy a break."
"Also, I think it's a bit rich giving anyone motoring advice when you haven't even passed your own driving test." Quinn teased him as she wrapped her arm around him. "He still asks me for a lift."
"Hey, I've had a lot on my plate." Noah protested.
"Wait, didn't you have a test a couple of weeks ago?" Allison asked him.
"It wasn't a good test day for me alright?" Noah said grumpily, causing them to laugh.
"Dude, how can a guy that spent the better part of two years piloting highly advanced weapons technology fail a driving test?" Troy asked him.
"It's not like we ever had to reverse park a Megazord." Noah answered as they got to the desk. "Hi, we're here for the Goodall-Moran party."
"You're a little early for the rehearsal. The room's still being set up." She informed them. "I believe the rest of the party is in the bar if you'd like to head through."
"Thank you." Troy answered. As they headed over to the bar, Noah saw a kid with a huge smile on his mother placed a number of Ranger figures in front of him, still in their packaging. He smiled as he saw this, swinging past the table just close enough that the kid would see him.
"Nice haul kid." Noah stated. "I'd open the Blue one first, he's the best."
The kid just sat with his mouth hanging open as they made their way past. Quinn pulled in closer to him.
"You just couldn't resist could you?" She asked him. He just shrugged.
"What can I say; it'll tide me over until my first Nobel." He answered.
Meanwhile, Gia and Cat were making their way up to Orion's room, with a couple of outfits they had picked out. Emma had explained that Orion had been given the responsibility of bringing his neophyte with him on his trip into the city, and that she needed something to wear to the rehearsal dinner. As they walked down the hall, Cat checked her phone for the room number.
"415, this is it." She said, putting the phone away. Gia was bringing up the rear, carrying a couple of outfits in her arms. More accurately, she was loaded up like a pack mule. Cat had gone a little overboard and had brought at least a dozen or so different outfits. "Gia, would you hurry up?"
"Cat, they did ask for only a couple of outfits." Gia reminded her, struggling to see over the bundle of clothing in her arms. "She is only going to be here a couple of days."
"Well, this way she'll have a choice." Cat said as she knocked the door. It took a while to get an answer, but after she knocked a second time, the door opened, and they were greeted by an unfamiliar blonde woman. She was wearing a bracelet much like Orion's, and being in his room, they figured this had to be Cassetopeia. Cat started to flush and turned away from her.
"Aw jeez!" She rushed out.
"Is this some kind of greeting among Earthlings?" Cassetopeia asked in response. Gia finally managed to clear the clothing from her line of sight, and could see the issue.
"Um...we don't normally answer the door naked." Gia told her, gesturing her inside. They all headed inside, closing the door behind them. Not long after arriving, Emma had a somewhat embarrassing moment with Orion in his room, when she had gone to wake him, finding him naked. By the looks of things, nudity wasn't really as much of an issue for Andresians as it was for Earthlings. "I guess you're Cassetopeia?"
"Yes, I am." She replied. "You are Emma's friends, Cat and Gia?"
"I'm Gia, this is Cat." Gia answered, picking up a dressing gown from the bed nearby. "Would you mind...putting this on please?"
"Oh, sorry." She said as she pulled it on. "So, you brought some outfits I can borrow?"
"Yeah, we did." Cat replied as Cassetopeia finally covered herself up. "Let's see...you look to be more like Emma's build, you have a good skin tone...I think I have something here for you."
"You are both very kind." Cassetopeia answered. Just then, Orion came into the room, wearing only a towel. His hair was wet, indicating that he was just out of the shower.
"Oh...sorry, I didn't hear you guys come in." He greeted them as he went to the closet to get an outfit for dinner. "So...you guys have seen Cassetopeia?"
"Quite a bit of her." Cat replied. Orion just furrowed his brows, but as he saw her in the dressing gown, he realised what they meant.
"It seems you Andresians have a little problem keeping your clothes on around company." Gia teased him. Orion just smiled.
"OK, that was a misunderstanding." He replied, before turning to his neophyte. "Cassetopeia, our ways are unusual to some people. Outside of the reservation, people tend not to answer the door or invite people in naked."
"Gia already explained as much." Cassetopeia answered as Cat offered her an outfit. "So...can I get changed...?"
"Use the bathroom." Orion told her as he gestured to the door. Cassetopeia left the room, leaving the girls in the room with Orion. He saw Cat and Gia just looking at him. "Sorry about that, I guess I'm still getting used to the whole mentor thing."
"So...Cassetopeia's staying in your room?" Cat asked him.
"Yeah, that wasn't my choice." Orion told them.
"And both of you don't mind walking around half naked in front of each other." Gia stated. "And Emma's alright with this?"
"Yeah...I haven't had much of a chance to talk to Emma much since Centuri landed me with this." Orion told them. "She's just out getting some toiletries for Cassetopeia."
"Alright, I think I've got it." Cassetopeia called through. She headed back into the main room, standing before the others to let them see the outfit. "Well, is this acceptable?"
"You're...you're wearing it back to front." Cat told her. "Here, let me help you."
As they left, Gia looked back to Orion. He just sighed.
"So, this neophyte thing...it's purely a teacher-student thing right?" Gia asked. Orion just looked at her.
"Believe me, it's nothing like that." Orion told her. "Centuri just wanted her to see some of the world outside the reservation. There's nothing more to it."
"Alright, but I know how Cat would feel if I had a girl with no qualms about casual nudity in my hotel room all weekend." Gia told him.
"Well, Emma has nothing to worry about. I've only got eyes for her." Orion assured Gia. "I promise I'll talk to her, but trust me, there's nothing to worry about."
There was a knock on the door, and Emma came in, carrying a bag from the hotel shop. She laid it down on the bed.
"Well, there wasn't much of a selection of make-up in the hotel shop, but it should last until Cassetopeia goes home." Emma told him. "Gia, I take it you found something for Cassetopeia to wear?"
Almost on cue, Cassetopeia came back into the room with Cat, dressed in one of Cat's dresses for dinner. She smiled as she saw the reaction from the others.
"Is this acceptable?" She asked. Gia just nodded.
"It's more than acceptable." Gia answered with a smile, pulling Cat in. "She worked her usual magic. She's going to be the best dressed Andresian at dinner."
"I'll try not to be offended." Orion said with a smirk as Gia kissed Cat. They heard a sharp intake of breath as they did this, and looked around, seeing Cassetopeia staring at them.
"You...you are kruchiken?" Cassetopeia asked. Orion could see the way Gia and Emma reacted to the word. It had been one of his most embarrassing, and upsetting memories. He could remember using the word himself when he found out about Gia. Orion looked to the others.
"Um...can you give us some space?" Orion asked them.
"What just happened?" Cat asked.
"We'll be down for dinner shortly." Orion told them. "Can you just leave us for a moment?"
"What happened? What did she say?" Cat asked.
"I'll explain it on the way." Gia told her as they left the room, leaving Orion alone with Cassetopeia. She just looked to him sheepishly. As much as she didn't quite get some of the differences between the Earthlings and her home on the reservation, she could tell that they were upset about something.
"Gia and Cat are in a relationship." Orion told her. "They are gay."
"So they are kruchiken." Cassetopeia reiterated. Orion just sighed.
"That's not a very nice thing to say." He told her. "In fact, it's a grave insult, one that I don't want you to use."
"But...but our Gods..."
"I've read the texts from cover to cover several times. The Earth Gods did not say anything about homosexuality." He informed her.
"No, that's not true; it's against our ways it..."
"Do you doubt my knowledge of the teachings?" Orion asked her. "Do you believe that you don't need a mentor?"
"No, of course not, it's just..." Her words tailed off. Orion just silenced her with a gesture, and indicated to her to sit down. She did as she was instructed.
"There is more to faith, sadly, than the teachings in our scriptures." Orion began to explain.
"Are the scriptures not the teachings of the Earth Gods?" She asked him. Orion just nodded.
"Well...they are and they're not." He said, trying how best to explain his point. "You see, while the teachings may have come from the Earth Gods, but their words, their scriptures are taught, and are spread by people. As such, they are open to...misinterpretation."
"Misinterpretation?" Cassetopeia asked him. "You mean...the preachers are wrong?"
"No, well yes, well..." He started to stammer. He took a step back, leaning against the side unit as he tried to think. "How many preachers' sermons have you heard?"
"Well, Centuri was the only preacher in the cell block at the slave camp." She told him honestly. "And I've heard a number of your lessons."
"Do we teach exactly the same way?" Orion asked her.
"There are similarities..."
"Of course there are similarities, Centuri taught me in the scriptures, but are our teachings identical?" Orion asked her. She thought about it for a moment.
"No." She answered. Orion just smiled.
"I could have ten different preachers read the exact same passage and get ten completely different ways of interpreting its message." Orion told her. "With each telling, a person's own perspective, their likes and dislikes, their prejudices and philosophies will all shape the way they tell the story."
"So...I should ignore the preachers?" Cassetopeia asked him. Orion just shook his head.
"No, just remember that they are just people, just as fallible as any other." Orion told her. "Listen to what people have to say Cass. Read, gather information, and then...make up your own mind what you think is right and wrong. The more information you have, the better equipped you will be to make those decisions yourself."
"But...all of the others, all the people I talked to, they all say the kru..."
"Kindly do not use that word." Orion interrupted her. She took a deep breath.
"They all say that..."
"Just because a lot of people think something is true does not make it so." Orion told her. "Gia is one of the bravest, strongest and most compassionate people I have ever met. I knew all of those qualities before I found out about her sexuality. Knowing that doesn't change what kind of person she is."
Cassetopeia fell silent for a moment. Orion just put a hand on her shoulder.
"Have Cat and Gia done anything to harm you?" He asked her. "Have they insulted you or tried to upset you in any way?"
"No." She replied.
"Then, what do you think is a better indication of what kind of people they are, or what kind of friends they could be? Some things you've heard people say about them, or your own experience of how they have treated you?"
"I just...I can't believe so many of our kind could hold such strong conviction to something that isn't true." She responded. Orion just looked at her.
"Well, sadly it does happen." Orion told her. "On this planet, people have been marginalised, insulted, attacked, enslaved and in a few cases even killed simply because they were different from what some misguided people believed was right. Some people still hold these beliefs. I am perfectly certain not everyone would welcome Andresians with open arms."
"But...I have done nothing to them." She replied.
"Neither did Cat and Gia." Orion explained. "That is the nature of discrimination. Consider that our lesson for today Cass."
"Cass?" She asked him.
"Well, Cassetopeia is a little bit of a mouthful." He told her. "I thought if you didn't mind, we might try shortening it a little."
"As my mentor..."
"Cassetopeia, it's YOUR name." Orion reminded her. "This decision is yours."
"Cass, Cass." She repeated a couple of times to try it out. "I could get used to that."
"Then let's head downstairs for dinner." Orion told her.
"Oh...what about Cat and Gia?" She asked him. Orion just looked to her.
"Do you like them?" He asked. She nodded. "Well, they are forgiving people. I'm sure if you explained things and apologised they would be willing to look past this."
With that, they started to get their things together for dinner.