Document 1278803-4576b

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Entry 4-

"Brainy! Your hair is back!"

"It was never gone, Thaal," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Yes, well, it isn't blue anymore," Thaal qualified his statement. "And your skin is green again."

"I'm not sure of the wisdom in returning me to my original appearance," I told Arno.

"Please," Arno snorted. "Your hair is longer, you've got green eyes, and the haircut I gave you is absolutely sublime."

"Yeah, it says, 'I'm insecure so I'm half-covering one eye with my hair, and I'm letting the rest grow longer because I'm nerdy'," Thaal interjected.

"This is a very fashionable haircut," Arno protested.

"Oh please," Thaal snapped, "It's almost identical to the way his hair looked three years ago." He glanced at me. "There were pictures in your bio."

"No baby pictures, I hope," Arno quipped. "Those are always the embarrassing ones, like the ones where you're half-naked and carrying around a rattle or something equally babyish."

"Yeah, well, in Brainy's case he'd be running around in a diaper carrying a quantum microscope in one hand and a lexicon in the other," Thaal sniggered.

"I like my hair," I assured Arno, changing the subject and shooting a disgruntled look in Thaal's direction.

"Here's some foundation and gloves," Arno said, handing me a bottle and a pair of black gloves.

"I have my own gloves," I said, handing the gloves back. "So, what color am I supposed to be today?"

"Just a normal beige-peach skin tone," Arno said, handing me a hat. "Put this on too."

"That is a very nerdy hat," Thaal pointed out. "It practically screams 'I crunch numbers for fun'."

I shrugged, dabbing some of the foundation on my cheeks and forehead. "I do, to borrow the colloquialism, 'crunch numbers' for fun. What's your point?"

"It's a weird-looking hat," Thaal scowled.

"It's just weird because I found it first," Arno explained. "He was too busy looking for an outfit for you."

"At least I found something somewhat fashionable," Thaal grumbled.

"It looked like something a color-blind person would wear," Arno retorted before glancing at me. "I got you something that won't stand out, but isn't hideous either."

"I don't understand what's wrong with my old clothes," I commented.

"You bought them before you left New Metropolis, right?" Arno prompted.

"Yes. Your point?" I asked, failing to see why this made any difference.

"So, in the off chance that someone saw you buy them, we got you a different outfit to wear when you go outside," Thaal explained.

"This sort of precaution borders on paranoia," I commented dryly. "I don't think anyone would have noticed…"

"Hey, we don't want you being hounded by reporters until after you give me an exclusive interview," Thaal reminded me.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

"Speaking of which, when will you give me an interview?" Thaal asked. "I've been waiting a long time…"

"You aren't even technically a reporter yet," I reminded him.

"Yes, but this could be my big break!" Thaal replied.

I rolled my eyes a second time. "Would now be all right?"

"No," Arno snapped, "because I haven't gotten my tour of new metropolis yet."

"I hear it looks better from the air," Thaal commented offhandedly.

"Yes, well, I don't have a flight ring, or any components necessary to make a flight ring, nor do I wish to pilot an aircraft through new metropolis air traffic after having been off-planet for the better part of a year," I retorted.

Thaal winced. "Ooh, the traffic's that bad, huh?"

"The air traffic in New Metropolis is atrocious, to put it mildly," I said.

"That's putting it mildly?" Arno asked incredulously. "Then I really don't want to fly."

"It can't be as bad as riding with Cselia," Thaal said, shrugging.

"Yes," I said, "It can. Why do you think I invented the flight ring?"

Thaal and Arno stared at me blankly.

"That was a joke," I said after a moment, intending to end the blank stares that necessitated my statement.

I received more blank stares.

"You just made a joke?" Thaal finally ventured.

"It has been known to happen upon occasion," I snapped.

"It's just that… well, you've been sort of edgy ever since we got here," Thaal explained.

I frowned slightly. "Really?"

"You have a green spot under your eye," Arno said briskly, "And I still want my tour of New Metropolis…"

I laughed. "Very well. Let's go, shall we?"

I must admit to being slightly surprised by Thaal's insight. I had not realized that my inner struggles were known by my two friends. Perhaps, in their own way, they were trying to get me out of my own head, trying to make me acknowledge the rest of the world, instead of "hiding in my lab", as my fellow teammates had often accused me of doing.

For the first time, I began to understand why my teammates had tried to keep me from isolation. The human soul is not meant to be alone, and as such, cannot comprehend a soul that holds no aversion towards solitude.

Even I have found myself longing for companionship, and, in coming to terms with my humanity, I am better able to understand those around me. I, like my friends, no longer wish to be alone.

A/N: I'M SO SORRY! I promise I haven't abandoned this story, I simply haven't written anything in nearly two months! I'm at college, I'm fighting to keep my head above water (drowning under a 20 credit workload), running frantically from general chemistry labs to model united nations conferences and everything in between... It's enough to make someone wish they'd never attempted higher learning, let me tell you.

But it's fun. I just get nothing besides homework done anymore...

On an authorly (not a word) note, I really wish I had more time for this fic. If anyone who has me on alert is wondering why I keep updating this new Naruto fic of mine called 'Absolution', but haven't updated this thing at all, it's because I have the first fifteen chapters of absolution COMPLETELY finished, and just haven't found time to upload them. (Yes, I'm pathetic)

Anyway, I finally churned out a pathetic little chapter for this fic, and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of the faithful readers and reviewers who haven't given me up for dead yet. Your reviews are the only things that are keeping me writing these things at all. If It were up to me, I would spend my free time curled in a ball under my bedcovers or staring blankly at political advertisements (I mean, seriously, there are more commercials than shows on TV anymore...).

Without you guys, I probably wouldn't be writing fanfics at all right now... So thank you for reminding me that there ARE people out there who don't know what happens next in my story. (I mean, I know what happens next 'cause I'm writing this, so I don't think of anything as much of a cliff hanger...)

Anyway, now that I've written more in my author note than I have in the actual chapter, stay tuned! (maybe I'll find time to write another chapter by next year... :p)