"We're here! The party can now begin!" Alexei entered his house loud and dancing. Be Besides him, Emi shook her head from embarrassment. He'd been hyped up since they left the theater.
"Calm down Alexei." She walked in behind him as he lead her through the house upstairs.
"How can I be calm? We're having a Xana free sleepover!" Alexei cheered. He lead them to Cam's room where the sound of a tv could be heard.
Typical Alexei, he rushed in without knocking repeating 'sleepover'. Much to cam's dismay, Alexei stood in the doorway cheering. He blocked Kya from tossing pillows at their friend . Emi stood behind Alexei watching.
When she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She moved aside. Emi suppressed a giggle when Alexei was put into a head lock.
"Why are you shouting? It's loud enough to scare the birds." Ms. Tiya asked her son. The petite woman had a light but firm grip.
"Mom!" Alee Alexei winced. He grimace from being in an awkward angle. "Their my friends, they are use to my antics."
"No we're not." His friends said in unison.
"See!" Tiya released her son, than pinched and smushed his cee cheeks.
"Welcome to our home." Tiya smiled at Alexei's friends." "Everyone but Alexei can make can make yourselves comfortable."
"Thank you, Ms. Tiya." Lynn, who'd arrived after Alexei and Emi, said. Tiya had let him in and shown him upstairs where Alexei was being loud.
"We're not at school Lynn, you can drop the Ms. Actually, I don't like formal titles, but that's the world of adulting." Ms. Tiya pulled Alexei along as they left. "Alexei, dear, help me finish dinner.." The smile on her face didn't match her authorian tone.
Alexei waved bye, as he went with his mother. The two disappeared downstairs.
"Is that normal?" Emi asked. The few items she'd visited Alexei's house, Ms. Tiya wasn't around.
"Yes." Cam answered, "but she's tame today because you u guys are here. Normally their like siblings more than parent and child." Ms. Tiya rarely gave 'real' pushiments to Alexei, instead she'd prank him. Her pranks w were mild or incovernt, but got her potin across. Agreements were solved via arm wrestling or a game. Weird denamic, but it worked for them.
"So what trouble did everyone cause today?" Kya asked, making room on the bed for Emi to sit.
"Alexei took me to the movies to see another bad flim. It was a new experience." Emi answered first.
"That banana." Kya muttered. "He's no longer in charge of showing you new Earth tings."
Each of them had a list of places and things they wanted to share with Emi. However since they were all busy, Cam with Lyoko, Kya figure skating, an Lynn preparing to go overseas; Alexei was in charge of orzgaing thin. Something that happen han hadn't gone 'well' by Kya's reaction.
"That's what tomorrow's about." Lynn added. "Day where we show Emi everything and more!"
"I'm looking forward to it. I haven't been able to explore the city much." Emi's arrival on Earth was and wasn't planned. Getting her basic needs and life set up, along with bring her to Earth been sent in stone. Helping her adjust and showing her around had fallen on the back burner.
"Unforutnally, we're bee all been tied up with things since the contest." Cam thought aloud.
"Aw, don't be like that General." Lynn pulled Cam into a headlock. "The important thing is that we're here now!"
They spent the next forty minutes taking turns playing video games. To everyone's shock, Emi was good. She easily beat Kya and Lynn, and lost by a few points to Cam.
To make sure it wasn't beginner's luck, they challenged Emi to three more rounds. Each time she defeated everyone but Cam. So, they switched games to where the player fought the game itself. The results were mixed. Games she'd seen the others play before, she adapted to. Unknown games gave her a learning curve. At some point, Kya offered to show Emi the places she coul couldn't beat on some of her games. It became the girls trying to beat the game, with Cam giving vauge hints. Lynn watched, bemused by their deteremation and teamwork.
Eventually, Alexei came up to get them for dinner. Ee Everyone rushed to the kitchen, where the table had a buffet of food. Tiya cooked enough to last the rest of the weekend. She often made big meals to have leftovers for days. her and the boys ate t at different times durning the week or the boys ate at school. So the weekend were when they regarly ate together.
Sitting down, theylet Emi pick first. Still new to Earth, there were many foods for he her to explore. The group had s shared their favorites and least favorite foods with her before she started at Kadic. To everyone's shock, Emi liked most random things. Once they'd given her liea beans, a sandiwch, and ice cream. She like them all, mostly the limea beans. Emi also learned she preferred sour and Emi savory ober se sweet.
"What scheme do you have planned?" Tiya asked the group.
Alexei stopped eating chewing, unsure of how to answer. "Moom, what are you talkinh about? We're innocent students."
Tiya looked at her soon. "h? Innocent? Were you innocent when pranking Mc. C?"
"You know about that?" Alexei recalled the time he tried to postpone Mr. C's test by pranking him. The prank fail, just like he did on test.
'Yeah." Tiya smirked. "Why do you think I suddenly wanted to clean every weekend for a month."
Alexei had a the good sense to appeared sheepish and remind quiet.
"We're showing Emi around town." Kya chimed. She wanted to distract Tiya before she asked more questions. Mr. Z had already revealed he knew Kya's group had a serest. He even gave Kya an excuse note to use for two weeks while she recovered from getting hit in the head with a ball. The note allowed her to bring two friends with her to the nurse's office. He implied he knew something was going on, but that he didn't know the specifics. One adult being supseuses. They didn't need another.
"Well I hope you enjoy your time Emi. There's alot of great things to do and see." Tiya smirked. "Espically, if you perfer to watch good movies."
"Hey!" Alexei cried.
Tiya affectionaly pinched her son's cheek. "Hey is for horses.""
"Even Ms. Tiya questions your taste in movies." Lynn teased.
Tiya nodded, "Alexei preferred movies over bedtime stories growing up. Only time he wanted a bedtime story, was if it had an accompanying movie."
The rest of dinner was split between Tiya sharing stories about Alexei and Cam and the others chiming in with comments. By the end of the meal, Alexei as content and embarrassed. He was use to his mother purposely embarrassing him. However, she did it in a way where Alexei could join in the fun. She never told the truly embarrassing stories that would make Alexei want to hide under a rock. Likewise, Alexei he was the reason Tiya had these stories to tell. In some of them, they wouldn't have happened had he listened to I his mom.
Dinner over Tiya sent the kids away and went to clean the kitchen. Everyone but Alexei offered to help, while Alexei insisted hey go to his room before Tiya could embarrass him again. Upon Tiya's reassurance, everyone followed Alexei to his room. Once there, they immedilaty vetoed Alexei's movie suggestion. Kya voted for charades, a game Emi had never played before. Thus the rest of the night was spent playing charades and other board games late into the next.
Next morning:
They awoke with a star to an alarm going off. They They group feel out of Alexei's bed, where the five of them had fell asleep at the night before. Sleepy and confused, they thought it was Cam's computer alerting them to a Xana attack.
"We need to get to the mansion." Kya yawned.
Cam struggled to untangle himself. "That's to loud o to be an alert."
"Than what is it?" Emi placed her hands over her ears to bloc block out the sound.
"Alexei's alarm!" Lynn groaned, trying to shut the alarm off. He couldn't reach the device since he was on the floor ith a still asleep Alexei on top o him. "Dude wake up!" Lynn shook his friend until Alexei's eyes fluttered open.
"No more pancakes Lady Orange." Alexei muttered in his half-asleep state. He continued mumbling names and phases from movies he'd seen.
Lynn rolled his eyes, "Earth to Alexei, turn your alarm off!"
When shouting didn't work, Kya suggested pinching Alexei's shoulder. "It's how we wake him when he sleeps in class.."
Out of ideas, Lynn pinched Alexei's right shoulder. Insistenly he was up and alert. Wide eyed and aware aware, he silenced the alarm. "Huh? That's weird, thought my alarm was set to go off ten minutes ago. Why is it late?"
The others groaned. "Really?" Kya got up and grabbed her overnight bag. "Someone explain to Captain Sleep's Alot." She left for the guest bathroom down the hall. Emi joined her, both going about their morning routes.
Cam said nothing and went to his room. Lynn simply told Alexei he can sleep through anything, than left. Can Confused, Alexei wondered what Lynn meant, as he got ready.
Forty minutes, after, the group as was di dressed and in the kitchen. Tiya's mean meal the night before was large ne enough for leftovers. Each made a plate of leftovers, since none of them wanted to cook. Plus Tiya wasn't getting up early on a Sunday morning, unless she had too. Also, she'd probably be cooking that night.
After cleaning from their meal, they decided to start the day at Kya's favorite, place that ice rank. It was short walk from Alexei's place to the ice rank if you cut through the nearby park. Otherwise it was a twenty-minute walk through the city. They opted for the short cut and would take the long route back to show Emi more of the area.
early morning, the ice rank was mostly empty. Kya showed her friends where to place their things, than brought them over to get ice skates. She'd brought her old pair, ones that couldn't be used for competitions, but are still good for regular ice skating. Finding Cam and Emi's size as easy and Lynn remembered his size since he's use to ice skating with Kya. For Alexei, they had to call Ms. Tiya to ask her, since Alexei forgot his shoe size.
Laced up, they stepped on to the ice. Emi was more adveureous, stepping onto the ice without help. She glided for a second, than fell backwards. While she tried (and failed) to stand on her own, Kya guided and supported Cam. To everyone's surprise, Cam did fine and without hesitation. He held onto Kya, but moved across the ice. Alexei was the solo person protesting. Lynn half-dragged him onto the ice.
"How is this safe or fun?" He cried.
"You play soccer and have gotten the ball kicked to your head, but this is what scares you?" Lynn rolled his eyes.
"That's different, the ball is the unstable one; not me!" Alexei wobbled into the center of the ice with Lynn.
"Pretend your in the ice sector!" Emi skated by. The thin blades were awkward at first but over time, she adjusted. Something she constantly had to do on Lyoko. Many a time, she used the icy terrain on Lyoko to glide and slip away from Xana's monsters. She much more preferred ice skating on Earth than on Lyoko.
Cam allowed Kya to guide him further onto the ice. He did a mix of letting her pull him and moving himself with the skates. he didn't enjoy being on the ice, yet being with Ky a made it fun. For the first time, he realized they never did anything Kya wanted when the two of them hung out together. The few times that they were able to, was spent either at her dorm or his room, usually playing video games. Yes, thy both linked and other often played them, but they also had other hobbies. Cam's hobbies all just happen to involve technology and computers. However, Kya had other interest besides video games. Figure skating is a big one for her. She di didn't speak about it much. Unlike Alexei who consistly brought up moves. Yet, everyone in the group knew it's importance to Kya. Comics was the other (unofficial) interest of Kya's. Not because she got into it, but because he her brothers love comics and included her in this as well. Kya continued to read comics as a connection to her brothers. There are a few she personally lies, but not as much as her siblings.
"Pay attention, or you'll end up on the ground like Alexei." Kya teased.
Cam smirked, "We both know it's pure luck that I haven't fallen yet."
Kya pretended to ponder. "Or this could be your sport. More likely, is that Alexei can't be good at everything. He needs to remain humble."
Cam laughed, "Why haven't you brought here before? We could've seen that sooner." He motioned to a few feet away where Alexei kept slipping each time he tried to get up. Lynn was trying to help, but Alexei pulled them both down.
"When would we have had time?" Kya skated in a small circle around Cam, giving him a chance to try skating on his own. "We were all busy, plus in the beginning no one wanted to stary to far i in case ana attacked."
The early days of the Lyoko Defenders w was tense and confusing. They knew little of Lyoko, Emi and the super super computer. This isn't including Xana's strength back then. Trust was fragile, built on the need to free Emi and keep a secret.
We need to do this again sometime." Emi zoomed by giggling.
Kya looked at her friends on the ice, content with being able to share this experience with them. She knew many more says days like this would come.
It's my favorite place so I decide the movie!" Alexei argued.
Kya and Lynn stood with their arms crossed. They refused to give into Alexei. They'd come to the movie theater after ice skating to take a break and give Alexei his chance to show Emi his favorite place. The movies was the obvious choice, but it was a favorite place of his. Alexei's actual favorite place as a bookstore. He'd already taken Emi there back when they'd allowed Emi and Kya to swap bodies. By being in Kya's body, Emi was able to come to Earth , for a short while. IT was a birthday gift to Emi.
The bookstore was a place only Emi knew about as Alexei's true favorite place. So, the movies were the second best option. Especially since Emi had never been. Alexei just had to convince the others to let him pick the movie.
"No one argued or stopped Kya." Alexei stated.
"Kya doesn't force us to sit through awful movies." Lynn countered.
"Do you want Emi to have a lame first movie experience?" Kya added.
Cam and Emi watched the trio for another ten minutes. Then Cam suggested for either Emi to choose the movie or decide who could chose on behalf of the group.
"Sorry guys, I'm gonna have to go with Alexei on this." Emi answered. "He's been the one to introduce me to movies, plus it is his turn to show me around."
Everyone but Alexei groaned.
"Please don't pick the History of Paint." Cam pleaded with his best friend.
Alexei waved them off. "You'll enjoy it, trust me."
He disappeared to get the tickets, while the others went to the constuion stand. They showed Emi the different foods and snacks avaiblie. Overwhelmed, Emi studied the menu like she was trying to outsmart Xana.
Eventually, Cam intervened. He reminded them about lunch and Emi there was no need to rush, she'd have plenty of opportunities to do and explore earth.
When Alexei rejoined them, the friends had opted to share popcorn. They took a list of teh items that interested Emi. They'd made a memo to help Emi try them later.
"Tada!" Alexei held out five tickets.
"How!?" Kya snatched the tickets. "These have been sold out for a year!"
Lynn rubbed his eyes, "No way! You got these?"
Cam shook his head, "So that's why you kept bugging me to borrow my laptop."
Alexei took the tickets back from Kya. "I won these by entering an online trivia contest. Since the digital line was long, I needed an extra laptop to hold another space."
Even Emi knew the importance of the tickets. It was for he long awaited sequel to the OuterRealm series. A franchises hat spanned movies, tv, video games, books, comics, and even CD dramas. Everyone in the group loved the series.
"So, shall we go?" Alexei gestured to the theater. "Don't wanna miss out."
After the movies:
"I can't believe after waiting the three years for a sequel they ended on a cliff hanger!" Kya groaned.
Lynn patted her back, 'At least they brought back the Vice-Captain. Remember how she went off on her own in the comic. They finally, explained where she was and what she was doing."
They walked out of the theater to stand outside outside the building. The movie just ended and they were hyped for the next one.
"Admit it, I'm good at selecting quality movies." Alexei smugly declared.
"Okay, okay props to you." Lynn gave him a fist bump.
"Credit is due, where credit is due." Cam agreed.
Emi nodded, "It was quiet enjoyable. I'm glad I caught up on the series."
Everyone turned to Kya, who leaned against the wall. 'What?"
"Come on Kya, it's your turn." Alexei taunted. "Fest up, sa say it."
Kya narrowed her eyes. "Never."
"Say it." Alexei stepped towards her. "You have to."
Kya shook her head, "No."
Alexei held up a photo on his call cell. 'So you don't want one?" The photo showed an open box of signed and exclusive merch from the Outer Realm movie. "No even a limited edition signed poster of _."
Kya 's eyes went wide. _ is her favorite actor, who played her favorite character from Outer Realm. "Give it."
"Say it." Alexei held his phone out of reach. "Go on. It's a simple sentence."
Kya grind her teeth. A' "Alexei...you don't completely stuck at selecting movies."
"now was that so hard?" Alexei pulled her into a big hug. "Thanks. I'll give ou out the poster and other merch when we get back."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Kya shoved him off, than moved towards, than moved towards Lynn. "But seriously, thanks for taking us. I've been trying to get tickets."
"Wow, Kya and Alexei had a wholesome moment." Lynn, pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.
Kya playfully shoved her best friend, than checked the time. It was after two p.m.. They still had to show Emi, Cam and Lynn's favorite places and have lunch. Lynn suggested a place, since they couldn't agree where to go. Each person had a different place they wanted to take Emi. Alexei wanted to let her try spicy food. Cam suggested a healthier place, the others deemed it to healthy. While Kya preferred sushi.
Lynn lead them a short ten minute walk from the theater to a less busy street.
"Welcome," Lynn stopped in front of a grey building with a sign that pointed to the entrance. "to my favorite place."