Pre-Jump Earth Literature

[aestrix]

It's a new term, and the end of the break between terms most students have been enjoying. But time marches ever on, and so at 1:00 PM, just after lunch, twenty-six students all around the age of fifteen are finding seats in an obnoxiously decorated classroom. It's one of those classrooms that tries very hard to be peppy and inspirational, and only succeeds at being very out of touch, and kind of creepy.

Soon it will be time to read about things long-dead people wrote.

Comments

[poll_the_stars]

"Ah-ha," says Yvette, and she doesn't add that she thinks that looking for his family's mountains is terribly cute. Now it is obviously her turn to find where she's from, though she doesn't have a mountain range of her very own.

She squints up at it and waits for the holo to turn a bit more before pointing and saying, "Well, I live near that huge blue watery part, up in the northeast. Vorpatril's district, if you're curious."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I have a cousin who's a Vorpatril but he's nowhere near the Countship. Is it nice on the coast? I've never been."

[poll_the_stars]

"During the summer it's wonderful," she sighs, sounding like she misses it. "Warm without being scorching hot, and not humid or dry at all. And - Vorbarr Sultana is nice, but I like New Evias a lot more. It's quieter. Less busy."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, now I'm homesick," Miles remarks with a half-smile, gazing up at the rotating planet as it slowly carries his mountains out of view. "I miss weather. And horses. And maple syrup."

[poll_the_stars]

"Sorry." Pause. "I miss the sky, and the - light from it, to sound weird. The light doesn't change here, it - gets darker when the lights are off, and the lighting varies from place to place but there's no. Pinks and oranges and purples and yellows, it is just white and bland or this bright burning neon, unless you're in a place that's changing the light on purpose, and then it's like that all the time, and that sort of takes the fun out of it if that's all you have. And trees that aren't - there are trees here but they are all... the term I want to use is tame? Neatly planted exactly where they are wanted and pruned to perfection, until they are the perfect example of trees everywhere, aren't all of those other trees that can grow however they like jealous."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Barely qualifies as a tree, in my opinion," he says. "I miss the outdoors in general. Beta Colony doesn't have an outdoors, it has a—an exterior."

[poll_the_stars]

"Qualifies as a tree in name and biology only," agrees Yvette wryly. "Yeah. I couldn't actually live here because of that, I think. Among other reasons. Exterior, but no outdoors. Bleh. I'll probably refuse to go inside for hours when I get home. 'No, Mama, I have to look at the sky some more.'"

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles giggles. "I'm going straight to the lake house and making sure my horse didn't forget me, I think."

[poll_the_stars]

"You have a horse?" she asks, delighted.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yes. His name is Fat Ninny, which is entirely Grandda's fault. But he's a good horse, and I like him."

[poll_the_stars]

Giggle. "Why did your Grandda name your horse Fat Ninny, Miles?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, we're on Beta Colony so I should probably blame it on some sort of subconscious desire to punish me for my defective skeleton, but actually I think the real culprit is his sense of humour."

[poll_the_stars]

"Aha. The most dangerous culprit of all on the subject of names."

[thisvorlunatic]

Giggle.

[poll_the_stars]

She smiles. "My family has a cat. My sister named him Croissant."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Okay, that's more surreal than Fat Ninny, but arguably less demeaning."

[poll_the_stars]

Giggle. "Yeah. She wanted to name him Toast but my parents wouldn't let her."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I think Toast is an adorable name for a cat."

[poll_the_stars]

"She thought so too! And now she plans to name any pet she has after the breakfast theme, because my sister."

[thisvorlunatic]

"That's very cute."

[poll_the_stars]

"Atrociously adorable!"

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles giggies.

And: "I feel like playing with magnets next, do you want to go play with magnets?"

[poll_the_stars]

"Yes, let's go play with magnets," she laughs.

[thisvorlunatic]

The magnets are nearby and very impressive. Hovering things! Shiny black liquids which you, yes you, can cause to form interesting shapes! Model trains! A fantastic contraption in which small steel balls can be induced to fly around in intricate trajectories!

Miles is immediately drawn to the contraption. It's so contraptional.

[poll_the_stars]

Gosh, it is! Yvette is also tempted by the contraption, but thinks it might be wise to maybe give Miles space at it.

She instead lets herself be drawn to the shiny black liquids that she can make interesting shapes with. Sure, anyone can make some squiggly shapes, but she is going to make complicated things. Such complicated things. She starts trying (unsuccessfully) to make a shiny black liquid into a suitably lace-like form. Hmmmmm. Hmmmm.

This is hard.

(And also fun.)