RE: [IC][Story] There's Nothing Better!
10-17-2016, 01:04 AM (This post was last modified: 12-25-2017, 03:10 PM by robkelk. Edit Reason: typo fix )
10-17-2016, 01:04 AM (This post was last modified: 12-25-2017, 03:10 PM by robkelk. Edit Reason: typo fix )
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
9:20am
"Rob-san, I'm bored."
Oh, dear. Kuroko is bored. The last thing I need is her trying to seduce Mikoto - and by "seduce" I mean "make a clumsy and/or boorish pass at". (Not her fault - she's barely old enough to know what sex is - but I'm the one who would have to clean up the ensuing wreckage when Railgun rejected her advances yet again.)
"Do you have all your purchases sorted yet?"
"Sorted and put in closets or drawers."
That's right - she'd bought the least in the way of clothing while we were out yesterday. "What do you usually do at this time of day?"
"Attend classes."
Yeah. They really should be in school on a Tuesday morning. Time to call a few friends of mine.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
11:15am
"What are these?"
"Practice exams. I want to know what grade each of you should be attending in the local school system."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
5:45pm
Of course.
But, having heard where students from Ontario often end up being sorted into schools in Newfoundland, and having seen some of the things they discussed in class during the Railgun anime, this is what I thought would happen.
"I'm not surprised that your weakest subject is Canadian history. Honestly, I'd be more surprised if any of you knew anything about it. Setting that subject aside, do any of you have any problems being the youngest students in your class?" I turned to Mii. "And, given your results, Konori-san, you need to decide which university to attend."
Ruiko grinned. "Are we really that much smarter than the average here?"
"It looks that way to me. Of course, these aren't the official tests." Then I thought of something. "And we need to get school transcripts for each of you. Until the school board gets those, they might not let you attend class."
Kazari frowned. "Our schools are in another universe."
"I know. I've asked people like us living in some other cities whether they can help with that."
"What'll we do until then, Rob-san?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Anybody want to go out for dinner and see another part of the city?"
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
6:20pm
"Please stick close to me, ladies," I asked while we got off the bus. "The Byward Market is a tourist trap, and I don't want to have to search for any of you."
Kuroko gave me that look. "We do have GPS on our phones."
I nodded. "True, but GPS doesn't tell you which alleys you shouldn't walk down in a busy neighbourhood."
"Point taken. What kind of food are we going to get?"
"I'm thinking going to a buffet will let you sample a lot of different North American foods." Seeing four blank looks, I added, "I think you call it a Viking."
While we were walking past the bookstore, I noticed a very pretty Asian girl, about Mikoto and Kuroko's age, reading a very thick book. I wondered for a moment where I had seen her before - then hurried to tell Kuroko (who'd taken the lead) to turn right at the corner.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
7:35pm
"I think I won't be able to eat for a week!"
"Why did we take so much food?"
"And why did they keep taking our empty plates away? I lost track of how much I ate!"
The only one who wasn't complaining about the size of the meal we'd just finished was Mikoto. I stepped closer to her and asked, "What did you think of the buffet?"
"The food had a bit too much starch for my taste."
"They do that on purpose. The food is a set price no matter how much you eat. The drinks are charged by the glass."
"That makes sense. Draw people in with an inexpensive meal, and get them to -" She stopped.
Kuroko noticed, looked where Mikoto was looking, and also stopped. Mii followed suit.
Ruiko looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Mii pointed down the alleyway that the three girls were looking into. "Do you see that mark, Saten-san?"
"It looks to me like somebody burned something against the wall."
Mikoto shook her head. "Sort of. That's an electrical arc burn."
"You're sure?" I asked. She just gave me an are-you-really-that-stupid? look. "Of course you're sure."
Kazari cleared her throat. "You haven't been down here lately, have you, Misaka-san?"
"We've been together every time we've left the apartment building, Uiharu-san. I've never been here before. But it does look like something I would have left if I was fighting off an attacker."
"Not quite," Kuroko added. "The angle of the burn on the wall indicates it came from somebody taller than you."
"You're right, it does. That means there's another electrokinetic somewhere nearby."
Aw, shit. I know how Mikoto thinks in this kind of situation. She wants to fight whoever this other electrokinetic is, just to see who's stronger. I had to make sure that didn't happen - at least, not downtown where there were innocent bystanders who didn't know enough to realize they needed to run away from a metahuman battle.
And why was I thinking of that Asian girl I'd noticed at the bookstore? She seemed to be shorter than Mikoto, not taller. What was my subconscious trying to tell me?
September 13th, 2016
9:20am
"Rob-san, I'm bored."
Oh, dear. Kuroko is bored. The last thing I need is her trying to seduce Mikoto - and by "seduce" I mean "make a clumsy and/or boorish pass at". (Not her fault - she's barely old enough to know what sex is - but I'm the one who would have to clean up the ensuing wreckage when Railgun rejected her advances yet again.)
"Do you have all your purchases sorted yet?"
"Sorted and put in closets or drawers."
That's right - she'd bought the least in the way of clothing while we were out yesterday. "What do you usually do at this time of day?"
"Attend classes."
Yeah. They really should be in school on a Tuesday morning. Time to call a few friends of mine.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
11:15am
"What are these?"
"Practice exams. I want to know what grade each of you should be attending in the local school system."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
5:45pm
Of course.
But, having heard where students from Ontario often end up being sorted into schools in Newfoundland, and having seen some of the things they discussed in class during the Railgun anime, this is what I thought would happen.
"I'm not surprised that your weakest subject is Canadian history. Honestly, I'd be more surprised if any of you knew anything about it. Setting that subject aside, do any of you have any problems being the youngest students in your class?" I turned to Mii. "And, given your results, Konori-san, you need to decide which university to attend."
Ruiko grinned. "Are we really that much smarter than the average here?"
"It looks that way to me. Of course, these aren't the official tests." Then I thought of something. "And we need to get school transcripts for each of you. Until the school board gets those, they might not let you attend class."
Kazari frowned. "Our schools are in another universe."
"I know. I've asked people like us living in some other cities whether they can help with that."
"What'll we do until then, Rob-san?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Anybody want to go out for dinner and see another part of the city?"
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
6:20pm
"Please stick close to me, ladies," I asked while we got off the bus. "The Byward Market is a tourist trap, and I don't want to have to search for any of you."
Kuroko gave me that look. "We do have GPS on our phones."
I nodded. "True, but GPS doesn't tell you which alleys you shouldn't walk down in a busy neighbourhood."
"Point taken. What kind of food are we going to get?"
"I'm thinking going to a buffet will let you sample a lot of different North American foods." Seeing four blank looks, I added, "I think you call it a Viking."
While we were walking past the bookstore, I noticed a very pretty Asian girl, about Mikoto and Kuroko's age, reading a very thick book. I wondered for a moment where I had seen her before - then hurried to tell Kuroko (who'd taken the lead) to turn right at the corner.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 13th, 2016
7:35pm
"I think I won't be able to eat for a week!"
"Why did we take so much food?"
"And why did they keep taking our empty plates away? I lost track of how much I ate!"
The only one who wasn't complaining about the size of the meal we'd just finished was Mikoto. I stepped closer to her and asked, "What did you think of the buffet?"
"The food had a bit too much starch for my taste."
"They do that on purpose. The food is a set price no matter how much you eat. The drinks are charged by the glass."
"That makes sense. Draw people in with an inexpensive meal, and get them to -" She stopped.
Kuroko noticed, looked where Mikoto was looking, and also stopped. Mii followed suit.
Ruiko looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Mii pointed down the alleyway that the three girls were looking into. "Do you see that mark, Saten-san?"
"It looks to me like somebody burned something against the wall."
Mikoto shook her head. "Sort of. That's an electrical arc burn."
"You're sure?" I asked. She just gave me an are-you-really-that-stupid? look. "Of course you're sure."
Kazari cleared her throat. "You haven't been down here lately, have you, Misaka-san?"
"We've been together every time we've left the apartment building, Uiharu-san. I've never been here before. But it does look like something I would have left if I was fighting off an attacker."
"Not quite," Kuroko added. "The angle of the burn on the wall indicates it came from somebody taller than you."
"You're right, it does. That means there's another electrokinetic somewhere nearby."
Aw, shit. I know how Mikoto thinks in this kind of situation. She wants to fight whoever this other electrokinetic is, just to see who's stronger. I had to make sure that didn't happen - at least, not downtown where there were innocent bystanders who didn't know enough to realize they needed to run away from a metahuman battle.
And why was I thinking of that Asian girl I'd noticed at the bookstore? She seemed to be shorter than Mikoto, not taller. What was my subconscious trying to tell me?
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown