|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:29 pm
Another day, another quest undertaken by Orli and Nat to amuse themselves. They decided to go to the aerospace museum, because Orli hadn't been there in a long time and Nat hadn't been there, period. It was easy to reach on public transportation, so they packed sandwiches and decided to make a day of it.
From the entrance, they made their way to exhibit on vintage spacecraft. Right near the entrance, they paused near an old space capsule encased in plastic. Nat frowned at its charred heat shield.
"I've flown freighters all my life," he said, "but you could not get me in one of those for a million bucks."
Orli nodded sagely. It did not look safe at all.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:08 pm
Casia had perhaps come closer to growing up in the sixties than most children had been for forty years. Her old lady was practically a walking anachronism. However, her 'new lady' wasn't quite the same. In fact, Jane Greystone was getting slightly concerned at Casia's being so unfamiliar with important parts of the 21st century, like internet, and things other kids were so into. Casia knew how to use a record player but she could barely play a CD, and it was something Jane felt she had to rectify.
So they were starting slowly, with kiddie exhibits in a museum. Jane had found the technology part of the place, the tourist guide open in her hands. "Okay, so we go this way, Casia." She pointed in the correct direction and waited for the siren to say something, but was greeted with silence. Lowering the guidebook, she was just in time to see Casia heading off towards the space exhibits. "Rockets...?" Why would she go there?
"The Space Race." she groaned in sudden realization. "Casia!" It looked like it was going to be a long outing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:28 am
"Though I suppose every civilization has to go through this phase," nodded Nat as they moved on to another capsule. This one was of slightly different design to accommodate a different species. The museum had apparently acquired artifacts from all over the galaxy. "Regulations about galactic contact being what they are..."
Orli pressed her nose against the plexiglass housing over the open hatch of one of the capsules, trying to see the interior.
"I still wouldn't ride in one," she said. "I'm glad we're past that. I want to fly a starfighter."
"They're hardly bigger than a space capsule," scoffed Nat.
"Yeah," said Orli, "but you can steer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:54 am
There were exhibits everywhere, models on the ceiling, and science all around, and it made the siren's head spin.
Science wasn't her best subject, she got it, sure she did, but compared to other kids, she was just average in the subject. It caught her interest though, when presented correctly, and the space exhibits were mind-blowing. Seeing the pictures of galaxies and nebulae made the world feel smaller than it was, threw things out of perspective. It was kind of dizzying, and she pulled away from the photograph she was looking at to clear her mind.
As she pulled away, however, something more familiar than star systems caught her eye. A girl, further down the hall with her old man. Did she know her? The face rang a bell, but Casia couldn't quite put her finger on it, so she sped up, walking over to look at the exhibit the two were at and get a closer look at them. Where had she seen her before?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:31 pm
Orli pulled away from the glass, feeling a bit claustrophobic. The old capsules sure had a lot of computer panels for something you couldn't even control very much of. She looked around, trying to decide what direction to head in next, but the exhibit seemed more or less chronological. Orbital craft were next.
She was about to wave for Nat to keep moving when she noticed another girl standing not too far away. She bit her lip for a moment and then announced, "Liberty. You're in my English class. I'm Orli Cooper."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:06 pm
Casia turned at the sound of the introduction, relieved the Orli had given her identifying information. "Oh, hey!" she said, playing like she hadn't noticed her there, "Right!" Now that the stranger had been identified, her mind tossed up another piece of information and Casia seized upon it. "And the craft fair, right?" She remembered someone with a name sort of like that in her group anyway. "Casia. Groovy meeting you here."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:45 pm
"Groovy," nodded Orli, who did not think she'd had reason to use that word before in her entire life. She motioned randomly to one of the capsules on display. "You ever been here before?" she asked.
"Who's your friend, kid?" asked Nat, who she had not realized was standing behind her. Orli looked up at him.
"This is Casia," she said. "We go to school together. Casia, this is my great-grandad. You can call him. Um. Mr. Cooper."
That just sounded damn strange.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:27 pm
"Nope. It's pretty boss though, I love all the neat displays. You?"
Casia nodded to the older man. "Nice to meet you." she said, but at that moment, she remembered something else. She had come here with a sort of family member too. Cringing slightly as she heard rushing footsteps catching up to her, the siren turned around to see a rather annoyed looking postal worker chasing her down. Trying to distract her from starting on a lecture about wandering off by sweeping her up into the conversation, Casia said "And this is Jane. You can call her... Jane, I guess."
At this point, however, Jane's mind caught up with her and she stuck out a hand. "Jane Greystone. Nice to meet you...?"
"Orli Cooper and Mr. Cooper." Casia supplied. "Orli's in my English class."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 8:37 pm
"Hi," said Orli.
"Hello," said Nat.
Orli leaned in towards Casia, a wry smile stretched across her face. "I love it here," she said. "I want to be a pilot. But these old space capsules give me the creeps. Don't you think they'd be kinda scary to ride in?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:04 pm
Casia glanced at the capsules and shuddered. "It'd be pretty hard for me to ride in them, but I'm claustrophobic, you know?" She flapped her wings for emphasis. "Plus they look kinda grody."
"Pilot, huh?" Casia had flown a few times in her life, as she had the means to sprouting from her back, but she hadn't been flying since she had come to Jane's house. "That's neat. It's real groovy to feel yourself take off from the ground and all."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:42 pm
"I bet it is," said Orli happily. Never mind that she had never actually "flown." She had done whatever she did when she went to the Star place but she didn't consider that flying. It was more like interstellar warp speed gliding or something.
She tilted her head to the side, eying Casia's wings.
"Can you fly with those?" she asked curiously. It had never dawned on her to wonder that before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:03 pm
"Sort of."
Realizing this sounded strange, Casia explained, "I mean, yeah, I can, but I just haven't really practiced recently or anything." She had been trying, she really had thought about it. Considered it, at least. She just hadn't felt the motivation to spread her wings and lift off. "But I think it must be really boss to fly a machine, too. What kind do you want to pilot?" None like the capsules, obviously. Casia couldn't blame her.
Jane moved to the exhibits while the girls talked. She had meant to take Casia and firmly redirect her to the computer exhibits, but seeing her daughter socialize with someone who was her own age, not a boy, and in her class, was thrilling. Most of the people Jane was aware of Casia knowing were either male or toddlers or male toddlers. She didn't want to disrupt the siren finally talking to a girl her own age.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:08 pm
"You should practice," suggested Orli, and nodded seriously. "I think your wings are kinda rad."
She shrugged.
"If I had wings like those, I'd practice every single day." If Orli was any more envious at that moment, she'd turn green. This Casia girl didn't seem like she was so aware of what exact good fortune had befallen her that she was totally missing out on.
"You are seriously lucky," she enthused.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 pm
"Yeah, I know." said Casia, guilt wriggling around in her stomach. It wasn't like she hadn't wanted to, well, it was sort of like that, she supposed, but she did want to, really, it was just...
Complicated. Too complicated to explain to Orli and maybe too personal even if she had the words to do so. So instead she twitched the wings that were being discussed and said "But yeah, I've flown a few times before though. It's pretty groovy!"
Switching the focus of the discussion back to Orli, she asked, "So how do you fly?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:23 am
"I can't," said Orli lamely. She leaned in conspiratorially. "But I'm gonna learn how! I'm gonna leave Liberty once I grow and go to fleet academy," she explained. This she did not know for certain. Nat had simply said he'd try to get her in. He had not said he actually would.
Still, she continued. "They're gonna teach me to fly space planes there," she explained. "Not like these things, but fancier, with actually wings an controls and stuff."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
