T.A.K.E.out

[Aubre [~]]

It all started with a quiet little growl. it came from below the chin, and above the waist, and could have been brushed off as nothing more than an illusion if not for the fact that it persisted.

The laptop was now a thin , blank disc on the floor. No longer did school work scroll across the screen in large paragraphs, and no more did the teacher's monotonous voice drone out through tiny little mesh speakers. The little device lay in a nest of maroon carpeting, an odd tree lay on the ground nearby. Occasionally a delighted little "murr" came out from between the branches, and a tiny little branch waved in the air. Other than that, the small apartment was silent.

The main boarder was out, much to her displeasure.

--

The "sky" shone a bright blue overhead, bunny shaped clouds hopped over its expanse, disappearing from view behind small businesses and looming skyscrapers. The sun beamed in the east, it seemed to be smiling.
"No doubt ..it knows a storm is coming. The sun is lazy around here."
The voice was quickly whisked away on a gentle little breeze, and deposited into the void above her head. The sidewalk had recently been repaved, the one beneath her feet anyway, and each footstep echoed with a resounding crack. People milled about on the sidewalk, and the petite figure found herself wading through clothing, and cell phone conversations.

Each time she was forced into a group of people she seemed to shrink, her eyes became entranced in the sidewalk, her shoulders drew inward. The girl straightened up each time she was alone on the street, and walked forward with shift-eyed caution.

--

During one of these little rovings, her eyes settled on a pair of bright yellow arches. With a resolute nod, and a tug at her hoody she ran toward the door. With a deep calming breath she ducked inside.

-

The buffet stretched ahead in all of its silvery glory, it resembled some kind of meat conveyor belt. The girl could practically imagine live cows being chopped into little pieces, each screaming slice deposited at each station. It was then boiled alive in a horrid elixir of oil, and then wrapped in a cage of carbohydrates, and processed vegetables. It would the--

Orange locks flew by her face in a storm, and with a resolute nod she took a few tentative steps toward the counter.
"....just....some hamburgers.. probably not even real meat.. heck..."
A bright sign caught her eyes, and the blood red words "100% real meat, made her stomach turn somersaults. The delicate little voice spoke again:
"...maybe I can just have some fries..."
Lithe little fingers now latched onto a tray, tugging it from a teetering stack, mumbling reassuring things to herself she began to stalk down the buffet toward the fry section. The little round ears atop her head seemed to pulse with her heart, and no doubt her hands were covered in sweat.
"wait.. fries.. and that grease give you heart attacks.."
The little imp that was her stomach let out another ill tempered grumble. The tray was instantly loaded with a small carton of fries, and a small drink. Who cared if that drink was probably filled with the saliva of lazy teenagers?

--

The cash register now loomed ahead, as did the card scanner. Laying the rather empty tray on the counter, she went through a series of actions and entered her pin number. The card went through without a hitch, as did her order. Or, at least she wished it had.
"That card is outdated. Miss. The little screen up here told me so.
The girl froze like a mouse in the eyes of a snake, as her head titled upward to glance at the fellow behind the counter. Her green eyes seemed to quiver, pupils growing.
"..........."
The girl began to back away from the teenager behind the counter. No doubt that was blood on his apron, and he happened to be one of those dissatisfied workers who would shoot you due to being disappointed with their own lives. Who wouldn't be disappointed working in a place like this?

The human teenager behind the counter blinked:
"Hellooooooo? Miss?"
Aubre snapped back to earth with a string of nervous apologies, at that moment the machine let out a loud click, and a receipt popped out.
"Sorry.. sorry sir...what did I do.. did I break it?"
The girl asked in trembling fear, the boy behind the counter smiled , and shook his head.
"Silly thing's been on the fritz all day, you're good. Sorry to frighten you."
The blonde male ended the words with a friendly wink. Legs practically blurring, the girl fled from the counter, and toward a table.

One issue…

All of them were taken. It didn’t seem anyone was leaving anytime soon either. Unless she wanted to brave the dark alley outside it appeared she would have to set down. Dark eyes instantly began cruising over the tables, and criticizing the occupants.

..That guy was a rapist..
.. That couple was too busy making out to like an interruption..
..Children pulled at her tail...

Green eyes finally settled at a booth near the corner of the restaurant, that person looked harmless. Or at least, only as dangerous as a conman, and not a serial killer. Deciding that nothing else was to be done, she slowly walked toward the table.

The ancient translator at her cheek buzzed as she began to speak.
"Excuse me....may I sit here ?I am sorry for the intrusion. Everywhere else is full, which you probably know. I wasn't calling you ignorant..."
The hood still lay over her face, shadowing the fragile cheekbones, and best of all the terrified look in her eyes.

Hopefully this person didn't eat little mice-people.

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

Tall slender figure had folded neatly into a booth. The girl sat alone, staring down at the plastic cup in front of her. Inside, murky brown liquid swirled around. 'Why did I get the coffee? I know I don't like coffee.' Truth was, she had been entirely distracted while ordering. 'I suppose this is what I get for being absent minded.' She speculated. For a quite a while now, she had been staring down at the coffee with a rather pensive look on her face.

Rashida's eyes flickered to the right as she heard someone step in. As absent-minded as she was, she still managed to know what was going around her. Her head still stayed down, facing in the general direction of the full coffee cup while her light emerald eyes stayed focused on the newcomer. The person she saw was a rather small looking girl. Rashida's moved back to her cup, though she was still listening to the girl over the noise of the other families.

Her eyes twitched shut, and she concentrated on bring the girl's image back to her mind. Over the last couple years, Shida had been trying to teach herself how to have a photogenic mind. Obviously, it was going to be impossible to have an in-born photogenic mind - but she could certainly sharpen her memory to the point where if she immersed herself into memorizing a face, she would rarely forget it.

A reluctant image formed; a rather short girl - bundled up in thick layers - with a long tail. A shock of orange hair fell in a chaotic way over the girl's deep green eyes. Freckles dotted her nose and checks, and a series of scars spread themselves over her small face.

Pleased, Rashida opened her eyes, and glanced around, only to find the mousey girl standing before her. Shida cleared her throat slightly, wondering what this kid wanted to do with her. She straightened her knee-length grey skirt, and waited patiently for Aubre to speak.

"Excuse me....may I sit here ?I am sorry for the intrusion. Everywhere else is full, which you probably know. I wasn't calling you ignorant..." Rashida kept her face an unreadable mask and watched the girl stutter and stumble over her words. Her eyes pierced at Aubre's, and a knowing look passed over them. "Very well." She affirmed, her voice low.

With a rather bored look, she lifted one elbow on the table and rested her chin in it. She glanced back down at the cup, making the coffee swirl as she stirred it gently. With one hand she pushed her forest green hair over one shoulder. At this angle, thick bangs hid Rashida's eyes, and thus, what she was thinking.

[Aubre [~]]

The girl gave Aubre the impression of being a tree, and now that she was standing over [or near] her, she saw how lanky the lady really was. Those well manicured little hands resembled branches ended in invisible leafs, the torso the trunk, and the falling waves of green hair the all protecting shade. The metaphor was beautiful, but then it turned dark. The skin detatched from the girl in a bloody mess, and the rug like skin twisted and hardened, turning into a trunk. Blood dripped from the branches. Red, dangerous, it would burn like acid against the ski--the girl shook her head once again. The images disappeared, and she turned to look at her hands. The knuckles were now a bright snowy white, and the metal tray was covered in scratches and fingerprints. The arms trembled in spasmic movements.

Chewing her lip she attempted to examine the girl's face. That did not sound like a very happy affirmation, was it permission, or just an acknowledgement of one of her statements? Why did her bangs have to hang so low? The single glance of the bright eyes was not enough, just a few seconds more. That statement was very ambigous, things like that bothereed the hell out of her.
".....okay."
The food was getting cold, and she really did not have a choice. If the lady said something about her sitting down, then and only then would she run off, apologizing like a madwoman.

The knees slowly came unlocked, and Aubre half threw herself into the booth, silk pants fluttered around her ankles. The hood flew away from her hair, and broke loose of its bandings. With a disgruntled squeak it was quickly pulled back up, and pulled down over her eyes. No one was supposed to see those ears, nobody liked a mutt, especially not most normal people.
"...Light is kind of bright.."
Did I mention that she was a horrible liar? Wide eyes scrutinized Rashida, as tiny little fingers began to methodically devour the fries. They disappeared one at a time, were slowly chewed and swallowed. The taste was something akin to sandpaper, maybe that was her nerves.

The silence allowed the thoughts to slowly stream back in, so with a deep breath Aubre began to speak, or ramble.
" What you drinking?"
The translator fizzed and rattled near her ear, a smooth palm cupped over it. All that buzzing made it hard to hear. That was an idiotic question, it was obviously coffee, she would gladly shut up if the girl would look at her. Or if she asked her to be quiet.
"....I'm Aubre.."
An introduction was never wrong, unless the girl hated people whose names started with A's, or were based off colors. Crazy people existed like that in the world.

Luckily the girl did not know what she was thinking, oh lord how offended would people be if her thoughts were broadcasted to the world.
"....Thank you for letting me sit here...I would never have let a stranger sit with me..."
Oh great, now she sounded like a hypocrite.
"You..you would probably be fine..."
Just dig yourself into a deeper hole, go right ahead, you already look like an idiot.

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

Rashida could still feel Aubre's gaze on her, and she self-consciously rubbed her fingers against each other, around the plastic cup. She glanced up at the girl's hands as she heard a trembling sound. The plastic drink cup and fries rattled uneasily against the metal tray. Her knuckles practically gleamed with a bright alabaster color. Rashida's lips parted slightly - as if to say something. Her breath passed slowly through parted lips for a long moment before the girl pressed them back together.

Had she really frightened the girl that badly? Rashida's eyes raked over Aubre's face as she attempted to discern her thoughts. Luckily, Aubre most likely would not have noticed the scrutiny for Shida still hide her eyes beneath the fringe of dark hair. After a long moment, the diminutive girl muttered, ".....okay." After another long moment, she thrust herself into the booth. Rashida's eyes rolled. Was she really that scary? Or was it just the girl? Being only eighteen, Rashida doubted it was herself. It wasn't as though she was very imposing - okay scratch that. In her work clothing Shida did happen to look very professional, and with her natural reticence she did manage to come off as quite the striking figure.

When Aubre's hood came off, she studied the little mouse ears. As Aubre squeaked in protest and yanked her hood back over the tousled mess that was her hair, Rashida glanced back at the coffee. 'Dang coffee.' she thought, contemplating throwing it at the nearest person. She smothered a chuckle by disguising it as a cough. No need to make this girl think that she was a deranged lunatic. "...Light is kind of bright.." A voice said, causing Shida to jerk her head up, revealing her lustrous emerald eyes. Rashida nodded once, and lowered her gaze.

She could see that small, nimble fingers quickly began to annihilate the French fries on Aubre's metal tray, one by one. A slightly shaky voice asked, "What you drinking?" Raising an eyebrow, the tall girl gazed at Aubre. With one hand she carefully swept the bangs out of her eyes for a clearer look. The tiny girl raised a hand to the translator that fitted neatly over her head. Rashida had noticed it earlier. It was a much older model then the one she had. Without saying a word, she pushed the drink towards Aubre, showing the brown liquid inside and allowing the strong aroma to waft under the mousy girl's nose.

Another awkward silence began, as Aubre searched for something to say. "....I'm Aubre......Thank you for letting me sit here...I would never have let a stranger sit with me..." Rashida hid another chuckle as a cough. "You..you would probably be fine..." After a moment of silence, Rashida replied, "That would be the difference between you and I." She paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. "Rashida." After a moment, she lowered her gaze to her hands and took a small sip - trying not to grimace as the strong, bitter taste coursed over her tongue and down her throat.

[Aubre [~]]

The hood shifted , the ears underneath it twitched spastically at the noise of a cough. Either the girl was choking, trying her best not to say something mean, or dying of some kind of airborne virus. Just to be safe, she allowed her head to drop deeper into her hoody, the trusty fabric happened to be doused in a germ killing chemical, or it had been ten years ago.
"You okay..?"
The voice seemed concerned [though not exactly for Rashida], if not muffled beneath thick fabric. Hopefully, the girl was just coughing, dust in her throat or something silly. Nothing to be worried about, unless it was one of those human diseases with the odd abbreviations HIV or AIDS.
"..with all the Sallon'd in here you'd think someone would be polite to tone down the lights..."
But then again, not really. Giving the other species the ability to see when she couldn't was more terrifying than the lights burning out a few retinas.

Green eyes met for a moment, before Aubre, and Rashida turned back toward their food. The liquid in her cup sloshed about as the girl slowly rose it to her chapped lips. Like clockwork she drank three quick sips, before moving on to the next fried potato in her carton.
"Back home, we don't have things like this. Most of the stuff tastes like fire..."
Which she had never actually tasted, but there was a reason most Neebu carried around buckets of ice. Another frie was pulverized by her strong little teeth, before her throat began to undulate, and it disappeared into her stomach.

The arousing smell of coffee tickled her nose, which wrinkled for just a moment. When humans introduced the neebu to coffee they took to it like ducks to water, and the small caramel colored liquid made her hunger for home. What came out of her mouth however had nothing to do with sadness and fond memories.
"Coffee is too bitter for me, I really don't need the caffeine either it drives people crazy...not that it does the same to you."
Did people realize how many times a day they insulted others, angered them, or fell into verbal pit traps? Aubre did, it was for that reason that she constantly added things to her sentences, and apologized for things that might be considered offensive.

More than one cough, was the girl sick? What was it humans said when someone coughed?
"Excus..no wait...ness..no bless you."
Or was that only when someone sneezed, dear lord human customs were so confusing. Most Neebu laughed when someone was sick, they did not bless them in the name of some god and tell them to feel better. Hopefully the coughing wasn't contagious, her lungs wouldn't be able to cope with something like pneumonia, and her family was especially vulnerable to respiratory issues.

The girl seemed to be willing to talk now, which meant she wasn't mad. Weight lifted off Aubre's chest, and she smiled. Then the idea of a trick flashed across her brain; the happiness disappeared almost instantly.
" I --yes--I guess it would. I happen to be the tiniest bit paranoid.."
Or according to her old psychologist much more than that, but she truly did not want to scare Rashida away. It was the first conversation she had fostered in a while. Wait. Do conversations with Treetles, and trees count?
" Pleasure to meet you..."
The fries were steadily disappearing, half of the carton was now taking an expression train to a bathe in acid. Burning, bubbling, hissing acid, that would corrode skin and devour flesh.
"..so...do you know if its supposed to rain today?"
The weather controllers sure as hell did, but they kept it a secret from everyone else. Such unpredictable weather was supposedly part of the earth experience, as was drowning.

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

"You okay..?" A muffled voice asked, slight dregs of concern gently lacing Aubre's speech. A brief nod was all Rashida would allow herself. The mouse's concern touched Shida, but at the same time she was hesitant to the cause of that concern. Seemed someone was a bit frightful of germs or such. After a brief pause, Aubre spoke, "..with all the Sallon'd in here you'd think someone would be polite to tone down the lights..." Amusement twined with Rashida's vocals, "Does the light bother you much?"

Rashida watched Aubre take a sip of her pop. The tall girl briefly wondered what type of soda it was, but decided that unimportant in the same second. Aubre popped a couple more fries into her mouth, "Back home, we don't have things like this. Most of the stuff tastes like fire..." "Really?" Shida intoned, not necessarily sarcastically.

"Coffee is too bitter for me, I really don't need the caffeine either it drives people crazy...not that it does the same to you." This time Rashida allowed herself to chuckle. Aubre seemed to be so fearful of insulting her, when Shida was rather laid back. After Shida had coughed - or rather - hidden a laugh as a cough for the second or third time, Aubre seemed rather concerned. "Excus..no wait...ness..no bless you." Rashida didn't even pause as she took another sip of her despicable coffee. "Thank you dear," she replied, ignoring the fact that there really was no way to reply to a cough. "Please excuse me. I'm not real fond of coffee myself. The fumes keep making me cough," Rashida ended - hopefully that would settle Aubre's fear of...well - whatever she was scared of.

"I --yes--I guess it would. I happen to be the tiniest bit paranoid.." "Aren't we all?" intoned Rashida. Surprisingly enough, she could feel herself opening up to Aubre. The mouse-like girl was hardly a threat. In fact, she seemed to rather fear or revere Shida. A refreshing change to the towering girl who had to fight her way into the business world, and had to fight every day to stay in it.

"Pleasure to meet you..." Aubre voiced. Rashida's lips curled up into a smile - the only thing visible as her bangs hid the rest of her face. Aubre understood human customs better then most humans themselves did. "Likewise." The woman replied. A long moment was ensured as Shida struggled to figure out what to say. One of the reasons she kept so silent is that whenever she did say something, it always ended up being too hurtful to the person.

Once again, Aubre's voice broke through, relieving Rashida of the duty to find a safe topic to talk about. "..so...do you know if its supposed to rain today?" Weather - something she knew about. With another - slightly frightening - half smile, Rashida replied, "From the coolness of the breeze and the heavy, condensed way the air forms, I'd say it will rain. You can almost smell the rain." Shida's voice slowly warmed to the subject. She could have gone on, but she preferred to find Aubre's opinion. "What do you think?"

[Aubre [~]]

It seemed Rashida was just fine, unless she was lyi--wait, wait, no one let really sick people out of the hospitals. Otherwise, it would be like letting loose an epidemic on the world, and the girl looked fine now that she took a second glance. Her eyes seemed clear, her nose dry [ no boogers or anything], and her breathing steady. With a long exhale of air, the girl allowed herself to relax into the bench. The girl seemed harmless, like a Venus flytrap, but until she was stupid enough to go somewhere alone with her...which she wasn't...she'd be safe enough. Light? What light? Green eyes slowly trailed toward the ceiling.
"..No. Not really, Nithroy is sunny...but all this light is kind of blinding.."
It made the white appear brighter, and the steel counters to project wave like images along the wall.
"....wait.......err....I just said that when my hood fell off.. and I squeaked..."
Well, she had already shattered her prior excuse, and what would a lie do but make someone angry, or angrier?



"Yes Miss-nothing's worth eating unless it burns the roof of your mouth. Everything's covered in spices, a lot of spices..."
The girl stopped talking, no doubt there had been no real curiosity behind that, just more pleasantries. Here she was becoming a babbling brook, she really needed to call her parents and talk their ears off sometimes.
"You ever been to Nithroy?"
What a silly question. Humans never went there, it was too dry, and too barren. They also didn't have beach resorts, or casinos. What kind of freak would go there for a vacation?

--

"You are very welcome...dear...isn't that a grandmotherly word?"
Hopefully that was the right reply, the bless you thing. Maybe when she went home, she would paw her way through her rather large book of human mannerisms.
"Wait no.. err...very nice word.. just.. never heard someone your age say it."
The fries were now growing cold, the girl's figners danced nervousl above them, tiny little claws digging into skin before pulling back.
"..so why do you drink it.. for the caffeine?"
Maybe it would be a good idea to stay away from the coffee fumes, no need to let it invade her brain. No doubt it could do a lot more than make you sneeze.
"...well...I guess some people are.. like me. But then again, most people wouldn't open up to tell you they're paranoid eh?"
Which made sense, more sense then her running around telling everyone she was damn crazy.

The Neebu-hybrid found the grin widening.
"~Well this seems to be going well. You have any pets? You just get out of school ?"
The girl reached for the cup again, popping a few fries in her mouth before tugging at the straw. A nagging feeling began to tug at the back of her skull, and she whirled around to find herself nose to nose with the occupant of the next booth over.
"..sorry.."
Not even bothering to ask what the teenage male was doing she resumed her chat with Rashida.


--

" I think it's gonna rain. The controllers have kept it nice for way too long. Although all that science- stuff is true too."
For once she did not have to edit her opinion to match someone else's , she was speaking the truth. It felt nice to be honest with herself, and with someone else.

Why was that freak watching her? Why couldn't he just sit down and go away? No doubt he was one of those mean boys who dumped ice down the backs of ladies' shirts.

...
.....
........

Maybe not.

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

Rashida's long, slender fingers tapped on the table. Not impatiently, just with a tinge of boredom. She straightened when Aubre spoke, "..No. Not really, Nithroy is sunny...but all this light is kind of blinding.." "Hmm..." The lithe girl murmured in reply. "....wait.......err....I just said that when my hood fell off.. and I squeaked..." Rashida said nothing. She had just remembered that the Neebu in general were easily offended, which would explain why Aubre was always apologizing for something she said. Perhaps she should inform the mouse that humans didn't offend nearly as easily...?

Before she had a chance to do that, Aubre's voice broke in, answering another one of Rashida's questions. "Yes Miss-nothing's worth eating unless it burns the roof of your mouth. Everything's covered in spices, a lot of spices..." Rashida gave an amused hmph. But yet again, before she could reply Aubre asked a question of her own. "You ever been to Nithroy?" Shida raised an eyebrow. Interesting question for Aubre to ask for Nithroy wasn't exactly the place to go if you wanted to go on a vacation. She mulled over her response for a moment, then replied, "Yes, I have. And as I recall everything was rather spicy. I had difficulty finding food to eat since I'm not particular to fiery foods."

"You are very welcome...dear...isn't that a grandmotherly word?" Rashida's wince was hidden beneath her bangs. She often talked older then she actually was - though it was always a bit of a sore spot when it was brought up. "Wait no.. err...very nice word.. just.. never heard someone your age say it." "No no," Rashida replied, "You are quite right. Unfortunately, I often use older adages."

Aubre picked at her fries, apparently they had grown cold. "..so why do you drink it.. for the caffeine?" The tall girl ruminated over her answer. "I'm not sure. Perhaps it's to fit in better with the older generation? Certainly not for the caffeine. That drug does horrible things to your body." Rashida blinked and looked down at her coffee. She was such a hypocrite. Standing in a smooth motion, she glided over to the garbage and dropped the cup into the trash. She folded her body back up into the booth as Aubre's next answer came forth.

"...well...I guess some people are.. like me. But then again, most people wouldn't open up to tell you they're paranoid eh?" "I find your candor rather refreshing actually," The girl said, twining her fingers together and then straightening them. She smiled as Aubre grew more confident and began to ask more questions. "~Well this seems to be going well. You have any pets? You just get out of school ?" "No pets and I work. How about you?"

As Rashida spoke, she realized that the boy in the next booth over was finding this conversation rather fascinating. He was leaned up against the booth, most likely kneeling on the cushion. Evidently Aubre had felt his presence as well, for she turned about and managed to bump noses with the guy. Without hesitating she said,

[/u]"..sorry.."[/u] and resumed her conversation with Rashida. Shida lifted her chin up, revealing her eyes and gave him her best glare - clearly telling him to clear out or else.

"I think it's gonna rain. The controllers have kept it nice for way too long. Although all that science- stuff is true too." Rashida smiled politely, distracted look on her face. Obviously the dude wasn't getting it. "Please excuse me," she said as she unfolded her long body and stepped to the next-door booth. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop?" She placed one hand on the table, fingers splaying. "Either you quit your eavesdropping or you clear out." Eyes narrowed dangerously, and Shida felt almost certain that he would be intimidated since she towered over him by a couple inches or so. The slender girl smiled brightly at the boy, then returned to Aubre. "Where were we?"
[/blockquote][/blockquote]
OhOhSea://

M'kay, well if you had something planned with the teenager and I just totally ruined it, lemme know xD I can alter my last paragraph or whatever to fit. ^_^

[/size]

[Aubre [~]]

As the food discussion intensified, Aubre found herself nodding in agreement.
"Me either. Kind of made me a freak, it was hard to hunt down spice-free food. Though i bet I could out spice any human in this room. Not that I would, I was only saying I'm used to it, not trying to show off."
It was amazing that Neebu's still had tongues in their mouths, one would think they would turn the insides of their jaws into ash. The girl knew a few people who thought swallowing fire was a job for babies.
"...sometimes though.. This food can be a little bland..."
Sad thing was, Nithroy spices happened to be good for you. All the human ones seemed to cause rheumatism, colds, or high cholesterol. Which put them off limits.
"..wow. You're one of the first people I've met, who's been there without being forced."
It had its beauties, but it had its dangers. With all the rumors floating around now, maybe it was safer back home. Even when she was chased into a corner, and teased by her cousins for being shy.

" Adages? Is that another one of those? I only brought it up because I've never heard it before. "
The translator's constant beeping was beginning to unnerve her. Why was she talking so much, why didn't Rashida tell her to shush? The girl was unused to holding a proper conversation, and it made her extremely self conscious. Or more self conscious than usually. Claws brushed the cardboard fry container, and clenched together.
"Ooh....I didn’t even realize I had eaten so much.."
No doubt she was now going to die from some kind of cholesterol attack, her veins would be swamped with fat and she would gain thirty pounds.

--

When Rashida stood Aubre felt a ridiculous urge to flee. The girl was much taller than she was, hell, she could probably lift her up like a soggy kitten. Muscles tight she flinched as the cup hit the garbage, and splattered down the sides, like thick warm bloo--and here she had been doing well. In order to drown out the thoughts the girl spoke louder.
".. Horrible things? I thought it just woke you up? ...Are you going to get something else?"
Maybe if she could hide behind Rashida, she would have the courage to actually go through the line again. Currently the boy behind the counter resembled Satan.

What did candor mean? The translator informed her, and she decided it was nothing to be insulted by.
"Thank you...I don't get out much.. I probably wouldn't be this bad if I did."
Bad at talking, not poor morally. Though at times she was extremely selfish, and suspicious.

"I have a treetle.. I was forced to buy him when one of the other animals scared me, and I knocked hi s cage over. He looks like a little tree...a bons...bonsai."
The translator had done a nice job of finishing her words for her. It was funny that she did not even bother to think that Rashida would not know an alien species. A very odd one.
" I happen to go to school online. The coursework from Earth from home was too different..."
What a horrid excuse. It was her , not the courses that had made her drop out of school. Too many strangers in one place.

Aubre had to double-check to make sure Rashida was not glaring at her, the girl slowly shook her head when she saw the trajectory. It was fine, he was bored, and wanted to be an ass.

Nothing to glare over.

--

Oh no.

Could she fit under the table?

The girl settled for curling up and putting her head on the table. Maybe if she held her breath she could become one with the steel-work.

The hood managed to muffle the words, but not the fact that they were less than polite.
"You didn't have to do it...he didn't do anything wrong.."
Besides sit above her like some kind of arboreal-predator, but he didn't attack her or anything.
"We were talking about...errr..."
She'd apologize to the boy on her way out, it was her fault for being so paranoid.
"the weather.........when did it rain last?"

Why was it that the most cautious girl in the satellite never bought an umbrella with her?

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

Rashida merely nodded as the mouse girl continued talking about spices. It was all truth, this Rashida knew. Aubre was no longer lying to her. Human food bland? Yes, occasionally, but Rashida knew her definition of bland was definitely different from Aubre's definition of bland. "..wow. You're one of the first people I've met, who's been there without being forced." Shida nodded once, "It's a shame really. Nithroy isn't that bad of a place. It kind of grows on you."

"Adages? Is that another one of those? I only brought it up because I've never heard it before." "Hmmm..." Rashida mused, trying to bring up a logical explanation for the word. "I suppose an adage is a saying that sets forth a general truth and that has gained credit through long use. Although that may be the dennotation. The connotation - and the form I used it as - is that it's just a word that you add into a sentence, such as dear, sweety, and other such words."

Aubre's paw-like hands clenched into fists as she moaned, "Ooh....I didn’t even realize I had eaten so much.." "Human food tends to do that to you. It's not very filling so you always eat more then you need to," Shida replied with an amused chuckle. Aubre seemed to be paranoid of human food. No wonder, for even in this advanced age it was still the most unhealthy food.

Aubre spoke again, referring to the coffee, ".. Horrible things? I thought it just woke you up?" "Oh no! It does so much more then that. Inside of coffee is caffeine, one of the three widely, used mood-affecting drug on Earth. Caffeine stimulates your heart, respiratory system, and central nervous system, makes your blood more `sludgy' by raising the level of fatty acids in the blood, raises blood pressure, causes your stomach to produce more acid and thus irritates the stomach lining, makes digestion less effective by relaxing the muscles of your intestinal system...." Rashida paused as she considered how much she could be feeding Aubre's natural fear of things, "...and other things." She finished, shifting uncomfortably in her bench. Hopefully Aubre wouldn't take such information to heart. "...Are you going to get something else?" Rashida wasn't really hungry, but she supposed she could go for something to munch on. "Certainly. Wouldn't you like anything?"

"I have a treetle.. I was forced to buy him when one of the other animals scared me, and I knocked hi s cage over. He looks like a little tree...a bons...bonsai." "A treetle? I've never seen one, although I have seen many pictures." Aubre continued her dialogue, "I happen to go to school online. The coursework from Earth from home was too different..." "Which is understandable. Different races learn differently."

--

Amused, Rashida watched as Aubre attempted to curl up in the booth. "You didn't have to do it...he didn't do anything wrong.." "Yes he did. He was eavesdropping. Which is - by human standards - very rude." Rashida leaned forward, attempting to look at Aubre in the eye. "Don't let people walk all over you Aubre. Don't."

With a bright smile Shida continued her conversation, "Ah yes. The weather. I don't remember when it lasted rained. But I do believe it was quite a while ago. Do you remember?"

OhOhSea://

Rashida uses such big words >.<

And the website where I got the coffee information from is:

www.pe2000.com/caffeine.htm

[Aubre [~]]

It seemed that someone else was sucking up, or in all truth liked Nithroy. It had been a while since she had heard an earthling say something like that. To her, most earthlings were not only corrupted dangerous people, but also a
"If you like sand, it is always sunny though, and it is hard to get sick."
The girl then found herself thinking, her mind quickly cycled through various thoughts. Maybe her home planet wasn't so bad, or it wouldn’t have been if she hadn't been the victim, the bullied, and the hybrid.
"The buildings are very bright and pretty...and everyone with their scales and fur makes everything so colorful.."
A few fleeting memories of holidays flashed through her mind. People running about holding children, little houses colored like the rainbow for adolescents to play in. Games, and brightly colored carpets clogged the sidewalks.

Maybe home really wasn't that bad, if dogs and cats hadn’t' scared her, and if she hadn't been so damn--sorry darn--shy it wouldn't have been bad at all.

It made her smile for just a moment, her face lit up, before she found herself listening to Rashida speak once again.

---

The translator let out what seemed to be an angry beep, and a metallic voice droned in her ear.
"When in need of definition merely pronounce the word followed by define."
Aubre ignored the temperamental little device, slapping a hand against the light that flashed on its side and leaned forward, smiling at the human across from her.
"Thank you for the definition."
It was getting sad when Aubre was beginning to think that electrical devices could get sour, and angry at her.
"Our word for that ..well one of them is......"
The girl blinked, no doubt the translator would just skewer the word, and translate it into common, it was rather useless really.
"Anyway,I know what you meant now, it really would do me no harm to update my slang dictionary..."
The one she had downloaded was ancient, in fact all the books she had read [or the readers--books were also outdated], that was what she had for taking hand-me-downs.

" ..I truly doubt there is any real nutrition in these.. fry...things. I've never seen more than a few obese people before I came here...it’s strange. Maybe it's a food conspira--"
Enough conspiracy theories, no need to sound like any more of a crazy than she actually was. It was off though, how could people eat some of this stuff? Some of these things have more grease than they have food.

Eyes widened, grass green and frightened. Pupils dilated as her eyes stared at the garbage can, where brown liquid still rolled down the sides.
" ...what has caffeine in it?"
Not only did she have food poisoning to worry about, but now this caffeine stuff was dangerous. Why did so many people drink it then?
" ....so why do people drink it?"
No doubt it had some sort of mind-control device hidden in whatever they made it from.
"Nothing that has any caffeine in it..."
The girl began to chuckle sheepishly, before nodding. What exactly did she want though? Maybe one of those salads, as long as the vegetables weren't hormone-influenced it was probably the healthiest thing up there.

Straw balanced on her lips, she took another long swing from the Styrofoam cup.


--

Well, it appeared her excuse worked. The girl grinned, shifting in her seat to resist an urge to squeal. Her little Treetle was adorable.
"His name's Irbuu, only thing I talk to really. If he could talk he'd probably sound like a little rocket scientist...."
Either that or a tree. Though, it was hard to know what a tree sounded like, unless you were ivy or some kind o f plant. No doubt somewhere out there was a species of alien that resembled a dandelion, or could talk to plants.

Probably ate brains too.
--

Was it just her, or was she being yelled at?
"....it's okay...e didn't hurt anything. It's not like you're a government agent or anything."
Eavesdropping was rude in any culture, and Aubre found it hard to resist blushing when Rashida spoke.
"....."
In all truth she had nothing to say to that, but when the weather was drudged back up, she jumped on it with a flourish.
"A month and a half ago, September 3rd or something like that.."
If that was true, the fact that she knew was very sad.



Another question racketed into her brain.
"Where do you work.. you said you worked earlier where?"
Robots, androids, and aliens had made it very hard to find jobs, so what exactly did that leave her?

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

For a brief moment a lovely smile lit the Neebu's face. A warm feeling spread through Rashida as she realized that she had caused such a smile. She briefly smiled back at Aubre before the smile faded from Aubre's face. Shida's smile also faded. "Our word for that ..well one of them is......" Aubre paused, and her wide eyes blinked. "Anyway,I know what you meant now, it really would do me no harm to update my slang dictionary..." "Quite right. Though your slang is not that bad. I'm simply don't use any. Adages isn't really a slang word...It's simply an old fashioned one."

" ..I truly doubt there is any real nutrition in these.. fry...things. I've never seen more than a few obese people before I came here...it’s strange. Maybe it's a food conspira--"" A genuine laugh bubbled up from Rashida. She knew what Aubre had been about to say. It didn't take Einstein to figure that one out. "You are, once again, correct. It's a wonder why anyone would even want to eat fries. Perhaps the government is trying to fatten us up like cows before butchering." Rashida's eyes twinkled with humor.

"...what has caffeine in it?" Rashida could almost see the thoughts that must have been whirling about in Aubre's head. "Not many things. Just stay away from coffee." Rashida wasn't about to worry Aubre even further. The poor thing was plenty scared enough. "....so why do people drink it?" Rashida mulled this one over for a moment. "Most likely because they think it helps them keep focused. Many don't understand the addictiveness of caffeine until it is too late." Rashida shrugged and leaned back against the plush backing of her side of the booth. "I'm really not entirely sure."

"Nothing that has any caffeine in it..." Rashida smiled as Aubre chuckled. "Alrighty then dear. How about you come on up with me and I'll order for you? My treat." Rashida stood and waited by the table, still continuing their conversation. "His name's Irbuu, only thing I talk to really. If he could talk he'd probably sound like a little rocket scientist...." Rashida raised an eyebrow. "Or he could just sounds like a tree. Or perhaps he'd sound like a turtle. You know, with a low, deep voice that spoke slowly."

"....it's okay...e didn't hurt anything. It's not like you're a government agent or anything." "He scared you. That constitutes as hurting someone to me." When the chance came, Aubre eagerly jumps back into the weather conversation. "A month and a half ago, September 3rd or something like that.." "You have an excellent memory!" Rashida exclaimed, rather impressed.

"Where do you work.. you said you worked earlier where?" Rashida gazed down at Aubre, wondering why this question had popped up. "I work as a secretary. Presently I'm seeking for new employment, for I'm not happy at my current job." Rashida twirled a piece of green hair around her finger as she thought about her work.

[Aubre [~]]

Aubre nodded, lips pressed together, slowly they curled upward with indecision. Would it be better to correct Rashida, or allow herself to look silly? The sophisticated word adages was not slang, which she could figure out, what she had meant was that most things considered "adages" were and that the word reminded her of that. Eyes slowly closed, and with a long exhale she shook her head, her mouth remained tightly fastened. No need to get snippy over a perfectly normal assumption, well she wouldn't have been angry, no need to make anyone else angry.
"When did you last update your.....encyclopedia?"
The virtual one, it wasn't like the girl in front of her wrote them or anything. The hesitation occurred, because Aubre had waited for the mind link of the translator to supply her with th proper pronunciation.

Bad pronunciation got you made fun of, and sometimes with certain words, like "library" people were angered when you stumbled over it. It was better to be sure then to babble like a blooming idiot.

--

Aubre didn't find it the least bit funny, and she could still remember the image of the cow slowly being torn apart into little disc shaped slabs of gore and organs. Was Rashida laughing at her?
"Well that's just silly.."
The hybrid let out a nervous chuckle ,but threw a wide eyed glance at the television. The sight of a council member made her stomach turn flip-flops and she turned away. With some of the rumors that she had found online lately, the idea of the government turning people into hamburgers was not completely ridiculous.
"..I just meant they might..."
Wow. Nevermind. No need to make herself look like a complete fruitcake by giving out her ideas about mind control, and giant shards of metal hidden beneath thick congealing grease.

Who needed assassins when humans ate things like what was laid out on that counter?
---

"I wonder if da knows that it's bad for you."
The Neebu mused aloud, before rolling her shoulders in a shrug. No doubt the mind control had already burrowed into his brain, and he was beyond help.
" ...Addictive as well? Why would people chug down coffee with all the healthy alternatives? Sorry...I wasn't ignoring you. You just answered ..no need to do so again Miss Rashida."
Chug? Chug was a nice slang word, but that was beside the point. Why was everyone so afraid of the healthy herbal drinks offered by other planets? Maybe Earth was not the only wicked government out there, the Neebu officials back home were rather catty and sneaky.

"...I've seen people hurt others.. why would eavesdropping hurt? Like I said, it was alright, he did nothing wrong."
It was her own stupidity that had gotten the boy in trouble. Maybe Rashida had thought he had done something to scare her? It was her own mind that gave her nightmares, it was nothing that the boy had done, no doubt he was admiring the pretty lady sitting across from her.
" Is long hair annoying? Especially pretty hair like yours?"
Where the hell had that come from? Why was her mouth out to kill her? The girl had a distinct urge to slam herself down on the nearest over.

She had no right to call other people creepy!

Hair? Why hair?


--

Aubre turned pink.
"It was somewhere around there.. I never said I was right...but I always remember when it rains or at least that it rained a week or two ago ..."
Nothing was worse than undue praise for Aubre. The girl knew she should return it, and saying it was a lie was mean. No need to make anyone angry, but she wasn't intelligent. Or at least., she wasnt smart if she wanted to fit in at least a bit.

Dogs already chased her down the road, she didn't need college representatives doing the same.
---


Aubre's lips slowly formed into a silent "o".
"What's wrong with it..if you don't mind me being nosy.."

--

The Neebu-girl was now extremely glad that there was no longer a need for a trip to the counter, or that she could pretend there was no need.

That pimple-covered human still scared her , sneaking up on her and accusing her of theft like that.

It wasn't her fault that her card was ancient.

[&& r.a.s.h.i.d.a]

Aubre's lips squeezed together and curled up slightly in an indecisive smile. Rashida briefly wondered what she was thinking, but then decided it didn't matter. "When did you last update your.....encyclopedia?" "A couple months ago. I only update it whenever there's something business related that needs to be added." Rashida shrugged nonchalantly. "Otherwise, I don't really have much use for updates."

"Well that's just silly.." "Perhaps," Rashida admitted. "Nevertheless, I find it amusing." The girl glanced nervously over the the TV which featured one of the many councilmen. "..I just meant they might..." She stammered nervously. Suddenly interested, Rashida attempted to mask her interest with a casual, "Yes?" It was a fairly good attempt. She doubted Aubre would notice anything unusual. After all, Aubre wasn't a Vishnu. Neebu had no mind reading abilities - that Rashida knew of.

"I wonder if da knows that it's bad for you." "Some do, some don't." Rashida shrugged. "If they do know, then they don't care." "...Addictive as well? Why would people chug down coffee with all the healthy alternatives? Sorry...I wasn't ignoring you. You just answered ..no need to do so again Miss Rashida." Rashida chuckled softly. "It's quite alright. And just call Rashida. I am only eighteen." Strange how this girl could make her open up so much.

"...I've seen people hurt others.. why would eavesdropping hurt? Like I said, it was alright, he did nothing wrong." Rashida leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, elbow on the table. "They way I see is this. He frightened you by listening in, correct? Therefore, it's safe to assume that he's also hurt your feelings by doing so. Even if he hadn't hurt yours, he hurt mine." Rashida finished, with a lazy shrug and a careless look.

"Is long hair annoying? Especially pretty hair like yours?" Rashida blinked, where had that come from? "Yes, I suppose it is a handful. Especially since I don't like to pull it back or anything like that." Why had she just said that? A tinge of blush touched Rashida's cheeks. "Pretty? I-I wouldn't really call it pretty." She replied, looking away. "Er...What about your hair? Do you like yours?" Great. Now it sounded like she didn't like Aubre's hair. It wasn't that she didn't like it - Rashida just wasn't used to dealing with people with such a bright choice of color for their hair. Rashida felt like smacking herself. 'I'm a failure when it comes to polite conversation.'

The conversation about weather continued, "It was somewhere around there.. I never said I was right...but I always remember when it rains or at least that it rained a week or two ago ..." "Ah, well. 'Tis better then I remembered. I'm to scatterbrained about that sort of thing." Again. Why was Rashida being so open? Honestly, she needed to clam up. Next thing she knew she would be blabbing her family's past out to the whole world. She breathed a sigh of relief as the subject was changed.

"o," Aubre answered. She was quiet for a moment before she replied, "What's wrong with it..if you don't mind me being nosy.." "Meh, it's okay." 'I guess.' Rashida thought darkly. "I suppose I'm tired of all the ribbing I get for being so young." 'Or something like that...' She thought.

"So?" Rashida asked, "What would you like?" That question was referring to what the girl wanted to eat. She seemed scared of the counter, but then again, that really wasn't all that surprising.

[Aubre [~]]

" Ah, that wouldn't be too bad. I haven't updated in years, most people can understand me, my words aren't that out-of-date are they? What exactly would you need updates for, at work I mean?"
Aubre just kept piling on question , after question. The girl was now grasping for some form of companionship, and even if Rashida turned out to be some kind of stalker, or thief her mind had managed to ignore it for now. Of course, in the back of her mind she silently prayed that her speech parameters were not confusing anyone. Maybe the fact that she talked like an old grandmother explained why they laughed at her all the time, in fact, that would explain a lot.

The suspicious thoughts had not died down, but she was trying her best to ignore them. Why would someone , especially a human, need to update their vocabulary all the time? Was she some kind of new-species smuggler? A code cracker with the FBI, or whatever they were called now? Maybe some kind of identity thief. Logic repeatedly tried to quell her fears, the girl looked too young, and harmless to be any of those things. Maybe that was part of the trick, maybe it....

Thoughts trailed off into a useless maelstrom of suspicion, and fear. The thoughts jumped on the conspiracy bandwagon, while picking at everything Rashida did and said.
"... Nevermind ... silly, like I said, no need to waste your time with crazy theorems Miss Rashida."
No need to give someone ammo to laugh at her, or tease her. The girl already expected every knock at the door to be a man in a white coat, or someone holding one. No reason to make that a reality. Besides, could Rashida really be interested in that?

Lost in her own little suspicious mind, Aubre only managed to catch the ending of the first statement.
" I care...I mean.. sorry..........I am sure he would know...but why wouldn’t you care?"
If something was dangerous to you, you should be watching it like a convicted felon, not sitting there drinking it by the potful.
"Your sure? Okay Mis-- Rashida.....sorry about that, calling you Miss and all..."
No doubt she was now annoyed with her, smiling or not. Why was it that some people were offended when you tried to be polite? People were so difficult to please, but no need to make anyone angry. Rashida it was.

"......how?"
Now she was gently testing the waters, what exactly had the fellow been doing? Maybe he was just a horrid pervert, and maybe Aubre's senses had been right. It was bound to happen eventually.

--

Rashida was not the only one who felt awkward, Aubre had now buried her face in the sleeve of her hoody.
"It is pretty..and sorry it's a handful..and mine's ......okay I guess...I don't know..."
The girl was now the color of a tomato, her face bright and red. Now the conversation had went from somewhat awkward to downright impossible. Maybe she could turn it into a joke.
"..I probably should save up the money for someone other than the gardener to cut it..."
Utter and complete failure, in fact the joke was not that far from the truth.

"No you're not........"
It was unlike Aubre to contradict the opinions of others, what the hell was wrong with her.
"Unless you’re sure..I have no right to disagree."
Much more offensive, but at least it wouldn't start an argument, Aubre almost hated fighting more than she hated dogs and cats.
"...age has nothing to do with it....at least in my opinion.."
Which truly had no bearing, but the girl seemed capable. Why would you taunt someone who does their job well about how old they are? Was it another way to blow-up their own egos?
"...Hrm?"
What did she want? Did the girl think her some kind of interloper?
"I just wanted somewhere to si...."
Aubre hesitated, unless that wasn't what was being asked?