minutes."
Wynne was tempted. To get to see the movie before anybody spoiled it for her, to even see it on the big screen?
He pressed a credit chip in her hand and indicated the snacks bar. "Get what you like — and water for me, please. I'll go get the tickets."
She blinked and stared after him as he slipped through the crowd toward the ticket booth. He didn't seem to expect anyone to recognize him and get out of his way, but when they did, he took advantage of it. What would he do if the movie was sold out already?
Hector Primuman the Fourth , she remembered. If the movie were sold out, they'd probably knock a pair of Servumen or maybe a couple from tier five families into the next available showing.
He'd even given her a credit chip, so she'd be spending his allotted resources for her snack, not hers. With her metabolism, she had a larger resource allotment than other tier threes her age, and her tier two paterline meant she got a slight bonus there, too, so she could readily pay for her own snack, if she chose.
But he was offering to pay. She thought he might be offended if she refused.
Or so she tried to convince herself, because she really wanted to try the gummy spaceships, and her mother would've pitched a fit if Wynne spent so many resource credits on something so unfilling. Using Hector's resource credits meant the purchase would show on his records, not hers.
And the gummies did look as if they might taste delicious.
Wynne headed for the snacks bar and didn't let herself feel guilty about it.
Take Three
"Romeo was an idiot," Wynne scoffed, two years later. The script had been assigned at the end of the class before recess, and now she sat in the marvelously quiet gray section for recess. After years of putting up with the sound of playing kids while she tried to do schoolwork, she'd figured out how to fix the sound sockets herself. The school admins had seemed grateful, if a bit unnerved, since fourteen was still too young to be apprenticed, and she was a Layuman, not an Imaguman.
"Seriously?" she continued, when Hector didn't join her rant. "'Oh, I love what's-her-face. Wait, no, let's marry Juliet now before I see someone prettier'? What?"
Hector Primuman the Fourth adjusted his glasses, and he tapped his own tablet to turn the page. "Juliet wasn't much better," he commented dryly.
"I know!" Wynne shook her tablet, tempted to throw it in frustration, but she couldn't justify what it would cost in resources to replace it. "I can't believe our Culture Studies instructor picked this play."
He shrugged. "It's a classic."
"It's idiotic !"
He shrugged again.
Wynne sighed heavily. "Why couldn't I be Rosalind or whatever her name is? Then I wouldn't have to be through this entire morass."
Hector seemed to catch himself before he shrugged again. "I can't say the prospect of playing Romeo appeals to me, either."
A small laugh escaped her. "I still can't believe our instructor put us together. I mean, really? As the stupid romantic couple? Why would they do that?"
"Rather predictable, actually," he said idly, tapping his tablet to turn another page.
A chill ran over Wynne. It was bad enough when their classmates and cousins were trying to set them up together. But for the instructors to be in on it? "What?"
He pointedly glanced up, fixing his glasses again, and Wynne tried to be surreptitious about following his motion to spot whatever he was referencing. All she could see was the security camera, which was only activated in case of emergency or when problems happened, so admin and parents could have an objective witness. It was kept off the rest of the time.
Wasn't it?
Cold all over, she stared at Hector.
He seemed to know what she was thinking, for he gave a little smile and nod — again, hiding the motion by adjusting his glasses.
She'd seen him long enough in school to know he needed those owl-rimmed, old-people glasses, but if she hadn't known that, she might've guessed he wore them
Wynne was tempted. To get to see the movie before anybody spoiled it for her, to even see it on the big screen?
He pressed a credit chip in her hand and indicated the snacks bar. "Get what you like — and water for me, please. I'll go get the tickets."
She blinked and stared after him as he slipped through the crowd toward the ticket booth. He didn't seem to expect anyone to recognize him and get out of his way, but when they did, he took advantage of it. What would he do if the movie was sold out already?
Hector Primuman the Fourth , she remembered. If the movie were sold out, they'd probably knock a pair of Servumen or maybe a couple from tier five families into the next available showing.
He'd even given her a credit chip, so she'd be spending his allotted resources for her snack, not hers. With her metabolism, she had a larger resource allotment than other tier threes her age, and her tier two paterline meant she got a slight bonus there, too, so she could readily pay for her own snack, if she chose.
But he was offering to pay. She thought he might be offended if she refused.
Or so she tried to convince herself, because she really wanted to try the gummy spaceships, and her mother would've pitched a fit if Wynne spent so many resource credits on something so unfilling. Using Hector's resource credits meant the purchase would show on his records, not hers.
And the gummies did look as if they might taste delicious.
Wynne headed for the snacks bar and didn't let herself feel guilty about it.
Take Three
"Romeo was an idiot," Wynne scoffed, two years later. The script had been assigned at the end of the class before recess, and now she sat in the marvelously quiet gray section for recess. After years of putting up with the sound of playing kids while she tried to do schoolwork, she'd figured out how to fix the sound sockets herself. The school admins had seemed grateful, if a bit unnerved, since fourteen was still too young to be apprenticed, and she was a Layuman, not an Imaguman.
"Seriously?" she continued, when Hector didn't join her rant. "'Oh, I love what's-her-face. Wait, no, let's marry Juliet now before I see someone prettier'? What?"
Hector Primuman the Fourth adjusted his glasses, and he tapped his own tablet to turn the page. "Juliet wasn't much better," he commented dryly.
"I know!" Wynne shook her tablet, tempted to throw it in frustration, but she couldn't justify what it would cost in resources to replace it. "I can't believe our Culture Studies instructor picked this play."
He shrugged. "It's a classic."
"It's idiotic !"
He shrugged again.
Wynne sighed heavily. "Why couldn't I be Rosalind or whatever her name is? Then I wouldn't have to be through this entire morass."
Hector seemed to catch himself before he shrugged again. "I can't say the prospect of playing Romeo appeals to me, either."
A small laugh escaped her. "I still can't believe our instructor put us together. I mean, really? As the stupid romantic couple? Why would they do that?"
"Rather predictable, actually," he said idly, tapping his tablet to turn another page.
A chill ran over Wynne. It was bad enough when their classmates and cousins were trying to set them up together. But for the instructors to be in on it? "What?"
He pointedly glanced up, fixing his glasses again, and Wynne tried to be surreptitious about following his motion to spot whatever he was referencing. All she could see was the security camera, which was only activated in case of emergency or when problems happened, so admin and parents could have an objective witness. It was kept off the rest of the time.
Wasn't it?
Cold all over, she stared at Hector.
He seemed to know what she was thinking, for he gave a little smile and nod — again, hiding the motion by adjusting his glasses.
She'd seen him long enough in school to know he needed those owl-rimmed, old-people glasses, but if she hadn't known that, she might've guessed he wore them
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