[sylvanSpider]

=-=ZEKE=-=

Zeke nodded. Botany was never his thing and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to...at least, without major guidance. His planet was all infrastructure and buildings. Few plants grew in the wild there, and the few that weren't were almost always for decorative purposes. Zeke had never bothered. A couple of the maids kept house plants, and he was sure one his dad's contracted felis kept her own garden. She was always his favorite of his dad's meager attempts to make his self-absorbed mother jealous, and he actually hoped he'd marry that one. He scratched his head, “Well uh....I can certainly try. I've never grown a plant before in my life, if you want me to be honest. Shit. My room is the only room in the entire place that doesn't have a window. Erm...maybe it did. But I needed another bookshelf.”

He blushed at his confession of having useless books in favor of light but brightened up again quickly; the chellix would never allow him to be down for too long, thankfully. He found that he dealt with himself a lot easier with the stuff, so he eventually just incorporated it into his daily habits. “Oh yeah, this shit? It's verrrry illegal. Some addicts get ah...carried away. It can make people crazy in excess. But it's the same for all the drugs on campus I guess. Chellix is just my poison of choice. The entire system is pretty underground, but it's established as it is. I get my shit from the business district. My lady is very...good...at what she does. I've heard some shit about her though. If we do decide to start doing this more au natural method...we'll want to keep it hush hush. She's got some shady connections and won't like the aspect of competition.”

Zeke noticed, black eyes turning to his companion's belly and grinned, “Earthen food it is! I know a few popular human places. Uhm... brace yourself for some very odd choices...” He got up and stretched and at the same time George spread her wings, swooping down and claiming her spot on Zeke's shoulder. “Well then, shall we get going?”

=-=MAGALI=-=

Magali laughed seeing the confusion on Meeqa's features, “It's okay, I'll show you one of the nights we both are at our dorm rooms. I was actually hoping to ask you if I could use you as a model for future projects...so if you say yes you'll definitely be seeing it!” Already her mind was reeling in different ways she could use Meeqa if she accepted. She was beautiful and would make for the perfect subject. She'd been eager to get to her easel almost since meeting the woman, but of course she'd never do anything with her as the subject unless she gave permission.

Magali's ears perked up and her tail swayed, already excited at the fact that she wouldn't have to escort. Dancing sounded like a lot more fun than actually selling her body as the other felis did. She knew there was real money to be had there, and she knew it would make her family proud but if she could avoid it, she was going. “I can't wait for lessons to begin! Will we be uh... practicing in the dorm room then or here?”

She could tell when they were nearing the club, as suddenly there were people. There were people everywhere, of all different races. Her cheeks flushed with the excitement. Her village could have fit several times inside this huge building and she had never before been exposed to so many people. The figure at the door was intimidating but seemed friendly enough. She couldn't keep eyecontact for long, choosing instead to look up at him through glances from her toes to his eyes and back down again. “It's... it's a pleasure to meet you,” she squeaked.

Inside was another series of wonders. Any windows that the club had were darkened in order to make way for the dazzling synthetic ones. The pair walked through a short narrow hallway which soon opened up into a massive space. Loud music was pulsing and there were dancers on a stage with customers all around them throwing their qanta at the dancers just simply for existing in front of them. It seemed perfect, and more important to Magali, fun. A permanent smile seemed to stick to Magali's face as she took it all in. “So this is home for you, huh?” she breathed almost inaudibly over the music.

[Worm]

----- T H A G H N E E L -----

Will I get caught? How illegal is it? How easy would it be to get away with?

Her mind throbbed with questions and assumptions. However, she ended up with one conclusion. "Well, I guess I'll keep it on the down low, as some Earthlings would say." Her annunciation was on the word "on" and so to a native Earthling, it might've sounded strange. She smiled a bit nervously, unsure what exactly she would be getting herself into. Its not like she really saw herself becoming a drug dealer. And then the thoughts began rustling again. Is this really drug dealing? Or is it plant dealing? Is it any different? Well, Zeke told her she should be worried, and she was.

Neel knew that the more dangerous and illegal, the more profit one could make off of it. She'd seen some strange characters on Kanna. She wouldn't say addicts, however. Because these substances were so easily accessible, it was hard to be stuck on a single plant product. Most Krailecks had a garden filled with several different plants, some for eating, some for healing, and some for escaping. She couldn't say if it was the same for some of the other Kanna inhabitants. She could imagine that if you had these substances restricted, and had to go through dangerous avenues to access certain things, it would be easy to take a route you've taken before. And to do it again and again and get lost on that street. Still, she was curious to know how far some had taken the Chellix.

Now it was just figuring out the perfect place to grow those plants. Once she had a safe space, it would be second nature to grow. With her starter seeds, she would be able to grow a couple herbal blends. Since it was her first week here, she wouldn't mind taking some stress off with a fresh brew of Koug. With her hunger drifting in and out with her anxious new thoughts, she found herself grateful to be with Zeke. His anticipation and agreement made it rather easy to decide on a place to eat.

"Let's do it!" She smiled warmly towards George. She loved how her little claws grappled onto Zeke's shoulder. It must've been a thick jacket to handle the wear and tear of the little dragon's claws (and perhaps teeth).

"I'm open to anything at this point." Her stomach growled again. Hopefully Earthicans ate vegetables. She wouldn't mind a wireworm either, or maybe a charred gecko. Though, she was entirely unsure what an Earth restaurant's menu would look like. She followed Zeke from the coffee shop towards the now busying street of the Orchid sector. The sound of the streets filled their ears after exiting the coffee house's sound bubble.

----- M E E Q A -----

The throbbing of the club felt natural, like her own heart beat. Meeqa found herself swaying with the hypnotic beats without thinking. Her eyes slanted, head down, she tried her best to focus on her new friend. It became easier as she mentioned using Meeqa as a model. "You want me to model?!" Her eyes lit up, glimmering with excitement. "I've always wanted to model!" She beamed, shaking her body so fast that it could remind someone of a dog shaking water from its fur. When she slowed down, so did the lights in her orbs. "Just tell me when and where, and I'm there!"

Though the club was filled with many creatures, cash flying through the air, Meeqa found a calmness in it. There were focal points, the girls, and everything else was out of the radar. It made her feel safe. Though, this could be quite the opposite for some. One of Meeqa's friends had gone missing in this place, not even a trace or a clue. When she was reminded of Claris, an emptiness always washed over her, as if there were a hole in the club. So she tried not to think about it.

"I'll give you a - an example. How 'bout that?" She winked, clambering onto the open stage near Magali. With a sort of grace, she grabbed the pole and swung around it like liquid. She made eye contact with the Felis, and then slowly pulled herself from the ground, levitating. Meeqa liked to think of dance as a form of magic. Her body slid up and down the pole, using incredible control and strength to guide her. The orbs on her body added to her movements, making it a sort of light show, especially as the lights flickered. In the darkness, only Meeqa showed. Her orbs pulsed from a glowing green to a frosty purple. She got an elongated whistle and hoot from a group of gentlemen at the enclave next to hers. After the song ended, she took a bow and giggled.

Panting, she found her way to Magali. "Phew! That'll be fifteen qanta please!" She stuck out her hand, giggling. "I'm kidding!" She laughed and sat down. "But uhh - I just love dancing. Anytime, anywhere. So I'd love to help you any way I can. If you're comfortable here, I can show you some steps, but there's a bit of pressure being on stage so I understand if not." She smiled warmly, placing a friendly hand on Magali's shoulder. "This is my second home. Home is where the heart is, and right now - this is where I like to be." She nodded. Things changed fast for her, but this place remained throughout her school experience. She hoped to continue having good experiences here. She hoped that whatever happened to Claris was a one time thing she could struggle to forget.

[sylvanSpider]

=-=-=ZEKE=-=-=

Zeke's mind was also obviously racing, though it was only in part due to the fact that they were probably thinking about getting into the drug trade. If she wanted to, she could be one of the wealthier students on campus. He was sure that even the plants would be as illegal is the synthetic substances, obviously. Any mind-altering chemical, natural or otherwise, was generally frowned upon in the scholarly community ironically enough. Zeke, when pressed, couldn't think of any scholar that wasn't on something, but he remembered reading that even caffeine was on the books for potential no-no's on campus, and as far as he was concerned, it was one of the lesser of any of the drugs.

The other part was definitely the chellix he'd just partaken in. His hands now tapped on his thigh and his mind was in several places. The aforementioned taking up about half of those places. The other half were consisting of food possibilities, wondering when one or the other of his parental units would bother him (he was grateful that it'd been a few weeks, which meant he was due for a holo-video session with one or both of them soon), his class schedule (now beyond the agitating gen-ed shit that should have been learned in primary education), and his books (both physical and digital, all safely in his possession). He'd also already met with several of his professors and had firmly established himself as one who would not take false information to heart so they had better know their shit.

George, seeing the smile, lifted her head and as Zeke was standing fairly close to Neel was able to nuzzle her head against her shoulder as he passed. “Then Earthican it is,” Zeke said grinning. He didn't even seem to notice George's claws digging into his shoulders. Though, if one were to look closely, they'd find that the fabric was much thicker on his shoulders than any other part of his top. He'd had his shirts custom-made to deal with a dragon's claws, playing a large part to the miracle that was the wholeness of Zeke's clothing. “You ready for another hoverboard trip? The joint I've got in mind is on the other side of the Poppy District.”

=-=-=MAGALI=-=-=

Meeqa seemed to meld in with her surroundings, her body immediately liquifying and moving to the beat in that hypnotic fashion of hers. Magali, however, was stiff as a board, taking everything in with wide eyes. She became aware that she was staring at her roommate and shook her head coming back to life when she spoke, “Well, it seems we're in luck then, huh?” She giggled, looking at her friend sheepishly, “As I've been needing a new muse.”

Magali wet her lips as her mouth had gone dry (presumably because of all of the open-mouthed gaping she'd been doing) and watched as Meeqa snaked her way up onto the stage. None tried to stop her, instead, heads were turned in her direction. Magali couldn't take her eyes off of her. Meeqa's movements were fluid, graceful...hypnotizing. The colors swirled on Meeqa's bodice like technicolor creamer swirling in the brown of the coffee and the darkness of the rest of the club. “I'd love to learn...I want to learn!” Magali added, nervous at her own lack of confidence. She'd never been on a stage before. And to think she was offering to teach her to dance like that!

[Worm]

----- T H A G H N E E L -----

To be honest, even after their thrilling experience on the hoverboard, Neel had completely forgotten that they'd need to take it again. She lit up, brushing George's chin gently as she nuzzled. "Already warming up to me I see?" She smiled. "And yes! The board was so fun last time!" She giggled, just anxious to leave the coffee house and get some food in her. The idea of drug trade only bothered her initially. She remembered all of the things she'd read about the university, how liberal and accepting and lenient they were. The only thing that might be an issue, would be competition with other suppliers.

While there was always regulation, she'd heard some pretty ridiculous on campus stories. Luckily, Neel never planned on getting that fucked up. Or at least, that stupid. She wondered where this restaurant would be and how expensive it was. She remembered seeing a history video about Earth and how they used to eat tubes filled with animal byproducts. They called it a hot weiner or something like that. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she'd eaten some pretty weird things in her time. Though she was lucky to grow up on one of the healthiest areas in the galaxy. Probably because of her planet's high vegetation rate and purely vegetarian diet.

----- M E E Q A -----

After her tiring example of dance, she was ecstatic to have such a positive response from her friend. After all, its best to learn under pressure. "Yay! This is the best place to learn." She grinned from ear to ear and reached out her hands to Magali. "C'mon up here. Let me show you some basics." She gazed over Magali's head and her seating row. Behind her was a dancer and two scaley onlookers. The one next to them was the one hooting and hollering, much to the dancer's dismay. Any distraction was not appreciated with most dancers. But Meeqa just shot her a silly, tongue out wink. The girl shook her head and continued to reel her audience back in with four armed stunts on the suspended hoops.

"Okay, so its really easy to get attention from people. First step is to follow the beat." She counted the beat from the Saturn jazz which exploded from each corner of the venue. "One, two, three. One, two, three." She took a step forward and back with each count to show her visually. Once the girl was following along, she added a spin on three. "And you've got such a cute lil' bum and tail, people love the quirky traits each dancer has. So use that tail to your advantage! Swing it around!" She encouraged Magali to go wild. When some onlookers realized training was happening, they turned back to the four armed sister. The mistress could be seen in the back of the venue, though Meeqa couldn't see her, the mistress was taking tallies on her. She was in a long, slitted dress, with a leather body suit underneath. Morticia Addams in a bondage suit, and green skin.

Meeqa was just so delighted to have an understudy that she didn't notice. She continued to dance with Meeqa until they were both too tired to continue.

[sylvanSpider]

=-=-=ZEKE=-=-=

Zeke chuckled watching his small scaled companion nuzzling Neel, “She's generally a pretty judge of character. I'll take it as a good sign, considering we're living together. It's the first year I've been able to get a roommate, so we'll see how she gets along with another person living with us.” He opened the door letting Neel go through first, then him. The second they were out George was up in the air gliding circles around them. She knew it was time to go flying again and she was both visibly and audibly excited letting out happy chirps as she flew.

“Alright! Here we go!” Zeke said as the hoverboard lifted off the ground. He didn't seem to mind having another person on it; after all, his was able to carry a lot more weight than the first models had. It was a trend quickly picking up, but they were still seen as luxuries mostly afforded by the upper-middle and upper classes. The pair weaved in and out of buildings, George complicating the knot by flying dangerously close to them, then farther away. The little dragon loved showing off her prowess in the skies and it showed.

They flew faster this time than they did last, Zeke expecting Neel to expect a little more. He delivered, not seeming to mind her arms around his waist. To others looking on, the pair didn't look out of place. Save, maybe, to those that knew Zeke. He was one to operate mostly on a solo basis and everyone knew it. If anyone ever considered a friendship with him they were generally deterred by his solitary reputation. He was generally liked wherever he went, but his close friends were few...and seemingly on another planet.

When they came to a stop, Zeke bounded off his board gracefully, holding his hand out for Neel to take it. “Welp! Here we are!”

The restaurant itself was bustling, mostly with humans. There were a few other species, Neel and Zeke adding to that number, but humans obviously loved it. It was apparent that this was why Zeke chose it. He could get authentic homosapien cuisine. “This place has pretty much everything people eat from pizza to pasta, sushi and hamburgers to fuckin' salads and sandwiches. They have dishes from around the Earthen globe! It's pretty much the hot spot for humans. Today I'm feeling sushi...Uh....I'm guessing you eat vegetables? You can have a salad or really anything here, and don't worry about prices. I've got this as a 'welcome to college and thank you preemptively for dealing with my shit' gift.”

=-=-=MAGALI=-=-=

Magali blinked dumbly as she reached her hand up to Meeqa by instinct. She thought that learning would happen in private, perhaps in their dorm room or maybe even a dance studio? She gasped, her cheeks darkening as she looked around to the onlookers who had been watching Meeqa doing well just moments before this.

Magali gulped watching Meeqa's feet. Soon, she was mimicking her mechanically. She felt like a child repeating steps for a play put on for the amusement of the parents to record and use against them for the rest of their lives and she was hyper aware of how clunky she looked beside the graceful Meeqa. “L-like this?” she squeaked. She finally got to the point where she could spin on “three” only stumbling on her feet once and once she got to that point she began to lose some of her stiffness.

Me? A cute bum? she thought, blushing again. Regardless of her own self-doubt, however, Meeqa had given her the bout of self-confidence that she needed. She found herself loosening up and even added a couple of tail swishes for added flair.

[Worm]

---- T H A G H N E E L ----

Zeke did his best to impress Neel, and it worked. She clung onto Zeke tightly, unintentionally digging claws into his jacket as they flew through the sector. What little hair she had, flew back behind her ears. She let out a long "wooo~!" as they took off. George was even more impressive, gliding in and out of the air with ease. Need laughed, watching her catch up and fall behind and dance around the few people on the streets.

When they reached the restaurant, Neel gulped at the large amount of customers already gathered there. "Human Hub" was the name of the restaurant. Her mouth gaped as they got off the board. While she'd been off Kanna a few times, and seen big cities before, it always surprised her to see so many people in one place. She straightened out her jacket and followed Zeke towards the interactive menus. She looked at what other people ordered, mainly inspired by the images. Many seemed interested in hamburgers and spaghetti. Whatever that was. It reminded her of a nightcrawler dish back at home.

"This is so cool! All of the food looks so different." She hoped that her overwhelmed emotions didn't project into her conversation. As he mentioned sushi, she watched him scroll to the images of sushi. They looked... good! Rolls of grains and bits of vegetables and fish. While many Kraileck were vegetarian, most were pescatarian. Fish was just a delicacy. She licked her lips. "Yes, that looks delicious!" She pointed at a roll with imitation salmon and avocado. She poked the screen, adding it to their cart. Fresh avocado roll - ONE The machine responded.

"Thank you... By the way." She smiled, rubbing her head with a bit of anxiety.


----- M E E Q A -----

The night went much better than she'd expected. She came in to the day with a stranger, and found herself with a new friend and potential dance partner. As Magali lifted her tail for the growing audience, Mistress found her way into the observers as well. Meeqa gulped, making eye contact with the woman. Surprisingly, she did not stop the show, but urged them to continue. And so they did. Though Magali's dance moves were juvenile, and needed practice, the fact that she was having fun was all that was really necessary to draw a crowd. After a few whistles and hoots and hollers, the Mistress weaved her way through, parting the seas of people.

"Meeqa." This was all she needed to say and the glowing girl was at her side, clambering off the stage.

"Yes, Missus?" The woman placed a gloved hand on her head, stroking backwards like a person would do to a pet.

"What is your friend's name?" She kept her yellow eyes focused on the girl waiting for Meeqa.

"It's Magali, Miss. She's new to the school." Mistress perked up, something that every one of her family members could feel.

"I would like to have her under my wing." Meeqa beamed, bouncing excitedly.

"Yes Missus! I will tell her right away!" She leapt off, only to be grabbed by Mistress and yanked backwards.

"Meeqa. I want you to keep this between us. Felis don't dance." She whispered into Meeqa's ears, causing a tide of goosebumps to wash over her.

"What do you mean, Miss?" She looked back at Magali, dancing her tail off, and back at her Mistress who was quirking a brow.

"To make her a dancer would be a waste." She released Meeqa and brushed her hands off.

"So you mean - she has to be with the other Felis and Oriq?" Mistress chuckled, holding her powerful hips.

"Well of course! And she should be honored too!" She shook her head, acknowledging Meeqa's ignorance.

"I uhm- I suppose I'll let her know then!" She choked up a bit, unsure if this was something her friend would even want to be a part of. After all, it was something she struggled to escape in a normal day of being a Felis. She galloped off towards Magali, Mistress with her arms crossed shadowing her.

"Well - Mistress likes you!" She opened up with a large smile. Her glowing bulbs were dimmer as she tried to think of the words. "So umm - she actually wants you to work with her. That would be like... the other Felis here." She wasn't sure how casually she could throw around the idea of making her friend an escort. So she struggled. "She thinks you'd be better fit for it. She will teach you!" She tugged on a small bulb near her ear.

"Mistress is really great too." She smiled, the shadow of her owner still hovering behind the girls. The sea of customers seemed to have waned, leaving them in a private space with one onlooker - Mistress.

[sylvanSpider]

---ZEKE---

Zeke grinned, trying and failing to hide his pride, “Yeah, humans are a unique species. While they lived on the same planet and came into contact with the other rather easily, they insisted on borders. I mean, other planets also have borders, but they are used to make it easier to locate friends and family. Basically like addresses. They divided themselves by country and often the countries would go to war with each other. Another thing of note, each country had its own customs and cultures and with it their own food. So, when attempting to emulate 'human food' they have to include things from all of the different countries.”

When it was his turn to pick, he scrolled over to the sashimi going for the larger chunks of fish with little but rice for flavoring. He, too, was a sucker for fish. Putting in one of the entrees he stepped back, letting Neel choose another roll, “One roll might not be enough to fill you up. The sushi usually comes out in rolls of six to eight, each of the pieces about this big.” Here, he made a small circle with his hand, holding it up to his eye and looking through it. “You can order more rolls if you want. And it's not a problem, trust me. The parents get worried if I don't spend enough on food.” Here he rolled his eyes in a way that said he had more money than he knew what to do with.

Neel had already spoken against him buying her her own hoverboard, but she'd have her own by the end of the week. He'd be sure of it. With the total put in, he pressed the checkout button and paid just by putting in a code. It was obvious he came here often, the codes were usually used by frequent customers for ease of purchases. Once paid for, a new screen came up that gave the layout of tables to sit at, telling him to pick one. Without thinking about it, he chose his favorite spot on the third floor by a window. It sat two, and was the first time he actually had come here with the intent on filling the other seat.

---MAGALI---

To ease her nerves, she would close her eyes imagining herself alone with Meeqa in the room with the pulsing music, the flashing lights. She loosened up much faster when other onlookers were out of sight, and therefore out of mind. Only vaguely was she aware of the conversation happening below him. She did open her eyes long enough to know that she was now being beckoned.

She bounded off the stage somewhat clumsily, straightening her clothes before looking up at the Mistress shyly before looking back to Meeqa and then to the floor. When it was mentioned that the woman liked her she looked up and beamed at the two of them, but of course, there was always the 'but.' There was always that fucking 'but.'

Magali's face immediately fell though when other felis were mentioned. She knew what that meant. “I...I understand.” Of course she wouldn't be wanted as a dancer. How could she have been so naive? Really, the idea of a job doing what the felis of even her home planet should have been an honor. Escorts make more than most occupations, and at least in her own people's eyes there was no shame in it. “But...but...I always kind of...I know this is stupid...but I always kind of hoped my first time would be with someone I really cared about...”

[Worm]

----- T H A G H N E E L -----

Even though Kanna had diverse foods, they all seemed to look somewhat similar. Soups, broths, stews, vegetables, raw and cooked. All that really diversified her home planet were the regional spices and plants. Some regions were particularly spicy, some had a large amount of fish compared to others. Those were generally the more wealthy regions. She looked back at Zeke and then the board, blushing from a bit of anxiety and frustration. She'd never had someone buy her food besides family. It felt new.

"Well, I'll make sure they know you're eating well." She patted him on the back, smiling. Then she returned to the screen and pushed the dial on her sushi rolls until the machine repeated back to her "Fresh avocado roll - THREE" Then she scrolled down on the menu to find another page of sushi. She was in bliss. "I want to try this one too." She poked an image of a roll which seemed to have an entire fish on it, broken into pieces across the separated rolls. It was grilled and very long. It was bright purple though, which engaged Neel's curiousity.

"Wentung Spicy Roll - ONE" She licked her lips, even the name sounded yummy.


----- M E E Q A -----

She felt bad. Even worse now as the words came out of her mouth, however hard she had to force something up. "I-I." She rubbed her head, lights dangling behind her back. It was then that Magali brought up her situation. Meeqa's lights deepened to red tones, but overall brightened. She caught her breath. "I wouldn't want anything less for you, Magali. And you don't have to do this." Tears welled up in her eyes. Just after she'd told the girl that she was free from her family, her societal constraints and expectations, here she was. In a lounge, being bargained with like a piece of meat.

"Mistress won't mind. I won't mind. Until you find that person -" She put her hands on Magali's arms to try to look her in the eyes. "Do what you think is right. I don't want to tell you what you need. After all, we just met. I just don't want to get you into something that could ..." She rubbed her head again, now because she was out of words. She wasn't the best at saying what she needed to. That's why she preferred to speak in movements, in expressions, and in light. She pulled Magali in for a hug and held her until she pulled away.

[sylvanSpider]

---ZEKE---

Zeke laughed in a way that showed he wasn't actually amused, “No need to bother. Neither of them actually care. I'm just a tool for one to get back at the other and vice versa. That being said, don't feel guilty about my buying food for you. I get enough I don't know what to do with it. Just...trust me on this.” Having ordered his own meal, he led them to the spot he'd picked out. George was still perched on his shoulders, but she didn't look as attentive as usual. Rather, she was snoozing, her head and neck draped over one shoulder, her hind end and tail over the other, the occasional dreamy chirp coming up as she slept.

“The food doesn't usually take too terribly long, so don't worry, you'll be fed sooner rather than later,” Zeke said with a chuckle. “And sushi is a personal favorite of mine. The human country of Japan knew how to eat, I will definitely say that. Now, as for those plants. Do they need special equipment to grow?”

---MAGALI---

Magali felt terrible. Even moreso now that she could see that Meeqa felt terrible as well, and she couldn't help but feel it was her fault. She was letting Meeqa down the same way she'd let her village down. She looked up to the Mistress with sheepish eyes, then back to her friend. “I'm...I'm sorry,” she squeaked, her eyes involuntarily going to the ground as she choked back her own tears. She'd taken a couple of involuntary steps back and now her tail and backside brushed against the side of the stage.

The hug, however, brought her back. Magali melted into Meeqa's warm embrace and she closed her eyes realizing one thing. No matter what she chose, there was someone right here that cared about her. Already she meant something to someone and that was all she could ask. When the hug was broken, Magali felt cold, “I'm...sorry...but I think I need to work at something else...” But what?

[Worm]

---- T H A G H N E E L ----

Neel's face stretched, showing her discomfort with Zeke's response. "Geez man, well - at least you've got a good friend to eat with now, right?" Immediately, Neel attempted to change the subject from Zeke's family matters. It wasn't that she didn't care, it just was a bit awkward for her to talk about. Most people on Kanna kept family matters to themselves. Besides, they were all likely related somehow... In some cases, it was better not to know.

"Japan?" She repeated the country's name, following Zeke to the selected table. "I wonder what it was like." She stated, hoping that Zeke was the one person who would actually amuse her curiosities. Especially when it pertained to Earth. "Kono tabemono wa yoi nioi ga suru~" She spoke pretty well from what the instructional videos told her. This was all she knew about Japanese culture, their language. It was beautifully spoken and she rather enjoyed learning the characters.

Before the conversation had a chance to finish, their food was placed carefully on the table. Neel lit up. Exciting conversation and food! What could be better. She ate the rolls with her fingers, picking up each piece and eating it plain. She went too fast to observe any etiquette.

---- M E E Q A ----

Meeqa lifted up Magali's chin with a gentle nudge. "No need to be sorry my dear. Its okay with me." She smiled, looking back at the Mistress, her arms crossed, waiting. She'd have to explain this to her another time. "You will find somewhere else to work for now. I'll help you. Besides, you're an artist!" She beamed, trying to remind her friend of how valued she was.

"Let's go somewhere else. Figure out our lives together, shall we?" For now, she guided Magali through the pulsing lights, loud music and certain slimy guests.

[sylvanSpider]

A Few Days Later
---ZEKE---
George lounged lazily in her handcrafted bed above Zeke's own. He was already getting his bag ready for school the next day, being the exemplary nerdy student that he was. “I can't believe I'm stuck taking this gen-ed fuckin' course on robotics. It's not like I'm ever going to need it. I mean, I don't use many robotics and those I do use can be fixed by a mechanic. Ugh. What in the way of gen--” his sentence was interrupted by an incessant beeping coming from his hip. Taking out his data slate, he was left rolling his black eyes and sighing. “It's Mum. She doesn't like the fact that I had a roommate. But, if she would have paid any attention at all to what I told her last semester, she'd know that I signed up for it, and she also would have known that I've had a roommate for a few days now.”

It wasn't that Zeke didn't like his parents. He did. They were just...insufferable at times. He clicked on the holovid, and sure enough a woman appeared on screen looking undeniably like her son. They had the same narrow features, the same black eyes. The females of his species even had the same horns he did. She was dressed in impeccable all-white clothing if only to match her all-white hair that fell in waves across her shoulders. A scowl adorned her features, the same one Zeke wore whenever he had to interact with her, and it was all too plain the two were related.

“45SQAC44, why have I not heard from you?” the woman's voice was as sharp as her appearance and she sat with her back perfectly straight.

This was in direct contrast to the recipient who sat slouched in his chair, his once prim and proper appearance seeming to have grown haggard within the course of the last couple of minutes perfectly coinciding with the indictment his mother gave him as to his aversion to holo-messages and videos. “I could ask the same to you, mother. Things have been busy. I've been getting acquainted with my new roommate and becoming familiar with my class schedule. It's been...difficult without my hoverboard.” He said, knowing full well that Neel also knew that his hoverboard was in complete working order.

“Your hoverboard? Well, what happened to it?” His mother honed in on his “needs” giving her any reason to hate on his father, “Does your father know you don't have one?”

“Actually, you're the first to message me since it happened. So, no. No he doesn't,” Zeke said, taking pleasure in her frown when she realized that she wouldn't be able to chastize him for not providing for their son. “It was stolen from my pocket and I've been traveling by shuttle since.”

“Well. We can't have that. I'll have one sent to you after we get off here. But come, tell me about your roommate,” she droned, doing her best to feign interest.

“Her name is Neel and she's a linguistics major,” he muttered, not willing to say much about her.

“A 'her'? Oh do tell me she is pretty,” his mother always had an aversion to his being gay in hopes that one day she could have grandchildren to do her more pride than her failure of a son had.

Zeke sighed, “Yes. She is very pretty. But she is still a 'she,' mother.”

His mother echoed the sigh, “Well. Whatever. I will have your hoverboard sent directly. You should be getting it in about an hour.” And then, without saying goodbye, the holovid went black and Zeke grinned at his roommate.

“What did I tell you? Told you I could get you a hoverboard without even trying.”

---MAGALI---
Magali lay on her belly on her bed, stealing glances at her colorful roommate. Her roommate's beauty still hadn't ceased to amaze her, and already she'd been able to do a sketch and a painting of her. Now, however, she had a book recently acquired in her hands, purchased the day before it was needed and quite grateful that her new employers were kind enough to give her an advance and, so long as she was on the clock, she could have anything on the menu. Working in the food industry was not something that she'd hoped to do, but she would do whatever was necessary to stay fed and in school and out of strangers' beds.

Of course, money was still tight, but the young felis woman was in high spirits, and high hopes. Her work on Meeqa turned out better than expected though Magali couldn't shake the feeling that both were missing something important that Meeqa possessed. A certain fire, maybe. Her likeness had certainly been put down well, but Magali just couldn't help but feeling that nothing she could ever make would ever compare to her. “Do you have any general classes?” Magali finally asked her, hoping that they would end up in maybe one or two classes together.

[Worm]

---- T H A G H N E E L ----

Neel was confident, even though sometimes anxiety made her bite her tongue. She laid on her back, looking up at George who was huffing her chest up and down. A smile, until Zeke mentioned gen ed courses. She sat up quickly, hands already stringing through hair. Right, classes. She'd forgotten that the main reason she was here was for school, not for socializing. Though, in the few days she'd been relaxing, she'd also managed to set up a few plants under a "Solar System" box, which kept them lit and timed according to their appropriate location for optimal growth. Funny enough, it was created by someone from Kanna and provided for many Kraileck families, including Neel's. There were various upgrades and expansions one could get, of course for a nominal fee.

Neel had the basic startup kit, mainly to show Zeke how it worked. It was a small 4" cube. With the press of a button, it opened up to a 2 x 4 area of a lighting rig. When the plants were still seeds, they were primed in the small 4" cube. Neel had 4 small vines blooming now and ready to transition to their sapling phase. Neel made sure to keep the space next to her bed, against the wall, dedicated to the plants. In the drawers beneath her bed, she kept supplies and self defense weapons. The machine only needed energy capsules to provide solar light and an attachment to water, which was hooked up through a series of portals. It was a device about the size of a usb which attached the "Solar System" to a water supply.

Neel, still trying to process the thought of classes beginning, scrambled through her files on her wrist implant. SchoolSchedule.exe Click. "Well, hey. Looks like I'm taking robotics too." Neel sighed, not too worried about the gen ed course. But Zeke kept rambling about it. When he answered his phone to his mother, Neel thought it might be time to check her saplings.

She opened the cube over the small space she'd cleared. She tapped the top of it twice and it jumped up, the fours seeds still squished together as if they were inside the cube still. Neel spread them out a bit and pressed her head against the floor to check out their root systems. They looked really healthy, so she smiled in satisfaction. She stood, hearing Zeke go on about the hoverboard. Which, she wasn't going to go out of her way for anyways. It amazed her how his parents were so naive when it came to their son. She had to wonder how it was growing up without a lot of paternal influence. When he mentioned Neel's name, she plopped on the bed with her elbows propped and head in hands. She listened to him compliment her and to be honest, it didn't feel bad. It was when he mentioned her gender that it felt a little strange. She didn't care if he was gay, it just didn't strike her until that moment. She blinked a couple of times, looking up at George, still fast asleep and rolling on her back.

When he hung up with his mother, his comment made the moment feel starker. She gulped. "Wow dude. That's - ridiculous." She giggled, biting her tongue again. She wanted to mention how he called her pretty, but decided not to. "I would never be able to get away with that." Neel smiled, warmly now at Zeke. "What other classes do you have?"

---- M E E Q A ----

She had several nights where she laid in bed, wondering what Magali was thinking. It was strange really. Right now, she was clinging to a pillow, looking up at the ceiling when Magali asked her about her courses. She was daydreaming, something she often did when she wasn't dancing. She wondered what it was like on Magali's home planet. Would it be as quiet and somber as Magali? She rolled over to face the beautiful girl's. "Yeah. Robotics." She smiled, focusing on Magali's heartbeat. "Tell me you've got it too!" She chuckled and swung her feet, her webbed toes splayed out.

"I really don't want to take it by myself. I'll probably flunk... Like I did last semester." She blushed in her ankles, turning them a peachy pink. "I mean, luckily I've got Intergalactic Dance II, I loved that class." She looked over Magali's bed and saw the drawings and paintings she'd done of Meeqa. She wanted her to draw her whole figure, in its entirety. She wanted the girl to draw every fold, every crevice, every lump on her body. Because she loved how she was portrayed. Magali made Meeqa see herself in a brand new light, something she wanted projected all over her. It was consuming her, really. And she didn't know how to say it.

[sylvanSpider]

----ZEKE----

Zeke snorted at her obvious thinking of school when it was something that had been on his mind literally since he could sign up for class the semester prior. He'd been a 4.5 student, taking courses well beyond the levels intended for grad students in his field, getting only top marks (as opposed to above top marks) on the classes he couldn't care for. The man lived and breathed the academic life. He lived and breathed learning. Speaking of, his other learning project was going quite nicely. The “Solar System” box was fascinating to him. So this was how the farming races kept plants for their own use.

The entire time Neel explained how it worked, Zeke furiously scribbled notes, and the cycle Zeke was able to repeat back everything Neel had taught him, even asking questions to add to his current knowledge. He was tenacious. He brightened though, “Wait, really? That's great. We can just go together, and I can teach you how to hover. It's incredibly useful, you'll see. Also,” he said with a wry grin shooting finger guns in her directions, “I told you I could get you one with no down side to me. My parents just beg to spend money on me, I'm just a competition for them, so, I might as well let them, right?” He chuckled lacing his fingers just behind his head and under his horns.

“I can pretty much get away with anything. It's kind of ridiculous. But,” he said, raising his black eyes to look at her, a glint appearing on white irises, “It certainly came in handy tonight, didn't it?” He unlaced his hands, got up from his desk, and moved to his bed sitting down. George raised her head to see what he was doing and lowered it again seeing that they weren't going anywhere. “As for classes? I've got that robotics class, a few history classes, an Earthen politics class, and advanced mathematics. Not looking forward to the latter.”

-----MAGALI-----

Magali lit up, eager to relay the good news, “I have it too!” The past few days led to the roommates becoming faster friends than Magali had ever experienced in her entire life. And to think she had befriended the most beautiful woman that she'd ever laid eyes on! It was one of two classes she had the first day, followed by a beginner's art class and hour later in two totally different buildings. She hoped she'd be able to find it.

”Well, I'll be there,” Magali said, so softly it was almost a whisper. “If you get to dance at all like you did that night at Class Acts, I bet you'll do great!,” she said grabbing a hold of one of Meeqa's hands reaching over the gap between their beds.

[Worm]

{ T H A G H N E E L }

While Zeke wasn't wrong, Neel was still a bit ashamed with how easily he could manipulate his parents. It just felt wrong. But to him it was some sort of revenge against them. And she had no idea what it was like to have constantly feuding parents, so it wasn't her place to judge. So she swallowed her ill thoughts, and responded with a forced smile. "Y-yeah. I see that." She chuckled. "Thanks man. Heh. So we'll have to race George to class one of these days." She looked up at George, who seemed to light up at the sound of her name. "Is she allowed in class?" She asked from pure curiosity.

She looked through her bookshelf next to her desk, making sure that the books for her classes were all there. She had Intro to Exolinguistics, Earthican Pronunciation, Advanced Earth Literature, a creative language class, and the robotics class. She felt her nerves start to get her. Tomorrow, her life would really begin.

{ M E E Q A }

Meeqa lit up to a bright blue. She was so happy that she didn't have to take robotics alone again. Hopefully this would give her the motivation to actually do well in it. Last semester, she just couldn't focus. She would show up to class, but didn't take great notes and was a horrible test taker. Plus, some of the animatronic helper bots were too creepy for Meeqa. There were none that represented her race, nor even Magali's, it was all base human figures. And they were old models which had horrifying expressions. She hoped that they might've changed that this semester. After all, she left a note about it to the dean.

"I am so excited, you have no idea!" When Magali reached for her hand, she grabbed it only for a moment. Then she flung herself across the gap and pulled Magali into a tight embrace. She began laughing, holding her friend there. As the moment extended to longer than she'd initially expected, she turned pink, pulling away slowly with both of them on the floor now. "I want you to draw me nude." She turned red now. "If you'd like to." That wasn't too hard now, was it? She pumped herself up, waiting for a response. At least if Magali said no, she knew, and she tried.

[sylvanSpider]

{---ZEKE---}

Zeke could tell that Neel was still at unease, and if Zeke was being honest with himself (as he rarely was), he'd be forced to acknowledge that he himself felt slimy when he first realized it was option. He played the two of them like a fiddle. Neither had any actual care for him, a blind person could see it, but it did initially feel wrong. But the first time was easy. It was too easy. Then, he tried it again, believing to be trying his luck. And then again. And again. Neither bothered to stop to see if his claims were fabrication or not. Neither cared. Was his hoverboard broken? If he said so, it had to be. Sick enough to need to visit the campus's medic ward? No problem, just throw money at it. That was how everything was solved. Money. How else could it be solved? He sighed and looked up at her through the tops of his black tinted eyes, “If it would make you feel any better, I can stop. I can stop it any time.”

He wasn't kidding either. He was given a weekly allowance from each, the weekly allowance on its own being more than enough for his chellix addiction, food, dragon food, all of his books, another room to rent should he need it...He was set, even without the manipulation. He was shaken from his reverie with Neel's question, “Oh yeah. She's got a little bracelet she wears on right foreleg. I had to prove she was trained and they ran me through test classes with her to ensure her behavior was good and just dealt it. I mean, it's an expensive process, but little George comes with me everywhere.” He looked up at the little dragon who opened her eyes when her name was mentioned, and seeing that she was only spoken of and not to promptly closed them resuming her snooze. “She's a little lazy. We'll stomp her.”

Not long after, there was a knock at the door and a postman handed Zeke a package which he promptly tossed to Neel. “Wanna go flying?”

{---MAGALI---}

Magali reveled in the obvious joy Meeqa exuded, basking in the emotions as they seemed to permeate into her own body. Robotics was actually one of the classes that she was looking forward to, hoping that somehow she could just turn her final project into an over-elaborate working art project. Now she had reason to be doubly excited and she didn't have to be as nervous as she would have otherwise been.

Magali couldn't help it, she gasped, her breath taken away with the sudden physical contact. If she would have had access to her arms, she would have wrapped her arms around her, but as it was she was frozen in place her ears straight up with obvious elation. When Meeqa finally pulled away, both were on the floor and Magali having been on her back now propped herself up on her elbows, a haphazard grin that only seemed to say “That could have lasted forever and I would have been okay with it” stretched across her face. What she said instead came out more...clunky, “N-nude? Real...really?” She didn't know what else to say. Shouting “YES” at the top of her lungs might have come off as creepy. Wrong. But, it was all she wanted—to paint Meeqa as she had first seen her, naked, and how she felt the most comfortable. “I'd be...I'd be honored...”

[Worm]

{ T H A G H N E E L }

Despite her discomfort with Zeke's family matters, it was not her own. And hell, if he wanted to buy her things, at least it wasn't coming from a meager paycheck. She just hoped that he didn't expect much in return. "Ah, no. Its cool. I'm just not used to having rich friends." She chuckled. "At least none that are willing to spoil me." She blushed, watching George curl back up.

"Hey that's really neat! I'm glad she can entertain us in class a bit." Neel grinned. "Does she ever get rowdy?" She looked back at Zeke, now just exhausting her question. And then the package came. She should've known it would be here already, but it seemed so sudden. She leapt up with Zeke and grinned unabashedly at the unopened hoverboard. She'd never owned one of her own, it felt like a futuristic Christmas. "Yes! I'd love to!" She extended a claw so she could easily slice open the box it was in. Then once it was open, it came with a set of simple set up instructions.

"Let me run to the bathroom real quick, okay?" She said, already shuffling towards the toilet. When she closed the door behind her, she noticed a familiar scent. "Shit." She said, frustrated as she finished her duties. It was warmer here than she was used to, and she wasn't sure if Zeke would notice her changes. She lifted up her arm, noting the extra long armpit hair. She rested her forehead into her hands for a moment before leaving the room.

"Okay, let's do this!"

{ M E E Q A }

Meeqa was more than pleased with her roommate's response. She jumped up, dancing frantically. "Yes! I'm so excited!" She helped Magali back onto her feet, then continuing to shake her body happily. She was so impressed by the other pieces that Magali had done for her, this felt like just the tip of the iceberg. She'd never had someone capture her body nude, even though it was her purest form. It felt like such an honor to have it done by someone so talented, and a friend nonetheless. "You are doing me the honor, Magali. You are so talented." She smiled, constantly moving. She wanted to take off her clothes now because of her state of elation, but fought to keep them on to avoid awkwardness.

"When can we do this?" Her feet chattered at the floor.