“We should probably get our homework done first before we show Jack around,” Alora chimed in between giggles.
“That’s fine, I’m just gonna copy Chiyo while she rejuvenates!” Sephy replied with a confidant wink at Jack. “We won’t be long!”
Nika sighed as she picked up her drink and handed Sephy hers. “You do know Chiyo’s caught on to what you’re doing right?” The Kizun asked the hyperactive Skritta who had practically already zoomed off down a nearby corridor.
“Hey, she can copy my homework whenever she likes!” The voice of Sephy echoed back.
“Why in the name of the gods would anyone want to do that?” Alora replied, rolling her eyes with a smile before turning away to the bemused human. “I hope you don’t mind Jack, we didn’t get much homework to do and it’s better to do it now and get it out the way.”
“Sure, that’s fine,” Jack replied quietly with a shy smile. He was still a little overwhelmed by the attention and wouldn’t mind sitting down.
“Here you go!” Nika picked up what looked like a remote control from the large sofa and threw it to him, taking note of his reaction time and catching ability as she did. “TV remote, have fun!” She added, before turning around and heading off.
Jack plonked down on the sofa next to the floating fourth girl he hadn’t officially met yet. He knew it was a little rude to look but he couldn’t deny he was curious. She was spinning gently in the air with her arms and legs tucked in an oversized beige jumper, with only her light blue face to be seen. She had pale blue skin, lustrous silvery grey hair and thick, slightly oversized glasses, which were somehow able to remain attached to her face. She looked at peace with her eyes closed, and Jack noticed what may have been a small crystal in the center of her forehead, the same colour as her hair.
He turned away, not wanting to appear rude. He turned on the projector which seemed to default to a 2D display on the back wall. As it loaded up he checked his surroundings. The room they were in was a large entrance hall which doubled as the living room, with an area close to the back left corner that housed the reasonably sized kitchen area. Four corridors, two parallel pairs running on the left and right side of the front door, with the back of the room having a set of large clear doors that opened out to another area. A set of stairs ran up either side of the room, though only Alora had ascended the one on the left. The room was sparsely decorated, and Jack could tell the house wasn’t in the best condition, though he thought with some time and effort it could be spruced up a bit better. Certainly the rest of District Sector ST976624SA looked like it needed fixing up…
Still, that could wait for later. He wanted to take advantage of the calm before the storm while he could. He dragged his borrowed rucksack up beside him and checked the contents, spotting with relief that his few possessions and belongings were still there. Another school uniform, some borrowed casual clothes and a blanket from the temple made up most of the space. There was some stationary, some note and text books, an empty water container he had downed much earlier in the day, a small tin he had put every dropped coin or discarded credit he could find in, and a larger tin with a very basic survival kit he had managed to put together using his Scouting knowledge, though lacking several key components. That was it. Jack felt more pangs of helplessness in that moment, but forced down the familiar waves of panic with the knowledge that he was in a better spot now than he was before. He just needed to figure out what to do next.
The projector had fully loaded up, and Jack had to quickly play around with the remote to turn the volume down. The display was a little confusing, showing different symbols or illustrations, the cursor flitting through them quickly with the slightest touch. He clicked one.
“Welcome to your triquarter rotation weather updates!”
Ah, so they’re TV channels, Jack realised. He clicked another.
“Famed adventurer group Death Triangle have uncovered the former laboratory of Dr Trixx Xhargol, claiming valuable treasures and widespread recognition from the scientific community.”
Jack quickly skipped through more, unable to commit to one thing in the sea of insanity. He would probably need to ask the others for advice on what to watch later.
“On tonight’s episode of ‘Galactic Assholes’ we take a look at what we know of the mysterious necromancer Lucian Vile!”
“We’re going to sprinkle a little Xtharlian paste into the mix and smoke”
“The war against the Demon Lord Sable, Lord of the Sands has ground to a halt in the Obal system after a botched…”
“This is ‘Galactic Tracks & Infinite Tunes!’ Gal-TIT, bring the breast, errr….the best music in the galaxy!”
“The Dredger Gang retreated from their raid on District Sector ST846124SA after an attack by local vigilante, Nightbringer killed four of their number”
“They’re turning the frickin Drogs gay!”
Jack switched the projector off, and slumped back in his seat, unable to process the crazy right now.
Something to his side got his senses tingling. Jack quickly spun his head and lunged back in sudden shock with a loud yelp.
The fourth girl, Chiyo, had floated down next to Jack without him noticing and was staring directly at him, silvery-blue eyes wide with curiosity from only a few inches away.
Immediately noise came from all over the house. The sound of rapid footsteps came from one of the right side corridors as Nika ran into the room holding what looked like a pistol of some kind, holstering it as she saw what happened with a loud cackle.
“Real smooth Chiyo!” Nika articulated loudly enough for the others to hear, turning around and heading back to her room as Jack could hear other doors closing in the distance from where Alora and Sephy were listening in. Jack quickly composed himself and sat back on the sofa, slightly further away from Chiyo.
Chiyo floated closer to him before curling up right next to him, not saying a word, still staring at him.
Jack decided to break the silence.
“Um...Hi there! I’m Jack!”
He felt a very strange sensation tingle in his mind, as if something was reaching in and rifling around desperately in his head.
…...He…llo
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The word came to the forefront of his mind though he knew they weren’t his own. It seemed a little hesitant, lacking confidence, as if Chiyo wasn’t sure if she gave the correct greeting.
“Hi!” Jack smiled reassuringly, while trying not to show his confusion. Chiyo’s eyes widened and she gave a shy smile. Again Jack felt the sensation of a presence and the feeling of Chiyo rummaging around in his mind. He had no idea what he was meant to do as the expression on Chiyo’s face grew ever more frantic.
“Are you...non-verbal?” Jack asked, trying to guess what was happening. Chiyo suddenly stopped and gave him a warm look, closing her eyes and nodding at Jack with another smile “I can try and find a pen and paper, I have some in my bag?”
Chiyo suddenly perked up at that and quickly held up her hand to stop him. She threw off her jumper and telekinetically reached into one of her pockets, pulling out a device that looked somewhat similar to a smartphone. Chiyo turned it on and fiddled around before showing him the words on the screen, looking at him in anxious anticipation:
Hello Jack, it is nice to meet you!
The translation filter injected into his bloodstream worked wonders and deciphered the words instantly, and Jack was thankful that in this insane galaxy he could at least communicate, though with Chiyo that might prove to be somewhat challenging.
“Nice to meet you too!” Jack replied out loud, showing that he understood. “I’ve never seen psychic powers like that before.”
Chiyo smiled again as she wrote a new message. Now she wasn’t asleep and tucked into her jumper, Jack could see that she was close in height to Nika, but also much curvier and slightly chubby in parts. His eyes stopped roaming just in time, as Chiyo finished her message.
Telepathy is the primary way Ilithii communicate, but it’s difficult with you, as our species’ have never crossed paths in this way before.
“Anything I can do to make it easier?” Jack replied, concerned.
Chiyo tapped away quickly again, her skin flushing a slightly darker blue.
If you let me spend more time with you I can make the psychic link more efficient while getting to know you better.
Her facial expression stayed neutral, though her skin turned even darker as she stared at Jack, equally bashful, awaiting his reply.
Jack nodded. “Sure! Sounds good! I think the others wanted to show me around after they do their homework anyway.”
Chiyo rolled her eyes and tapped away at the screen again.
Sephy’s copying my homework again, isn’t she?
He chuckled a little bit at that. “Yeah she said something like that”
Chiyo replied with a long exhale, then tapped a new message.
Good thing I left a decoy out with all the wrong answers!
Chiyo gave Jack a sly smile.
It wasn’t long before the others finished their homework and started joining Jack and Chiyo on the sofa.
“Told you I wouldn’t be long,” Sephy boasted, vaulting the large sofa and sitting on the other side of Jack. “Sorry Chiyo but you just left your homework on the balcony, it was practically calling to me!”
Chiyo locked eyes with Jack with a knowing look, and both shared a subtle grin.
You should make a better attempt on your own Sephy. Chiyo telepathically replied to her friend.
Sephy pouted. “I know, but I suck with the academic stuff. Give me some code to tweak, a creative writing thingy or hell - even some gymnastics and I’m fine.” Sephy slumped in her seat in a sulk, before remembering that Jack was right next to her and shifted into a more ‘neutral’ pose.
Chiyo was sympathetic, though as with many things, she didn’t let it show. It was true Sephy was struggling with certain subjects, but instead of putting the effort in and working on getting better, she resorted to subterfuge. Tough love, she hoped, would be the right thing for her.
“Well you probably won’t be alone at least,” Jack said as he looked at Sephy. He didn’t know what Chiyo had said but he could guess well enough. “You guys are probably learning about magic and starships which I know absolutely nothing about”
That got a confused look from both girls as Nika joined them, mentally drained from finishing her homework. “That sounds like advanced stuff for people twice our age” the Kizun pointed out, grabbing a chair and dragging it over to sit opposite Jack. “Magic classes are only for those naturally evolved to perform magic, and we don’t have many in our school sector. Some have an innate ability they have full mastery of like Chiyo and some may be extracurricular or bestowed like Alora but that’s not taught in lessons.”
Do humans learn Mathematics and Communication where you are from? Chiyo typed to show Jack, looking concerned.
“History and modern politics may be a bummer,” Sephy replied with a grin. “But at least you won’t be worse than me!”
“There are also trade and shop classes, as well as physical well-being and self-defence sparring. No need to worry!” Nika added, trying to reassure the human.
But despite the reassurance, Jack was worried. It sounded like there were so many different subjects, several of which sounded like he would be clueless in - it was intimidating!
“Quite a lot of the content revolves around hypothetical scenarios. The school does that to gauge future employment suitability,” came the voice of Alora as she walked in. “You may be asked to explain how to manage a given situation, and from there the lesson will be on what to do.”
“You’re back unusually early,” Nika noted to Alora, as the Eladrie picked up some objects from the kitchen and daintily sat down next to Chiyo.
Alora smiled. “What can I say? I’m unusually motivated today! Zips?”
“Zips?” Jack began to ask, but Alora handed the objects out to everyone. A thin cylinder with over-the-top branding, Jack still recognised a canned drink when he saw it. Where was the tab though?
Looking at Nika he saw her twist something at the top before guzzling the stuff, and he cautiously did the same and took a sip. It tasted like a cross between a pomegranate and a red bull.
“You never had one of these before?” Nika asked Jack curiously, having noticed his hesitance.
Jack felt all eyes on him, and the confidence he had slowly been building up started to erode. He was always anxious being the center of attention, even with something so trivial.
“Well…” he began. “I had canned drinks where I came from but they opened differently. I’ve never even heard of ‘Zips’ before. It tastes good though, thank you Alora.”
Alora gave a soft smile at that. “I imagine it’s better than the bread and water they gave you at the temple, no?”
Jack smiled at that, but Nika spoke up before he could reply. “Only bread and water? I hope you’ve got something good planned for tonight - otherwise he’ll turn undead! It’s your turn to cook!”
“Undead can still be cute!” Sephy piped up, before Chiyo gave the enthusiastic Skritta an exasperated look.
Alora laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ve prepared well!”
Jack felt the now familiar sensation of Chiyo trying to talk to him in his mind before she quickly looked to Nika, who nodded.
“Chiyo wanted to tell you about our kitchen tradition” the Kizun translated quickly, looking between Jack and Chiyo. “At least once a week, one of us cooks for the rest, usually on schooldays. We usually get something delivered at the start of the weekend and on special days, and the rest of the time we all work on something together.”
“Alora’s the best cook though!” Sephy chipped in again. “Careful with Chiyo, her cooking’s the wor-WOAH!”
Before Jack knew what happened, Sephy was dangling in the air by her ankle, bouncing up and down.
“I take it back!” Sephy laughed as she reached up to stop her skirt falling past her head. “Chiyo is best cook! All hail Chiyo!”
Chiyo let her down gently with a satisfied grin.
“I’ve got most of the food already slow-cooking” Alora interjected after giving Chiyo a stern look, who for her part looked completely unrepentant. “Shall we do the tour?”