Lost Change - Snippets

Fine Dining And Recreation

"Hrm... didn't Taureen mention something early on in his reports, about Tasha... where was that..." Minna leaned to the side to get a better view of the screen, and she tapped rapidly away at some of the keys.

I looked back down and watched her hand, as if I was confused as to why she thought the repeated tapping would somehow produce a shia fruit, then looked back up when she suddenly stopped tapping. "Aha... okay. If you want attention, you got it."

Minna's grin grew wider... and I squawked as her hands reached up and scooped me up. She lifted me through the air, and I spread my wings out on instinct to keep my balance...

...then she dropped me back down on her head.

I blinked.

Minna reached back down for the keyboard. Tap.

Well. This was odd.

Tap. Taptap. Taptaptaptaptap. ... ...tap.

I turned around a few times, still keeping my wings spread for balance as I tried to get comfortable. The curve of Minna's head was a little confusing, and I was worried about hurting her with my claws. Plus her hair was weird to walk on - much thicker than human hair had been, and it kept slipping unpredictably if I put too much weight on it. I finally got comfortable and I settled down, sprawling out on Minna's head.

Minna sighed.

I chirped innocently and twitched my tail, making sure it distracted her as much as possible as it dangled right in front of her eyes.

~

"Of course somebody would call right as I'm finishing up..." I lifted my head up at the beeping sound coming from the desk. Had I fallen asleep? I craned my neck around to look behind me, spreading my wings a little to make sure I kept my balance.

Something was flashing on the screen. There was also an impressive amount of indecipherable alien symbols filling the screen, which, given Minna's skill at typing... probably meant I had been asleep for an hour or two.

"Why is he calling?" I could hear the frown in Minna's voice as she read the screen. It continued beeping for a moment, then she sighed and reached for something next to the keyboard. I craned my neck around and watched as she slipped something over her ear. I resisted the urge to lean down and bite it, and instead reached down with my arm to bat at the small chain of her earring.

Minna tapped something on the keyboard, and the beeping stopped. "Good morning, Bond Handler Minna speaking."

A faint sound that could have been someone speaking drifted up from the device over Minna's ear, but I couldn't make out the words. I pulled my arm back and batted at the strange device instead.

"Lunch? But... um... I suppose. I can meet you today, if you would really like to." Minna frowned at the screen as she answered the unfamiliar voice on the phone. "Nate, stop that. That's not a toy."

Minna tapped on the keyboard, then an unfamiliar voice spoke from the screen on the desk. "Do you have an inspection schedule today? I do not want to be an inconvenience; I can make time whenever is good for you."

I batted at the device at Minna's ear again and grinned. I knew that tone. That hesitant mixture of nervousness and hopefulness, and of 'walking on eggshells' politeness. The concern that one wrong word would get him shot down. Somebody was trying to ask Minna out on a date.

"Today is fine. I have a call with Trenil this evening when he finishes his schedule, but I am still technically in training with Nate." Minna reached up and pulled the device from her ear, and I pouted a little as she dropped it back down on the desk. "I will just be taking him through the city anyways; it won't be any problem to stop for food along the way. It might even be good for him, actually. He'll need to be accustomed to passengers eating while he's patrolling a ship, and he isn't the best at focusing when food is around."