Chapter 32
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"Open Com-chat Bo Jangles."
A moment later, the surprised face of Bo Jangles popped up on Q's hud.
"Q? Well this is a bit of a surprise." Jangles twisted his girly face into a frown as he spoke, he was still not sure how Q had managed to swipe Lara Sy.
"How good of a musician are you? I don't need any false bravado. Seriously.. when compared to the top guys." Q had heard that Jangles was a genius irl with a guitar, but that could be a marketing gimmick.
Jangles seemed a bit taken back by the question. "If I'm being honest, and not humble... I'd say I'm a step ahead of anyone I know."
"If you want to meet someone a few steps ahead of you, be at the Talon Market tonight." Q disconnected com and walked over to the bunk area.
The Songbirds all looked up as he walked in, a few of them were putting their things away into wall lockers. He felt the temperature drop a bit. Perhaps they haven't forgiven him yet?
Q easily picked Lara Sy out of the group. "You have a beautiful voice Nightingale, I wonder if you sing at all."
Lara Sy blushed slightly and shook her head, "sorry, I really don't."
Q stared at her for a moment, "tonight at the Talon market, I expect you to have my back regardless."
Q spun back around and headed toward the alcove. He'd make amends with the Songbirds after they warmed up to him a bit more. 'Shouldn't take more then six months or so.'
"Log-Off TAP."
Quinn woke up normally, the big house was quiet in the early morning. He knew Pops and Tal wouldn't be back until after he was done with school.
A quick workout and a shower put Quinn in a good mood. He grabbed some toast and a small glass of apple juice and headed into Ren's room.
The retired nurse they had hired to monitor Ren smiled pleasantly and then excused herself.
He watched her as he ate. A slender girl, with pale blonde hair and blue eyes like her mom. "It sure would be nice if you'd come out tonight Ren. We are going to have to hire a full-time nurse if you don't join us."
He looked at the time on his hud and picked up the book next to her bed. "I have time to read one chapter before I leave for class, don't get spoiled."
Quinn logged into the hall outside his classroom. "Am I late?" Unexpectedly the classroom was nearly full.
He knew who most of them were, just because they were required to use their real faces for student I.D.'s.
"Good morning Quinn." A tall brown haired girl approach him, she was closely followed by a shorter fellow wearing glasses.
Quinn smiled at both of them. "Mai and Peter right?" Quinn recognized Daze from her confident walk, and Onion he had seen on the first day of class, nine months ago.
Mai gave him a sweet smile. "You're exactly the same, it's hardly fair!"
Peter nodded in agreement, "I'm half expecting you to pull out those pistoleros."
Quinn laughed at the two of them, Mai seemed much more confident in her own form. Peter's voice was a bit deeper then he remembered, Q placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I haven't had a chance to speak with you guys since the surveying started."
"I was chased by this lizard thing Quinn, my arrows just bounced right off it." Mai's eyes lit up as she described the creature.
Peter laughed as he held up his arms, "it was tiny Quinn, like an iguana."
"What? That thing was at least six feet!" The two start squabbling, Quinn left them there and found his seat.
"Good Morning Class." A crisp English accent filled the room. For once only one person answered.
"Good morning Teacher." Quinn said.
A young blonde woman smiled at him. "That was a very nice greeting Quinn."
Quinn scratched his chin as his teacher closed the door. 'Miss Sentac was English?'
"I apologize for never appearing in front of you as myself." She looked around her class, her smile growing as she took in all the real faces of her students. "I was a bit nervous about it, if I'm being truthful."
Quinn raised his hand. Without a doubt, he had never done so in her class before.
"Yes Quinn," she approached his desk the same as she always did, only this time there wasn't any animosity between them.
"I was expecting someone East Indian." 'She is pretty and that voice... why is it so familiar?'
She leaned back on his desk, her clothing was very modest. A white blouse and dark blue skirt, she looked like a British school girl.
"I'm a London girl actually." She scooted up on Quinn's desk, much the same way she had a hundred times before, only this time her students couldn't take their eyes off her.
"She's young right?"
"Wait, so she's a Brit?"
"Damn that Quinn."
"After this week many of you will go on to attend Colleges, others of you will join the work force and start your careers." She swung her feet casually as she talked to them. "You can always come find me in TAP if you need anything, anytime as long as you live!"
A dozen hands flew up all at once. Miss Sentac pursed her lips slightly and called on Mai.
"You seem quite young Miss Sentac." Mai had been quiet in the past, but her real personality was much more forthright.
"I'm eighteen Mai, I graduated from Cambridge last year and started my year of student teaching with this class."
'Of course, Cambridge grad at 17, another damn genius.' Quinn sighed heavily, that explains a lot. He was cursed to live out his existence in the presence of really smart people.
"I want to say thank you, for bringing us to TAP as a end of year field trip. I can't tell you how much fun I've been having." Mai's words made everyone a bit somber, their year together was coming to an end.
"Each of you has a place in Fora if you wish." It was Quinn who spoke, no one bothered to care that he didn't raise his hand. "As jobs go it can be pretty profitable, I dare say that if entering the workforce is your plan, you might do a bit better with us."
Even Miss Sentac was stunned by Quinn's invitation, he had actually invited the entire class to join him in TAP.
"I will be joining the Fora Development Group as well, two of your classmates, Peter and Mai have already become members." She gave Quinn an unreadable look as she slid off his desk. "Although I enjoyed teaching the past year, I'm going to pursue opportunities in TAP."
"We are building something good in Fora, but that isn't all." Quinn watched his teacher walk back up to the front, she looked over her shoulder suddenly and caught him staring. Damn... complete defeat. "Recently we've hired a TAP manager to handle our finances and increase our visibility on the outside."
The school day passed much like the ones before, this one seemed a bit more real. Real faces, real laughter.
Mari was still there when he returned from school. He paid her in cash as he walked her out.
"Shouldn't be too long before Tal and Pop log out... time for a nap."
He was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang, "Mari must have forgot something." He made his way to the door and opened it.
"I would have called...but I'm still a bit angry with you!" Anna Li was standing at his door with several bags and trunks stacked up behind her. Surprisingly she was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, if Q were being honest, she totally rocked it. She waved at the driver in the black sedan, who immediately pulled away.
"Damn, you could have had him help me." Q mumbled under his breathe.
"Call it penance!!" She took one small bag and walked into the house.
Quinn finished bringing Anna Li's things up to her room, only to have her close the door on him. He muttered something very unpleasant under his breathe and walked down the hallway to his room. "I'll just lay down for a minute."
Two hours later a knock at his door woke him up. "Ready to eat sleepy head? " Tal was smiling more the past two days then she had in a long time.
"This bed feels so good!" He didn't hear her come in, but looked up when she sat on the bed.
"How was school Quinn?" Tal folded her good leg under her as she sat on the bed.
"Hmm, it was actually okay for once. " Damn, she always smelled so nice. "Hey, did you know that Miss Sentac is an English girl?"
Tal nodded, "Cambridge grad at seventeen, if I remember right."
"Damn, how come no one tells me these things?" Q turned until his feet were on the floor and then stood up.
Tal accepted a hand and they walked together to the door way. "As I remember, you never really had any interest in Miss Sentac. Something happen Little Q?"
"Damn, always looking the juicy story." He was halfway down the stairs when he smelled dinner. "Hey did someone stop and get take-out?"
Ben was sitting next to Anna at the dining room table. Quinn felt his mouth watering, 'fried rice, egg rolls and sweet sour chicken... all my favorites.' He took a seat next to Anna as Tal sat on his other side.
"Anna made everything Quinn!" Tal had spent the last hour chatting with her as she cooked. She had refused any help because she owed Quinn dinner.
"This is the dinner I owe you, please enjoy it." Anna tried not to smile, but talking with Tal for the past hour had put her in a great mood.
Q took her hand and then reached across and grabbed Tal's. Anna seemed surprised when Ben did the same thing. They formed small circle of hands and murmured a quiet, "thank you for the meal!"
The next twenty minutes was a free-for-all. Reaching around people, eating off each others plates, sharing their food. It was loud and rowdy, Anna had never seen anything like it.
"So you are from Hawaii?" Q had thought she sounded like an American, but didn't want to presume. Accents were so easy to get rid of these days.
Anna nodded, "Born and raised. Dad is Hawaiian and mom is Japanese." She didn't sound angry anymore. "My dad actually does all the cooking at home."
Tal poked Quinn with her fork when he reached for the last egg roll. "Seriously, you've had six already."
Quinn silently cursed all the smart people who count food portions. He nearly cried when Tal grabbed it and took a big bite in front of him. "Halfsies?"
Tal thought about it for a moment and then fed him the rest.
Anna hadn't understood the relationship between these three until she sat down and ate a meal with them. They were a family.
The men decided that they would clean up, while the women went upstairs. The mood had gone from festive to somber relatively quickly.
Upstairs Tal told Anna about everything. The accident two years ago, and Quinn's plan to try and bring her into TAP.
"That's a lot of pressure for a nineteen year old." Anna hadn't known Quinn long, but he seemed very capable.
Tal smoothed her hair back, her pretty face serious. "We... I've been relying on Quinn for some time. It isn't fair to him."
"I barely know him, but it seems to me like he doesn't mind." Anna smiled, "did he mention that he saw me in my towel?"
Tal laughed. "Nope not a word."
"Well... then I won't mention that little tidbit."
"Its fine no matter what Ren. No pressure okay?" Quinn had carefully secured his mom's old VR helm on the sleeping girls head. Ben and Tal had both been too emotional to do it.
Quinn stopped in the doorway, "Love you Ren.." He hesitated for a moment and then walked out the door.
Anna was sitting on the couch chatting with Mari, who had made plans to come back and keep an eye on Ren. "Good luck Quinn." She didn't know what could really be said at a time like this. She had her fingers crossed, but it was impossible.
Quinn decided at the last minute to use the VR chamber. The door sealed behind him with a hiss as he adjusted the neural net.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
"Open Com-chat Bo Jangles."
A moment later, the surprised face of Bo Jangles popped up on Q's hud.
"Q? Well this is a bit of a surprise." Jangles twisted his girly face into a frown as he spoke, he was still not sure how Q had managed to swipe Lara Sy.
"How good of a musician are you? I don't need any false bravado. Seriously.. when compared to the top guys." Q had heard that Jangles was a genius irl with a guitar, but that could be a marketing gimmick.
Jangles seemed a bit taken back by the question. "If I'm being honest, and not humble... I'd say I'm a step ahead of anyone I know."
"If you want to meet someone a few steps ahead of you, be at the Talon Market tonight." Q disconnected com and walked over to the bunk area.
The Songbirds all looked up as he walked in, a few of them were putting their things away into wall lockers. He felt the temperature drop a bit. Perhaps they haven't forgiven him yet?
Q easily picked Lara Sy out of the group. "You have a beautiful voice Nightingale, I wonder if you sing at all."
Lara Sy blushed slightly and shook her head, "sorry, I really don't."
Q stared at her for a moment, "tonight at the Talon market, I expect you to have my back regardless."
Q spun back around and headed toward the alcove. He'd make amends with the Songbirds after they warmed up to him a bit more. 'Shouldn't take more then six months or so.'
"Log-Off TAP."
Quinn woke up normally, the big house was quiet in the early morning. He knew Pops and Tal wouldn't be back until after he was done with school.
A quick workout and a shower put Quinn in a good mood. He grabbed some toast and a small glass of apple juice and headed into Ren's room.
The retired nurse they had hired to monitor Ren smiled pleasantly and then excused herself.
He watched her as he ate. A slender girl, with pale blonde hair and blue eyes like her mom. "It sure would be nice if you'd come out tonight Ren. We are going to have to hire a full-time nurse if you don't join us."
He looked at the time on his hud and picked up the book next to her bed. "I have time to read one chapter before I leave for class, don't get spoiled."
Quinn logged into the hall outside his classroom. "Am I late?" Unexpectedly the classroom was nearly full.
He knew who most of them were, just because they were required to use their real faces for student I.D.'s.
"Good morning Quinn." A tall brown haired girl approach him, she was closely followed by a shorter fellow wearing glasses.
Quinn smiled at both of them. "Mai and Peter right?" Quinn recognized Daze from her confident walk, and Onion he had seen on the first day of class, nine months ago.
Mai gave him a sweet smile. "You're exactly the same, it's hardly fair!"
Peter nodded in agreement, "I'm half expecting you to pull out those pistoleros."
Quinn laughed at the two of them, Mai seemed much more confident in her own form. Peter's voice was a bit deeper then he remembered, Q placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I haven't had a chance to speak with you guys since the surveying started."
"I was chased by this lizard thing Quinn, my arrows just bounced right off it." Mai's eyes lit up as she described the creature.
Peter laughed as he held up his arms, "it was tiny Quinn, like an iguana."
"What? That thing was at least six feet!" The two start squabbling, Quinn left them there and found his seat.
"Good Morning Class." A crisp English accent filled the room. For once only one person answered.
"Good morning Teacher." Quinn said.
A young blonde woman smiled at him. "That was a very nice greeting Quinn."
Quinn scratched his chin as his teacher closed the door. 'Miss Sentac was English?'
"I apologize for never appearing in front of you as myself." She looked around her class, her smile growing as she took in all the real faces of her students. "I was a bit nervous about it, if I'm being truthful."
Quinn raised his hand. Without a doubt, he had never done so in her class before.
"Yes Quinn," she approached his desk the same as she always did, only this time there wasn't any animosity between them.
"I was expecting someone East Indian." 'She is pretty and that voice... why is it so familiar?'
She leaned back on his desk, her clothing was very modest. A white blouse and dark blue skirt, she looked like a British school girl.
"I'm a London girl actually." She scooted up on Quinn's desk, much the same way she had a hundred times before, only this time her students couldn't take their eyes off her.
"She's young right?"
"Wait, so she's a Brit?"
"Damn that Quinn."
"After this week many of you will go on to attend Colleges, others of you will join the work force and start your careers." She swung her feet casually as she talked to them. "You can always come find me in TAP if you need anything, anytime as long as you live!"
A dozen hands flew up all at once. Miss Sentac pursed her lips slightly and called on Mai.
"You seem quite young Miss Sentac." Mai had been quiet in the past, but her real personality was much more forthright.
"I'm eighteen Mai, I graduated from Cambridge last year and started my year of student teaching with this class."
'Of course, Cambridge grad at 17, another damn genius.' Quinn sighed heavily, that explains a lot. He was cursed to live out his existence in the presence of really smart people.
"I want to say thank you, for bringing us to TAP as a end of year field trip. I can't tell you how much fun I've been having." Mai's words made everyone a bit somber, their year together was coming to an end.
"Each of you has a place in Fora if you wish." It was Quinn who spoke, no one bothered to care that he didn't raise his hand. "As jobs go it can be pretty profitable, I dare say that if entering the workforce is your plan, you might do a bit better with us."
Even Miss Sentac was stunned by Quinn's invitation, he had actually invited the entire class to join him in TAP.
"I will be joining the Fora Development Group as well, two of your classmates, Peter and Mai have already become members." She gave Quinn an unreadable look as she slid off his desk. "Although I enjoyed teaching the past year, I'm going to pursue opportunities in TAP."
"We are building something good in Fora, but that isn't all." Quinn watched his teacher walk back up to the front, she looked over her shoulder suddenly and caught him staring. Damn... complete defeat. "Recently we've hired a TAP manager to handle our finances and increase our visibility on the outside."
The school day passed much like the ones before, this one seemed a bit more real. Real faces, real laughter.
Mari was still there when he returned from school. He paid her in cash as he walked her out.
"Shouldn't be too long before Tal and Pop log out... time for a nap."
He was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang, "Mari must have forgot something." He made his way to the door and opened it.
"I would have called...but I'm still a bit angry with you!" Anna Li was standing at his door with several bags and trunks stacked up behind her. Surprisingly she was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, if Q were being honest, she totally rocked it. She waved at the driver in the black sedan, who immediately pulled away.
"Damn, you could have had him help me." Q mumbled under his breathe.
"Call it penance!!" She took one small bag and walked into the house.
Quinn finished bringing Anna Li's things up to her room, only to have her close the door on him. He muttered something very unpleasant under his breathe and walked down the hallway to his room. "I'll just lay down for a minute."
Two hours later a knock at his door woke him up. "Ready to eat sleepy head? " Tal was smiling more the past two days then she had in a long time.
"This bed feels so good!" He didn't hear her come in, but looked up when she sat on the bed.
"How was school Quinn?" Tal folded her good leg under her as she sat on the bed.
"Hmm, it was actually okay for once. " Damn, she always smelled so nice. "Hey, did you know that Miss Sentac is an English girl?"
Tal nodded, "Cambridge grad at seventeen, if I remember right."
"Damn, how come no one tells me these things?" Q turned until his feet were on the floor and then stood up.
Tal accepted a hand and they walked together to the door way. "As I remember, you never really had any interest in Miss Sentac. Something happen Little Q?"
"Damn, always looking the juicy story." He was halfway down the stairs when he smelled dinner. "Hey did someone stop and get take-out?"
Ben was sitting next to Anna at the dining room table. Quinn felt his mouth watering, 'fried rice, egg rolls and sweet sour chicken... all my favorites.' He took a seat next to Anna as Tal sat on his other side.
"Anna made everything Quinn!" Tal had spent the last hour chatting with her as she cooked. She had refused any help because she owed Quinn dinner.
"This is the dinner I owe you, please enjoy it." Anna tried not to smile, but talking with Tal for the past hour had put her in a great mood.
Q took her hand and then reached across and grabbed Tal's. Anna seemed surprised when Ben did the same thing. They formed small circle of hands and murmured a quiet, "thank you for the meal!"
The next twenty minutes was a free-for-all. Reaching around people, eating off each others plates, sharing their food. It was loud and rowdy, Anna had never seen anything like it.
"So you are from Hawaii?" Q had thought she sounded like an American, but didn't want to presume. Accents were so easy to get rid of these days.
Anna nodded, "Born and raised. Dad is Hawaiian and mom is Japanese." She didn't sound angry anymore. "My dad actually does all the cooking at home."
Tal poked Quinn with her fork when he reached for the last egg roll. "Seriously, you've had six already."
Quinn silently cursed all the smart people who count food portions. He nearly cried when Tal grabbed it and took a big bite in front of him. "Halfsies?"
Tal thought about it for a moment and then fed him the rest.
Anna hadn't understood the relationship between these three until she sat down and ate a meal with them. They were a family.
The men decided that they would clean up, while the women went upstairs. The mood had gone from festive to somber relatively quickly.
Upstairs Tal told Anna about everything. The accident two years ago, and Quinn's plan to try and bring her into TAP.
"That's a lot of pressure for a nineteen year old." Anna hadn't known Quinn long, but he seemed very capable.
Tal smoothed her hair back, her pretty face serious. "We... I've been relying on Quinn for some time. It isn't fair to him."
"I barely know him, but it seems to me like he doesn't mind." Anna smiled, "did he mention that he saw me in my towel?"
Tal laughed. "Nope not a word."
"Well... then I won't mention that little tidbit."
"Its fine no matter what Ren. No pressure okay?" Quinn had carefully secured his mom's old VR helm on the sleeping girls head. Ben and Tal had both been too emotional to do it.
Quinn stopped in the doorway, "Love you Ren.." He hesitated for a moment and then walked out the door.
Anna was sitting on the couch chatting with Mari, who had made plans to come back and keep an eye on Ren. "Good luck Quinn." She didn't know what could really be said at a time like this. She had her fingers crossed, but it was impossible.
Quinn decided at the last minute to use the VR chamber. The door sealed behind him with a hiss as he adjusted the neural net.
"Open Com-chat Bo Jangles."A moment later, the surprised face of Bo Jangles popped up on Q's hud."Q? Well this is a bit of a surprise." Jangles twisted his girly face into a frown as he spoke, he was still not sure how Q had managed to swipe Lara Sy."How good of a musician are you? I don't need any false bravado. Seriously.. when compared to the top guys." Q had heard that Jangles was a genius irl with a guitar, but that could be a marketing gimmick.Jangles seemed a bit taken back by the question. "If I'm being honest, and not humble... I'd say I'm a step ahead of anyone I know.""If you want to meet someone a few steps ahead of you, be at the Talon Market tonight." Q disconnected com and walked over to the bunk area.The Songbirds all looked up as he walked in, a few of them were putting their things away into wall lockers. He felt the temperature drop a bit. Perhaps they haven't forgiven him yet?Q easily picked Lara Sy out of the group. "You have a beautiful voice Nightingale, I wonder if you sing at all."Lara Sy blushed slightly and shook her head, "sorry, I really don't."Q stared at her for a moment, "tonight at the Talon market, I expect you to have my back regardless."Q spun back around and headed toward the alcove. He'd make amends with the Songbirds after they warmed up to him a bit more. 'Shouldn't take more then six months or so.'"Log-Off TAP."Quinn woke up normally, the big house was quiet in the early morning. He knew Pops and Tal wouldn't be back until after he was done with school.A quick workout and a shower put Quinn in a good mood. He grabbed some toast and a small glass of apple juice and headed into Ren's room.The retired nurse they had hired to monitor Ren smiled pleasantly and then excused herself.He watched her as he ate. A slender girl, with pale blonde hair and blue eyes like her mom. "It sure would be nice if you'd come out tonight Ren. We are going to have to hire a full-time nurse if you don't join us."He looked at the time on his hud and picked up the book next to her bed. "I have time to read one chapter before I leave for class, don't get spoiled."Quinn logged into the hall outside his classroom. "Am I late?" Unexpectedly the classroom was nearly full.He knew who most of them were, just because they were required to use their real faces for student I.D.'s."Good morning Quinn." A tall brown haired girl approach him, she was closely followed by a shorter fellow wearing glasses.Quinn smiled at both of them. "Mai and Peter right?" Quinn recognized Daze from her confident walk, and Onion he had seen on the first day of class, nine months ago.Mai gave him a sweet smile. "You're exactly the same, it's hardly fair!"Peter nodded in agreement, "I'm half expecting you to pull out those pistoleros."Quinn laughed at the two of them, Mai seemed much more confident in her own form. Peter's voice was a bit deeper then he remembered, Q placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I haven't had a chance to speak with you guys since the surveying started.""I was chased by this lizard thing Quinn, my arrows just bounced right off it." Mai's eyes lit up as she described the creature.Peter laughed as he held up his arms, "it was tiny Quinn, like an iguana.""What? That thing was at least six feet!" The two start squabbling, Quinn left them there and found his seat."Good Morning Class." A crisp English accent filled the room. For once only one person answered."Good morning Teacher." Quinn said.A young blonde woman smiled at him. "That was a very nice greeting Quinn."Quinn scratched his chin as his teacher closed the door. 'Miss Sentac was English?'"I apologize for never appearing in front of you as myself." She looked around her class, her smile growing as she took in all the real faces of her students. "I was a bit nervous about it, if I'm being truthful."Quinn raised his hand. Without a doubt, he had never done so in her class before."Yes Quinn," she approached his desk the same as she always did, only this time there wasn't any animosity between them."I was expecting someone East Indian." 'She is pretty and that voice... why is it so familiar?'She leaned back on his desk, her clothing was very modest. A white blouse and dark blue skirt, she looked like a British school girl."I'm a London girl actually." She scooted up on Quinn's desk, much the same way she had a hundred times before, only this time her students couldn't take their eyes off her."She's young right?""Wait, so she's a Brit?""Damn that Quinn.""After this week many of you will go on to attend Colleges, others of you will join the work force and start your careers." She swung her feet casually as she talked to them. "You can always come find me in TAP if you need anything, anytime as long as you live!"A dozen hands flew up all at once. Miss Sentac pursed her lips slightly and called on Mai."You seem quite young Miss Sentac." Mai had been quiet in the past, but her real personality was much more forthright."I'm eighteen Mai, I graduated from Cambridge last year and started my year of student teaching with this class."'Of course, Cambridge grad at 17, another damn genius.' Quinn sighed heavily, that explains a lot. He was cursed to live out his existence in the presence of really smart people."I want to say thank you, for bringing us to TAP as a end of year field trip. I can't tell you how much fun I've been having." Mai's words made everyone a bit somber, their year together was coming to an end."Each of you has a place in Fora if you wish." It was Quinn who spoke, no one bothered to care that he didn't raise his hand. "As jobs go it can be pretty profitable, I dare say that if entering the workforce is your plan, you might do a bit better with us."Even Miss Sentac was stunned by Quinn's invitation, he had actually invited the entire class to join him in TAP."I will be joining the Fora Development Group as well, two of your classmates, Peter and Mai have already become members." She gave Quinn an unreadable look as she slid off his desk. "Although I enjoyed teaching the past year, I'm going to pursue opportunities in TAP.""We are building something good in Fora, but that isn't all." Quinn watched his teacher walk back up to the front, she looked over her shoulder suddenly and caught him staring. Damn... complete defeat. "Recently we've hired a TAP manager to handle our finances and increase our visibility on the outside."The school day passed much like the ones before, this one seemed a bit more real. Real faces, real laughter.Mari was still there when he returned from school. He paid her in cash as he walked her out."Shouldn't be too long before Tal and Pop log out... time for a nap."He was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang, "Mari must have forgot something." He made his way to the door and opened it."I would have called...but I'm still a bit angry with you!" Anna Li was standing at his door with several bags and trunks stacked up behind her. Surprisingly she was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, if Q were being honest, she totally rocked it. She waved at the driver in the black sedan, who immediately pulled away."Damn, you could have had him help me." Q mumbled under his breathe."Call it penance!!" She took one small bag and walked into the house.Quinn finished bringing Anna Li's things up to her room, only to have her close the door on him. He muttered something very unpleasant under his breathe and walked down the hallway to his room. "I'll just lay down for a minute."Two hours later a knock at his door woke him up. "Ready to eat sleepy head? " Tal was smiling more the past two days then she had in a long time."This bed feels so good!" He didn't hear her come in, but looked up when she sat on the bed."How was school Quinn?" Tal folded her good leg under her as she sat on the bed."Hmm, it was actually okay for once. " Damn, she always smelled so nice. "Hey, did you know that Miss Sentac is an English girl?"Tal nodded, "Cambridge grad at seventeen, if I remember right.""Damn, how come no one tells me these things?" Q turned until his feet were on the floor and then stood up.Tal accepted a hand and they walked together to the door way. "As I remember, you never really had any interest in Miss Sentac. Something happen Little Q?""Damn, always looking the juicy story." He was halfway down the stairs when he smelled dinner. "Hey did someone stop and get take-out?"Ben was sitting next to Anna at the dining room table. Quinn felt his mouth watering, 'fried rice, egg rolls and sweet sour chicken... all my favorites.' He took a seat next to Anna as Tal sat on his other side."Anna made everything Quinn!" Tal had spent the last hour chatting with her as she cooked. She had refused any help because she owed Quinn dinner."This is the dinner I owe you, please enjoy it." Anna tried not to smile, but talking with Tal for the past hour had put her in a great mood.Q took her hand and then reached across and grabbed Tal's. Anna seemed surprised when Ben did the same thing. They formed small circle of hands and murmured a quiet, "thank you for the meal!"The next twenty minutes was a free-for-all. Reaching around people, eating off each others plates, sharing their food. It was loud and rowdy, Anna had never seen anything like it."So you are from Hawaii?" Q had thought she sounded like an American, but didn't want to presume. Accents were so easy to get rid of these days.Anna nodded, "Born and raised. Dad is Hawaiian and mom is Japanese." She didn't sound angry anymore. "My dad actually does all the cooking at home."Tal poked Quinn with her fork when he reached for the last egg roll. "Seriously, you've had six already."Quinn silently cursed all the smart people who count food portions. He nearly cried when Tal grabbed it and took a big bite in front of him. "Halfsies?"Tal thought about it for a moment and then fed him the rest.Anna hadn't understood the relationship between these three until she sat down and ate a meal with them. They were a family.The men decided that they would clean up, while the women went upstairs. The mood had gone from festive to somber relatively quickly.Upstairs Tal told Anna about everything. The accident two years ago, and Quinn's plan to try and bring her into TAP."That's a lot of pressure for a nineteen year old." Anna hadn't known Quinn long, but he seemed very capable.Tal smoothed her hair back, her pretty face serious. "We... I've been relying on Quinn for some time. It isn't fair to him.""I barely know him, but it seems to me like he doesn't mind." Anna smiled, "did he mention that he saw me in my towel?"Tal laughed. "Nope not a word.""Well... then I won't mention that little tidbit.""Its fine no matter what Ren. No pressure okay?" Quinn had carefully secured his mom's old VR helm on the sleeping girls head. Ben and Tal had both been too emotional to do it.Quinn stopped in the doorway, "Love you Ren.." He hesitated for a moment and then walked out the door.Anna was sitting on the couch chatting with Mari, who had made plans to come back and keep an eye on Ren. "Good luck Quinn." She didn't know what could really be said at a time like this. She had her fingers crossed, but it was impossible.Quinn decided at the last minute to use the VR chamber. The door sealed behind him with a hiss as he adjusted the neural net.
