Chapter 51: Entertainment
Charlotte munched on her third burger inside a cafeteria some streets from the school. Eve was with her, along with her friends, Lorena, Beatrix and Monica.
"Really, that fight was something else. I swear Coy has something in his arm to knock Rhoth like that!" Monica, the tallest of the girls said as her eyes shone with enthusiasm.
"No, it's his technique! I heard he studied an ancient martial art that damages the internal parts of the body of his opponents." Beatrix said as her blond hair went up and down with her head, her glasses shone with her words. She was the shortest of the group, around the same height as Charlotte.
"You know so many useless things. He won and that's it." Lorena, in the other hand, had kept quiet almost all the time, only opening her mouth to bother Beatrix or make some cringe worthy comment.
"Lore! They aren't useless! It matters a lot why and how he won! He'll be Zeo's match and he needs to know how to counter him!" Beatrix shot her greasy fingers to her friend, oil flying through the air.
Lorena shied away and got a napkin from the table, as she tried to get the oil off her clothes, she eyed for her friend and threw orange colored sauce when Beatrix looked away. "Tell me, how are you going to tell him that?"
"Hey!"
The friends laughed and continued to eat fries coated with that strange sauce. It wasn't orange flavored and had a taste resembling ketchup, but Charlotte couldn't put her fingers on it. It also had greens and blacks in it and was easy to the tongue. She had been busy with the sauce all the time as she tried to put her thoughts together to finally get its taste.
"Hiro, who do you think's gonna win? Zeo or Coy?" Monica brought back the conversation to Charlotte.
She looked around and saw the other girls looking at her, expectations in her face. "I dunno? I don't follow them at all."
"What?!" The four girls looked at her with horror in their faces. Charlotte eyed Eve with a raised brow and then at the other three.
"Yeah, I keep myself busy with other things."
"Like what?" Monica asked as she sat back from her shock.
"I like to study, I know pretty much about everything." Charlotte said as she nodded, proud of her self.
"Oh." The four said in chorus.
"That's why you told me to pay attention in class? Heh, figures." Eve smiled and chuckled with her hands on her mouth, remembering that Charlotte wasn't from here.
"Eh, yeah, no. I told you that because you need it, not because I like it. There're a lot of things that one needs to know, you know. Everything can help you, if not save your life."
"Like what?" Monica looked at Charlotte with a wide smile and her head rested on both hands.
Charlotte shook her head slightly. "You ask me about what you don't like and I'll tell you." She put both elbows on the table and brought both hands under her chin, imitating Monica.
"Huh?" Monica blinked twice as her ponytail moved on her back and she looked at the light in the ceiling. "Well, what about math?"
"You put it too easy to me." Charlotte smiled sweetly and brought down her left forearm to the table, she rested the weight of her head on the right and started ticking the table with the fingers of her left. "Everything. All that you see is constructed by math. The money we use and how we use it, the buildings, the light you see coming out up there's the result of math."
"Heh. You know a lot." Lorena nodded with her hands crossed and eyes closed.
"W-what about literature? That can't be helpful at all!" Monica had a slight blush on her face and tried not to look directly at Charlotte's face.
"Heh. There's more than what you think. For one, you can use it to have an understanding of how people live, that can be inferred when one knows literate level. You can also talk your way out of difficult situations if you know the other side's way with words." Charlotte smiled and her eyes went to the group of little friends she got to know this day. "Yeah, for example, imagine you're kidnapped. By keeping a cool, leveled head and using the right words, and knowing what to and not to do, you can keep yourself safe until you get the chance to act. That's something gained from reading and learning how to read others."
"But you need to be brave to put it." Beatrix said as her glasses shone when she adjusted them, her body leaned over the table.
"Obviously, nothing can be done if one doesn't have the guts to at least try to pull it off…" She looked down at the table for a second and then back at the group, a lonely smile grew in her face. "What?"
The four looked at her without saying anything for amoment, Eve had stars in her eyes and after a moment launched herself to hug her.
"Hiro! You're so mature! I couldn't believe it was you for a second there!" She rubbed both their faces and kept on hugging Charlotte as hard as she could.
"H-hey! Gimme some space! I need to breath!" Charlotte tried to push her away but wasn't sure where to push her from, so she just poked at the side of her belly.
"Och! Hey! That's unfair!" Eve let her got and rubbed softly on the spot.
"I was dying!" Charlotte caught up on her words and started laughing.
<Really, it's been so long since I last had this kind of silly chat.>
"Hey, I wanna ask you things once we're back." Charlotte said as they waved goodbye Eve's friends.
"Of course! Ask anything you want!" Eve tore her from her friends and looked back at her, her head going up and down. "You can start now!"
"Yeah, how can you be so silly?" Charlotte turned around and started to walk to Eve's place.
"Ah? What do you mean!" Eve ran to catch her after a moment and laughed together in their walk.
As they arrived to their house, Eve sat in the big couch and turned on the TV. Charlotte looked around the house and saw no one in there.
"Where's everyone?"
"My parents are working and Emy is with her friends, I guess, or in her room. So, what did you want to ask me?"
"Oh, yeah. Hey, are there no PCs here?" She sat cross-legged on the lone couch and looked at the TV, it broadcasted an old show she had seen while in her teens.
"PCs? Computers, right? Of course, why?"
"I've not seen any since I got here."
"They're expensive and had almost no use. They just hold info and whatever one can get it to, but nothing more."
"Nothing more? You can surf through it, no?"
"Surf? They don't work at all if they get wet, so why'd you do it?" Eve laughed at the stupid question.
"Oh…" Charlotte nodded and looked at Eve for a moment. "There's no internet here. But are there no games?"
"Games? For the computers? No, I don't think there are. There's internet but it's useless and way too expensive. The monthly fee is around 500 FC, almost the same as a single room."
"Wh- That's, yeah. Not cheap. And not games, how do you enjoy your free time?"
"Yes! That's something I can talk for hours!"
And she did, for two hours she talked about the different shows in the TV, she paid the most of her attention to the fighting and competitive ones. The best example was the one they talked with her friends before, the Cup of the Machine. It was a free style fight and limited only to not kill the opponent, one could be as modified as one liked or have not external parts. As one would be in a disadvantage fighting against a heavily modified person if one didn't have anything, a point system was created. Zeo was the current champion and Eve had a poster of him on her room.
The most famous competitive game was designated to clear a road of obstacles with a team of four. There were two kinds of obstacles, the ones provided by the association and the ones the team made for others to clear. The creation had some rules Charlotte didn't pay attention to but the game itself was easy enough to comprehend. Just do an activity in the road and do so spectacularly. The team with more points at the end win. She had a poster of her favorite team, too. Sadly, they hadn't won the cup in two years. They were always at the top, though. The Strags.
Eve also told her of places to have fun at. The giant skate park, where she was the day before, was her favorite. She went there with her friends and was on her way back to her house when that incident happened. Near there was a huge park where people went to relax and was somehow safe, the Lurian Alliance zone was near it and somehow protected it. There was an entrance fee but it was worth the expense.
Apart from those public or known places, Eve spoke about hidden treasures all around Paversia, where one could go and find something pretty fun to do. She found one a year ago but it closed a month after that. It was a place where one could directly see fights between people and races with animals.
When the sun dyed orange the sky, Emily came back and some minutes after, theIr parents. They prepared dinner and gave Charlotte the custom four dishes.
"Thank you very much. Excuse me, can I ask something else of you?" Charlotte said as she finished the last of her food.
Emily was with her father on the couch watching TV and Sheryl went to the kitchen to clean the plates. Eve was the only one with her but she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear her words.
"Of course!" Was the only answer she received.
"I need help to find a place to stay. You know, a room or a small apartment."
"You can stay here!" Eve looked at her with wide open eyes, her expression full of disbelief. "We can afford you however long it takes! You don't need to be so hasty to leave!"
"I know there's no hurry to leave and that you all are happy to have me here, but," she ignored the look Tristan gave her from his coach and kept on a steady, smiling face, "I want a place I can call my own."
"But, it's too soon and without any signs whatsoever." Eve pouted and tried to make a pleading face, tears forming on the corner of her eyes.
"It's not like I'm leaving today, I just need help to find a nice place. If it's near here it'll be perfect. You can always visit me whenever you want."
"But-"
"Just let him be, dear. It's his decision anyway. We can't hold him here forever." Tristan said from his couch, his head turned to the TV.
"But dad~! He saved me! I owe him my life!" Eve said with strength in her voice, but soft enough to not be considered a shout.
"You should listen to your father more, you know? Just let me be. You all have been a real help to me." Charlotte smiled as sweetly as she could, trying to appeal to Eve with it.
"Fine… But you'll have me constantly over there!"
"Yeah yeah, I know. You're welcome. Also, I'd like help to find a job."
"A job? How? You're still a kid, no?" Sheryl said as she came back from the kitchen.
"Well, yes, but I live on my own now. I got some funds myself but they won't last long. Anything you can help me with's a gift, really."
"What're you good with?"
"Oh! I know that one, you're good with bodies, right? You treated me like a doctor does! I'm feeling much better already and can stretch without any issues!" Eve stretched her left arm to the ceiling and started to sob at the pain she got.
"Hey, chill it. You're still not healthy. Just don't move that much for a while and you'll be fine."
"You see that?" Eve turned to her mother who sat in the table, grinning.
"Yeah, anything else?"
Charlotte caressed her chin for a moment with her eyes down and then looked back at Sheryl. "I'm pretty confident with electronic stuff. Systems and machines in general. I made a pretty big one before meeting you."
"Oh! Tell me about it!" Eve leaned herself on the table with both forearms on it, both hands held her weight.
"Well, it was a meter big but did nothing, it was never meant to do anything, but it worked. Well, how to explain… Yeah, if it didn't explode it means it was a success."
"Explode… Wasn't it dangerous?" Sheryl had a worried expression and a slight frown in her face.
"As I said, I'm pretty confident with that stuff. And no, it would only be small discharges and stuff like that, nothing serious."
"A medic and good machines, you want to work with augmented people? That's basically what you're good at, no?"
"Oh yeah! That'd be perfect for him! I know he can do it!"
"I wonder, I'll give it a try. But first a place to sleep?"
"Okay, I'll ask tomorrow."
"Thanks."
They kept their conversation going for a while and then the parents went to their room and Emily stayed on the TV. She changed the channel as soon as they went out to one broadcasting a fight. There was a woman and a man in the ring.
"Oh! That's Sarah! She's winning again!" Eve exclaimed when she saw the match and went to the couch as fast as she could.
Charlotte followed behind and eyed the screen, there were some points beside the names and Sarah had the lowest of the two with 33, the man had 74. "Really? I don't know anything about it."
"It's easy. The one who gets first to a hundred loses. Ouch." Eve grimaced as the man was just hit on his face, under his chin, a clean hit with Sarah's palm, and stumbled back to the edge of the ring.
Charlotte saw the show for a short time. "Hey, I'm going to your room. I want to sleep early today."
"Huh? But the show's still going on." Eve didn't look back, her eyes fixed on the screen. Emily shared the attitude, not even speaking to her.
"Yeah, not a fan. Goodnight." Charlotte stood and went to the room.
She changed into her sleeping clothes and tumbled on the bed. "A doctor of augmented ones, huh. It could be fun." She covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes.
"Hi there, Prism. Care to show me an image of a fully bodied Gut?"
The only fully bodied image Prism had was when they meditated together, so it was shown with her. Charlotte looked at it for a while without doing anything. "Get my own out of there, please…"
She then started to study the connections of the cables and his nerves, bones and veins. <Even if it doesn't have any color, one can still do it with knowing how the human body works and the general knowledge of the augmentations… I don't know anything about them.>
She spent almost all night trying to comprehend only his right hand to no avail. There were so many chips and components in there that she didn't know which did what. Also, the image had a clear disadvantage. She couldn't test what she believed was right, as there was not movement.
She took a short nap of three or so hours before she was awaken by Eve knocking on her door.
Charlotte ate two servings of lunch. They were inside the classromm and bought their food from a small store in the building. It was heated stuff and normally enough for a teenager, not for her though.
"Are you concern?" Eve asked with concern.
"Hmm? No, I stayed up all night thinking about your mom's words."
"Oh that? You don't have to worry about paying for the food, she's just being a worriwart."
Charlotte eyed the airhead girl and shook her head. "Not that, she said it before, the job thing."
"Oh, right." Eve nodded slowly and Charlotte shook her head again.
"Hey! Wanna come to the central park? There's an event there today!"
"Really? Whatsit whatsit?!" Eve asked.
"It's a surprise but we're sure you both will enjoy it!"
"Alright! We're in!" Eve said without asking Charlotte.
The rest of the lessons went on and they walked out of the building towards the subway. They went out five stops from where they were and arrived to a walled park. They reached five meters high and had spiked wire on its top. They walked around it for some streets and arrived to a big door. There were a lot of people in line and the girls stood at the end.
"I'm sorry but without ID you can't get in." The man managing the entrance said with a tired voice.
"I left it in my home, can't you make it an exception?" Charlotte tried to get in nonetheless, appealing with big eyes and making herself smaller than she already was.
"Sorry boy, but rules are rules. Do you know how much trouble we've avoided thanks to that? If I make you an exception, others will ask for it too, and troublesome vagrants will get in and mess the place."
"I'm sorry, because of me you can't get in..." Charlotte said softly once out of the entrance, Eve accompanied her. The other girls got inside without a problem as they wanted to attend a live concert that day.
"Nah, don't worry. We can do other things, wanna go to the skate park?"
"No thanks, I think there're other things I want to do, you can come if you want but it'll be
"No prob! I can handle it!"
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone