trans_9 | Enchanted Aquatica---the Prom [WIDE OPEN Y'ALL]

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Enchanted Aquatica---the Prom [WIDE OPEN Y'ALL]

The day had finally arrived for her big event, and Starfire couldn't be happier---or more nervous, actually. She was certainly not an expert on the inner workings of a prom, but it couldn't be too terribly complicated, right? As long as the people could eat, dance, and talk, it should be a reasonable success.

With that in mind, her decorations sprung from her mind into the large dome all around her, transforming a grey Sensorium into a beautiful underwater world, one with clear waters and free from the possibility of a shark attack.

The first change was the scent of the air, shifting into the comforting salty scent of the seas. Then the ground beneath her feet became a hardened sandstone, maintaining the gritty texture while remaining easy to walk upon---except for the smooth dance floor, of course. The grey dome transformed into a flowing bluish-green, rippling all around with fish of all colors passing in the background. Some of the 'sky' faded into a violet tone over the dance floor, lit by glowing circular lights in every color. Suspended in midair, they almost looked like motionless fireflies, though they sometimes swayed in tune with songs.

Tables arose from coral in all colors, rising from the ground and twisting to provide a flattened surface on the very top---rounded ones for guests, and long tables off to the side containing shell-bowls of food. Chairs were large floating clam shells with well cushioned interiors, some large enough to hold two people. More comfortable spongy places to sit were also littered across the area, notably by the large shell-shaped enclosure that was the promised swimming pool. It too was lit by the floating lights, providing what she hoped was a romantic atmosphere.

Finally, the glowing stage above the dance floor couldn't help but attract attention with its chairs. Six royal thrones and one plush chair of all colors directly in the middle rested in the back of the stage, leaving the front open for announcements. Just off to the side of the stage stood the DJ's table, with even that machine painted to match the soft underwater glow of the scenery.

Everything finally seemed pleasing to Starfire. With one last change, dressing herself in the formal attire of the prom, she sent out the signal to everyone and waited. She hoped they would have a wonderful time.

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"Stacy sent you to a glitter planet?" Kaya asked, looking pretty perplexed. "What was the point of doing that? And glitter in a corpse trench?!" Now she looked pretty unnerved. "What kind of crazy mission was this?"

Yes, yes they could.

"You're not the only one who could use one of those," Kaya said, thinking of Nokosi, which happened to bring a smile to her face." And the last thing Kaya said brought a smile to her face. "Howard, you really ought to know better than to say things like that, because I WILL hold you to it."

"A bullshit one. We had to steal this glowy thing for Stacy, and Zou ended up sold into a dinosaur gladiator ring, and I ended up hiding in a corpse trench covered in glitter. The smell took almost as long to wash off as most of the glitter." He pulls up a pant leg. "But hey, I got bitemarks in my shoes from it. That's cool, right?"

He shakes his head. "Who says I'm not serious, Bubbles?"

Now Kaya flat out looked horrified. "What kind of insane mission is that? I never even heard of something like that going on, and why would she allow Zouichi to be sold into a gladiator ring? I feel like I should have a long talk with the council now, this is insane!"

And yes Howard, bite marks were a little cool even if she wouldn't admit that right now.

She laughed. "Oh, I'd call you on it whether you were serious about it or not. In fact, I say next chance we get, we make a bet, and if you lose, you have to wear heels in the med bay all day."

"Well, technically she sent us to negotiate. It wasn't supposed to go all pear-shaped with the gladiators and everything." He shakes his head. "What's the council going to do about it? They don't tell Spacey Stacy what to do. She does whatever she wants."

Dinosaur bitemarks! Even better!

"Haha, no. Not unless you promise to do something equally humiliating if I win a bet."

"What were you supposed to be negotiating?" Kaya asked, looking genuinely curious. "I mean, I totally agree that Stacy will usually do whatever she wants, but how did it go from something as simply and nonviolent as having a negotiation to having to lay in a trench of dead people?"

Oh dinosaurs. She had her fill of them when that T-rex attacked during the Nightmare King fiasco.

"Oh I'm going to regret this," she said, shaking her head. "Like what, Howard?"

"Well, Zou beat the hell out of a bunch of people..." Generally, mass violence is a good sign that negotiations have gone downhill. "Basically, we were trying to sell them slop, and they decided they wanted Zou instead. And it all sort of spiraled out of control and I got chased by dinosaurs."

"Fine. Next bet I win, you cut your hair short." And hopefully that'll keep them from making any bets with each other, because he really isn't keen on wearing heels around the med bay.

Kaya made sure not to laugh, but that break down really seemed to be lacking in story. Still, it was good that Howard and Zouichi had made it out of there alive: she hadn't wanted anything bad to happen to them. "At least you guys were able to escape without anything too bad happening, now that I think it was a good thing."

Kaya looked at her hair a moment. She hadn't really touched it in a long time, except to occasionally trim it down. "How short are we talking about?"

"I got my foot bitten all the way through! It hurt. But you know, thank God for us rockstars in Med Bay." He's actually coming to think of the Med Bay as a sort of family, though he'd never admit it to himself. Wouldn't admit that his coworkers mean anything to him.

"Short short. Capital-S short. Almost as short as mine short."

"And you did pretty well," Kaya said, smiling. "You are a pretty rugged guy. I just wish you didn't jump all the time we mentioned something about braving a fight. You strike em as a guy willing to9 fight his way to the top."

Ha ha.

"Your short?" She held her breath. "Um, I could, I guess."

"Hah, rugged?" He laughs. "I just put a lot of effort into not getting killed. If Stacy'd stop sending me on missions, I wouldn't have to."

His face softens for just a moment. "But it's cute you care, I guess. Thanks."

And then it's back to the usual smirk. "Alright, so let's just...not make any bets for a while."

"Oh come on. If you weren't running around on missions, what would you be doing, leading an 'ordinary' life on Stacy? Good luck with that!"

She smiled back. "Hey, I care about what happens to my friends. Nothing special, its how I am."

Kaya had no problem with that. "Are you that scared of wearing heels?"

"Actually, I'd be totally happy doing that. And the next time an evil robot rage-virus dream monster decides to run through the city, I'll just hunker down in my basement. I don't see what's wrong with wanting that."

He looks a bit surprised. "So wait, I'm in the friend club now? And yes. Yes I am."

He thought they were just 'coworkers that get along'.

Kaya shook her head, laughing to herself. She really hoped that she could move hard from simply cowering by himself somewhere, but she figured that it might take him longer than most people anyway.

"Well yeah, why are you so surprised? I mean yes, you're a little cowardly, but you're also funny and easy going."

She gave him a pretty knowing look. "If you;re that against it, why did you suggest it?"

He frowns. "Wow, only 'a little cowardly'? Thanks a bunch, Bubbles. I feel so warm and fuzzy now."

He shakes his head. "Whatever. I was joking."

"Yes, a little," Kaya said matter of factly. "Are you upset I said that? I'm only saying what I see. You scare easily, abnormal things bother you. But then, you weren't born into a war, or had bending or anything like that. I don't blame you for feeling like you do. How could I?"

She looked pointedly at him. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got back from a mission where I got kidnapped and nearly died like, five different times, and I get called a coward for it back there and now here. I'm doing great."

He pushes past her. "I've got somewhere to be. Probably."

"Hey, wait!" Kaya said, looking at him. "I'm sorry that it was bad timing, ok? I wasn't calling you a coward based on your missions, I haven't been there to see you! I was saying it because of our past conversations, and frankly, I didn't think it would bother you to be called one. You do what you have to to survive, and so you're not the type to stick your neck out of you can help it. If I'm wrong, just tell me, and I will never call you that again."

It hurt, that she said something that affected him like this now, especially when she 0only half meant it.

"No, you're totally right. Of course you're right. Everyone's always right when they're putting me down, right?"

Of course, Kaya wouldn't know about how he got dressed down by one of the clones on the mission, or how said clone had reduced him to tears in front of his crewmates with her vicious, accurate assessment of his personality.

"No, it isn't...look, I wouldn't try to do that to you to be mean, or to make fun of you, all right? I said it without thinking. I wasn't doing this to try and make you feel horrible, I mean it. I'm sorry."

She really was now. Howard was a new friend of hers, and she was only trying to get his kind of humor. Evidently that backfired.

"Yeah, well, you did. Congrats." He runs his hands over his face, no longer angry but just defeated and sullen. "Whatever. I'll get over it. I should go home. I don't even like dances."

"No, Howard just..." She trailed off, looking hurt. "Just stay, please. Forget I even said anything. You should just enjoy your night here, all right? It's a prom, a party, have fun."

He finds he's glad she looks hurt. He feels hurt. "Why? So I can play nice with a bunch of people who don't like me and think I'm some kind of weasel? You said it, Bubbles, but everyone else is thinking it when they see me. I'm just...I'm going home. Have to feed the cat. Have fun dancing."

Could she stop him? Probably not, she could see now that she had actually hurt him, and he had no problem throwing it back at her. The worst of it was she had only thought she was joking, that they would banter and he would just retaliate by calling HER something. She hadn't thought it would cut him this deeply.

"You're not a weasel, ok? I would never call you that. I said what I said because I thought we could own up to things we're at fault for. Me, I'm a nosy person, a busty body: you sort of called me that when we first met. You wanted to look put for yourself, as you put it. That's why I said that. But I didn't say it to demean you or make you feel horrible. I said it because...I didn't know people were thinking how they do about you. I mean that."

He's quiet for a while, except for the fidget of his teeth over his lip. He knows she's being sincere, and he knows that she isn't the type to go out of her way to hurt her friends like that. It doesn't change the fact that she's right. And he doesn't know when he started caring that everyone knows he's a coward, a thief and a scared little weasel.

"Okay, Kaya," he says quietly, accepting her apology. "I'm going home anyway, alright? I was serious about feeding the cat."

"All right," she said quietly. "I understand. You go and feed your cat. But I'll see you soon, in the med bay, all right?"

Re: ARRIVALS

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