Editing Story:ROAD TRIP! (Warhammer High)/Part Five (section)

===Holy Shit, You're Important===


Gairwyn’s somewhat rakish outfit of Fenrisian leathers and light blue tunic were positively outlandish compared to the simple denims and t-shirts of the children, but she wore it with the confidence of a career fighter.  Then, she was a child of the Navigators’ Household guards.  The Terran-born Fenrisian sat across from Alex at the far end of the table as the others found chairs.  “So Alex, what’s this I hear about you and Freya going to college together now?” she asked.

Alex looked up at her.  “Well…did she tell you about what my father did?”

“Yes.”

“Then there you go.  Freya and I are going to go to college together since I can’t rely on Dad covering it, and I got a scholarship to one of the places where Freya got accepted,” Alex explained.

“And you’re moving in together?” she asked innocently.

Alex smiled weakly.  “The scholarship didn’t cover room and board…I won’t be able to afford it if I don’t.  Not that I, you know, didn’t want to, but,” he backpedaled.  She smiled at his floundering.

“When do you move?” she asked.

“Uh, five days,” Alex said.

She nodded.  “Good to hear.  You two are good together,” she said.

“I think so, yeah,” Alex said, chowing down to avoid further embarrassment.

Down the table, Jake sat with the three guys he knew from school, noting the way they seemed almost fearful of the their surroundings.  “Guys, if you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay,” he said.

“Yeah, but how often do we get a chance like this?” Dieter asked.  He quickly shut up as Angela sat beside him, with Remilia sitting across from her.

“So, you guys are the ones who taught Jake how to play cards, are you?” Remilia asked.

Abram swallowed.  “Uh, yes, ma’am, we did.”

“Really, dude?  ‘Ma’am?’” asked, pained.  “Remilia.  Please.  I just spent three months instructing every sailor on that ship not to call me ma’am.”

“Sorry…we were just told that that was how you address royalty,” Abram said, looking away.

Jake cut through the tension.  “Speaking of cards, guys, hold on,” he said, rising from his seat.  “Dad, toss me the keys,” he said to his father as he stood.

George blinked, but tossed him the keys to the new aircar from his chair as instructed.  Jake jogged outside to grab the poker set from the trunk, and returned to the room in a rush.

The three other boys were still sitting there, studiously not talking, when Jake returned.  “Gents, after the food, I’m picking you clean,” he said.

Abram blinked.  “Say what?”

“Freya got me a poker set for my birthday, and we’re reverting to bad habits after the food,” Jake proclaimed, setting the case down beside himself on the floor.

“Uh huh.”  Dieter eyed the box.  “Well, I don’t know how much you had the chance to play at Imperator, but we kept up our daily game for four years after you went upstairs.  You can’t be very good, by this point.”

Jake raised his eyebrows at the challenge.  “Really.  Interesting.”  He looked over to where Freya and Farah were sitting.  “Hey, you two…want to play after you’re done eating?  I want to show you the guys who taught me,” he said.

Freya’s eyes lit up.  “Hell yeah, this will be an epic clash.”

Dieter’s eyes, however, narrowed.  “You need a Royal handicap to win?  You trying to intimidate us?”

Jake grinned.  “You haven’t played until you’ve played someone who can see tells like she can.”

Freya flashed her fangs down the table to where the boys were sitting.  All three recoiled, but remained resolute in their defiance of Jake’s sudden confidence.  “All right, fine,” Will said.  “I’m in too.”

“Fantastic.  We’ll show them Hive poker, then,” Jake said.

“What else have you taught them?” Will asked.

“Basic stuff.  Slapper, Ratscrew, Euchre, Blackjack, Double Hands,” Jake listed.  “A few other simpler games.”

“Hmph.  Introducing vice to the Royal Family,” Angela said with faux haughtiness.  “Such a tawdry display.”  Will paled, but Jake laughed.

“Funny, Angela, funny.  Who spent their spring break in one of the Merican hive-casinos that one time?” he asked.

“That was me, actually,” Isis said from down the row.

“Oh.”  Jake shrugged.  “Sorry.”

“Yeah, you know how we look so much alike, it happens all the time,” Isis deadpanned.

Freya pushed back her empty plate and bounded up to Jake.  “Here, I’ll set up.”  Jake handed her the case and she brought it to an empty place on the table to unpack the chips and cards.

“She’s nearly as good as I am,” Jake said.  He raised his voice a fraction.  “Nearly.”

“Just don’t tell me not to remind your friends about your humiliating record at Horse Darts,” Freya shot back.  “I might forget.”

“Touché,” Jake conceded.

Freya spread out the chips as Farah wandered over.  “You have not seen people play poker until you’ve seen Freya and Jake play poker,” Remilia said.  “It’s mesmerizing.  They get so in the zone, you don’t even know.  You wish you had their level of concentration.”

“I’ve been holding back all summer, you see,” Freya said cheerfully.

“Uh huh, sure you have, Freya,” Jake said drily.  He turned to the others.  “Come on, let’s school them.”

At the far end of the table, Victoria and Faith were speaking with Venus.  “Your trip sounds pretty wild, Venus,” Victoria said over her food.

“It was pretty great, except for the thing at the end of the Nocturne leg,” Venus said.  “I know I shouldn’t, but I feel a little responsible for it.”

“Your people’s behavior aside, I mean,” Victoria pressed.

“I think so, yeah.  It was definitely fun.”  Venus sipped her water.  “How about you, Vicky?”

“Well, I was going to go on that little tour of the Foundation’s facilities across the system,” Victoria started, “but after the riots damaged one of the offices a few weeks ago, we called it off partway and I just came home.  Security concerns, you know.  And it let me have a chance to say goodbye to Ben on my own time,” she said coyly.

Venus smiled behind her glass.  “Left an impression, did you?”

“I think so,” she said with an airy flick of her hair over the shoulder of her skin-tight halter top.  Faith rolled her eyes.

“Tell me about it,” Venus said.  “Can you imagine spending a month in the Fang...within sensory range of all those Marines?  No fun.”

“Ooh, sounds like you’ll have a lot to make up over the time between now and college,” Victoria teased.

Venus shook her head.  “Actually, I think Jake and I are going to spend most of the next few days cutting ties, you know.  Jake wants to go and say farewell to some of his friends from the hive and family he won’t see for a while, and go see his aunt and uncle before they leave on their honeymoon.  Me, I’m gonna throw myself in the pool and not come out, I suspect.  Haven’t gone swimming in three months.”

“You guys on the rocks?” Victoria asked idly, picking at her food.

“Not at all,” Venus said contentedly.  “We’re moving in at Kouthry together, after all.”

Victoria glanced down to where Jake was dealing his cards.  “Really.”

“Yes, really,” Venus said.  “Coulda sworn I’d told you that.”

“I thought he was just going to work there,” Faith said.

“Nope.  Living with me and taking night classes while he works days,” Venus said.

“That’s a big jump,” Victoria said.  “I couldn’t live with the same boy for four years.  I’d get bored.”

“Well, we won’t see each other much once his schedule starts up,” Venus said regretfully.  “But I’m still looking forward to it.”

Victoria shook her head minutely.  “Must have been a hard adjustment for him, living with you for three months, straight out of the hive.”

Venus cocked her head.  “I didn’t ask.  But it was fun.”

“Me, I had to say goodbye to Pietro,” Faith said sadly.  “It was rough, too, he really thought we could make this happen over college, but we’re just not going to be able to see each other.”

“That’s a shame,” Venus said.  “Where was he going?”

“Alanaster, like Remilia,” Faith said.