in which the lesser of two evils may still be pretty evil

[subtly_artistic]

Bella didn't mean to take so long about eating her dinner. It's just that this book is really interesting. Supplemental history reading, recommended by the professor, by a different author than did their textbook, one who can really write, she'll have to find the rest of his work - and now she's one of six students left in the dining hall and it's closing. Four of them are a group of dwarves who she can only assume live in the dwarf housing; individual dwarves sometimes find their way into Harlowe and there is even one in Thatcher, but not a bunch of them. The other one's a mermaid.

Bella doesn't think the mermaid lives in Thatcher, which makes it Harlowe, but Thatcher's on the way to Harlowe from here.

She knows not to go swimming with her and this will have to do.

She goes up to the mermaid.

"Excuse me. I try not to walk around outside by myself. Are you heading towards Thatcher? Harlowe's right past it," she adds.

Comments

[subtly_artistic]

"She seemed really nice, actually. She says whales and dolphins are people, so now I'm trying to figure out how to publicize that."

[pythbox]

"Huh," says Celo. "Still wouldn't go swimming with her, if I were you. I might go swimming with her. What's she look like, what's her name?"

[subtly_artistic]

"Jala," says Bella. "Very - teal."

[pythbox]

"I think I have gone swimming with her," he laughs. "She's a sweetheart."

[subtly_artistic]

"Was she one of the conscientious ones who asked first?"

[pythbox]

"I don't even know who brought it up first, we were hanging out and having sex and I told her how nymphs are a renewable resource and it just... went from there," he says with a reminiscent smile.

[subtly_artistic]

"Ah-huh."

[pythbox]

"She's fun, I like her. Maybe I'll look her up again."

[subtly_artistic]

"Have fun," says Bella. "What kinda pie is that?"

[pythbox]

"Tasty pie," he deadpans, and then laughs. "No, it's strawberry rhubarb."

[subtly_artistic]

"No? It's not tasty pie, you are making mediocre strawberry rhubarb pie?"

[pythbox]

"It is fucking delicious pie," he says loftily. "I never make any other kind."

[subtly_artistic]

"Fantastic. I want some when it's done."

[pythbox]

"Sure!" says Celo.

[subtly_artistic]

"Awesome."

Bella goes and grabs some homework and sets up to work on it in the kitchen.

[pythbox]

Celo continues watching over his pie.

[subtly_artistic]

"What've you been up to today besides pie?"

[pythbox]

"Um... class?" he says, as though he's guessing.

[subtly_artistic]

"Nothing out of the ordinary, huh?"

[pythbox]

He laughs. "Yeah, no."

[subtly_artistic]

"I beat my head against trying to teek in lab and I think I got something to move. That or it was an air current. I am not at all sure."

[pythbox]

"'Teek' is a cute word," says Celo.

[subtly_artistic]

Bella laughs. "Abbreviation is fun."

[pythbox]

He giggles.

[subtly_artistic]

Homework homework occasional glances at oven homework homework.