Next Post »
« Previous Post
+ Show First Post
Total: 142
Posts Per Page:
Permalink
Bella explores Stanford, wending her way to where she's supposed to meet the soccer coach.

The soccer coach is in the soccer field with the soccer players.

Bella waits politely for her attention, and then introduces herself.

"So you're some kind of prodigy now that your ear's fixed, I hear," says the coach.

"I've only had a chance to play against high schoolers, but I think so," Bella says modestly.

"Great. You're a forward? Go shoot goals against Mackenzie."

Bella goes and shoots goals against Mackenzie. Bella has only excellent-human-level soccer skills and Mackenzie is pretty good, so Bella misses one of twenty goals. She does not miss the other nineteen.

"Damn," says the coach. "I had some other stuff for you to do but I think I'm done."
Permalink

Alice giggles over brainphone.

Permalink

Bella warmly expresses her enthusiasm for playing soccer at Stanford and bids the coach goodbye. [I wonder if I should feel bad about cheating,] she muses, heading for the orchestra conductor's office.

Permalink

[Nope,] says Alice, predictably.

Permalink

[I suppose I probably shouldn't feel any worse than people who really do have this level of genetic gift do. I mean, I'll actually show up to practices; I don't have the history of putting the effort in but I will in the future. Still. Seems vaguely like doping or something.]

Permalink

[Well, I don't think you should feel bad that you're cheating, but I'm not gonna tell you you're not cheating.]

Permalink

Bella mentally laughs. She doesn't laugh aloud; she does not wish to look like a crazy person.

Permalink

He grins at her.

Permalink
Bella has a half-hour wait for the flute audition, since the soccer one didn't last long.

She makes sure no one is looking, and conjures herself a novel. Jane Austen.
Permalink

Is there room for Alice to sit down and lean his head on her knee? He would like to do that.

Permalink

There is. Bella doesn't pet him - someone could come around the corner at any moment - but she does smile a bit.

Permalink
Yay!

This is an excellent place to be and Bella is an excellent friend to have.
Permalink
Eventually the orchestra conductor shows up and leads Bella into his office. She plays pieces from memory - showoffy complicated ones - and reads music and transposes things in her head and plays a duet with him.

He seems suitably impressed, though he doesn't cut off the audition partway through like the soccer coach did.
Permalink
Alice sits where nobody will trip over him and... enjoys the music.

Enjoys it a lot, in fact.
Permalink

Bella cleans and puts away her flute, making concluding small talk with the conductor, and walks out. [I'm supposed to catch an airport shuttle next - I have all my stuff on me,] she says. [Flight's in four hours.]

Permalink
['kay,] says Alice. [Think I'll head back early.]

Pretty much entirely because he already checked out of his hotel room and he wants to go enjoy that music some more in a place Bella will not consider creepy.
Permalink
Bella laughs silently, and heads for the place where the airport shuttle will appear.

A few hours later, she's riding Tegu home.
Here Ends This Thread
Next Post »
« Previous Post
Total: 142
Posts Per Page: