Room 307, Sunday night
Momoko totally hated writing letters but she missed her friends more, so she reached for her favourite stationary and settled on her bed.
Since she'd gotten to speak with Rikku earlier in the week, the letter to Warren was first. She could call him instead, but she didn't really know what the time zones were in anyone else's world but hers. What if she called at, like 3am and got him in trouble and his mom said he'd never be able to talk to her again? Or if he got mad because she woke him up?
It could happen! Her luck couldn't hold out forever!
So a letter it was. She wrote about the interesting murder case her Criminal Justice class was investigating, described her sketches for Superhero Fashion, and pretty much just totally geeked over the entire TV class. That was a few paragraphs, there.
She also wrote about her new roommate, including taking her to the Cafe Fina, and coming home and finding Shilo-kitty. Then there were the alligators and the stupid biting goldfish and anything else she could think of to say that wasn’t how much she missed anyone. She did include a threat promise for a thank-you hug for the chocolates he'd left and she asked after his mom and, after a few minutes of biting her pencap, his dad, then signed off with a hope to hear from him soon. She was starting her letter to Lion-o when her Power Compact began to blink; someone was actually calling her? She glanced at the caller id...
"Hello!" Momoko flipped open the compact and grinned eagerly at the video screen. "Professor? Is my laptop fixed? Is it on the way?" She was missing her laptop just a bit, yes.
"Momoko. You are coming home right now." The Professor's face loomed large at her and Momoko jumped up, her cute pink robot stationery scattering as she stared in shock at the vid screen.
"WHAT?! Why? What's wrong? Is it Him? Is Him back? Is everyone okay?"
The Professor was shaking his head, his face grim and set. "Zombies."
Momoko froze. "Zombies? You have zombies?" She didn't like this. Hadn't the zombies re-died again?
"No," Ken came into view and pushed his father from the area in front of the viewer. "You did. I managed to save your hard-drive from the laptop and we got the news podcasts you downloaded. He's been up all night translating and listening to them."
Momoko frowned. So the professor was worrying over the old news reports? She tried to remember what else was in them. "So there's nothing wrong? I don't have to come home to help?"
Ken shook his head. "No."
"Yes!" Professor Utonium stepped back into view, flailing. "It's dangerous there! You should come home immediately. How will I explain to your parents if something happens to you? Do you know how bad I'd feel if you got hurt?"
"Professor! The zombies are gone!" Momoko stomped her foot and glared at the vid screen. He had scared her, darn it. She knew he felt like she and the other two girls were his own daughters, but really! After all these years, he should know she could take care of herself. "We fought them and defeated them! We all did! A lot of the students are like me, here; we can fight! I can't believe that this is why you called me. I thought this was about something important."
"Any school that makes the students fight zombies..." The Professor started to respond but Ken shoved the him out of view again.
"No," Ken shook his finger at his father. "She doesn't have to come home. And if Momoko was here she'd still be getting hurt. She's fine and the school's fine. Miss Bellum says so. Plus, you'd have to explain to Momoko's parents why she dropped out of school when her grades are doing so good!"
"That conversation would be fun to listen in on!" A familiar female voice came from behind the two scientists. Ken's shoulders tensed. “At the moment, though, Sis just has to explain to them why she hasn't come home at all!"
Momoko nearly dropped the power compact. "Ku… Kuriko-chan?!" She leaned her head as if she could see around the frozen males on the screen. Oh god. How much had she heard? "Is... that you?"
Ken and the Professor both were suddenly toppled out of sight and Momoko's little sister popped into view, a big cheery smile on her face as she waved. "Hi, big sis! How are you? Are you feeling better? You must have been awfully sick to not come home for Golden Week or summer vacation. Mom and Dad were Very Upset."
Momoko groaned at that. "I was... I mean, Rikku... and, uhm. Well, some of my friends were graduating and going home. And then I decided to sign up for summer classes..." And she hadn't given a thought to going home with all that was going on. Another groan. "Am I in bad trouble?"
"Heheh..." There was smirking and Momoko cringed; Kuriko was fully capable of being evil enough to enjoy seeing Momoko in trouble. Just when Momoko was sure that there was going to have to be a trip home for 'a little discussion', her little sister winked and gave a victory sign. "Aw, don't worry! I told them you'd called while they were out and explained everything. Ken owes me."
"Why do I owe you anything?" Ken's voice exploded and he popped up into view. "And what are you even doing here?"
"You owe me because Sis is in super-cool America and you're here, of course! And because you're still keeping something from me, Ken-kun." Kuriko made a face in Ken's direction, and then turned back to wave at Momoko. "Bye, sis! I have to get to school. I just came by for a notebook I left the other day, so, LUCKY! Yay! I got to talk to you! Come home soon, and send me more of those shows that you found. I liked them!"
Momoko dropped her head into her palm, and as soon as Kuriko was gone, "Oh man. This is so not good. Please please please make sure that she doesn't get any of those podcasts?"
"I'll go lock them up in the safe." The Professor brushed imaginary dust off his lab jacket as he left the room. Ken said goodbye as he reached up for the disconnect switch.
"Wait! Hey, Ken! No no no! When do I get my laptop back?" You know, the most IMPORTANT thing in life at the moment?
Ken sighed, but held his hand. "You can't get it back, Momoko. It was totaled. Even you should have been able to see that."
She frowned. "You can't fix it? But then what will I do? How will I email people and surf the internet and download more Racerrangers do my homework?" She didn't have to try too hard to make her voice wibble.
"You mean download more TV shows?" Ken rolled his eyes. "I sent a new one. It should reach you in a few days. And yes, it's pink." His arm moved and the phone connection died.
Momoko snapped her compact closed again and fell back onto her bed, full of happy. Sure, she needed to find a time to go home and visit her family for a while or she'd be in serious trouble, but kyaaaa! She was getting a new laptop soon!!! Yay!
[establishy, unless needed by the kitty-roomie]
Since she'd gotten to speak with Rikku earlier in the week, the letter to Warren was first. She could call him instead, but she didn't really know what the time zones were in anyone else's world but hers. What if she called at, like 3am and got him in trouble and his mom said he'd never be able to talk to her again? Or if he got mad because she woke him up?
It could happen! Her luck couldn't hold out forever!
So a letter it was. She wrote about the interesting murder case her Criminal Justice class was investigating, described her sketches for Superhero Fashion, and pretty much just totally geeked over the entire TV class. That was a few paragraphs, there.
She also wrote about her new roommate, including taking her to the Cafe Fina, and coming home and finding Shilo-kitty. Then there were the alligators and the stupid biting goldfish and anything else she could think of to say that wasn’t how much she missed anyone. She did include a threat promise for a thank-you hug for the chocolates he'd left and she asked after his mom and, after a few minutes of biting her pencap, his dad, then signed off with a hope to hear from him soon. She was starting her letter to Lion-o when her Power Compact began to blink; someone was actually calling her? She glanced at the caller id...
"Hello!" Momoko flipped open the compact and grinned eagerly at the video screen. "Professor? Is my laptop fixed? Is it on the way?" She was missing her laptop just a bit, yes.
"Momoko. You are coming home right now." The Professor's face loomed large at her and Momoko jumped up, her cute pink robot stationery scattering as she stared in shock at the vid screen.
"WHAT?! Why? What's wrong? Is it Him? Is Him back? Is everyone okay?"
The Professor was shaking his head, his face grim and set. "Zombies."
Momoko froze. "Zombies? You have zombies?" She didn't like this. Hadn't the zombies re-died again?
"No," Ken came into view and pushed his father from the area in front of the viewer. "You did. I managed to save your hard-drive from the laptop and we got the news podcasts you downloaded. He's been up all night translating and listening to them."
Momoko frowned. So the professor was worrying over the old news reports? She tried to remember what else was in them. "So there's nothing wrong? I don't have to come home to help?"
Ken shook his head. "No."
"Yes!" Professor Utonium stepped back into view, flailing. "It's dangerous there! You should come home immediately. How will I explain to your parents if something happens to you? Do you know how bad I'd feel if you got hurt?"
"Professor! The zombies are gone!" Momoko stomped her foot and glared at the vid screen. He had scared her, darn it. She knew he felt like she and the other two girls were his own daughters, but really! After all these years, he should know she could take care of herself. "We fought them and defeated them! We all did! A lot of the students are like me, here; we can fight! I can't believe that this is why you called me. I thought this was about something important."
"Any school that makes the students fight zombies..." The Professor started to respond but Ken shoved the him out of view again.
"No," Ken shook his finger at his father. "She doesn't have to come home. And if Momoko was here she'd still be getting hurt. She's fine and the school's fine. Miss Bellum says so. Plus, you'd have to explain to Momoko's parents why she dropped out of school when her grades are doing so good!"
"That conversation would be fun to listen in on!" A familiar female voice came from behind the two scientists. Ken's shoulders tensed. “At the moment, though, Sis just has to explain to them why she hasn't come home at all!"
Momoko nearly dropped the power compact. "Ku… Kuriko-chan?!" She leaned her head as if she could see around the frozen males on the screen. Oh god. How much had she heard? "Is... that you?"
Ken and the Professor both were suddenly toppled out of sight and Momoko's little sister popped into view, a big cheery smile on her face as she waved. "Hi, big sis! How are you? Are you feeling better? You must have been awfully sick to not come home for Golden Week or summer vacation. Mom and Dad were Very Upset."
Momoko groaned at that. "I was... I mean, Rikku... and, uhm. Well, some of my friends were graduating and going home. And then I decided to sign up for summer classes..." And she hadn't given a thought to going home with all that was going on. Another groan. "Am I in bad trouble?"
"Heheh..." There was smirking and Momoko cringed; Kuriko was fully capable of being evil enough to enjoy seeing Momoko in trouble. Just when Momoko was sure that there was going to have to be a trip home for 'a little discussion', her little sister winked and gave a victory sign. "Aw, don't worry! I told them you'd called while they were out and explained everything. Ken owes me."
"Why do I owe you anything?" Ken's voice exploded and he popped up into view. "And what are you even doing here?"
"You owe me because Sis is in super-cool America and you're here, of course! And because you're still keeping something from me, Ken-kun." Kuriko made a face in Ken's direction, and then turned back to wave at Momoko. "Bye, sis! I have to get to school. I just came by for a notebook I left the other day, so, LUCKY! Yay! I got to talk to you! Come home soon, and send me more of those shows that you found. I liked them!"
Momoko dropped her head into her palm, and as soon as Kuriko was gone, "Oh man. This is so not good. Please please please make sure that she doesn't get any of those podcasts?"
"I'll go lock them up in the safe." The Professor brushed imaginary dust off his lab jacket as he left the room. Ken said goodbye as he reached up for the disconnect switch.
"Wait! Hey, Ken! No no no! When do I get my laptop back?" You know, the most IMPORTANT thing in life at the moment?
Ken sighed, but held his hand. "You can't get it back, Momoko. It was totaled. Even you should have been able to see that."
She frowned. "You can't fix it? But then what will I do? How will I email people and surf the internet and download more Racerrangers do my homework?" She didn't have to try too hard to make her voice wibble.
"You mean download more TV shows?" Ken rolled his eyes. "I sent a new one. It should reach you in a few days. And yes, it's pink." His arm moved and the phone connection died.
Momoko snapped her compact closed again and fell back onto her bed, full of happy. Sure, she needed to find a time to go home and visit her family for a while or she'd be in serious trouble, but kyaaaa! She was getting a new laptop soon!!! Yay!
[establishy, unless needed by the kitty-roomie]