Reunion 141 / 0918 "Nervous?" Garth asked him.Reunion 141 / 0918 "Nervous?" Garth asked him. "No." "Liar." Garth shot Nickolai a grin. Nickolai thought it was the first he'd seen on his friend in nearly a week. "You told me how good you were at hiding your nervousness a year ago. Remember?" Nickolai nodded. "I remember." He took a deep breath, held it for a second, then released it. "Okay, yes, I'm scared out of my wits. I'm shaking in my plastic boots. I'm also exhausted." "YOu should have slept," Garth suggested. "I tried, but I couldn't." Nickolai fidgeted. "I mean, I know it's late, but..." Garth nodded and shouldered his carry-on bag, heading for the door. Nickolai did the same. Garth palmed the control; the door slid open for them and closed just as efficiently behind them. The hallways of the Off-Centaur were the same muted blue they had been for the past two weeks. Nickolai found the color oppressive, although he couldn't really say why. They made their way to the elevator and down to the forward boarding bay. The crowd waiting for the doors to open amassed about half of the tourist traffic on the Off-Centaur. Nickolai looked around, feeling annoyed at the press of Terrans with their four-lens cameras and their ugly outfits. In defiance of their "comfortable clothes," he had worn denim, boots, and the t-shirt Shardik had given him two years ago, printed with a matrix of gene-compatibility lists and percentages; the lowest percentage compared Dolphins and Dragons; that was 94%. Over that he wore a leather jacket, and the feel of animal hide against his skin was one of those pleasures he enjoyed with obscene indifference to the discomfort of his fellow Terrans. With the banning of beef herding centuries earlier, few Terrans had even heard of leather, much less seen it. |