Vita Per Nex, pgs. 16-19

“Ah . . . Mother?” Lori looked around as the taxi driver opened the nowee's door and stood by it. “I don't think Father and I are allowed here.”

Tanya stretched after she was out. “Nonsense. There's no law prohibiting non – Citizens from the upper levels.” She didn't quite look at ease, though, as she linked arms with Ahmed. “They just . . . don't usually have the . . . money to be here. I haven't been here in ages.”

“The General's compliments,” the driver murmured as he bowed. Lori started a bit. “Call me when you wish to go home.” He handed Lori, not Tanya, his card, then got back in the nowee and drove off.

“Don't they usually give the Citizens their cards?” Ahmed asked.

“Yes.” Tanya stared after the cab, then smiled at her daughter. “You have the tickets? Good. Let's go.”

Lori tried to ignore the sideways looks and, occasionally, outright stares as they walked up to the theatre. She wasn't the only person wearing completely concealing clothing, but she and her father were the only ones without the arm patches signifying Citizen status. Add to that that her skin blended almost perfectly with the white of her head covering, and it was really no wonder people stared. Still, this was why Lori tried to stay close to home. The most up – scale she went was to work at the Med Centre, but they at least knew her there, and if any new transfers made any sort of trouble, Micah was sure to stand up for her. The meetings she went to were full of others with Madison's Syndrome, even if “full” meant “five people tops.” Even when she went to the market, or to the entertainment district, Lori generally wasn't made uncomfortable by the way she looked and was forced to dress. Here, though, she was entirely out of her element. There were no familiar shops, or even brand names, and everyone was dressed so nicely.

“. . . Madison's Syndrome, isn't it?”

Lori reacted before her mother or father could. She whirled on the man who had just spoken to his companion, her eyes narrowed. “Yes, it's Madison's Syndrome.” She wrapped her arm around her father's shoulder. She hadn't thought that Citizens would be so blatantly rude. “It's the result of an attempt to cure albinism, and is characterised by lack of pigmentation in the skin and hair, causing light, sound, and heat sensitivity, and dark purple eye pigmentation. The Fourth Reich Final War broke out about then, leading to major discrimination against those afflicted with any sort of noticeable genetic defect. A discrimination that, I'm amazed and sorry to say, full Citizens appear to have yet to overcome.” The man had straightened, looking taken aback by her vehemence.

Ahmed glared around at the crowd, who found other places to look. “If you don't want to see people with Madison's,” he offered, “then I suggest you donate to research. My daughter is the leading expert on the defect; all donations may be forwarded to Doctor Lori Tencha, care of the Medical Centre.”

“. . . she'll kill us if we interfere.”

“Yes, however ---”

“Pardon me?” Tanya called, turning around and looking up at the two people speaking at the edge of the crowd. And up. Her lips thinned and she went just a little pale, but she stood her ground. “Good day, Admirals.”

The two women froze, as is that would help them, then the red haired one sighed. “Good day, Citizen Tencha, Doctor Tencha, Mr. Tencha. It certainly is a good day for the theatre, isn't it?”

“Admiral.” Tanya wasn't amused.

The brunette prodded her partner and gestured with her eyes. “I think you have a splendid point about donations, Mr. Tencha,” she said with a broad smile. The crowd noticeably didn't groan. “I expect, after a good speech like that, that Doctor Tencha will be getting an influx of money soon. Obviously people can't afford to give too much,” and the mood lightened a little, “but I think we could all do without, oh, three visits to the theatre a month, don't you, Admiral Asha?” The mood plummeted.

Admiral Asha was grinning. “A wonderful idea, Admiral Faizah.” If Lori was reading them correctly, the two Family Members were immensely enjoying the crowd's discomfort. “Please do expect Admiral Faizah's and my donations tomorrow, Doctor.”

Admiral Faizah nodded. “Well, then, good day.”

“Good day,” Admiral Asha said with a smile and a wink at Lori.

“Good day, Admirals,” Lori, Tanya, and Ahmed chorused.

The two women nodded and walked away, heads close together. “Have you seen the previews for NAVONOD?”

“No, but I've read the comic. I hope the show is at least as good. Isn't the actor for Ash a new one?”

Their voices faded and Lori looked at her mother. The whole exchange hadn't seemed quite correct to her. The two Admirals had almost seemed . . . guilty . . . at being noticed. The crowd was leaving as quickly as they could.

“Uhm. Shall we?” she asked.

Tanya nodded. “Yes, let's.”

“The Admirals seemed . . . unnerved, didn't they?” Ahmed asked as they got in line for the ticket booth.

His wife nodded. “They did. I wonder if some thing's not going the way it should.”

“We haven't won the war yet; of course it's not going as it should.”

“True. They haven't started recalling Citizens into service, though, so it can't be that bad.”

The woman in the booth looked pointedly at Lori's lack of arm patches when they got to her. Obviously she hadn't witnessed the earlier exchange. “Tickets, please.” She quite possibly thought that any that Lori produced would either be forged or stolen.

Lori was fed up at this point, and decided that she might just be able to get away with pulling a little bit of someone else's rank. She smiled her sweetest at the unamused woman as she slid the three tickets toward her. “Three, please. Compliments of General Mischa.”

That got the woman's attention, and she raised both eyebrows in a not quite disbelieving manner as she scanned the tickets. She stared at her screen, then licked her lips before looking back at Lori and her parents with a much more friendly smile. “Doctor Tencha. My apologies. Please, go in. The, ah, first door to your left. Any food or beverage you may desire is complimentary, and sign here, please.” She slid a stylus and board across, holding them both down with her right hand. Lori tugged them to the left as she took the stylus, and the woman moved the board back to the right. Lori looked at her and spun the stylus around in her left hand pointedly. The woman let the board go. “My apologies, Doctor.”

“Thank you,” Lori murmured as she signed carefully. She gave her parents an exasperated look as they went into the theatre. “They don't like non – Citizens, Madison's, or left handed people,” she muttered. “Is this the only theatre showing NAVONOD?” She smiled, though. For some reason, she hadn't thought that Family Members would read comics. That Admiral Asha and Admiral Faizah did made her a little happier.

“Unfortunately,” Tanya muttered back. “But what have we here?” A man in formal attire was walking toward them with a welcoming smile, followed by a young woman around Lori's age, who had to be his daughter. He extended his hand to Lori as he got up to them.

“Doctor Tencha.” He shook her hand gently, without any condescension. “Citizen Tencha, Mr. Tencha.” He shook her parents' hands. “My name is Bernardo Kear, and I am the proprietor of the Heart Theatre. This is my daughter, Elizabeth.”

“Pleased to meet you,” the blonde said with a smile.

“Pleased to meet you,” Lori replied automatically.

“I'm terribly sorry for my staff's rudeness,” he continued as he ushered them to the concession stand. “Please, pick anything you'd like. It's an honour to meet you, Doctor Tencha. General Mischa was most adamant that you receive the best treatment possible whenever you visit us.”

“I haven't even met her, and she's the most meddlesome woman I've ever known!” Lori exclaimed.

Citizen Kear laughed. “Admiral Leland mentioned dragging her to the Moon to give you some privacy. She does want you to be well taken care of, however. Speaking of, I will be disciplining Mary Li for her behaviour toward you. Non – Citizens are always welcome here.”

Lori looked at him, then at her parents. “Uhm.”

He laughed again, and it was as soft as his voice. “Please believe me, Doctor Tencha, that there's a reason that General Mischa didn't leave tickets for Theatre Prime. I should also like to apologise for the unpleasantness you encountered outside.”

“That's not your responsibility, Citizen Kear,” Ahmed told him.

“But it concerns patrons of mine, therefore it concerns me.” Kear himself took the food and drinks that Tanya had ordered, and his daughter helped him. “I completely agree with Admiral Faizah and Admiral Asha, by the way. Heart Theatre will definitely be donating to your research. At any rate, here you are.” Elizabeth pushed open a door and ushered them into their room. Heart Theatre was modelled after ancient opera houses, with a huge screen in the very front and tiered rows of seats just after an orchestra pit. The walls were pocketed with private and a semi – private alcoves, which were more expensive than the floor seats and provided a much better view. Lori and her parents were in semi-private booth; only about five people could fit in it. There were two more already there, but the booth next to and slightly above theirs included a red head and brunette who were doing their best to pretend they hadn't noticed the Tenchas.

“Let me guess,” Lori whispered. “Spies for General Mischa?”

“The Admirals?” Citizen Kear asked. “Most likely not, actually. They're probably just curious about you. Do them a favour and don't mention them to the General. She won't like it if she finds out she wasn't the first to meet you.” He showed them to reserved seats near the front. “If you need more food or drink during the showing, please don't hesitate to let us know.”

“The buttons on the arms,” Tanya explained when Lori opened her mouth to ask how. “They'll bring up a holographic menu. Just touch what you want, like at the Med Centre.”

“I know what a holographic menu is, Mother.”

“I was talking to your father.”

Lori flushed. “Oh.” She glanced over her shoulder at the two Admirals, who suddenly looked away. “I feel like I'm on display,” she whispered.

“Sorry about that,” Admiral Faizah called out.

Lori flushed and ducked her head. “I forgot about their hearing,” she muttered even more quietly.

“Sorry about that, too,” Asha replied.

“Gah!”

“Sorry,” the two women chorused.

“That's it, I'm telling,” Lori grumbled.

“No!” The two Admirals were suddenly hanging over the edge of their alcove, and the red haired one --- Admiral Faizah --- reached one hand out pleadingly. “Please don't tell Mischa. She'll kill us.”

“With her brain, too. I'm sure she can do that,” Admiral Asha put in, leaning further over the side. It looked like she was about to fall over.

“Why are you so afraid of General Mischa?” Lori asked.

She jumped when Admiral Asha jumped down into their booth --- it wasn't that far away, but it was still a considerable distance to jump. She crouched to Lori's left, taking some of the startled woman's popcorn. “We just wanted to make sure you got in all right. We'll ignore you, we will. Just don't tell Mischa.”

Lori was somewhat less startled when Admiral Faizah joined her comrade. “Do you like ponies? We'll get you a pony if you don't tell.” The original occupants of the alcove were staring covertly.

“Don't you have a war to fight?” Lori asked as she hunched down in her seat. It prompted the two women to hang even further over the chairs.

“We're on Recovery,” Admiral Asha replied. “Aren't we, Faizah?”

Admiral Faizah nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes. Definitely. Every time military members come back from a tour of duty, we get a Recovery period to relax, debrief, deal with any psychological stress we might have endured . . .”

“I don't get why we don't get Recovery after dealing with Mischa, though,” Admiral Asha mused. “She's a psychological trip.” She looked at Lori, tilting her head far to the side to see her. “Not that she's a bad person, or anything. She can be quite nice.”

“Cheerful, in fact,” Admiral Faizah put in. She and Admiral Asha had nearly emptied the popcorn. “When she wants to be.”

“She's been under a lot of stress, though. But don't worry; she'll be very nice to you.”

“And if she's not, tell Leland. He can control . . . well, no, but . . . she'll at least pretend to listen to Leland when he talks to her.”

“Why don't I just dig her a hole?” Lori asked sarcastically. “I hear she loves those.”

“Do it!” the Admirals chorused excitedly. “She'll love it.”

The awe she'd initially felt at meeting two Family Members had long since faded, and Lori was starting to get a headache. Didn't those two ever shut up?

“Ooh, we're upsetting her,” Admiral Asha told her partner. “Look, the poor dear's rubbing her temples.”

“What do we do? Do you need a doctor?”

“I am a doctor,” Lori grumbled.

“See? See that tone of voice? Hear it? She's mad at us, Faizah. I'm so sorry, Doctor. We'll shut up, I promise.”

Lori couldn't help it; she rolled her eyes. She'd thought that Family Members were more stately. Regal. Not prone to babbling.

“We will. It's just that we're all so eager to meet you, you know. Come on, Asha. Oh, here, have more popcorn.” Admiral Faizah reached over and started ordering more popcorn for Lori. “Terribly sorry about that.”

Lori suspected that the only reason the two returned to their seats after that was because the previews were starting. Her parents took the seats the Admirals had been obstructing, and in the middle of the first preview Elizabeth came up with the popcorn that Admiral Faizah had ordered. Lori whispered her thanks and the young woman blushed as she nodded. Lori sighed a little as she smiled at her parents and settled in to enjoy the movie.

----

NAVONOD is an actualy comic being done by my friend Mayu, from DeviantArt, and I have his permission to use it here. It's worth a read, and will probably crop up later.

http://mayuzane.deviantart.com/

Elizabeth Kear is a friend of mine, and I used her without permission. Love you, Roomy.