Lachlan Crauw - Some sightseeing
Samira Neathler
(( Commercial Section 24 - Iana Station ))
They, Lachlan and ladies L’rann and M’Rish, had moved from one commercial section of the station to another, using the RapTram. Lachlan praised himself lucky to be in the company of the two Caitians, otherwise he’d still be searching for a gift for one of his friends. With all three of them, having bought something new, he headed to the main counter to pay for his things and they each ended up with a bag, that held their bought clothing. He walked out of the boutique and stood still outside for a moment, stretching his back before he looked in both directions and casual walked in the opposite direction they came from, further away from the main avenue, until he stopped at a booth that sold different fruits of all shapes and colors. The Tyrellian vendor had placed samples of each in front of every crate. He picked a portion of a fruit he’d never seen before and tried it. It had a sweet taste with a bit of a sour aftertaste and his mind already made some connection with which cocktail it would go best. He wiped some of the juice away from his chin.
Crauw: You should try these, they are delicious.
L’rann tried one as well.
L’rann: Catians aren’t much for fruit, but I have to say this tastes good. How about you, M’Rish? Anything here looks good to you?
M’Rish: Are there strawberries?
Lachlan shook his head. So far he hadn’t seen any strawberries, otherwise he would have shown the young Caitian the difference.
L’rann: Unfortunately not. Just try the fruit, you might like it.
Cautiously, as if she expected something strange would happen, M’Rish took the fruit in both hands and tried it out. Lachlan grinned as he saw the changing expression on M’Rish features. Her eyes lit up, and the fruit didn’t stand a chance, it was devoured in no time. L’rann turned to the shopkeeper.
L’rann: I guess we’ll take a dozen of those.
He looked at his current company, and the bags and boxes they were already carrying, so he decided to return and buy some fruit another day. He smiled at the two Caitians.
Crauw: How about we end this perfect afternoon with dinner or maybe our youngster would prefer a movie?
M’Rish: What’s a “movie”?
L’rann: It’s like a holonovel, but it’s two-dimensional and you don’t interact with it. You just sit and watch a screen. Not many are made anymore. :: M’Rish looked at her quizzically. :: What can I say? Humans are nostalgic.
He burst out in laughter.
Crauw: What’s not to like about a movie? Sit back, do nothing, lose yourself in the story, be carried away with too loud music. Nibble on some popcorn, have a drink.
Fall asleep if the movie was boring. Or other things happening mainly in the back seats, although that was not something he’d tell with M’Rish around.
L’rann: That said, perhaps the movie first, then maybe we’ll be hungry for dinner, since we ate lunch recently. What did you have in mind?
Crauw: That sounds like a perfect plan, miss L’rann. What about something adventurous but not too scary?
L’rann / M’Rish: Response
Crauw: I think I saw a holosuite slash theatre on the map, a few blocks away if I’m not mistaken. Let’s see what they are playing. Because believe it or not, most movies are played in holodecks these days. It’s easier to create that authentic feel.
L’rann / M’Rish: Response
They followed the road, walking from one booth to the other. It seemed they had arrived at the agriculture section as most of them sold fruit, vegetables. Some he recognised, and others were new to him. He squinted his eyes as he looked towards the corner of the next block. A Tyrellian sat on a wooden stole, a canvas in front of him in some kind of wooden construction. The Tyrellian’s eyes danced from the canvas towards a figure that sat on the edge of a fountain. A small crowd gathered around the artist and it didn’t take long before Lachlan and the Caitians, joined the little crowd.
Lachlan: That’s just amazing, isn’t it? It looks so real and all that with just a pencil.
The canvas showed a perfect copy of the marble fountain. The figure on the canvas looked like he could stand up at any moment and walk away. Lachlan recognised the same pensive look in the drawn eyes, just as the model.
L’rann / M’Rish: Response