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Description
Later that week

The new apartment was pretty nice. In all honesty it was more like a house with the size and all. If humans lucked out in any respect it was finding pretty large pads for cheap. It was a low flying building, essentially two floors of larger rooms for your Neko, Marlek, whoever, and then the top floor were the human rooms. We had a fast access to the roof where they had a few landing pads for the human bus, and a little further down was the hybrid pads.

We had thrown a little party to celebrate our first place.That Mary girl had shown up, had she not left with her other friends I might have just made a move out of desperation. But it just turned into a sort of uneventful night. By two everyone was starting to call it quits. My eyes lazily trailed along the few people still awake, TJ and Tish making everyone jealous off in one corner, my other roommates were talking with some of the other regulars.

"Alright, I think I'm gona' call it quits." I said as I got to my feet. I was a little drunk, and not even really that tired. I just wanted to hang out in my room. I made my way towards the steps, I hadn't really gotten fully used to the new place yet. I felt like it was some sort of vacation house. I pushed my way into my room, closing the door behind me before slumping down into my desk chair. I pulled my computer out from my pocket and folded it out, feeling sort of pathetic as I logged into Legacy.

"Hey!" A line of text flashed on the bottom corner of my screen. It was Shara. I was a little surprised to see her online, she had told me she had a gathering to go to tonight.

"Hey, what's up? I thought u were out tonight?" I responded.

"Uh." She responded at first, "Well it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be =/"

"ah." I said, "Well you want to run some things? PvP?"

"Ok. "

So we started to do some dungeons, not exactly my favorite pass time but if I was playing with her it was always bearable. I began to realize that I was almost relieved that Mary left, so I would be able to spend time with Shara instead.

"Hey, you want to hop in voice chat?" I asked, "I'm still sorta drunk, kinda strained reading text."

"lol, okay." She replied.

I felt a slight nervous twinge in my chest as I thought over my next actions.

"Hi hi!" She said as she signed in, her voice was so soft. Her accent was rather unique, even though she tried her best to stifle it.

"Hey, so when are you going to let me off the leash and do some p.v.p?" I asked with a slight laugh.

She laughed, "But I like keeping my favorite man on the leash! That way he can't run away from me."

I blushed, we had become more openly flirtatious recently, but it still felt so good to hear her say such things. I took a deep breath…now was the time, "Hey uh, Shara, can i ask you something?"

There was a slight pause on the other end, "Um, sure. What's up?"

"Well…" I closed my eyes as I tried to think of the best way to word this, "Why…haven't we met up yet?"

"You mean…in the real world?"

"Yeah. I mean it would be so easy…I don't mind the thirty minute bus trip." I waited nervously for her response.

"Chris…I was worried you would never ask!"

"Really?"

"Yeah…I mean at first I was worried you would come back after tonight and not be single! I sort of uh…"

"Sort of what?" I asked, my heart racing with excitement as she agreed to do it.

"Well…I sort of uh…turned down….a guy…tonight."

"Really?"

"Because of you."

I realized that I had done much the same thing with Mary, "Well…then I really owe you a date."

"Yes! Omigod yes!" She said excitedly. She continued to giggle to herself, I couldn't believe how well this went.

"So, where should we go?"

"Um. Well as you know I'm not the biggest fan of restaurants." She said. Shara always talked about how her kind was the middle race of the Hybrid city. They are too large to use any of the smaller utilities but at the same time all of the Neko and Marlek things were still kind of oversized. She felt like she was permanently the size of a child.

"Right yeah."

"I want to cook for you."

I blinked, "Really?"

"Yes. If you don't think that's weird?"

"No, not at all….I mean if that's what you want to do then yeah. I'll do that."

"Great! And then maybe we could take a walk? Or something…."

"Anything…Spending time with you is enough."

"Oh….Chris that's so sweet!"

I blushed again, but it was true. I began to wonder why we had waited so long to do this? I mean a few days after we met it was embarrassingly obvious that we were crazy about each other. Maybe it was because of race? Maybe I was nervous to try to interact with someone so different than myself. In the game we were the same, there was nothing I could do that she couldn't do with me. It only takes language to be friends online…but in the real world it is so much different. My mind reflected back to that questionnaire, and how relevant those questions were starting to be to my life. God damn I am a nerd.

"So um." I continued, "When should we do this?"

"Uh…" She hummed as she thought, "Well…to be honest, if you don't think this is weird or something, I don't want to wait!" She laughed nervously.

"Me neither!" I agreed, "I feel like we've waited long enough. So how about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is perfect." She said, "How about like, five?"

"Five works."

"Okay awesome. I will send you my address, there is actually a human port right outside so I could almost literally pick you up from my door."

"Sounds perfect." I laughed. Suddenly there was a knock at my door. "Yeah?" I called.

"Chris?" Tish's voice called in, "Who are you talking too?" Though from her tone I could almost tell she had heard the entire conversation.

"Um."

"Was that Shara?"

"Maybe." I said.

"Who is that?" I heard Shara's voice ask quietly.

"Oh. My. God!" Tish nearly squealed, "You just asked her out! You just asked her out!"

"Is that Silan?" Shara asked, Silan was the name of Tish's character.

"Yeah…turns out we had an audience outside my door." I said, my cheeks growing hot.

"Is she going to tell anyone?" Shara asked.

"Chris, everyone has to hear about this! Sorry!" She called, I listened as her footsteps trailed back down the hallway.

"Everyone apparently." I said with a sigh.

~ ~ ~ ~

The bus ride felt like an eternity. I don't think my stomach had ever felt so knotted in my life. I tried to calm myself down, telling myself that there was nothing to worry about. I already knew her so well, it seemed, she had wanted to do this…badly even. But this nagging worry lingered in my mind. Was I afraid I wouldn't find her attractive once we finally met face to face? Was I worried she might not find me attractive? It seemed like such a shallow worry but my mind kept rolling the questions over and over.

Did I really know her well? My mind drifted back to a specific day…

About a month ago…

Shara logged in, I hesitated a moment before speaking to her. It was a sort of awkward point in our relationship….by now we both knew how we felt about each other but at the same time I wasn't sure how to approach her. Should I always be treating her like a potential girlfriend? Or should I just act like I always have around her. The line was so foggy online, sometimes I wondered if I was merely tricking myself into thinking there was something really going on between us.

"Hey." I finally managed to say to her.

"Hi." She responded. There was another uncomfortable pause, usually the conversation flowed pretty freely.

"So want to run some stuff?" I asked.

"Eh." She responded plainly.

"Not in the mood eh?" I responded, a little disappointed.

"No. idk Im just feeling bleh."

"Oh that sucks. Need some time alone?"

"Not really…" She replied.

"So…want to vent it all on me?"

"lol. Honestly…kinda…"

"Haha. Well go ahead then." I typed, wondering exactly how much emotion she wanted to dump on me. I figured she had just had an annoying day of class.

"Well." She began, "Let me begin by saying…fuck my life." It was a sort of out of the ordinary thing for her to say. Generally her speech was pretty calm and polite. "And fuck most other people."

"Heh." I replied stupidly.

"I don't think anyone realizes what it's like to be me. All my life. All of it. I have been outcasted, ridiculed, stepped on and bullied. Even when people try to be kind to me they insult my intelligence and talk down to me. So what if I am a first generation? I was born on the same fucking planet, I went to the same fucking school. I have the same first language."

"I wouldn't know…" I replied, trying to let her know I was listening.

"Am I boring you? You don't have to listen if you don't want."

"No, please…if there is anyway I can help or cheer you up."

"Well. Do you want to know what happened today?"

"If it makes you feel better to let it out." I replied, feeling a little on edge.

"It would." She paused for a moment, I assumed she was just typing, "Some Neko, girl. A real bitchy Fela chick..you know the type."

"Yeah."

"Well, today in our public speaking course we were paired off. Coincidentally I was put into a group with three humans. Now I think it's important to mention that I NEVER talk in this class, I have NEVER talked to this girl, or really anyone. But she had no reason to have any opinion of me at all. So anyway, I walk over to my group feeling nervous as usual, and out of the class I hear this girl whisper, "Oh no, hopefully she doesn't eat one of them!". I couldn't believe it. I mean, the Noras had TWO cities at the time of discovery that indulged in…well you know…that is hardly a majority, fuck its not even hardly a minority! It's not even a fraction of our population! And even so it's history now, god do I even have to mention that not even that long ago Neko and Marlek weren't all that different? At least we didn't have a minority group try to decimate an entire planets worth of civilization into slaves and FOOD."

"Yeah, what a dumb bitch. Well you can't let it get to you, people can be stupid….you're better than them."

"But it does get to me Chris. I have been hearing nothing but it since I started going to school. In elementary school some Marlek snuck a poor human nerdy kid into my lunchbox…today was almost the last straw…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't see much of a point to live."

"Please, Shara don't think like that." I said, feeling my stomach turn over.

"Well how much do I have to take? When can I just be another person in this city?" She went quiet for a few moments, maybe even minutes. I wasn't sure what to say. "Sorry."

"For what? I mean I understand you're feeling down…"

"Well, I feel a little better."

"Oh, well good."

"You're right. I'm better than that slut."

"Damn right."

"Probably kick her ass a million times in a row in a one on one anyway. In my healing tree too."

"That's all that counts. You would wreck that hoe."

"<33. Lol."

~ ~ ~ ~

No, I did know who she was…and I wasn't worried about her looks either. I had been browsing through various image galleries of the Noras, they were all beautiful. As Tish said, they were like Dark Elves brought to life…tall, thin, pointed long ears, tranquil glowing eyes, serene beautiful faces, colorful skin and hair. They were so much like us, and other races that looked human, yet so different in all of the right ways.

It would seem that my only legitimate worry was that I would not turn out being the guy she thought I was. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to push away all the anxious jitters. My pocket vibrated. I reached inside and thumbed over the display.

"Don't fuck up." A message from Tish read.

I laughed to myself softly, "Thanks." I replied.

My eyes shifted out into the city zipping by. We were definitely in upper city now. The town around campus was sort of loosely based on old Earth cities, lot's of stone and bricks. Upper city was no doubt a Neko city. The buildings were mostly white, and shone brightly in the sun. My stomach lurched slightly as the bus dropped from the skyway down closer to the city streets. You would be able to look out the window and see the heads of Marlek, Neko not too far down below.

The bus finally slipped into a transparent tunnel, a cheerful feminine voice filled the intercom, "Welcome to Upper City, home of Upper University, and the Museum of Technology!"

I stood up quickly, grabbing my pack from the floor under my seat. As I climbed down the short ramp leading out of the bus I pulled out my computer, "Just flew in." I typed in a message to Shara.

"Oh that was your bus!" She replied quickly, "lol, I was waiting a little early. Come down to the third level if you could? I can't quite reach one or two."

I smiled, this was really it. I entered one of the three elevators and selected level three. They had ordered the floors of the human bus station a little backwards. The first floor was the top where the buses entered. I shifted impatiently as the doors closed, a slight hum filling the air as the elevator took me down the third floor.

My heart nearly pounded in my ears, the rapidly descending elevator could not move fast enough to keep my mind from quickly doubling over itself back into self doubt. My hands grew clammy and my throat already felt choked up. The doors slipped open. I stepped outside, a mildly warm breeze blowing around me as I looked out into the massive streets.

"Chris?" A soft, familiar voice called.

I turned towards it, eyes widening as they fell on her. "Y-Yeah!" I called up. Glad my voice did not shake too harshly when I spoke. She was beautiful.

Her eyes turned slightly upwards as her lips flashed a bright white smile, "Hey!" She said, stepping towards the platform which stood at about her chest. Her skin was a very light blue, almost white. Her lips were a darker shade of purple, I could not tell if they were painted or if that was their natural color…regardless it looked great. Her hair was a dark shade of blue, and hung freely over her shoulders like a motionless waterfall.

"You look great." I complimented her, I couldn't help myself.

"Oh, thank you!" She replied, laughing slightly. She chewed her lower lip for a moment, "So um, wow I'm so glad you came."

"Same here." I replied. "Was the ride bad?"

"Oh, no not at all." I said, my hands touching the railing below her smiling face, forgetting how torturous the ride had seemed just a few minutes earlier.

"Great." She said, her smile broadening again. We stood there for a few moments silently, our eyes locking briefly before quickly glancing about the surrounding city, then back towards each other. "So…if you are comfortable I could…give you a lift to my place?"

"Oh, yeah definitely." I replied. Truthfully I had not been carried by a larger race before. I watched as her hand lifted over the railing, setting down so gently next to me. I smiled towards her before slowly stepping onto her palm, sitting myself down with my feet facing her.

"Steady?" She asked.

"Yeah." I replied, holding my breath briefly as she lifted me off the platform. It is a strange experience, being carried. I could feel the slight drop of each of her steps, the warmth of her skin flowing up through my pants and into me. It was comforting to know that she was a Noras, a race who has plenty of experience with tiny ones.

She had been truthful, it wasn't even a minute walk before she entered a large cylindrical elevator. "So this is our building." She said.

"Nice, I like it. Very Neko-esque" I replied, watching from her hand as the city streets shrank away beneath us.

"The pinnacle of modern architecture." She sighed sarcastically.

I laughed, "What? Not a fan of big white buildings and big white towers and big white sidewalks and-"

"No!" She laughed, "It's boring…as you so pointed out."

"Well maybe you should move down to us." I offered with a shrug. "Lot's more color."

She giggled, "Moving a little quick are we?" The elevator came to a halt on her floor. She stepped inside the carpeted hallway, brightly lit from spherical cased lighting from the ceiling. She walked passed a few rooms before turning towards a door labeled, "1010".

"Hm?" I responded, rather ignorantly.

"Oh…asking to move in and stuff. It's only the first date!" She laughed as she opened the door, "Well here we are."

"Oh!" I laughed, "I didn't even realize what I was suggesting." I glanced around the apartment. I was struck by the deep, rich colors that were draped everywhere in her apartment. Instead of posters with girls, ships or what ever you might find in most college students rooms she had massive tapestries of intricately sewn cloth hanging from her walls. "Wow, I like all the uh, colors." I said still looking around in awe. In this city you rarely saw things like dark green or dark blue…everything was always light blue or other soft colors, if there was any color at all.

"Oh, thanks." She replied, looking around herself, "They are pretty typical Noras blankets…only I hang them on the walls." she laughed.

She placed her hand down on a circular table near a small, well relatively small, kitchenette. I was surprised to see a small wooden table set out beside her hand, "Hybridized your apartment, eh?" I called to her as I hopped down onto what was actually a small elevated circle on top of an even larger table.

"Well, only because my people have been hybridized for thousands of years." She said with a laugh, pulling out her own chair and sitting down.

I slapped my hand on my forehead, "Oh, right. How did I forget."

She giggled, "It's okay. So, if it's not too early I could start dinner?"

:) (Smile) — Description
Later that week

The new apartment was pretty nice. In all honesty it was more like a house with the size and all. If humans lucked out in any respect it was finding pretty large pads for cheap. It was a low flying building, essentially two floors of larger rooms for your Neko, Marlek, whoever, and then the top floor were the human rooms. We had a fast access to the roof where they had a few landing pads for the human bus, and a little further down was the hybrid pads.

We had thrown a little party to celebrate our first place.That Mary girl had shown up, had she not left with her other friends I might have just made a move out of desperation. But it just turned into a sort of uneventful night. By two everyone was starting to call it quits. My eyes lazily trailed along the few people still awake, TJ and Tish making everyone jealous off in one corner, my other roommates were talking with some of the other regulars.

"Alright, I think I'm gona' call it quits." I said as I got to my feet. I was a little drunk, and not even really that tired. I just wanted to hang out in my room. I made my way towards the steps, I hadn't really gotten fully used to the new place yet. I felt like it was some sort of vacation house. I pushed my way into my room, closing the door behind me before slumping down into my desk chair. I pulled my computer out from my pocket and folded it out, feeling sort of pathetic as I logged into Legacy.

"Hey!" A line of text flashed on the bottom corner of my screen. It was Shara. I was a little surprised to see her online, she had told me she had a gathering to go to tonight.

"Hey, what's up? I thought u were out tonight?" I responded.

"Uh." She responded at first, "Well it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be =/"

"ah." I said, "Well you want to run some things? PvP?"

"Ok. "

So we started to do some dungeons, not exactly my favorite pass time but if I was playing with her it was always bearable. I began to realize that I was almost relieved that Mary left, so I would be able to spend time with Shara instead.

"Hey, you want to hop in voice chat?" I asked, "I'm still sorta drunk, kinda strained reading text."

"lol, okay." She replied.

I felt a slight nervous twinge in my chest as I thought over my next actions.

"Hi hi!" She said as she signed in, her voice was so soft. Her accent was rather unique, even though she tried her best to stifle it.

"Hey, so when are you going to let me off the leash and do some p.v.p?" I asked with a slight laugh.

She laughed, "But I like keeping my favorite man on the leash! That way he can't run away from me."

I blushed, we had become more openly flirtatious recently, but it still felt so good to hear her say such things. I took a deep breath…now was the time, "Hey uh, Shara, can i ask you something?"

There was a slight pause on the other end, "Um, sure. What's up?"

"Well…" I closed my eyes as I tried to think of the best way to word this, "Why…haven't we met up yet?"

"You mean…in the real world?"

"Yeah. I mean it would be so easy…I don't mind the thirty minute bus trip." I waited nervously for her response.

"Chris…I was worried you would never ask!"

"Really?"

"Yeah…I mean at first I was worried you would come back after tonight and not be single! I sort of uh…"

"Sort of what?" I asked, my heart racing with excitement as she agreed to do it.

"Well…I sort of uh…turned down….a guy…tonight."

"Really?"

"Because of you."

I realized that I had done much the same thing with Mary, "Well…then I really owe you a date."

"Yes! Omigod yes!" She said excitedly. She continued to giggle to herself, I couldn't believe how well this went.

"So, where should we go?"

"Um. Well as you know I'm not the biggest fan of restaurants." She said. Shara always talked about how her kind was the middle race of the Hybrid city. They are too large to use any of the smaller utilities but at the same time all of the Neko and Marlek things were still kind of oversized. She felt like she was permanently the size of a child.

"Right yeah."

"I want to cook for you."

I blinked, "Really?"

"Yes. If you don't think that's weird?"

"No, not at all….I mean if that's what you want to do then yeah. I'll do that."

"Great! And then maybe we could take a walk? Or something…."

"Anything…Spending time with you is enough."

"Oh….Chris that's so sweet!"

I blushed again, but it was true. I began to wonder why we had waited so long to do this? I mean a few days after we met it was embarrassingly obvious that we were crazy about each other. Maybe it was because of race? Maybe I was nervous to try to interact with someone so different than myself. In the game we were the same, there was nothing I could do that she couldn't do with me. It only takes language to be friends online…but in the real world it is so much different. My mind reflected back to that questionnaire, and how relevant those questions were starting to be to my life. God damn I am a nerd.

"So um." I continued, "When should we do this?"

"Uh…" She hummed as she thought, "Well…to be honest, if you don't think this is weird or something, I don't want to wait!" She laughed nervously.

"Me neither!" I agreed, "I feel like we've waited long enough. So how about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is perfect." She said, "How about like, five?"

"Five works."

"Okay awesome. I will send you my address, there is actually a human port right outside so I could almost literally pick you up from my door."

"Sounds perfect." I laughed. Suddenly there was a knock at my door. "Yeah?" I called.

"Chris?" Tish's voice called in, "Who are you talking too?" Though from her tone I could almost tell she had heard the entire conversation.

"Um."

"Was that Shara?"

"Maybe." I said.

"Who is that?" I heard Shara's voice ask quietly.

"Oh. My. God!" Tish nearly squealed, "You just asked her out! You just asked her out!"

"Is that Silan?" Shara asked, Silan was the name of Tish's character.

"Yeah…turns out we had an audience outside my door." I said, my cheeks growing hot.

"Is she going to tell anyone?" Shara asked.

"Chris, everyone has to hear about this! Sorry!" She called, I listened as her footsteps trailed back down the hallway.

"Everyone apparently." I said with a sigh.

~ ~ ~ ~

The bus ride felt like an eternity. I don't think my stomach had ever felt so knotted in my life. I tried to calm myself down, telling myself that there was nothing to worry about. I already knew her so well, it seemed, she had wanted to do this…badly even. But this nagging worry lingered in my mind. Was I afraid I wouldn't find her attractive once we finally met face to face? Was I worried she might not find me attractive? It seemed like such a shallow worry but my mind kept rolling the questions over and over.

Did I really know her well? My mind drifted back to a specific day…

About a month ago…

Shara logged in, I hesitated a moment before speaking to her. It was a sort of awkward point in our relationship….by now we both knew how we felt about each other but at the same time I wasn't sure how to approach her. Should I always be treating her like a potential girlfriend? Or should I just act like I always have around her. The line was so foggy online, sometimes I wondered if I was merely tricking myself into thinking there was something really going on between us.

"Hey." I finally managed to say to her.

"Hi." She responded. There was another uncomfortable pause, usually the conversation flowed pretty freely.

"So want to run some stuff?" I asked.

"Eh." She responded plainly.

"Not in the mood eh?" I responded, a little disappointed.

"No. idk Im just feeling bleh."

"Oh that sucks. Need some time alone?"

"Not really…" She replied.

"So…want to vent it all on me?"

"lol. Honestly…kinda…"

"Haha. Well go ahead then." I typed, wondering exactly how much emotion she wanted to dump on me. I figured she had just had an annoying day of class.

"Well." She began, "Let me begin by saying…fuck my life." It was a sort of out of the ordinary thing for her to say. Generally her speech was pretty calm and polite. "And fuck most other people."

"Heh." I replied stupidly.

"I don't think anyone realizes what it's like to be me. All my life. All of it. I have been outcasted, ridiculed, stepped on and bullied. Even when people try to be kind to me they insult my intelligence and talk down to me. So what if I am a first generation? I was born on the same fucking planet, I went to the same fucking school. I have the same first language."

"I wouldn't know…" I replied, trying to let her know I was listening.

"Am I boring you? You don't have to listen if you don't want."

"No, please…if there is anyway I can help or cheer you up."

"Well. Do you want to know what happened today?"

"If it makes you feel better to let it out." I replied, feeling a little on edge.

"It would." She paused for a moment, I assumed she was just typing, "Some Neko, girl. A real bitchy Fela chick..you know the type."

"Yeah."

"Well, today in our public speaking course we were paired off. Coincidentally I was put into a group with three humans. Now I think it's important to mention that I NEVER talk in this class, I have NEVER talked to this girl, or really anyone. But she had no reason to have any opinion of me at all. So anyway, I walk over to my group feeling nervous as usual, and out of the class I hear this girl whisper, "Oh no, hopefully she doesn't eat one of them!". I couldn't believe it. I mean, the Noras had TWO cities at the time of discovery that indulged in…well you know…that is hardly a majority, fuck its not even hardly a minority! It's not even a fraction of our population! And even so it's history now, god do I even have to mention that not even that long ago Neko and Marlek weren't all that different? At least we didn't have a minority group try to decimate an entire planets worth of civilization into slaves and FOOD."

"Yeah, what a dumb bitch. Well you can't let it get to you, people can be stupid….you're better than them."

"But it does get to me Chris. I have been hearing nothing but it since I started going to school. In elementary school some Marlek snuck a poor human nerdy kid into my lunchbox…today was almost the last straw…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't see much of a point to live."

"Please, Shara don't think like that." I said, feeling my stomach turn over.

"Well how much do I have to take? When can I just be another person in this city?" She went quiet for a few moments, maybe even minutes. I wasn't sure what to say. "Sorry."

"For what? I mean I understand you're feeling down…"

"Well, I feel a little better."

"Oh, well good."

"You're right. I'm better than that slut."

"Damn right."

"Probably kick her ass a million times in a row in a one on one anyway. In my healing tree too."

"That's all that counts. You would wreck that hoe."

"<33. Lol."

~ ~ ~ ~

No, I did know who she was…and I wasn't worried about her looks either. I had been browsing through various image galleries of the Noras, they were all beautiful. As Tish said, they were like Dark Elves brought to life…tall, thin, pointed long ears, tranquil glowing eyes, serene beautiful faces, colorful skin and hair. They were so much like us, and other races that looked human, yet so different in all of the right ways.

It would seem that my only legitimate worry was that I would not turn out being the guy she thought I was. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to push away all the anxious jitters. My pocket vibrated. I reached inside and thumbed over the display.

"Don't fuck up." A message from Tish read.

I laughed to myself softly, "Thanks." I replied.

My eyes shifted out into the city zipping by. We were definitely in upper city now. The town around campus was sort of loosely based on old Earth cities, lot's of stone and bricks. Upper city was no doubt a Neko city. The buildings were mostly white, and shone brightly in the sun. My stomach lurched slightly as the bus dropped from the skyway down closer to the city streets. You would be able to look out the window and see the heads of Marlek, Neko not too far down below.

The bus finally slipped into a transparent tunnel, a cheerful feminine voice filled the intercom, "Welcome to Upper City, home of Upper University, and the Museum of Technology!"

I stood up quickly, grabbing my pack from the floor under my seat. As I climbed down the short ramp leading out of the bus I pulled out my computer, "Just flew in." I typed in a message to Shara.

"Oh that was your bus!" She replied quickly, "lol, I was waiting a little early. Come down to the third level if you could? I can't quite reach one or two."

I smiled, this was really it. I entered one of the three elevators and selected level three. They had ordered the floors of the human bus station a little backwards. The first floor was the top where the buses entered. I shifted impatiently as the doors closed, a slight hum filling the air as the elevator took me down the third floor.

My heart nearly pounded in my ears, the rapidly descending elevator could not move fast enough to keep my mind from quickly doubling over itself back into self doubt. My hands grew clammy and my throat already felt choked up. The doors slipped open. I stepped outside, a mildly warm breeze blowing around me as I looked out into the massive streets.

"Chris?" A soft, familiar voice called.

I turned towards it, eyes widening as they fell on her. "Y-Yeah!" I called up. Glad my voice did not shake too harshly when I spoke. She was beautiful.

Her eyes turned slightly upwards as her lips flashed a bright white smile, "Hey!" She said, stepping towards the platform which stood at about her chest. Her skin was a very light blue, almost white. Her lips were a darker shade of purple, I could not tell if they were painted or if that was their natural color…regardless it looked great. Her hair was a dark shade of blue, and hung freely over her shoulders like a motionless waterfall.

"You look great." I complimented her, I couldn't help myself.

"Oh, thank you!" She replied, laughing slightly. She chewed her lower lip for a moment, "So um, wow I'm so glad you came."

"Same here." I replied. "Was the ride bad?"

"Oh, no not at all." I said, my hands touching the railing below her smiling face, forgetting how torturous the ride had seemed just a few minutes earlier.

"Great." She said, her smile broadening again. We stood there for a few moments silently, our eyes locking briefly before quickly glancing about the surrounding city, then back towards each other. "So…if you are comfortable I could…give you a lift to my place?"

"Oh, yeah definitely." I replied. Truthfully I had not been carried by a larger race before. I watched as her hand lifted over the railing, setting down so gently next to me. I smiled towards her before slowly stepping onto her palm, sitting myself down with my feet facing her.

"Steady?" She asked.

"Yeah." I replied, holding my breath briefly as she lifted me off the platform. It is a strange experience, being carried. I could feel the slight drop of each of her steps, the warmth of her skin flowing up through my pants and into me. It was comforting to know that she was a Noras, a race who has plenty of experience with tiny ones.

She had been truthful, it wasn't even a minute walk before she entered a large cylindrical elevator. "So this is our building." She said.

"Nice, I like it. Very Neko-esque" I replied, watching from her hand as the city streets shrank away beneath us.

"The pinnacle of modern architecture." She sighed sarcastically.

I laughed, "What? Not a fan of big white buildings and big white towers and big white sidewalks and-"

"No!" She laughed, "It's boring…as you so pointed out."

"Well maybe you should move down to us." I offered with a shrug. "Lot's more color."

She giggled, "Moving a little quick are we?" The elevator came to a halt on her floor. She stepped inside the carpeted hallway, brightly lit from spherical cased lighting from the ceiling. She walked passed a few rooms before turning towards a door labeled, "1010".

"Hm?" I responded, rather ignorantly.

"Oh…asking to move in and stuff. It's only the first date!" She laughed as she opened the door, "Well here we are."

"Oh!" I laughed, "I didn't even realize what I was suggesting." I glanced around the apartment. I was struck by the deep, rich colors that were draped everywhere in her apartment. Instead of posters with girls, ships or what ever you might find in most college students rooms she had massive tapestries of intricately sewn cloth hanging from her walls. "Wow, I like all the uh, colors." I said still looking around in awe. In this city you rarely saw things like dark green or dark blue…everything was always light blue or other soft colors, if there was any color at all.

"Oh, thanks." She replied, looking around herself, "They are pretty typical Noras blankets…only I hang them on the walls." she laughed.

She placed her hand down on a circular table near a small, well relatively small, kitchenette. I was surprised to see a small wooden table set out beside her hand, "Hybridized your apartment, eh?" I called to her as I hopped down onto what was actually a small elevated circle on top of an even larger table.

"Well, only because my people have been hybridized for thousands of years." She said with a laugh, pulling out her own chair and sitting down.

I slapped my hand on my forehead, "Oh, right. How did I forget."

She giggled, "It's okay. So, if it's not too early I could start dinner?"