|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- THE DARK OF COLLEGE--CUP 3--"VAVON SOCKERS" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  The Dark of College  ||  -------> (Cup SRdc003, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "Forget it, Films!" Swift said, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him away. "You better do things my way--remember what I said--I'm sticking my neck out for you--don't fuck up." "Look," Films said, with an exaggerated look of pain. "Just how far away is this place? I mean, I..." "I don't know. Not far. But it'll be a god damn eternity if you don't stop that whining!" "What...? Look at my hand... will you look at it? It's a deep cut, and... and..." He looked sincerely concerned. "What?" she asked. "I... I'm scared of the germs that might be here... on this... this world. I mean, okay. I admit it! I am from a different world. And... and there might be germs here that my body is totally unfamiliar with... I could fucking die." Swift walked right up to Films and put her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. The two individuals were about the same height. He locked eyes with her, tears welling up in his. "Now listen to me, Witchcraft Paranoia Films. If you used The Dark of College to get here, you needn't worry. They who designed it were way ahead of you, in this germ issue and a whole lotta other things. They built in situational governors to protect you from such mundane hazards. In fact, that cut of yours should heal at a far faster rate than you'd normally expect." Films looked away, a frown on his face. "You wanted to kiss me just then, didn't you?" she said, hands still on his shoulders. "What?" "You heard me." "What--are you reading my mind?" "No--I just have a little situational sight. You should have done it--on this Earth, things are a lot looser. So why don't you--why don't you just go ahead?" He looked at her, a few tears trickling away from his eyes, and moved forward to touch lips with her. He didn't press any further, but she opened her mouth slightly and touched his lips with the tip of her tongue. He responded, and soon they were in the middle of a truly passionate kiss. Films did taste a faint hint of hydrogen peroxide, but he didn't let it bother him. When the kiss ran its course, Swift let go of Films and started walking across a field, toward the woods. He silently followed. As they walked away from the derelict train, Films looked back to see a tall figure, a man with long brown hair, standing next to the train, wearing a dark overcoat. The man was staring at the two, and it looked like he started to raise his hand to hail them, but he stopped himself. Under his left arm were two bulging folders of papers. Films was puzzled--the man hadn't been there a moment ago, but... he probably got out the window The Sommern Swift knocked out. Yeah, that was a good explanation. The walk through the woods lasted under an hour, without much excitement or conversation--the kiss kept both of them pretty quiet. After the woods ended, they mounted another hill, and that's when they finally saw the Casino at Hacta Home, and the commercial buildup that seemed to flow out of it like dozens of leaks. "Wow cool." Films said without much enthusiasm. "What's the matter?" "What do you mean?" "Something's bothering you." "Yeah, I don't know." "Tell me." "I don't know--just that guy back there by the train. He seemed like... like he wanted to talk to us or something." "Oh, him? He was probably just some fucking loser who thinks he's the author of a story where we're the characters. Those dossiers were full of information about our past and future, no doubt." "Huh?" "Don't worry about it. I encounter such people now and again. They always say that they're writing a story, and they decided to put themselves in it. Some of 'em even display amazing powers in changing reality, to prove themselves. Where they come from is a mystery. But just do what I do and you'll be happy--ignore them." "That's funny. I often feel like I'm just a character in someone else's story--the way things just seem to HAPPEN to me." Films was a stocky fellow with a broad face, short unkempt beard, and mustache. Height a little below average, unstyled hair with bangs over his eyebrows. And he wore a baseball cap, the logo on which he knew no one else in this world would know--the Vavon Sockers, a wiredrama team--consisting of a cartoon character punching, his fist "closer" and hence much bigger than his body, a V being formed from the rings he was wearing. The hat was black and the logo light blue and gray, with bright orange trim. "Well, don't worry about it," The Sommern Swift said. "You're about to experience one of the biggest--if not THE biggest attraction this Earth has to offer--The Casino at Hacta Home! Lucky I brought along massive amounts of local cash, eh friend?" "I got a little too." -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----