Fic: The Summer Intern (cont.)
Feb. 18th, 2011 04:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalObviously my creative juices have been a bit sour this week. That and I've been distracted editing Unexpected Diversions, which is about 1/3 done depending on how you look at it.
Nan woke up confused, a heavy weight sitting on her chest. She opened her eyes and found a narrow, pointed nose almost pressed against hers, a pair of dark eyes staring at her. The pre ferin churred at her, nuzzling her cheek as its tail waved lazily.
"Argh! You're as bad as my mother's cats! Get off!" She tried to push it off, but the pre ferin squatted down more closely onto her chest, purring happily as she lay in a nest of pillows in the First One's conversation pit, a blanket covering her. She'd fallen asleep sometime earlier Nan supposed, having slept for almost six hours judging from the chrono by the comsole.
The First One wandered in, looking down at her with a smirk. "Found a friend?"
"Help!" Nan pushed herself up onto her elbows, shoving the blanket off. The pre-ferin stubbornly hung on, digging its claws into her robe and wrapping its long tail around her waist. "Get it off me!"
"What makes you think my cousin there is going to listen to me?"
"Because you're the First One! Nudge him with your bion or something!"
"Naw, that'd be cheating. Just push him off. The pre ferin around the village are so tame the worst he might do is try and cuddle ya to death."
Nan shook her head. "That's what I've been trying to do!" She swung her legs into the conversation pit, pushing herself up onto her footpads.
The pre ferin hung on to her robe with determination, its weight yanking the fabric down to her waist, exposing her breasts before it dropped to the ground with annoyed chirrup! Just then Ranger Freya walked through the doorway, calling out, "First One! Are you ready for your-- Oh, my!" Her eyes widened and her ears flicked back in surprise as she caught sight of Nan. Nan responded by covering herself with her paws, shrieking, and diving back under the covers, burying her head under a pillow.
Triumphant at the return of his bed warmer, the pre ferin hopped onto her back, purring loudly as Nan heard Freya ask, "Did I just interrupt something?"
"We were exploring aspects of Ferin-Vulp relationships," the First One replied, deadpan.
"It was an accident! It was the ferin's fault!" Nan pulled her robe back over herself and wormed her way out from under the covers, shoving the pre ferin on the snout as it tried to curl up to her again.
"What did you do?" Freya demanded.
"I didn't do anything!"
"Not you. Him." Freya pointed at the First One.
"I didn't do anything!" he protested.
"Never mind. First One, are you ready for the interview?"
The First One blinked, then got a distinct aw frell expression on his face. "I forgot," he mumbled.
Freya sighed. "First One, this has been in the works for two weeks. How could you forget?"
He frowned at her, "I was a little busy last night and this morning, or didn't you hear?"
"I heard," Freya said. "Why don't you use it as ammunition during the interview?"
"Excuse me, what interview?" Nan put in.
"Galactic Newsnet, one of the human newsfeeds, wants to yack with me about the latest Ferin Protection Bill running through the Federation Senate," the First One explained.
Nan dredged up the memory from her scans of the newsnets prior to her arrival on Newspring, just... Had it really been only a week since she'd gotten here? "Oh, I remember hearing about that. We should get you ready then! Isn't that the one where the Human Federation is going to pledge to work with the Council of Farmer Lords to hunt down ferin poaching operations?"
"Yeah, but it's a waste of time," the First One grumbled, slipping on a matching blue tunic and trousers over a cream colored shirt. "They want the Council to give up insisting that repatriated ferin be remanded to Vulpine space to be granted citizenship, on the grounds that we're non-sentient. Even if the Fed Senate passes the bill, there's no way the Farmer Lords are going to play along with that provision."
"Never mind that the bill's sponsors are in the pockets of the two biggest legitimate, if you can call them that, ferin breeding corporations," Freya added.
"Wait a moment, so the bill is just designed to keep the price of the breeding corps from dropping too low from the input of new sources of ferin?" Nan asked, after thinking that one over for a moment.
"Very good, Vix. You win a gold star," the First One said with only a touch of irony. "The so-called liberals in the Senate get a nice feel good bill passed, and the conservatives make sure the rich keep getting richer on the backs of their ferin." He slipped on his detested boots and then ran his hand through his unkempt hair, frowning to himself.
"The hair dresser will be at the transmission studio," Freya assured him.
"Right," he said distractedly. "Vix, why don't you get dressed and check in with your roommate to make sure she's okay. Then you can come back here and I'll show you what you need to know about grading papers from the students education centre, all right?"
"Yes, First One," Nan said, trying to hide her disappointment about not being able to tag along to watch the interview.
"Don't worry, ya be missing much," the First One said, apparently sensing her feelings anyway. He turned away and dropped off the deck to the floor of the forest below, Freya following down the ladder. As they walked away Nan could still hear him muttering, "...done a thousand of these damned interviews. Never seems t' do any good."
TBC
Nan woke up confused, a heavy weight sitting on her chest. She opened her eyes and found a narrow, pointed nose almost pressed against hers, a pair of dark eyes staring at her. The pre ferin churred at her, nuzzling her cheek as its tail waved lazily.
"Argh! You're as bad as my mother's cats! Get off!" She tried to push it off, but the pre ferin squatted down more closely onto her chest, purring happily as she lay in a nest of pillows in the First One's conversation pit, a blanket covering her. She'd fallen asleep sometime earlier Nan supposed, having slept for almost six hours judging from the chrono by the comsole.
The First One wandered in, looking down at her with a smirk. "Found a friend?"
"Help!" Nan pushed herself up onto her elbows, shoving the blanket off. The pre-ferin stubbornly hung on, digging its claws into her robe and wrapping its long tail around her waist. "Get it off me!"
"What makes you think my cousin there is going to listen to me?"
"Because you're the First One! Nudge him with your bion or something!"
"Naw, that'd be cheating. Just push him off. The pre ferin around the village are so tame the worst he might do is try and cuddle ya to death."
Nan shook her head. "That's what I've been trying to do!" She swung her legs into the conversation pit, pushing herself up onto her footpads.
The pre ferin hung on to her robe with determination, its weight yanking the fabric down to her waist, exposing her breasts before it dropped to the ground with annoyed chirrup! Just then Ranger Freya walked through the doorway, calling out, "First One! Are you ready for your-- Oh, my!" Her eyes widened and her ears flicked back in surprise as she caught sight of Nan. Nan responded by covering herself with her paws, shrieking, and diving back under the covers, burying her head under a pillow.
Triumphant at the return of his bed warmer, the pre ferin hopped onto her back, purring loudly as Nan heard Freya ask, "Did I just interrupt something?"
"We were exploring aspects of Ferin-Vulp relationships," the First One replied, deadpan.
"It was an accident! It was the ferin's fault!" Nan pulled her robe back over herself and wormed her way out from under the covers, shoving the pre ferin on the snout as it tried to curl up to her again.
"What did you do?" Freya demanded.
"I didn't do anything!"
"Not you. Him." Freya pointed at the First One.
"I didn't do anything!" he protested.
"Never mind. First One, are you ready for the interview?"
The First One blinked, then got a distinct aw frell expression on his face. "I forgot," he mumbled.
Freya sighed. "First One, this has been in the works for two weeks. How could you forget?"
He frowned at her, "I was a little busy last night and this morning, or didn't you hear?"
"I heard," Freya said. "Why don't you use it as ammunition during the interview?"
"Excuse me, what interview?" Nan put in.
"Galactic Newsnet, one of the human newsfeeds, wants to yack with me about the latest Ferin Protection Bill running through the Federation Senate," the First One explained.
Nan dredged up the memory from her scans of the newsnets prior to her arrival on Newspring, just... Had it really been only a week since she'd gotten here? "Oh, I remember hearing about that. We should get you ready then! Isn't that the one where the Human Federation is going to pledge to work with the Council of Farmer Lords to hunt down ferin poaching operations?"
"Yeah, but it's a waste of time," the First One grumbled, slipping on a matching blue tunic and trousers over a cream colored shirt. "They want the Council to give up insisting that repatriated ferin be remanded to Vulpine space to be granted citizenship, on the grounds that we're non-sentient. Even if the Fed Senate passes the bill, there's no way the Farmer Lords are going to play along with that provision."
"Never mind that the bill's sponsors are in the pockets of the two biggest legitimate, if you can call them that, ferin breeding corporations," Freya added.
"Wait a moment, so the bill is just designed to keep the price of the breeding corps from dropping too low from the input of new sources of ferin?" Nan asked, after thinking that one over for a moment.
"Very good, Vix. You win a gold star," the First One said with only a touch of irony. "The so-called liberals in the Senate get a nice feel good bill passed, and the conservatives make sure the rich keep getting richer on the backs of their ferin." He slipped on his detested boots and then ran his hand through his unkempt hair, frowning to himself.
"The hair dresser will be at the transmission studio," Freya assured him.
"Right," he said distractedly. "Vix, why don't you get dressed and check in with your roommate to make sure she's okay. Then you can come back here and I'll show you what you need to know about grading papers from the students education centre, all right?"
"Yes, First One," Nan said, trying to hide her disappointment about not being able to tag along to watch the interview.
"Don't worry, ya be missing much," the First One said, apparently sensing her feelings anyway. He turned away and dropped off the deck to the floor of the forest below, Freya following down the ladder. As they walked away Nan could still hear him muttering, "...done a thousand of these damned interviews. Never seems t' do any good."
TBC
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 12:18 pm (UTC)they have Prot-Ferin, too? Me wants one - where can I get one?
Poor Nan :)
Well, I wonder if Teri ... erm, the First One ... will tell in that interview what the real goal of the breeders is ... and if the interview will really help the Ferin...
mjkj
no subject
Date: 2011-02-23 12:36 am (UTC)LOVE the hidden agenda of the Federation. That's just sooo human... feather their own nests while pretending they're the good guys. Can't wait to read the interview. Teri must have had a lot of practice by now dealing with these bigots. Hope he's learned to control his temper.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-23 08:42 am (UTC)