573 573 What Are You Doing Here?
Max joined the Envoys and their followers at the pools on level three, where a veritable party had broken out after the Huntress prepaid a huge tab for the entire bar that evening. She had spent more than the bar’s average weekly earnings and encouraged them to find as many people who enjoyed the misty aquatic environment as they could so that she didn’t have to drink alone.
The Bartender had put it in the public announcements for the Cruise Ship, and it had brought nearly a thousand people to the floor, spreading not only through that bar, but the others in the area, who were happy to link their inventory reports and keep one running tab for the entire floor.
It would get out of hand later, but that was normal for the ship since many of their guests paid for a VIP package, which included all their food and drinks during their stay. The human staff was very good at rounding up drunks and getting them back to their rooms in the early hours of the morning, and they were getting enough practice at it that they were almost smooth enough that nobody noticed the drunkest among them disappearing.
“Do you think that it would be possible to see the Academy grounds while we are here? I understand if much of the interior is off-limits during class. Still, I would like to see what sort of standards a Human educational facility that employs Alliance teachers is at.” The Valkia envoy asked as he finished a steaming mug of chocolate cream liqueur.
It wasn’t particularly strong stuff, but he might as well have been holding an entire bottle of wine in his hand, given the amount of alcohol in a full mug.
“Of course. A few dignitaries with a full escort will help motivate the students to focus well in class, and as long as you’re all well-behaved, there is no reason you can’t come and see the Academy for a little while before we show you to your rooms. Or, if you would prefer to enjoy the evening to the fullest, I can arrange a tour tomorrow during classes so that you can see the Academy in action instead of touring an empty building later in the evening.” Max suggested.
“That’s even better. I have heard that you found some excellent teachers, but our databases don’t have any data on human educational facilities that aren’t military oriented. The only ones that we have recorded were the Military Academies of Kepler and Cygnus, as they seemed the most relevant to our interactions in the past and were a strong indicator of the trajectory of your species before this current Trade Alliance Revolution.” The Valkia agreed, then ducked as a very drunk assistant nearly dive-bombed him on a wobbly flight path from the fourth-floor gravity slide exit to the hot tubs on the third floor.
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“I think he will be fine. He’s in the hot tub now, and security is keeping an eye on him, so he doesn’t drown if he happens to pass out.” Nico replied from a few meters away, where she was playing drinking games with the blue-skinned envoy, who was drinking fruit juice to keep himself in a fit state to enjoy the party.
The Giant had made fast friends with the Canis girls. They found his lack of a tail and tiny round ears somewhat disappointing, but his feats of strength and surprisingly muscled body were nearly enough to make up for the lack.
The Giants were also very literal and not at all prone to deception or pranks, which was a quality that the Canis admired nearly as much as a good fluffy tail. So, he had been inducted into their group and assigned to the guys’ team to help even out a tug-of-war match being played on smooth wet marble, creating a spectacle nearly as comical as playing it in the nearby sand.
Everything was going smoothly until a new group of Valkia from the upper floors flew down to join them, and an enraged bellow came from the assistant of the Valkia envoy.
“You little shit. Get your ass over here right this instant before I have to go up there and get you.” The voice echoed through the misty party, clear enough to hear from across the floor, even with the music playing.
The group of young Valkia decided that discretion was the better part of valour. They immediately turned tail to run away, racing back up toward the top floors with the assistant envoy in hot pursuit.
The lead envoy and the Giant both burst out laughing, pointing at the sky where the youngsters had been caught and were being pulled by an ear back down to ground level.
“So this is what you are actually doing when you told your mother that you were on an educational trip to the Innu Hollow Moons? Let’s see how smart you are when I lock down your accounts and ground you until the Semester is over.” He told them in a voice usually reserved for a Company Commander greeting drunk Pilots returning late from shore leave.
“His son and nephews. They were all supposed to be on a school field trip together, but they ditched. We got the message from the school before we left, but we didn’t know where they had gone. Their mothers were in charge of tracking their movements since we had to work.” The Giant explained.
“Oh, they’ve got it bad. First, they get it here, then they’ll get it again when they get home, then a third time when they get back to school, and the Headmistress wants to talk to them about skipping a school trip.” Nico laughed.
“You have no idea. Their Grandmother is the Headmistress of their Academy, and she is not known for her mercy. She’s possibly the most overprotective mother that anyone could have ever had, and she doesn’t even go easy on her grandchildren. I had my first dessert treat after I transferred from the junior Academy to the Middle grades, where we were in the Dorms and not home for every meal.” The Valkia Envoy agreed.