Putz12 Plus One

NINETEEN | OFF THE RAILS

Putz stared at the mini fridge. Nearly all the soda bottles were gone and half empty cans suppressed his appetite 'cause they lost their fizz.

"You've opened it seven times in the past hour."

"I'm a soda kinda guy, you should hear my burp."

"Pass." She closed the magazine she was reading, octolings were once such a vital culture and it disconcerted her of the loss of it all. It was all The Order's fault, even that she killed Jedd. She waltzed out the door but Putz stopped her. There he was, arms stretched out and leaning against the wall.

"So, want me to tell ya all about my victories up there, in the surface world?" 

"Eh, nah. I'm not feeling too well." 

"You... sure?" He winked, his smile big and, she thought if she wasn't in love with Felix she may have entertained his little brag session. It was best not to hurt his feelings, it was already bad enough she lied to him so much already, so she made an excuse. 

"I'm on my period."

"Oh!" He didn't know starlings got those too. Then again, how else would the human-looking creatures reproduce? Sure wouldn't be photosynthesis. "Gotchya, sorry, I, I--" So many 'I's' and 'uhs' flowed out of his mouth and his arm went limp like a noodle and she swung the door open. 

What a pathetic imbecile, she thought.

"I made her mad!" Derek's screech echoed through the dome, and Felix was trying his best to console him.

"No, you didn't. Let's ask a girl!"

Squit. I'm a girl.

"Hey, can we ask you something?"

"No."

He could tell even through her bangs she wasn't in the mood. Yet he pressed on, "Please, it's important."

"Fine." She sighed. "But make it quick, I need to go freshen up. Find some period pads for my very girly gooey period." Though Derek did cringe, Felix didn't and was able to speak still.

"If a girl doesn't talk to a guy or show up for dinner, and isolates herself, is she mad at him?"

"Dude! You made it too obvious! Coddam it!!" Derek snarled.

"You're talking about Iza." She kept the tranquility to her surprise, and continued: "No, no. I don't think she's mad at you." What would an innocent person say? "Where is she, anyhow?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out."

"Me too." Free approached them, the brella in her hand. In the other, she had tons of rolled up papers which one could only assume to be of vital importance. "I think she's in that room." She nudged her chin toward the upstairs where Iza was. "But she locked the door. I don't want to invade her privacy."

"She was sick, earlier." Derek said. "She didn't die, you don't think?"

Sera gulped. "No, no..." She giggled. "I don't think she'd die, she seems to have come from a strong line of fighters."

"That's very true." Free nodded. "Well, anyway, if she does come out later, tell her that we all love her very much and not to do that again. Here." She unrolled each paper until it spread across the entire floor. "I've been mapping what I know of this place. Never thought there were others. I was gonna ask Iza where Sector Nine was, never heard of it. I have heard of Four though, which got--"

"Damaged in a fire. Yeah, and I remember the ice bombs they threw on the place afterwards." Felix admitted. "Savages, The Order."

"Hear, hear!" She cheered, lifting her brella in concurrence.