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--Naki--

"And what were you doing that was so important that you didn't -call- to tell us that you wouldn't be home? You had us worried sick, Naki!" mom says, keeping her voice just below shouting levels. I try to keep a straight face but I'm already a little annoyed at myself for letting this happen.

"I was out with Fen; we went back to his house and I just... fell asleep. It was a busy day! I was tired... I'm sorry, Mom, alright? Won't happen again, I promise," I say, looking at my parents. My mom is leaning over the kitchen table with her fingers splayed out and planted on the top, stretching the webbing between them a little. She's on the opposite side of it from me. My dad is next to her, but sitting in one of the chairs. Dad's look is even, as usual, but my mom is firing knives at me with her gaze.

"And what were you doing with Fen?" my dad asks.

"We were downto--"

"You weren't," my mom snaps, glaring at me even harder now. "You're lying to us, Naki. Where were you?"

Crud. Inwardly, I wonder if I really did make it onto some news report. What do I say, then? Do I tell the truth? Unfortunately, as much as I don't want to, that seems like the best option--

"I was at the Secretary of State... with some friends. Motley was there, too."

"Oh, he -can- tell the truth." dad grins.

"And why were you there?" mom asks

"We were passing things out to... the micros. I was just helping out a little. We went back to Fen's house afterwards and I fell asleep there. That's the truth."

"Fine," my mom states, sighing. "Just tell us next time, you -have- to tell us if you're going to stay out-- at least while you live here. I called you ten times."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to not call."

"We know. Still, now that ya decided to tell the truth I wanna know why ya were passing things out to micros?" dad asks. I knew it was coming.

"Motley and I were helping out with things there. I mean, this all is pretty strange-- right? Micros that live around us and we would've never even known had it not been for the detectors... and..." I don't know why I'm so hesitant. It's not even like they know about my relationship with Fen. "Well, I found out that Fen's a micro. Wanted to be there for him and all, y'know.."

"We saw you guys on the tube yesterday night and this morning," dad states, giving a nod. "Was a bit of a shock, I gotta admit. We sat down and ate dinner with a buncha micros. They even paid for us." He chuffs a little bit.

"You shouldn't get mixed up in that stuff, Naki," mom states. "You don't know what might happen at those things. Some micros can be dangerous, a few were in the news for some terrorist attack in Mihoga. It's nice that you wanna be there for Fen, but you're better off avoiding the registration lines. You can hang out with Fen, but I don't want you out there near any trouble."

"Gotta agree with your mom, son. Nice that you wanna be there for Fen, I get it. Still, gotta think about your well-being. Plus, you were in the news-- future employers might look at that and decide not to hire ya. Best to keep out of controversial stuff."

At least they aren't as against it as I thought they might be. "Y-yea, I guess. Fen's been a little stressed, though. Thought it would be nice-- plus, it's not like -he's- a bad micro or anything."

"Huh, so did they say anything after dinner?" dad asks, apparently just now connecting that event to this.

"Oh yea," mom states, likely catching onto where dad is going with this.

"Uh-- well, they weren't thrilled," I say, truthfully. I don't think anyone would've expected them to be. "I worked it out with them."

"That had to be quite a conversation," dad chuckles to himself and mom gives his shoulder a swift smack and a look.

"They probably think we're monsters or something," she sighs. "I mean, I know they're micros but they were pretty nice to us. Can't say they aren't good people, at least."

"Well, uh... there was one more thing," I say. "Fen's mom offered to give me a job escorting them. Since they have to wear those collars, they kinda need someone who isn't a micro to keep an eye out. They offered to let me do it, they're gonna pay me and everything."

"Escorting?" dad asks. "How much?"

"We haven't talked about the details yet but... would you let me? It'd help them out, and you -did- say they were nice."

"I dunno, Naki. They're nice, yea, and I feel a little bad, but they're still micros; I don't want you risking your life for them, it's just not worth it. What happens if someone -does- attack them? What're you going to do? Certainly not fight."

"No one will. Why go after a micro that'd be so hard to capture? Go for an easier target instead."

"You don't know that." She sits down now, folding her hands as well as she can before her on the table. "They can hire someone else."

"I dunno, Mel. Maybe it's not a bad idea. He could use the money for college and as long as they're only asking for his help during the day... I mean, couldn't be any worse than him walking around in public normally. Naki's strong, too. I don't think he'll get into any trouble," dad says. Thank God at least one of them is on my side.

"We'll talk about it," mom states, looking to him with a weary gaze before turning to me again. "No more lying, though, Naki. Got it? We didn't raise you that way."

"Yes, Mom. Sorry, Mom."

It takes a call from Fen's mom later that week to convince mine that this is okay. I think hearing how much they're going to pay me to do it was the main factor there. Even I was rather... surprised. A full twenty an hour. Then again, I won't be working more than a few hours a day. They said about three hours for five days every week until college begins. More money than I've ever seen, and a bit of a stress reliever for my parents-- hopefully.

The next few months will definitely be interesting...

--Fen--

I flick back through the pages of a journal I'd been keeping for the last few weeks. Quotations from news reports jump out at me as I recall some of the turmoil registration has caused Neotrian and micro alike. One, in particular, I think sums up how well things have gone:

"The number of attacks targeted at Neotrians has increased as registration continues into it's final week. More than one hundred attacks have been foiled across the nation as micro terrorist groups attempt to harm local and national-office holding politicians or sabotage registration programs over the last six weeks. Along with these numbers, there has also been an increase in aggressions going either direction; micro on Neotrian, as well as Neotrian on micro. The employment of devices to try and hide cloakers has been outlawed in many counties which claim that hiding or making it difficult to remove a cloaker is against the registration law signed by Prime Minister Natbur. "

I shake my head a little, moving forward through the pages again; skimming through the events of the last seven weeks of my life; Naki found out that I'm a micro, mom and dad found out about Naki and I, they hired Naki and he began visiting regularly to work for them, we agreed to room together once we get to Phalance. Well-- Naki, Sy, Motley, and I. The thought brings a smile to my face, I hate to think where I'd be right now without him and Sy.

Naki comforted me through a lot of discouraging events and, when that didn't work, there'd always be Sy to rant with. We'd complain until we couldn't help but laugh off the the senselessness of the normals and their government. Lots of micros have gone missing over the past few weeks and the normals don't seem to care much about stopping it. It's now unlawful to try and wear gloves or coverings over our cloakers, or employ any method which might hinder a normal from removing them. Recently, there was an incident nearby where a micro was accosted in broad daylight and no one tried to help. Someone even got a video of it, recording while a German Shepherd pinned a fox to the ground and removed every piece of jewelry he had until the fox shrunk. The entire time that poor fox was shouting and screaming for someone to help, just asking for mercy; wanting nothing more than to be allowed to go home, but no one saw fit to help. What's worse is no one can press charges, it's not illegal. I feel my heart rate begin to climb just thinking about it. The video I watched, which depicted the scene, is only one of a series where the dog that captured that fox shows off how to "tame" a micro that'd been using a cloaker. I could only watch one, and the same is true of Naki when I showed him. It's just too disgusting. Inwardly, I kind of hope whoever is going around fighting back against the normals finds their way to that guy's house and shows him how it feels-- but it wouldn't help. The violence is only making things worse.

I flick through to another story, frowning a bit to myself now. This one is about a micro who fought a giant off. I remember this one rather well, it was on the news last week. Some panther got into a fight with a micro squirrel. The squirrel was beaten pretty badly but, as a last resort, pulled a gun on the panther. He didn't even kill the feline, but received all of the blame. The panther was treated as a victim despite likely having started the fight. It's true that I have no proof, but why would a micro attack a normal while alone? The panther was treated as some poor victim while the micro was sentenced to lose his cloaker and face imprisonment. The news seemed to like making us the bad guys. If a normal fends off a micro attack, they're a hero. If a micro fends off a normal, then the normal is a victim. I flick forward again, trying to find a happier story. Somewhere, I didn't write down the place, an otter couple; a micro and a normal, had a child together. I'd never thought about whether that's possible but, apparently, it is. It was all over the news for a while. Turns out the child doesn't even need a cloaker. Lucky him. This story is one I particularly enjoy because it just goes to show that we're really not so different if the normals would just see that.

The next entry is about Naki and my parents. They seem to be getting along better. Mom has been taking him out to lunch with her and dad-- well, dad has been letting up a bit on making Naki keep his distance. That's as much as anyone can ask for, I suppose. In all of my conversations with them over my relationship with Naki, they've never quite accepted that it could work out. Dad says that Naki isn't unlike a friend he used to have. A friend that, apparently, only wanted to keep him as a pet. For that reason, I can't leave the house with Naki, still. Mom doesn't disagree with him, though she's defended Naki a few times.

"He's not the worst we've run into," she always says. "But that doesn't change the fact that he's a normal, nor does it change the fact that he's had no problem with eating us in the past."

I don't see how that argument is valid anymore, but I do sometimes wonder if Naki has -really- quit doing it. I've never been over to his house and, honestly, I don't know that I want to try-- not yet, at least. I can only imagine myself ending up on a dinner plate, even if I know Naki would never do it. Even so, being stuck in this house for most of the summer soured me a bit. At least I have Sy to play videogames with, since he's in the same boat as me.

We weren't able to continue going to registration. Naki's parents don't want him there, so neither him nor Motley can come. Ian and Samantha left to go on a vacation together, so that leaves just me and Sy; we can't go out without someone to watch out for us. It's saddening, especially since no one else picked up where we left off. News about the lines peter as time goes on, but you see all of the same glum, worried faces no matter which report your watching. The same applies to the lines for micros that don't have cloakers, or perhaps even moreso. Many of them are afraid to even allow the workers to pick them up or help them get the collars on. It's sad and a little heart-wrenching to watch, especially the younger ones.

I close the book, unable to continue for now. There'd been more wrong with this summer than right, but I'll admit that having Naki come over nearly every weekday has helped. I hadn't even really been able to bring myself around to telling him that I might not go to Phalance. They haven't mentioned anything yet, but I'm certain some places aren't going to be thrilled to let us onto campus. Having us there might just invite chaos. Honestly, I expect letter in the mail anytime now informing me that micros are not going to be allowed to go to colleges.

"We're home, Fen!" I hear a voice come from downstairs and smile.

"Alright, mom!" I shout back, putting my journal away and waiting for Naki to come up. I hear a knock and then watch the door open, his face peeking in and peering at me for a moment before he smiles and walks in.

"Hey, paws." He grins, trotting in quickly and opening his arms. I embrace and nuzzle into him gently.

"I told you to stop using that nickname," I say with a smile before letting go. He settles onto my bed and I sit next to him.

"It's appropriate, though!"

"Whatever," I mutter, thinking back to last week when he first used name on me. I guess offering to rub his feet was a strange gesture.. at least without an explanation.

"Nothing wrong with it, Fen," he reassures me before rubbing over my head with a few fingers. I lean into it and smile.

"How was work, then? Any better?"

"Same as yesterday, really. At least your mom doesn't seem to hate me anymore. Can't say the same about your dad, though," he sighs gently.

"With time." I smile. "Hey, I wanted to talk about something."

"What's that?"

"Well, with us going to college, I think we should talk about what to expect," I state, winning a confused tilt from the otter's head. I smile a little, then lean into him while shifting my tail over to lay across his. "I know it's a sour topic but... well, we have to be ready for things to get worse, I think."

I feel him shift to look down at me. "I think I follow you," he says guardedly.

"I know you're antsy about this, but you've seen the news. You know what's going on out there, Naki. They're going to get harder on us, I just know it. I'm a little worried about what they're going to do."

He nods a little and pulls me against him a little more firmly. "I'm not going to let you get hurt, Fen. I'll walk you to class or something. Every day."

"It's not that, Naki. It's-- well it's going to affect you too because of our relationship. Neither of us lived through it before, but you remember history class right? I don't know how bad it'll get, but..."

"You really think we'll go down that road again? I mean... yea, some of us norms have really made assholes of ourselves. But it's not -that- widespread..."

"And that's why I want to talk," I say gently. "Because it's really important that we talk to one another about our worries. Especially now."

"Right." He nods a little and noses at my right ear. "Alright, I'm all ears. So you think it'll get as bad as it used to be?"

"Maybe. They have to have a reason for registering us and we won't find out what it is until after next week at the earliest. That, and attacks have climbed in frequency on both sides. If we retaliate, the government is only going to come after us more aggressively."

"But if you don't..."

"Then normals are going to be the only ones that get any say in whatever policy the government adopts for us. I guarantee you that wouldn't go in our favor."

"So what do we do?" he asks. I can't blame him for sounding lost.

"...I guess I just want to know if you're ready to have to... well, I'm not going to let people walk all over me. I've lived with this cloaker on for my entire life! A-as far as I'm concerned, I'm a Neotrian just like you or any other normal."

"...Fen, you know I agree--"

"Then you might have to do things that other normals won't... like."

"Well, yea... but--"

"What are you going to do if someone is denigrating me? Or other micros? What if we get to campus and there's an entire student group dedicated to telling the rest of campus that we're inferior? Or making it hard for us to move around?"

"Uh..." I shift to peer up into his eyes. He lowers his whiskers and tilts his head a little bit. "Well, it might be best if we just stay out of it. Motley and I will protect you and Sy so you won't have to worry about them-- if such a group even exists."

I furrow my brow just a little. "We can't just sit on the sidelines and watch it happen, though. You saw that fox, Naki. Those types of things -can't- be swept beneath the rug. It's wrong."

"No, but we can't save everyone. What happens if you end up kicked out or hurt because we get involved in something we shouldn't be involved in? You don't really have... uh... full rights. Not that you shouldn't-- but-- well, some norms aren't going to be nice. And... they don't have to be. It's not against the law, just like with that fox."

"If we just let them have their way, though... nothing'll ever get better."

"Well, maybe not, no," he says, rubbing at my side now. "But we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, I think. Let's... let's get there first, alright? Maybe it won't be so bad."

I give a little nod, ears pressed to my head. As right as he is, I was hoping he'd be more agreeable. I pause for a moment before giving a light nod."You're probably right. Best to not get ahead of ourselves."

"But, Fen...?" he says, causing me to look at him again. "Far as I'm concerned, you're a Neotrian just like I am. We just have to be safe about it, right? If someone wants to tell you that you're inferior then we won't stand there and take it quietly... we just have to do it in a way that won't get you in trouble, okay? And we can figure out how to do that once we're there."

I smile a little and nod at his words. "Thanks, Naki." I lean and lick his nose, winning a grin from him in return. I shift to stand up while he remains seated on my bed. Feels nice to tower over him instead of vice-versa, for once.

"So, uh, I wanted to do something today," I say holding my hands behind my back and feeling just a bit nervous.

"What's that?" he asks, shifting to rub his palms over the belly of my shirt.

"Well, I'm surprised you've never asked me to do it before-- maybe that's why I think it's okay. Uh-- so, do... you want to see me with my cloaker off?" I ask, feeling my fur raise just a little. Never thought I'd be saying this to a norm.

He just stares at me for a while as if trying to comprehend what I'd just said. "Y-your cloaker? Are you sure? Your parents won't--"

"They don't have to know, and I think we're ready... don't you?"

"Well, yea, I-I'd love to see you with it off if you think it's okay," he says quickly, getting a little antsy himself.

"It's okay," I state, despite my own slight uncertainty. I bring my hands around and grasp at my cloaker, stalling for a moment, staring at it, then looking to Naki. His gaze shifts from my hands to my face again and he smiles a little.

"If you're too nervous--"

"I'm not. O-okay, I'm gonna take it off. Count to three for me...?"

"Alright. One... two..."

"Wait! Maybe if I'm in your lap. It'll be easier a-and I won't have to crane my neck. Plus, I get dizzy after I shrink so--.."

"Sure, uh... if that'd help." He pats his lap and I move to sit, scooting back while he wraps his arms around my torso and tugs me against his chest.

"Okay... count again."

"One...two...Th--"

"Wait! T-the floor is better..."

"Fen, you don't have to," he says, hugging me to him. I relax a little after a while, feeling his warmth and sniffing the air gently to catch his scent. "I know it's hard, so don't feel pressured."

"I want to, Naki," I say, shifting out of his lap again and standing on the floor. "And I've gotta get over it sometime. Alright, I'll do it this time. Count."

He shifts forward on the bed and leans up to lick at my muzzletip a few times. I feel his soft tongue glide over the fur there and sweep upwards over my nose a few times. "One, two, three," he says quickly.

I blush a little. "That was too fa--" I blink, feeling a tug and then a sudden rush. The familiar daze washes over me and I look around the room for a moment, realizing I'm at my natural height again. That's when I see him looming above, staring at those massive, brown, webbed feet of his and travelling up his now mountainous frame towards his face staring down at me in awe. I can see my cloaker between his fingers, held there in the air while we both stare wordlessly at one another. The angle at which I crane my head, combined with the dizziness that comes from shrinking so suddenly leaves me off-balance. Suddenly, I stumble and fall over.

"F-fen!" he states worriedly, shifting to stoop over. I feel his right foot *THUMP* into the floor when he gets off the bed to lean down over me, stooping so that his toes splay and show off the translucent webbing between them.

I roll onto my side and stand up. "I'm okay! I'm okay..." I say, rubbing my head. "Shrinking disorients us, that's all. I'm fine, you didn't do anything." I try to ensure him while regaining my own senses. "Leave it to a blockhead to make a blockheaded move like that," I shout, grinning up at him with a flick of my tail.

His worried gaze melts away, turning into a little toothy smirk. "How's the weather down there?" he says gently, keeping his voice down. My ears appreciate it.

"Not complaining about the view," I grin back, staring at the looming body of the otter above. I can smell him all around me now-- the otterish musk that, normally, lightly flavors the air I breathe is now nearly overwhelming. Not that I'm complaining at all. I take a quick glance at his feet again, blushing. Sy may be more open about it than I am, but I can't help myself at this point.

He stifles a laugh and lifts his toes up into the air, showing off the powerful, broad bottoms of each digit for a moment. I get a great view; admiring the webbing and the way it bends and folds when he flexes them. My eyes travel towards the sole next, watching the ball wrinkle and flex along with the toes and webbing. He thumps his foot to the floor again and leans down to hold his hands out to me, cupping them and presenting his palms. "Coming up, little paws?"

I smile and walk over to his fingers, feeling at the tips of his index finger for a moment before I move to stroke my hands along the soft, supple webbing between it and his middle finger. "I've... I've never been up close to a giant like this before," I say.

"Well, you have your very own giant, now," he says, still keeping his voice down. The smile on his face makes me want to smile back. After taking a moment to enjoy his size, I pull myself into his palms and sit down in the center, feeling at his pads for a moment. "Going up." He lifts me into the air slowly, bringing me up to his face.

--Naki--

He's so... tiny. I mean, I've held micros before but it's so much different now. I bring him up to my face, staring down at him. I see the same wolf I met in the spring, the same one I swam with, the same one I danced with and kissed-- just smaller. I bring him close enough to my muzzle that I can sniff at him a little. I hear the smallest giggle exit that little muzzle and smile, trying to keep my lips shut so that I wouldn't scare him with my teeth.

"So? What do you think?" his little voice squeaks.

"I think I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you," I admit, blushing a little beneath the pelt.

"Y-yea, it'll take some getting used to. First time for both of us, so... we'll get the hang of it, eventually. We should probably practice or something, just in case I have to stay small sometime."

"Is that the only reason?" I bump at him very gently with my nose, causing him to elicit a little surprise bark; it comes off as more of a squeak, to me.

"Uh.. well," he rubs over his ears. "A-admittedly, mom and dad aren't the most keen on me having it off. But... it's okay with you, right? And I... this is kind of fun after you get over the fact that your life is literally in someone else's palms. I-I'll tell you when I get over it," he rubs over his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Heheh, are you saying you have something to worry about?"

"Yea, clumsiness." He smirks.

"Bah, you're lucky I'm too scared to take any chances with you right now," I mutter before walking over to the bed again to climb onto it. I move my finger over his body and push him backwards gently, giving him the signal to lie down. He does and I begin to pet over his frame with my finger, enjoying the feeling of his tiny torso beneath my finger. I can feel his fur, flesh, bones; I can even feel his heart beating when I rest my pad above his chest. He feels so fragile-- I mean, I don't test it or anything, but the notion that I could hurt him by just squeezing or pressing a little too firmly makes me that much more protective of the tiny wolf in my palm.

"I thought you were hot before, this is a little ridiculous," he remarks, causing me to blush.

"I look good from that angle?"

"No, I mean your body temperature," he states, giving my finger a little lick.

"Har har. Anyway, uh... I'll be honest, Fen, I'm afraid to do much. I might hurt you."

"I'll tell you if you're hurting me. Lift me to your muzzle."

I comply and bring him up, watching with crossed eyes. He stands slowly, trying to stabilize himself on his feet before he leans over, pressing his palms against my nose and licking over it a few times. I can't help but giggle at the strange feeling, causing my muzzle to shake and, as a consequence, my whiskers. His head twists and looks at the massive, what must be to him, pole-like structures fanning out from my muzzle and moves to run his hand along the base of one of the many. I just watch, understanding his awe.

"I love you, Naki," he says with a wide grin, flicking his tail a bit and peering into my eyes from above my nose while he draws his hand back away from my whisker. I wiggle my muzzle a bit and try to speak even more softly with him close to my muzzle as he is.

"I love you too, Fen. You have the cutest little voice at this height." I sniff at him a little and blush somewhat. With him so close, I can tell he's more than a little happy to be where he is. On a whim, I peck at him gently to knock him onto his back again before I dare to plant a single, body-enveloping lick from his feet to his head.

"Yeeep! Neeeaaa~..." his quivering voice is interrupted by my tongue, I can feel him trembling beneath until I finish the lick.

He stares up at me, tiny orange eyes widened. I can see his ears are pinned to his skull and begin to fear I've scared him. "Err, I-I'm sorry, Fen, too far? I didn't me--"

"T-that was... amazing..." he takes a few deep breathes, peering down at his damp clothing for a moment before looking back up at me. "W-we'd better stop," he says, blushing a bit and adjusting his crotch. I sniff at the air a little and notice it, blushing a bit myself. He'd definitely enjoyed it as much as I did.

"Y-yea, let's stop. Uh..." I'd stashed his cloaker in my pocket earlier, so I dig it out but it's big enough to fit around -my- fingers. "Err, why's it this big? How're you going to put it back on?"

"It's alright, just set it next to me."

I tilt my head, then bring it near to Fen. Upon setting it next to him in my palm, it shrinks nearly out of sight. I watch as he grabs it up and grins. "They shrink when they're nearby us."

"Those things are amazing... I wonder how they work," I state, settling him on the ground nearby my feet. I decide to give him another tease, shifting my toes nearby and bumping against him with one. It's nearly as big as his torso. He stumbles a little and glares up at me before grinning. I set my foot back down and he takes a few steps backwards.

"No one really knows... at least, no one I've met. We're just thankful we have'em." In the blink of an eye, he stands his 'normal' height again.

I feel at his shirt a bit, chuckling. "I got that rather damp, didn't I?"

"Yea," he mumbles. "Gonna have to get this into the wash before mom and dad see it." He rubs at his shirt a bit, then grins, taking it off and tossing it into a nearby basket. He wraps his arms about me and I return the hug, squeezing a little.

"Thanks for trusting me. I uh, that was really interesting."

"Interesting?" he chuckles. "Try hot."

I shift on my feet a bit. "Y-yea, that too." I laugh a little.

I don't want to be late for dinner, my mom is still a bit antsy about me escorting Fen's parents around, so I leave shortly after our little experiment. Have to admit, I feel pretty good. He trusts me. He honestly trusts me. Knowing this makes me giddy inside, for some reason. I start looking forward to when I can see him with it off more often.

The next week is busy with all of us preparing to move into college. Fen's parents' job issues them escorts hired by the company itself, so I lose my job. Even so, I made quite a bit of money to spend while on campus-- a blessing considering how much my tuition costs. We're all going to drive up there separately and meet at the dorm. I'm a little nervous at what my parents might say to his since this will be the first time we meet up after that dinner. Inwardly, I hope they won't embarrass me.

"So that's why you were so pissed," Nathan says. "I guess that'd be pretty hard to explain-- your friends with the same people you call food."

"I don't anymore," I mutter, peering down at him from the top bunk while he leans back in his computer chair.

"Yea, I know. Guess it makes sense. So why tell me?"

"Because-- I just want to be a little sensitive towards them. Registration and stuff has been difficult and I know you and Reggie are gonna come up with Mom, Dad, and I. Just try not to mention it or, if you do, don't reference anything controversial-- y'know."

"Yea, yea, alright. He's that good a friend, huh? Kinda strange that you just now start worrying about micros. You said you've felt bad before but that never stopped you when you were hungry."

"It's different now, though," I mutter a little defensively. "Just do this for me, please? I'll buy you new batteries. Deal?"

"Oh? Sweet, deal. Nothing bad about micros. I gotcha, bro." He grins and I roll my eyes a bit, smiling.

"Whatever, just remember alright?"

"I will!" he states.

I shift in my bed to lie on my belly, grasping at the television remote settled on one of the wooden posts to my bunk. I flick the television on and turn to the news; it'd become a habit of mine lately. The reporter is talking about some more of the incidences that'd been happening over the last few weeks; I'd heard about most of them, but after talking to Fen the other day I can't help but wonder what they're going to do about it myself.

"There have been talks among authorities and law makers pertaining to what will happen as a result of the increased aggressions. Some ideas have been thrown around, including curfews for micros or even segregated shopping and business areas. A solution has yet to be agreed upon, but what has been said is that we have to find a way to stop these events from recurring." The reporter speaks to the television while standing in front of the scene of a more recent confrontation.

"What do you think is going to happen?" I hear Nathan ask.

"I dunno," I state, staring at the screen as they move on to the other effects registration is having across the nation. "Maybe they should just be allowed to, you know... I mean, we couldn't tell the difference between them and us before a few months ago, right?" I ask, peering at Nathan for a moment.

He shrugs a little, diverting his gaze towards the television. "There were a few kids at school that turned out to be micros at school before summer break. The teachers have to escort them to class, now. One of them is a friend of mine, Lawry. I guess it does kind of suck to be one of them right now."

"Have you talked to him--er her?" I ask, this is the first time Nathan decided to say anything about it.

"Yea, I talked to her about it a little. She just said that she's afraid someone would try and take her away."

"What'd you say?"

"Well, I don't want something bad to happen to her if that's what you're askin'. I mean, we're friends." Nathan shrugs a little to himself.

I smile inwardly, giving a nod. "I agree, it's the same with Fen. It's not a bad thing to want to protect her, I don't think. I mean, even if they're micros."

"Yea-- I guess not." He looks to me for a moment, cracks a small smile, then twists back to his computer.

I watch him for a moment, but the reporter on the television mentions something about how colleges are reacting. I peer at the screen, listening intently.

"Some universities have issued notices to students discovered to be micros informing them of their expulsion. Others, however, have stepped forward as welcoming Class A micros to their campuses. Among these, our very own Phalance State University has agreed to take on micros otherwise fully accepted to the university."

The screen switches to a clip of the president of Phalance addressing the topic last week: "We have decided to welcome Requorans to the school as long as they have been accepted, considered Class A, and are in possession of an MMD. Necessary precautions, within the law set forth by our government, will be taken to make this transition as smooth as possible. Further detail will be given to individual Requoran students outlining their rights, responsibilities, and opportunities here at Phalance."

The reporter comes back and begins to interview people about the news. I'm not interested in hearing, though, so I turn the television off. Requoran... I'd not heard that name before now. From the context, it's obvious he's talking about micros-- I wonder if that's what they call themselves? Definitely a question for Fen. It's good news, though. I hadn't actually thought there were a chance Fen wouldn't have been able to come. I wonder if he'd just decided not to tell me? Hearing that a state university is welcoming them to campus is a bit of a relief. I can only hope that there are good rules in place to keep them safe. I roll over to stare up at the ceiling, thinking of how busy tomorrow will be-- and exciting. Everything changes, then.