Homework

Date/Timing: 17 January 2019
Setting: Hansen-Vos suite, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia
.
Classes done for the day, Pietr heads back to his and the Hansens' quarters.
A tug on his sleeve.
There's Derek!
Beams.
Derek offers a pair of binders. "Uh, Chantell says you're to complete these," he explains. "One's for you, one's for Cadet Hansen."
Gathers both, thumbs up.
"See ye tomorrow."
Waves. Continues down the hall.
His and Chuck's door's propped open. Custodian inside, vacuuming where the wall used to be.
And where his and Chuck's boxes were this morning—must've been shifted into their rooms.
Custodian smiles, waves, flicks the extension cord.
Smiles, waves back, nods, steps over it carefully. Drops books on the table, grabs pencils from the cutlery drawer, sits down, gets to work.
Custodian does a final sweep, unplugs the cord.
Pietr waves.
Custodian waves, too, heads out, closes the door.
Back to the books.
Pietr chews his lip.
Taps his pencil against the workbook.
Scowls.
Tosses the pencil across the room.
Nearly takes out Herc's eye.
Cringes, jazz hands.
Herc straightens. "Y'okay, mate?"
Pietr shakes his head and makes a frustrated gesture toward the papers on the worktable.
Herc picks one up and skims it. "Trajectory calculations? They're /still makin' ye do these? Th' AIs do this. Been doin' this since /Diablo. /Striker's are seekers, too." Herc shakes his head. "How's yer calculus?"
Pietr scrabbles and finds another pencil. 
- What calculus? -
Herc blinks.
- Algebra only -
"How'd you graduate high school?"
Pietr hangs his head.
"You didn't—How—You're a bright kid—"
Pietr makes a disgusted face. 
- Lectures -
"I thought folks like you—"
Pietr lowers his eyebrows.
"I thought there were special schools to help."
- $$$ - 
Pietr thumbs himself. 
- $$$ -
"Oh." Herc eases into a chair. "'s why we joined the air force." He snorts. "Wanted to make money to start a family, like you."
Pietr nods. Twists his wedding ring.
Herc stops himself twisting his. "Right. Well, there's a trick to these." He pulls his chair closer.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Skeleton Key
Category:Sydney Shatterdome (setting)
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr's POV
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Derek
Category:Derek (ficlet)
Category:Chuck H (mention)
Category:Herc
Category:Herc (ficlet)
Category:Ficlets with images