Interstellar Highschool

Education is believed by many cultures to be a universal right, and this is definitely a literal statement. There are countless schools across our own planet, across all planets with intelligent life, and there are even schools out in the cold depths of space. We go to one of these interstellar schools now, an all-female high school with boarding facilities orbiting a gas giant belonging to a white dwarf star, in the same stellar neighbourhood as our Sun. Due to its extreme location, the classes are understandably small. The first day of school has come, and the new students are arriving.

Everyone went through their first day and started to slowly get acquainted. Everyone began forming bonds and spent time together, first at an indoor sports auditorium, and then at a club fair. Everybody got their rooms and their roommates, and soon the next day was coming.

In those few weeks, the education of the girls advanced quite rapidly, meaning outside of classes and clubs, there was only the smallest amount of time to relax and socialise. Even so, they were all becoming incredibly close-knit as a group, with pairings forming left and right. Efi enjoyed the company of both twins, who were drop dead gorgeous, but Vanessa with her confidence and playful attitude was always the one she turned to first. Maybe it was just Efi, but their sparring was her favourite part of MMA club. Probably for the wrong reasons, though. Similarly, Celeste adored spending time with the other twin Roxanne, who made her feel safe when she towered over her. Though she felt inadequate in the vocal and looks departments when compared to her. Even so, she was glad to have made such wonderful and talented friends. Craft time was Caoimhe's favourite past time, now. She used to enjoy meditating and watering plants, but making things with Quinn had the same relaxing, therapeutic effects. Quinn was such a babe too, and so funny. They both jarred everyone else when they conversed, each having their own thick, unique accents. Aaliyah, similarly, enjoyed spending time with Katherine. She realised the girl was vulnerable to bullies, for cruel and obvious reasons, and from that first instance of meanness she'd felt an almost motherly instinct to protect the sweet, shy girl. Though she never let on, being the cold and aloof self she'd trained herself to be. Kat's English was coming along better, thanks to her tutoring. She was head over heels with Ruby already, try as she might not to be. It was plain that Ruby had the hots for Mr O, which was understandable as he was a gentle giant. But even so, when Kat saw how her physique differed from what Ruby clearly liked, it made her... Depressed. That was a new one for her. Looking after the animals was a hard but incredibly rewarding job for Aditya. They were all so cute! Despite the pooping. Yet, the cutest of all in her eyes was Dazi, whose sharp features turned to goo whenever she brushed a furry creature. She had to admit, Aditya was entranced with the fox girl, but was too shy to tell her just how much she liked her. Maybe there would be an opportunity soon, as the school spaceship embarked on a field trip to a planet in a nearby star system. They were all given rigorous safety lectures, about not putting onself in danger from native wildlife and not wandering off, and to always keep the school in site. Everyone was too excited to take notice, however.

Caoimhe was in the same boat as Quinn, in that she was specifically getting her mother a gift. Nothing was too nice for her mother, though she had tastes that Caoimhe would cater too. She and Quinn had agreed to help each other gift hunt for their mothers, despite both being kind of broke. And on top of that, Caoimhe wanted to get Quinn something too to help with her crafting hobby. But what, she was unsure. All of the humans and ones from Earth had never been to alien planets before, so this was both exciting and nerve wracking. For the twins it was likely a walk in the park, and Aditya took this surprisingly in her stride. As she told Dazi several times, her adoptive parents had taken her to a place like this with much fewer rules, so here was like a more child-friendly version of that! Aditya would easily find a gift for Dazi, and would delight in doing so, as she had an allowance from her adoptive parents to spend on such occasions. Oh, and she would be getting them a gift too. The whole market smelled of herbs and spices, and it was making them all hungry. "We should get something local to eat first," Efi suggested to them all, and they all followed her lead. Something about her made them all want to follow.

In response to Katherine, Aaliyah shook her head and looked around suspiciously. At first, she clung to Katherine, either to protect her from a perceived threat or because she herself was nervous, but soon she realised something. No one here was staring at her. Of course, there were the twins who were more eye-catching, whom a few people did stare at, and Kat's bright green hair and Aditya's lilac skin stood out against the yellow hues of this world, but Aaliyah always expected to be stared at. Not being the centre of negative attention made her feel... Elated. The alien people here were so diverse anyway. To make sure there was no mischief, Mr O and Ms Klu were accompanying the group, while other teachers escorted other groups of students. Having Mr O around was useful, for if they ever got lost, he stood out like a giant green sore thumb.

Aaliyah looked down at Katherine and nodded, falling into step right beside her as they followed their noses to the nearest food stall. It was like Aaliyah was her bodyguard, she didn't trust anyone to get near to this delicate creature. "Ya! What is it, Dazya?" Aditya was excited by Dazi's enthusiasm and followed her friend eagerly over to where she'd pointed. "That sounds annoying," Caoimhe said plainly. "D'ya want us to keep people off ya?" Efi smirked up at Roxanne. "People just want an excuse to feel your silky locks, huh?" she asked playfully.

"Thanks," Aaliyah mumbled. Before trying the cakey treat, she said, "I'll get ya somethin' in return." She didn't want to owe Katherine, nor did she want the sweet girl to go out of pocket by being too nice. Then the cake pop was in her mouth and her quirky monkey ears flattened against her head. "Ooh~," she cooed. That tasted lovely! At first, Aditya squealed excitedly when she saw the Corgo-like creature, with its innocently huge eyes and satellite disk ears. However the bars between her and it made her realise it was in a cage. She went from gripping Dazi's shoulder in excitement to clinging to her with concern. "Would you like some help?" Celeste asked Vanessa quietly, noting how she hadn't picked up a couple of strands from the nape of her neck. It was odd that the alien would do typically Earth accents, but funny nonetheless. "Hey now," Efi teased Roxanne right back. "Your hair's perf, but so's mine." Her own hair was nothing like Roxanne's, it was still dark and long but it was in thick braids instead.

Aaliyah licked her fingers and looked around them. "Hey," she said, tilting her chin up to sniff the air in a particular direction. "Smells like somethin' tasty over there, let's go." The scents were all jumbled up so it was strange she'd noticed one in particular. "Ya," whined Aditya slightly, looking desperately sad for the creature. It was definitely there against its will. She glanced quickly between the stall owner, Dazi, and the creature. They couldn't leave it! But Aditya was too nervous to make such a decision. When Vanessa sat down, Celeste obediently tidied up her hair and made it look a bit neater. "You're hair is very silky," she complimented the taller alien. "Yeah, let's go," Efi agreed, looking back at Roxanne's twin and the purest person she'd ever seen.

They came across what Aaliyah's nose seemed to have picked up: a stall selling a range of sweet and exotic foods, different to the one they'd just been to. Aaliyah's nose had picked up the scent of nuts being roast in honey and caramel into a deliciously warm-smelling treat. Aaliyah bought a large paper cone filled with the sweetened nuts and shared them with Katherine. They were hot and delicious. "Not a beast, ya," Aditya mumbled as she tenderly rubbed the creature's head. Ooh it felt as soft as it looked - no, softer! Celeste hummed when Vanessa told her that. "You've done an amazing job," she praised. Though, the idea of children being forced to look good made her feel weird. "Opposite for me," Caoimhe replied to Quinn. "I've seen so much mama'd like. She likes everythin'. But that makes it hard too." She sighed dramatically.

"Mm, yummy," Aaliyah agreed with a murmur. She didn't want to talk about her freakish senses now but she did want to enjoy this nutty treat with the sweetheart that was her friend. "What we doin' now?" she asked Katherine. "Ya not good with names ya," Aditya said. "Maybe something from the show ya?" After all, there were many cute names for fluffy creatures on the show both of them shared an interest in. Celeste finished brushing her hair and turned away for a bit. "I'm glad you're doing okay," she said quietly, though really she was incredibly upset for her friend. What a horrible thing for a child to have to grow up. "My mama's kinda argumentative though," Caoimhe admitted, thinking how fiery her mother could be.

Aaliyah grunted wordlessly and followed Katherine around. She wasn't a material person, honestly, so buying trinkets didn't interest her. She just wanted to keep Katherine company and keep her out of trouble, as well as just enjoying her company. [So much for keeping this place free of spelling errors when you can't even spell the thing's name the same way twice.] "Gorbya," Aditya agreed, knowing exactly what Dazi was referring to and loving it. When Dazi hid Gorbo behind her back, she connected the dots instantly to Dazi's roommate. "Is she not a friend ya?" she asked Dazi quietly, worry etched on her face. Celeste brightened up a bit at that and her cheeks pinked. "Oh, um, well, I try," she flustered, flapping her hand dismissively. "You can speak to me anytime you like!" Caoimhe rolled her eyes but giggled at Quinn's easily distractable nature. "Hey, ya could get one for you 'n your mama," she suggested. Her own mother wasn't into this sort of thing.

Aditya couldn't figure out why someone wouldn't like such a cute little creature, but seeing Dazi react like this made her realise she was serious. As Dazi's roommates approached, Aditya stepped closer to Dazi to conceal Gorbo behind them. "Oh hiiii Daz," the girl greeted Dazi, strutting over to them and leaning over both girls who were quite petite. "Whatcha up to buddy?" The way she said 'buddy'... Made it sound like a lie.

"Right?" the roommate agreed, eyeing up Aditya. Aditya hunched her shoulders slightly, unintentionally accentuating her cleavage and making her look a little lewd. "M-my name's Aditya," she introduced herself quietly. "What's that?" the roommate asked, having not heard her fully. "Ajisha? That's a funny name." She laughed loudly with her friends, while Aditya mumbled trying to correct them. "Well whatever," said the roommate. "I forgot to bring my purse with me. Dazi, we're friends right? Lend me some credits."

"Right, right," the roommate, whose name was Pixie, said dismissively, flapping her hand as if she were swatting away a fly. "I thought we were friends, Daz," she playfully scolded her, punching Dazi's shoulder a bit harder than she should have. "Friends don't stiff each other for money." "I-I'll pay-a," Aditya offered hastily, just wanting them to go away. She didn't realise that this might make the problem worse. At that moment, though, Mr O came lumbering through. "Look at this!" he was saying excitedly, pointing to some plants on sale. Or rather, the lichen that was growing in their pots. Ruby and Kat were on his tail, or rather Ruby was, and Kat was simply following her.