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The window in Maiko’s bedroom was swung open sideways, as wide as it
went. Chikako could climb through it if she felt the need, except that
she was on the top floor. The thin lacy curtain grew round in the breeze;
it was really more like a veil. From behind a vase of big daisies, each
with red petals tipped in yellow to create a gold ring around each flower,
Chikako stared at the tall Alderaanian trees and at the blue sky behind
them.
The problem with visiting Maiko was that she didn’t get home from the
university till early evening. Chikako had already determined why the leaves
on the trees seemed to glimmer: it was a joint effort of the sun, wind,
and radiantly blue sky. She’d figured out that the window would never really
close completely; that the two flower pots on the windowsill were actually
reused yogurt containers – and the lavender flowers growing in them looked
like double rose impatiens, but the leaves were all wrong. And she knew
that there were fourteen blooming red daisies in the glass vase, and one
that had yet to bloom. The vase was sitting on a purple doily, which was
sitting on a white one, which was draped over a stereo speaker. And it
wasn’t even lunchtime yet.
Ari-Forbee was spinning in circles at the foot of her bed. The little astromech looked rather like a cat chasing her tail, though far more droid-like, of course. “I didn’t know droids got bored,” Chikako commented. “Or did you short circuit?” Ari beeped. Chikako assumed that meant ‘of course not’ and turned back to the sky. “Maybe I should learn Wookiee,” she mused a moment later. Ari beeped something that probably meant ‘don’t be ridiculous.’
An incoming starship graced the bright blue space between some tree branches for half a second. Chikako sat up with a start. “Ari, do you know why I’ve been staring at the sky all morning?” she asked, not expecting an answer. She got one of course, but ignored it and supplied her own. “I’ve been waiting for our ships!”
She glanced back out the window, still half expecting to see the shape
of Priire’s Dreamer, followed closely by Ippin’s Prism, and Nom’s Eye.
“Oh, Ari,” she sighed, leaning over and resting on the surprised droid’s
metal casing. “I miss the Senshi!”