Toluene

The port town of Toluene was a quiet little place on the edge of the Human Federation. It was near the Neutral Strip that was a boundary between the Federation and the Euclidian Republic. It was founded in the year 2725 AD by a French trader. Toluene became a nation and a Federation member thirty years later. The center of the town was a place of business and education, the outer edge away from the water was the residential area, and the coastal edge was where the industry took place. Fishing boats, trade posts, markets, and your occasional mom an’ pop stores could be found here.

“Come on Nami! We’re gonna miss it!” said a young man, about twenty or so. He had black hair, green eyes, and a complexion that wasn’t pale but not tan. He was wearing a long open jacket with jeans and a pair of round glasses over his eyes. He had on a pair of black boots and was running down the port past sailors and traders.

“Hold on Flint!” said Nami. She was a young woman, about nineteen, with brown hair in a ponytail and natural purple eyes. She had on a skirt and a long sleeved shirt with a large lightning bolt on the front. She had on a pair of cross-trainers and was running to catch up. “Namu, hurry up!”

“Wait for me!” Namu said. He was the younger of the two, being at least fifteen. His voice still cracked from time to time, especially when yelling. He had on a long sleeved cotton shirt unbuttoned with a white shirt underneath tucked in his black jeans and ran with his tennis shoes untied. He had green hair and brown eyes, though his bangs covered his eyes most of the time. He had a scarf wrapped around his neck all the time, even in hot weather, and made people wonder why.

Flint stopped atop a hill that overlooked the ocean as the sun was setting. He sat down on a bench and caught his breath while the others were running up the hill. They both made it and Flint laughed at the both of them. Nami looked angry at him, but he still laughed.

“This had better be good Flint Suzuka! Because if this isn’t…!” she was saying when Flint gently put his finger over her lips. She stopped talking and looked at the twilight sky and the violet ocean. A large meteor shower passed over the sun and sky; suddenly the orcas and dolphins jumped out of the water and made their sounds. This continued for the whole duration of the meteor shower. Namu looked in awe, leaning over the railing to get a better view while Nami cuddled with Flint as they watched. The jumping had caused a massive domino effect of waves to the point where fish were landing on shore near docked ships, both naval and stellar.

Soon the moon came out and the shower stopped. The waters became calm once again and the only lights seen were from the city. Namu’s stomach began to gurgle and he clenched his stomach. Nami laughed and she nudged Flint. He rolled his eyes and knew what this meant: dinner was on him tonight.

They walked down to a small tavern called Jiraiya’s, famous for seafood and sushi, and sat a booth as they gave their orders to the waitress.

“Flint, that was amazing!” Namu said as he was playing with the salt shaker and the crackers.

“I overheard some fishermen talking. They said tonight would be bad at sea but good at port. In all honesty, I took a gamble with that.”

“Does that mean you’ll be a fisher?” Nami said.

“Nah. It doesn’t appeal to me. That, and I hate the smell of freshly caught fish.”

“Flint, you’ll never get a job with that attitude. No wonder you’re living off your inheritance!” Namu said. Nami then swiftly slapped the back of his head for saying that to Flint.

“I wanna see the Universe… I wanna have adventure and fun! I wanna be known throughout every tavern and guild that exists! I want to be remembered for all time!”

At this point Flint had one foot on the table and his knee bent on the cushion. People turned to him and saw his dramatic expressions, to which Nami and Namu looked on in a mixture of embarrassment and shame, and he quietly sat back down and hide his face with the collar of his jacket. The noisy banter of the eatery continued and all was forgotten.

“Well, Namu is right. You can’t live on a limited amount of money for long. You really ought to get a job.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll go looking tomorrow,” his said with disdain. It was then three baskets of fish and chips arrived steaming hot and carried the aroma of frying oil and malt vinegar. Nami and Namu giggled as Flint burned his tongue from the food.