him of cheating them, but there was obvious bitterness, even when the worst they could do was refer to him as, The Mushroom King, over an unfortunate venture.
April snatched her scanner off the coax and clipped it on her belt before heading out the door. The cafeteria she was headed for was a lot different than the one nearer her home, which most permanent residents and business people used. It was up station near the North hub and in spin, so it had fairly low gravity, about seventy percent of standard. It was situated a lot closer to the short term housing for the construction workers. It was commonly called the Animal House and catered to their needs first.
The workers who rotated in and out of M3, were usually young single men and women and stayed for 6 months at a time. Some kept coming back. Others would do one tour and never be seen again. The everyday food there was geared to appetizers and finger-food, more than traditional sit down meals.
The place was also a recreation spot, for things you couldn't do in a barracks. There was an area with a wall screen for video, with couches and better chairs around a few tables where they could play cards. There was pointedly no security camera there to allow a little license for private videos, or a little friendly wagering. The food was served buffet style and there was a small grill like the other cafeteria, but at this one it was self serve. You could make an omelet, or fry a burger to suit yourself. Currently they were cycling through Vietnamese, Jamaican, Tex-Mex, Soul and Thai, for the ethnic buffets. There were always a few blander Canadian-American dishes.
April could hear the place quite a distance down the corridor. As loud as it was she was happy to see the crowd had thinned out and it only looked about a quarter full. Her people were in plain sight near the buffet, sitting across from each other, so she headed for them. The place had the sharp tang in the air of beer and a few strong spicy odors she couldn't catalog.
She was going to sit on the close end, but that would leave her facing the two construction workers at the next table over. The one was boring holes through her with his eyes already. She didn't appreciate where his eyes were going and it was obvious he was making a show of doing it, to bother her.
They looked vaguely Middle Eastern, but had on company jump suits. The rude one had an odd little beard, too short to be a goatee. She moved around the table, which predictably made him feel like they won some petty contest. He mocked her with laughter, a little louder than natural so she wouldn't miss the point.
"I'm sorry," Jeff said softly, letting the noise cover his words, "the one sub-human there has already made a couple crude remarks about Heather and I saw how he was acting with you. No offense April, but you have hardly any figure yet and he is checking you out like a bloody pervert. Do you want to leave?"
"Maybe we'll have to," April agreed. "I may not look very mature, but I'm not stupid. I understand exactly how the creep is acting, but I'm not sure I want to walk out into the corridor now and maybe have him and his buddy follow us. Why don't we at least get some appetizers and perhaps they'll finish up and leave. If Heather and I go to the restroom together, will you be OK alone?"
Jeff got a funny grin. "We have to get to know each other better. If those two bother me I'll just go in the kitchen. The cook knows me and will chase them off. I'm really not in any danger from them, but they're probably too stupid to know it."
She did noticed Jeff had filled out a little in the shoulders from the last time she had seen him. He still was basically slender, but less boyish and had the beautiful coppery skin some East Indians have. She still didn't want to see him, or even all three of them get physical with the creeps.
"Come on Heather. Time for a trip to the ladies room." They actually had separate rooms here, instead of a unisex. It had to
April snatched her scanner off the coax and clipped it on her belt before heading out the door. The cafeteria she was headed for was a lot different than the one nearer her home, which most permanent residents and business people used. It was up station near the North hub and in spin, so it had fairly low gravity, about seventy percent of standard. It was situated a lot closer to the short term housing for the construction workers. It was commonly called the Animal House and catered to their needs first.
The workers who rotated in and out of M3, were usually young single men and women and stayed for 6 months at a time. Some kept coming back. Others would do one tour and never be seen again. The everyday food there was geared to appetizers and finger-food, more than traditional sit down meals.
The place was also a recreation spot, for things you couldn't do in a barracks. There was an area with a wall screen for video, with couches and better chairs around a few tables where they could play cards. There was pointedly no security camera there to allow a little license for private videos, or a little friendly wagering. The food was served buffet style and there was a small grill like the other cafeteria, but at this one it was self serve. You could make an omelet, or fry a burger to suit yourself. Currently they were cycling through Vietnamese, Jamaican, Tex-Mex, Soul and Thai, for the ethnic buffets. There were always a few blander Canadian-American dishes.
April could hear the place quite a distance down the corridor. As loud as it was she was happy to see the crowd had thinned out and it only looked about a quarter full. Her people were in plain sight near the buffet, sitting across from each other, so she headed for them. The place had the sharp tang in the air of beer and a few strong spicy odors she couldn't catalog.
She was going to sit on the close end, but that would leave her facing the two construction workers at the next table over. The one was boring holes through her with his eyes already. She didn't appreciate where his eyes were going and it was obvious he was making a show of doing it, to bother her.
They looked vaguely Middle Eastern, but had on company jump suits. The rude one had an odd little beard, too short to be a goatee. She moved around the table, which predictably made him feel like they won some petty contest. He mocked her with laughter, a little louder than natural so she wouldn't miss the point.
"I'm sorry," Jeff said softly, letting the noise cover his words, "the one sub-human there has already made a couple crude remarks about Heather and I saw how he was acting with you. No offense April, but you have hardly any figure yet and he is checking you out like a bloody pervert. Do you want to leave?"
"Maybe we'll have to," April agreed. "I may not look very mature, but I'm not stupid. I understand exactly how the creep is acting, but I'm not sure I want to walk out into the corridor now and maybe have him and his buddy follow us. Why don't we at least get some appetizers and perhaps they'll finish up and leave. If Heather and I go to the restroom together, will you be OK alone?"
Jeff got a funny grin. "We have to get to know each other better. If those two bother me I'll just go in the kitchen. The cook knows me and will chase them off. I'm really not in any danger from them, but they're probably too stupid to know it."
She did noticed Jeff had filled out a little in the shoulders from the last time she had seen him. He still was basically slender, but less boyish and had the beautiful coppery skin some East Indians have. She still didn't want to see him, or even all three of them get physical with the creeps.
"Come on Heather. Time for a trip to the ladies room." They actually had separate rooms here, instead of a unisex. It had to
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