Chapter 15: Run, Jump and Dance

Location: Newstock, Montana, North American Coalition, Earth
Era: Tuesday, 14th April 2246CE

Iupputer was the first one on the tiles. He danced the activation sequence of Quar, Lover of Stone. Jupe's dance style reminded Mark of funk with lots of popping. The animatronic statue of the stone sprite responded with the acknowledgement dance sequence.

<Thanks for dealing with Cloe. I didn't want another argument even if poor Jupe would have borne the brunt of it. If I had given in and played Ziv, she would have made some snarky remark about showing my true colors, > sent Saffron.

<I was afraid it was too much, > replied Mark.

Sandra stepped onto the tiled area next. She danced the activation sequence for Nok, Lover of Metal. Sandra's dance style seemed to alternate slow deliberate motions with short sharp explosive movements. It seemed almost martial. The animatronic statue of the metal sprite responded with its acknowledgment dance sequence.

<For anyone else maybe, but you pushed all her buttons. You have been doing a good job distracting her. She hasn't messaged any of her fellow committee members for 10 whole minutes, > sent Saffron.

<She has probably just given up.>

<Not Cloe. That girl is tenacious. She does not know the meaning of surrender.>

Mark stepped onto the tiles. He danced the activation sequence for San, Lover of Water. He tried to keep his movements fluid with a swing that suggested ocean waves. The animatronic statue of the water sprite responded with the acknowledgment dance sequence. Mark had studied the choreography of the humans and the sprites and thought he understood how the gestures and movement of the dancers controlled the animated statues. He shifted his weight and ventured a few gestures and was rewarded by the glass and water automaton he was paired with performing a few dance steps.

"Hey, that is not part of the dance," complained Cloe.

"Think of it as a warm up. I needed to test my understanding of the underlying mechanics of this installation." Mark followed his statement with a side shuffle and a series of gestures. The water sprite pirouetted.

"Stop that. You're not supposed to do that. You don't need to understand how it works. All you have to do is follow the choreography in your tarka," demanded Cloe.

"Playing and interacting with the installation is an important part of the experience the artist intended us to have," stated Mark.

"How do you know what his intention was?" asked Cloe.

"Because otherwise he would have preprogrammed the sprites or made all ten dancers robots. And you're forgetting that the first rule of art installations is the same as for life?"

"Safety and environmental hazards must be reported to the safety committee?" asked Cloe.

"You are supposed have fun. You need to appreciate where you are and what you have," said Saffron.

"Because it can all be taken always from you at any time," said Sandra. A look of understanding passed between Saffron and Sandra.

Sandra gestured and the black, silver, and copper spiky metal sprite lunched into action with a block, then a reverse punch, followed by a spinning reverse kick. A startled Cloe scrambled backwards and almost fell over.

Mark brought up Sandra's profile and did some sums. At 118 years old Sandra would have been in her 20's during the Sequestration Wars. She was of the veteran generation. She had lived through the end of her world. The country she fought for probably didn't even exist anymore. She could have always been a civilian during the war, however by the end the only difference between the soldiers and civilians was the quality of their weapons. Mark shivered as the possibility of Sandra being a Sequestered occurred to him. Some of them had survived. Being forced to watch as your hijacked body killed your friends and family was the worst thing he could imagine.

Saffron was the next one on the tiles. With slow airy moments she danced the activation sequence of Rog, Lover of Wood. Saffron's dance evoked the swaying of trees. The animatronic statue of the tree-like wood sprite responded with the acknowledgment dance sequence. She finished with gestured commands that sent the sprite tumbling across the tiles. The wood sprite's leafy fingers whipped out and slapped Jupe's butt.

Cloe was the last one on the tiles. "We can do fun. I can be fun. Let no-one say that I am not fun.," she muttered darkly as she danced the activation sequence of Ziv, Lover of Fire in a Latin style. The animatronic statue of the fire sprite responded with the acknowledgment dance sequence. As the coils of animated burning rope finished its dance, all the sprites started a coordinated dance sequence. Then Mark was busy following the dance step instructions that his tarka was feeding him. Shadows appeared in his vision showing the upcoming steps.

The first part of the story showed the five humans and five sprites working in harmony. Cloe's character, Ziv, kept encouraging the use of the fire sprite, persuading the other humans to neglect the other sprites in favor of using fire. Cloe danced much closer to the fire sprite than the choreography indicated. She embraced the fire sprite, getting the sprite fuel all for herself. Flames licked over her skin.

<Saf should we be doing something about that?> asked Mark.

<You mean like reporting her to the safety committee? The sprite fuel burns at a low temperature. Limited contact is not painful or harmful. I don't think you're supposed to smear it all over yourself though. However even if she does damage her skin, her survival tarka will repair any burns quickly. Splash some water on her if you think it's getting out of hand. Remember you're controlling a giant animated water container, > replied Saffron.

When Cloe's hair caught fire Mark squirted her with water from the water sprite. Cloe spun around a looked daggers at him. She danced a little warning dance that was completely different from the dance steps she was supposed to be dancing at that stage of the story.

<Cloe really seems to have taken aboard those little speeches you made about being a bad girl, not following the choreography, and having fun, > sent Saffron.

<Setting yourself on fire is supposed to be fun?> asked Mark.

<Obviously Cloe thinks so.>

<Cloe is nuts.>

Cloe's dance became more erotic with her touching herself, touching the sprite and putting herself on display. Since she was now dripping wet she did not manage to set herself on fire a second time.

The fire sprite lost control and fires started at various places on the tiles. The stone sprite left piles of soot and red ochre on the tiles. Making the motions part of the dance, they marked their skins and each other's skins red and black to indicate they had been burnt. Mark noticed that tears were flowing down Sandra's cheeks and she was visibly upset. Mark used the water sprite to put out the fires and heal the humans by washing away their burns.

The sprites and their human partners surrounded Ziv and the fire sprite and imprisoned them. With the fire spirit caged, the world became cold and the humans started to die. They released Ziv and the fire sprite after they promised to behave. Prosperity returned to the land. The dance ended with Ziv again asserting that fire was most powerful and useful element and trying to persuade the others to use fire more and the other elements less. The audience clapped as the dance ended and the dancers bowed and left the tiled area.

Cloe ran to Mark and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up wrapping her legs around his hips. He supported her butt with his hands. She was surprisingly light.

"What do you think? Was that bad enough?" asked Cloe.

"That was pretty bad," replied Mark.

Cloe tightened her grip on him and kissed him. Saffron came up behind Cloe, reached down and positioned his cock at her entrance. Cloe moaned as Mark lowered her onto his member. She was wet and tight. Mark luxuriated in the feel of his cock buried deep inside her petite body. She let go of his neck and arched back until her hands were on the ground. He felt his cock pressed hard against the front wall of her vagina. She tried wriggling her hips and pushing up with her hands before finally pulling herself up with a little assistance from Saffron. She wrapped her hands around his neck again pulling herself up and down his cock. He assisted with his hands, raising and lowering her soft firm butt, thrusting, her onto his throbbing cock. The tension and sensation built within him until he felt ready to explode.

Cloe cried out and her cunt tightened around him as Saffron inserted one, then two fingers up her ass. Cloe trembled and shook, thrusting and jerking her hips. He could feel Saffron's fingers through the thin wall separating them from his cock. The sensations almost pushed him over the edge, but he held himself back from orgasm by main will. He started tingling all over with the effort of holding it in. Saffron reached around with her other hand and twisted and pulled Cloe's nipple. Her breast was still red from her encounter with the fire sprite.

"Oh Saffron, I take back everything I said about you," moaned Cloe.

Saffron rolled her eyes. <Maybe not the smartest thing, to admit to me that she has been talking about me behind my back while I have my hand up her ass, > Saffron sent to Mark.

Jupe came in from the other side and started tweaking her other breast and nuzzling it. Cloe went crazy thrusting her hips and screaming out her orgasm. Mark released the orgasm that he had been holding back and it crashed through him as he spurted spunk deep inside Cloe.

The audience who had gathered to watch them dance clapped and cheered.

<Cloe doesn't seem shy, > sent Mark a little unsteadily. His knees were unsteady as the afterglow washed though his body.

<Our Cloe likes it rough. I don't. If you mistreat my nipples the way I treated hers you will get a very negative reaction, > sent Saffron.

<Did the pacifist threaten me?> asked Mark.

<Just defining boundaries.>

<She is not letting go of me, > Mark noted as a mixture of spunk and pussy juice started flowing over his balls and down his leg.

<Then just carry her, she is only 40kg! Really, you could carry ten times that weight, > sent Saffron.

<Has it occurred to you that these people are very conformist for a counter culture?>

<Most rebellious sub-cultures are. Being part of a group with a strong identity, a strong sense of them and us, a strong sense of belonging, is part of the appeal. I remember when I was 14 and getting involved with 'Students for Open Government' all the members wore similar body mods and we all listened to the same music.>

<Why is everyone bisexual? Most people were heterosexual in the 21st century.>

<Not everybody is bisexual, only about 80% of people are bisexual. People have less sexual hang ups in this era and bisexuality gives you more flexibility in engaging in social activities.>

<I don't think you need to have to have sex with people to be friends with someone.>

<No but it is a great ice breaker and people are often kindly disposed toward you afterwards. I think most people are bisexual because it is considered normal and most people want to be normal. Wasn't it the same in your era: people behaving in the way that is considered normal?>

<Sounds like you're making a nurture vs. nature argument and coming down on the side of nurture.>

<The ability to change gender also might have something to do with it. I know that the seven months I spent as a man broadened my perspective. You should try spending some time as a woman. You should also think about experimenting with your orientation, it would greatly expand your social interactions and activities. I know that Jupe would love to get more physical with you.>

<I am finding the whole wife swapping thing sufficiently challenging, thank you. Why don't we just leave things as they are for now.>

<We are couple dating, not wife swapping.>

"Are you awake?" asked Mark.

"Can I just stay holding you for a while?" asked Cloe.

Mark shifted his hold to one hand around her butt and one hand around her back. He flexed his pelvic floor muscles to keep himself stiff. "Yes, for a little while," said Mark.

"Oh! Keep on doing that. That was nice," said Cloe.

The tents nearby were filled with board game enthusiasts. One couple was playing Go. Another couple was playing chess, but most of the games he didn't recognize at all. A boy brought out some drinks to some of the gamers. A look passed between Jupe and the boy and the boy returned with four drinks.

"Thank you," said Mark accepting a mug of hot spicy cider. He brought up the boy's profile.

Name: Mitica Cox
Role: Tournament Master.
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Sexually: Bisexual
Marital Status: Married (Open)
Spouse: Sherman Cox, Hannelore Cox

"Any friends of Jupe and Cloe are friends of mine. A table's free over there if you want to sit down," said Mitica. "What is Cloe doing?"

"I think she is in love. You shouldn't be serving drinks. You should let the drone do it," said Jupe.

"The drone's right rotor bearing is acting up and Michael says he won't be able to get to it until 3 weeks from now," said Mitica.

"I will let him know how important your game center is to the camp. Either that or see if one of the other tinkers has any bandwidth," said Jupe as he took the offered seat.

"Cloe are you going to take your drink?" asked Mark.

"Just turn around and I will pick it up," replied Cloe. <I'm changing my vote. Of course it doesn't matter, since you have already won, but since a unanimous decision seems important to you, I'm making it unanimous. You managed to persuade me that bending a few rules once in a while may not be a bad thing, but if it turns out that you and Saffron are up to something sneaky, I will crush you like a bug.>

<Any sneaky things that we are up to should benefit Newstock, so you should not have anything to complain about, > sent Mark. "Are you going to make me carry you around all day?"

"What the matter, you getting tired?" asked Cloe.

"What should we do next?" asked Saffron.

"I feel like more dancing to loud music with a serious beat this time. Do you have something like that?" asked Mark.

"There 'Crowded Island'. They're a Raxz Band currently playing at the Pelée Stage, then after we can have lunch at Benny's," suggested Jupe as a drone with buzzing rotor and with a wobble brought cakes. Mark could see why you might not to trust it with drinks.

Mark and Saffron sat down to eat their cake. Mark was glad of his upgrade as Cloe was still reluctant to give up her position in his arms and the extra strength and balance came in handy when lowering himself onto the seat.

The drinks and cakes disappeared quickly and they all sent their thanks to Mitica who waved from across the room.

As they continued toward the Pelée Stage, Mark asked "So, how does the Organizing Committee work. Are you elected? What sort of problems do you usually have to deal with?"

"I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about it," said Cloe.

It occurred to Mark for the first time in his life he was part of a persecuted minority. Everyone here thought of Princesses (people between the ages 19 to 38) as self-centered, self-important useless idiots. He had always been on the privileged side of any prejudicial divide before. His 2017 era Melbourne friends would talk about getting ignored by sales people, about having their bags checked, and a thousand and one humiliations inflicted by being on the wrong side of a in-group boundary. He had tut-tut-ed and agreed how terrible it was, but it had never seemed real. After a lifetime of privilege did he have any right to complain? Saffron had told him that the princesses' reputation for idiocy would come in handy when it inevitably came to light that he did not know things that every child in the 23rd Century should know. Maybe she hadn't exactly said those words, but he was sure that is what she had meant. Then he realized the reason why Cloe was angry at Saffron and not him and that the reason why both Jupe and Cloe had approached her and not him was that he was an unimportant idiot princess. Maybe Saffron was more important. Maybe she was the Jedi Master to his Padawan learner. Maybe she was Anakin to his Asoka. But Asoka got respect. He thought Asoka was a bad ass. Mark unhooked Cloe's arms from his neck, dropped her on the grass, and stalked off.

"Hey, what is the big idea?" complained Cloe.

<Finally! I thought you would never start acting like Darren, instead of behaving like Mark, > exclaimed Saffron.

<No, this is all Mark, > sent Mark.

<It's more like Darren than you have been behaving so far: the arrogant, self-confident genius. Child of two successful entrepreneurs who died young leaving our poor orphan to survive on his own using his wits when legal action tied up his parents' fortune for years. That look of contempt, the way you looked down your nose at Cloe as you dumped her on the ground was perfect, > sent Saffron.