The Causeway and Beyond, Saturday morning

Hoshi was at the causeway right on time. There was a change in the air as she crossed the causeway, walking towards the mainland. It hadn't been noticeable when she arrived in Fandom in September, but this time it was obvious that the weather in the 22nd century was a lot warmer.

At the far end of the causeway, she saw the shuttlepod waiting, but there was a different pilot this time. He didn't look much older than her, but he was kind of hot. No, really hot. He was smiling at her as she approached the shuttle. "Hi there. Are you Hoshi? My name is Travis Mayweather and I'll be your pilot today. You must be really excited about going home."

Of course, Hoshi was tongue-tied throughout the flight to Kyoto and could only manage one-word answers to his questions because she was busy staring at his biceps.

[NFI, OOC appreciated, Okay for broadcast.]

Kyoto, December 22, 2144

When she got to the family home in Kyoto, Hoshi's little brother Harujiro greeted her at the door with a toy phase pistol. "Die, evil alien!" he shouted, pointing the phase pistol at her. "Uncle says I'm not supposed to let you in if you've been consorting with aliens. What does 'consorting' mean?"

"It's much too big a word for such a little boy," answered Mama, who came out to give Hoshi a rather stiff hug. "How is my little shining star? Are you doing well in school?"

"I'm doing well. The classes are really interesting," said Hoshi, figuring that the less she said about Love Smart, the better.

"They don't have any Vulcan students there, do they? It's all children from Earth?" asked Hoshi's mother. Something in her inflection and tone of voice made Hoshi suspicious of her intentions.

"No, there's no Vulcan children," said Hoshi.

"Good. I don't want my children mixing with non-humans," said Mama. "Let's get you settled into your room."

Hoshi had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. What did her mother have against non-humans?

[NFI, OOC appreciated, Not for broadcast due to distance.]