“The biggest adventure we had was mapping out the planet and cultivating it.  However, being an Infinite kind of took the fun out of that, too, sometimes because there was little to no danger, and I love a challenge.  I mean, I’m not trying to complain.  I loved my life, and I really loved sharing it with my Kuro.  You asked a question and I’m just being honest.  And I remember you telling me something like that long ago, Kebbie.”

    Instantly knowing what Clara’s talking about, Kat can’t resist the warm smile quickly conquering her face.

    Justine recalls, “Keb told me of when she and her siblings went to visit Buck and Lara Shiloh in Storyboard X.  Here were these three kids expecting to meet some of the coolest superheroes in history, only to get stuck at their house because it was their day off.  The lesson for them was to enjoy the mundane things of everyday life.  Not all your moments have to be dedicated to action and adventure.  Sometimes, the simple things, even the boring quiet, is what you need to rest your mind.  I think I would’ve gone mad without that lesson.”

    Catherine Rug takes this as a hint for herself to not miss out on the enjoyable opportunity she and the kids have at the moment, watching Keb and Justine joke around while learning about Vahnna and Christiana’s pasts.  Justine is right concerning this era.  She and her husband led in the establishment of this land, but her associates were all dull, one-dimensional folks.  There’s nothing wrong with that, as enjoying the simple things is good sometimes.  It’s just that Justine’s story is void of major catastrophes to overcome, like natural disasters, disputes among the crew or alien invasions.  Because of this fact, Cat considers the history portion done for now and just lets the kids give their brains a break.  They didn’t really get that too often last year, so a slower pace may be good for them.

    In fact, only moments later into the increasingly more relaxed chit chat, Duplica suggests the group shake things up by playing a game.  “I’m up for trying new things to make sure our trainees are well-balanced,” says Cat in regards to her suggestion.

    “What game shall we play?” asks Keb.

    “Competitive solitaire?” guesses Vahnna.

    “Do you guys even know how to play chancing?” Clara enquires.

    “Chancing?” asks Kammy.

    “That’s the name of what later became the Queen’s Game in SBXL, hon,” Jo explains.

    “Don’t tell me we’re going to give up and just start fighting,” Keb feigns disappointment as she switches to her armor.

    “Nah,” Duplica declines, “that’s all these punching bags ever do.  They need to broaden their horizons.  We’ll try one game of competitive solitaire, and then we can try chancing.”  Duplica nods in approval of her answer.

    “Should we be gambling, Lady Duplica?” Paul humbly asks.  Kammy smiles at him as she was doing her best to resist this question.  Paul notices her smile.  Paul stops breathing.

    “Paul, air to lungs,” Cat instructs.  “Chancing isn’t a gambling game.  It’s kind of a dice-based game, so it refers more to that.  I have to say I’m not even sure if I fully understand the table sport.”

    Pulling a chancing board and lunch table out of her jean pocket, Justine relays some precious history to Cat Rug.  “You met my grandmother Alice Baylor last year, so you’re familiar with her very depressing story.  Would you like to know what activity she was the best at as a result of it being what kept her from giving up during the worst year of her life?”

    “No way!” is Cat’s amazed reaction.  “You mean she actually had time to play board games with her, um, busy type of work?  That is really cool to learn something so simple, and yet so ancient from her perspective, became such a foundational survival tool for her perpetually crushed spirit.  The Baylors will flip when I tell them this, if y’all haven’t already.”

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