Fasten Seatbelt Light Off

Flight 0666 - Over the Atlantic Ocean

Eun-Ji was willing to put up with cramped accommodations, pinned in the window seat, for the lengthy flight. The bathroom was behind her row, so the seats barely reclined at all and her carry on had to be down by her feet because the overhead compartments were already full. She was willing to endure being right next to the lavatory, despite the occasional stink that would trail someone coming out of the bathroom. She was willing to stomach the fact that the meal, an egregious overstatement for a subpar snack, was just picking between two undesirable options. All of these minor irritations would have been manageable; however, the tipping point began when the wife of the elderly couple next to her got on her last nerve.

The husband in seat 70C, the aisle, smelled a little like he had a hormonal imbalance that led to increased sweat production when active, but when seated and still carried a stale old person scent. He was keeping to himself and looked content on watching the inflight movie and being antisocial; perfect. The wife; however, was another story. Despite the fact that Eun-Ji gave every obvious clue that she didn’t want to be bothered, this old woman would not stop talking.

It was unbelievable how socially inept the woman was in Eun-Ji’s thoughts. Could she not see that she had headphones on and was shifted away from her towards the window. That every reply, polite at first, was designed to hopefully put a stop to any actual conversation. The old woman just kept at it. How was her husband immune, or was he oblivious, to this woman’s behavior?

Having had enough, Eun-Ji excused herself to the restroom, though she didn’t need to go. Stalling inside, she created a cloned illusion of herself that went out and took her seat. The moment it sat down, the real Eun-Ji caused the illusion to shatter and put the old woman into a daze that appeared as if she had suffered a stroke. At the very instance, Eun-Ji came out of the restroom and immediately called for help.

It wasn’t too long after that the flight attendants and a volunteer physician that was onboard, managed to move the couple up the plane. It worked out better than she had hoped. Eun-Ji just wanted her to shut up. Instead she got two extra empty seats. Naturally she took advantage of the extra leg room and made herself comfortable stretching out her long legs. It wouldn’t last though. Just as quickly as the nuisances were gone and her situation improved, the flight attendant was bringing someone to replace them.

She recognized the woman as the red head at the bar. It was easy to remember her. Eun-Ji quickly sat back properly in seat 70A. On the positive side there was a space between them for a little room and no one was pestering her anymore. The downside is she lost her ideal situation and this red-head had something to do with law enforcement based on what she overheard in the bar.

Eun-Ji at the very least politely acknowledged Lumina’s presence with a smile and nod. It was not a genuine happy to see you, but more a required social greeting; like checking off a box on a to do list.

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