Episode 1: Reunion and Retorts

"Aurelia!" Yolie yelled as she ran across the room.

Aurelia sighed. "Do you always have to yell? It isn't exactly crowded in here right now."

The girl with pale hair crossed her arms. "No need to be so crabby. And I was so excited to see you again…"

"You were gone for a week," Aurelia said as her blond hair swayed behind her back, "not an entire year."

Yolie shook her head. Her natural tan was accentuated by her week in the sun. "You really are allergic to having fun, aren't you?"

Aurelia scowled. Her voice was just above a whisper. "Will you stop saying that?"

"But it's true!"

Her eye twitched before saying, "So, how was your vacation?"

"It was great! I wish I could go there every month!"

Aurelia raised her eyebrows. "You wouldn't get sick of it if you went there that often?"

"No! I'm not you! I can't believe you didn't want to go with us!"

She crossed her toned arms. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not excited to get sand in my britches or a sunburn."

"When have you ever gotten a sunburn in your life?"

"And I would like to keep it that way."

Yolie raised her eyebrows. "You can't just push the sunlight away from your body?"

"Whether I can or not, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself I had to do that all the time."

Yolie sighed. "Can we please go home now?"

Aurelia muttered, "I've been ready to do just that this whole time," under her breath.

Yolies rolled her eyes. Her flip-flops squeaked as she began to stomp away.

When Aurelia got to the transport stop, she pushed the "two" button.

Yolie was still pouting when she sat on the nearby chrome bench.

Before long, a driverless two-door pulled up next to the girls and the doors swung open from the hinges on top.

A masculine voice said, "Welcome. Please get in, Ms. Aurelia, Ms. Yolie."

Yolie took the near seat while Aurelia took the one on the street.

The car hummed before lifting itself slightly above the ground.

"Do you have any music or conversation preferences?" the masculine voice asked.

"How long haver you been driving?" Yolie asked.

The stick face on the screen formed a smile. "I was released from the factory five months ago, so I am still relatively new to this job."

Yolie smiled. "Have you enjoyed it?"

"Yes, Ms."

Aurelia pulled up a hologram of the novel she had been reading. Yolie had a captive audience, so she would be entertained for the duration of their ride home, and Aurelia could relax for a bit.

Not that she would say so, but things had been quiet while Yolie was gone. Things were cleaner, but they also weren't as lively, which even Aurelia needed sometimes.

Once they got home, the car lowered itself, so Yolie and Aurelia could get out more comfortably and easily.

The masculine voice said, "Thank you for the lovely conversation, Ms. Yolie. Have a good day, ladies."

When the girls got inside and kicked their shoes off, Keith was waiting for them.

"Was the beach nice?" he asked.

Yolie grinned. "It was the best! You should've come with us, too!"

"You know I would have if I could have." Keith sighed. "Somebody has to keep things running."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "And that's what I love about you."

"What were you both thinking about having for dinner?" he asked. "Do you want me to cook, or should we get delivery?"

Aurelia blinked. "What do we even have to cook with right now?"

Yolie pinched the bridge of her nose. "You two wouldn't ever eat real food if I didn't live here."

"It's hard to remember to cook when you're working all the time," Keith said.

"You're hopeless…"

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sick of eating seafood yet?"

"No, it was amazing. I would rather eat something else, though." She tapped her chin. "I want something savory."

"Like a salad or?" Keith asked.

"We could order one to share, but I want to eat something, too."

Aurelia said, "Make up your minds. I don't care."

Sweat beaded Keith's brow. "If you're sure…"

"Can we sit down?" Yolie asked. "My feet are killing me."

Why was she just now saying that then?

"Would you like a blanket or a pillow?" Keith asked.

"Not right now." Yolie smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm going to my room," Aurelia said. "Let me know when you make up your minds where you want to eat."

Aurelia waved her hand over the sensor that turned on her bedroom lights before closing the door behind her.

She was going to continue her novel. They had gotten home before she could finish the chapter she had started.

Mazarine had recommended it to her when they talked the other day. She had better taste in literature than the AI that wrote most lists nowadays. Aurelia would pay her to keep making them if Maza would let her.

Knock-knock!

"Do you think we should invite Rin to have dinner with us?" Yolie asked.

"Maza might be busy, but I can text her, anyway. Did you decide what you want to eat yet?"

"Yeah. Rin's favorite, so I know she'll enjoy it."

Aurelia sat up. "Give me ten minutes. I'll text her then figure out what I want."

"Okay!"

She flicked her wrist to bring up the holographic keyboard.

Yolie just got home. We're ordering dinner. Would you like to join us?

Maza answered immediately. Where?

Your favorite.

I'll be there soon.

Yolie definitely saw that coming.

Aurelia went back into the living room.

"Is Mazarine going to join us?" Keith asked.

"Yep."

He folded his arms. "Yolie sure knows how to sway people to spend time with her."

That was certainly a nice way of putting it…

"So, what are you going to order?" Aurelia asked.

"A large salad with a new dressing they're offering. Yolie said that it sounded interesting," Keith said. "Something with sweet Dorenges."

Dorenges were tiny berries with a thick orange skin. They tasted and smelled tangy with a hint of sweetness. There were other, less sweet, varieties, hence why whoever named it added the adjective.

"This is for the salad, right?" Aurelia asked.

"Yeah, I made sure to get more traditional options for us and another salad just in case."

Maybe Aurelia shouldn't have gone to her room before they finished deciding where and what they were going to order.

"I got some Blitzvine and Gustry dishes."

Yolie came over with her hologram showing. "Rel, what do you want for you and Rin?"

Aurelia scrolled through the things Yolie and Keith had already put into their cart.

"I'm happy with the things Keith picked out," the blond young woman replied. "I think Maza wants her salty Aquatean dish like usual. She usually lets me know by now if she wants to try something new."

Keith nodded. "I'll go ahead and pay then."

"Should we split it?" Yolie asked.

"Nah, it'll be my treat for today. The house was quiet while you were gone."

Like he didn't use the week to get some rest, too.

Keith went ahead and set the table with four sets of silverware and four sets of wooden sticks they sometimes ate with.

"Should we get the drinks ready, too?" Yolie asked.

"Nah, warm drinks aren't as good unless they're meant to be served that way."

Aurelia did want to brew a pot, but she could still wait a little while longer.

She and Maza were the only ones who enjoyed it. Keith and Yolie weren't refined enough for it.

Aurelia went into the kitchen and opened the pantry. The jar where she kept her brewing leaves was nearly empty, so she would have to refill or replace it after today's brew.

Keith crept up behind her. "So, what does it look like in there?"

"Gracious, stop doing that." Aurelia sighed. "We're definitely going to need groceries tomorrow, and since you're paying for dinner, I'll take care of it."

"Great! I'll text you my list later."

Aurelia picked up the jar. "Could you get Yolie's while you're at it?"

"Yeah. I can do that."

Aurelia put some water in the kettle and her thumb on the scanner that turned the stove on.

"I'm going to start a load before Mazarine gets here."

"Okay. I'll let you know when dinner gets here."

Keith waved on his way out of the kitchen.

Ding-dong!

Aurelia glanced at the kettle before running to answer the door.

Mazarine's eyes, which were a deep blue, were practically sparkling. "Is it here yet?"

"No, not yet." Aurelia smiled. "What were you working on when I texted you?"

"I started on another book yesterday." Maza kicked her slip-ons off. "It's on the slower side, but I haven't put it down just yet. I'll let you know if I end up liking it."

"Please do!"

Yolie ran over to them. "Rin!"

Maza waved. "How was your trip?"

"It was great!" Yolie was practically beaming. "Did you get all the pictures I sent you?"

"Yeah." Maza hung her coat on the nearby hook. "I'll have that collage to you in the next two or three days. I have a deadline I need to get through first."

Yolie winked. "You know that's totally fine with me! No one puts a collage together like you do!"

Aurelia wanted to rub her ears. Seriously. Why had Yolie still not learned to use an inside voice? It wasn't like she was still in primary school.

"I got a new salad!" Yolie practically sang. "Do you want to try it?"

Sweat beaded Maza's brow. "I'll let you know once I get to see it. I'm sure you're going to enjoy it, though."

Aurelia should have asked Keith for an estimate of when the food was going to arrive.

Ding-dong!

Yolie jumped to open the door.

A robot with the voice of an adolescent boy said, "Delivery for Keith. Please enjoy."

"Thank you!" Yolie took the bags from it.

Maza closed the door before walking toward the kitchen.

"I'll be back," Aurelia said. "I'm going to let Keith know that the food is here."

A faint whistle went off.

"I'll take care of the tea!" Maza said.

That was when Keith got to the ledge in the middle of their stairs. "Is the food here?"

"Yeah. Were you able to start the washer?"

Keith nodded. "Just let me wash my hands really quick."

When Aurelia got into the dining room, Yolie had already spread their dishes out on the table."

"Dig in while it's hot!"

Maza was smiling, but it was obvious that she was sweating. "So, what is that salad?"

"It has a dressing that was made with sweet Dorenges!"

"I-I didn't know they offered something like that…"

Yolie grinned. "It's new!"

Aurelia opened the container that was closest to her. This one had a Blitzvine dish in it. It also had a noodle called Mi Shan underneath.

The one that was behind it had a gustry dish with seeds and a sweet aroma.

Maza said nothing as she poured tea for Aurelia and herself and set them on the table.

Keith opened another container when he came in. He smiled as he held it out to Maza. "Enjoy."

Maza mouthed, 'Thank you,' before sitting down with the container.

"This looks amazing!" Yolie shouted as she plated herself some salad.

Keith held out the other salad container, which Aurelia then took. This one had Frostateans in it and a bit of dressing.

Aurelia took a bit of salad before getting the Gustry dish she had opened earlier.

Keith opened a small container, causing steam to waft into the air. This one had Viswine in it. It was delicious but could make one very sick if it wasn't cooked properly. The poisonous sac was removed before cooking, but traces could remain if one was dim enough to eat it raw.

"Mm…" Yolie's cheeks were red.

Maza poured a sauce on her Aquatean dish to make it even saltier than it already was.

"How was Frankie doing while you guys were on vacation?" Keith asked.

"He's doing great!" Yolie replied. "We all had a great time!"

"What did you do besides swim and sunbathe?" Aurelia asked.

"We made sand castles and went surfing!"

"What are you? Five?" Aurelia asked.

Yolie narrowed her eyes. "No."