Episode 2: Leftovers and Goodbyes

Once she had eaten her fill and bagged her leftovers, Maza said her goodbyes and went home.

Yolie stretched her arms and neck. "Do you guys need a shower or anything? I want to take my time in the bath."

"Nah," Keith replied. "I still have work to do, so I'll take mine later."

Aurelia waved. "Have fun."

Yolie then skipped up the stairs.

"Do you need help putting the rest of our leftovers away?" Keith asked.

Aurelia pushed her hair behind her ear. "No, I can take care of it. Good luck on your deadline."

"Thanks."

When Aurelia got into the kitchen, the table was still full of food containers. The only one that had been removed was the one that Maza had taken home with her.

They really went overboard with the sheer amount of food. Yolie's eyes were always bigger than her stomach. It was a good thing that Aurelia chose not to order any of her own dishes. That would have made this mess bigger than it already was.

Any dishes that had a good bit of them eaten were moved into the storage containers they had in the house. The ones that were mostly full stayed in the ones they were delivered in. Once that was done, she put them in the fridge.

Once the table was cleared, she turned on the robot they used to clean the tables and floors. She then turned the light off and went back to her room.

Aurelia then changed into a baggy tank top and shorts.

She then laid down on her bed and pulled up the novel she had been reading earlier.

This one was about a group of college students who took a vacation to a cabin in the mountains in a time before wireless communications were common and got lost while hiking and getting caught in a sudden snowstorm. While they sometimes made stupid decisions, Aurelia could understand their so-called reasoning and why they were afraid in that situation.

While she had yet to finish it, she was enjoying it. Maza was worth every bit of what she paid. She was a gem in an era when people would try to get computers to do her job.

Ding!

Aurelia picked up her terminal.

Are you done with the project they want in next week?

No, not yet. I want to let it marinate some more before I write my review.

A face was crying. Mine is so bad I can barely read it!

Bad in what way?

A picture popped up. The text that was shown was in fact so riddled with typos that it was so unreadable.

Someone actually sent you that? Who was it?

The big boss.

Wait, are you talking about Francesca?

Yeah. She gave it to me before she left on Friday.

Could she of all people really have just been tired from a long week of work? She was always strict and meticulous.

Let me text Mazarine. If anyone can read that, it's her.

A pair of folded hands popped up.

I'll let you know what she says.

A thumbs up popped up.

Aurelia shot Maza a text. Are you home yet?

Ring-ring!

Aurelia picked up.

"Did something happen at your guys' house?" Maza asked.

The blonde sighed. "No, nothing like that." She forwarded the picture. "Daisy got stuck with this flaming pile of crap."

Aurelia could hear in Mazas's voice that her eyes had widened. "Was this thing edited at all?"

"I can't read it, so I'd assume it wasn't."

Maza sighed. "Who gave her the assignment?"

"Francesca."

"I'll see if I can give Daisy something from my pile then. Giving that to a newbie is just plain cruel."

Aurelia nodded. "If it was a paper book that I personally bought, it would be a pile of ashes by now."

Maza chuckled. "Daisy might dance if you did."

She was fresh out of high school. Maza may well be right.

"Is there anything you need from me?" Maza asked.

"No, that was it. Have a good night."

"Thanks. You, too."

Maza then hung up.

Aurelia then turned her attention back to her own assignment. She had yet to get to the bit where they ventured out of the cabin.

Just as she was about to dive back into the book, her terminal dinged again. It was Keith, this time.

Hey, I'm about to take a quick break. Do you want some tea or something?

Aurelia smiled at the message. Keith was always so thoughtful. Sure. Could you put some honey in it?

Got it.

She turned her attention back to her book, but her mind was still elsewhere. That book Daisy was assigned was abysmal. It was so out of character for Francesca that Aurelia was slightly worried about her.

Eventually, Keith knocked before coming in. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Keith." Aurelia took a sip. It was just what she needed.

Keith leaned against her desk. "So, what's going on?"

Aurelia chuckled, shaking her head. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you. Daisy got an assignment from Francesca that's basically unreadable."

"Really?" His eyes looked like saucers.

She took another sip. "Maza is going to try to save the poor girl before she gets in over her head."

Hopefully she would manage. That page would probably make most people vomit just looking at it.

"Let's just hope Minicha gives her the wisdom to manage."

Aurelia nodded.

"Let me know if you need anything," Keith said.

Aurelia smiled. "Thanks, for the tea, too. It's really good."

Keith smiled back. "You're welcome. I enjoy doing little things like this."

As he turned to leave, Aurelia called out, "Hey, Keith?"

He paused at the door. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for being a good friend."

Keith's smile widened. "Always, Aurelia."

Keith shut the door behind him on the way out.

Aurelia made a mental note to check on Daisy in the morning. If Maza couldn't help, she would step in herself. Daisy was new, and while she could be skittish, she was also passionate and hard-working. She deserved to have a fair chance to succeed.

Aurelia picked up her terminal and fired off a quick text to Maza. Let me know how it goes with Daisy. If you can't help her, I'll step in with Francesca."

Before she could set her terminal down, a thumbs up emoji from Maza popped up.

Aurelia smiled. Whatever happened, they would take care of Daisy.

She then turned her attention back to her own book and lost herself in the story of the lost college students and their mountainous ordeal. After a while, Aurelia passed out for the night.