[ 7.30 pm ]

  Walking to Anisa's shop surprisingly took us about twenty minutes, since I needed to rest a few times. My legs were doing so well at first, but I must have over exerted myself again, so that's a clear warning sign for me to slow down. And no, I'm not looking forward to being repaired by Fred again anytime soon.

  When we finally arrive at Anisa's pce, I notice something different. The lights are a bit dimmer, so she really took my advice to heart. Seriously, I had hoped that she would at least try, and she really has! And the fact that I now see 3 customers enjoying something to eat, looks very promising as well.

  While limping into her shop and using Mia's arm for support, I see Anisa rushing over to us. "Kaya! Are you okay? I thought your legs had healed already?"

  "Yeah...no...I guess I strained my muscles a bit, nothing a good night's rest won't fix. We're here for a good meal, but we're also hoping that you have some time for a chat?"

  "By all means, take a seat! Is she a co-worker?" She gnced at Mia.

  "Sort of, I guess. This is Mia, my new roommate and friend. And Mia, meet Anisa, also a dear friend of mine. She owns this fine....establishment."

  Both nodded and extended greetings, after which we took a seat at the counter, or bar if you will. It was refreshing to hear some music pying in the background, so Anisa is definitely trying to upgrade the pce. It sounded a bit like piano music, but with an alien twist.

  It sounds dreadful, to be honest. The music doesn't have any rhythm, but sounds dead or mathematically computed. Sure it's much better than no music at all, but Anisa should think of something else........music with a soul.

  Anisa pours us a mug of that alien tea and then brings us a mysterious looking colorful meal."Tell me, what do you think of the pce?" She smiled, definitely expecting a compliment for taking my advice.

  "Em....yeah, I noticed. The lights are much, much better and there's music too. You even have customers this time."

  Her smile disappeared. "Thanks, but do I hear a but..?"

  "Well...it's nothing bad, I'm actually impressed. But to be honest, the music is a bit too rexing. It's fine for a restaurant, so please don't misunderstand. But I think you were aiming for a bit.. 'more', right?"

  "Exactly. So what do you suggest?" She grinned for a second.

  "Something a bit faster, more modern sounding. Not much louder though, since you need people to talk for...you know. There should be a rexing beat, but it shouldn't be too pronounced. Sheesh...it's difficult to expin. As for the lights, they only need a little more work. Think of a few colored lights, that kind of stuff?"

  "Alright, I'll ask my guests what they think should work best here. As for the lights....can you be more specific?"

  "Eh......yes! As a matter of fact I can! Have you ever visited or seen Downtown?"

  She nodded.

  "Great. I saw lots of people walking through the streets there, visiting shops and such. The lights looked very modern and inviting, almost pulling me in. You would want to have something simir to that, but a bit less fshy. It should be rexing and yet not boring."

  "I see. You have quite the high standards, don't you?"

  "Me? Nah...just trying to save your business." Now it was my time to grin.

  "Alright, I'll give it a go."

  I noticed that Mia was thoroughly enjoying her dinner, and I too was surprised by the tasty selection of vegetables.

  "So...speaking of Downtown...why isn't your shop located in a high traffic area? This seems more like a residential area," I asked.

  "There are plenty of people in this area, so don't underestimate the location. This building has many offices and supporting staff. Think about Climate Control, Security, Procurement, Medical...all sorts of activities. But to answer your question...Downtown is a special project. Humans and other races have more freedom there, meaning less security. It's more like the Entertainment District in the Homeworld.

  While you are correct that my business might thrive there, the rent is insanely high. I can't afford to rent anything there, nor do I want to deal with drunk crowds. This pce is nice, secure and safe but at the expense of customers."

  "So far."

  "Exactly. We're about to change that, right?" She winked at me.

  "Sure are."

  She and Mia discussed a few music styles for a moment, and that's when Mia figured out what kind of shop we were actually visiting. Luckily she didn't mind one bit and remained polite.

  "Mia, how was the meal?" Anisa asked.

  "Very delicious, thank you."

  While Anisa left us to take our ptes away, Mia whispered "they still don't eat meat?"

  "Wait....you do?"

  "Well, of course we do. The Taleena are....were...excellent farmers and hunters among other things. Trust me, I need meat next time. They gave me some in that hospital as well."

  "Are you serious? They refused to give me any!" My mouth was agape.

  "Heh heh heh.....seems like you gave up too soon."

  "I guess I did. Well, that's about to change. Just hang in there, it might take some time, since it would look suspicious to eat that here."

  "Ah...like that."

  Anisa welcomed another few customers and then returned to us. "Sorry, it's busier than usual. But that's a good thing. Now tell me, Kaya, who is she really?" She gives me a creepy smile.

  I blinked a few times and then gave up already, sighing a few times."Well, what did I tell you, Mia? She's a psychic."

  "Yes, very impressive." Mia nodded, pretending to be impressed.

  I motion to Anisa to move a bit closer so we can whisper. "Okay, Anisa. She...em...woke up from stasis and ...what the heck...I'm not going to lie to you. She's like me...more or less. Can't tell you more than that."

  "See? As expected. I can see the resembnce." Anisa put her left hand on my shoulder for a moment and her right hand on Mia's.

  "You can? What resembnce would that be?!!!" I asked, because Mia should be able to pass as a Draga now.

  "Ha ha ha... exactly that. Too polite and the same fire burning in her eyes. Are you two reted?"

  "Nuh-uh" we both replied at the same time.

  "Ha ha ha......are you sure? Definitely two souls in our goddess's hand." Anisa ughed so loud that I felt the stares of her customers in my back.

  "Huh?" Ah..I guess she meant 'birds of a feather'? "Um....yeah, actually we're pretty simir. We both had some bad luck, right Mia?"

  "Yes, until we met!" She said with a kind smile.

  "True....that was good luck. Seriously, it feels like we have known each other for ages." And I only met her a few hours ago.

  "For centuries?" Mia replied, while Anisa kept watching us with a grin.

  "Sure, maybe even longer. I'm happy to see you....eh..happy? Sorry, that didn't make much sense."

  "Ha ha ha...Kaya, you're doing it again, girl." Anisa said with a wink.

  "Doing what?" I noticed Mia blushing, but she's only a bit shy, right?

  "Nothing, nothing. Thank you for confiding in me. I swear to keep it a secret. I mean, not that you told me much to begin with." She rolled her eyes.

  "See, Mia? What did I tell you? She's amazing."

  Mia nodded, but then surprised us. "Anisa, don't you like the Hierarchy either?" She asked with a serious expression.

  "Shhh...where did that come from all of a sudden?! And no...I don't. How's that for an answer?" Anisa whispered the reply.

  "The best. Kaya was right about you. I usually don't trust people so quickly, but you are unlike the others. I like that about you."

  "Thank you, I guess? Excuse me. Duty calls." Anisa left us to clean up and serve dinner again.

  Wow, things are certainly changing for the better in this shop. I guess her drones are recharging, because they really should have helped her. Right, there's still the repair request, so maybe they're all offline now?

  While Anisa was helping her customers, Mia talked a bit about her past, but I noticed that she was too emotional to tell me more. She shared that her parents were farmers and that she left behind siblings as well.

  "I'm sorry, Kaya. I really want to tell you, but....maybe another time?"

  "Of course, I can only imagine how difficult all of this must be for you. Do you want to return to our quarters so you can rest?"

  "No, I'm actually enjoying this pce. It's soothing...in a strange way. Like I'm one of them now. And none of them even suspects that I'm a Taleena. Life goes on, I guess."

  "Thank you for sharing that, Mia. I know that I'm not that much of a help so far, but I know a lot about this pnet and the humans, so I will keep you safe."

  "And I know about 'them' and will keep you safe. I need you, you need me." She gave me a warm smile, a sign that she finally started to feel more comfortable.

  "Seems like a perfect match to me." I replied while my eyes were following Anisa.

  "Heh heh heh....." For some reason Mia felt the need to giggle.

  I focus on her again and notice her smile. "What? Did I say something funny?"

  "Nothing, nothing. I'll expin some day. I'm just happy to be alive and have someone keep me safe. Maybe we were destined to meet?" She said while looking away from me, avoiding my eyes.

  "How so?"

  "Mmm...I'll tell you one day..." A grin appeared on her lips.

  "Oh, c'mon...we only met today and you are teasing me already?!"

  "Not at all, I'm only happy to see....family." She stared at my ears for a moment.

  Ohhh, she meant that she's happy to meet another Taleena?"Ah...like that. Yeah....I guess we really are family now. Family, yes, that sounds good. Oops....I forgot to ask. How old are you even?"

  "22, give or take a few centuries." She winked.

  "Wow...you really are in a good mood, aren't you? Well, I'm 18 again."

  "Again?" She blinked and looked quite confused.

  "Yes, I was 21 when they put me into this 18 year old body."

  "Ahhh.....and here I thought strange things only happened to me!"

  "What are you two smiling about?" Anisa said when she joined us again. She sits down and lets her head rest on her hands, her elbows on the counter. Her grin is....suspicious.

  "Nothing....." I replied while trying to avoid looking into her eyes.

  "Uh huh...sure. You have to do better than that, Kaya. Any special reason you're here, other than dinner or visiting your only friend?"

  "Har dee har har, Anisa. I have more friends these days, I'll have you know. But you're still one of the best."

  "Good to know. So, are you two perhaps looking for some entertainment?" Again that suspicious grin of hers.

  "Anisa!!! Are you kidding me?!! No, I had lots of that already!"

  "Me too. My life sucked as Kaya calls it, until we met today." Mia said with a rather unusual big smile.

  Anisa suddenly grins from ear to ear and gnces my way, but doesn't comment. Okay...weird alien rituals.

  "Say, Anisa, do you believe in miracles?" I asked, hoping to start another topic.

  "Miracles? Not yet, but I'm beginning to, why?"

  "Guess who became the new drone repairer around here?"

  "No way.....you?!!!" She stood up and pointed at me.

  "Ha ha ha, yup! I felt sorry for a limping drone and asked the repair AI to fix it. Before I had even realized it, it had sent a report to the Hierarchy, making me the new repairer!! And the best of it all...it's child's py! I only have to say what I want, and the AI does the rest. Seriously, this job feels like an insult to anyone's intelligence. Why didn't they simply ask the AI to take care of the repairs in the first pce?"

  A mischievous smile appears on Anisa's lips again. "Maybe you're smarter than you think? Do you think you can... help me?" She probably meant to somehow fix her drones, with a discount.

  "Definitely. It seems that I'll be taking care of your drones' maintenance and stuff. I already learned that even cargo drones have better social skills than those drones of yours, so at the very least I could update their software for you."

  "Already told you that you are my good luck charm, haven't I?" She put her hand on my left shoulder for a moment. "Ah, that reminds me, Kaya. I have one old, obsolete drone in storage in the back that's no longer of use to me. It's not even working and will probably be recycled in a few months, assuming I won't be out of business by then, so there's no risk if you try to fix it. It's from the previous owner. If you can make it useful again, and improve its behavior, I would be very pleased."

  "Sure, I'll have a look at it in the morning."

  Mia left us for a moment, to freshen up. She was massaging her stomach, so I assume that it will take some time. Probably stress reted. Either that or the meat she ate in that hospital.

  "Thanks, you're a lifesaver. Quite literally too. Now tell me, Kaya....who is Mia...really?"

  I motion her to move closer, so I can whisper into her ears. "Em....they basically imprisoned her and killed her family. Sheesh...I can't believe I'm telling you, I hope you realize just how much I trust you?"

  "I do, thank you for that." Her reply is very serious and understanding.

  "She needs some help for a while and we were both in simir circumstances. She'll be my roommate until she can handle things on her own. She arrived today and so far she seems nice."

  "Yes, you're smiling even now. Quick, before she returns. Did you notice that she was staring at your ears?"

  "Yeah! So strange!"

  "It's not, actually. It means that she finds you interesting."

  "Uh...so what? I find everyone interesting, but I don't stare at their ears?"

  She closes her eyelids for a moment and sighs. "Kaya.....that's because you are different, girl. Anyway, thanks for being my friend. You have no idea how much you have helped me. I was about to lose it when we first met. Sure, I need many more customers, but at least I have hope now."

  "That's what friends do. They help one another." I winked. "Ah...on that note...I might be able to help you even more."

  "What do you have in mind?" She's frowning, not sure what I'm trying to say.

  "Nothing special. Who sold those drones to you?"

  Mia joined us, unaware of our discussion.

  Anisa kept staring at me, then finally decided to answer "I bought them from TechCon. Obsolete but operational and the only stuff I could afford."

  "TechCon? I thought they made those Comms work?"

  "Not only that. It's a huge company which provides many services like telecom services, insurances and unfortunately it's the only company which builds drones. Why are you so interested in them? I still don't get it."

  "I'm the new repairer, right? I'm going to call them."

  "Call them...as in contacting them? Ah...I dunno, Kaya. They are well known for their ck of customer service."

  "Well, I fortunately happen to know a thing or two about that! I used to work as a customer service representative, so let me handle it. Can I use your terminal, or whatever you call those?"

  "Sure, it's in the back. But please don't mention my name."

  "Eh....okay, I can do that. It's already pretty te, but I want to do this today. Mia, this won't take long, do you mind waiting a few minutes?"

  "No, not at all. Take your time. My stomach hurts a bit, nothing serious, but if you can't find me, please wait for me." She pointed at the restrooms.

  "Okay, sure. Just take your time, I won't leave without you."

  She smiled and only when Anisa tapped my shoulder, did I return to reality.

  I followed Anisa into her office, limping a few times, and saw her waiting out of the phone's webcam range.

  "Eh....computer?"

  "Verbal interface is online. Drone Kaya detected."

  "Yeah...whatever. Can you please call TechCon for me?"

  "Searching...TechCon found. Please specify the topic."

  "Drone maintenance. I need new software for a drone."

  "Understood....connecting now."

  The screen shows a logo and then pys a recorded message with a very annoying tune. "TechCon....looking for a personality update for your drone? Look no further, we have..."The ad was interrupted when a real person appeared on the 'phone.'

  "Greetings, TechCon customer service, how may I help you?" A polite sounding man replied but his expression quickly changed into one of confusion, but I chose to ignore that. I seem to have that effect on people tely.

  "Yes, and greetings to you as well. So, I am on pnet Earth right now, and a few drones here are in a desperate need of a personality upgrade. Do you have those avaible? I want it to react more like you and me if you know what I mean."

  "We certainly have those avaible, but unfortunately we can't do business with drones. Please have your owner contact us."

  "Um, I'm sorry, but you are mistaken. I'm definitely not a drone, sir."

  "Your ID scan reveals that you are connected to the local drone network, and I believe that I recognize your face from one of our more recent models. So yes, you are one. Sorry, I was surprised by your lifelike appearance and social skills, but you are still a drone and it's company policy to ignore these calls. I'm sorry, have a nice day."

  The hologram projected another ad, a text-only one this time. "Not a happy customer? TechCon Legal can take your case to new heights!"

  "WHAT? He hung up on me!" I shouted.

  Anisa killed the ad before I got violent.

  She sits down on her office desk looking at me, her feet dangling in the air."That was highly unusual, especially the part where he said that he recognized you. Well, he's obviously mistaken about that, since none of their drones remotely resemble your appearance. But I appreciate your effort. At least he was polite, probably a new guy. Usually they find a way to end my call as soon as I mention that my drones are obsolete models."

  "Sheesh....I think he was rude."

  "No, trust me, that was quite polite. Anyway, nice try. I'll find a way to manage. I mean, I have to."

  "Anisa, I promised to help you, so I won't give up that easily!"

  She patted my arm to show me that she truly appreciated my support. "And I know you won't. Just...don't get frustrated with them. It's not worth it."

  "Yeah...maybe you're right. There are also drones in this building with at least somewhat better skills. I'll try to get my hands on their software. Just give me some time."

  "Of course. Let's go back."

  Mia smiled when we returned, but Anisa was right...she's really focusing on my ears. Are they dirty or what? Weird alien customs!

  After chatting a bit more with Anisa, Mia and I decided that it was time to go home.

  We enjoyed the slow walk and it really seemed to have a calming effect on her.

  When we finally made it into our den, god that sounds so weird, we both made ourselves comfortable. She crawled inside after me and found a comfy spot to the left, while I quickly found my usual sleeping spot.

  It feels strange to share a bedroom with someone you only met a short while ago. But still, she truly feels like family, and apparently it's the "Lantosian way" to sleep. That expression has to be one of her favorites, because she used it on me all the time.

  "Ugh..." Mia said from afar and I can't see her face since it's very dark inside the den.

  "Are you okay? Stomach hurting?"

  "Nah, I'm fine....no worries."

  "Doesn't sound like you're okay, if you ask me?"

  "I didn't ask, Kaya."

  "Sheesh..sorry."

  "No, I didn't mean it like that! Umm....you know....sleeping like this is unnatural."

  "Then how do you usually sleep?" If she says that she prefers a bed, I'll scream!

  "Well......unlike those who murdered my people, we Taleena sleep together."

  "Wait.....seriously?" I know that she needs the comfort of home right now, but should I accept? It might help her trust me and make her feel better, though? "Alright, move over here if you want, because my legs are too painful to move."

  I heard her crawling over to me and felt a few cushions being moved.

  "Ah!!!" She startled me when she bumped into my chest with her head.

  And when I felt her hands there as well, trying to figure out what was going on, she replied "oops...wrong side." She snickered for a moment, and I couldn't avoid doing the same.

  "Great, thanks, Mia...now I'm fully awake."

  "No worries...you'll be fast asleep in a minute."

  "Ohh? Any special technique for that?" I feel her cuddling against my back. "What are you doing, Mia?"

  "Nothing...it's the Lantosian way. Or should I say...the Taleena way?"

  See? She said it again!

  Her arm is parked over my belly and her ears tickled my neck for a moment.

  "Mmmmm....wow, Mia, your ears are so soft." Wait...did I really just say that so casually?!

  "Heh heh heh....I know." She then started to scratch my own, which felt so incredibly rexing.

  "Is that your special sleeping technique?" I felt my cheeks warming up.She's so close. Too close for a human. But then again....she's an alien...and so am I. Maybe....I should welcome this?

  "Yes, one my mom taught me. I miss her."

  "Same here. I can't visit them, they won't let me."

  "I know, but my family died centuries ago. You and me...is all that's left of us. Everyone else is gone. My family...everyone."

  "I know, Fuheehee,...and I don't think they'll ever return me to my human body either."

  She hugged me for a moment. "Thank you for calling me that....it felt...nostalgic. Guess I needed to hear it more than I thought. So they really cloned you?"

  "Yes, but it was still an experimental process. You and I are not supposed to talk about it, so please don't. I'm only sharing this with you, because you have the right to know."

  "Thank you, I appreciate that. So...would you want to go back to being a human? If you could?"

  "Mmm....honestly, I dunno. Now that I know all of this? I like my drone repair job. The humans are all nice and most Lantosians are too. Except for the Hierarchy, or so I've heard. And my counselor isn't that nice either. So, I guess that this life is more interesting than my human one? It's just that I miss my family."

  "I'm right here." She whispered.

  "Thank you...." I got emotional for a moment. "....your words touched my soul."

  "At least you have one. The Draga sure didn't have one."

  "Those days are gone. Let's make better memories."

  She carefully reached over my back and rubbed my cheek, but all she did was touch my head instead. Well, it's dark!

  "You have no idea how much your mannerisms resemble those of my siblings. I'm so happy to have met you. Kaya?" She whispered in my ears.

  Not sure what happened after that, but I must have fallen asleep. I didn't like Sva's counseling one bit, but Mia's techniques are outstanding!

  [ POV Mia ]

  "Awww......sleep well, Kaya. You are a cute and sweet person. I love being with you and you make me smile. Even if you were a human...your soul is that of a true Taleena, but by the goddess, why must you be so dense?"