Pan woke up with a smile on her face. It was a first for her as lately she'd had little to smile about. Today was different and she knew it had something to do with Auden and his continued presence in her life. Speaking of him, she noticed a new text message from him. Good morning, hope your rest was peaceful and rejuvenating. There should be a package in your mailbox. It's something I've been working on for you for quite some time. I hope you find it to your liking.

'He got me a gift? Wait, he made me something?' Pan thought to herself with growing excitement. Good morning to you as well and thank you; I can't wait to find out what it is, she texted back. With her good mood cemented, she quickly climbed out of bed to get herself ready for the day. While her breakfast was cooking, she made the short trek downstairs to her mailbox which was set beside everyone else's in that building. Auden hadn't given her any indication that he was even pondering giving her something. He'd never done so before. Valentine's Day would come and go and he'd have nothing to show for it. In fact, when she told him what day it was on the day of, he stated that he wasn't even aware. Those sorts of things were of no concern to him. Perhaps he was aromantic and didn't believe in wooing others. Maybe she was assuming too much. Did he even consider them dating or was that all in her head? It wasn't as if they'd talked about it all properly. Neither had yet to put labels on whatever it is they had together.

Pan found the small box and at first thought it was some sort of jewelry, but when she picked it up, she felt its hefty weight—much too heavy for jewelry with reasonable price tags. Auden was too logical of a person to ever consider purchasing such a thing. Her curiosity was piqued when she hurriedly made it back inside so that she could rip open the box.

Inside the box, was a thin golden cellphone without a logo on it. The device was either custom made or completely bootleg. Pan hoped it was the former. Did he think that she needed a new cellphone? She wondered if he'd just noticed her phone one day and decided that it wasn't "good" enough. Auden could talk for hours about the merits of one device over the other. Sometimes she felt as if he'd be more suited to being some sort of tech analyst rather than just dealing with tech support exclusively.

Pan was able to turn on the phone without charging. In fact, there was no charger with it and no space around the phone for a charging cable. Maybe this was some sort of prototype and already she was finding the flaws. She was tempted to text and ask him what the heck he'd given her, but she wanted to discover it for herself. Maybe she might impress him with her own skills of deduction. The screen came alive quickly with a logo she'd not seen before and a woman's voice spoke to her.

"Good morning, what would you like me to do for you?"

Her eyebrows furrowed at this—a digital assistant? She was waiting for the phone to show her the welcome screen or something for her to press, but the symbol of the cute little tiger cub remained patiently waiting for her to say something.

"Ummm…what can you do?" Pan asked unsure of what to do next.

"Everything," the woman answered in pleasant tones.

"You can't just do everything," Pan said matter-of-factly.

"Of course not, I don't have arms and I'm just a voice, but compared to any other digital assistant—I can do anything. Within reason, of course."

Pan looked at her phone quizzically. That didn't quite answer her question, but she was already coming up with things to ask on this basis. Maybe she meant that she could do anything that a typical app might be able to do. "What's your name?"

"Ty," the woman said exclusively.

"Thai? Like the food?"

"No, like the abbreviation of a certain person we both mutually know."

On the screen, Pan was shown the spelling of the name and she immediately understood. 'Tyga', Pan thought to herself, 'Auden Tyga'. "That's a strange name to have," Pan said, "But maybe it'll grow on me."

"Well, it'll be a hard one to forget. I like to keep things short and simple," Ty responded.

"I bet you do. Now let me see…Can you turn on the television?"

"Of course," Ty replied with some smugness.

Pan looked up in surprise when the flat screen turned on instantly. "Wow…" she said almost to herself.

"I know, but that was simple. Give me something a bit more difficult," Ty said.

"Can you turn on and off the lights three times and turn off my phone?"

Almost instantly, the lights turned on and off three times and her phone began the long sequence of turning off completely.

"I can make that process go a bit faster—most phones have a lot of redundancy," Ty said. Then her phone's screen went dark instantly. "Now it will turn on and off at the same accelerated pace each time. You're welcome."

"Did you just optimize my phone?" Pan asked.

"Against my better judgement as I'm in direct competition for your attention—but, yes, I did. An easy fix."

"Can you optimize my PC as well?"

"Hold on. Wow, a few years old, huh? It should be working like new when you next turn it on."

Pan stood up and went to her laptop which was on the dresser and proceeded to turning it on. Much like her phone, it turned on instantly. Her PC had never been that fast before, but then she'd gotten it used in the first place. "So you're just a super convenient tech support device?" she asked enjoying the swiftness of new windows and apps opening on the computer screen.

"That's a bit of a small box to put me in. I can do anything within reason, meaning as long as I can communicate with said device or grid or internet or Bluetooth or network—I can manipulate the programing," she informed her.

"You could have told me that earlier instead of just 'everything'."

"I was programmed that way. Mystery makes me more interesting and nuanced. I can give several different answers to the same question just like a normal person."

"None of them, blatant lies, I hope."

"Sometimes," Ty conceded, "To keep things interesting. All you have to do though is ask 'are you lying' and I'll tell you yes or no truthfully."

"I see. That's an odd little mechanic. A bit unnecessary, if you ask me."

"Luckily, no one did," Ty said back in a sarcastic tone.

This surprised Pan. "Aren't you supposed to be nice and helpful?"

"I am and perhaps entertaining as well."

"Alright, I think I get it now," Pan said shaking her head with a grin. "So Auden created you and I'm just the test subject. I don't know why he decided to just arbitrarily gift this to me."

"I'm not a test. I'm fully functional as he wanted me to be."

"If that's the case…" Pan said slowly, "I mean, this must have taken years to develop and then all he does is give it to me? Seems like something you could sell or make a business out of. Soon A.I.'s could be taking over the world."

"I am not a learning A.I. I know only what is programmed. Also, there would be no benefit for me to assume constant control over things nor is that possible. The system is too fragmented and not all people partake in technology at equal levels."

"You make a good point, Ty."

"No need to worry."

"That's yet to be decided. Think I'll shut you off for now. Is that alright—"

The phone quickly blackened and cut off completely much to her further surprise. She hadn't even finished speaking. Was that supposed to happen? "Ty, turn on."

The phone remained turned off. She repeated herself and the phone didn't respond. A little miffed, she felt for the few buttons on the device and thought she found the power button. With a press, the phone was turned back on without a second's delay.

"So you can't just turn yourself back on?" Pan asked.

"When systems are shut off, I cannot respond to requests."

"Seems like a technical flaw," Pan said.

"Do you really want me listening even after you turn me off?"

"Hmmm…you have a point. Alright, shut off—Need to get ready for work," Pan said.

Without further ado, the phone's screen blackened. Pan was a bit speechless. Why had Auden given her this? For what purpose? Was he trying to show off? She didn't mind it much if he was, but it seemed unlike him. She texted him: Interesting gift. He texted back: Do you not like it? She typed back quickly: The jury is still out on that. I don't understand. Why did you give me this? It took him a while to reply and it was a long one: I thought you might like it. You always seemed to enjoy the phone that I had. Though I could not give you that one as it has a terrible user interface for anyone not well-versed in computer language, I decided to simplify things and perhaps give you some sort of program of equal versatility. Then it grew into a longer project. The framework had already been laid out years ago—some long, forgotten idea that became a convenient one to revisit. There is no UI, but rather a voice. It doesn't have much of a graphics card—not much can be displayed on the screen—but it is a robust system nonetheless. If you have any questions, please ask. I do hope it will be of some convenience to you."

Pan read this as she shoveled her breakfast into her mouth. She would be late for work at this rate. She hadn't expected all of this, but she was not upset about it. She would have to ask him questions later. Despite that, she did put the mysterious device in her purse, thinking she might just have some use for it after all. After climbing into the car and driving out into the main streets, she found herself sitting at long red lights as was the case each day she drove to work. Pan took out her phone as a thought came to her. She turned it on and the cute little fuzzy tiger cub appeared on the screen.

"Could you…turn the red lights green for me all the way to work." This was a test. She didn't expect for this to work. She expected a sarcastic reply about how ridiculous her request was.

"Of course. Hold on. Now you should be fine."

The traffic light eventually turned green. It wasn't instant and this was probably for good reason as other cars would have needed time to slow and stop. Much to her delight, she drove uninterrupted to work and made it there minutes before her shift began. Pan decided right then and there, that she loved the wonderful new phone. Who knew what else she could use it for? Pan looked around once again for the charging cord slot, but she couldn't find it. She'd have to ask Auden about it later.

/

Pan was pleasantly surprised when her phone began to ring and the caller ID read Auden. It was the evening of the next day and she was just settling down in her apartment. She answered with a smile on her face.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Hello," he replied in a tone that was frustratingly neutral. It had an almost robotic quality to it. She couldn't tell if he was happy or not. He had called on his own, however. "There is a new restaurant that has opened up nearby where I live that I've been interested in going to for some time now. Would you care to join me?"

Pan wasn't sure what had prompted such a thing—he'd never invited her to go somewhere with him. On his own admittance, he rarely went anywhere outside of work and home. This was an odd, but welcome occurrence. She couldn't help but question him just a bit. "What's the occasion?"

"I passed by the place once more today. I do that every single time I go home and I always tell myself that I should go there if I'm interested. Then I see all the cars, all the people, and it's an unknown. I've never been inside and I don't know what to expect. So I tell myself, I'll do it later. Not today, but tomorrow when I'm ready. I do that over and over again until I decide that I'm quite tired of waiting. That's the occasion," he finished wearily.

"Well," Pan said as she silently sympathized with his inability to do something that most would consider quite simple, "the wait is over. I'll be there soon, alright? You caught me right before I started making myself dinner."

"Thank you," he replied.

"You're thanking me? You're the one taking me out. Otherwise, I'd just spend dinner by myself watching something on TV."

"This was a bit impromptu. I should have given you more time to decide. I knew, however, that if I did not do this now that I would lose my nerve to do so and continue as always, still wondering what that restaurant might be like."

Pan had her cell on speaker phone listening to him as she rifled through her closet to find something nice to wear. She found a pair of form fitting blue jeans to wear and a red and white shawl-like blouse. She threw on her red sandals and took off from her balcony.

"Don't worry, I completely understand. I know this must be a big deal for you, I'm glad you called. If it's within my power, I will support you no matter what."

"That is a bold claim," Pan heard the other say with the same neutral tone, "One that I can barely hear over the gusting winds. I assume you're on your way. We'll talk more when you get here."

"Alright, see you in five minutes at your place."

Pan hung up the phone and flew as fast as she could to her destination. She was quite motivated to go out on the closest thing to a date that she'd had in a very long time. For a brief moment, she turned to her ascended form to shoot through the air even faster and she made it to Auden's place in record time. He was on the second floor. By the time she climbed the stairs, she heard him coming out of his door. Auden was always a sight for sore eyes. His very appearance brought a smile to her face. He wore nothing out of the ordinary. It was his usual business casual clothes with one of his many quirky ties—this time it was silk depicting the night sky. The royal blue colors of the tie brought out the sharpness of his eyes.

"Do you always have to put your hair up?" Pan asked him before she said anything else, skipping pleasantries altogether. It was something that had bothered her often. Today she'd simply blurted it out. She was feeling a bit spontaneous.

He turned to her after locking his door. "I prefer it that way," he answered as if it was a completely normal question. "I hate when hair gets in my face or in my eyes and how it severely cuts down my peripherals."

"Then why don't you just cut it, if it's such a pain?"

"Why indeed?" he answered with a question of his own.

"Seriously, though," Pan pushed further sensing his evasiveness.

"For the same reason it's taken me far too long to go to this restaurant."

"Oh," Pan said in realization, regretting that she'd pushed him to give her a real answer.

"It's alright," he said unperturbed, "Maybe that will change."

Pan wondered how long that this had been the case. At what point had he decided that he'd rather not have such long hair and for how long had he been trying to get up the nerve to do something about it? Pan could hardly imagine waiting so long for something that she really wanted to do. It showed her just how much his own fears still had quite a hold over him. She became that much more excited about doing this with him. Maybe this was a first step to doing all those other things he'd put on the backburner. Perhaps it would even be relieving, but maybe she was getting ahead of herself. They were just going to a restaurant.

She climbed into his car—a thing that she did not do very often and was very excited to do. While inside the car, she would be quite close to him. She remembered the first time she'd driven with him—he'd clearly been uncomfortable. He'd told her that he was only used to driving Astor to places and that she generally sat in the back. At one time, under urgent circumstances, he'd driven Bra as well, but his mind had been too preoccupied worrying over her condition and making it to the hospital on time to be concerned with just her mere presence. As it turned out, when it came to high-stress situations, Auden became a great deal more practical and less concerned about trivial matters he would otherwise have issue with.

They were breathing the same air. She could smell him and his rich, spicy scent that Pan was sure she was the only one aware of. He wore a light application of one of the more sweeter colognes, but it suited his naturally spicy fragrance. Maybe he knew this as well. She rolled her window down a bit—Auden did not mind that. She wanted the breeze to play with the small tendrils of his hair which would always find its way loose upon his forehead. She imagined his hair to be quite soft and she longed to run her hands through it if only he'd let her. She assumed that she couldn't, so she didn't even begin to ask the other to do it. Wouldn't that be an odd request? He barely did well with briefly being tapped on the shoulder, an entire hand going through his hair would be too daunting. It was a shame. She was making progress, she knew. She hadn't sensed any sort of unease from him as they drove in relative silence to the place. He'd grown used to her presence.

The new soul food restaurant was surprisingly packed that day. Pan couldn't see a line at the door, but the substantial parking lot had almost reached its capacity. She worried that Auden might not fare well. They parked far into the back and they had quite the journey making their way to the entrance.

"So this place has been open for weeks now?" Pan asked.

"Almost a month," Auden elaborated.

"And it still seems to be doing really well. They must be doing something right," Pan said with a laugh.

"Well, if the smell of food wafting out of the place is any indication, then I can certainly imagine repeat patronage."

Pan smelled it too. In fact, she'd smelled it for a while now and she had been actively trying to ignore it knowing that her own hunger would reach unbearable levels of pain otherwise. She'd be liable to eat anything upon sight—and that wasn't exactly the image she wanted Auden to see. He was such a sophisticated individual, always dressing as if he was going to some important meeting, habitually speaking in elevated language, and appearing clean-cut and well-groomed, that Pan was always trying to present herself in a way that was worthy of such a person. She took care to wear something feminine whenever he was around. The last thing she wanted him to think was that she was uncouth and tomboyish.

Despite the high level of traffic the restaurant was getting, the host took them immediately to a place to sit down at a booth. It was a large building able to fit hundreds of patrons at one time. The smell of good food intensified upon sitting down and Pan was struggling to maintain her composure. Auden remained outwardly unmoved by this, the very picture of calm and neutrality. It was incredible.

"A lot of people in here today," Pan said to the other as they began parsing through the menu. They sat on either side of the table. "If it gets to be too much, I have no problem with leaving, alright? Just let me know if you feel uncomfortable."

"I think I'll be fine," he said, his eyes preoccupied with the menu.

Pan was surprised with his almost dismissive tones as if this wasn't at all a big deal. It had seemed like it would be. She'd even expected another panic attack. She looked only briefly at the other with a raised eyebrow. He must have noticed her with his peripherals despite not looking up as he soon responded.

"Were it not for you being here, I think I might have had a complete meltdown by now. We are quite surrounded, but focusing on you—everything else becomes background noise."

She found herself blushing at this. "Well, I'm glad to be of help." The burning sensation intensified when his eyes briefly locked with hers as he looked up from the menu.

"Your strength and confidence is always so palpable. It is quite beautiful and difficult to ignore."

"There you go again—flattering me until I turn into a strawberry."

"Maybe I enjoy seeing your flushed cheeks." He'd stopped paying attention to the menu and there was a sort of devious nature to his expression.

"Auden!" Pan said laughing, surprised at his blatant flirting

"While I'm on the subject, I forgot to mention how nice you look in your clothes today. I'm sure you could pull off anything without even trying." He wore an almost-smile. If his lips curved upward a bit more…

"Alright, you can stop now," she said smiling from ear to ear—she couldn't help it.

"For your sake, I think I will. I would hate for you to melt away completely."

"You're in a rare mood today," Pan said back. "I think I like it."

"I'm excited actually, to be here in this restaurant so soon. I imagined I'd work up the nerves much further down the line. I'm glad I decided not to wait so long. I'm glad that you're here to share this experience with. I wouldn't be doing this at all without you here."

Pan smiled. "Well, then, let's order some food shall we? Let's see if it's all worth the hype."

"I know what I'm getting and it definitely involves cornbread and fried chicken."

"You sure you can handle that, Mr. Vegetarian-out-of-convenience?" Pan asked teasingly. "Weren't you on a diet?"

"Pan, we're in a soul food restaurant. All pretenses of 'healthy' eating was thrown out the window once we stepped in. The real question is can you handle it, lover of Asian cuisine particularly Japanese."

Pan laughed at this. "That's true. I suppose I should have known what I was walking into. Rarely have I partaken in anything that doesn't have rice or some sort of noodle."

"I think you'll find rice in most cuisines, even this one if you're feeling a bit intimidated."

"Intimidated? Me? I'll try anything at least once," Pan said confidently.

Auden hadn't looked at the menu for long and had already closed it entirely. Despite never being to this restaurant, he seemed quite comfortable with choosing what to eat. She, on the other hand, was having some trouble understanding the food items themselves and she was still undecided.

"What's the difference between turnip and collard greens?" Pan asked.

"Taste-wise, collards have a bitter note and turnips are spicier. It doesn't matter a whole lot since they'll likely be prepared the same. I have no idea how they're making it though. Some season them to be quite savory or spicy or even sweet."

"Wow, that's a lot variation. How do you know how they'll be made? They don't have a lot of description here."

"So much of soul food was born out of whatever you had on hand that it was more about making unwanted scraps of food palatable rather than having a specific taste or method. Now there's certain conventions that people have decided on. Old, unwritten recipes now interpreted differently from person to person, family to family—it's difficult to pinpoint a specific taste. You'd be better off asking the waiter if you're concerned about that or just trying it for yourself."

"You seem to know a lot about all this. Are you some sort of soul food enthusiast?"

"It's just something I grew up eating. That's how Mom always cooked things. Regrettably, I hadn't been all that interested in cooking back then as a child. I was too much into my studies, but I would always look forward to her cooking. I've been to quite a few of these sorts of restaurants—unfortunately, I've never tasted anything exactly how she would make things. Everyone cooks soul food a little differently, everyone has their own secret ingredient. But usually it's close enough for me to appreciate. It's in the same realm of taste and cooking. And," Auden finished with a more pronounced upward curve of his mouth in what could be a vague smile, "one can never go wrong with cornbread."

"Could I…try a piece of yours before committing to a whole slice?"

"Of course. Taste test to your heart's content, but leave some for me."

"Ha, ha, very funny. I thought you were supposed to be complimenting me."

"I see nothing wrong with a healthy appetite. We eat lunch together all the time and I do notice the sheer amount of food you bring each time."

"Well, it's not the most attractive thing to point out about a girl," she said in light teasing tones.

"Only because society says so. According to that, all women should be rail thin and fair skinned or as close to that as you can get."

"You know, I think you might be onto something." Then an idea came to her mind. "What kind of woman do you prefer?"

Auden sat back a little in his seat. "Such a loaded question, Pan."

"How about you just be honest. I'm not trying to bait you or anything."

"Truthfully, I don't have a specific preference. I've never thought of women in that way. I've never classified them into types. There's simply too much diversity, don't you think? How can you tell if you prefer one over the other if you've never met all types of women? I hadn't even pictured myself with another woman until, well recently—in the past few years. I do think there is beauty in all women as long as she's comfortable in her own skin."

"Ugh, that's such a PC answer. I wanted the inside scoop," Pan complained.

"That's what I believe." He paused and then continued, "but I do find my eyes drawn to women of a more earthier skin tone. There's a certain allure."

"Am I too fair for you then," she said with a grin.

"Indeed. You should look into sun tanning," Auden said humoring her.

"I'll think about it," Pan said with a grin.

"In all seriousness, you look well exactly as you are now," Auden said.

"You're doing it again, aren't you? Trying to make me blush."

"That's entirely too easy to do, but, at the moment, I was simply being honest."

Just then, the waiter came to their table and Pan watched as Auden ordered his food with ease. Pan eventually chose something similar to what the other had ordered just so she could get the ordering over with. She just wanted some food on a plate in front of her as quickly as possible.

"You can put that all on one check," Auden told the waiter when he asked how they'd like the order to be separated.

Pan looked up with surprise, but it had happened so quickly and the waiter had already left their table to deal with another. It was quite a busy night. "Maybe you should have ran that by me first before doing that."

"Oh? Was I being too forward?"

"Is this a date?" she asked.

"Take it as a token of my appreciation for joining me on such short notice. I've been enjoying myself in this new restaurant—it's the least I can do."

Pan looked at him quizzically, but his expression revealed nothing. "Well, alright, but let me know you're going to do something like that beforehand."

"My apologies," he answered smoothly. "It won't happen again."

Pan pursed her lips for a moment, but then let the matter rest. It was a nice gesture after all. His heart seemed in the right place. "So, I've been meaning to talk to you about this," she said taking out the gift he'd given her earlier that week. "What in the world? Did you really make all this for me? This must have taken forever."

"Not that long. I simply repurposed the program I already had on my phone and made it more automated. Your phone may have a little less capabilities than mine because of that, but I think it will do for your needs. I've already thought of some ways to update the system. Every program is a work in progress as they say."

"You really shouldn't have," she said incredulously, "I kind of feel guilty making you think you needed to do something like this just because your phone was so unique and couldn't really be duplicated."

"Don't be. It wasn't difficult for me. It was something I enjoyed doing very much. Creating a new program, repurposing code to be of great use to someone else—it was less a chore and more of a fun activity. Making things for myself is far less interesting than doing something for another. How do you like it by the way? Has there been any issues?"

"None at all. Your digital assistant, Ty, is a bit snarky sometimes, but I think I'm getting used to that."

"I based her on the only person I know well enough to do that sort of thing with."

"And who's that?" Pan asked intrigued.

"My mom."

"Oh, I had no idea," she said caught by surprise. "I didn't mean to call her 'snarky'—

"No, it's alright. She is."

"It sounds like you're really close to her."

"I was when she was alive—"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I keep coming up with all the worst topics today…"

"No, it's fine. I don't mind talking about her. It's been a long time since her passing and yet there are times when it feels like just yesterday I was talking to her. By now, I've lived longer than the time I've actually spent with her, but I've never had a deeper connection with anyone else."

"I'm glad it's not a sore topic. Not everyone feels that way after losing someone so close. I'm guessing she was pretty supportive of, well, being who you were—your orientation."

"Not always. She was so big on having a family. Sometimes it felt like she was depending on me to make that happen. I know she would have loved having grandchildren to dote on."

"There's Astor," Pan said.

"Ah, yes," he replied. For a moment, he looked distant before he seemed to acknowledge her presence again. "Sorry," he said probably noting his long pause. "At the very least, she would have loved to meet her. I think she would have accepted her," he finished a little quieter. "Even after I told her about myself, she never fully believed me. She always thought I'd meet someone who'd change things, who'd make me feel things I had told her I'd never felt before. I never had the heart to argue with her on that point. I didn't want to disappoint her any further."

Pan gave him a look of understanding. "That last part sounds exactly like my mom and my dad for that matter, but especially my mom. She can be so old fashioned sometimes. I love her, don't get me wrong, but she's never put any stock into my asexuality. I clearly just haven't met the right guy. I couldn't explain it to her so that she could understand or else she always had an answer for everything I tried to tell her."

"In the end, the person who knows you best is yourself," Auden said. "People can only see your outward presence and what you do or say, but they can never understand what's inside. Words can only take you so far."

Pan sighed at this, "That's an extremely depressing thing to think about—a bit isolating. Are we all just extremely lonely people deluding ourselves into thinking we have a real connection with someone else?"

"Now that sounds depressing. Sure, we all have our own experiences unique to ourselves, but we are not as different from the next person as we think sometimes. My mother may not have ever understood me on that one point, but she understood me in other ways. And you and I experienced similar things on account of our orientation. I never had to convince you of anything, you simply understood and I'm certain you relate to me on many levels. Perhaps not all, but many. Does that not bring some ounce of comfort?"

"You're being more positive than me, what has the world come to," Pan said with a grin. "I guess I kind of have some things I still want to work out with my mom and it sucks because other than that we get along really well."

"It's difficult not to focus on the one issue you have with someone even if that person is special to you. At the time, I thought it was so frustrating that my mom didn't support me as much as I wanted on that one thing. In hindsight, I think of her far more positively."

"I'm sure she knew that you loved her."

"I'm certain that she did. Or…I just like to believe that. I wasn't exactly there with her when she passed and I'd neglected to visit her while I was in college. I could barely pay for my own living let alone traveling back and forth. But I've had an incredibly long time to think about things like that. The way my mom was, there would have been no reason for her to believe that I suddenly stopped caring about her. I'd told her a few times, despite her protests, that I was going to college so that she wouldn't have to work so hard anymore. She made no attempt to tell me what condition she was in when her health took a turn for the worst. I never knew she was in the hospital until it was too late. I think she did that purposefully."

"She passed while you were in college? I don't know if I would have even been able to continue school if that happened to me. How did you manage?"

"Poorly. I never finished college. But I do find myself employed and well-paid so things did turn out far better than I expected."

"Hold on, you never finished college and you're this smart? You realize you single-handedly created a digital assistant that works miles better than any of the other ones currently on the market? I don't think those A.I.s can change traffic lights or instantly optimize other devices. I knew it, this confirms it—you're a genius."

"Are we back on that again? I do what I can to the best of my ability."

"I'd seriously consider starting your own business. You're working for Capsule Corp and all you do there is tech support. Your talents are being wasted."

He sighed wearily at this just when the waiter came back with their drinks. They'd both ordered water. Auden had also ordered a raspberry lemonade and Pan had gotten Coke. They'd been talking for a while and all they had to show for it were drinks. It would be a long wait. There were probably countless people ahead of them. Pan quickly took a long sip of her water and watched as Auden took the time to place his straw into the cup filled with water.

"Points out of their favor—We're going to be sitting here forever waiting for that food and I'm already getting dizzy from all this hot food smell."

"I'm not surprised. Most restaurants like these have a longer prep time and it's pretty packed in here. This kind of food can't exactly be rushed like a quick burger from the fast-food."

"Oh, gourmet quality then."

"Something like that. I remember Mom taking quite some time to make the food on the few times out the month she had off from work. The place would be smelling like dinner for a good portion of the day."

"We're going to be waiting that long?" Pan asked surprised.

"No—I doubt this place would still be in business, if that was the case. I'm sure the cooks come in quite early to get things started before the restaurant even opens."

Pan took another long swig of her water considering his words and then looking about at the surrounding tables with food already on them. Her eyes were longing. But her mind eventually returned to her last train of thought before she was interrupted with drinks.

"I'm serious about that business thing or better yet, if you don't want to do that, you could be like Bulma, a consultant of some kind who gets paid way too much money or maybe just sell your own patented programs to them—I'm sure they're always looking for new things like that."

"I do like what I do. It's simple and it's still mildly challenging."

Pan gave him a look. He wasn't a very ambitious person, but she supposed this wasn't such a bad thing. She just hated the fact that his intelligence was being wasted.

"I did want to start a business once upon a time when I was younger and more reckless. I wanted to try everything. I wasn't afraid of anything. But then…things just changed. It became easier to simply keep to myself than to draw attention."

"I see," she said slowly. "And what would your business be doing if you'd decided to actually do it?"

"Well," he said dragging out the word, "It would probably be a lot like Capsule Corp, but better. Any industry that they have their hands in, PCs, video games, cellphones, spaceships—I'd be able to create something not only faster and more affordable but emphasize the ease of use and compatibility. CC is guilty for gouging their customers with obscene prices because they're pretty much a monopoly. They use cheap mechanical engineering tricks that force customers to buy new cords and auxiliary equipment that fulfill the same purpose as the last version with each new iteration of their devices. It's ridiculous. You can improve the operating system of a device without changing the overall structure. I didn't actually want to work for CC, but I knew Bulma and I was too desperate to decline her offer to help me. Because I owe her so much, I've not seen fit to find some other employment. I'm by no means irreplaceable, but I'm in some small part repaying my debt."

"Geez, that sounds incredible. Everything you just said. And yeah, now that I think about it, CC really is a monopoly—they're pretty much the gold standard of technology innovation."

"That they are. It's a deserving title. Bulma was always a brilliant inventor. While I had to study for hours on end each day just to understand computers and how they worked, Bulma simply understood things in her own unique way. I hardly ever saw her with a book in hand—she was too busy enjoying life. She had time for that. If anyone is a genius, it would certainly be her. The very picture."

"Bulma is pretty smart. I think she won the Nobel Prize at least twice."

"Three times," he corrected her.

"But that doesn't take away from what you have," Pan reminded him. "Maybe you weren't a prodigy, but you worked hard and that's something to be proud of. That kind of dedication is hard to come by. Bulma probably couldn't even raise a candle to that. You worked harder than most to get to where you are. Against all odds, here you are. I would root for someone like that. It's inspiring. That business that you just described is the most ballsy thing I've heard in a long time. If anyone could do it, it would be you."

Just then, the food finally came and Pan almost died and went to heaven. She was thanking the poor waiter profusely. Pan had several plates of meat, starches and vegetables. Auden had a modest plate of greens, cornbread, mac and cheese, and fried chicken. She attempted to keep her composure, she attempted to even still hold a conversation with Auden, but she eventually found herself devouring the food at an alarming rate. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Auden grinning at her antics, but even this discovery didn't deter her.

"This food is perfection," Auden said as she started on her last plate, "I can certainly understand your voracious consumption," he finished with a hint of mirth.

It wasn't until she was finished with her food that she even regarded the other at length. He'd already cut into the cornbread and that was likely the thing he was chewing on at the moment. Pan noted that this must have been his favorite item on the plate and she could plainly see that he was enjoying it. That slight curve of his mouth was evident enough.

"I could probably eat three more plates of that," Pan said as she tried to regain her composure by sipping daintily on her Coke.

"Order as much as you want. I'm in no hurry. Maybe I'll get myself a second if I can manage this one."

"Nah, that's alright," Pan said suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious about her very empty plates and Auden making his way slowly through his one plate.

"Come, Pan, you don't have to put on a show of restraint. I'm the last person who would ever think to judge you."

Pan sighed a this. "Hey, didn't you say I could try some of that cornbread?"

"I did," he said, stopping himself before he placed the last of it onto his fork. He slid his plate within her reach. Instead of using her own fork, however, she deliberately used his. She wasn't sure if he would take issue with this, but she went for it anyway. She took her time sliding her lips over the fork and then gently she placed it back on the plate, chewing at a pace much slower than usual—she was taste testing, of course.

Auden was watching her patiently, but she didn't feel anything remotely like disgust from him. He seemed more curious than anything else. "So what do you think?" he asked startling her a little out of her wandering thoughts. Had he noticed anything at all?

"It's soft and buttery and sweet—not bad," Pan said back, "I wouldn't say it's my favorite though."

"That's alright, but at least it was somewhat to your liking."

Pan watched the other slide the plate back to its previous position and with that same fork which had been placed so tenderly in her mouth, he began on the mac and cheese without qualm. Now that the indirect kiss was complete, she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. It was a little embarrassing frankly—at least the sensible part of her mind thought so. Yet this did not stop her from blushing, apparently a thing that she couldn't stop herself from doing. She found him looking at her questioningly. Could he possibly read her mind at this moment?

"You're blushing again, but for reasons unknown this time," he commented.

"Oh, it's nothing," Pan said in a tone higher pitched than usual.

He looked at her quizzically. "Well, alright," he said slowly. "Feel free to order more if you want."

She couldn't bring herself to say it just in case he might think it was ridiculous or that he might panic if he realized what happened. "I think I will order something else," Pan said finally.

When the waiter came back over to check in on them, Pan proceeded to trying other things on the menu. She was feeling adventurous and her other three entrees had turned out quite well. Perhaps southern cuisine was something she could get into, but Japanese would always be her go to. Because of how long it seemed to take to make such food, it made it less appealing to make at home. Perhaps on a special occasion and she'd prepped for it beforehand, she might attempt cooking it. As she waited for the order and continued to chat with Auden, she stopped in midsentence explaining the difference between Udon and Soba noodle when she heard Malachi's voice, Malachi's singing voice to be more specific.

She recognized it immediately as soon as he uttered the first note. It was a recording, of course, but of a very high quality. Music had been playing the whole time overhead. She hadn't paid it any mind until that moment. She forgot everything she had been about to say as she was serenaded by his sweet tones. She'd abstained from listening to his music for a long while as the constant reminder became a bit too much to handle. After so long, however, she felt deprived of his music and its sudden presence resonated deeply with her. His light and airy tones were charged effortlessly with genuine passion and love—it was so evident in his voice far more evident than most singers. It caused her pause. All she could do was listen. She doubted anyone else felt quite so in awe as she did then, but she didn't care. She wanted his voice to surround her, to swallow her whole. Her eyes were closed as the song continued and his emotions intensified as it usually did in the second verse and the third repetition of the hook or chorus.

"Perfect," Pan breathed as the song inevitably ended.

"One of my favorites, perhaps because it's one of his few songs that wasn't overplayed on the radio," Auden said.

"Oh," she said opening her eyes now. "You listen to Malachi's music?"

"Astor adores him. Every time there was a new album, I certainly knew about it. His voice is quite distinct—it's difficult to mistake him for anyone else. Now, if you've been paying attention to the radio these days, his presence is felt in all the new songs that came out in the past year across all genres perhaps as a homage—it's become more obvious though it's been happening for years. Every time you walk into the music section of a store, he's in the front and every single album he's ever come out with is available. I've seen at least two different Best of collections along with re-releases of his albums with previously unreleased tracks, demos, and even not quite finished tracks. They're selling out in surprising numbers."

"I've stopped listening to the radio because of that. I needed to get away from his music for a while, but it seems it's alright now. After his death was made public…" She closed her eyes and looked away.

"He was given a far more befitting funeral that was televised worldwide, at the very least."

"Far more befitting? It was a nightmare. Media went crazy. They were out of their minds and they were far more demanding than they'd ever been before."

"Could you blame them?" Auden said calmly. "Malachi was idolized and cherished across the globe. I know it's easy to forget being in such close contact with him."

"Quint is a real piece of work. That bastard blatantly monopolized on his death. It was supposed to be kept a secret just in case we could figure out how to bring him back. Then he just went behind our backs and let the cat out of the bag. Now if he ever came back, he wouldn't be able to resume his life as he left it."

"Do you really believe that's possible?"

Pan looked at him then. "Have you heard of the dragon balls?"

"Bulma explained it to me. Sounds too good to be true, but they don't exist anymore."

"No. In the past, we used them all the time to bring people back. Vegeta and Bulma said they were working out a way to change things."

"I see."

"You don't believe any of this, do you?"

"I believe that you do just as the rest of your friends. As far as I know, Bulma hasn't completely lost her mind. But I don't believe such tales. If it sounds too good to be true, it often is. Once someone dies, that's it. They are simply gone and you're only left with their memories to suffice until one day you also take leave from the world."

Pan looked down at the table at this, knowing that the other wasn't completely wrong. That was how life worked; they'd simply been cheating the system for far too long. She wondered what made them special. What made them more deserving of resurrection than the rest of the world. They'd used the dragon balls to revive entire populations a few times, but it didn't excuse how they'd gather the dragon balls to selfishly revive a singular person on several occasions. If she could, she'd do it again just for Malachi. In this instance, she was sure the rest of the world would want that as well.

"I haven't given up hope," Pan said.

He was still working on his food. She had finished her next round of entrees. "That's admirable, but I worry that you're setting yourself up for failure, believing in something that can never be."

"You're just from the outside—you wouldn't understand."

"I understand that these mystical objects no longer exist on this planet. Even if they did as they said, that avenue is now lost. What else is there to do?"

"New Namek," Pan said determinedly, "A planet inhabited by an alien race called the Namekians."

Auden looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And the dragon balls reside there?"

"Yes, they should. The only problem is, we don't know how to get there. We have no idea where it's located. Dende doesn't either or at least he says he doesn't."

"Dende?"

"A namekian. He lives here on Earth."

"Does he? Perhaps somewhere out of sight from the layman."

"Well, he's definitely out of reach from most people. Maybe I'll take you to see him one day."

"It's not an urgent need of mine," Auden replied.

"Anyways, Bulma and Vegeta are working on it."

"They're searching for a needle in a haystack and they don't know what that needle looks like. I think it's easy to underestimate how vast space truly is. I can believe that there are other planets out there that can sustain lifeforms different from us, but I doubt that planet is anywhere close to us. We would have known by now. Give human astrophysicists some credit."

His words held an air of truth to them. It was difficult to completely dismiss, but she didn't want to believe that. "Bulma is a genius. She'll figure something out."

"I think it's important we focus on the here and now. What I said about the funeral, I think it was necessary. As far as I know, Malachi cared about his fans and he would not have wanted to exclude them from something like this. I don't know if you watched it on television, but it was a tasteful farewell. He was honored and celebrated. Even if in the end this Quint benefits from the increased interest and sales of his music, I think it is quite special to be remembered so fondly by so many people. I doubt his presence in the world will ever truly be forgotten as his contributions to the music industry has had far reaching effects. Now everyone can properly mourn his death because it was made public knowledge—somehow, I don't think Malachi would have been upset about that."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Pan said. "I wonder how Bra is doing?"

"Perhaps you should call her. I've had no further contact with her. Bulma came in personally to tell me that she wouldn't be coming back to work so she has long since terminated employment with CC."

"It's been difficult getting in contact with her. She won't answer my calls and I took that as a signal that she didn't want to be bothered. I've left her alone. She has her family after all. I'm sure they're looking after her."

"Yes—family is a good thing to have after losing someone so close to share in your grief."

By now, Auden had finally finished his food and he was not up for anything else. They waited for another few minutes for the waiter to come back so that the order could be paid for. Pan watched as he left a substantial tip for the waiter and left his silver credit card for the waiter to take up.

"I don't get it," Pan said suddenly as something just came to her mind, "You live in a really small apartment yet you said you were well-paid? Just haven't gotten around to getting a house?" After she said this, she wondered if she was being a bit too nosy, but Auden didn't seem to mind as he answered without hesitation.

"It takes quite a bit of work for someone to maintain a household—work that I have no patience for. I would also have no experience whatsoever in mowing lawns or cleaning gutters. It would just be me living there, really. Astor comes and goes—I doubt I'd have the heart to put her to work in that way. A house just isn't practical or necessary."

"Hm, I never thought of that. I've just always lived in a house. Even though I live in an apartment now, I always knew that eventually I'd find myself a nice house to settle down in one day."

She was talking about living arrangements with Auden. Her treacherous mind was already entertaining the idea of living with Auden in a nice little house together. That was a bit much for someone she wasn't quite sure she was dating even now. They were just friends right now—close friends, she supposed. He didn't think of her like that. She was sure he didn't fantasize about such silly things. His brilliant mind didn't have time for those kinds of things. He was probably thinking about things that she couldn't even hope to fathom.

They left the restaurant feeling quite satisfied with their meal. Pan climbed into the car with Auden even though, at this point, she probably could have just taken off back to her own place. He didn't mention this as they drove the short distance back to his apartment in comfortable silence. They'd talked with surprising ease for a long span of time that evening and Pan felt that as far as conversation went, he had been quite engaging. Maybe he was getting better at that sort of thing or maybe this was just a fluke. He had been in a good mood—that was undeniable.

Pan stepped out of the car and walked with him to his apartment. They said their goodbyes and finally parted ways. It was almost eleven at night and they both still had early starts. They'd been out longer than usual on account of the long wait times and the lateness of when they decided to have dinner. All in all, this had been one of her better days to date after "the incident". Perhaps it was still possible for her to find some sort of happiness even without Malachi being around.