Aster climbed three flights of stairs to reach the apartment she shared with her father. Upon attempting to unlock the door, she realized that it was already unlocked. That was highly suspect since her father always made sure to lock it and he rarely strayed from routine. In fact, she began to panic when her mind conjured up all the horrible things that might have happened. She quickly ran in calling out his name until she got to his room and saw that he appeared fine. His hair was different and though this was surprising enough, her eyes were drawn embarrassingly to his noticeable erection as he'd not bothered to climb under the comforters this time. She'd seen it before and knew that it didn't necessarily mean anything significant, but it was embarrassing all the same. She often found herself in a situation in which she was waking him and at least half of those times, she'd find her father fully extended. Today was just one of those days.

Something was going on and she didn't like things out of the ordinary not when it came to him. She had to make sure he was alright. He had a fragile constitution. She'd been with him long enough to know that almost anything could set him off in a bad way and that he may not recover all that well from it. They'd made so much progress lately. He was far more independent than he'd ever been and she didn't want him to backpedal after all that hard work.

The clock read that it was nearly 9 in the morning. Why was he still asleep at this hour?—he was overdue for his medication and he had to take those precisely at 8. Determinedly, she walked over and shook him to wakefulness. He seemed particularly difficult to rouse that morning; that was usually not the case.

"Dad, come on, you gotta' take your pills," Aster said authoritatively as she shook him vigorously now.

He groaned wearily at this. Aster breathed a sigh of relief now that he was actually responding. His eyes were still half-closed. "Mmm, what time is it?" he asked in a heavy voice. He looked about for the clock even though she was sure the position of the digital clock in the room hadn't changed in ages.

"Almost 9 o'clock—you're late," Aster said with some urgency. After all it was something quite important to his continued lucidity. "Did you have a late night?"

He sighed heavily as his eyes finally found the clock. He'd moved only a little and his body still laid sprawled upon messy comforters, "Very late night," he confirmed, "Haven't done that in a while." This concerned her as well.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but let's try to stay on track, okay? I'll get the pills and water."

"Mhm," his voice rumbled as his eyes closed again. He hadn't even so much as sat up. He appeared quite exhausted.

Before her eyes, he was falling asleep again with no sense of urgency much to her frustration. Were it not for the medication, she would have left him in peace as he appeared incredibly relaxed. It must have been a good night for him—no nightmares, no sleeplessness from anxiety.

She went to the bathroom to get his pills, but just as she did, she realized that he hadn't eaten anything yet. Taking those heavy pills on an empty stomach never turned out well for him. He'd be feeling bad for the rest of the day. She quickly made something in the kitchen—bacon and eggs—and came back to his room with a hot plate and a glass of water. He had not moved in the slightest and it was well past 9 by now. Aster had to go through all the trouble of rousing him again, but this time she could bribe him with food. She placed the food on the bed and the water on the nightstand in front of the digital clock.

"Hey, Dad, I got some food for you and your pills."

He barely responded to her with a slight movement of his head.

"It's important," Aster reiterated.

"Yeah, I know," he murmured, though he had yet to open his eyes. He seemed determined to ignore her.

"Very important," she said forcefully. A moment later, he seemed to respond and Aster stepped back as he finally began sitting up.

He kept one of his hands on his face, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his fingers and letting it run down the rest of his face. He looked at her fully only after he moved over to the side of the bed. There was still bleariness in his eyes as they lingered on her. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Sometimes you look just like her…" he said with an odd cadence to his voice.

She decided it was better that she made herself scarce for a bit at least until after he'd taken everything. He was getting a bit loopy. She knew the 'her' he was referring to. Usually, it was a compliment to be compared to one's mother, but in her case, it made her feel awful. She knew what her mother had done and she hated her for it.

"Dad, I put everything on the bed beside you. I'll, uh, I'll be back in a little while."

When he was momentarily distracted from her, seeking out the food, she slipped out of the room, closed the door, and then waited patiently on the ground beside his bedroom. She looked up when the door opened again after a while. He wore a confused expression likely because she was sitting there in the hallway. She smiled and said, "Good Morning" to him as friendly as possible, testing the waters. He paused briefly and responded in fashion with a monotone she had come to expect from his voice. He was normalized, he was calm, he was safe to be around—there were no odd notes to his voice, no hidden paranoia, no singular need to disconnect from everything and everybody. He acknowledged her without difficulty and he had no issue with her presence. This was who she preferred. Beneath, she knew lied a broken and unreachable man who would be content to exist in complete sensory deprivation if he was to exist at all. The medication which maintained his mental state was his lifeline and she constantly reminded him to take them. Though it was important, for the most part, his enthusiasm towards them were lackluster at best. But then, he was lackluster in most things. She couldn't tell whether he genuinely hated to take the medication or not.

She was left to her own devices for a short while as he continued on to the bathroom down the hall. As he did this, she stepped back into the room to check if he actually ate everything. She found everything empty—the plate, the glass, and the slot for the pills for today on the medication carrier. She took these things and brought it to the kitchen. Then she meticulously went about cleaning up the kitchen and putting the dishes away. By the time she came to the room, her father was fully dressed with his eyeglasses already on.

She paused there in the doorway taking a closer look at his hair, more taken aback by how different he looked. She was starting to wonder if he was some imposter. Her mind couldn't quite put all the pieces together. Did he manage to cut his own hair?

"Alright, this is killing me, Dad. What happened to your hair, seriously?"

He regarded her with a side-glance before returning his gaze back to his phone. "I had someone cut it for me."

"You say that like it's a casual thing. You realize you've never ever cut your hair before—at least since I've known you. You keep that haircutting kit around, but it's just for show. Now this? Did somebody knock you out and then steal your hair or something?"

"You have quite the imagination. I did have someone do it, as I said, someone who I know well enough for it not to be an impossible task."

Aster sighed exasperatedly, "Don't tell me it's Pan again. You're still talking to her?"

"Yes, it was her. Not exactly a difficult conclusion to come to," he remarked.

Aster frowned at this. "You know how I feel about her. It's already getting out of hand—you had her cut your hair? What's next? What other compromises are you going to have to squirm through?"

"Compromising isn't such a bad thing. In fact, I think it's necessary and commonplace."

"That doesn't apply to you," Aster said as she now stepped into the room. "You know what compromise means? Changes. You have to do something outside of your comfort zone and that isn't a good thing for you." She sat down on the opposite side of the bed her father was sitting.

"So far, I've been enjoying this new haircut and I'm fine. Nothing terrible happened."

"For now, but it always goes bad. Age issue aside, she won't really be able to understand you. Maybe she likes you because you're different. I think that's always been the case, hasn't it? They see that you're 'different' from everyone else. They're drawn in by the mystery—you don't say much about yourself and you keep to yourself. Then they find out who you really are, and they abandon you. I don't know why you bother."

"I understand what you're saying, but I don't think I could go on living like this without having some sort of…closeness with another. And though I might enjoy my solitude more than others, even I can't escape feeling lonely sometimes. It comes and goes, but when it's there, it's hard to ignore."

"How about me?" Aster said quietly, "Why can't I do? We've known each other for a long time and I feel like we've talked about everything. What more do you need?"

"You mean a great deal to me, Aster. I cherish every moment we spend together. Don't ever think otherwise. But that isn't enough. Not always."

Aster shook her head at this and glanced back at him. "What even is your definition of a relationship with other people? You're pretty much just close friends with them. That's all you want, it seems like. No touching, no kissing, no sex—just having someone to talk to. And I can do all those things. I know I've been out of the house more lately, but I can cut back on that, you know. Hang out with you more."

"Aster, what are you suggesting?"

"You don't need anyone else because I'm friends with you and I won't ever abandon you. I'm really the only one who can understand you. Whatever you think you have with Pan, you can have with me. I'll be the closest friend you can ever ask for."

He sighed wearily at this much to her displeasure. Had she said something wrong? It took him a long moment to even respond. "You're my daughter who I care about deeply, but what you've proposed simply cannot be. I could never be in the same sort of relationship I might have with Pan, with you. Those lines would never cross, not in my mind. To even suggest such a thing…"

He left his thoughts unfinished and her eyebrows furrowed at this. He made it sound like it was out of the question, but she knew her father well and she knew what his ideal relationship would look like. No one in their right mind would ever agree to a lifetime commitment living within those strange, limiting parameters. It was more of a mental affair and most others required far more than that in a real relationship. Knowing these things, she knew that he was better off just keeping to himself and being content with just a friendship with somebody if he wanted something constant like that.

"What's wrong? Do I look too much like her?"

"…That isn't it. I appreciate your concern, but perhaps your advice is a bit misguided."

"How long, Dad? How long do you think it'll take this time before the initial curiosity is over? She'll get to know you a little better, find out who you are, and then realize that she's in over her head and that she could never be in a relationship in which she can't touch you like normal people do. The novelty always wears off. And then it's never good what happens to you after that."

"We are simply friends. That's all. Two adults getting to know one another a little more each day."

"You text her every day?"

"She doesn't seem to mind."

"You probably think about her a lot too. You probably admire her already. You've probably mulled around every single detail about her over and over in your head. That's just how you are. You get attached way too quickly. Don't try to tell me otherwise. Friends is code for a deep relationship for you and I bet she doesn't feel the same way. I bet she's second guessing herself right now. What would you really do if she called you right now to end things?"

"We would simply go our separate ways."

"No, she would leave you behind and then we're right back where we're started. That's a trigger, you know. Being in a relationship is a trigger because it always ends in failure."

"I can't avoid something simply because it might end in failure. It's something that I've done for a long time, but I've never agreed with it. I can't truthfully say how I would react should she suddenly decide to break ties with me, but it seems unlikely that it would happen."

"For now," Aster said haughtily. "Are you really that naïve to think nothing bad is going to happen?"

"That is always a possibility in all things. In this instance, I'm willing to take a chance."

"Of course you are," Aster said with disdain, "You just can't help yourself. The moment you called her back, you already made your decision. I told you not to and yet you still did. What? In spite of me? You didn't think your situation wasn't precarious enough? You just needed a little more danger in your life?"

"Perhaps you should have a little more faith in me. It would be helpful if you were more supportive."

"I won't support something I know won't end well. Listen, I know it sounds harsh," she said as she leaned back onto her arms on the bed, "but this thing you have with Pan, it's not worth the risk. You cannot handle being in a relationship with her or anybody that isn't me who really understands you. As soon as you can, you should end things with her."

"Things aren't as serious as you seem to think—"

"But it will be if you keep this up even if it isn't already and I don't buy that for a second. You're letting her cut your hair. I can't imagine how much you had to endure for that. You've gone on for this long without a haircut and now you suddenly feel like it's top priority? I think you were just telling yourself that to justify how grossly you had to compromise to make her feel better. You knew that she'd like that and in that moment, her happiness mattered more than yours and that's a dangerous situation to be in. That can't happen again."

"You paint a very one-sided picture. She's had to compromise as well and she's only ever been respectful of my boundaries. Who better than myself should decide if something has gone too far or not? It was not such a terrible strain last night that I couldn't endure it. I know you're worried about me, but I do enough of that on my own."

"Do you? From what I can tell, it gets worse from here and you're inviting it. It will escalate. She'll want more and more. She'll think she's making 'progress' with you, but we all know that that's superficial at best. She'll think: "Oh, one day I might be able to kiss him" or "One day we can sleep in the same bed all it takes is some time." You know that's a lie. You know those things aren't even on the table and I bet you haven't told her those things."

"We're just friends."

"I bet she was all too eager to run her hands through your hair for any off the wall reason. If she really knew or understood you, she would not have agreed to it at all. But she didn't pass it up. If that was a test, she failed miserably."

"She did a good job. There was no way she could have known how serious I was about it versus being uncomfortable with that sort of thing. She did what she thought was best. She made an honest effort and it wasn't out of malice or opportunity."

"You don't know that for certain. It might have been a bit of both—she was being opportunistic and concerned about actually doing your hair." Aster turned and looked at him again. Then she stood up and walked around the bed to get a better look at him. "Although, it's starting to grow on me."

"It took me far less time to wash my hair and it's already dry and styled. For all that convenience, I think it was worth the effort to get it in the first place."

Aster rolled her eyes at this. "Sure, Dad. Don't forget what I said though. It only escalates."

His eyes became thoughtful and then he closed them as if in reflection. "You've never been wrong about this sort of thing."

"Exactly," she said, glad that he was beginning to see things her way. Pan was a headache he didn't need. "And you've been doing so well lately except for today. Other than that though…You've actually been keeping up with your medication. No panic attacks. Work hasn't been too stressful. You've been so independent. I haven't had to check in on you so regularly. Why don't you just do yourself a favor and end things before it gets too far and all this progress you've made goes straight down the toilet."

"It isn't quite as simple as that. I've spent so much time with her that it's become part of my routine and something that I look forward to. Taking that away so abruptly, well, it would be difficult."

"Sure, ending friendships are always that way, but it won't be as bad as it could be. A brief discomfort versus a complete meltdown. I think you know what the obvious choice is. Can you really be this shortsighted to make a decision based on how you feel right now?"

"I understand what you're saying and I can't deny that it makes perfect sense and that you've given me a good solution, but I simply cannot go through with it."

"I swear, you're worse than a child. You just do things just because it makes you feel good, to hell with the consequences. To hell with me who's always the one who has to pick up the pieces."

"I'll try not to put you in that position again. Should something like that happen, you shouldn't take it upon yourself to fix things. That's what hospitals are for."

"So they can take you away? So we can just be separated and you stay locked up in some facility? I won't let that happen. I won't be responsible for that."

"You're an adult now, Aster, and you have been for a long time. It wouldn't be the end of the world. When you were a child, I took no chances whatsoever and made sure I was always there for you. But that time has long passed even if you want to pretend it hasn't. It can't always be like this. This stagnation that we seem to be in, it shouldn't continue indefinitely, it isn't healthy. That's why I'm taking a chance like this. I hold out hope that it won't end the way you say and even if it does, I don't think it would have been a wasted experience. What's the point of living if I've trapped myself in a box? Always being afraid of what might happen is almost as stressful as having the worst actually happen. Anyone could come up with dozens of ways of how it could all go wrong, but then experience nothing of substance for the entirety of their life. I don't plan on not being able to handle things as they come. I hope that I'm strong enough to adjust and change, but I won't ever know for sure unless I try."

"I've heard this talk before," Aster said with crossed arms. "It always ends the same. It's cyclical at this point. You should just be content with how things are instead of doing this song and dance over and over again. I've said this a few times before, but I'll say it again: You're not capable of adjusting to things that are too far out your comfort zone. You're not like other people and you never will be and you don't have to be. Who says you need to make friends in order to be happy? Who says a life full of routine and sameness isn't a life worth living? Who says pain is the only indicator that you're doing things the right way?"

Her father sighed at this. "I don't know." His voice had gotten smaller and more unsure.

"I'm telling you right now and all you have to do is listen."

She hated seeing her father so uncertain and she knew she wasn't helping matters in that regard. She wasn't simply telling him to go for it. She couldn't do it. This was something that he desperately needed to hear even if it sounded harsh. It was for his own good. The alternative was far worse, and she couldn't really help him if it came to that.

"I'll…be late for my appointment if I stay here much longer," he said after a very long pause. He'd been thinking. She wasn't sure if he'd come to any good conclusions.

"Well," she said stepping away from him, "I hope your session goes well. Maybe you should discuss this with her. She might wound up saying the same thing."

He was already standing up. "Probably not."

"That's because she's just some stuffy therapist and I'm the only one who really cares about you."

He moved towards the entrance of the room past her. "I'll see you when I see you then," he said with a voice heavy in weariness.

Aster frowned at this. "I'll be here tonight."

"You'll be at the Brief's residence today, I'm sure. Have fun. If you decide to stay the night there, it wouldn't bother me in the least. The important thing is that you're doing what you like to do. There's no set schedule you have to adhere to."

"But you'd like that, wouldn't you? You like set routines."

"I like that you're going out somewhere and don't feel the need to stay here all the time. Text me if you need me, other than that I'm not overly concerned what you do."

Aster watched the other leave with a frown that hadn't left her face. He was being so nonchalant these days. He used to demand that she tell him exactly what she's doing each day and she used to spend almost all her time with him when not at work. She wasn't altogether sure what this was or why he was being this way, but she didn't particularly like it. She told herself that at least. Yet his lack of intense concern for her whereabouts made her less concerned about it as well. She hated how easily she'd fallen into just doing things and going places she wanted without letting him know. She needed to keep a close eye on him, but he didn't seem to care either way. He never called her wanting her to be around like he used to. Before she knew it, she'd spend days without ever seeing or talking to him. What did this mean? Were they simply drifting apart? She couldn't leave her father alone—that would be dangerous now even more so since it seemed he was trying to use Pan to replace her, a completely unknown woman.

She didn't like any of it and she wanted it all to return to normal. Even so, her thoughts returned to Jensen as it often did, obsessively occupied with him. He would often steal away her attention from all other things even her father and it was something she didn't much have control over.

Music flowed through the room. Bra had turned on one of Malachi's more exciting playlists of club bangers from the past and soon she and Pan were dancing about the ample floorspace in the room. Neither one of them were all that good at dancing, but that didn't matter—enjoying themselves was more important. It emboldened them as they saw each other just as clumsy and not quite on rhythm. It helped that they knew the words to all the songs. Pan wasn't keeping up with the time so she couldn't tell just how long they were fooling around, but they did get through quite a bit of songs before settling down again. They'd thoroughly tired each other out.

They laid sprawled out on the soft carpeted floor, heaving as they tried to catch their breaths. Strangely enough, she felt worn out as if she'd just gone through an intense workout. It hadn't seemed so strenuous until she was able to feel the full extent. She'd worked muscles she hadn't known was there—or to be more accurate, muscles she normally didn't pay much attention to. She might have landed on her feet wrong a few times, but it was all in good fun and she felt the best while relaxing after doing something that physically stimulated her.

"Can you imagine doing an entire concert like this, but with way more precision and skill?" Bra asked.

"Harder than it looks," Pan replied between breaths.

"Then everyone's eyes are on you. You have to do it perfect or else people will tear you to shreds. I've seen celebrities decimated in the news for bad lip-syncing," Bra said.

"Yeah, but Malachi never lip-synced."

"So people like to claim, but he definitely did that. Not the entire time, but moments when it became too much of a strain to get the notes out while doing routines that were getting increasingly complex."

"Seriously? Am I getting the inside scoop?"

"If you do it well enough, no one really notices. I think everybody lip-syncs at some point, but we only notice when it's done badly."

"You know what probably helps though? The fact that it's hard to tell his recorded voice from his live voice. It sounds almost exactly the same."

"He didn't really embellish the sound of his voice in the studio. I was pretty surprised too. I thought to myself: no one sounds that perfect in real life. He's sang in front of me enough times to know that it does. It's a little uncanny. If you listen closely though, really closely, you can hear the difference. I think that's just because my hearing is far superior to most and I bet he can't even hear that."

"Lucky you, getting front seat live performances for free at a moment's notice," Pan said with a laugh.

"More like reluctant performances. I would shamefully badger him until I got what I wanted."

"Bra!" Pan said exasperatedly though still in good spirits. "You're ruthless."

"Oh, he could handle it. I never did that when he was actually tired just when he was being pissy. That was really the best way to get him out of that kind of mood."

"That's the thing that always makes him happy. When I was trying to cheer him up, I knew I had to involve music somehow," Pan said.

"I wasn't always badgering him though. There were times if he was in a good mood that I wouldn't have to do all that. Sometimes, he'd sing all through the house and he always sang to Machi because she absolutely loved it and often wouldn't go to sleep without it."

"Imagining him doing those things—it gives me a warm feeling."

Just then, Pan's phone beeped—she'd gotten a text message. After she pulled it out of her pocket, she knew it had been from Auden. It brought a smile to her face. That there was someone else out there thinking about her felt incredibly satisfying. All in the same moment, she felt utterly guilty and confused. She was here with Bra enjoying herself and they'd done things that two "friends" probably shouldn't. Yet she still felt at ease with her as if nothing had changed. But something had. Every minute she didn't say something to Auden even if it hadn't been that long since it happened, she felt guilty. She read the text message: Hope you've been enjoying your time off from work. How are you doing?

"Who's that?" Bra asked startling the other.

"Oh, nobody. Just somebody from work—you wouldn't know them," Pan said struggling to find the right words.

"It's Auden, isn't it?" Bra, as usual, was able to see right through her.

Pan sighed. She really didn't feel like trying to hide things. It never ended well anyways. Besides, she'd never actually done that to Bra before. "It's him. He just…wanted to know how I was doing."

"That's sweet. He's concerned about you. What are you going to tell him?"

"The truth."

"Over a text?"

"You're right, I should call him."

Pan heard the other move. She looked up as she watched Bra crawl towards her until she was right over top of her—Pan didn't do anything to stop her. She found herself gazing up into her mesmerizing eyes.

"What exactly is the truth?" Bra asked curiously.

"I...don't know," Pan said uncertain.

Bra lowered herself a little until she was able to press her lips against hers and Pan responded instinctually. It felt nice. It felt like it was meant to happen. They continued for a while until Bra pulled herself away and then laid down beside her.

"You're not making this very easy," Pan said.

Bra giggled at this. "Maybe you'll figure it all out eventually. In the meantime—I'm super bored. Kinda tired of staying in this room all the time."

Pan sighed at this. Despite everything Bra had been through, despite locking herself away from the world for months, she appeared so carefree now and she didn't want to ruin her mood. "Well, there's the technology festival going on—

"Oh yeah, it's sponsored by Capsule Corp. I haven't been to that since I was a kid."

"I've never gone. Didn't want to go by myself and every time I brought it up when we were younger you and Marron never wanted to go."

"Aww, I'm sorry, I had no idea! That means we definitely have to go," Bra said with a grin.

"Crazy that your mom's company is big enough to have their own festival."

"Mom has enough money to buy the entire world," Bra laughed. "Old news, really."

"Yeah, it always made me feel a bit awkward to know someone with that kind of wealth."

Bra sat up then. "Alright then—let's go before we talk ourselves out of it."

"Sounds like a plan."

Bra was practically pulling Pan along with excitement after they finally found a decent place to park a mile away. Pan had forgotten just how big the festival was. It stretched over several blocks and people from all over went to it. Of course, there was food and drink and her sharp senses could already smell the funnel cakes and fried food in the air. It was intoxicating.

She still hadn't texted Auden back, but buried her sentiments in the back of her mind for the time being.

"I have no idea the events they're having. Maybe we should've looked it up first," Pan said as she began to see booths and throngs of people passing, feeling a bit intimidated.

"Well, we're here! We can just explore—pretend it's an adventure. Or," she began with a sigh, "You can just look it up on your phone."

"Alright, I hear ya, loud and clear, Bra. Let's explore."

"Okay, first off, we have to eat something from every food stall."

"Even if they're selling the same thing?"

"Even if they're selling the same thing," she confirmed with a grin.

"Well, that's easy—I doubt there's even enough here to even pose a challenge."

"We'll see," she said chuckling. "You'll be surprised though. CC keeps making this thing bigger and better each year."

"When's the last time you went?" I asked.

"When I was really young and Mom dragged me out here. Then when I complained enough about it, they stopped forcing me to go. I thought it was just for kids and all that—Yeah, I was a brat back then. Now it just seems silly. I think it's a great way to spend the day. Can't you feel the good vibes in the air? Maybe I was too young to notice before."

"We get older and smarter as they say," Pan replied looking now at the upcoming food stall. It reminded her of the fact that she'd not eaten very much that day and it was nearing dinner time.

Bra insisted on paying once they went to make an order despite Pan's protests.

"Girl, you know it's nothing for me to pay. Just save your money. Seriously, Mom is so unbelievably wealthy that I feel bad for everyone else."

Pan snorted at this, "Thanks for the sympathy, but I'm not that broke down."

"It's not a shot at you at all, it's just a criticism about society in general. No one person is worth as much wealth as Mom has managed to accumulate, but she has it all the same. It's shitty to think about."

"Woh, woh, slow down, princess. I barely know who I'm talking to right now."

They were waiting now for the food to be made after Bra bogarted the stand when it came time to pay. Pan decided to simply let it be since Bra felt so strongly about it.

"Well, it's just, I know Mom and everyone has saved the world several times over from all these alien invaders, but have we really helped the people on this planet?"

"CC's technology advances have helped people, I'm sure, as far as convenience goes."

"Sure, so long as you can afford it. CC has pretty much monopolized on their inventions and gotten things patented so they can rack up the prices as high as they want with little to no real competition."

"It's always been that way," Pan said with a shrug.

"Should it be that way?"

"I don't know."

"It really shouldn't be—that's the correct answer," Bra said crossing her arms. "But it's like you said, it's always been like that. The more power these sorts of corporations have, the harder it is for new businesses to even begin to be competitive." She sighed at this. "Just things I've been thinking about."

"About politics?"

"About making a better future for everyone, my kids, really. I think about how I was raised. I don't want them to grow up like that. I mean, just look at me: spoiled, completely clueless all the time, an idiot who doesn't contribute to society—

"Bra…"

"It's true. Don't try to soften it. What if the world is at peace? What do we do in the meantime? We should be making this world better, right? Isn't that what the Z-fighters do?"

Pan laughed at this. "I don't know what we do. I don't even know if I'm actually part of the group—I just kind of assume I am and insert myself into situations."

Just then, the man who had been cooking the food presented them two separate paper trays of hotdogs and fries. Pan was ready to inhale the food but restrained herself until they found a place to sit. She was finished in a matter of minutes as Bra daintily ate her fries.

Bra seemed amused at her antics. "Yeah, you're not going to have a problem with these stalls, huh?"

"Honestly, it's more of a challenge eating just one thing. But it's a big place. Hurry up and finish already," Pan replied with a grin.

In the distance, Pan could see two different Ferris Wheels, one bigger than the other. When she was a small child, she remembered feeling somewhat curious about the large contraption, but after one trip, she'd found it to be slow and constricting. Flying through the open air was far more exhilarating. Still, building something tangible that could take anyone up into the air was a staggering feat and it didn't require any sort of training to enjoy. She intuitively knew how fun that might be to a human who'd never done anything like that before. She imagined Bra had wrote it off immediately back then.

"Yeah, it goes 200 meters in the air—the biggest Ferris Wheel in the world," Bra said noticing where Pan was looking, "And it's portable thanks to CC technology. Even so, I could care less when I was younger. Daddy could always take me higher with far less hassle."

"I knew it."

She shook her head. "My brother liked it though, but he was more fascinated by the mechanisms behind it rather than the experience itself."

"Trunks—always the closet nerd."

"Not so closet anymore these days. And he's been training more. Well, actually, ever since the funeral."

"Any reason for that?" Pan asked.

Bra was finishing off her hotdog and took a moment to answer. "He says he doesn't want to be shown up by Malachi again once he returns."

Pan sighed at this. "The longer he's gone, the more foolhardy it sounds."

"Mom's working on it and I've never seen her not pull something off."

"Couldn't Dende help us? I mean, I know he doesn't know where New Namek is, but can't he just communicate with people up in Otherworld who know where it is?"

"He probably could, but he's not helping us. Mom told me that he refused. His position is that since the Dragon Balls are gone, no one should be revived, and no one should receive special treatment—it goes against the natural order. The entire debacle with Omega Shenron was because we misused the Dragon Balls and to ensure nothing like that happens again, he's taken a principled stance on that and nothing we do can change his mind—my dad's already talked to him plenty of times."

"Just talk? That's a lot of restraint for him."

"I said the same thing," Bra laughed, "But he always pretends he has no idea what I mean by that."

"My dad told me a great deal about him," Pan said. "I know he wouldn't lie about it, but the Vegeta I've known just doesn't seem like the one he's talking about."

"It's so weird, right? I know my dad can be a bit rough around the edges, but psychopathic murderer doesn't seem to fit."

"Well, just in case, I won't be the person pushing any of his buttons."

"Please, just tell him we're dating, and he won't ever lay a finger on you."

"Oh, are we dating?" Pan asked a little surprised.

"If someone forced me to put a label on it, sure." Bra said with a shrug. "Hope that doesn't scare you."

"It should…"

Bra almost rolled her eyes as she shook her head only a little annoyed. "Let's go, I've finished my food, and we still have a ton of things to see."

Pan dropped the topic as it was making her feel a bit uncomfortable. She wished things were more cut-and-dry between her and Auden. She wished she knew what she was doing with Bra and why she was entertaining it. Then she didn't feel like thinking about anymore. There was still the unanswered text from Auden…

A fire juggler caught their eyes just as a captivated audience began forming around him. He twirled fiery batons into the air casually around himself over and over again. He was a lean, muscular man and clearly a daredevil.

"This will look even better when it gets darker," Pan commented with mild interest.

"I bet you could do this with your ki."

"Sure, but it wouldn't be as cool as this since it's pretty difficult to hurt yourself with your own energy and if I did, it wouldn't be that bad."

"Yeah, that's true."

"It takes a lot more courage to do what he's doing. Despite the danger, he's still confident."

"And he probably had to train a lot for it."

Pan nodded at this.

They watched for a bit longer before moving on and browsed at the nearby shop selling sculptured flowers.

"You know, he's the kind of person Dad wouldn't mind training," Bra said as her hand traced the outlined of a bonsai tree. "Back at Tien's dojo, that's all he's been doing."

"Really?"

"The Earth needs more defenders and it's been that way for too long, so he says, and I think he's right."

"Maybe I should do a class," Pan said with a mischievous glint. A white marble rose had caught her eye; she examined it further. The price was ridiculous—it wouldn't be a festival if that wasn't the case.

"If you wanna pick a fight with him, all you have to do is ask," Bra chuckled as she stepped closer to Pan's location. "I doubt those classes would help you much, but me on the other hand…"

"I'm sure he'd be over the moon, if you do that and give you personal lessons."

"I don't know if I would survive that. I think I'd enjoy a class setting better," Bra said thoughtfully.

"If Malachi can do it…" Pan began.

"He's different—he's a glutton for punishment, I am not."

"I'm sure he'd readjust the difficulty based on your skill."

"Sure, sure, but, I don't know, I've always been scared of one-on-one training like that. It would take the pressure off me and plus it's be interesting to see how other humans are taking his training."

"You talk like you're actually going to do it and we all know you're not."

"A girl can dream though. It's the thought that counts?"

"Not sure that works there."

"Oh shut-up—let's get to this next food stall already, I can already smell the fried fish."

They'd barely looked through all the flowers before jolting off to something else that struck their fancy. Though the sights were entertaining, it very quickly became more about how many food stalls they could find and eat at. Bra was paying for everything and Pan was quickly drawn to seafood options as well as interesting drinks. Along the way, CC was showcasing their products ever few steps along with their bright, glossy advertisements. Pan noticed that they were really making an effort to improve their cell phones. While she was impressed with the progress they made, she thought immediately of Auden. His phone, though lacking in the bells and whistles, seemed far more advance. What if his brand entered the marketplace? Would it take off?

For now, she was enjoying a perfectly fried catfish with more fries along with a large cold cup of grape limeade. It was a nice snack between snacks.

"The first place selling mac and cheese, I'm getting two orders of it," Pan said polishing off her plate.

"I really want some grilled asparagus or grilled brussel sprouts," Bra said dreamily as she cut into her strawberry cheesecake.

"Those too," Pan agreed. "Bacon-wrapped brussel sprouts."

"Bacon-wrapped asparagus."

They both laughed at this.

"Isn't that way too sophisticated for a festival?" Pan asked thoughtfully.

"Not this one. We'll find every food imaginable here, Mom said so."

"Then we'll definitely find some scallops soon too, right?"

"Yep," Bra said with a smile. "I like how this has become a food tour."

"On that note, let's go, we have a ton more to get through."

In fact, they'd only seen about a fourth of the booths, exhibits, shops and attractions. The sun was almost fully set and it felt like only a few moments had passed. Surprisingly, no one recognized Bra. Everyone seemed far more focused on enjoying themselves. There was live music as well which Pan had heard in the distance long ago. They stopped for a while to listen to the local band that neither of them knew, but they did do an interesting rock version of an old Malachi hit. Pan couldn't decide if she liked it or not, but it was nice hearing it live. There was more than one live stage, but Pan didn't think they'd make it to the big one that was much further in.

"Ice cream," Bra shouted at once when she saw the vendor. It was the latest food item they were on the prowl for.

Though ice cream wasn't her favorite, Pan was amused by how jazzed Bra was at the mere sight of it. Pan got her very safe vanilla ice cream and Bra got her rocky road.

"Want to try some of mine and live a little?" Bra teased as they walked a little ways from the vendor where there was some space for them to breath from all the people lollygagging.

"Only if you try mine," Pan said though it was hardly a threat considering the flavor.

Bra stepped a little closer. "Fine, just try mine though, you won't be disappointed."

She brought the chocolate ice cream to Pan's lips politely turning it towards the part that she hadn't eaten. The burst of sweetness that erupted in Pan's mouth was startling along with the bits of savory nuts. Bra pulled it away before Pan could take another bite.

"See?" Bra said knowing that Pan clearly liked it.

"It has it's moments."

Bra snorted at this. "You can always go back and get it if you want it. I know I've converted you."

"Not a chance. You still haven't tried the vanilla."

"I've tried vanilla," Bra said rolling her eyes, but soon she's taking a hefty chunk of the vanilla ice cream on the cone, trying to hold back her giggles.

"Hey!"

Bra finished what was in her mouth quickly with a triumphant grin, but before Pan knew it, Bra had leaned forth and enveloped her lips with lingering vanilla sweetness. Suddenly, Pan became more interested in tasting her instead. It was so spur of the moment, that Pan could hardly stop herself from smiling which drew one from Bra as well. Bra licked her ice cream a couple times before returning to her lips so that they could further exchange tastes.

"Pan?!" came a familiar voice a few yards away.

A jolt of fear went through Pan as she quickly pulled away from her. Bra was equally surprised. When Pan looked over, she confirmed that it was her mom. Now all she needed was for her dad to come strolling in.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Pan asked.

"What am I doing here? It's a free public area," she argued back, still with surprise in her tone.

"Is Dad with you?"

"Not this time, thank God."

Bra's eyebrows furrowed at this. "Nice to meet you too. Hope you're enjoying yourself at the festival."

Videl gave her a sympathetic look. "It's always nice. CC always outdoes itself. Honey, I need to talk to my daughter alone—would you mind?"

"Actually, I would mind," Bra said with crossed arms.

Pan noticed the growing tension and knew she had to do something quick. Yet it warmed her seeing how defensive she'd become by what seemed like her mom disapproving. How attached to her did she feel already? Better yet, how close did Pan already feel towards Bra?

Pan turned to Bra drawing her attention. "It's alright," Pan said in quiet tones, "It's probably some misunderstanding. And it's my mom so I really don't have a choice. Just let me talk to her. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Don't take long," Bra said haughtily.

Pan gave her a thumbs up though it did little to alleviate Bra's concern when she went forward with her mom. Pan had thought they'd walk a few more paces away, but her mom apparently wanted complete secrecy as they disappeared into the crowd and turned a corner. She couldn't even see Bra anymore. Pan couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Had she done something terribly wrong?

"Look," her mom said after looking around a bit to make sure no one of consequence was looking, "I'm glad Bra is finally out of the house. After what happened, we were all worried about her, but what the hell?"

"What do you mean, 'what the hell'?" Pan asked confused.

"With her?" her mom questioned further. "We all know that she had something to do with Malachi's death—

"Mom!" Pan said cutting across her. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"It's true. He was fine before he met Bra and then we all watched as she tore that poor man down until there was nothing left. And the Briefs family—they all just watched it happen. Look at me right now and tell me Bra had nothing to do with his death."

Pan looked at her stonily but realized that she couldn't say it. Mom knew that she wasn't good at lying. "She didn't mean to," she said finally.

"Sure, I'll give her that, but she did it all the same. We all saw him in the hospital. He couldn't even breathe on his own without help. For someone so young, it was really startling to see. She's careless. If you were in my shoes, would you really not be concerned about your only daughter dating someone like that?"

"I'm pretty strong, Mom. You know that."

"So was Malachi or do you think he was weak?"

"Well, no…"

"None of that matters anyway. You'll have your guard down around her. That girl can get away with murder and face no consequences. We may be civil with the Briefs all the time, but make no mistake, they hold a lot of power of us and everyone around them. They're really nice, don't get me wrong, but you have to be careful."

"Alright, Mom, I get it, but I don't blame her about Malachi. It's not like he didn't contribute to his own demise." It pained Pan even to say it, she had to take some of the heat off Bra.

"We all have our demons. I'm sure Bra didn't help him at all in those regards. But enough about that—are you two actually dating?"

"Well…I don't know."

"What about Auden?"

"Mom, it's complicated. You always want to talk about who I'm seeing all the time and I mentioned Auden, but it's not like we were dating dating."

Videl shook her head at this. "I didn't like Auden either, but he's far better than Bra."

"You don't hold back, do you?"

"Only because I care about you and you have me worried everyday the way you live by yourself far away from home. I have to call you or else I won't ever hear from you. Then I have to draw my own conclusions."

"I'm sorry about that, but I had leave home. It was too much for me to stay home all the time. I wanted my own space. And the way you're interrogating me right now—I definitely don't regret my decision."

The hurt on her face almost made Pan regret saying her last sentence, but she wasn't going to bite her tongue after she'd attacked Bra.

Videl sighed at this. "I'm sorry, I really am, honey. Maybe this wasn't the best way to meet each other and maybe I should have just walked by when I saw you, but I just couldn't. I'm worried and I had to let you know. But I guess this is the perfect time to tell you that your father's birthday is coming up. It'd be nice if you showed up to celebrate."

"I'll think about it."

"C'mon, honey. I know you don't like me all that much, but I thought you had a decent relationship with your dad."

"I guess we're fine. We're just not interested in the same things anymore. You guys are really great with doing nothing when the world is falling apart."

"Here we go again," Videl said shaking her head. "What do you expect us to do? I've stepped back from martial arts and your father wants to focus more on just living a normal life. That's all we've ever wanted really."

"But at what cost?"

"No one's stopping you from pursuing your dreams, Pan. Please don't force us to do that."

Pan looked away at this. "I'll come over for his birthday."

"You can bring friends, if you want, even Bra. I don't think your dad would mind."

"Of course he wouldn't," Pan said with a sigh. "I'm guessing Grandma is coming too, right."

"And her father. Probably won't be a lot of people."

"Bet she'll be doing the cooking too."

"As always," her mom said with a smile. "Can't stop her once she starts."

"She keeps forgetting it's just us eating."

Her mom's smile faded a little. "More leftovers for us then."

"I'll see if I can get Goten," Pan volunteered.

"Don't bother, he already said he'll be busy. He sends his regards though."

"Again?"

"Aren't you the pot calling the kettle black? He visits way more than you do. It's no big deal, really."

"I'll try to call you more often, alright? I know I've been failing as of late, but you know I haven't been in the mood for awhile now. I think I'm getting better; you don't have to worry about me."

"I'll worry about you regardless and I'd much prefer to see you in person. You can still fly, can't you?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Alright then," she said smiling. "I don't want to bother you too long. Have a good evening and please stay safe."

"I will, Mom."

Pan hesitated for a moment, but then hugged her mom before parting ways. She watched as her mom disappeared into the lessening crowds. Her mom's warnings had not fallen on deaf ears, but her mom didn't know what Pan did about Bra. It wasn't as if Bra didn't blame herself. She seemed different these days, more thoughtful and reflective. Pan had never felt endangered while around her. Malachi had been different, but saying that because he was human, he had a clear disadvantage didn't sit right with her. She knew it was because him being human should not have mattered. As much as he accommodated her, Bra should have accommodated him if they were in such a caring relationship. Pan didn't want to think along those lines too long.

Her phone beeped startling her out of her ruminations. It was Auden again—only the second text he'd sent after leaving him hanging for hours. I hate to bother you, but are you doing, alright? Her hands wrapped around her phone a little tighter wishing he would stop being so concerned and so nice. She'd wanted to start things with him so this should have been fine. Tiring of leaving her dilemmas on the backburner, she tapped his number and pulled the phone to her face. Maybe this was a good time to call or a bad time but allowing this to go any further probably wouldn't be good for her health and would likely ruin a perfectly nice day at the festival.

"Hello, Pan," he answered pleasantly. There was far more emotion there than usual which immediately bothered her.

"Hi. Sorry for not replying in so long. I was a little busy."

"I figured," he said simply with understanding. "How has your day been?"

Pan could hear a sizzling pan in the background coming through the phone. Whatever it was, was making her mouth water despite her food-filled day at the festival. "You're cooking?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Yes, weird I know, but I thought I might try it out again after so long. It's just me who have to suffer through the end results anyway."

"Whatsa cooking?"

"I'm attempting fried rice."

"Good luck."

"Even following a recipe, it could all turn out bad. I've never found a perfect recipe out there that didn't need some tweaking and I've yet to stray from the recipe so I know I'm doing something wrong."

"Why don't you just let your phone do it?—It can do everything else."

"Cute," he said with a chuckle.

Pan nearly dropped the phone. Was that a laugh just then? Was he capable of doing that? Wait, that's a silly question. Of course he could do that. Still her cheeks were already burning as a result. She was capable of making him laugh?

"You still there?" he asked concerned when she was quiet for too long.

"Oh, yeah, fine. I—well, I hope you end up with something decent. There's a reason I called though," Pan said knowing that she shouldn't drag this out too long. "I've been a little confused about 'us', about where we stand with each other."

He was quiet for a moment. "I wasn't aware."

Pan wondered if that was a fact or not. "I just wanted to know: do you consider us friends or more than that or do you even want more than that?"

"We're friends, right?" he asked uncertainly, "Or is that too strong a word? I'm sorry for being such a bother with my texting—I'm just rather new to this. I've not had many friends or acquaintances. We can just be acquaintances, if you like—

"Wait, no, I'm not upset or anything. You didn't do anything wrong. You've been perfect."

Auden snorted at this. "Now 'perfect' definitely doesn't sound right. I know I'm difficult to by around."

"I love hanging out with you."

"I would say the same about you."

Her cheeks were burning even brighter now. "I just want to know if that's all we are to each other. We're just friends?"

"Just friends," he confirmed confidently.

"A-Are you sure about that? You don't want something more?"

"Pan…" he began slowly.

She heard the distress clearly in his tone and the way he'd said her name didn't help her blushing fit.

"Though it's true that I'm perfectly single and you happen to be as well, I don't think it would be a good idea for us to pursue anything deeper than that. I enjoy the time we spend together, but I would feel uncomfortable being with someone so…young."

"Seriously?" Pan said with her voice becoming hoarse as her eyes began to moisten. "Have you never—I mean, you never saw me like that? I'm just a little girl to you?"

"No, not a little girl—

"So you just led me on?"

"I didn't mean to, if that was the case. I really like you as a friend—and that's really important to me. I don't know how to explain it or have it make anymore sense, but it's very important. I would never imagine that you would ever see me in the way that you're suggesting. It seems so left field."

"You're friend-zoning me," Pan stated. Her voice was shaking now as one tear and then another rolled down.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked cautiously.

Pan could barely get her mouth to move. "Y-Yes!" Then the torrent of tears came as she could hardly keep it together. She was already being pathetic in front of someone she'd had a crush on since the very beginning. It was much too late. She was probably just some immature little girl to him.

"Pan, are you alright?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—are you crying?" he asked in shock and worry, but Pan couldn't take his pity and ended the call so that she could cry in peace. She ignored her phone as it began to vibrate over and over again.

She'd expected having to talk him off a ledge after telling him that she wanted to break ties with him because she was seeing someone else, but she'd read the entire situation wrong. Her feelings had been painfully one-sided and she hadn't even noticed! All this stressing out about what he would think of this had been pointless. He'd never once had a crush on her. He'd flirted with her at the restaurant, but apparently not because he was trying to woo her. Maybe he'd simply thought it was funny and she hadn't completely grasped his sense of humor. She'd been taking him too seriously this whole time, seeing signs when there were none. He was just a really nice guy hoping to make a new friend and that was all. It was a difficult pill to swallow. She felt incredibly silly and incredibly empty.

"Pan? What the hell? I let you out of my sight for a few minutes and you're balling your eyes out in the middle of the street?"

It was Bra and Pan was relieved to hear her voice. Bra came to stand in front of her and pulled her into an embrace. She ran a soothing hand down her back.

"It's okay. Whatever it is, it'll be alright. We'll figure it out."

"I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not. Only I'm allowed to say that about myself."

"But it's just true this time."

She cried into her chest for a few minutes until Bra pulled away taking up one of Pan's hand in the process. "C'mon, let's not stand around. Let's keep walking, alright?"

Pan nodded though still sniffling. Bra was quiet as the soft thrum of conversation occurring around them from the thinning crowd filled the air. The sound of live instruments being expertly played floated through the streets along with the soft pattering of a thousand feet. It was the smell of grilled food that eventually calmed her along with the time needed to think about something other than the conversation she'd had with Auden.

"Want to go home?" Bra asked after a while.

"We didn't even get the chance to the see the main attraction."

"Their top new invention this year? I think it was a new vacuum cleaner—nothing too crazy."

"What about the fireworks?" Pan asked just in case. She didn't want to agree to leave if Bra wanted to stay.

Bra shrugged. "Seen it before. Think I've spent enough time outdoors." She smiled at me. "Let's grab as much food as we can and go back into hiding."

The mention of food perked both of them up as they started making their way back to the car. It took them half an hour to do so. Pan was glad when they were back out on the road again. They'd taken a car to get there and Pan was grateful that she didn't have the muster up the will to fly.

Once back at Malachi's place, Bra randomly suggested they watch a movie and then Pan demanded that it be an action movie. Instead of using the bed, they stayed on the floor and spread out all the food before them. There were a lot of movies to choose from and Pan was fine with Bra picking the cheesiest action flick she could find.

It was the perfect ending to the day as far as Pan was concerned. Bra fell asleep midway through the movie which was just as well. Bra was cuddled up against her with her head buried in her breasts. It must have been a while since Bra had had so much activity in one day. Pan wrapped an arm protectively around her and then began running her hand through her soft, silky hair. She'd never done such a thing before, but her hair was simply heavenly. Of course, Bra had the best hair—she'd admired her blue locks at a distance for all her life. Her musings were interrupted by her vibrating phone. She let it go without checking not wanting to deal with anyone other than Bra. In fact, she flicked off the television so that she could be in complete silence.

But her phone just wouldn't stop just like before. It carried on for much longer though. She thought of just turning it off, but her curiosity won out and she read the caller ID: "unknown". That piqued her interest as her eyebrows furrowed. A slight shiver of fear went down her back. She lifted the phone to her ear after finally accepting the call.

"Hello?" Pan asked.

"Pan?" came a little girl's voice much to Pan's surprise.

"Who wants to know?"

"It's just me: Aster." The voice already sounded irate.

"Oh," Pan said confused. "How did you get my—

"Stupid question," Aster said cutting her off. "It should be obvious. Anyway, I need you to talk to my dad."

"I don't really feel like—

"Tough. He says he's fine, but he's not fine. I don't know what the hell happened between you and him, but you need to fix it now."

"Aster, this is between me and him, alright?"

"Oh that's rich coming from you. You drag him into some weird little relationship with you because you're feeling lonely and then once you're done, you kick him to the curb. I know people don't really care about him so it's easy for people to do. It doesn't surprise me that you're just the same. I'm always the one to pick up the pieces once everything's all said in done. Here is me asking you to consider someone else's feelings over your own."

"You're making a lot of assumptions right now—

"I know my dad couldn't have done anything wrong and you're probably just being a brat. You've gotten to know him somewhat, haven't you? I'm sure you've noticed that he's not quite like everyone else. He can't just get over things easily like everyone else. He goes to a therapist every other day just to function somewhat normally and takes a ton of medication."

"Yeah, I know," Pan said closing her eyes.

"Okay, then. Don't ever leave him hanging like that. Don't ever make him worry about you. How dare you make him waste his precious energy on something that's probably your fault and your misunderstanding. Talk to him, please."

"You could try being nicer and not acting like he's some kind of child who needs protecting," Pan argued.

"Screw your rules and your morals. No one will be there when he fails and no one will care. None of that 'being nicer' crap matters when he becomes totally unreachable and no one can talk to him. I'm telling you what you need to do now to avoid all of that."

Pan's eyebrows furrowed. "You're frustrating to talk to. Just put me on the phone with him. I doubt it's as serious as you're making it, but I care about him too, okay?"

Aster didn't even bother responding as Pan listened to her bounding feet through the apartment. Pan didn't really know what to think. Somehow, she'd forgotten how Auden might have taken her hanging up like that. It had all been too much at the time. Perhaps it was better that they were simply friends and nothing more. Having to worry about his state of mind was just beginning to become a little tiring. Maybe she'd finally taken off her rose-colored glasses. He was a much older man with a lot of baggage. As close as they were, he hadn't even begun to disclose to her what that baggage might be. It made more sense now why he was always reminding her how terrible he was around people and that it's okay if she didn't want to spend so much time with him. He saw reality clearer than she did apparently.

"Daddy, it's Pan," Aster declared. There was no response for a while and that worried Pan a little especially when Aster had to repeat herself.

"Did you actually call her?" Pan heard Auden's voice as clear as day over the phone. "Why would you do that? I told you not to bother her."

"She called me," Aster lied.

"How naïve do you think I am?"

"Seriously, she's on the line and she can hear all this. You better take it."

"I suppose I have to then."

Pan noticed the total lack of emotion in his tone—the very same tone she'd heard on the first day they'd met. She hadn't noticed until now, but for some time he'd seemed to be putting more effort into revealing what he was feeling through outward cues. The difference now was stark.

"Hello, is this Pan?" he asked to her. His voice was closer, he'd taken the phone from Aster apparently.

"Yep, the one and only." Why was she sounding so perky all of a sudden? Was it to drown out his chilling apathy?

"I'm sorry that my brash daughter has been bothering you. Please disregard this call."

"Wait," Pan said quickly. It felt as if he was about to hang up. "It's alright. Maybe it's a good thing she called me. I've cooled off since before. I'm sorry things just blew up."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Pan paused at this sentiment. "No, no there's nothing wrong, alright? It was just a misunderstanding. I was being foolish. I was assuming things."

"I don't see you as foolish. Clearly, there were some actions I took to lead you to that conclusion. I'm not the greatest with making friends. I thought it would be a good idea to keep your interest so that you didn't simply grow bored of me. I might have gone too far in those regards. I'm really sor—

"Please stop apologizing," Pan said more forcefully.

"That's the only thing I can think to do."

"I'm sorry for being selfish—

"Pan—

"Let me finish. I wanted to let you know that I was seeing someone else, so I called you because I was feeling guilty about it. I didn't expect you to say that we were just friends and that you weren't pining after me the way I was you. It was a huge blow to my ego—apparently, I have that. It's actually a good thing that we're just friends. It makes things far less complicated."

"Ah, I see. I didn't respond as you thought I should. Would it make you feel better, if I'd told you that I did see you as more than a friend?"

"Well…"

"You're a very special person, Pan. You don't need me holding you back or to validate you. I've always been perplexed as to why you would give me the time of day. For what it's worth, I think you're beautiful, intelligent, priceless and one who should rightfully have a huge ego and wonder why all guys don't just fall for you by simply looking your way."

"Auden!" Pan said in a loud whisper so as not to wake up Bra. She was burning hot red again.

"I don't want you to think that there's something wrong with you just because I don't see you that way. I'm just at a different point in my life than you are. You want things that I simply cannot give."

"I get it," Pan said with a nod. She laid back on the ground. "It would be nice just to be friends to just be like we are right now. We can tell each other anything, no strings attached."

"That sounds nice."

Despite him saying it, his tone certainly didn't express the same thing. Pan wondered just how much damage she'd done to him. She doubted he'd be willing to let her in on that. It was one of those topics Pan could tell he hated talking to her about. It could be a pride thing or it could be that he cared too much about how that might affect her or he simply didn't like the idea of being worried over. She couldn't tell.

"Hey, my dad's birthday is coming up. I want you to come with me as a friend."

"Pan…"

"I literally don't think I'd be able to survive my family without some protection."

"And your idea of protection is bringing me along? Scraping at the bottom of the barrel, aren't we?"

"You're not that bad, Auden. You're honestly my best bet."

"I'll do it for you, Pan. Just tell me the time and place."

"That was easy. What about the whole not liking crowds thing?"

"It won't be that big, will it? And you'll be there, right?"

"Yeah and yeah. Just a few people. It's pretty chill."

"Is there a particular way I should be when meeting your family?"

"Just be yourself. There's no way you can make me upset. My family's a bit conservative though, but I think you'd fit right in."

"Fine, then. I'll just…prepare myself for that time."

"If it's too much, you don't have to do it," Pan reminded him a little worried.

"No, this is baby steps for me. I do need a bit of a challenge every now and then. I'm sure if they're anything like you, I'll be fine."

"Well, as long as you know what you're doing…"

There was a lull in the conversation until Auden eventually told her to have a good night. For some reason, Pan wanted to stay on the phone with him all night. It was a complete 180-degree change based on how she was feeling before. At least she knew she'd see him again in person soon and she felt quite giddy about it both in excitement and apprehension.

Pan felt as if she was having her cake and eating it too. She could now have two of her favorite people in her life continuously and not feel bad about it. Auden was definitely a friend. All in the span of a few hours, she saw him differently now and wondered why she hadn't seen him that way from the beginning. Of course, he was still quite handsome and blonde and…Well, she didn't want to go down that road again. He wasn't quite her type if she was being honest about it. The aversion to touch was a bit much. And, Bra on the other hand—for now things were working out surprisingly well with her. She'd known this woman forever. Pan wondered why it was so different now. Had Malachi's passing really changed them this much?

Bra pulled herself closer to her since Pan had long since rolled over on her back talking on the phone.

"You and Auden okay now?" Bra asked tiredly.

A little shock went through her knowing that she'd been listening.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"Good, now go to sleep already."

Pan grinned at this, but eventually followed orders.

AN: Hello, readers, I know it's been a long time, but I've been busy with my new YouTube channel, writing original stories, work, etc. etc. Make no mistake, I've been thinking about this story the WHOLE time. I've completely rethought where this is going as well.

All that to say: stay tuned. I can't promise rapid uploads like last time since classes are starting up again, but they should be more regular. I'll try at least.

SierraLarson: The cover pic for this story is the reference image I use for Auden. That's what his haircut looks like. :)