Chapter Five: Library Lunch

"So, you're coming up on Stealth Zebra," Alia announced as she studied her console. "As his name implies, he's able to make himself effectively invisible at will. At this time, we don't know what weapons he employs."

"Do we know anything about his former life?" X asked as he navigated the area.

"All we know is that he was an experiment in stealth technology," Alia replied. "If my records are correct, he turned Maverick on his first mission."

"Sounds deliberate to me."

"I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, that doesn't change our mission."

"I know, but I'm still tired of killing Mavericks. I'm coming up on the doors. Going silent."

"Good luck, X." Alia muted her end of the comm and waited. As usual, she'd gathered all the information she could, analyzed the area to help him get an idea of what his opponent could do, and communicated it to X as quickly and briefly as possible. After he passed through the double doors to the Maverick's lair it was up to him to wisely use the information he'd been given. Alia hated the waiting, as X had needed to emergency-teleport back several times in the past, which was very distressing to the veteran navigator. She tried to busy herself by checking on Axl's progress. While Palette was his specific navigator, each of them was able to monitor the progress of others, though they were not allowed to interrupt the line. "They assigned him to Chase Cheetah, huh?" she mused. "It'll be interesting to see what he comes away with from-"

A quiet tone sounded through her headset, which she recognized as being from the front desk, so she switched the line. "This is Alia."

"Aaaaaaliiiiaaaa…." Shortwave's voice teased. "Maaax is on the line. Can you take his call?"

The senior navigator's breath caught in her throat. "C-Could you ask him to hold for a minute? X is fighting a Maverick right now."

"Ooo! Which one?"

"Stealth Zebra."

"How's he doing? N-Never mind, I'll ask Max to hold."

"Thanks." Alia ended the communication and shifted her attention to her console just in time for X to beep in, and she quickly unmuted her end of the line. "X?"

"Maverick down, Alia," he replied in a tired voice.

She checked his status on her console. "Looks like he gave you quite the challenge."

"Yeah."

"From what I can tell, you've got the Stripe Shot; It fires three-way projectiles."

"I'm sure I'll get the full rundown when I get back."

"Right," she said with a smile. "See you when you return. Alia out."

"X out."

She sighed as she leaned back in her seat…and saw the 'communication pending' light flashing. "Max!" she yelped as she dove for the button. "Th-This is-I mean, hi, Max!"

"Heeeyyyy!" his voice greeted warmly. "It's good to hear you again."

"Y-You, too," she stammered, remembering that they were a couple.

"Sorry to bother you at work, but I was hoping we could meet up during lunch today. They do let you out for that, don't they?"

"Th-They do," she said as she tried to slow her power cycles. "Where did you want to meet?"

"I was thinking Central Library, if that's not too far."

"Well no, but…last I knew, they were still rebuilding it."

"They finished it the day before yesterday. I was planning on heading there by myself, but I thought you might like to come along."

"I…I would," she admitted. "What time?"

"Would 12:15 work for you? My lunch is from noon to one, so I thought we could meet, eat and read for about half an hour, then head back to work."

Alia smiled softly; how like him to want to spend their time together reading. "That sounds fine. What will we be studying?"

"Well…" He sounded sheepish, causing Alia's smile to broaden. "…I've been working on male/female dynamics. You know…because…"

"That sounds wonderful," she politely interrupted, mainly to protect his dignity. "Central Library at 12:15. I'm looking forward to it."

"M-Me, too. See you later, then."

"See you later, Max," she said fondly before ending the call. She then fisted her hands under her chin, kicking her legs as she squealed softly.

"You seem excited," came a new voice, and Alia looked up into the face of her CO.

"I'm meeting with Max at the library, sir," Alia reported, then her face fell. "Unless… you need me during Rest Period?"

Signas showed a rare smile as he almost imperceptibly shook his head. "Enjoy your time together, Alia."

"Thank you sir," she replied, trying desperately to not blush like a schoolgirl.

Her commander's smile spread ever so slightly as he turned to move away. "And give Max my regards, if you would."

"Y-Yes, sir."

Alia shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited in front of the city's main library. She had never been the type to be nervous about anything – other than during Sigma's attacks, of course – but she found herself anxious, unsure of how to act. After all, she'd never been in a relationship like the one she had started with Max. Was there a way she was supposed to look? A certain way she was supposed to act toward her new…boyfriend?

"There you are!" she jumped at the sudden intrusion, but found that the voice belonged to her new…boyfriend. "Sorry; had to use…well…sorry."

"It's okay," she said, licking her lips. "I thought I was late."

He glanced at his wrist as he headed down the short staircase toward her. "Not at all. You ready?"

She simply nodded with a smile, not quite trusting her words.

"Great!" he said with a smile of his own. As they headed back up the stairs he said, "I haven't looked around at all; I only got here a few minutes ago myself."

"I understand," she said as he opened the door for her. "At least we can look forward to looking together, right?"

"Right," he replied, and she could hear the warmth in his tone. "That is something to look forward to."

As they headed into the library proper, he jerked his chin to their right, where what appeared to be a food counter stood, serving customers. "Let's see what they have that's easy to eat, okay?"

"Sure," she replied. "That's weird, though; I've heard of mini-restaurants in bookstores, but never in a library."

"First time for everything, huh?" he quipped. "Yeah, I was surprised to see that, too. Maybe they're trying to modernize?"

"I could see that," she admitted. "I'd be worried about getting food on the older books, though."

He shrugged. "Well, it's their business. I'll just make sure to not get any stuff on the books myself."

"Same here," Alia agreed.

They headed to the counter, and Max paid for sandwiches made out of pocket bread, as well as chips and tea for each of them.

"Could you get some napkins?" he requested as he balanced two lunches in his hands. "Or lots of napkins, really. Anyway, my hands are kinda busy."

"S-Sure," she giggled. "Where do you want to sit? I could find you."

"Thanks," he grunted as he adjusted his grip on a sandwich, and then indicated the middle of the library with his forehead. "I'll be over that way."

"O-Okay," she giggled again.

As she headed over to retrieve the napkins, she realized that she had been giggling a lot more lately. Her smile faded as she allowed herself to think about why. She was sure it had to do with Max, but…what was it, in particular, that made her so giggly around him. "Well," she thought out loud, "he's fun to be around… and I think that's because he's not like anyone I've ever met before. He…accepts me for who I am, but still challenges me to grow." Her smile started to return. "Of course, he challenges himself more than anyone, though. It's just who he is." She blinked out of her train of thought to see that she had emptied nearly half the napkin bin, and other customers were starting to give her concerned looks. "Oh! Sorry!" she squeaked before holding up the bundle in her hand. "A-Anyone need a napkin?"

"There we go," Max grunted as he carefully placed one of the drink cups on the table. "This was harder than I thought it would-" The lunches suddenly disappeared from his hands only to appear, nicely spread out, on the table before him "What the…"

"Hi!" chirped a semi-familiar voice.

"Hey, it's…" He struggled to recall a name. "…you."

A young-looking female reploid with long, brown hair and a twinkle in her equally brown eyes grinned back. "I'm Tray! I was your server when-"

"That's right!" Max exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I remember now! Sorry about that; it was kind of a rough ride after that."

"I'll bet," she said as she rose up onto her tiptoes a couple of times. "How have you been? I've been thinking about you since then."

"You have? W-Well, that's kind." He looked back down at the meals on the table. "Did you do that?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "I thought I recognized you, saw you having trouble, and wanted to help." She hopped on her tiptoes again. "Are you here with a friend?"

Max started to look back toward the lunch counter. "Yeah, she's-ah! There you are!"

"Sorry to take so long," Alia blushed as she joined them with a handful of napkins. "I grabbed too many, and…" She then noticed that they had company. "Max, who's this?"

"She was our waitress when…you know…"

"It's soooo good to see you again!" Tray gushed as she moved to hug Alia, who quickly backed away. "I was sooo worried after Professor Donnelly…well…"

"That was his name? Donnelly?" Max asked, perking up. "That was that reploid's name?"

"Y-Yeah," the girl replied, surprised by his sudden intensity. "Professor Donnelly. He taught at a local university. I'll miss him."

"Professor Donnelly…" Max repeated as his eyes briefly lost focus before he returned his gaze to Tray. "Thank you for telling me; not knowing his name has been bothering me ever since I had to fight him."

"But why would you need to know his name?" Tray asked. "From what I've heard, if one of us goes maverick we lose our prior identity."

Max worked his jaw as he took a deep breath. "Because…he was more than just a maverick. He was a victim. He had a life. He was somebody, and his life should mean more than what he was forced to do at the end of it."

"Y-You're right!" exclaimed Tray, with tears forming. "He was a really nice man who was always kind to me! How could I forget all that?"

"Might be a coping mechanism," Alia suggested.

"Huh?" Tray blinked, as though she had forgotten that the navigator was there. "Oh! Yeah, you could be right!" She shook her head vigorously. "Anyway, what brings you to the library today?"

"We're having lunch while researching," Max replied.

"What are you researching?" Tray asked eagerly, moving closer to Max, much to Alia's alarm.

"Male/female relationships," Max replied as Alia took her seat. "Since Alia and I got together, I've been wanting a better understanding of-"

"I'm sorry," the brown-haired reploid interrupted. "Did you say you two got together?"

"That's right," Max answered with a smile. "It was kinda funny, actually; I didn't realize it at the time, but I was basically asking her to be my girl."

"He phrased it as wanting me to join him in his 'journey for truth'," Alia added as she studied the younger reploid. "I liked the idea and agreed."

"Oh." For a moment, Tray looked lost. "Well, good for you! I'm happy for the both of you! C-Congratulations!"

"Thanks," he replied, trying not to blush.

"Max?" Alia said, her gaze still on the serving girl. "She's not telling the truth."

"Alia, that's no way to talk to someone we hardly know," Max scolded lightly before addressing Tray. "I'm sorry, miss; I don't know what's… What's wrong?"

Tray was blushing madly, her eyes darting every direction but at him. "N-Nothing."

"Another lie," Alia said. "Trust me; part of my job involves recognizing this kind of thing."

"So are you saying she's not happy for us?" Max demanded before looking to Tray again. "Is she right?"

The girl said nothing but nodded, still unable to look him in the eye.

"Max," Alia started, "if you're concerned about the truth, now's a good time to practice seeking it."

"Please, ma'am," Tray whimpered, "I didn't mean any harm. Honest."

"I believe you," Alia said, sighing. "And I'm sorry for coming on so strong. I'll admit that I'm probably just jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" Max asked.

Alia smiled softly at him before directing her attention to Tray. "Ma'am? Max is on a journey for truth. Would you help him by sharing some with him?" she finished with a meaningful expression.

The brown-haired girl looked like she wanted to run but, to Alia's surprise, a determined expression replaced her previous panicked one. "I'm sorry for lying, sir. The truth is…it makes me sad that the two of you are together."

"How come?" Max asked.

Tray took a deep breath. "When I saw you fighting Profess-the maverick, I thought you were so brave, and I was hoping to find you and…and…ask you on a date."

Max blinked. "R-Really?" He glanced over to Alia, who simply smiled. "W-Well…I really don't know what to say... Thanks?"

"It's okay," Tray replied, her typical perky disposition making a return. "It feels good just admitting it." She looked over to Alia. "You're a very lucky girl; please treat him right."

"Th-Thanks," Alia blinked. "I'll do my best. And I sincerely hope that you find the right man for you."

"I'll second that," Max said, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You seem like a nice girl who deserves the best."

"Th-Thanks!" she chirped. "You'll see; I'll find a great guy!"

"Do your best, then," Max said while sharing a smile with Alia.

"That turned out better than I thought it would," Alia admitted as the young reploid skipped away.

"Hey, Alia…" Max said with a sheepish grin, "…sorry for being so dense."

"Don't worry about it," she replied with a fond smile. "Just chalk it up as part of the learning process."

"Right," he said as he took his seat, glancing up at the wall clock. "Aw, crud; we've used up ten minutes already."

"If it helps, I think it was well-spent," Alia offered. "You learned a little bit on how women act, didn't you?"

His face brightened. "Hey, that's true! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, though. I guess I'll file it away for the time being. Anyway, do you want to grab some books or data chips, or should we eat first?"

"Maybe we could schedule research for another time," Alia suggested. "We really didn't give ourselves too much time to start with, and I don't see us getting too deep into anything before we'll have to leave."

"Yeah," he sighed. "That's too bad; I was looking forward to studying with you."

"Y-You were?" Alia stuttered, trying to distract her suddenly-trembling hands with her sandwich.

"Well, yeah. That was the whole reason I wanted to do this in the first place," he said, picking up his own sandwich. "I could have come by myself, but I thought it'd be more fun with you."

"Are you free this Saturday?" she blurted before she could stop herself.

He chuckled awkwardly. "I…could, but…"

"If you're working that day, I understand of course, it's just that-"

"No, no," he interrupted, waving his hands. He bobbed his head slightly a few times, bashful expression still in place. "It's just that…Saturday's the day I work on my fighting skills."

"All day?"

"Sort of. I spend part of the day practicing unarmed, part of it with my swords, and the other part meditating." His expression darkened. "I really needed that after fighting the professor."

"You meditate?" Alia had never heard of a reploid meditating, so this was new.

Max finished his bite before answering. "Well, yeah; I think meditation's good for everyone. What, you've never tried it?"

She shook her head. "No, it's never occurred to me to try."

He gestured at her with his sandwich before quickly withdrawing it with an apologetic look. "You should try it sometime; it might help you with any stress you might have from work."

"I'll…keep that in mind," she said. How advanced a reploid was Max, anyway? He seemed the most human-like of any reploid she knew about. "What about meeting here on Friday after work?"

"Unfortunately, that won't work," he said. "The place closes at five, and I get off at six. I checked the sign on the way in."

"That's too bad," Alia said while trying to ignore a nagging feeling.

"At least we have the amusement park to look forward to," he pointed out as he gazed into her eyes.

"Absolutely," she agreed as her internal temperature rose slightly.

They walked back to Maverick Hunter HQ side-by-side; they weren't quite comfortable yet with the idea of holding hands, but they still enjoyed each others' company.

"Sorry I didn't plan enough time for study," Max said as they stood outside the giant structure. "I guess I was so excited about spending time with you that I didn't think everything through."

"Thanks, Max; that means a lot to me," Alia said bashfully while looking up at him from under her eyelashes. "For what it's worth, I think it was time well spent."

"Thanks." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Well, talk to you later."

Alia watched him head back to work before turning and floating back into Maverick Hunter HQ.