THIRTY-FIVE

"Testing, testing, one-two-three!"

She has to stifle a laugh, and she says, "Kirika, I don't think that's how you test your internet connection."

Through the grainy video feed, she isn't sure what Kirika's expression is, but it's probably a pout.

"Eh? And why not!" Yes, Kirika is definitely pouting.

"Well, it definitely sounds like your microphone is working, but the video is low quality. Do you want to cancel the video call and just voice call so that we don't lose the connection? It'd be terrible if we got cut off in the middle of the conversation.

Kirika snorts, "Yeah, we wouldn't want a repeat of what happened the last time we called."

"It was a perfectly reasonable reaction! You were in the middle of Australia, for goodness' sake, and what if you'd been attacked by some giant snake or crocodile or lizard?"

"Maria… I think you're watching too many American movies."

"Oh." She's crestfallen. "Really?"

Since there's no audible reply but the figure on screen shifts, she assumes Kirika is nodding. "Please remember that I can't see you well, Kirika," she chastises.

"What? Oh, right, right! Okay, let's switch to just voice call before we get too distracted, yeah?"

"Alright. I'll see you in just a moment, Kirika." She disconnects, the end dial blaring hollowly for just a second before it changes to indicate an incoming call. "Hello?"

"Hey, hey! Did'ya miss me?"

She laughs. "Of course, Kirika. I miss you, and Shirabe, and Chris," she says.

There is the crunch of some sort of plastic in the background—"Are you keeping a varied, healthy diet, Kirika? And don't tell me you're eating a variety of instant noodles and snacks, because you know that's not what I mean."

Kirika laughs nervously, "Um, okay, then I won't tell you."

"Kirika! Has Chris been feeding you two well?"

"Geez, mom, we can take care of ourselves, y'know!" Kirika is probably pouting again, the stubborn girl. "But, anyway, we've mostly been eating at restaurants lately, sometimes takeout, because we move around so much it gets too hectic. Don't worry, Shirabe makes sure we have vegetables and fruits and some sort of weird fish last night that I've never seen before, it tasted kind of funny—but, yeah! Yeah, we're eating okay."

She smiles fondly to herself; she can just about picture Kirika pacing around, gesticulating widely as she went off on a tangent.

"Hm, we'll see about that. Don't think I don't know about your habit of cheating, missy."

"Gasp! How'd you find out?!" Kirika seems genuinely shocked to hear that Maria knows.

It makes her laugh. "Oh, darling, you know I have my ways," she teases.

"But, not even Shirabe knows!"

"I'm pretty sure she does."

Kirika groans, probably covering her face with both hands. "Now that I know she knows," she frets, "what am I supposed to do? What if she knows that I know that she knows? Then she'll expect me to do something, right? Right?"

Taking a moment to work through that tangle, she replies, "Shirabe won't be mad, darling—it's me you have to worry about. Do you remember when I had to strap you down to eat?"

"…Yeah, but you said it was because you couldn't trust me not to run off and try the spiked punch!"

"Oh, yes, there was that. Tell me Chris isn't spiking your drinks!"

"No, Chris is a very good chaperone. She's super careful and she knows, like, tips and tricks to get the most out everything, it's so cool. She is collecting local wines and beers and stuff that she wants to try out with Genjuurou, though; he should get the first box in the mail soon, but make sure he doesn't drink it before she gets back!"

"I'll make sure to tell him, don't worry. And speaking of getting back, you're returning by the end of the month still, right?"

More rustling in the background, Kirika's voice more distant now, and then there's a new voice on the line: "Maria?"

She claps excitedly, "Shirabe! Oh, it's so good to hear your voice again!"

"It's good to hear you, too. I think Kirika misses you the most though—she snuck away from our trip in the bazaar in favor of calling you, it seems."

"H-Hey! You miss Maria just as much as I do! And, I wanted to see if she got the flowers yet, I couldn't help myself!"

"Flowers?" she cuts in before they devolve into an argument.

There is dead silence just before Kirika yelps, "I didn't say anything!"

Shirabe grumbles, "There goes her surprise… surprise, Maria, though I doubt you've gotten the flowers yet; they're supposed to deliver on Friday, your birthday. We just ordered them this morning."

"Yeah! It's, like, the best bouquet ever! Me and Shirabe picked out most of 'em, but Chris added some, too, and she says they have meanings, so—"

"Kirika."

"Aww, c'mon, Shirabe! Can't I tell her? Pleeease?"

Covering her mouth so that they don't hear her laugh, Maria opens up her web browser to find a guide for flower meanings. Of course, she'll ask Tsubasa later to confirm.

"Maria? Maria, are you still there!" Kirika shouts in panic.

"Yes, I'm still here! Sorry, I got a little distracted." See? She isn't the only one to panic (it's not unreasonable, okay).

"Good! So, it's a bouquet of thirty-five flowers of all kinds, one for each week we've been gone away—because, you know, a bouquet of eight flowers is just too small!"

Shirabe's exasperated voice interjects, "Kiri…."

"It's fine, it's fine," she reassures them. "I love it, and I'll love it even more when you're home."

"We can't wait to get home, either! There's so much I want to tell you; like, yesterday we were in Baghdad and I saw this thing that made me think of you, this little—"

"Hey, Maria, is it true you and Tsubasa have found someone to adopt?"

Even Kirika falls silent at that.

She hesitates.

"Shirabe, Kirika… I would rather not say, not yet. Nothing's set in stone… it's still pretty early. But, I promise when you come home I'll tell you everything you want to know—within reason. Okay?"

"Y-yeah, of course!" Kirika answers, probably for the both of them.

"Okay. Then, how about you finish telling me about what you found in Baghdad?"

"Right! So, we were just wandering around in the morning, you know, super early because that's when everything's fresh, and…."

a/n: You know how some people can talk for hours over the phone? Well, I wouldn't know, lol, but Kirika definitely stayed on line long enough for this to become twice as long as a regular chapter. zeroblackdragon15, I hope this at least partially answers your question of where the other characters are! Some clarification will probably pop up on Saturday.

This chapter is late today because my battery died just after noon, tch, and then when I got home a couple of hours ago I took the time to eat cake and food for my birthday, heh. Anyway, tomorrow's chapter will hopefully be earlier.

I always feel kind of awkward when the writing is mostly dialogue-based, but I think it turned out alright. Please review!