Vignette Summary: While sorting through Mia's old files, Maya finds a memo from Diego.

Tags: Humor

Word Count: 1,024

Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2016

Time: 11:15 am

Location: Fey & Co. Law Offices, Los Tokyo

Mia was grateful to have Maya by her side. Maya turned 17 in March and Aunt Morgan finally relaxed her grip, allowing Maya to leave the Village regularly, not just a few times a year.

The pair would eat, shop, and walk or drive around the city. They would visit exciting locales like arcades, bowling alleys, comic book stores, escape rooms, and movie theaters, places Maya didn't have access to back in Kurain Village. They would have sleepovers at Mia's studio apartment, the new one she started leasing after she found out Maya could visit her more often. Mia had been sleeping on her office couch before then.

Unfortunately, they also spent a lot of their time at Fey & Co. Law Offices, Mia using the extra set of hands to keep on top of her administrative work. Managing the firm by herself was becoming overwhelming and she needed all the help she could get. Besides, having Maya as company made the time go faster. It was dry work: sorting, organizing, and filing.

"What about this one?" Maya asked as she held up a clamped stack of papers.

Mia looked at it briefly. "Hm, I think we'll file that away, just in case. We'll label it… V.A.N."

"Okay." Maya grabbed a blank file folder and labeled it accordingly before stapling the files and placing them in the folder. Then, she sorted through the other organized file folders, so she could slot it in place, alphabetically.

Maya sighed. "Ever think about doing this on the computer? This is soooo boring."

"I know," Mia agreed. "All those poor trees I've killed. I'm just so used to it. I find it hard to read files on the computer now. You can blame Mr. Grossberg for that."

"What did he do?"

What didn't he do is more like it; Mia thought. She hadn't told Maya about all that. She was trying to move on, especially since he had gone to such lengths to apologize. "Oh, he's just very old school. He liked to have everything on paper. He got me into the habit too."

"Well, he is very old, so that makes sense."

Mia laughed. "Maya," she chided. "Don't say stuff like that."

"I'm not allowed to say true things?"

"It's how you say those things. You still say unkind words about Mr. Grossberg, even after he sent you that Steel Samurai boxset?"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that. Mr. Grossberg's cool."

Mia chuckled. "You're such a goof." She handed Maya another stack of papers. "You can add these to your shred pile."

Maya took the pile with glee. "Awesome!" Shredding old papers was the only thing Maya liked about organizing. "These papers?" Maya held up another bundle of files.

"You can shred those too."

"Sweet."

Mia smiled. "Do you know where you want to go for lunch?"

"Someplace good."

"That really narrows it down."

"Somewhere else that has bubble tea, then."

"You want another bubble tea?"

"It's soooo delicious." Maya raised her plastic cup. "This one's almost done too."

"If I buy you another one, you'll be wired all day. You won't sleep later."

"Oh well. If I'm sleepy in math class tomorrow, it's not a big deal."

"I'm glad to hear you're so studious with school," Mia teased.

"Why do I need math anyway? I don't need it for channeling, and I already have a job with you."

Mia nodded. "I mean, I guess you kind of have a point."

"I can be smart when I want to be," Maya responded cheekily.

The pair was silent for a brief moment as they sorted through more papers. Mia was quiet because she was chronically exhausted from overworking. Maya, however, was quiet because something interesting caught her attention.

Buried amongst her piles was a smaller note, a light blue piece of lined memo paper, that had a private message for Mia written on it: Kitten, I came by to talk to you, but you were in a meeting. I'm afraid I've been called to serve. I'll be at the detention center and the crime scene until later this evening. I won't be around for lunch today. I promise I'll make it up to you at the apartment later. Don't have too much fun without me. Love, Diego

Maya grinned. This was better than anything she could have hoped to find. She decided to have a little fun. "Mia, what about this one?"

"What's that?" Mia asked.

Maya kept the note concealed behind a stack of papers. "'Kitten, I came by to talk to you, but you were in a meet –'"

Mia blushed and reached over. "Give me that!"

Maya lifted the memo out of Mia's reach, and then hopped off the couch. "'I'm afraid I've been called to serve. I'll be –'"

"If you don't give that back to me, there will be no bubble tea or lunch."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Maya sighed and extended out the note. Mia yanked it out of her hands and folded it, before tucking it in her bra. The only place in Mia's office safe from Maya's wrath.

"Sorry, kitten," Maya apologized insincerely.

"I'll make you order off the kid's menu."

"But the portions are so small!"

"That's the point."

"Okay, I'll stop." Maya was quiet for all of twenty seconds. "So, how did he make it up to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He said he would make it up to you for missing lunch in the note."

Mia blushed again. "Well… we got takeout and watched TV."

"Isn't that what you guys normally did anyway?"

"Yes, we were very boring." Mia wouldn't dare tell her the other way he made it up to her that evening. "Moving on, the longer we take, the later you get to eat."

"Right. I'll get back to work, kitten."

"I'll make you sit in the back seat," Mia threatened.

"Whatever. More room back there."

"In a car seat."

"What? You don't even own a car seat."

"I'll buy one."

"Mia!" Maya protested.

"That's more like it."