[Oded's Place: Habitat D1234]

Oded is taking a shower. After the game, Benny has gone back to D1230; His own habitat.

And tomorrow, mom will take a small micro-traveler; Basically a car, to visit him.

He has already made sure the place was sparkling. But… He is still anxious.

…

As Oded leaves the shower, and enters the hallway to his bedroom, the air begins to lose pressure. Then it grows warm.

As his steps lose some of their loudness on the self-healing almost-wood floor, his skyclad skin dries fresh within less than a minute.

By the time he gets to the bedroom, air pressure and warmth return to normal.

An instant of flashing darkness means he has a message waiting for him.

He goes to the bed, sits, takes a breath and…

"Yes?"

"Ben Orias has left a recording, for your return to this room."

He nods, gets up. He takes a few steps to the table. It has a thermos with cold tea. It's supposed to be for if he wakes up thirsty…

He pours himself a cup. It's sweat, just enough salt for the sweetness to be both stronger and not cloying.

"Play it please."

"Hey, dude. I already told you, I am not sure why you're so scared of what your mom thinks, you're accomplished, rich, and last week alone you made 20 city class habitats for upward mobility for middle to low income bracket communities. Those Each have an internet class library and training, food production that includes *unique* foodstuff, and matter-fabers.

Every week. And you are an active participant of each production and design.

You're great."

And it stops.

He finishes all of the tea.

If Benny knew, he'd likely add that new quantum bond communication he just finished 'developing',AI for the win, once more…

Mom, I need your advice here.

He's about to tell his system to do a neural mapping as he sleeps. But forgets.

Again.

…

[Odelia's Car]

Odelia loves her space car. Odedi bought it for her. So it could be a not void safe trash heap and she'd love it. But Odedi is a wealthy man who is smart in all the right ways. He designed this car for her. She could live in it if she had to.

Short of a nearby Gamma burst or something similar, nothing will so much as dent it.

Well, minor exaggeration, but he's her son, she not only allowed, but expected to.

She leans back, stretching out.

She finger-clicks once. "Regular lunch please."

She gets out of her seat and goes down her ladder to the eating wall/floor beyond her screen.

That swing and flip honestly is always exciting. By the time she gets to the eating floor, her lunch is served. Pulled Chicken and Heavy Egg Sauce.

By the time she's done, the car reverses direction and slows down.

By the time the lunch remains are cleared, it has landed, and she climbs to her door.

…

[Oded's Place]

"Hey mom."

Oded lets it out in a rush and hugs his mother.

She breathes in, and hugs him back.

"How have you been, sweetie?"

He smiles at her, and gestures for her to go to his garden with him.

"Things are good mom, though I'd like your advice on something.

"Boy trouble?" He sighs, his mom always knows.

As his head hangs low, she strikes again.

"Rivi's boy, right? The one who is your type but-"

"Yes, mom."

She pats his shoulder.

"He talked to me too. Asked for my blessing about two weeks after he met you as an adult for the first time."

His eyes close.

"Did you give it?"

She takes a slice of cake from a server bot. Takes a spoonful, chews and swallows a bite.

"Not at first. But by now, yeah."

He nods.

"Why? His mom's my best friend, at least still fairly close. I *changed his diapers. A lot.*"

He takes his own piece of cake and begins to dig in. His mom takes another bite.

"Well, you have not talked to his mom nor himself since he was five. No real time talks at the very least. He has had a whole life since then."

He raises a brow at her.

"He's 25."

She raises it back.

"His personal lifetime is 45 years."

He leans back. "What."

"He told you his schooling and first job were at one of the Crubicals.

He raises a brow at that. "I didn't think it was at the Simulated Reality variants."

She raises a brow right back. And he knows he missed something obvious.

"If that was the case, he could have been in his hundreds. No. It was life in this reality.

You know very well how those work."

And shuts his eyes as it clicks.

They use a combination of fast and slow levels, to utilize frame dragging to reduce zero point energy at the living spaces.

Less base energy, time moves faster. Though he didn't think those got to 2 to 1 base ratio yet. So, he could be forgiven.

"So he's actually almost the same age as me."

He looks at his mom.

"He never actually said it."

"What would it look like if he did?"

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

She pets his hand. He sighs but doesn't notice.

"Like he's a kid trying to argue."

She leans back.

"And that is a good part of why I eventually gave him my blessing."

…

[Void Wars Mobile Arena: Owners Quarters]

Rennard Boyle enters the boss's room to place the papers for when she comes back. He would prefer it all to be digital.

But Odelia Gittin has had bad luck before, so anything she deems critical, will first be typed, read, then signed.

Which yeah, fair.

After he finishes that, he stands for a moment. It all still feels unreal. He is one of the luckiest People, ever. A great job. A great Boss.

In space sports.

And said boss got a Nobel for it.

The old regular smile spreads over his face as he turns to leave the room.

…

[Void Wars Mobile Arena: Public Area]

Jake and Garion are sitting together, at one of the new restaurants. Something with pasta. Neither remembers the actual name.

Jake is digging through his lasagna. Garion has already made short work of his Ravioli.

Garion wipes his mouth and looks at Jake.

"So, we both know you want to be on the team far more than to ever show Seph an iota of interest beyond what you show, say, me…"

He pauses for a moment.

"Not even that. So, when are you going to look for someone you *can* Try with?"

Jake gives him a look, finishes his spoon, leans back and wipes his mouth, and finger, and yeah, Garion is likely never seeing that shirt again. "Dude, I have not even finished my meal yet."

Garion at first just raises a shoulder. "Yeah sorry, but you'd never talk about it otherwise."

Jake acknowledges with a head shake. "True enough. Well, my left hand is good enough for now, and I want to focus on sport for now. I have the money to keep young for hundreds of years, so I have the time. I just… Want to get bored first, you know?"

Garion closes his eyes, Jake sounds sincere. Which may mean he's even more naive than he thought. But this is one of those things people need to learn alone.

So he sighs. And nods.

"So, brother, you don't want any complications for now. Understood.

I would prefer mine and Dari's son to have a cousin close in age, but such is life."

Jake can basically tell he's being condescended to, but likely can't tell exactly how. Which is fine for Garion.

"Just how did you just blew smoke up my ass, brother?"

Jake is narrow eyed, pursed lips.

Garion leans down a bit, raising his eyes to keep eye contact.

"Think of it as me being an asshole and let go, Jake, you would be just as pissed off if I told you."

Jake rolls his eyes up enough to flinch in pain, and shakes his head.

"Oh, one of those. FU, LOVE You. See you tomorrow at practice."

He takes his left overs, gets up and goes to the counter. In a bit he will get out with these to go.

Garion sighs. Pays for his meal and goes home.

…

[First Fleet Of The Empress: Flag Craft 'Auroras Blade']

Core Stander Weaklaf sits in his chair. He turns to the underling in charge of targeting.

"Well, did the little insects die yet?"

The underling blinks for a moment m, and without turning answers.

"Yes, Stander. Though they seem to have first tried to escape via modulated gravity waves, we caught them before they could budge."

Weaklaf extends his float bags with pride.

"Good, remember to collect their mass remnants. In situ resources are always useful."

The kirany underling doesn't dare to so much as twitch a color scale, as pedantic and self evident his seliny stander's words are.

"Of course, Stander."

…

[Oded's Place: Habitat D1234]

Oded and his mom are now at his workshop. She doesn't so much listen to him as she seems to just, let her soul drink the present.

Which makes him feel like garbage. He should have come to visit her years ago. Maybe even just dock with her Arena Habitat.

He stops talking about his work and just. Hugs his mom again.

"I'm sorry mom,-" he's muffled by her shoulder. "-I should have come to visit for years already. I-"

She pets his back.

"Oh, dear. It's better that you didn't. I don't want you to see me the way I'm at work. It's not very maternal."

He pulls back. "Mom, I've seen every game of yours. You're the coolest person I've ever heard trash talking in my life."

And her brows sort of crumble. "Oh, that's embarrassing."

He smiles as wide as he did as a kid.

…

[Heart of the Solar System: Solar Processor Station Medusa: Information Manager Nathan Harrow Personal Quarters]

The doorway opens and his guest comes in. He's younger than Natty thought.

He comes to shake his hand. "Hey, Igor, I go by Natty to my friends. I'm 35 years old in my personal years. By the way."

Igor tilts his head to the side for a moment.

"I just use my first name, I'm 21 years old. Did I sound older on the phone?"

Natty shakes his head a bit.

"Yeah, but it was stupid of me to think an older person will be given the trailing call duty."

Igor smiles a bit.

"Yes. It was. But You said you have all the superbowls of the last twenty years, so do you have the 2135 one. I never found it."

Natty shakes his head.

"Sure, Any food allergies?"

Igor shakes his head no.

"If I do, I don't know about it."

Natty leads him down the hall into the public common area.

He can see Igor being a bit surprised. The area they are in, it's a public plaza. There are vending machines, for anything you'd want to eat. They are at practically all the outer areas of the perimeter. The ceiling looks like the midday sky on earth. There are steps-areas to sit at. The center of all this itself, has this huge vapor tower that will get movies, and all the like, projected over it.

"Everyone else here has gone to their family and friends at other Habitats nearby, or is on the clock. So I have permission to see the games in the Public plaza.

Igor smiles. Gives him a bit of a side eye.

"That sounds like fun. How do I use the machines? I want a burger."

Natty reminds him.

"When you docked earlier, you gave access to your account. So. Automatic."

Igor just about responds, maybe that little shuttle calling duty only has really bad dispensers.

As Natty muses, Igor has ordered three Hamburgers and onion rings.

Natty suspects he will have to order for himself.

…

[D1230- Benny's place]

Ben has disengaged his place from Oded's yesterday. He will probably come back soon, but… For now, Oded, Odelia, their conversations all together, far too real. He was being a proper adult for years about this. He's allowed his time of immaturity.

For now, he's in bed. When he has to, he will start his day, finally.

For now, he will sleep and watch stupid things on the ceiling.

Eventually, after almost half a day, he washes away all of the stress. And gets to work.

He goes to the work interface room.

"Clara, any tasks ready?"

His system responds to the trigger word Clara, and displays on the wall all of the requests that were sent to him ant are still relevant.

He selects one from his crucible as a kid. They want him to test their security.

Apparently some of those who are there as prisoners have almost cracked their restrictions.

Time to raise their wall. While others give the conditions change to make sure it will be easier for them to just grow up and be able to leave by themselves.

He looks up.

"Clara, get us to Auschwitz Is Hell."

As his home makes a direction toward his childhood school. He begins to go over the problem documentation.

As he goes about this, he paces around the room, a habit He picked up from Oded in the last year.

In an hour he will ask 'Clara' for a sandwich. That and some coffee will be all that he eats that day.

…

[Oded's Place: Habitat D1234]

Oded is currently alone. His mom is strolling in his garden. He has made a hedge maze there. And she wants to see it.

As she has a relaxing fun day for herself there, he is here. In his kitchen/personal dining room. He's making a cold cake.

A little comfort food.

He is supposed to meditate, and finally have the system do a basic neural recording. That is very important. Dad has been dead since before he even remembers himself, and so, he himself never had any more siblings.

Mom will be devastated if he dies and she doesn't have an echo of him…

Beyond that, it's just useful, it means he will never again have to train with anymore biofeedback based interface ever again, because this record will be there, and constantly up to date…

It also creeps him out.

…

Odelia is the most at ease she has been in years. This maze is beautiful, the smell is fresh. There are birds here. The path is soft grass, like a lush carpet. And every few intersections, there is a little place to sit.

Little Odedi has grown into a good man, in all the ways she can hope for.

Ow. Duddy, David, you would have been so happy.

She takes a seat. And sobs.

…

A flash of dimness alerts Oded. "What."

"Madam Odelia is crying in the maze."

He almost jumps, but catches himself.

"If her life signs show danger, or this lasts more than ten minutes, alert me again and use legitimate resources to get her medical attention."

The lights dim for a flash. The system has acknowledged his instructions.

…