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LOCATION: NINA & SIENNA'S BEACH HOUSE
CITY: VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA
DATE: AUGUST 31, 2026 | TIME: 1:15 PM
"What the fuck is going on with you two?" Brick asked.
Nina and Sienna looked at each other and shrugged.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been acting fucking weird," Brick said, "and we want to know why."
Aria tried shoving Brick, but the big man hardly moved.
"Calm down, Brick," she said. "Give them a minute. This isn't an interrogation. Go grab a beer and let the girls talk."
Brick huffed and walked to the kitchen, searching through the fridge for something to drink.
Aria sat down on the couch and patted the cushions on either side of her.
Nina and Sienna took the cue and sat down. Brick was still in the kitchen, leaning against the island and facing away from the women, grumbling just loudly enough that they could hear.
"We can hear you," Aria said. "Just go watch the surf for a few minutes and we'll be right out."
"Fine," he said, acting angrier than he actually was.
Brick opened the sliding door and as soon as the sea breeze hit him, he felt calmer.
Once the door shut and the girls were inside alone and out of earshot, Aria lowered her voice.
"Are you two having second thoughts or something? I think Brick's been getting more serious and you're suddenly pulling away."
She looked back and forth, and both Nina and Sienna looked lost.
"Look," Aria said. "If you're getting cold feet about the throuple thing with him, you're going to have to sit him down and tell him. You know how Brick is. Ever since he saw Darian marry Mallory and Vanessa, he's been dreaming about the same thing."
"Oh," Nina said. "I don't think…"
"No," Sienna said. "We're not up for that."
"Well, you're certainly acting fucking weird," Aria said, "because you told him just a few days ago you might be up for it."
She exhaled.
"I'll buy you some time with Brick, but if you don't feel you want to pursue it, you'll have to tell him yourselves. So figure it out and don't make him wait."
She stood, gave them a long look, shook her head, and headed out back.
"Let's go, Brick," she said.
"What? I thought we were hanging out tonight."
"Nope, they've definitely got something on their minds, but you'll have to give them time to figure it out on their own. Let's go grab a drink somewhere. I'm in way too good of a mood to let this shit spoil it."
Brick nodded silently, and they walked around the outside of the house instead of going back through. Aria got into the passenger seat of Brick's car and he drove them to Rudee's Cabana Bar, a local favorite.
It was going to take a lot of liquor to take his mind off of this, but he was up for the challenge.
Day drinking it is, he thought as he navigated the sunny streets of Virginia Beach.
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LOCATION: RONAN VALE'S APARTMENT
CITY: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
DATE: AUGUST 31, 2026 | TIME: 9:30 AM
Ronan closed the video conferencing software after the Council meeting and leaned back.
There was a lot to do to ensure the System was ready for all the different instances of the Tutorial when eight billion people suddenly joined all at once.
He sent a note to Colin to ping the six data arks all around the planet that housed the physical iterations of the System, and ensure they were stable and operating in peak condition.
Then he decided to check in on the two Isle of Light scenarios going simultaneously.
He sat up in his home office chair, and Operator brushed against his legs, weaving in between them and meowing loudly.
"Hey, little dude," Ronan said, "give me a few minutes and I'll get your breakfast. Sorry I'm so late with it today."
He redirected his attention to the screen and began running the diagnostics on the two simulations.
Operator flicked his tail against Ronan's calf before leaving the room in protest.
Upset that The Tall One seemed to care more about the floaty things on the little screen than him, Operator set off on a mission of vengeance.
First, though, he had to bolster his strength.
He walked deliberately to the living room and to the corner where his toys were kept.
Where is it… where is it…
He rummaged through the pile. No, not the squeaky one. He shooed the plush doll to the side with his paw. Then another, and one more.
There it is!
Operator smelled the sweet catnip from a foot away. He bit down on the little toy shaped like a piece of shrimp sushi wrapped around rice, and tossed it into the middle of the rug.
The morning sunlight beamed in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, like the rays of the feline gods blessing his mission.
The black Maine Coon sat back on his haunches for a split second before launching himself through the air and landing on top of the toy triumphantly.
He chewed on it.
He rubbed his face on it.
He laid on his side and rolled back and forth all over it.
A few seconds later, he felt the rush of power. His eyes dilated to saucers. Blood pumped through his veins like a bird flying through the air.
Wait! Birds!
He looked out the window, and…
No, no… I must focus.
He redirected his attention toward the goal.
Operator stayed low and silent as he stalked through the room, down the hallway and into the bright, shiny kitchen.
He leapt up onto the leather chair where The Tall One kept his bag. It was dark and made of some material that always provided good traction.
Operator easily hopped from the chair up to the counter.
He looked around. The Tall One was nowhere in sight.
Good.
He gauged the distance from the counter to the top of the big shiny cold thing where the Tuna Pâté was kept.
Should be fine, he thought as he got a running start.
He got to the ledge and pushed off, his mind on the prize, when his back feet both slipped on the surface.
He cursed math and gravity on his way to the floor, frustrated that he forgot, yet again, that while those cat nip toys gave him extra strength, they also threw off his calculations.
He landed on the floor with a loud thud and growled in frustration.
He was about to try again, when The Tall One entered the room.
"You getting impatient with me?"
Operator allowed The Tall One to mollify his frustration by scratching behind his ears.
He refused to purr, though.
Out of principle, of course.
But then The Tall One stood back up and opened the Glorious Vault of Pâté Holding, and scooped a large chunk of the Divine Loaf onto the dish and set it on the floor.
Operator sniffed it for just a moment before reluctantly meowing in pleasure as he scarfed it down.
He'll allow The Tall One this one transgression. But from now on, Operator was determined to let the human know that it's Pâté first, and floaty things on screens after.
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System Broadcast
Vitalyx Recipients: 8,142,528,912
Rejuvenex Recipients: 7,904,003,877
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@BookishBecca: Just finished a paper for school. Reading, preparing my notes, and writing the paper took a total of 14 hours. These serums are life-changing! #Vitalyx #Rejuvenex
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