THE MOMENT
<Pride & Joy>
"I could eat," Oz nodded at Barley. He wasn't particularly hungry; but, Barley seemed to be. He never imagined himself to be the kind of person to apple-polish for someone else; but, he made a conscious decision to stay on Barley's good side.
"Yeah!" Astra chimed in. "Food sounds great. Where to?" Barley grinned at Astra and held her hand out.
"How 'bout my place; I'd love to whip up something for you two," Barley said. "And me," she added with a giggle. Astra grabbed Barley's hand and sensed her frequency. Oz noticed a dim golden pulse pass between their hands.
"Got it," Astra nodded at Barley.
"Great! See you in a bit!" Barley waved and all her features disappeared mid-motion. The lively, 18-year-old was replaced all at once by a black, featureless mannequin. After a moment, the mannequin disintegrated and disappeared. Oz looked at Astra with confusion.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Oh yeah," Astra smacked her palm against her forehead. "You couldn’t tell; but, Barley is Unique Soul #52," she said. Oz closed his eyes.
"52...52....5-Uh, La Maceta? The plant? " he asked. Astra nodded.
"Close enough," she said.
"So... she was using a body made of nanos?" Oz asked. Astra nodded. "Because... she's rooted to her Earth, right?" he asked a follow-up question, and Astra nodded again.
[/p: Comin' or what? - Brly] Oz heard Barley's voice in his mind at the same moment he felt the text on the inside of his wrist. When he first learned about Whispers from Astra, Oz did not think much of what sounded like text messages to his body. Nanos relayed messages using text, sound, and emotion between users and across universes. He quickly realized it was a more intimate way to communicate due to the addition of emotions. His stomach fluttered with excited nerves when Barley asked if they were on the way.
[/p: Yep! -Astra] Oz felt her reply on his wrist at the same moment a black portal opened before him. Oz walked through the portal first and out into a spacious kitchen. The floors and cabinetry were all done with cherry wood polished and waxed to a glossy shine. Stainless steel appliances also helped to fill the room with reflected sunlight. An accent wall that caught Oz's attention. One wall was painted with a bright, spring green and lined with three rows of hooks. Each hook held a different antique oil lamp. They were different sizes, colors and materials but all were essentially the same shape.
"Howdy! Welcome to my kitchen," Barley said. Oz turned toward the voice. Even though he half expected it; it still surprised Oz to see Barley's real body was different from her AlterNet character. Not many differences, but she did look a little older and heavier in person.
"Thanks for inviting us!" Astra replied. "Your kitchen is beautiful."
"Thanks," Barley replied. "'Took a few tries to get right but, plenty worth it." Oz chuckled at that and took his attention off the wall of lamps.
"Only a few?" he chuckled. "How many wishes?" Oz assumed she was going to deny having used genies at all to get the home she wanted.
"All them right there," Barley nodded at the wall. Oz's eyes went wide.
"There're 30 lamps there! Did you waste 90 wishes on your house!???" Oz raised his voice despite doing his best to keep calm. He'd already seen Barley waste a handful of wishes frivolously; but, he had no idea how often she found magical lamps. His jealousy was close to a boiling point; but, it helped him remain calm when Barley grinned and shook her head.
"It'd be mighty ridiculous if I did!" she laughed.
"Yeah, it would...," Oz exhaled. The fact that Astra did not get worked up about Barley's wasted wishes also helped Oz keep a level head. He was starting to notice very little phased her, or Barley.
"Honey, I live in the AlterNet," Barley added. "What do I need a house for?"
"Huh?" Oz asked, then took a second look around the kitchen. Now that he was paying attention and not just being polite, he noticed there was only one exit to the kitchen; a closed door. Barley noticed his gaze and went to open the door. Inside was a small closet-sized empty room. A hole in the earthen ground looked like a fresh, shallow grave.
"I just come here to eat," Barley said. "I sleep and work in the AlterNet."
"Wait," Oz said. He turned around with a sour look on his face. "Are you saying you wasted 90 wishes on your kitchen and only a kitchen?"
"Yep!" Barley nodded and even stood taller as if taking complete responsibility for her decision. Oz wanted to rage at her; but, he knew that would upset Astra mad. He needed something though. Some logic that made it okay to waste wishes.
"Why?" he asked. Barley grinned and gave him a wink.
"I LOVE cooking. And, I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself."
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