11

Elise entered into Routine Land, the place where she could see Lowlife practicing against a punching bag, and Xian checking out his techniques.  She waved hi to the two and went straight to the lounge on the second floor.  The CD cases weren't there.  Next objective was Xian.

Lowlife turned around and greeted her as she came down the stairs.  Xian walked away - might as well.

"Hey there, Lis!"  He said.

"It's Elise.  Elise!"  The android replied while pretending to punch his face.  "I'm looking for a bunch of CD cases Alexanne supposedly left on the lounge table.  Know who might have stored them away?"

The tall man laughed.  "Oh, she did the CD trick on you too!"

"...Uh..."

"Don't worry, she does that to anyone staying at her place whenever she wants to have sex with Rage.  Almost everyone knows about it - I was the first to spread the joke."

"How come?"

"I was the first guy to do her."  He grinned.  "She's hot!  But then she met that son of a bitch Asian guy and left me there surprised like a deer on the highway.  I can't seem to get a girlfriend now - what a fucking curse!"

"Awww!"  She hugged him.  "Hey, if I was capable of it, I'd be your girlfriend!  You're dynamic and energetic.  You're not creepy like your brother."

Lowlife smirked.  "True, but he's the one running the Crate, not me...  I'm just a figurehead, and might as well be this way.  I'd rather be the second-in-command who works behind the scenes and never gets noticed."

"Hey, just like me!"

She put a hand on her mouth in surprise and they both laughed.  Forgetting about his punching bag, Lowlife threw his towel aside and invited her for a chat in the lounge.

They discussed about various subjects for an hour or so, before Dream came out of her room and joined them.  The star wasn't very talkative but it didn't seem to bother the two, who were more interested in each other than in anyone else around them.  Almost anything was explored or at least touched.  They found out they had quite a few common traits.  They both liked house music, fighting, city life, and well done meat.  They both hated classic rock, reality shows, sushi and going on a trip.  More and more, Elise felt like she had found her soul mate, or better yet, her absolute twin, the one who was in all aspects like her.

Dream hadn't placed a word since ten minutes ago.  She finished her coffee and stood up but Elise called her back.

"Hey, don't go away!  Here, come sit with me.  Yeah, right here, come on."  She hugged the singer.  "You're like a mommy!  Caring, loving and cute and fuzzy!"

"Huh?!"

Lowlife chuckled at Dream's total incomprehension.  He leaned forward and gathered whatever seriousness he could find within himself.  "That means Elise just turned lesbian because of you."

"No I haven't!"  The android snapped back.

"Yes you have!"

"Ask Rage!  I'm not lesbian!"

Lowlife doubled over in laughter.  "Oh yeah?  What's your orientation?"

"None!  What am I supposed to orient with?  Ding-ding!"  Elise knocked on her crotch.  "I'm zerosexual.  I'm turned on by a gender that doesn't exist."  She half-closed her eyes and looked sideways like a spy looking for a target.  "That means I need to find myself an android stud ay-ess-ay-pee!"  She stayed frozen in this exaggeratedly serious expression, causing Lowlife and Dream to burst out laughing with enough force to wake everyone on the other side of the planet.  Elise then put up her legs and stared at them with wide open eyes.  "You know what's the worst thing ever?  I think I have a foot fetish!  I find my own feet sexy, dammit!  This so sucks; I have erogenous zones but I don't have the forbidden zone to make the erogenous zones useful and thus I wish I had a forbidden zone to make use of the erogenous zones and feel that forbidden zone at will like any normal horny woman (breath!)"  She suddenly took a completely serious expression.  "Any questions?"

"Please!  My heart's about to declare a burn-out!"  Lowlife almost fell from the couch.  "Wow, when did you fetch that sense of humor?"

"When I met you I think.  Your face makes me want to say funnies.  When I see you I see a bunch of Sunday comics waiting to be read and laughed at.  That, or it's because you're wearing a shirt printed with Sunday funnies all over."

"Well waddya know!"

Elise turned to dream, laid sideways on the couch and shoved her feet into Dream's face.  "And you?  Don't you think my feet are sexy?  Say it out loud!  I was made to wear those cute rainbow-colored socks with the toes on them!"

Dream hesitated and sighed...  "We passed a vote inside my head.  Eight out of my thirteen souls find your feet sexy."

"Woo-hoo!"

"However, twelve out of my thirteen souls are actually looking for a man."

"D'oh!"

Lowlife grinned and nudged Elise.  "Hey, you sounded like a celebrity when you said that."

"I know - I watched a program yesterday and the guy kept saying that all the time."

Dream coughed and stood up once again.  "Well, as you can see, I'm not really a knowledgeable person in terms of guns and fighting, so I guess I'll leave you two to your conversation."

"Wait!  We can speak of other stuff too!"  The two other said simultaneously.

"Like what?"

Silence.

"...Uhh, cookies?"  Elise attempted with a defeated face.  The star giggled.

"Well, I don't know how to bake cookies.  Do you?"

Elise rocked back and fell on the couch.  "Ahh crap!"  She bounced and stood up.  "Well, I guess I'll head back home.  If I'm lucky enough, I might get to see some of their Kama Sutra before I enter."

"Don't think about it."  Lowlife said.  "They're both sex machines and will kill you forever if you intrude during the action.  Come on, we can sit here and have a nice, civilized chat...  About cookies!"  He smiled at the android who had slumped back on the couch.  "I don't think it will be useful for you to go anywhere until dinner time.  Heh, had you been a human, I would've told you to take a nap.  Everyone else is busy for the day or taking it easy."

Dream's face brightened up.  "Yes!  I could sing you two a lullaby!"

Elise suddenly turned around.  "I don't want to go to sleep."

Dream hadn't heard her.  She had already begun her slow, sleepy sail to the land of dreams.

Believe, believe not
There's a girl on the edge of town
Watching the sunset
The houses smell of firewood,
A light bright snow falls on the streets
Her hair... looks like diamond.

The town has turned to gems, so cool
Icicles melting into pools
What a vision...
It's her vision.

The sun is a bright ruby
In a sky of sparkling sapphire
The emeralds of the Christmas tree
Complete the gifts of silver and gold...
The moon comes by, enlightened pearl
A few warm rays, topaz street lights
And the girl with the diamond hair
Taken by the magic of the dream
Heads back home...

"She's asleep..."  Lowlife commented.

Elise had curled up into a ball and closed her eyes.  One of her arms was under her head and supporting the cushion, while the other was next to her mouth, as if she was going to suck her thumb.  Her legs were bent, the tense skin had become unnaturally smooth and welcoming to the touch.

Dream was touched by this unusual sight.  She slowly stood up so as to not wake up the android, and tiptoed around the table to watch her from another angle.  Bending over, she heard a light, almost inaudible snore.

A tear fell from her eye.

"...Wow."