"Rocky can float."

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The soft morning light poured into Lady's small, organized room, illuminating stacks of books and medical charts. Sitting at her desk, Lady was already engrossed in yet another dense medical textbook, her raspberry-red hair tied back into a haphazard ponytail. Her ice-blue eyes scanned the pages like a machine processing data, her pencil moving with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel as she annotated the margins.

The door to her room creaked open, revealing Dorothea, who swaggered in with her signature playful grin. She had a light bounce in her step, her hazel eyes gleaming with mischief. Before Lady could look up, Matthew followed, his towering frame filling the doorway like a human roadblock. His face was set in his usual mix of exhaustion and "why am I here?" energy.

Dorothea leaned casually against the desk, glancing at Lady's pile of notes. "Wow, it's like a library exploded in here," she quipped. "Lady, is this where paper comes to die?"

Lady didn't look up. "Good morning to you, too," she muttered, her pencil still scratching against the page.

Dorothea feigned shock, clutching her chest dramatically. "Did you just greet me? I thought you'd evolved past human interaction."

Matthew sighed heavily, stepping fully into the room. "Dorothea, can we not do this right now?"

"Oh, come on," Dorothea said with a wide grin, pointing at Lady. "She's like a mini-you, Matt. All work, no fun, no—wait, scratch that. You're not nearly this smart."

Lady finally looked up, her expression unamused. "Is there a reason you're here? Or is annoying me your new full-time job?"

"Actually, yes," Dorothea shot back, crossing her arms. "We're here to stage an intervention. You've been stuck in this dungeon for hours. Arlos is outside, and he's threatening to name a bird after you if you don't come play with him."

Lady blinked. "That's... ridiculous."

Matthew stepped forward, his voice deep and commanding. "What she's trying to say is, you need to take a break."

Lady frowned, setting her pencil down. "I'll take a break when I'm done."

Dorothea clapped her hands together loudly, making both Lady and Matthew jump. "Wrong answer! The judges would like you to try again."

Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dorothea—"

"Nope!" Dorothea cut him off, pointing an accusing finger at Lady. "Listen, you brilliant little robot, Arlos is outside trying to teach a rock how to swim. I'm ninety percent sure he thinks it's alive. You can't leave him unsupervised for much longer, or he's going to drown himself trying to rescue it."

Lady stared at her blankly. "That's not my problem."

Dorothea gasped theatrically, as if Lady had just insulted her entire family lineage. "Not your problem? Lady, the boy needs you. You're his moral compass. Without you, he's going to grow up thinking rocks are his best friends."

Matthew cleared his throat. "That's enough, Dorothea."

"Oh, is it?" Dorothea turned to Matthew, smirking. "What about the time you tried to convince me carrots grow on trees?"

"That was different," Matthew said gruffly, his ears tinged red.

"Was it, though?" Dorothea teased, turning back to Lady. "See? This is why you need to get out more. You're surrounded by idiots."

Lady sighed, closing her textbook with a thud. "If I agree to this, will you stop talking?"

Dorothea's grin widened. "Absolutely not, but you'll have fun anyway."

Lady stood, crossing her arms. "Fine. I'll go see Arlos. But if he's naming another rock, I'm leaving."

Matthew nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, let's go before Dorothea starts naming your books."

"Oh, I've already started," Dorothea chirped. She picked up a thick medical text and cradled it like a baby. "This one's Harold. He looks like he's seen things."

Lady gave her a withering look. "You're insufferable."

"Thank you," Dorothea replied brightly, placing Harold back on the desk. "Now, let's go before Arlos tries to teach his rock algebra."

The trio made their way outside, where the sun was shining brightly, and Arlos was crouched by a puddle. His angelic face was scrunched up in concentration as he held a small rock in one hand and gestured wildly with the other.

"Okay, Rocky," Arlos said seriously, holding the rock close to his face. "This is your chance to prove you're not just a rock. You've got potential."

Lady stopped in her tracks, staring at the scene in disbelief. "He's talking to it."

"I told you," Dorothea said smugly, nudging her. "And you didn't believe me."

Matthew groaned. "Arlos, what are you doing?"

Arlos looked up, his face lighting up when he saw them. "Oh, hey! I'm teaching Rocky how to float."

Dorothea burst out laughing, doubling over as Lady pinched the bridge of her nose. "Arlos," Lady said slowly, "rocks don't float."

Arlos looked genuinely surprised. "They don't? But... what if this one's special?"

"It's not," Lady said firmly.

Dorothea wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, let him dream, Lady. Maybe Rocky's the exception to the rule."

"Or maybe Rocky's going to sink like every other rock in existence," Lady deadpanned.

Arlos held the rock protectively, his lower lip jutting out. "You don't know that. Rocky could be different."

Dorothea crouched down beside him, her voice overly dramatic. "Arlos, if Rocky floats, I will personally build him a tiny boat and make him the captain of his own fleet."

Arlos's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Absolutely not," Matthew interjected, glaring at Dorothea. "We're not encouraging this."

"Oh, come on," Dorothea said, waving him off. "Where's your sense of whimsy?"

Lady sighed deeply, stepping closer to Arlos. "Arlos, why don't we find something else to do? Something that doesn't involve rocks?"

"But Rocky's my friend," Arlos protested.

Lady crouched down, meeting his gaze. "I know, but maybe Rocky needs a break, too. How about we play tag instead?"

Arlos tilted his head, considering this. "Can Rocky play?"

Dorothea snorted loudly, earning a sharp glare from Matthew. Lady, to her credit, managed to keep a straight face. "Rocks can't run, Arlos," she said patiently. "It wouldn't be fair."

"Oh," Arlos said, his shoulders slumping slightly. But then his face lit up again. "Okay, tag sounds fun!"

Before anyone could react, Arlos tapped Lady on the shoulder. "You're it!" he shouted, darting off with a burst of energy.

Lady stood there for a moment, completely frozen. "I did not agree to this."

"Oh, you agreed the moment you stepped outside," Dorothea said with a grin, already backing away. "Better start running, Troubleberry!"

Lady sighed, but a faint smile tugged at her lips as she took off after Arlos, leaving Matthew and Dorothea behind.

Matthew crossed his arms, watching them. "This was a terrible idea."

Dorothea smirked, nudging him with her elbow. "You're just mad because you know she's faster than you."

Matthew glared at her. "I'm not playing."

"Suit yourself," Dorothea said with a shrug. Then she tapped his arm and bolted. "You're it!"

Matthew stood there, stunned, before groaning loudly. "I'm surrounded by children." But despite his protests, a faint smile crept onto his face as he jogged after them.



End of part —>

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