The Soulmate Curse

Sojourner - Part 2

Getting up the next day was almost impossible. If it wasn't for her caffeinated drinks, she wouldn't be able to functional. Zhen's thoughts went to Finn as she forced herself to get out of bed. Finn must be in the same wretched boat. Zhen wanted to feel guilty, but she didn't. They'd batted and talked all through the night, going back to their rooms with just a little over an hour left before they needed to get to get to their workshop.

Zhen showered and rummaged through her stuff, unsteadily grabbing another classic, wearable-free outfit. This time she went for a casual formal look, wearing a black suit, with a white, low V-neck tee and black ankle boots. The blazer sleeves were designed to look like they were pulled up to her elbows. She added a thin gold chain that went down past her tee's neck and an analogue watch on her left wrist to complete her look. She braided her hair into a fauxhawk, giving prominence to the rainbow strands. Today she'd carry a suitcase.

"Pearl?" Zhen called out as she worked on her makeup.

"Yes, Zhen?" her AI assistant answered.

"Please mix two cups of the new wake-up formula."

There was a pause. The coffee machine whirred as Zhen put the final touches to her face.

"Done."

"Thank you Pearl."

"You're welcome, Zhen."

At the hardware workshop, Zhen walked over to Finn and handed her a mug.

"Thank you!" Finn yawned. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was having trouble staying upright. She took a sip of her drink. "Is that peach?"

"Last night, you said you loved peaches," said Zhen. She'd only slept for about fifteen minutes, having stayed up to create the new formula. "Is it alright?"

"Are you freaking kidding me? It's ambrosia!" said Finn, taking another sip. "I really hope this stuff isn't addictive or slowly killing us."

"Only after about a thousand cups, and we're always slowly dying," said Zhen, a satisfied grin on her face as she took a sip of her own. Finn was right. The new flavour tasted amazing. "Toning down its addictive edge was one of the modifications I made on the caffeine molecule."

This time they had to design and build a hardware prototype to help mental health patients who couldn't, for one reason or another, access a facility where they could be helped. Their group's drone and AI assistant design ended up being chosen to be used as the framework for the Collective's design. After the final design was built using the best parts from all the groups and uploaded, they were released for the day. Mr. and Mrs. Martin invited them over to their room for a celebratory meal. Zhen was a bit bummed at having to miss out on a night with Finn but decided accepting the invitation was the polite thing to do. She was about to speak up when Finn beat her to it.

"I was actually hoping to just rest tonight," said Finn. She turned to Zhen and gave her the most subtle of winks. "I'm pretty exhausted."

"Yeah," said Zhen, trying to keep that stupid smile from her face. "I wish I could come, but I was going to call my sister tonight."

"Not to worry girls," said Mrs. Martin, pleasantly. "There's always next time."

The couple walked away, her husband pulling her close, as always. He whispered something in her ear. She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"They're cute," said Finn, wistfully. For a split second, Zhen wondered if that was a sad note she heard attached to the words. Finn turned to Zhen. "Do you really need to call your sister? 'Cause I was thinking we could hang out again."