Neon Moonby nameundeterminedChapters1 - A New Moon2 - Star Light, Star Bright...3 - Waxing Crescent1 - A New Moon Aldritch gave a small sigh as he poured over the DDRA website on his display, listening to his favorite band and waving his hand across the hard light projection over his desk. He gave a small, exasperated sigh at a seeming lack of results. He had recently, at the prodding of his partner, signed up for a program with the Displaced Droid Rehousing Association. After several sit-down interviews with him and Tia, the organization had decided that they would in fact be housing a droid with the two of them. The problem was that they would not be allowed to pick the droid in question, or even meet them until they arrived. Now there were good enough reasons for this. Statistics showed that allowing program partners to pick who they took in resulted in certain models being taken in at a far higher rate than others who got less attention for looking less normal (I.e., less humanoid, or more conventional generally in appearance), and allowing prospective adopting households to meet their assigned droid beforehand generally resulted in an up to 15 percent higher rate of return and further rehousing according to available data. Partners to the program were instead matched up for the possible highest compatibility based on advanced sorting algorithms that accounted for interpersonal compatibility, profession, hobbies, interests, and the psychological profiles of both the adopting and adopted parties. This allowed them to maximize the likelihood of an adoption sticking. He understood all of this, but the tension of waiting to see exactly what sort of new member his family was going to be getting was absolutely awful! As much as he hated to admit it, Al was a product of his time, used to the instant gratification that a post-scarcity world brought. Having to actually wait for something longer than a day was torture! And so far, he had been waiting almost a week. He gave an exasperated noise after reading the organization’s terms of service one more time and finally sat up, running his hands through his hair and getting out of his chair, and heading into the living room. Tia was there, watching some old British comedy from the stupid ages, seeming fairly content. She gave a small chuckle at something going on on the screen. “Oh, that is absolutely silly! Why isn’t there any cheese in that cheese shop?” she asks the television as notices him walking into the living room and sitting up, smiling at him “Oh! Hello darling. Have you decided to finally stop sulking over when our guest will arrive and join me for a while on the couch instead?” “No, I still have a bit more sulking to do later if they do not arrive soon, but I can definitely join you on the couch, love,” he said with a small chuckle of his own as he sat beside her, gently wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close, eliciting a small delighted noise from his equine amore. She leaned in and kissed him on his cheek, placing a wing comfortingly around him “Oh hush now, she should be arriving later today.” She said confidently as she leaned against him with a soft sigh. “And what exactly makes you so sure, Tia?” he asked her curiously as his hand slid up and down her back slowly, the other hand coming up to rub at the fluffy, soft spot on her chest, causing her leg to twitch slightly with enjoyment as she leaned in and relaxed against him a bit mote giving a satisfied little noise at the touch. “O-ohh….I know she is coming because I called ahead and they told me that she was on her way about an hour ago.” She said with a small smirk as she raised a hoof and gently tapped his forehead with it. “Did you not think to simply call them. Or were you just reading their website over and over again and missing the number at the bottom?” “No!” yes, yes he had been doing exactly that. But fuck him if he was going to admit it. He gave a small pout as he slid his hand up her back and ran his hand through her hair, humming as he looked down at her “Thank you for doing that, Tia. I guess I was just a bit too nervous about all of this…” She leaned into the touch happily and nodded. “I can understand why. This is a lot for you, letting a new person into our home like this. It’s a big step for you, and I’m very proud that you feel ready to open yourself up that way to help others.” she said soothingly as she leaned in and pecked his lips. He kissed her back gently and pulled away again, smiling wide down at her. “I won’t lie and say you asking me to isn’t a big part of the reason I’m doing this, Tia,” he said as he scratched slowly behind her ears “Mmm-mhm, you certainly do do a lot for me don’t you?” She asked as she pressed a hoof to his chest as she soaked in the gentle pampering from her partner. “Mhm, and I’m sure the memory foam in that bed back there remembers most of it” he responded with a small smirk, getting a small sigh and a begrudging smile in return. “I said for me, not to me, you adorable little man, you.” she said, bapping him on the nose with the hoof that had been on his chest before returning it there and slowly rubbing “Though, I do appreciate that stuff in its own way, but this is different. I think that this will be good for you, and I wouldn’t be telling you to try if it wasn’t. And just as importantly, I’m sure that whatever poor soul ends up here with us, it will be good for them.” That was indeed, just as important, if not moreso, in his opinion. The percentage of Bio Droids that were abandoned by their owners and left on the streets was staggering. Droids made up over 80 percent of all homeless individuals, and over 35 percent of victims of crimes performed by someone within the home. The sad truth was that despite the best attempts of lobbyists and well-meaning lawmakers, sapient Bio-Droids were still by and large not seen as equal to human beings by most people. “Yeah, yeah I know. They have probably been through a lot, and I am sure some stability will be nice for them. I just hope that we can show them that we are trustworthy and build a good rapport with them. Going through the struggles of your average displaced Bio Droid is probably no cakewalk.” he said softly as he pulled himself away from her and stood up, stretching a bit. Tia looked a bit disappointed, flopping onto the couch and rolling onto her back, looking up at him with her wide magenta eyes. “Going back to your room to sulk already?” He chuckled and shook his head, reaching down to gently scratch at her chin. “Nah, I’m going to go get dinner started. I want to make sure that our new family member has a nice hot meal to come home to. Give them a good first impression, ya know?” he said as he withdrew his hand, leaving a pouting but pleased Tia in his wake as he walked to the kitchen. A few more hours passed, this time much more quickly since a lot of it was spent preparing a nice dinner for their upcoming new arrival. Everything was ready to go, being kept warm on the table by the heating element underneath its surface. A purchaseTia had made years ago after countless evenings of him coming home a bit later than was to be expected of a responsible young man but was to be entirely expected of a normal one. “Okay, I just checked in, and It seems like they should be arriving via autocab in a few minutes,” Tia said as she trotted out of her room. She had decided to pull her mane back into a ponytail to look a bit more casual, despite the mild amusement of her partner. “Thank you, love. I’m coming out now.” Aldritch said as he walked out of his own room, having showered and changed after cooking to avoid smelling of the kitchen when they arrived. Sure they would smell the food soon enough, but smelling fresh food and smelling stale food smell off of someone who has been cooking for a while have very different effects on the average appetite. “Now remember, they may not be friendly right away. They have likely sustained some amount of physical and or mental trauma and may be initially distrustful of us and will probably need time to adjust.” She said as she stood by the door with him, waiting, seeming to get a bit antsy herself now that the time was almost here. “Yeah yeah, Tia, I read the same pamphlets and webpages you did.” he said gently, running a hand along the back of her neck slowly, looking down at her reassuringly “Look just...let’s not try too hard, okay? I’m sure they will appreciate it more if we are just ourselves for them and don’t try to overcompensate. Trauma or not, all we really need to do is treat them with the kindness respect they deserve right?” She blinked slowly as she looked over at him and gave an approving nod and smile “Yes. That’s absolutely right, dear. Sorry, I slipped into mommy mode for a minute there.” Al did the right thing and resisted the mighty urge to make a raunchy joke about slipping into his mommy, and it is a good thing he did! A few moments later, they heard the doorbell ring. Tia gave a small squeal, using her telekinesis to open the door and smiling wide “Hello, how can I help...you…?” She stood still, her face slowly falling as she saw who was in front of her. It was another pony, a bit shorter than she was, and another alicorn mare by the looks of her. Her coat was a dark, regal blue, and her mane flowed with an array of sparkling stars that wonderfully matched the ones in the sky above. Though the light-polluted display of the city skies could certainly scarcely compete with the wonderful menagerie of cosmic wonders that flowed naturally through her mane. Her soft, blue eyes held a fair amount of uncertainty. An uncertainty that seemed only magnified when she saw the other standing before her. They had of course, never met before, but being sister units, having integrated artificial memories of one another in a different time, a different place, brought about certain...feelings of familiarity. Tia was the first to shake it off, literally shaking her head back and forth for a moment and coming to her senses before offering the other a small smile “Apologies, I was not expecting another MLP-series Model. My name is Tia, and this big goof over here is Aldritch.” She gestured with her hoof towards the man behind her, who was currently doing his best to formulate a delicate, appropriate greeting to his new guest before realizing that he was not following his own advice. He cleared his throat and shook his head, walking forward and slowly extending his hand, not moving suddenly so as to make sure she understood his intention. “Hello there. My name is Al, I will be your er...adoptive keeper from now on.” He said, being particular not to call himself her owner. “It’s very nice meeting you, I’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival all week.” The new arrival watched his hand warily, but when it stopped in front of her in an obvious friendly greeting, she sniffed softly and raised her hoof to his, meeting his eyes with a firm, dignified measured look. “We are quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Aldritch. Our Name is Luna, though if you do not object, we prefer to be referred to as Lu.” She said in a voice that matched the look in her eyes. Measured, cool, and quite eloquent. A bit old-timey, even by the standards of her franchise setting, but he would be lying if he said he did not find it at least a bit charming. If he had to sum her up in a word it would be...dignified. He smiled a bit wider and withdrew his hand after shaking her hoof firmly “It’s wonderful to meet you, Lu. Please, come right on in, We made dinner to prepare for your arrival and we would be quite happy if you would be so kind as to share your evening with us. We can get you settled in once we make you you’ve had something to eat.” he said as he backed out of the doorway and gestured for her to enter if she pleased, Tia giving her some room to enter as well. She seemed to think for a moment before giving a small nod, her horn lighting up, levitating some bags behind her as she walked into the house “We suppose this is acceptable. Very well, Al, please lead us to your dining room. We have had a long trip and are Indeed quite famished.” She raised her head slightly and trotted her way past the couch, setting her things down before looking at the two of them expectantly. Al smiled and gestured for her to follow, and the three of them make their way to the dining room for what would hopefully be a pleasant evening of good food and good conversation. And possibly, a new good friend. Author's Note And there it is! A bit short, but this was more meant to set up things for proper development later! hope it wasn't too boring! 2 - Star Light, Star Bright...Author's Note another one! productive night ig, lol. 2 - Star Light, Star Bright... The three of them filed into the dining room together, each taking a seat. The table was small, cozy. It was well suited to the occasion, not terribly imposing. That was more due to the fact that there were usually only two of them living there and them not seeing the point in a larger table for one additional houseguest, however, than due to any deliberate planning. Aldritch gave Luna a nervous smile as he took a seat at the circular table, watching her and Tia quickly settle in as well before speaking. “So, Luna. Was the trip pleasant?” Luna gave a small cough and nodded as she used her magic to levitate the insulated cover from her plate, eyes lighting up just slightly at the choice of dish. It was a delightful spinach pie. Homemade of course, by Tia’s own loving hooves. Al had put in some work as well, but the kitchen was far from his comfort zone. That had not stopped him from doing his best to make their new housemate feel welcome. “The trip was...quite pleasant yes. The personal transport afforded by the DDRA was more than satisfactory for Our needs.” She said politely as she floated a fork over towards the pie and dug in, pulling out a chunk of the delicious-looking dish, steam erupting pleasantly from the bowl, the soft, rich melted swiss stretching as the fork was guided to the ponies lips. She gave a soft groan of satisfaction, her eyes widening as she heard the sound come from her throat unbidden. She quickly chewed and swallowed, and seemed to be fighting the urge to dig in more vigorously. “We...consider Ourselves quite lucky to have ended up with a reputable adoption agency such as that one. Many droids are not so fortunate…” “I suppose that is true. I hope you know that we consider ourselves fortunate as well.” Al said kindly as he started to tuck into his own place, Tia having already long-since gone ham on her portion of the meal, almost a third of the way done, though she was intently listening, showing interest in the conversation. “Oh, and why is that, if We may ask?” Luna said somewhat cautiously, seeming almost...worried, for some reason, her eyes darting towards him and Tia a few times hesitantly. “Well, because we get to have a new member in our family of course,” Al said with a small chuckle, seeming a bit confused by her reaction, but trying not to downplay any discomfort she might be feeling, opting instead to try to reassure her. “We have been looking forward to finding out what sort of individual we were going to be letting into our lives and well, to be honest, I can’t say I’m displeased with who we got. You seem quite pleasant.” Lu seemed relieved at his answer and visibly relaxed. Though it seemed that she was more relaxing at all than from having become tense. Rather, it was more that she had been tense since her arrival and was only now loosening up a bit. “Well, that is...very nice to hear. We are pleased to have someone who is simply happy to be around us for once. We got a small taste of it during our time at the DDRA shelter, but...it is still somewhat foreign to us…” Al nodded, and Tia stopped eating to chip in. “Lu, we know that you have probably had a difficult time of things before finding your way to us. You do not have to tell us what has befallen you until you are ready, if you ever are. But if you ever want to speak, I think I speak for both of us when I say we are here for you, and happy to listen.” She finished with all grunting softly, nodding in agreement from behind a mouthful of pie. Lu gave them an appreciative glance and hummed her approval softly, “We are...thankful that you both would be so understanding of Our plight. We are not sure how long it will be until We are ready to share that information with you, but We appreciate that you are willing to be patient with Us. We are...admittedly unused to being allowed to do things at Our own pace.” “Well, as long as you are living under our roof, you will be treated as a proper individual with your own needs and feelings. And we will do our very best to respect those feelings and care for those needs as long as you make a good faith effort to do the same, Lu.” Al said after swallowing his mouthful of spinach and cheese. “We are here to help you, and we only want you to be able to feel as if this is an environment where you are comfortable with getting that help. I’ll tell you what. How about tomorrow, we spend the afternoon planning an evening out for the three of us to wherever strikes your fancy. Would you enjoy that?” Lu seemed taken slightly aback, surprised, not displeased. “We are...unsure. We have not had the onus of deciding something for others before.” A strange thing to hear coming from one so regal to be sure, but Al stowed his opinion, knowing that appearances leave much to be discerned. “We will have to think on it and inform you of how We feel in the morning if that is okay…?” as she let the sentence out of her mouth she became notably more tense again, and a tinge of anxiety crept into her voice. “Of course!” Take as much time as you need to settle in and adjust, we can talk about doing activities together once you feel ready.” Tia said quickly, with Al nodding his agreement, taking another bite of his food. She relaxed again at this, seeming almost...embarrassed? Ashamed? It was difficult to tell, but certainly a mix of relief and some more negative feelings. “O-of course, thank you…” she said as she placed her fork down, most of the dish now gone, but some still remaining. “We will be going to Our room now, if neither of you need any more of Our time this evening, We have much to think about…” Neither of the other two made a move to stop her, both simply respectfully nodding and allowing her to be on her way, the door closing behind her softly as she went into her new room. Al gave a small sigh and looked over to Tia, who returned his gaze with a similar look. They both smiled gently at one another and finished dinner in silence before cleaning the dishes together and retiring for the evening to their now shared bedroom. Tia of course still retained her own room, for her personal belongings and affairs, but in terms of which room she spent more time in these days, it was the one she shared with her partner. Al changed into a set of comfortable dark flannel pajamas and slipped into bed with Tia, placing an arm around her barrel and spooning her gently from behind. The pony spoke softly to him “So, that went pretty well. I think that once she has had some time to adjust, she will be able to do very well here.” “Yeah...yeah I think so too…” he said as he hugged her a bit closer, nuzzling into the back of her neck. “But….you saw it too right? She seemed so nervous, so...vulnerable. The idea that she had autonomy seemed almost alien to the poor girl.” he said, seeming somewhat distraught about it as his hand slowly slid up and down her stomach. As he absentmindedly rubbed her belly, he elicited a pleased, soft knicker from his lover as she nodded along with his thoughts. “I did notice that, and you did a very good job trying to be respectful of her boundaries without making her have to spell them out in my opinion. We may not have a good idea of exactly what they are yet, but they certainly seem to be there and it seems like we did well enough in not crossing them.” “Yeah, but I think it might get a bit harder to suss out exactly what is and isn’t okay as time goes on, at least until she’s comfortable enough around us to open up. I feel like asking her about what she is and isn’t okay within an explicit manner might get some...non-committal answers from her. She’s obviously scared of disapproval, and pressing her to do things she isn’t ready to do yet might hurt more than it will help if she only does it because she thinks we expect her to…” Tia turned around and gently embraced him in her forehooves, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead and rubbing his back, placing her wing over him tenderly. “Darling, you are a wonderful man, and you are doing your easy best here, but I think you might be overthinking it just a bit. There is no need to look so deeply into these things just yet, she only got here today. Give her some time to adjust and see how she is doing once she has her bearings about her, then we can see about what we should do to help her heal, if there is anything we should do at all besides letting things take their course.” He breathed a sigh of resignation and nodded his agreement. She was right, as she nearly always was. There was no good to be had from rushing into things. Sometimes the best thing you could do is let time do its work and see where to go from there. After all, that is how they had ended up together, so it had to have some merit. “Thank you, Tia, You always no just what to say….” She smirked softly and let a hoof trail down to press at his buttocks, getting a small squeak from him as she leaned in and took a slightly more husky tone. “Good, because I have a few more things to say, liiiiiike…” She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, and he blushed heavily at the unspeakable things he heard before suddenly rolling atop her, and gently, playfully pinning her wrists, garnering a loud, happy squeal and a cry of “Oh, you beast~” from his lover as he started to nibble her neck, her hind legs kicking softly and wings flapping under her aimlessly as she cooed in satisfaction… Luna was curled up under a blanket with a good book, humming softly to herself. She had to admit that the entire experience of being adopted was far more pleasant than she had been expecting so fa- She froze as she heard a rhythmic squeaking noise and several grunts and squeals through what was unfortunately apparently a fairly thin wall between her room and the room of her host. She blushed heavily and with her telekinesis, grabbed a set of noise earplugs from her bag, giving a small sigh as she stuffed them in and turned off the lights, save for a bedside lamp and continued to read, a small, slightly irritated scowl across her face for a brief time until she was sucked back into the book, reading ever so softly out loud under her breath as her eyes scanned the paper. “I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during the day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me…” 3 - Waxing CrescentAl sat with Luna in his living room the next day, a tablet set in front of the two of them on his coffee table as the Alicorn scrolled through a list of local locales under his gentle, watchful eye. “Now, whatever it is you would like to do is fine, Luna. This is so that we can get to know some of your interests, after all, so pick based on what you would prefer.” he said gently as he noticed her hesitance on several options, her hoof hovering over them before seeming to disregard them in favor of continuing to scroll. She looks to him and gives a small nod, smiling sheepishly. “Our apologies, Aldritch. We are...unused to having such freedom to choose Our leisure time activities…” “Now now, Al will do just fine, Luna. I may technically be your rights-holder under the law, but in this household we consider all sapient life to be on equal footing, organic or artificial.” He said gently but firmly. “I know it might seem a bit overwhelming, but freedom means making your own choices, according to your own desires.” She seemed to understand him, nodding as she soaked in his words, but still looked at him unsurely. “And what if Our desire is to pick an option that you would find acceptable and pleasant to accommodate?” She asked him, just a bit cheekily, but very self-evidently still a bit nervous. Al gave a small sigh at this, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, baby steps I suppose…” he said, scratching his scalp a bit as he watched where her hoof had been trailing to a stop before she had put her attention on him. “Here, why don’t we go see a play together hm? I hear that the local troupe's rendition of Much Ado About Nothing is fairly enjoyable. We could even catch a Double-Feature and catch that rendition of Spamalot Celly has been begging me to see for weeks now.” Luna’s eyes seem to light up at the thought of a night at the theatre, a small gasp and a smile issuing forth from her lips as she looks up at him “Oh, that would be delightful!” She said, gently stomping her front hooves in front of her a few times with girlish excitement. “We have always wanted to attend a real play at a theatre, thank you, Aldr- erm..thank you Al.” She finished a bit more sheepishly. Aldritch chuckled softly at this and gave a small nod. “Oh think nothing of it. You want to go, so we will go, it’s that simple,” he said as he started seeing to booking tickets for the afternoon and evening performances of the shows respectively. “Hm, and there is a rather nice little outside-dining establishment about a block away, so we can have dinner before we settle in for the show…” As he plans the afternoon, she gently nudges his shoulder with a hoof to get his attention “Erm...would it be possible for us to go shipping beforehand for an outfit?” She asked apologetically, looking a bit forlorn. “We do not have much in the way of clothing that would be appropriate for a night at the theatre and We would not want to embarrass you by-” Aldritch simply waved gently at her and smiled. “Luna, I would never be embarrassed to be out in public with a woman as sweet as you are. But if you feel self-conscious about it we can definitely take some time before the show to find you something suitable,” he said reassuringly as he made sure to add a trip to a nearby clothing shop that catered to quadrupeds to the docket for the day. Luna seemed fairly mollified by his reply to her request, blushing ever so slightly as she tentatively looked over the plans for the day. She seemed to want to say something but decided against it, and Al decided not to push her more than was warranted and allowed it to pass for now, not wanting to detract from the good mood around the trip. He called out across the room “Hey Celly! I’m going to take Luna shopping before we all go to lunch, do you want to come with us?” She peeked her head out from around the corner into the room and shook it “Oh no thank you! I think I will give the two of you a bit of time to spend together on your own. It’ll be good for you to get to spend some time with just the two of you. I’ll meet up with you for lunch, you’ll make sure to forward me your Uber route for the afternoon, yes?” “Of course honey.” he said as he got up from his spot and walked across the room, gently running his hand through her mane and planting a little kiss on her snout. “We’ll see you there.” “Yes, you will.” she said with a small smile, kissing his cheek in return before he returned to the living room and once more Gave Luna his attention. She smiled softly at him, looking towards the doorway and then back to him. “The two of you are very cute, Al. You obviously care for one another greatly.” He nodded, rubbing his cheek and grinning a bit dopily to himself. “Yeah, she’s been my All-Purpose Care unit for almost as long as I can remember. The transition from mother figure to partner was a little awkward, but I really think we can make it work.” She gave a nod of her own at this, issuing him a strange look as she traced a hoof awkwardly across the fabric of the couch. “Indeed...so if I may ask something personal, when did you request for her to change the dynamic in your relationship?” He seemed taken aback at this, giving her an odd look of his own in return. “What? No, Celly is the one who asked me to change our relationship that way. I was actually unsure at first but it was a really big deal to her and I ended up going with it and I think we both ended up a lot happier for it.” Her eyes widened slightly at this, one of her eyebrows raised in fascination. “Really, she is the one who asked you to...and you hesitated?” She asked sounding genuinely surprised at this. A few gears click into place as Al realizes some assumptions she might have been making. “Oh, nono, I’m not really...inherently attracted to the equine form, you see. Celly was bought for me by my parents when I was very young because they er...did not have time to look after me themselves…” he said, sounding a bit uncomfortable delving into his past this way. He felt as though he owed her transparency though, and persisted. “Celestia was basically my mother figure for most of my life, and I really put her on a pedestal that made it hard to think of her….like that. I will admit that spending my adolescence around her with her being a fairly attractive model of her line gave me an..appreciation for her design that I might not otherwise harbor and my deepening relationship has given me further cause for that appreciation to grow, but-” She giggles slightly as he rambles on, deciding to put him out of his misery. “I see, so you just sort of happened into the attraction, you did not er...set out for company of that sort. That makes more sense given what I have seen of your actions, thank you for explaining.” She said, seeming...relieved? Her posture certainly seemed more at ease, and her eyes did not carry quite the same constant sense of moving about that they did before. As much as her feeling more comfortable around him was something he was pleased about, he could not help but feel a bit...worried for her. This was not the first time he had noticed her behavior change under a certain set of circumstances. He wasn't ready to commit to it as something he considered definite, but it was certainly enough that he felt it warranted further observation. He set his thoughts on the matter aside for now, giving her a reassuring smile and getting up from his seat on the couch. “Well, I’m glad to have sorted that out with you! Now, how about the two of us get a move on hm? There is a wonderful little boutique that’s Quadruped-Friendly we can stop off at to get you looking even more beautiful before the show. It’s run by the nicest little Mark Two, I’m sure you’ll find her absolutely delightful.” Luna blushed slightly again at the implication of being called beautiful, but seemed to stiffen slightly before thinking of something and relaxing again with a small sigh, her flush fading as she smiled at Al thankfully. “Yes, that sounds most excellent, Al. I am sure she will be just as delightful as you make her out to be.” She said as she stood up and stretched out a bit, waiting for Al to lead her towards the door. As the two of them stood on the curb waiting for the Uber Auto to arrive, Al occasionally glanced over at her with a small bit of worry on his face. She saw this and gave him a reassuring, if slightly nervous smile, which he met with one of his own to comfort her, but the worry remained. He sighed and simply shrugged internally. Whatever was up, she would tell him when she was ready, and badgering her would do no good. The Uber Auto arrived about five minutes later, whisking the two of them off to their first stop of the day. Author's Note You kept asking about it, so here ya go! BestinDworld, I hope you are satisfied knowing that this fic is definitely not abandoned, and that goes for the rest of you as well! Oh! also, I need a name for this AU. it is definitely its own beast with developing if still fairly barebones lore and its own rules for how things work, and if anyone has an idea for a good catchy name your input would be appreciated!
1 - A New Moon Aldritch gave a small sigh as he poured over the DDRA website on his display, listening to his favorite band and waving his hand across the hard light projection over his desk. He gave a small, exasperated sigh at a seeming lack of results. He had recently, at the prodding of his partner, signed up for a program with the Displaced Droid Rehousing Association. After several sit-down interviews with him and Tia, the organization had decided that they would in fact be housing a droid with the two of them. The problem was that they would not be allowed to pick the droid in question, or even meet them until they arrived. Now there were good enough reasons for this. Statistics showed that allowing program partners to pick who they took in resulted in certain models being taken in at a far higher rate than others who got less attention for looking less normal (I.e., less humanoid, or more conventional generally in appearance), and allowing prospective adopting households to meet their assigned droid beforehand generally resulted in an up to 15 percent higher rate of return and further rehousing according to available data. Partners to the program were instead matched up for the possible highest compatibility based on advanced sorting algorithms that accounted for interpersonal compatibility, profession, hobbies, interests, and the psychological profiles of both the adopting and adopted parties. This allowed them to maximize the likelihood of an adoption sticking. He understood all of this, but the tension of waiting to see exactly what sort of new member his family was going to be getting was absolutely awful! As much as he hated to admit it, Al was a product of his time, used to the instant gratification that a post-scarcity world brought. Having to actually wait for something longer than a day was torture! And so far, he had been waiting almost a week. He gave an exasperated noise after reading the organization’s terms of service one more time and finally sat up, running his hands through his hair and getting out of his chair, and heading into the living room. Tia was there, watching some old British comedy from the stupid ages, seeming fairly content. She gave a small chuckle at something going on on the screen. “Oh, that is absolutely silly! Why isn’t there any cheese in that cheese shop?” she asks the television as notices him walking into the living room and sitting up, smiling at him “Oh! Hello darling. Have you decided to finally stop sulking over when our guest will arrive and join me for a while on the couch instead?” “No, I still have a bit more sulking to do later if they do not arrive soon, but I can definitely join you on the couch, love,” he said with a small chuckle of his own as he sat beside her, gently wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close, eliciting a small delighted noise from his equine amore. She leaned in and kissed him on his cheek, placing a wing comfortingly around him “Oh hush now, she should be arriving later today.” She said confidently as she leaned against him with a soft sigh. “And what exactly makes you so sure, Tia?” he asked her curiously as his hand slid up and down her back slowly, the other hand coming up to rub at the fluffy, soft spot on her chest, causing her leg to twitch slightly with enjoyment as she leaned in and relaxed against him a bit mote giving a satisfied little noise at the touch. “O-ohh….I know she is coming because I called ahead and they told me that she was on her way about an hour ago.” She said with a small smirk as she raised a hoof and gently tapped his forehead with it. “Did you not think to simply call them. Or were you just reading their website over and over again and missing the number at the bottom?” “No!” yes, yes he had been doing exactly that. But fuck him if he was going to admit it. He gave a small pout as he slid his hand up her back and ran his hand through her hair, humming as he looked down at her “Thank you for doing that, Tia. I guess I was just a bit too nervous about all of this…” She leaned into the touch happily and nodded. “I can understand why. This is a lot for you, letting a new person into our home like this. It’s a big step for you, and I’m very proud that you feel ready to open yourself up that way to help others.” she said soothingly as she leaned in and pecked his lips. He kissed her back gently and pulled away again, smiling wide down at her. “I won’t lie and say you asking me to isn’t a big part of the reason I’m doing this, Tia,” he said as he scratched slowly behind her ears “Mmm-mhm, you certainly do do a lot for me don’t you?” She asked as she pressed a hoof to his chest as she soaked in the gentle pampering from her partner. “Mhm, and I’m sure the memory foam in that bed back there remembers most of it” he responded with a small smirk, getting a small sigh and a begrudging smile in return. “I said for me, not to me, you adorable little man, you.” she said, bapping him on the nose with the hoof that had been on his chest before returning it there and slowly rubbing “Though, I do appreciate that stuff in its own way, but this is different. I think that this will be good for you, and I wouldn’t be telling you to try if it wasn’t. And just as importantly, I’m sure that whatever poor soul ends up here with us, it will be good for them.” That was indeed, just as important, if not moreso, in his opinion. The percentage of Bio Droids that were abandoned by their owners and left on the streets was staggering. Droids made up over 80 percent of all homeless individuals, and over 35 percent of victims of crimes performed by someone within the home. The sad truth was that despite the best attempts of lobbyists and well-meaning lawmakers, sapient Bio-Droids were still by and large not seen as equal to human beings by most people. “Yeah, yeah I know. They have probably been through a lot, and I am sure some stability will be nice for them. I just hope that we can show them that we are trustworthy and build a good rapport with them. Going through the struggles of your average displaced Bio Droid is probably no cakewalk.” he said softly as he pulled himself away from her and stood up, stretching a bit. Tia looked a bit disappointed, flopping onto the couch and rolling onto her back, looking up at him with her wide magenta eyes. “Going back to your room to sulk already?” He chuckled and shook his head, reaching down to gently scratch at her chin. “Nah, I’m going to go get dinner started. I want to make sure that our new family member has a nice hot meal to come home to. Give them a good first impression, ya know?” he said as he withdrew his hand, leaving a pouting but pleased Tia in his wake as he walked to the kitchen. A few more hours passed, this time much more quickly since a lot of it was spent preparing a nice dinner for their upcoming new arrival. Everything was ready to go, being kept warm on the table by the heating element underneath its surface. A purchaseTia had made years ago after countless evenings of him coming home a bit later than was to be expected of a responsible young man but was to be entirely expected of a normal one. “Okay, I just checked in, and It seems like they should be arriving via autocab in a few minutes,” Tia said as she trotted out of her room. She had decided to pull her mane back into a ponytail to look a bit more casual, despite the mild amusement of her partner. “Thank you, love. I’m coming out now.” Aldritch said as he walked out of his own room, having showered and changed after cooking to avoid smelling of the kitchen when they arrived. Sure they would smell the food soon enough, but smelling fresh food and smelling stale food smell off of someone who has been cooking for a while have very different effects on the average appetite. “Now remember, they may not be friendly right away. They have likely sustained some amount of physical and or mental trauma and may be initially distrustful of us and will probably need time to adjust.” She said as she stood by the door with him, waiting, seeming to get a bit antsy herself now that the time was almost here. “Yeah yeah, Tia, I read the same pamphlets and webpages you did.” he said gently, running a hand along the back of her neck slowly, looking down at her reassuringly “Look just...let’s not try too hard, okay? I’m sure they will appreciate it more if we are just ourselves for them and don’t try to overcompensate. Trauma or not, all we really need to do is treat them with the kindness respect they deserve right?” She blinked slowly as she looked over at him and gave an approving nod and smile “Yes. That’s absolutely right, dear. Sorry, I slipped into mommy mode for a minute there.” Al did the right thing and resisted the mighty urge to make a raunchy joke about slipping into his mommy, and it is a good thing he did! A few moments later, they heard the doorbell ring. Tia gave a small squeal, using her telekinesis to open the door and smiling wide “Hello, how can I help...you…?” She stood still, her face slowly falling as she saw who was in front of her. It was another pony, a bit shorter than she was, and another alicorn mare by the looks of her. Her coat was a dark, regal blue, and her mane flowed with an array of sparkling stars that wonderfully matched the ones in the sky above. Though the light-polluted display of the city skies could certainly scarcely compete with the wonderful menagerie of cosmic wonders that flowed naturally through her mane. Her soft, blue eyes held a fair amount of uncertainty. An uncertainty that seemed only magnified when she saw the other standing before her. They had of course, never met before, but being sister units, having integrated artificial memories of one another in a different time, a different place, brought about certain...feelings of familiarity. Tia was the first to shake it off, literally shaking her head back and forth for a moment and coming to her senses before offering the other a small smile “Apologies, I was not expecting another MLP-series Model. My name is Tia, and this big goof over here is Aldritch.” She gestured with her hoof towards the man behind her, who was currently doing his best to formulate a delicate, appropriate greeting to his new guest before realizing that he was not following his own advice. He cleared his throat and shook his head, walking forward and slowly extending his hand, not moving suddenly so as to make sure she understood his intention. “Hello there. My name is Al, I will be your er...adoptive keeper from now on.” He said, being particular not to call himself her owner. “It’s very nice meeting you, I’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival all week.” The new arrival watched his hand warily, but when it stopped in front of her in an obvious friendly greeting, she sniffed softly and raised her hoof to his, meeting his eyes with a firm, dignified measured look. “We are quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Aldritch. Our Name is Luna, though if you do not object, we prefer to be referred to as Lu.” She said in a voice that matched the look in her eyes. Measured, cool, and quite eloquent. A bit old-timey, even by the standards of her franchise setting, but he would be lying if he said he did not find it at least a bit charming. If he had to sum her up in a word it would be...dignified. He smiled a bit wider and withdrew his hand after shaking her hoof firmly “It’s wonderful to meet you, Lu. Please, come right on in, We made dinner to prepare for your arrival and we would be quite happy if you would be so kind as to share your evening with us. We can get you settled in once we make you you’ve had something to eat.” he said as he backed out of the doorway and gestured for her to enter if she pleased, Tia giving her some room to enter as well. She seemed to think for a moment before giving a small nod, her horn lighting up, levitating some bags behind her as she walked into the house “We suppose this is acceptable. Very well, Al, please lead us to your dining room. We have had a long trip and are Indeed quite famished.” She raised her head slightly and trotted her way past the couch, setting her things down before looking at the two of them expectantly. Al smiled and gestured for her to follow, and the three of them make their way to the dining room for what would hopefully be a pleasant evening of good food and good conversation. And possibly, a new good friend. Author's Note And there it is! A bit short, but this was more meant to set up things for proper development later! hope it wasn't too boring!
2 - Star Light, Star Bright...Author's Note another one! productive night ig, lol. 2 - Star Light, Star Bright... The three of them filed into the dining room together, each taking a seat. The table was small, cozy. It was well suited to the occasion, not terribly imposing. That was more due to the fact that there were usually only two of them living there and them not seeing the point in a larger table for one additional houseguest, however, than due to any deliberate planning. Aldritch gave Luna a nervous smile as he took a seat at the circular table, watching her and Tia quickly settle in as well before speaking. “So, Luna. Was the trip pleasant?” Luna gave a small cough and nodded as she used her magic to levitate the insulated cover from her plate, eyes lighting up just slightly at the choice of dish. It was a delightful spinach pie. Homemade of course, by Tia’s own loving hooves. Al had put in some work as well, but the kitchen was far from his comfort zone. That had not stopped him from doing his best to make their new housemate feel welcome. “The trip was...quite pleasant yes. The personal transport afforded by the DDRA was more than satisfactory for Our needs.” She said politely as she floated a fork over towards the pie and dug in, pulling out a chunk of the delicious-looking dish, steam erupting pleasantly from the bowl, the soft, rich melted swiss stretching as the fork was guided to the ponies lips. She gave a soft groan of satisfaction, her eyes widening as she heard the sound come from her throat unbidden. She quickly chewed and swallowed, and seemed to be fighting the urge to dig in more vigorously. “We...consider Ourselves quite lucky to have ended up with a reputable adoption agency such as that one. Many droids are not so fortunate…” “I suppose that is true. I hope you know that we consider ourselves fortunate as well.” Al said kindly as he started to tuck into his own place, Tia having already long-since gone ham on her portion of the meal, almost a third of the way done, though she was intently listening, showing interest in the conversation. “Oh, and why is that, if We may ask?” Luna said somewhat cautiously, seeming almost...worried, for some reason, her eyes darting towards him and Tia a few times hesitantly. “Well, because we get to have a new member in our family of course,” Al said with a small chuckle, seeming a bit confused by her reaction, but trying not to downplay any discomfort she might be feeling, opting instead to try to reassure her. “We have been looking forward to finding out what sort of individual we were going to be letting into our lives and well, to be honest, I can’t say I’m displeased with who we got. You seem quite pleasant.” Lu seemed relieved at his answer and visibly relaxed. Though it seemed that she was more relaxing at all than from having become tense. Rather, it was more that she had been tense since her arrival and was only now loosening up a bit. “Well, that is...very nice to hear. We are pleased to have someone who is simply happy to be around us for once. We got a small taste of it during our time at the DDRA shelter, but...it is still somewhat foreign to us…” Al nodded, and Tia stopped eating to chip in. “Lu, we know that you have probably had a difficult time of things before finding your way to us. You do not have to tell us what has befallen you until you are ready, if you ever are. But if you ever want to speak, I think I speak for both of us when I say we are here for you, and happy to listen.” She finished with all grunting softly, nodding in agreement from behind a mouthful of pie. Lu gave them an appreciative glance and hummed her approval softly, “We are...thankful that you both would be so understanding of Our plight. We are not sure how long it will be until We are ready to share that information with you, but We appreciate that you are willing to be patient with Us. We are...admittedly unused to being allowed to do things at Our own pace.” “Well, as long as you are living under our roof, you will be treated as a proper individual with your own needs and feelings. And we will do our very best to respect those feelings and care for those needs as long as you make a good faith effort to do the same, Lu.” Al said after swallowing his mouthful of spinach and cheese. “We are here to help you, and we only want you to be able to feel as if this is an environment where you are comfortable with getting that help. I’ll tell you what. How about tomorrow, we spend the afternoon planning an evening out for the three of us to wherever strikes your fancy. Would you enjoy that?” Lu seemed taken slightly aback, surprised, not displeased. “We are...unsure. We have not had the onus of deciding something for others before.” A strange thing to hear coming from one so regal to be sure, but Al stowed his opinion, knowing that appearances leave much to be discerned. “We will have to think on it and inform you of how We feel in the morning if that is okay…?” as she let the sentence out of her mouth she became notably more tense again, and a tinge of anxiety crept into her voice. “Of course!” Take as much time as you need to settle in and adjust, we can talk about doing activities together once you feel ready.” Tia said quickly, with Al nodding his agreement, taking another bite of his food. She relaxed again at this, seeming almost...embarrassed? Ashamed? It was difficult to tell, but certainly a mix of relief and some more negative feelings. “O-of course, thank you…” she said as she placed her fork down, most of the dish now gone, but some still remaining. “We will be going to Our room now, if neither of you need any more of Our time this evening, We have much to think about…” Neither of the other two made a move to stop her, both simply respectfully nodding and allowing her to be on her way, the door closing behind her softly as she went into her new room. Al gave a small sigh and looked over to Tia, who returned his gaze with a similar look. They both smiled gently at one another and finished dinner in silence before cleaning the dishes together and retiring for the evening to their now shared bedroom. Tia of course still retained her own room, for her personal belongings and affairs, but in terms of which room she spent more time in these days, it was the one she shared with her partner. Al changed into a set of comfortable dark flannel pajamas and slipped into bed with Tia, placing an arm around her barrel and spooning her gently from behind. The pony spoke softly to him “So, that went pretty well. I think that once she has had some time to adjust, she will be able to do very well here.” “Yeah...yeah I think so too…” he said as he hugged her a bit closer, nuzzling into the back of her neck. “But….you saw it too right? She seemed so nervous, so...vulnerable. The idea that she had autonomy seemed almost alien to the poor girl.” he said, seeming somewhat distraught about it as his hand slowly slid up and down her stomach. As he absentmindedly rubbed her belly, he elicited a pleased, soft knicker from his lover as she nodded along with his thoughts. “I did notice that, and you did a very good job trying to be respectful of her boundaries without making her have to spell them out in my opinion. We may not have a good idea of exactly what they are yet, but they certainly seem to be there and it seems like we did well enough in not crossing them.” “Yeah, but I think it might get a bit harder to suss out exactly what is and isn’t okay as time goes on, at least until she’s comfortable enough around us to open up. I feel like asking her about what she is and isn’t okay within an explicit manner might get some...non-committal answers from her. She’s obviously scared of disapproval, and pressing her to do things she isn’t ready to do yet might hurt more than it will help if she only does it because she thinks we expect her to…” Tia turned around and gently embraced him in her forehooves, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead and rubbing his back, placing her wing over him tenderly. “Darling, you are a wonderful man, and you are doing your easy best here, but I think you might be overthinking it just a bit. There is no need to look so deeply into these things just yet, she only got here today. Give her some time to adjust and see how she is doing once she has her bearings about her, then we can see about what we should do to help her heal, if there is anything we should do at all besides letting things take their course.” He breathed a sigh of resignation and nodded his agreement. She was right, as she nearly always was. There was no good to be had from rushing into things. Sometimes the best thing you could do is let time do its work and see where to go from there. After all, that is how they had ended up together, so it had to have some merit. “Thank you, Tia, You always no just what to say….” She smirked softly and let a hoof trail down to press at his buttocks, getting a small squeak from him as she leaned in and took a slightly more husky tone. “Good, because I have a few more things to say, liiiiiike…” She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, and he blushed heavily at the unspeakable things he heard before suddenly rolling atop her, and gently, playfully pinning her wrists, garnering a loud, happy squeal and a cry of “Oh, you beast~” from his lover as he started to nibble her neck, her hind legs kicking softly and wings flapping under her aimlessly as she cooed in satisfaction… Luna was curled up under a blanket with a good book, humming softly to herself. She had to admit that the entire experience of being adopted was far more pleasant than she had been expecting so fa- She froze as she heard a rhythmic squeaking noise and several grunts and squeals through what was unfortunately apparently a fairly thin wall between her room and the room of her host. She blushed heavily and with her telekinesis, grabbed a set of noise earplugs from her bag, giving a small sigh as she stuffed them in and turned off the lights, save for a bedside lamp and continued to read, a small, slightly irritated scowl across her face for a brief time until she was sucked back into the book, reading ever so softly out loud under her breath as her eyes scanned the paper. “I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during the day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me…”
3 - Waxing CrescentAl sat with Luna in his living room the next day, a tablet set in front of the two of them on his coffee table as the Alicorn scrolled through a list of local locales under his gentle, watchful eye. “Now, whatever it is you would like to do is fine, Luna. This is so that we can get to know some of your interests, after all, so pick based on what you would prefer.” he said gently as he noticed her hesitance on several options, her hoof hovering over them before seeming to disregard them in favor of continuing to scroll. She looks to him and gives a small nod, smiling sheepishly. “Our apologies, Aldritch. We are...unused to having such freedom to choose Our leisure time activities…” “Now now, Al will do just fine, Luna. I may technically be your rights-holder under the law, but in this household we consider all sapient life to be on equal footing, organic or artificial.” He said gently but firmly. “I know it might seem a bit overwhelming, but freedom means making your own choices, according to your own desires.” She seemed to understand him, nodding as she soaked in his words, but still looked at him unsurely. “And what if Our desire is to pick an option that you would find acceptable and pleasant to accommodate?” She asked him, just a bit cheekily, but very self-evidently still a bit nervous. Al gave a small sigh at this, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, baby steps I suppose…” he said, scratching his scalp a bit as he watched where her hoof had been trailing to a stop before she had put her attention on him. “Here, why don’t we go see a play together hm? I hear that the local troupe's rendition of Much Ado About Nothing is fairly enjoyable. We could even catch a Double-Feature and catch that rendition of Spamalot Celly has been begging me to see for weeks now.” Luna’s eyes seem to light up at the thought of a night at the theatre, a small gasp and a smile issuing forth from her lips as she looks up at him “Oh, that would be delightful!” She said, gently stomping her front hooves in front of her a few times with girlish excitement. “We have always wanted to attend a real play at a theatre, thank you, Aldr- erm..thank you Al.” She finished a bit more sheepishly. Aldritch chuckled softly at this and gave a small nod. “Oh think nothing of it. You want to go, so we will go, it’s that simple,” he said as he started seeing to booking tickets for the afternoon and evening performances of the shows respectively. “Hm, and there is a rather nice little outside-dining establishment about a block away, so we can have dinner before we settle in for the show…” As he plans the afternoon, she gently nudges his shoulder with a hoof to get his attention “Erm...would it be possible for us to go shipping beforehand for an outfit?” She asked apologetically, looking a bit forlorn. “We do not have much in the way of clothing that would be appropriate for a night at the theatre and We would not want to embarrass you by-” Aldritch simply waved gently at her and smiled. “Luna, I would never be embarrassed to be out in public with a woman as sweet as you are. But if you feel self-conscious about it we can definitely take some time before the show to find you something suitable,” he said reassuringly as he made sure to add a trip to a nearby clothing shop that catered to quadrupeds to the docket for the day. Luna seemed fairly mollified by his reply to her request, blushing ever so slightly as she tentatively looked over the plans for the day. She seemed to want to say something but decided against it, and Al decided not to push her more than was warranted and allowed it to pass for now, not wanting to detract from the good mood around the trip. He called out across the room “Hey Celly! I’m going to take Luna shopping before we all go to lunch, do you want to come with us?” She peeked her head out from around the corner into the room and shook it “Oh no thank you! I think I will give the two of you a bit of time to spend together on your own. It’ll be good for you to get to spend some time with just the two of you. I’ll meet up with you for lunch, you’ll make sure to forward me your Uber route for the afternoon, yes?” “Of course honey.” he said as he got up from his spot and walked across the room, gently running his hand through her mane and planting a little kiss on her snout. “We’ll see you there.” “Yes, you will.” she said with a small smile, kissing his cheek in return before he returned to the living room and once more Gave Luna his attention. She smiled softly at him, looking towards the doorway and then back to him. “The two of you are very cute, Al. You obviously care for one another greatly.” He nodded, rubbing his cheek and grinning a bit dopily to himself. “Yeah, she’s been my All-Purpose Care unit for almost as long as I can remember. The transition from mother figure to partner was a little awkward, but I really think we can make it work.” She gave a nod of her own at this, issuing him a strange look as she traced a hoof awkwardly across the fabric of the couch. “Indeed...so if I may ask something personal, when did you request for her to change the dynamic in your relationship?” He seemed taken aback at this, giving her an odd look of his own in return. “What? No, Celly is the one who asked me to change our relationship that way. I was actually unsure at first but it was a really big deal to her and I ended up going with it and I think we both ended up a lot happier for it.” Her eyes widened slightly at this, one of her eyebrows raised in fascination. “Really, she is the one who asked you to...and you hesitated?” She asked sounding genuinely surprised at this. A few gears click into place as Al realizes some assumptions she might have been making. “Oh, nono, I’m not really...inherently attracted to the equine form, you see. Celly was bought for me by my parents when I was very young because they er...did not have time to look after me themselves…” he said, sounding a bit uncomfortable delving into his past this way. He felt as though he owed her transparency though, and persisted. “Celestia was basically my mother figure for most of my life, and I really put her on a pedestal that made it hard to think of her….like that. I will admit that spending my adolescence around her with her being a fairly attractive model of her line gave me an..appreciation for her design that I might not otherwise harbor and my deepening relationship has given me further cause for that appreciation to grow, but-” She giggles slightly as he rambles on, deciding to put him out of his misery. “I see, so you just sort of happened into the attraction, you did not er...set out for company of that sort. That makes more sense given what I have seen of your actions, thank you for explaining.” She said, seeming...relieved? Her posture certainly seemed more at ease, and her eyes did not carry quite the same constant sense of moving about that they did before. As much as her feeling more comfortable around him was something he was pleased about, he could not help but feel a bit...worried for her. This was not the first time he had noticed her behavior change under a certain set of circumstances. He wasn't ready to commit to it as something he considered definite, but it was certainly enough that he felt it warranted further observation. He set his thoughts on the matter aside for now, giving her a reassuring smile and getting up from his seat on the couch. “Well, I’m glad to have sorted that out with you! Now, how about the two of us get a move on hm? There is a wonderful little boutique that’s Quadruped-Friendly we can stop off at to get you looking even more beautiful before the show. It’s run by the nicest little Mark Two, I’m sure you’ll find her absolutely delightful.” Luna blushed slightly again at the implication of being called beautiful, but seemed to stiffen slightly before thinking of something and relaxing again with a small sigh, her flush fading as she smiled at Al thankfully. “Yes, that sounds most excellent, Al. I am sure she will be just as delightful as you make her out to be.” She said as she stood up and stretched out a bit, waiting for Al to lead her towards the door. As the two of them stood on the curb waiting for the Uber Auto to arrive, Al occasionally glanced over at her with a small bit of worry on his face. She saw this and gave him a reassuring, if slightly nervous smile, which he met with one of his own to comfort her, but the worry remained. He sighed and simply shrugged internally. Whatever was up, she would tell him when she was ready, and badgering her would do no good. The Uber Auto arrived about five minutes later, whisking the two of them off to their first stop of the day. Author's Note You kept asking about it, so here ya go! BestinDworld, I hope you are satisfied knowing that this fic is definitely not abandoned, and that goes for the rest of you as well! Oh! also, I need a name for this AU. it is definitely its own beast with developing if still fairly barebones lore and its own rules for how things work, and if anyone has an idea for a good catchy name your input would be appreciated!
