Little Enzo had been more-or-less safely tucked in, and the other two males in the party had gathered in the kitchen. No amount of convincing, cajoling or threatening the java machine had made it work, and so they were a bit cranky at being forced to settle with the instant stuff. However, neither had had the nerve to ask Cecil for help.
"They�d better not be having java right now." Bob said bitterly, peering into his java mug.
Matrix grunted and shrugged.
"If we were in my apartment I could�ve made the java machine work."
Matrix shrugged and grunted.
"They better not be having fun without us."
Matrix sighed, stirring the powdery instant java with his index finger. "Bob, if we go check on them will you shut up?"
Bob brightened. "Of course! All right...we�d better think of an excuse..."
"Are you two finished changing yet?!" AndrAIa yelled from the living room. "You need to come help me pick out the mp3s!"
"Just a second, Sugah! Dot doesn�t have quite enough-"
"MOUSE!"
"-to fill out my clothes that well. Andre, could you see if Bob�s got any socks layin� around...oh, never mind, here�s some. Just bring a bit of the pillow stuffin� in here, please."
"MOUSE!"
"Oh hush up, honey, you never looked better."
Mouse tottered out of Bob�s bathroom wearing Dot�s body armor. "Here, lemme pick out some music...oooh! Garth Brooks...didn�t think Bob was that much of a country boy...Dot, come out here and help!"
"This is so embarassing..." Dot stepped out of the bathroom and followed Mouse, weighted down by the mercenary�s combat-style boots and clanking metallicly all the way. "User above, Mouse, how do you move in this stuff?"
"I could ask you the same thing. How in the Net do you fight in this getup? These heels are murder!" Mouse reeled slightly to one side, arms flialing for balance.
AndrAIa giggled and loaded a few more mp3s into the player. "Get over here and pick out some songs, Dot."
Dot shuffled to the player, aiming a glare at the reeling Mouse. "I thought maybe this stuff was just made to look like metal, but nooooo..." She shrugged her shoulders a few times experimentally. "How do you keep these...shoulder armor thingies...from catching on stuff?"
Mouse shrugged, finding relative safety perched on the sofa. "Practice? Anyway, you�re shorter, honey. They don�t come right up to my cheekbones on me."
Dot pushed a few mp3s into the machine and grinned. "Mouse, I have an entirely new respect for you now."
"Ditto."
�Friends in Low Places� blared through the apartment, set on the highest possible volume and bass. AndrAIa clapped her hands cheerfully and headed for the bathroom. "Okay, I get to trade clothes now. Dot?"
"Hmm?"
"You dropped a sock."
Bob and Matrix zipped along towards Kits Sector. Bob had toyed briefly with the idea of portalling right into the apartment, but Matrix of all people had pointed out that that would be beyond rude.
"So we just say that you forgot your toothbrush, right?" Matrrix went over the details of their alibi.
"Right. We just make sure they�re all right, and then we leave."
"Right. Just see what they�re up to, and leave."
"Right."
The two zipped along in silence for a moment, then Bob laughed sheepishly. "What are we so worried about? We know they�re fine. And it�s not like they�re trashing the place, or having some wild party without us..."
Matrix chuckled. "Think we should go back to the Diner then?"
A long pause, then, "Nah."
"AIN�T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH! AIN�T NO RIVER WIDE ENOUGH!..."
AndrAIa winced. "Agh, Mouse, you couldn�t carry a tune in a bucket."
Mouse looked hurt for a moment, then shrugged. "Well I never said I could, darlin�...anyway, you know Dot�s the singer among us.
Dot glowered slightly. "How do you know?"
"That little number you did for Enzo�s party.
"And how do you know about that?!"
AndrAIa grinned, adjusting Mouse�s armored top. "Mike got some footage. It�s in the archives."
"I�m gonna delete that crashing TV set..."
"TO KEEP ME FROM YOU-OU!"
"You know....they say that this is the same stuff that Users listen to." AndrAIa said in a scary-story voice.
Mouse snorted. "Well some of it sure don�t make any sense as far as Mainframe goes. Wouldn�t surprise me if mp3s are Users� faults."
Dot shrugged as Mouse�s song ended and the next was a slower, sweeter number. "Oh, I don�t know...some of it�s very pretty..." She just listened for a moment, then glared down at herself and sighed. "Oh cursors...think I should get the socks again?"
AndrAIa shook her head, then winced and untangled a strand of hair from the metal shoulder-pads. "You look great, Dot! Maybe you should get your own outfit like that."
"I....don�t think so. Bob would probably delete me."
AndrAIa giggled. "Oh, I don�t know about that." She stomped out to the living room, her usual grace gone astray due to the fact that she was wearing Mouse�s boots. "The playlist is almost over, I�m gonna put a few more mp3s on. Oof! Crash it...Mouse, how do you move in this stuff?"
Mouse rolled her eyes. "Prac-tice." She leaned out the bathroom door, fidgeting with Dot�s Command.com headset. "Hey Dot?"
"Hmm?"
"Is it true that if I turn this thing on, all of Mainframe can hear what I�m sayin�?"
Dot was looking into the mirror distractedly. "Mmm-hmm."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah...oh! Oh no, Mouse! Give that back!"
"Awww, sugah, I just wanna give it a try!"
"Mouse, don�t you dare..." Dot tried to grab for the headset, but the taller woman held it out of her reach easily.
"Almost there." Bob commented, a bit redundantly.
"Yep. Almost there." Matrix echoed, as Bob�s apartment building showed up around the next curve.
"You know, maybe we shouldn�t do this...I mean....we know they�re all right and-"
A familiar molasses drawl cut him off, echoing throughout Mainframe from the pinnacle speakers back at the Principle Office.
*Attention citizens of Mainframe! Megabyte�s mother was a null and his father smelt of cyberberries!*
Another familar voice, sounding further away:
*Wait...wouldn�t it be �His father was a null, and his�-*
And one more...
*Crash it, Mouse, give that back or I�ll delete the-!*
The broadcast was lost in a crackle of static.
Bob looked at Matrix. Matrix looked at Bob.
"Uh...oh..."
Dot grabbed the headset and pulled out the power source, then handed the appliance back to Mouse. "Well if you�re going to dress like me, you may as well take the headset too...but cursors, Phong is gonna delete me for that!"
Mouse fastened the headset and smirked, pleased with herself. "Aww, I was just havin� a bit of fun. I bet ol� Phong got a good laugh outta that."
Dot sighed and flexed her elbow a few times, testing out AndrAIa�s armband. "Well I hope so. Andre, this thing�s ingenius. Decoration, /and/ freedom of movement."
"Yeah, that�s my favorite accessory." AndrAIa flipped the top shut on the mp3 player decisively. "There, I put in some U2...what a silly name...but such nice songs."
Mouse headed out to the living room herself. "You know, I could get used to this. Your armor�s actually really comfortable, Dot!"
"You can�t keep it!" Dot replied, still in the bathroom.
AndrAIa rolled her eyes slightly, skipping a few tracks on the player. "You don�t have to stay in there. It�s just us here, you know, and it�s not like you look /bad/ in my clothing. Oh wow, this song sounds like something Bob would sing to you, Dot."
"Stop it, you�re embarassing me! And sorry...I�m just so...not used to...er...wearing something this..."
"You should try it more often, it�s awful liberating."
"These boots are incredible, Andre, but I don�t think I can walk in them very well..."
Mouse tottered towards the bathroom. "Honey, you are /not/ gonna stay in there all night worryin� about showing your tummy!"
"Okay, okay! Just gimme a second! How do you fasten this starfish...oh, there it goes..."
"Wait...do you hear something?" AndrAIa tilted her head towards the door.
"What?" Dot stepped out of the bathroom, trying to catch what was going on.
AndrAIa�s eyes widened. "Someone�s coming! Quick, lock the door!"
Dot was the closest. Valiantly she sprinted across the hallway and threw herself at the door. Unfortunately, she�d been right about AndrAIa�s boots, and halfway to the door she lost her balance and tripped, heading for a full-out sprawl on the hard tiling of the foyer. Mouse and AndrAIa watched in helpless horror. Dot closed her eyes and prepared for impact.
It never came. Or more accurately, it came in the form of strong arms around her waist, hauling her back to her feet.
"Oof! What is it with you Matrixes and tackling people?"
Mouse spoke first. "Well hey there, fellas. Fancy meeting you here."
Dot was beginning to blush rather spectacularly, being caught mid-spill by Bob and sensing that particularly due to the clothing-format swap, things could only get more awkward from there.
"Hey, Dot! We just wanted to make sure things were all right and...I forgot my toothbrush so Matrix and I de...cided...to...uh...well...er." Bob stuttered to a standstill.
Dot tried to avoid looking at her rescuer. "Uhm..."
Bob swallowed hard, face taking on a purplish tinge. "Soooo."
Matrix, Mouse and AndrAIa looked on, amused nudges between them. Matrix interjected slyly, "Am I allowed to see my own sister looking like that?"
AndrAIa slapped his arm. "You see /me/ looking like that all the time!"
"Yeah, but you�re not...you know. My sister."
Bob and Dot were still enjoying a rather awkward moment. Bob found his voice first. "Uhm...you look really nice, Dot."
"Th...anks. Uhm...I better...go...er..."
Mouse finally took pity on her friend and rescued her, pulling her out of a rather reluctant Bob�s arms. "Go on, honey, we need to change back soon anyways." As Dot skittered gratefully back towards the bathroom, Mouse snapped her fingers in front of Bob�s face, smirking. "What�s wrong, Sugah, never seen a girl dressed up before?"
Bob blinked. "Not her. Not like that. Wow..."
Mouse shrugged and stepped strategically in front of the entrance to the living room. "So. What was it you boys really came here for?"
Bob was already flustered, but at the questioning, Matrix joined him. "We...we....er...Bob forgot his toothbrush. Yeah."
"Yeah right." AndrAIa snorted, then grinned. "Whatever you say. Well, show�s over, so maybe you�d better be leaving."
"I need to get my toothbrush..." Bob mumbled, taking a step towards the bathroom. His path was immediately blocked by Mouse.
AndrAIa slipped by. "I�ll just get it for you, Bob."
Bob blushed, realizing where he had been heading...or more accurately, who he would run into if he kept going towards where he was heading. "Oh...right. Good idea."
A few whispers on conversation could be heard from the bathroom, then AndrAIa emerged with the toothbrush, trailed by a tentative Dot, who was now wearing an oversized and very garish Hawaiian-style shirt over AndrAIa�s pants.
Bob took the offered toothbrush, still staring at Dot. "That�s my vacation shirt."
Dot smiled, toying with the hem of the shirt. "Uhm...sorry, it�s the first thing Andre found..." AndrAIa grumped slightly at being blamed. "The colors are very...interesting."
"You can have it, if you like it..." Bob said brightly.
Mouse left her post to stage-whisper to Dot, "Honey, I think you could ask that boy for just about anything right now and he�d let you have it."
Dot elbowed Mouse to shut her up and grinned sheepishly, blushing again. She tilted her shoulders slightly. "I�ll think about it, Bob."