So Night Follows Day Pt. 18

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Julie Equals opened her eyes. Troy Equals was laying on his side next to her, his own eyes open, watching her sleep. It was something she did, too, when she woke up first and didn't need to go to the bathroom right away. Studying the face she'd seen her entire life, remembering how it had looked over the years, going from the boy next-door, whom she used to take naps and have sleepovers with, to the man she loved; with whom she still took naps and had committed to a life-long sleepover.

"Hey, Boy." She said to her archetypical boy. Julie's artistic talent was recognized at an early age; when any time the teacher told the class to "draw a boy," her boys were always clearly Troy.

"Hey, Girl." He responded to the girl whose picture was in the dictionary in his head for the word "girl" with a smooch. Troy's childhood drawings had tended more to look like smiling blobs that he'd have to write "Julie" over, so people knew who it was. Mostly, he'd wait for lunchtime, because Math came after lunch. Then he'd be able to help Julie and Helen out, the way Helen had helped them with English and Julie had done the same with Art.

Julie looked past him, then behind herself before turning back.

"Did Helena leave, Master?"

"Yeah." Troy replied. "She went to the conference to go 'Contessa it up' for the news. It's getting near noon. The hackers are on to something, now that we know where to look. Susan's up, too. She's watching Doctor Who with Mander. Helen hadn't been planning to really go to the thing, and I guess Mander's wanted on three continents; haven't checked which three, but he has to avoid cameras, so he's in our living room alone with Susan, instead. But, you know, Helen likes him and he's a Whovian, so he's ok. He's had a few remodeling questions for you."

Julie took all of it in for a moment.

"Things are weird when Helena's home, aren't they?"

"Yeah." He pecked her on the nose. "It's to be expected."

"Wouldn't have her any other way." Julie said with a smile, sitting up. "But I think from now on, we should go to San Finzione instead of Helena coming here. It seems safer."

Troy sat up as well. He'd been up for a while, and was already dressed. He would have put on Propappou's smoking jacket, since he wasn't planning to go anywhere today; but it was on the other side of the world, at Castle Finzione right now. Troy had let Helen borrow it when she was in the hospital, and was waiting until their next visit to retrieve it. He watched his best friend's ass while she walked across the room to her bathroom to get cleaned up for the day, then went back into the living room.

"See?" Mander was telling Susan. "They're all actin' a bit sad in this one, cause they really are; they'd just 'eard JFK got shot right before filming. But, ya know, the show must go on an' all."

"Yeah." Susan replied. "Like in the intro to Gilligan's Island, when the Minnow's pulling out of the harbor, you can see flags at half-mast; because they filmed that footage the day after JFK died."

Troy smiled, and wanted to join them, but he had work to do upstairs. He started walking up the stairs, when Mander and Susan got texts one after the other. Mander read his and looked up at him from the couch.

"It's from 'Er Countessness. Askin' me to escort Susan and Mrs. Equals downtown to join 'er at the hotel."

"Julie's just getting in the shower." Troy told him. "She'll be a little bit yet."

"I think she'll have the same one as me when she gets out of the shower." Susan replied. "Mine's got specific dress requirements. I'm to wear a wig, head wrap, or something that conceals my hair completely, big sunglasses..." She grumbled out the last one. "And fancy heels." There was a follow-up text a moment later, that puzzled her at the end. "Oh, can't be a Julie wig, though, has to be another one."

Troy thought for a second about that. He took out his phone and tried calling Helen, and it went straight to voicemail. A worried look crossed Susan's face.

"Could be busy." Mander offered.

Susan shook her head.

"Helen wouldn't ignore Troy's call, no matter how busy she was. Could Whyte be doing something to the phones again?"

Troy's frown turned to a remembering smile, and he resumed climbing the stairs.

"I'm sure it'll be all right again in a couple minutes. I'm needed in the library. Looks like I'll be all alone in The Safest Place In The World today. Take care of... well, everyone I love, Mander."

"Certainly will, Mr. Equals." Mander replied, putting on his sunglasses and getting back on the clock now.

"Dammit, Troilus, don't say stuff like that!" Susan called up to him. "You make it sound like 'two days to retirement.' Also, I love you, too."

Troy smiled and walked down the hall. As he did, he brought up the stock ticker on his phone and smiled again.