ACBuki Apartment Complex

With a dinging noise, a BattleChip with a picture of a blue Mr. Prog radiating electricity spat out of a PET. Its owner grabbed it, and looked it over; for some reason, she didn't seem terribly thrilled. "Aww, we didn't get a wind-based chip. At least, I don't think it's wind-based..."

"Ah, but worry not! I've taken the liberty of checking it...it's called RingZap2, and it's hardly unuseful!"

"It is? Woo!!!" Leaping off the couch she was sitting on, the young woman started jumping for joy, making sure that in the process, her absurdly long hair didn't snag onto anything. "I guess we could've done worse. This way, you can be like a thunderhead or something!"

"Indeed! Now...I have a request. Today is an off day for you, which usually means a day of free flight. Today, however, I have an urge...an urge to engage in battle!"

"Battle, huh? Sure! I mean, the TV's been acting funky, and I've tried everything else...so I bet it's a virus. Sounds like perfect timing to me!"

"Then let us make haste, like a burst of a wind!"

"All right, no need for wind puns..." Hmm...where was the port on this TV, again? Oh, there it was, on the side. "So, all set?"

"But of course!"

"Then let's take flight!" PET, in position! Red beam thingy, set! "Jack in! ZephyrMan, Execute!"

(TO THE NET)
As soon as her Navi was back in her PET, Ariel walked over and turned off her TV. "Don't need that on now that it's fixed."

"Hmm...now that that's over, what will you do now?"

"Dunno. What time is it?" She looked over at a clock...holy cow. "It's THAT late?! How long was I asleep?!"

"Quite a while. I was beginning to worry about you!"

"Ugh, what should I do?" ...Oh, right. Looking down, she noticed the stain on her jumpsuit. That should probably be taken care of first. "Well, before I do anything, I guess I should change."

She walked into her room, and immediately removed her headgear, setting it on a table next to her bed. Next up, her belt, gloves, vest, and mini-skirt, which ended up sprawled throughout her bed. Her boots came off next, leaving her with only the jumpsuit itself as the list of visible articles of clothing. And that was about to change.

Ariel grabbed her extremely long hair, moving it in front of her shoulders, revealing a zipper in the back. She got ahold of it, and started to zip it down. Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing any kind of a shirt under it; only the sky blue back strap of a bra could be seen. She pulled her arms out from the suit, revealing that, indeed, that was the only article of clothing above the waist she was wearing. Had someone been observing her, however, they would've noticed that her breasts appeared to be larger now that the jumpsuit wasn't restraining them; they were at least one cup size larger now. Possibly even two. "Phew! I like these jumpsuits, but geez, do they really have to squish my boobs that much? Just because you're a pilot doesn't mean you're flat!"

Refocusing on removing the suit, sliding it down over her shapely rear. She then started to pull it down in front, but quickly stopped once she noticed her bare hip. That was weird...she was wearing underwear, after all. She pulled it back up to her waist, and after a moment of searching, discovered that the panties in question had snagged on the bottom of the zipper. Ugh, she hated when that happened. "Ugh! Good thing there isn't anyone else here, or else they would've gotten a front row view of my butt..."

With no more screw-ups, the suit came off, and was promptly thrown into a basket in the corner of the room labeled 'Laundry'. With a sigh, she unconsciously started moving up and down on her feet, causing her breasts to start jiggling slightly as she wondered what her next usage of time would be. "Ahh, what do I want to do...?"

"If I may say something...you have plenty of energy, and have no idea what you wish to do. How about simply going dancing or something? That's a good way to burn off excess energy." Almost randomly, ZephyrMan's hologram appeared above Ariel's belt, as he looked at his operator with a rather bored expression himself. Not that he didn't like the female form in front of him, but as any male Navi with a female operator knew, there was no point in getting embarrassed or excited over that particular body. "Perhaps if they have a portion of the Net where Navis can follow suit, I'll join in myself! Having a whirlwind instead of lower legs let me pull off some interesting moves, after all! Ho ho!"

"Dancing?...That's it! Some people at work have been talking about a club in DenTech, and I've been wanting to check it out. That totally slipped my mind! Thanks!" Ariel raced over to her closet and opened it, revealing...no fewer than 10 of the exact same jumpsuit she had just removed. Normally, she would've just grabbed one, but something like this called for something more ordinary. She pushed them off to one side, revealing clothes that a more regular person would wear. After some mulling over her options, she elected on a simple light blue blouse with a small black sash around the stomach area, with white capri pants, and blue dress sandals, putting each of them on as she decided on them. "Yep, this'll do just fine!"

"I'm sure every man in attendance will desire you! However...do be careful to avoid tripping over your own hair, like the last time you went out."

"That was a fluke! Besides, that's why I had it cut to knee height!" Adjusting her hair for a moment, she grabbed her belt, placing it around her waist underneath her shirt. "Okay, guess I'm ready! Let's move out!"

And thus did she leave...but not quite to where she expected...

(TO SCILAB)
((From Electown))

Okay... 2nd stop, turn left, third street over... I think I'll probably have to ask you to remind me once we get off, haha.

John continued to smile as ZephyrMan thanked him for taking care of his NetOp. It truly wasn't a problem for him, it's simply natural for him to take care of friends, even those he had just met.
No worries, ZephyrMan. It's the least I could do-

His statement was cut short as the bus hit a small bump in the road, and jostled Ariel out of her seat. She remained steady, but that was partially thanks to John's hand, which was directly on one of her breasts. John's face almost immediately became flushed as he felt the soft mound in his hand, and quickly shifted his position and tried to put her back into the seat, and his hand went down to his thigh, where he gripped his leg somewhat tightly. He was pretty glad there really wasn't anyone else on this bus...

He watched as the first stop went by, then pulled the small yellow cord strung along the windows to signal he wanted to get off at the second stop. The bus eased to a stop, and he again tried to lean Ariel against his back, and after a few seconds of trying to get a proper grip, he slowly stood up and exited the bus.
Alrighty... left you said?
If ZephyrMan had noticed the accidental...touching, so to speak, he gave no outward sign of it. Instead, he simply waited for John to dismount the bus, before resuming his directions. "Yes, left for three streets. Ah, there it is, over there. Even at night, you can see it..."

Most of the buildings in the area were 1-2 story houses...towering over them was a single...what was it? It almost looked like some kind of mansion, but it was, in fact, an apartment complex. "As you can see, even from here at night, it's rather...high end. It actually wasn't Ariel's first choice, but her parents insisted on her living somewhere they owned...and that's how it became our home."

Well, that was it for being a map. Now to sit back and...wait, no, no sitting back. "Ah, I should mention this now. The building has extremely high tech security...to even enter the premises without setting off an alarm, you must have ID Data for the main gate. But don't worry...it's set up so that those with the data can permit others in. As long as you're carrying Ariel and her PET, I can vouch for you!"

And so he did, as the group passed through the main gates, which were surprisingly not locked. If one looked in the daytime, it was actually a fence designed to just look like a movable gate; the security the Navi had spoken of ensured that actual gates weren't needed. The trip up 4 floors proved easy, thanks to the convenience of elevators. Having to walk up 4 flights of stairs...he couldn't have blamed John if he just sat his operator there and ran off.

And there it was. The fifth floor had but a single occupant, whose room took up the entire floor. All that stood from home sweet home was a door.

"...Hrm."

...This might actually be tougher than expected.

"I...er...well, Ariel insisted on having a deadbolt installed, instead of the usual entry terminals. The problem is, I'm unsure where she put the key. I saw her grab it before we left, so she didn't lock herself out...I suppose the only place she could've put it is in her pockets. Would you mind checking? I can hardly do so myself...ho ho!"
John whistled as he tried to look up at the rather impressive building that towered over the rest of the domiciles that surrounded it, almost like the keep of a castle. John listened partially to ZephyrMan, but one particular comment struck his brain, and he almost bucked Ariel off his back.
Wait, Ariel's parents OWN this place? Wow, are you sure your Operator isn't the princess of a country or something?

John couldn't help but shake his head and smile as he continued to walk towards the mansion/apartment complex ahead of him. It was rather surprising to him to see a girl this loaded just traveling alone, but she did seem to have the "party like a rock star" attitude though...

John cautiously walked through the main entrance, wary of these "extremely high tech security" systems ZephyrMan mentioned, but it didn't seem like he tripped any alarms, no one was rushing towards him with guns drawn, so that was a good sign. He managed to make his way all the way to the elevator, which to his relief, was working; 5 flights of stairs with a person on ones back is no easy task, and he's not exactly a weightlifter. He tried his best not to bump Ariel against the walls of the elevator as he entered, waited as they went up to the 5th floor, and walked out.

He was expecting something like a standard apartment, with an outdoor hallway to several rooms. To his surprise, there was just one door. Was the entire floor just one room?!? He was about to ask the windy Navi about it, but he refrained as he listened to the Navi identify a rather... interesting problem. Ariel had her key, or so ZephyrMan thought, but it looked like he would have to find it himself.
Great... knowing my luck some fancy camera is gonna record me "feeling up" the freakin' owner's daughter...

John looked around at the ground, trying to figure out how to proceed next. Should he sit down and have her seated on the ground to try and find the key? Maybe try to wake her up enough to get her to identify or possibly retrieve said key? Well, if she was sitting down, accessing her pants pockets would be more difficult, so maybe if she was still standing somehow?
So this key, is it just a standard key? Is it on a keyring or something big enough to give me a visual clue as to which pocket it's in? I doubt she'd appreciate me going through all her pockets...

As John waited for a response, he leaned forward a bit to hopefully keep Ariel supported on his back, before he slowly unhooked his arm from under her right leg, and then held on to her arms as he did the same with her left. He tried to move his legs to get her own legs into position and possibly lock, so at least she would stand, and not simply crumple to the ground. He stood up a bit straighter, but continued to hold her arms crossed over his chest, to ensure she wouldn't fall.
Ariel... Ariel... You're home, do you have your key? Where's your key?

He heard his leather jacket flump against the floor as it slid off Ariel's shoulders, but he was mainly trying to listen to a response of any kind. She had seemed to be capable of some speech... er... vocalizations, and from some of his other trips to bars with his friends, he did notice even while basically blacked out drunk, they are able to perform simple tasks, as if tapping into basic/muscle memory.

If he wasn't able to get a response out of her, he would try to turn around, with her arms still around his neck, and keep her steady as he would try to peer down at the pockets of her capris, to possibly identify the key without poking around.
"Yes, they do...it's rather embarrassing to Ariel, to be honest. If you would, try not to repeat that in front of her. She wouldn't be happy if she knew I told someone that..." Not that she'd punish him or anything, but it'd lead to an awkward moment.

"...Nnrr..." ...That was real helpful. She wasn't making anything that constituted a voluntary movement, either. How were they going to figure out what to do?

"Hrm..." A light bulb suddenly went off in ZephyrMan's head, having seemingly recalled something. "Ah, of course! Ariel's right handed. She wasn't carrying anything in her hands, so assuming she used her dominant hand, it's in the right pocket! It's not attached to anything, though, so I doubt there's a 'bulge' to help confirm it..." There was little else the Navi could do now, though, save for hope his path of logic was right. And as everyone in the entryway knew by then, Ariel wasn't the most logical person...
Right, right. I'll keep that on the down-low, no worries.

John's smile slightly turned into a frown as Ariel merely mumbled in response to his questions. He sighed as he made his pre-planned turn in place, so he was now face to face with her, using her arms (and one of his own), to keep her upright.
Gonna make me search huh? Alright...

He started to look down at her capris in an attempt to find any sort of visible indication of a key, but no luck with that either... However, ZephyrMan made a very helpful observation. John smiled and started to nod as he hooked his right arm around Ariel, freeing up his left.
Alright, now we're getting somewhere, thanks ZephyrMan.

John couldn't help but gulp out of nervousness as he slowly maneuvered his hand towards her right pocket, and tried to slip his hand down inside slowly, trying (and desperately hoping) his fingertips would brush up against the key.
And in the pocket John went. Let's see...sheesh, was there anything in there? Wait, he felt something...

Unfortunately(?) for him, Ariel picked that moment for an involuntary movement, giving his hand quite an 'introduction' with the inside of her thigh. "Mmm..." Well, apparently she at least wasn't minding the contact, judging by her sudden small smile. However, it also made it clear where the key was, so he wouldn't get to fumble around there any longer. Not that that was his goal, but...well, chances were it wasn't exactly an unpleasant experience for him.

"Ah, you have the key? Excellent!" Well, that killed any mood going on. "I trust you don't need me to tell you how to open a door! Ho ho!"

One unlocking later, the apartment was ready for viewing. Fortunately, the lights were already on, Ariel having anticipated that, at the least, she'd be too drunk to find the switch. The main area itself was quite spacious, but not from lack of stuff; the living area was adorned with several tables, all centered around a very large, and very comfortable looking couch, facing a TV that looked more like a movie screen. Behind that, windows practically formed that entire wall, giving a great view of the neighborhood. And though a partition prevented it from being seen from the doorway, the other side contained a large, well stocked kitchen, which, if looked at, surprisingly revealed that it was used recently. Seemed the occupant did some cooking.

A door in the back was wide open, revealing that it was the bedroom. Even from that distance, it was clear that the bed was huge, and extremely comfy looking. In fact, it almost seemed less like a bed, and more like a cloud you could sleep on. Looked like Ariel would be sleeping things off in that. Lucky.

"Hmm...you know, I think you're one of the first people to see the apartment after Ariel redecorated it! She was aiming for a spacious, modern design...I think she did a surprisingly good job. Wouldn't you agree?"
John smiled as he felt something inside her pocket, then his facial expression changed from restrained joy to completely shock, followed by a rather quick color change in his face. The drunken girl had decided to move, and it caused his hand to go... in a direction in which he had never intended, and ended up essentially cupping the front and inside of her thigh. He was very clearly expecting things to go very badly in a hurry, but Ariel's reaction... was she... enjoying it?

John managed to keep his composure long enough to pluck the key out of her pocket.
F-found it...

He slowly spun his body around and hoisted her back onto his back, turning slightly to pluck is jacket from the ground, and carried it in as well. Luckily the lights were on, fumbling in the dark with a drunk woman on your back is potentially dangerous... However, considering how spacious the apartment was, he wasn't in any real danger of running into anything!
Wow... what a place! The kitchen is about as big as my entire apartment...

He kicked off is nearly size 16 shoes off and walked further in, taking in the rather lavish sights. He did notice a bedroom in the back, and it was housing a bed that looked big enough to accommodate an entire family. He'd been on a cruise before, and even their luxury suites couldn't hold a candle to this domicile. He focused back on ZephyrMan as he spoke, and smiled as he tried to shake off his nervousness from before.
Honestly, I would kill to have a place like this. It feels more like I'm standing on the first floor of a house than an apartment. And she did all the redecorating? Wow...
"Indeed, she did! I'll be the first to admit she can be a bit...flaky... at times, but it makes her surprisingly good at such things!" The wind Navi looked over the apartment, admittedly a little surprised himself that Ariel was quite the interior decorator. One would expect a more chaotic appearance from her place, for sure. "Go ahead and set her on the bed, if you would...ah, and make sure the trash can is easily accessible from the right side! That's the side she tends to occupy, and I can guarantee that at some point she's going to wake up, lean over, locate it, and regurgitate her spleen." Suffice it say that this wasn't the first time this had ever happened.

"Mmm...huh...?" The drunken pilot's eyes opened slightly, though admittedly even her eagle vision was heavily blurred at the moment, making it only significant in that she was semi-conscious. "Where...am I...?"
John couldn't help but chuckle at ZephyrMan's recommended actions, the "regurgitate her spleen" part really hit home. She was drinking like a fish, so much so that she may be in pretty rough shape for the night, and possibly into the next few days. Or who knows, she might be one of those chipper ones that can brush off a hangover like it's nothing.
Haha, I gotcha. I assume she has a wastebasket in her bathroom, or should I retrieve one from the kitchen?

He started to make his way into her bedroom as sleeping beauty started to come back to consciousness. John paused, and actually widened his stance a bit, just in case she decides to flip out; he didn't want to drop her.
Ah, welcome back, Ariel. You're back in your apartment. You kind of blacked out in the club, but ZephyrMan was kind enough to give me directions to take you back home. You feeling alright?
"No, she usually keeps one in the bedroom for just such an occasion...ah!" ZephyrMan finally noticed that the person he was talking about was coming to...somewhat. "Ah, Ariel! At last, you're coming to!"

Fortunately for John, the person he was holding made no resistance whatsoever. It wasn't even a sure thing that she realized he was the reason she wasn't earthbound at the moment. "Black out...I see...unnh...feel like crap..."

"Yes, you crossed your alcohol tolerance line with flying colors...but we'll discuss that when you feel better. For now, get some rest."

"Okay..." Ariel closed her eyes again, but, instead of promptly conking out, she managed to pull herself up enough, and gave her new friend a nice, big hug, complete with the benefits of receiving one from a large chested woman. "Thank you...John...for...helping me..."
John accepted her hug graciously, and gently eased her down to the bed.
No worries, Ariel.

He smiled at her, glad that she was talking and seemingly lucid, though there was some worry left in his mind. It did sound like this wasn't a rare occurrence, but he didn't feel right to just leave her alone in that big apartment all by herself. Even though ZephyrMan could probably call someone if something went wrong, he wouldn't physically be able to help her.
Hey, uh... how do I say this... Do you want me to stay for a bit, just in case? You did drink a lot, and I can't help but worry at least a little..

John's tone was rather wavering, a somewhat far cry from his normally confident demeanor. In fact, KaijuMan would have likely called him out on that if he wasn't sleeping on a burning pile of rubble, all "smash'D" out.
As soon as her back hit the bed, Ariel's grasp went limp. That couldn't be good...

"...Zzz..."

...Ah, she had simply taken her Navi's advice, albeit slightly later than anticipated. Not to mention that the bed felt as amazing as it looked...

"That's very generous of you...but, I don't see a need. If worst comes to worst, a retired doctor lives on the third floor. He's been very kind to Ariel in the past, so I can depend on him if I need to." Well, so much for that. "Still, it's quite late...you're welcome to stay the night if you wish. I'm not entirely comfortable with you sharing a bed with her, but...ahh! I don't mean to say that you wouldn't take advantage of her in that state! It's just...I'd rather not risk you drowning in a potential sea of her vomit. Understand? The couch should be sufficient, however. If you look under the skirt, you should find a blanket and pillow you can use. Ariel usually keeps them there so she can watch TV when she's sick or tired, but she's always washing them, so it should be fine." Hmm...couldn't think of anything else. "If there's anything else you need, you need only ask, and I'll point the way to it!"
John was quite relieved to hear they had someone close, and more importantly well trained and likely well equipped, to come to their aid if need be. Thanks to that, he is no longer needed. John smiled in relief, then put ZephyrMan's PET on the dresser next to Ariel's bed.
Ah, good. And thanks for the offer, but I should be fine heading back on my own.

He went into the bathroom to retrieve the wastebasket, and put it on the floor next to the right side of the bed. Ariel was already fast asleep, though she was rather far away from the head of her bed. Instead of trying to drag her into place, he grabbed one of her pillows and gently lifted her head before sliding it underneath her. He then went to the left side of the bed and grabbed one end of the sheets, before he folded them over her, tucking her in, in a way.
It was great meeting you, ZephyrMan. Please tell Ariel she can give us a buzz any time if she wants to bust again.

He then looked back down at Ariel, who was sleeping soundly, and likely very comfortably on the cloud of a bed. He smiled slightly, his fatigue from the long night finally showing on his face.
Good night... Ariel.

He started to make his way out of the room, before he paused and looked back towards the PET, propped up on Ariel's dresser.
Should I turn the lights off, or leave them on?

He would either leave the switch alone, or flick the lights off at ZephyrMan's request, before he quietly made his way out of the apartment, picking up his jacket and putting on his shoes as he went, before silently making his way out. He was going to try and somehow lock the door, but due to the sheer amount of security (and need for quick access by the doctor, god forbid he's required) he decided to leave the door unlocked. John rubbed his eyes and yawned as he made his way back to the bus stop, and started is ride back to Yoka. He tried to keep himself awake, because he didn't want to fall asleep on the bus... again.

((To Yoka))
Well, looked like no one else would be sleeping over tonight. ZephyrMan was slightly disappointed, but his operator wasn't exactly going be much fun for a while. "If you so desire. And it was quite the pleasure meeting you, as well John!"

Hmm...leaving the lights on or not...that was actually a good question. It was a clear night, though, so there'd probably be enough light to see if necessary. "The window shades are open, so you can turn them off. Farewell, and take care on the way home!" ...Whew. What a night. Ariel was safe, so time to tuck himself in, and rest his own frame...

----------------

Throughout the night, Ariel managed to shift to a more traditional position on her bed, and proceeded to ensure that the wastebucket was a very, very good idea. While he got some rest when he could, ZephyrMan spent much of the time watching over his operator, ensuring she was relatively fine.

And then, just like that, it was 4:30 PM.

The drunken pilot opened her eyes, surprisingly able minded for her situation. "...Wow...what a night. I don't remember most of it yet, but it was fun! I know it!"

"Zzz...zz-eh?! ...Ah, Ariel! Finally with the waking world again, eh?"

"I think so...so, what time is it? I feel like I've been sleeping for a year..."

"It's currently...4:32 PM. I'm not sure when you fell asleep, but I can say for sure that, disregarding moments where you became conscious enough to lean over and puke into the wastebasket, you were out for at least 16 hours."

"...Ugh..."

"You know, I've been thinking about it, and I think I realized why you got as sick as you did. You didn't eat anything before leaving, did you?"

"...Um...I don't think so?"

"That's it. You had nothing on your stomach to absorb the alcohol. Well, I'm glad that mystery is solved! Considering how you can normally hold it, I was wondering how it got to you!"

"...Don't you have anything better to than nag a poor, hungover girl?"

"I'm merely stating the facts!"

"Whatever..." The pilot slowly, but surely, sat up on her bed, removing her sandals and throwing them on the floor...far away from the puke can, of course. "Head hurts...ow..."

"Well, you know the drill."

"Right! A nice, cold shower, then something to eat!...I'm not that hungry, though..."

"Do it anyway! You'll feel better! ...Oh, and before you go take that shower, close the blinds!"

"I was going to anyway..." And then there was...no light. Ahh. In celebration, the hungover pilot removed her blouse once again, though this time noting that there was something wrong with it. "Huh? What happened?! The collar's totally ripped!"

"...I'm not sure, aside from the fact it occured about the same time you blacked out."

"...I must've snagged it on a corner...fuuuck!" She tossed it next to the laundry basket, reminding her to either toss it out, or get it repaired. Normally she'd be too lazy for the latter, but since she really liked that one, it might get an exemption. Hmm...maybe she could find someone to fix it the next time she went bra shopping. Speaking of which, she reached back, and navigated her hair to remove the one she was wearing from her, revealing her chest for the world to see...or at least, the part of the world that could magically see through blinds. With a slightly pained expression, she rubbed on them a bit. "Oww...yeah, I definitely need to get a few more. This one's made me kinda sore..."

Next off were the pants, leaving her with only a surprisingly modest pair of panties. "Ahh...if I could, I'd always wear just this!" Granted, when she was home and didn't expect any company, she was prone to blocking off all the windows and do her business as such..."Well, I guess I shouldn't when I take showers, though." And with that, the underwear, too, was officially dirty laundry. "I dunno why some people hate getting naked so much...it makes me feel so free!"

"To be fair, most people don't have a body like yours..."

"Um...I guess that's true, but...I dunno. I get the feeling I'd be like this even if I was fat!" As it were, however, she had the fortune of only being fat chested. Having the peace of mind of having a nice figure, regardless of what she did, she headed for the bathroom, accessed via a door next to the bed. It was actually easy to miss, since the bedroom door often hid it from view. But unfortunately for her, that room had no windows, and thus no way for small amounts of natural light to get through. And not enough would get in if she left the door open, so...click! "...Ow. Do NOT want that light."

The shower was then turned on, and intentionally left somewhat cold. After waiting a few moments to let it warm up past freezing, Ariel walked in, promptly letting the cool water wash over her. "Ooh...that feels kinda good..." She stood there for a few minutes, allowing the flow to cover every inch of her. "...Nah, don't feel like washing my hair...too much effort. It'll be fine until I'm 100% again, anyway." Still, she didn't want to be semi-gross. She grabbed a bottle of body wash, and used a washcloth to apply it all over her body. Arms, legs, butt and lower region, belly, back, chest...for some reason, rubbing it on the latter felt really, really good. Maybe after she was done, she could head back to the bed and-

...OW OW OW. Hangover induced headache. Okay, okay, she got the point. Never mind. She'd have to do it some other time.

After another few minutes of rinsing and letting the water hit her, the formerly drunken woman called it quits, turning off the shower and heading out. She felt a little better, but still a bit meh. Grabbing a nearby towel, she dried herself off, then attempted to dry her hair off; which took longer, she wasn't sure. Tossing it back where it was, she headed back out, and went to the kitchen. "I'm a little hungrier...what should I eat?" Let's see...what was in the fridge that was easy to eat...ah, yogurt. Grabbing a cup of it, she opened a nearby drawer, removing a spoon from it, and started chowing down. "Mmm...cherry!...Ahh!" Well, that was smooth. Talking with her mouth full made some of it come out. While none of it reached the floor, it was now slowly oozing down the middle of her chest. "...Dammit! Real swift, Ariel!" Setting down her first real sustinence of the day, she grabbed a napkin, and got it up. "Okay, think I got it all...but now I'm gonna feel all dirty and sticky there for a while. I should've done this before taking a shower!"

The rest of her meal was uneventful, as she consumed the rest of the dairy treat, then chased it with some fried eggs and orange juice. "...Ugh, if I was feeling better, some omelette rice would really hit the spot right about now...oh well, it was still good! Definitely getting better at cooking!"

"Er, you know, cooking in the buff presents its unique set of hazards..."

"Oh, relax! I was really careful! And I'm done, anyway!" For some reason, the food was making her feel better. A lot better. Maybe if she sat down and watched a little TV, her hangover would evaporate, just like that. Let's see...ah, the news. Anything important?

"Tonight's top story...a killer whale was found beached near the Seaside Hospital. After several hours, workers were able to airlift it to DenTech University for medical treatment." Aww...poor whale. Nothing too depressing, though...maybe it was a slow news day and there wouldn't be anything she needed to think hard about.

An hour passed, and indeed, aside from weather and sports, they mostly ran investigative reports and heartwarming local stories...aka what they aired on slow days. Ariel was feeling a lot better, and not just because she felt better informed. "Okay, I think the worst is over!...Hmm, now what should I do, I wonder?"

"Not go out for a drink!"

"Well, duh. Getting a drink when you're recovering from a hangover is just stupid!"

"...You know, you should probably put some clothes on. John nearly slept exactly where your behind is right now!"

"Are you trying to tell me something about my behind?!"

"No, of course not, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"...Never mind. I suppose it's fine."

"That's right, it's fine! It's MY couch, after all!"

"...Actually, there's somewhere I'd like to go, if you're up for it."

"Really? That's a first! Where?"

"The Navi Shop in SciLab. I earned quite a bit of money busting with Ante and KaijuMan. I imagine we could get some upgrades, and make me more proficient in battle!"

"Sure, I guess that's okay! ...Er, hold on a sec." Ariel looked down, her Navi's earlier remark ringing in her ears. Or maybe it was just the hangover. She wasn't sure. "...Huh. I forgot I was still naked! Silly me!"

"...Er, yes, silly you..."

--------------

Around 20 minutes later, the pilot now looked the part of her occupation, as she was in full pilot's wear. "There we go! And this time, I'm not wearing a bra underneath, so it's not squishing me quite as bad!"

"That's true, but, well..."

"Worried about me getting hard nipples?"

...The bluntness of his operator could be stunning sometimes, no matter how used to it one was. "...Something like that, yes."

"I didn't say I was topless! I've got an undershirt on, so I should be safe so long as it's not absolutely freezing out there. Which it shouldn't, it's not that time of year!"

"Quite true, quite true. Are you ready?"

"Almost!" She grabbed her PET, and placed it on her side. "Can't forget that!"

"Ho ho! As if I'd let you! Now, shall we be off?"

"Yup!" And so the apartment antics came to a close for the time being, as Ariel and ZephyrMan began the trek for SciLab...slightly slower than usual, thanks to light sensitivity, but they were off, nonetheless.

(TO SCILAB)
Ariel & John GETS: 5 FXP
"I'm home!" With a shout to no one in particular, Ariel stretched around in her doorway, before wandering into her apartment. "...Hmm. Kinda hungry. Think I've got some omelette rice in the fridge, though!"

"Yes, I believe you're right...hmm..." Within the confines of Ariel's PET, ZephyrMan stroked his beard thoughtfully, clearly having something on his mind.

"Yay! I do! Put it in the microwave, zap it, and into my belly!...Hey, ZephyrMan?"

"......Yes?"

"Earth to ZephyrMan! Whatcha thinking about?"

"Oh, not much...however, I'd like to do something, if you don't mind."

"Name it!"

"...May I do some virus busting?"

"Wha? Of course! Why would you even hesitate to ask?...Aha, you're thinking of something else, aren't you? Come on, spit it out!"

"Well, if it would be all right, I'd like to test out my crosses! I'm curious as to how they function."

"Oh, so that's it. Sure! No prob!"

"Ah, thank you! Now the question is, where shall we do so?"

"Actually, I kinda have an idea..."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Well, as you know, omelette rice is my favorite food. So, I wanna learn more about it. Since it was developed from the omelette, so let's head for Netopia and do some research!"

"I see...that should be fine! And in the meantime, I can demonstrate the power of winds once-" DING! "...Well, that was poor timing..."

"Sorry, omelette rice just finished!" A few moments later, Ariel was sitting on her couch, doing her best to avoid wolfing her food down in a single bite. "...You know, I just thought of a problem. How are we going to jack in, anyway? I don't have a computer..."

"Just jack me into the television. I should be able to find my way through the Net via its signal!"

"Oh, cool!" Okay, where was that jack-in port...? "Umm...oh, there! Jack in! ZephyrMan, Execute!" ...Umm... "...That's not the jack-in port, is it?"

"...No, that's the on/off light. The port is on the other side, to avoid confusion."

"Well, that's a terrible way to do it!" Ahem, take two. "Jack in! ZephyrMan, Execute!"

(TO NETOPIA AREA)
There, Navi out. And...Navi in! To her sparking microwave, that was. She did forget to do that shout she always did before jacking in, though. But this was kinda important to worry about that right now... "So, how does it look in there?" As if on cue, the sparks stopped, as suddenly as they began.

"It...was nothing major. The Mr. Prog responsible for maintaining proper electrical flow just took an...impromptu break..."

"I'm so sorry! The Mr. Prog I trade duties with was a little late, and before I knew it, I just...nodded off! Please don't fire me!"

"Well, aside from startling my operator, nothing happened, so there's no need for that. But-"

"Really? Hooray! Thank you thank you thank you! I promise I'll never let that happen again! I know, we'll switch off more often, so we'll never get so sleepy! Thank you for your kindness!"

"Think...nothing of it...?" ZephyrMan was expecting a lot of possible reactions, but that enthusiasm still caught him off guard. "Well, it appears my work is done here. Back to the PET!"

Button pressed, Navi extracted. Just like a couple of minutes ago. "Well, that was kinda weird. But, since we're freed up again, I've been thinking...and I got an idea!

"And that idea would be?" Hopefully, said idea didn't result in her passing out in a bar while spending half the time without wearing a shirt. That was pretty bad...

"Well, there's that mission board where we can do stuff for people to earn stuff, right? We should do that for something neat!"

"Ah, not a bad idea! It's an excellent way to use our many talents!" Though, since said problems didn't involve men needing sexual services, one of Ariel's greatest talents would go unused. "So, shall I set things up?"

"No way! I wanna!"

"Be my guest, then!" That was slightly suspicious, considering she was usually perfectly happy with staying out of the not so fun parts of things, but if she really wanted to...

----------------

"It's all set up, ZephyrMan!"

The windy Navi had taken the opportunity to do nothing, and was in fact sitting back on what appeared to be a beach chair. The fact he hadn't shredded it despite being half tornado seemed suspect, but if his operator noticed, she showed no signs of it. "Is that so? Well, what's the mission?"

"Well, it's a two parter. First, they need a replacement for a fashion show, and apparently I fit what they were looking for!"

"Well, people do say you're highly qualified for that line of work. And what of me?"

"Apparently, they need you to judge some sort of contest. They didn't say what kind, though. But I figured you could do it, and modeling sounds fun, so I signed us up!"

"Very well. So, where is this all being held?"

"The Stanley Court Mall. ...Come to think of it, didn't someone get kidnapped by a giant robot or something there recently?"

"More or less. I heard that a single woman was responsible for apprehending the one responsible and rescuing the captured!"

"Really? Wow...I'd really like to see the person that can literally fight off a giant robot!"

"I never heard the name of rescuer, so I can't bring one up for you. Sorry."

"Aww, too bad. Anyway, as long as there's no giant robots around, I'll be safe!" Her Navi raised an eyebrow, but decided against actually responding to that. "Well, it sounded like they were in a bit of a hurry, so I really should get going." And so she did. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any more overworked Mr. Prog that desperately needed a recharge while she was gone.