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Sure, yeah. We could go this afternoon, if you like.

[And he'll have to remember to bring a bathing suit. He could be wrong, but K seems to give off the aura of someone who would be at least a little flustered by casual nudity.]

[ Despite it probably not being the best idea while tipsy... ] I would. Nice day for it.

[ He'd have likely accepted even if he didn't want to, since it seems to be Alfie making a point about preferring a friend to a servant. ]

[Alfie claps his hands, then moves to stand.]

Right, then - tea and your lovely cake as we walk? Have you got a swimming costume back at your place?

Some... materialised in my closet. I never had to wish for any. [ Though K's been in the Meadous for nearly a year by this point, he still sounds slightly confused by this phenomenon. But also grateful, because it probably wouldn't have occurred to him to wish for cooler clothing for the summer.

There's a long pause before he also gets to his feet, marginally steadier now. At least until Bear decides to give him another helpful headbutt that makes him stumble a bit. ]

I think he wants to come, too.

Ah, he can come.

[He leans down, ruffling the fur on Bear's head.]

You can imagine how long it takes him to dry off; he won't be allowed in the house for two days after. Particularly not with the way Royce likes to let him in the bed.

[Royce is the biggest softie when it comes to the animals and Alfie finds joy in spreading this information around.]

[ It isn't surprising, K's seen what a soft spot Royce has for his cat as well. But the "gossip" gets a smile from him all the same. ]

Can't imagine there's any room left with Bear in there. [ Wryly: ] Maybe I can help him dry off so he's not banned for so long. [ ...At least it isn't because he feels subservient to a dog. He just has a soft spot for the mutt, too. ]

Have you got a big-- ah, I don't know what they're called; I've seen them in films. They're handheld things, right--

[He mimes holding up a hair dryer.]

-- what blow hot air at you and dry your hair right quick.

[ Have you got a big-

It's an effort maintaining a straight face at that, but soon enough it's transformed into a look of confusion at Alfie's description. There's a reason K defaults to military grooming standards — so little fuss involved. ]

No, but I have two hands and a lot of towels. [ But he's clearly still puzzling over that description. Then it finally comes to him: ] Hair dryer? That'd be handy. Reversing the airflow of a vacuum'd do about the same thing, if you've got one.

[Silly K, he knows exactly what those are called.]

Haven't got a vacuum, no. Never saw the need for one. Can they be reversed like that?

Yeah. The more modern ones, anyway. [ A necessary caveat, since he isn't entirely sure what vacuum cleaners were like in Alfie's time and world. ] Helps with dusting, or to inflate things like air mattresses.

[ Now that he's thinking of it, it is kind of odd that he hasn't seen any in the Meadous before. His own home came with a broom and duster, which makes sense with the entirety of the flooring being hardwood or stone. ] If there's janitorial supplies in any of the public buildings, we might find one there.

[ Alternatively, wishing for a dog fur dryer. Because Bear becoming even more fluffy and spherical would be pretty hilarious. ]

Could've used one of those in Norfinbury.

[He says ruefully, finally standing and ducking into the bedroom to grab his swimsuit (a full-body, 1920s-style striped number). Bear jumps up too, ready to head out with them on whatever adventure they're planning.]

We had an air mattress that we had to inflate ourselves - blowing into it, right.

[It hadn't always been easy to do after a long day of tromping through the snow.]

Surprised the place had anything like that left. Radiation deteriorates most plastics. [ Nuclear radiation, he means — but who knows what sort of advancements Norfinbury may have had in that regard, what with the quantum computer, AIs, nanomachines and such. And he'll help collect the tea and cake and anything else Alfie might indicate to bring with them before heading out.

K's own home is just a few doors away, which he makes a detour for. It's only a few minutes before he reappears also carrying beach towels and changed into a pair of short swim trunks. Less modest that what he'd prefer, maybe, but at least the alcohol helps with self-consciousness. ]

Do you still have all that? [ He asks once they're headed for the lake, letting Bear helpfully "herd" him along. ] Things from Norfinbury.

[Alfie cuts them both a thick slice of the cake, so that they can both carry their own servings of food and drink, though if K wants to bring along the rest of the cake so that they can have seconds, he certainly won't complain. He'll stay dressed, himself, carrying his bathing suit slung over his elbow; he can change down at the lake, the way he usually does.]

Some of it.

[He says, in answer to K's question.]

Some of it we tossed out. The mattress is still in our bedroom closet.

[They've even used it a couple of times here in the Meadous - though despite the fact that they've cleaned it up, Alfie doesn't particularly like making a habit of it.]

[ The remainder of the cake is left for Alfie to enjoy with Royce later. You're welcome, Royce.

That Zephyr must have decontaminated everything from Norfinbury seems to go without saying, since no one's gotten sick. So K moves on to the next obvious question. ]

Do you actually use any of it? [ It's curiosity without judgment. Considering the contents of K's own closet, which includes the corpse of an inorganic android kept for spare parts, he isn't really in a position to judge what others hold onto. ]

We brought it out to the islands once.

[He says, on their way out the door with Bear at their heels.]

We went out to see the crystals and stayed the night. Felt a bit odd, lying on it again.

That sounds nice. [ He glances sidelong at Alfie as they walk, wry amusement creeping into his expression. ] Sounds a little romantic, actually.

[ It isn't the first time he's teased either of them like this and they haven't seemed to mind, so he figures it's okay. And he's still secretly delighted he got away with calling them a "cute couple" in sign language without either realising. It's the little things. ]

[Alfie gives K a look, though it's more amused than stern.]

Yes, it was lovely. We may go back again, before the summer ends.

[He's planning to bring up the idea, anyway; it would be a nice little end-of-summer trip, if Royce thinks he can handle the seasickness.]

Probably not a bad idea. Get your minds off of other things for a while. [ Or so he's guessing. Even he likes getting away from the village every so often, especially after the space station business that left him feeling so alienated. ]

Though neither of you really struck me as the sailing type. That's how you get over there, isn't it?

[ Given that there's portals and flying motorcycles and even his own flying car in the Meadous, it's a reasonable question. ]

Yeah. We manage. Royce is better at it than I am.

[He says, with a rueful little smile.]

But I do all right.

I'd offer to give you both a ride over and back, but Royce seems to be afraid of flying. How do you do with it?

[ Assuming it's something Alfie's ever experienced before. Maybe during one of the Meadous world hops? ]

I've never tried it, personally - but you've got something that flies, doesn't it? A car?

[Give him a ride, K!]

[ That's promising, that Alfie's immediate reaction isn't "oh no flying death trap." ]

I do. Maybe you can talk him into trying it too. [ Since Royce might be a little more willing to go if Alfie's with him, K figures. ] It's interesting, seeing all of the Meadous from above — provided you're not afraid of heights. [ Like Connor unfortunately is. But at least even he's been willing to go flying with K. ]

We could give it a go.

[Alfie says, looking down at the swimsuit in his hands.]

Before swimming.

If you're willing to take your chances with a slightly drunk pilot. [ K says with a small smile. Fair (and largely unnecessary) warning. Autopilot functionality exists, and it isn't as though the Meadous airspace is ever congested — he could fly with his eyes closed and never run into anything. ]

Do you think we should wait?

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