22 To Surprise (1/2)
Flufferino couches were ever so prevalent on the island. They were everywhere, in the suites, in the lounges, in the gyms, by the waterfall etc. They all differed in aesthetics, but all retained the same comfort and made for an equally pleasurable experience.
So it comes as no surprise as Ryan sat on one of those couches the next morning, eating a bowl of cereal. The prince had a top tier chef at his beck and call in Rojë, meaning he could have any luxurious breakfast he wanted, but he preferred to start the day with a much more humble meal (though it being a meal was rather arguable). Besides, it as a childhood favourite of Ryan, and similar to his seemingly childlike nature, his love for it hadn't left him since. To be fair this sentiment was shared by many Zephyrians, as the brand was considered one of the better, less controversial ones on the marketplace. It did, however, have a weird name.
”Dave”. Pillows made from the heavenly carbohydrate trio of rice, wheat and oats, making for an unaggressive yet satisfyingly crunchy texture. Contained within each of these pillows was a smooth, chocolate and hazelnut concoction, and the combination of smooth and crunchy formed a flavourful experinence that would rule the Zephyrian Continent and capture the hearts of millions.
The couch Ryan occupied was one of the few sofas neatly spaced out within Laboratory B. To be honest, this name was utter crap and completely inaccurate to its purpose, but it just so happened that all the rooms in the facility were referred to as Laboratories (Ryan had a weird consistency complex). Laboratory B was just a glorified private theatre used for Ryan's tech demos and personal screenings, but from today it were to be Vanguard's designated briefing room.
Typically, Ryan would be watching cartoons in the morning, but he wasn't feeling that today. Ryan sat in the front row, staring at the new Vanguard Emblem that occupied the entire screen. He thought about his new team and the adventures they were to soon have together. He thought about the different sOrs and their usages they'd encounter in the unknown world below. He also thought about the Emblem itself, designed by his trusted graphic designer. It was pretty clean, even by her standards.
”Oh. So you eat Dave without milk.”
Ryan jumped in his seat and spilt half of his cereal onto the floor and sofa, his daydreaming interrupted by another person's voice. He turned around and saw Aloe leaning over behind him.
”I'm glad I don't!” he said. ”If I did it would've gone everywhere! How long have you been sitting there?!”
”Hm..”
Aloe paused to think.
”About half an hour.”
”Half an hour?!”
Ryan had been there for 15 minutes. This meant that she was there when he walked in, but he was too engrossed in the cereal and the screen to notice. He was also half asleep, ironic, since Aloe was wide awake.
”Yup. Anyway, what's the deal with that?” she continued.
”The deal with what?”
”No milk..”
”Ah. It makes it soggy and stuff, and I dont like that. Anyway, have you eaten?”
”Yep. Yami here made us a rather healthy breakfast.”
”Yo.”
”WHAT?!”
Ryan jumped a second time, spilling his entire bowl of Dave at the sight of Yami next to Aloe.
Ryan was also now fully awake.
”How long have YOU been sitting there?”
”The same. About half an hour..”
”And you both were just, watching me eat?!”
Yami shrugged. ”Well, no. We were just admiring this fluff.”
Aloe nodded and ran her hand through the softness, though her admiration for it was hidden by her lack of expression.
”Yes. This is the epitome of flufferino.”
Ryan scratched his chin, evaluating that statement.
”Meh, I'd argue Tedi is the epitome of flufferino. She's made of a similar material, and she's much more huggable.”
Aloe and Yami stared at each other blankly.
...
”This is Tedi.” they both said.
Tedi's large head rose from behind them, it sharing their blank expression.
”Hi Ryan.”
Ryan jumped a third time, but had no more cereal to spill.
”AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SITTING THERE?”
Tedi blinked twice.
”The same. About half an hour.”
Ryan sat there shocked, genuinely confused at this whole predicament. Before he could say anything else another voice entered the room.
”Hey Rya- ooooooooooooh Tedi \u003c3”
Elektra blinked onto Tedi and hugged her tight.