Compatibility Revisited: A Nindroid Romance

Boy Talk

Zane and Pixal have been welcomed back home by their friends. Everything is moving along as usual, except for a fierce argument between Kai and Skylor, which leaves Kai irritated to an extent that even his friends find it hard to reassure him that all will be well again in due time. When he leaves the living room with the intention to go looking for Skylor, Zane follows him.

Zane (in a matter-of-fact tone): Kai, don't try too hard. Give her time. And then just give her a hug. Leave it up to her to show you when she's ready for more excessive displays of affection. You'll be fine.

The door closes behind them, and Jay and Cole stare at each other.

Jay: Wait, what? Did he just ...

Cole: He did. Zane gave Kai relationship advice.

Jay: And talked about displays of affection?

Lloyd (looking up from a magazine he pretended to be reading): I heard that, too.

Jay: Zane, of all people ... Our nindroid, who never more than hugs Pixal when he gets back from a mission? Ok, I may have seen him holding her hand a few times, but ...

Cole: Yeah, but remember, they just spent a full month together. Away from us.

Jay: Are you thinking what I am?

Cole: That he's kissed her?

Lloyd: Probably.

Cole (simultaneously): Nah ...

Jay: Well, wanna find out?

Lloyd: I dunno. How?

Jay (snickering): Well, we just ask him. You know he has trouble overcoming his original programming to always tell the truth.

Lloyd: Umm ... That might be interesting, but let's at least be moderately subtle, ok?

Cole: Like, ask a lot of random questions and watch how he reacts?

Jay: Yeah, something like that. (He smirks.) You make him blush, you win.

The door opens and Zane returns, holding a cup and a plate with a sandwich. He takes a seat, unaware of the exchange of glances between Jay and Cole. Lloyd has taken up his magazine again.

Cole: So, Zane, you haven't told us much about that little town where you stayed on the way back. Are the surroundings nice?

Zane (swallowing a bite of his sandwich): The woods are beautiful.

Cole: Sounds great. Did you go for walks with Pixal there?

Zane: Oh yes, we did.

Jay: And did you like your accommodations?

Zane: It was a very nice old building.

Jay: With secret passageways to sneak out at night and admire the moon together?

Zane (raising his eyebrows): That wouldn't be a secret any more if I told you. (He finishes his sandwich and settles back with his cup of tea.)

Jay: Fair enough. (Muttering under his breath to Cole.) Ugh, this doesn't work. I don't think "subtle" is going to take us anywhere. (To Zane.) So, what color are her pajamas, then?

Lloyd (without looking up from his magazine and pretending to be entirely uninterested): C'mon, Jay, that's not hard. Even I know they're purple.

Cole: Hey, how can you possibly know?

Lloyd (with a very innocent face): Because I once saw Pixal sneaking out of Zane's room in the morning.

Cole: Wait, what? You're serious? Here at the monastery?

Jay (simultaneously): Whoa, Zane?!

Zane (calmly): She wasn't exactly sneaking, or you wouldn't have seen her when she said "Good morning" to you, would you, Lloyd?

Lloyd: Can't argue with that, Zane. Sorry, bad choice of words. (He hides behind the magazine again.)

Jay: Yeah, but still! What was Pixal doing in his room in her pajamas?

Cole (helping himself to a cookie): So now you got me interested as well, brother. Is that a habit of hers, to walk from one room to the other at night?

Zane (keeping a straight face): No, she never did that during our trip.

Jay and Cole exchange a disappointed look.

Jay: Are you sure?

Zane (now with barely hidden amusement): Oh yes. I would have noticed, because we shared a room.

Jay and Cole gasp, and Lloyd seems to suppress a sudden coughing fit behind his magazine.

Cole (incredulously): Really? With one or two beds?

Zane: Two.

Jay: You're kiddin' us. Did you sleep in her bed or she in yours?

Zane (with an impenetrable face): Both.

Cole chokes on his cookie.

Zane: Because after the first night, she said she'd prefer the one closer to the window. So we swapped. (He rises and clears away his plate and cup.) And now you will excuse me, because I've got an appointment at the hangar and need to get a few things ready.

Cole (calling after him as he leaves): Zane, if it's at the hangar, it's called a date, not an appointment!

Jay (snickering): A date, not an appointment. Good one, Cole. Pity we couldn't see his face anymore.

The door opens again, and Nya pokes her head through.

Nya: Hi guys. Can you tell me what's wrong with Zane? He just passed by me with a big grin on his face that I've never seen before. Jay, if you meddled with his funny switch or something ... It's gonna be really difficult, because we're working on some tiny devices down at the hangar and I need him to concentrate.

The boys exchange a glance and Jay facepalms.

Lloyd: Umm, does anyone else have a feeling that he just made us look really stupid?