Shinichi was very impressed by the VR systems that the actors were going to be using. He used up one of their rare opportunities to video chat while they both had a break at the same time to tell her about them.
"They were apparently designed for the new trend in cyber spas here. They are much simpler inside than your pod, so that they can be quickly cleaned between users, and they have online profiles so that you can log into any unit. It's not as quick as your VR-medi pod, but it's a lot faster than switching people on the other system," he enthused.
"Are you hinting that we should get one?" Danika asked laughingly.
"Several?" he suggested after a moment. "For the building, not just us? Like the pool?"
"The rent here is going to go through the roof," she teased. "I bet systems like that aren't priced for private sale."
"It should be less than a full medical system like yours," he argued.
He was shocked when they looked it up and discovered that one of the systems they were using actually cost more than a new VR-medi pod.
Danika pointed out reasonably, "They are designed for public use, with a lot more wear and tear."
Shinichi sounded reluctant when he told her, "I guess it's too extravagant for now. Nevermind."
"The technology is improving so quickly, that I'm sure that if we wait a few years there will be something more reasonable available," she replied encouragingly.
On a whim she looked up how much the car that another celebrity had purchased recently, according to a headline she'd seen during one of her space opera related searches, had cost. It was more. Even extravagance was relative.
--
The next day Danika came out of the room that she'd begun calling her work room, and came to a halt when a woman's rich laughter wafted up from the floor below.
The woman said warmly, "Ryu, you are looking really good today!"
Ryuske replied with affectionate teasing, "Trying to hint that I've been looking poorly lately?"
"You know that's not what I meant!" she insisted laughingly. "You look happy."
"Things are good," he agreed, "and I'm always happy when you come back."
Danika realized that she was eavesdropping, and started to retreat when the woman's next words stopped her again, as she said, "I didn't know what to think when you said that you were still playing that video game. I keep wondering if this semi retirement doesn't suit you…"
She wanted to protest the implication that the game didn't suit Ryuske, so she turned back again and had one hand on the doorframe when Ryuske scolded cheerfully, "I see that you haven't been checking Mirage's schedule again Hikaru. Danika should be taking her lunch break soon, and I really want you to meet her before you leave me again."
"I never leave you!" Hikaru spluttered laughingly. "What did you schedule?"
Ryuske just laughed instead of answering, and there was no bitterness in the rich sound despite the implications in his words, just warmth and affection.
Danika was surprised to find that she had to force herself to remove her hand from the door frame, and move forward toward the lift. It wasn't the first time that Ryuske had mentioned wanting her to meet Hikaru, but somehow she felt like she hadn't really understood how important she was to him. He sounded like he was really looking forward to it.
Hikaru exclaimed questioningly, "A virtual live!?"
"Yeah," Ryuske agreed smugly.
Halfway to the lift, Danika turned back again. She had just realized that she was wearing a shirt that declared, "I bite!" Even though the words were accompanied by a round and cute dragon, it didn't seem appropriate.
Hikaru asked, "Why solo though?"
Danika silently cursed Ryuske's excellent hearing when instead of answering Hikaru, he called out happily, "Danika? Come down, I want to introduce you!"
Her hand hovered over the controls and she hesitated. A moment later quick footsteps on the stairs gave only a brief warning as Ryuske stuck his head around the corner of the low balcony wall.
"Danika?" he asked as though he might have mistaken her for Tora wandering the hall. He added with concern a moment later, "What's wrong?"
His steps were almost as quick and light as those of Ryullusion, as he hurried toward her. But the sunlight, that had snuck a ray through the doorway behind her, gleamed in the white of his short hair instead of black, and she replied too quickly, "Nothing!"
Even as the protest left her lips, her anxiety increased. Her short reply stopped him in his tracks and his eyes searched her face questioningly. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She had no idea how to explain her worry, but she was afraid of disappointing him somehow when he introduced her. She wanted him to be able to be proud of her.
Behind him, a familiar yet unknown face appeared. Her dark hair was only lightly salted with lighter strands, in contrast to Ryuske's. But then, Hikaru was over a decade younger than he was. She didn't finish walking up the stairs, she just leaned her elbow on the floor at the top and said cheerfully, with her face tilted, "Hi, I usually don't bite!"
"Usually," Ryuske agreed with amusement, without turning to look at her.
Danika felt like his warm gaze was both hopeful and encouraging, but she could only stare wordlessly at Hikaru and wish with all her heart that Shinichi was standing beside her. She was somehow certain that he would have been able to smooth things over, and that he would have spoken easily while her voice felt frozen.
She was startled when Ryuske covered the space between them with one more long stride and reached for her hand. His fingers were more callused than Shinichi's, and his hand was cooler, but his fingers still felt warm against hers. He squeezed her hand gently, as he turned and told Hikaru proudly, "This is Danika."
Hikaru grinned at him, and said a little dryly, "No wonder you have the media confused. Don't you mean: this is Shinichi's Danika?" Danika's mouth opened to protest the implication, but Ryuske's affectionate laughter swept her words away, and Hikaru's grin widened as she added, "I told you that you should have adopted a girl!"