"Atlantis Land?"
Ivory threw up her curiosity as she read the words before her eyes. The hologram in front of her displayed some information about the place they were going to visit today. With just the touch of her index finger, a series of pictures, videos, and descriptions of tourist attractions around Makara are available to read. Aaron gave Ivory several options to choose from. She was asked to select at least three of ten places of interest for their first date.
"You've heard of it, haven't you?" said Aaron from behind the steering wheel.
The man pulled the sunglasses tucked into the top button of the red shirt he was wearing and put them on. Ivory glanced at Aaron's chest, which was exposed after he casually removed the top two buttons of his shirt. Ivory unconsciously swallowed her saliva. She hastily returned to focus on the hologram screen.
"Umm… I think Roger mentioned it once before." She touched the word next floating in front of her face. The screen changed to Village Français, with images of typical European buildings dominating the screen.
"Who is Roger? Is he one of your family?"
"No. Roger is the son of the employer where I work. He's been very good with me. I consider him like my own older brother."
"Oh really? Does he join the Copulation too?"
"No," answered Ivory. "He's Gene S. His grandfather was a member of The Higher-ups."
"I see," Aaron muttered as he stopped his car at a red light. "How close are you to him?"
Ivory glanced at Aaron briefly. When she found the man next to her staring at her without blinking, she hastily shifted her focus to the Hologram screen. Pretend to read.
"Since my sister died, I started working with him. I was often given food by Roger. He used to even help take care of me and accompany me when I was grieving. He often said this; 'Ivy, if you're hungry. Just come here. I will give you food'." Ivory smiled as she remembered Roger's kindness. "I'm lucky to be close to people as good as Roger."
"You're often called Ivy?"
Ivory nodded. "Ivory sounds too long to mention. Roger said Ivy is simpler. My sister also often calls me Ivy."
"May I call you Ivy too?"
Ivory's eyes blinked a few times. "Sure," she squeaked softly.
Never in a million years had a Primary asked her permission as Aaron did.
Meanwhile, Aaron tilted his head and looked at the girl beside him, looking at the hologram with a look of admiration. Ivory's full lips even opened, and the violet irises protected by the girl's round glasses were staring unblinkingly. Aaron realized that focused Ivory would be a thousand times more pleasing to look at than when the girl was frightened.
"Ivy?"
Ivory muttered oh quietly and returned her attention to the real world.
"Sorry. I'm watching this see-through screen," she said lowly. "What did you say?"
"You look cute."
Aaron then pulled his partner's left cheek, which was immediately showered with complaints from the owner. Ivory grimaced and looked at the man beside her in shock. She didn't expect to be pinched by Aaron by the cheeks. It didn't hurt at all. Just surprising.
"Why did you pinch me?" she asked, whining. She rubbed her cheeks which unconsciously began to turn red as tomatoes. "Is this your payback because I pinched you this morning?"
Aaron Magnifico laughed loudly. He thought the whining Ivory had just done to him was refreshing. Ivory looked so young and befitting of her age compared to the one she had shown a moment of fear and worry.
"Why are you so adorable?" his hand slipped from the steering wheel and turned to ruffle his partner's hair.
Once again, Ivory groaned and glared at Aaron.
"Aaroooon."
"Sorry," Aaron chuckled. "You're irresistibly adorable."
Ivory's lips pursed again. She put his hair back in its original place while staring at Aaron in embarrassment. A second later, she smiled shyly at him.
"It's a hologram, Ivy." Aaron's index finger pointed at the thing called Ivory with a see-through screen just a moment ago. "It works like a touchscreen laptop screen. You just have to touch this button—" he touched the power button near the car radio. "—and give orders through your voice right in front of the hologram as soon as the screen lights up."
"So much different than a computer?"
Aaron muttered, hmm, quietly. "Yes, you could say that. In here, the computer has not been used for a long time."
"Are you kidding?" Ivory asked, too surprised. She straightened her seat and continued her astonishment. "In my place, computers are a luxury that's hard to come by. I've only ever used it three times in my life." She stared at the hologram with an adoring gaze. "And here everything is so sophisticated."
"Well, you can find a lot of that junk in landfills." Aaron shook his head. "Forget it. Never touch a computer again. It's so out of date."
Once again, Ivory touched on the following article, which featured a place called 77. She was fixated on the beautiful tents spread across the expanse of green meadows. Around the tent were medium-sized barrels filled with flames and various meat grills.
"Interesting," she muttered subconsciously.
Aaron noticed the soft words of his partner.
"Have you made your choice?"
***
"Woah… cool."
The lips automatically spoke as her eyes caught the beautiful sight that stretched out before her. Ivory stepped first into the small and warm building with a dominant dark brown color in every corner. Right above the entrance, the words 77 are plastered like a welcome greeting for visitors.
"Come in, Ivy. I'll follow you later," said Aaron. He nodded reassuringly at Ivory and walked away, speaking to one of the middle-aged men who came up to him.
With that order, Ivory stepped inside.
The first aroma that wafted from the place was the delicious aroma of roasted beef. Puffs of smoke and the sound of a frying pan filled the not-so-wide room. Ivory looked around and stared at one of the cooks, turning over a large piece of brown meat oozing natural oils from the perfect roasting process. Indeed, at that very moment, Ivory almost fainted from the pleasure of the seductive aroma.
"I told you the other day, the shoes he gave me were too small! I can't wear it! Even my toes were bent during the event…."
"If you mix it in a two-to-one dose with a glass of lemon juice and some cinnamon powder, you'll get the best brew in..."
"They sell it at four times the price in the market. How can I buy it? My trade is just on the verge of…."
"Order number 5!"
Ivory smiled secretly.
By seeing and hearing the people's conversations, she could conclude that this place was not just a place for the upper-middle class. This place is open to all races. Her eyes glanced at a man in tattered clothes sitting in the corner of the room alone. He was accompanied by a large glass of beer and a bowl full of sweet potatoes. Meanwhile, next to him was a group of women with flashy jewelry and expensive bags. Ivory was increasingly convinced of her opinion.
How can there be a place like this in Makara? She never knows.
"Hey there."
Aaron came to the girl. A soft smile formed on his lips as he pulled Ivory over to an empty table to order food. Aaron's arms casually wrapped around Ivory's waist as the two walked hand in hand.
"What do you want to eat?"
Ivory frowned. She remembered earlier on the hologram screen of Aaron's car—no—her car, there were several tents and grills. Where are those things?
"Umm..." Ivory hesitated to express her curiosity. Her round eyes glanced at Aaron, who turned his whole body towards her. "Where's the tent?"
Aaron muttered a low ah and pointed outside. From the window, Ivory could see the tent she was looking for was lined up neatly behind the building. She smiled slightly and bit her lower lip.
"Do you want us to eat there instead?"
Can Ivory ask something of a higher caste than her?
She felt bad, but she wanted to...
It seems that grilling the meats they would eat by themselves feels more exciting.
"You have to learn to speak your mind, Ivy." Aaron's right hand reached out and tugged at Ivory's lower lip gently, as gently as possible. He stopped the lip-biting action Ivory did when he was hesitating. "And stop biting your lip. I don't want to lose control again."