‘Where are we going?’ Michael asked. He looked at the stars and felt a chilly wind that made him completely sober again.

‘We have a place to sleep in the guest apartment for youngsters, it’s not far. And you can even choose whether we share a room with three or you take a second room for yourself. But won’t it be fun to put all three beds together?’ Eliza said.

He backed off and Megan started laughing.

‘You want me to sleep with two girls in one room? Are you crazy? I’m a boy. They all trust me too much here.’

‘I’m armed with a stunner and they know that you’re with me, so I’m the safety measure here if they need one, which they don’t. But remember that it’s not just boys that are attracted to women. Forty percent or more of the women here sleep with another woman every night, remember. And that’s just the officially partnered ones. So they could as well not trust me and Megan together… They actually trust everyone they let in to just follow the relationship guidelines, and that’s including you now. If they accepted you, you’re accepted fully, didn’t you realise that? Man or woman or both or something else completely, whatever, it doesn’t matter.’

‘What relationship guidelines?’ Michael asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

‘Ah… I forgot that you probably never heard of those, a bit like a ten commandments of relationships. That’s something Lady Martha or Jenny must have forgotten to tell you yet. It’s just mostly just common sense, very basic rules for healthy relationships, a bit like the inverse of Miss Hunter’s please-your-husband curriculum now I come to think of it. Always be honest with yourself and the other, never force your partner to do something she doesn’t want, be faithful if you have committed yourself to someone, listen to boundaries and communicate them yourself, and all that. I’ll get you a copy tomorrow if you’re interested, might be interesting one day.’ She winked here. ‘And since you’re rather tipsy, the famous rule seven applies to you tonight too.’

Megan giggled and started laughing until he got irritated by not getting the joke.

‘I’m only a boy school student. Or I was one. I know nothing about those things and we just were taught we would one day get a Wife to boss around and then be happy. Tell me what’s so funny! What’s rule seven supposed to be?’

‘Something like don’t start a new relationship or take new steps in intimacy when you’re under the influence of alcohol. It’s assumed to be common sense here.’

He stopped and threw his hands into the air.

‘Ah. Well, I already broke a lot of them already, didn’t I? Kiss and don’t start a relationship and all… Really, I’m horrible with relationships. They should keep me out of here. I’ll only hurt people.’

Now Eliza started laughing. ‘Your famous slutty days you mean? Oh, yes you’re the worst man in all of The Nation when it comes to relationships with women. You don’t really believe that yourself, do you? Your main problem is that you’re too dramatic, and apart from that you pretty much would automatically keep all of the relationship guidelines without even having heard them, I’m quite sure of that. Don’t overthink things.’

‘But I’m a man…’

‘Apparently, you’ve said that before so it must matter to you somehow. Didn’t you notice that by now they accept you more here than the male side ever did?’

‘I’m confused by that. Shouldn’t they distrust me? Men only want one thing and all that. Your Miss Hunter’s head would explode by how much they trust me here.’

‘Oh yes please, I want to see that. But I wouldn’t want to clean it up. Rotten brains everywhere… And she lives in a small world where Love Ceremonies and Ghost Towns don’t exist either, I wouldn’t go there personally.’ Eliza said, and Megan turned to him.

‘So you’ll stay with us tonight? I’d like that.’

He sighed and looked around. ‘Only if you don’t put the beds together. There’s too much Love Ceremony energy in the air now and I don’t want to do stupid things. Does your rule seven apply to that too?’

‘You seemed quite receptive to it indeed. Holding hands with two girls that you already rejected simultaneously at such a moment. Bold move, Loverboy!’ Eliza said.

‘Who rejected who?’ He asked, visibly confused.

‘That’s a discussion for another time, don’t kill the atmosphere tonight. For now our friendship is the benefits.’

They walked in silence for a minute, looking at the stars, and they arrived at the building already.

‘And here we are, it’s on the fourth floor but there’s an elevator. So it’s agreed that we take the three-bedroom together? I must have the keys somewhere.’ Eliza said, frantically looking for a key in her handbag.

‘Sleeping alone in an unknown room in a Ghost Town is a worse idea than with you two in a room.’ He said, and Eliza led the other two to the elevator and pushed the four-button.

‘So you had planned to sleep here all along?’ He asked when the elevator went up.

‘Oh, yes, a very predictable scenario. I suppose they count on me a bit too to keep an eye on you.’ She took her stunner out of her pocket and aimed it at him playfully. ‘It’s my job to put you to sleep today.’

‘Put that thing away, you’re in a weird mood, Eliza.’

‘Oh, it’s in safety mode, it won’t shoot. And putting you to sleep now would be stupid. No motive, no crime, big boy. You should know by now my impulsivity is never unguided… And you’re quite heavy, so you can carry yourself to bed.’

A weird bell sound told them that they had arrived at the fourth floor, so they left the elevator and after a weird hallway Eliza opened the door of a small apartment that mostly consisted of a big bedroom with three beds. The room was completely furnished and everything was ready to use.

‘It’s good to finally be a guest here.’ Eliza said, and she took some pieces of clothing out of a closet. ‘These long T-shirts here can be used to sleep in, if you don’t mind.’

Michael looked at the tunic-like piece of clothing while Eliza promptly started undressing.

‘Eliza, you can’t do that with the boy here.’ Megan said.

‘I’ve been sleeping in that dorm for years, and there were a few girls there who certainly had worse thoughts about every girl they saw undressing than this boy could form in his head about me, even if he tried,’ She said, and Michael turned his head away.

‘I’m not watching anyway. Tell me when you’re decent again.’ Eliza started laughing while putting on her nightshirt.

‘I’m not naked, silly boy, and you’ve seen worse than my underwear already, like on that first evening when we first met. Nothing that you haven’t already seen here.’

His thoughts went back to the partner choice ceremony, and to the line of girls wearing black bikinis. ‘Don’t remind me please. That was a horrible experience. Really.’

‘You can look again anyway, this nightshirt that I’m wearing is almost a dress.’

He turned his head. ‘I just want a bed now. I’ve had enough woman stuff for one day I think.’

‘Boo, you’re no fun again. And that on our first sleepover.’ Eliza said.

Megan, who had undressed in the second room, came back and put some blankets on her bed and handed out the rest to the other two.

‘Here’s your blankets, and don’t let Eliza provoke you. She easily gets too excited and she’s both tired and a bit tipsy now, which is a dangerous combination.’

‘And you’re even less fun. Why did I even invite you two bores?’

‘It’s late, and he has to work tomorrow, as do you. Be a bit more practical and grown-up please.’ Michael disappeared to the kitchen to change clothes while the girls went on with their discussion.

‘Who wants to be practical when there’s still Love Ceremony energy running through our veins? I want to kiss Life itself and hold the whole world tonight like a lover.’ Eliza said, waltzing with a blanket.

‘Oh no, I know you when you’re like that. You stay in your own world, and leave the boy alone. Please don’t do anything you’ll regret tomorrow. And Drink less of that wine with bubbles next time.’ He heard Megan say.

‘I am perfectly sober now, thank you. I had a refreshing walk in the cold air, remember? I’m just feeling the love flowing through me.’

‘You can feel that without bothering others too. Just let me sleep, and him too, please.’ Megan said, while Michael came back to make his own bed ready.

‘Just one hug then, and a goodnight kiss.’ Eliza said, and jumped at Michael and wrapped herself around him while they both fell on his bed.

‘Hey, easy.’ He said with Eliza on top of him.

‘Rule seven!’ Megan said.

‘I’m only drunk on life and I’m just hugging him, it’s not like I’m trying out Miss Hunter’s advanced techniques to satisfy your husband in the bedroom.’

Michael freed himself from her embrace and sat next to her.

‘It’s not that I don’t like you holding me, but you’re overdoing it and I just want to sleep now.’ He said.

‘And my goodnight kiss?’ she asked childishly.

He sighed and gave her a kiss on the forehead and a much more careful hug.

‘Goodnight, Eliza. Thanks for fixing a place to sleep. You are a good friend. And I like being with both of you, but now I need to sleep, alone I mean, so leave me now or I’ll still take the other room alone.’

Eliza jumped to her own bed and held up her hands in surrender.

‘Okay, okay. You’re right, I’m overdoing it and I’m too excited to sleep now and I have a bad sense of personal boundaries.’

‘I don’t mind any of those things, as long as you let me sleep. Please…’ His voice had started to sound desperate.

‘How late do you have to work? When do I wake you up?’

‘Oh, it’s only eleven in the morning. All the time in the world, I have a late shift. It’s a forty-minute walk to the Square bar so we can have breakfast together and all if you’re not working too early.’

‘Okay, I’ll let you sleep now. See you on the other side of the night!’

He fell asleep fast, not even bothering to follow the whispering conversation that the girls were having about him.

*

The next morning he opened his eyes and saw two green eyes and a lot of wild curls, half a meter from his face. With a shock he was completely awake, and he sat on the bed.

‘Good morning, Michael.’ Eliza said, also sitting up straight.

‘You haven’t been sleeping here, have you?’ he asked, just in case.

‘No, silly boy. I’m a good girl, I stayed in my own bed. Look, I’m dressed already and all. I just found your sleeping face so calm and cute that I kept looking at it for a while.’

‘Personal space, Eliza, personal space. He’s a boy, remember.’ Megan said, coming from the kitchen with a plate with coffee and breakfast.

‘Wow, what did I do to deserve that?’ He asked when Megan put the plate on a small wooden side table. ‘I just wanted breakfast myself and it wasn’t much effort to make thrice the amount? Or maybe it’s a case of the friendship is the benefits? Someone said something like that recently.’

‘Anyway, wow. This looks great.’ He said.

‘Well, I’ll never have a husband who’ll boss me around, but I have a best friend here and a great guy friend too. So all that mythical female servility has to go anywhere, doesn’t it?’ ‘Oh, if Miss Hunter could see you now.’

‘It’s probably still bad if you’re not married, and unmarriable.’

‘Oh yes, premarital breakfasts are probably unladylike or cheating your future husband or so.’

‘At least she thought that you could be a proper Wife. I was always the most unmarriable girl ever in the SCWF, yes woman! Both Greystone and Miss Hunter called me that. She once said any man would run away after fifteen minutes with me. And you managed a whole night in the same room as me.’ Eliza had turned to Michael again.

‘You and me and my ex-fiancée. Don’t make it sound weird, I was mostly sleeping anyway, which made being with you much more bearable,’ he said, eating another croissant.

‘Oww, that was a burn. He’s getting better, watch out!’ Megan said.

‘Wasn’t I supposed to be adjusting to girl friendships then? I’m just copying her mode of communication. Or wasn’t I supposed to be doing that?’ he said innocently.

‘Well, eh…’ Eliza said, finally not finding words.

‘You’ve mostly picked up Eliza things from her, not general girl things I’m afraid. Just like every boy every girl is different too, and I’m probably not very typical either,’ Megan added.

‘I don’t mind Eliza things. As long as I can get enough sleep when I need to, that is… But maybe I need to hang out with other girls if I really want to learn actual girl things and not just Eliza things…’

‘Dude, you have more girl friends than all the other guys of the entire Nation combined…! You wouldn’t even need us for that.’

‘He’s still like a little chick that keeps following the first friendly animal it saw after hatching as if it’s her mother…’ Eliza said, patting his head again.

‘Your oxytocin plan didn’t really work out like you planned.’ Megan said.

‘Oh, it did. He didn’t go exclusively monogamous on anyone yet and he’s a valuable friend for the whole female world. My plans always work!’

‘But he’s still attached mostly to the first two girls that he talked to.’

‘Hey, you’re talking about me again as if I’m not there,’ Michael interrupted them.

‘Oh, I always forget that subject M-1 can speak and understand us. ’ Eliza said, eating the last croissant.

‘Oh please, stop.’ Megan said.

‘It’s no problem. I can live with it.’ He said.

‘Yes, it’s clear you find her bearable when you’re awake too, even when she’s in a state where even most of our classmates would avoid her.’

He shrugged and sipped some of his tea. ‘Maybe I’ve picked up too much Eliza things. But I don’t mind them. I like being with you two, it feels like a new sort of home somehow.’ He said.

‘Everything they teach about boys needs to be rewritten, I’ve said it before…’ Megan said.

‘This tea is quite good stuff by the way. What is it?’ He asked, changing the subject.

‘Oh, it’s made from the original tea plant, real Camellia tea as Lady Martha calls it, instead of chemically re-synthesised Nation-tea. It’s grown in Third City Ghost Town, this variety is called green tea and it’s an ancient recipe that they’re still refining.’ Eliza said.

‘Ghost Town tea? Oh, what a wondrous time that a boy can wake up here with you two and drink actual green tea like in an ancient comic. This really is like a dream.’

‘For an unmarriable you’re quite the romantic, do you realise that?’ Megan said.

‘It’s a pity that my wife doesn’t care about romance then, because a robot is all I can get as a partner for now, according to the law…’

‘Yeah, as if it’s such a good idea to always follow the law. But that reminds me, don’t you want your original wife back?’ Eliza said.

‘Is the robot ready?’

‘Yeah, I was distracted by the whole radio thing, but she’s completely back in the original state now, with the original data and programming. I only took out a far-distance transmitter that no-one in The Nation will ever use anyway. They won’t miss it. I think I’ll be able to reach Héva soon, and you’re back to your original robot marriage. Happily ever after for everyone!’

He suddenly looked a bit down. ‘Happily ever after forever married to that thing? That’s a sad life… But it’ll still be good to have it back. It’s strange, but I was starting to miss the original Dorothy. But can it wait a day and bring it tomorrow? Long shift today.’

‘Okay, just let me know. I have to bring the other robot back here, they normally use her extensively as a maidbot for endless chores it seems…’ Eliza said.

‘So you’re warming up to your legal wife? Just need more time but in the end you’ll make it work? I’ve heard that story before, but I seem to remember it didn’t end like that.’ Megan said darkly.

‘No, no, no. That thing is in no way comparable to you, Megan. And, eh…’

Eliza didn’t wait for the rest of his stuttered sentence, and changed the subject again.

‘I also managed to get the paperwork for St. Manfred’s ready. Is it okay to visit your sister in three weeks? I will need a date and time and then I’ll finalise it.’

‘You mean that I will actually be able to visit Anne?’

He almost dropped his tea.

‘Yes, they can’t stop you. I’ve checked, and in the actual rules there’s nothing that says that family members can’t visit her, and your rating or lack thereof doesn’t matter either.’

‘Eliza, I love you!’ He said and gave her an instant hug.

‘Is that a confession of love? Do you need some time alone with two?’ Megan asked.

He looked at her with a weird face. ‘Huh?’

‘Nevermind. Eliza taught you girl friendships in her own way, I know. But people could get other ideas if you’re like this, I hope both of you realise that.’

‘She’s just a good friend, nothing else. I need my girl friends more than ever since my deletion. The idea of having lost everyone was just too unbearable, so I might be a bit clingy here and there when I’m feeling good again. Plus there’s still some lingering euphoria from last night too.’

‘Don’t let that Euphoria linger too long, roboloverboy! It’ almost ten in the morning, and it’s a long walk to the square bar.’ He looked at his wristwatch.

‘Oh, no. I had another question by the way, about that bike thingy of yours…’

‘My outlaw bike? They’re common property of the community, and I can use them whenever I need.’

‘Do you think they’d let me use one, with a good bike lock, so I can go home to dress for work and then be on time at the bar?’

‘Eh, it’s an unusual thought, but they seem to like you lately. I’ll smuggle you into the bicycle storage and we’ll fix you something. Come, we need to be fast.’

He picked up his stuff, and looked at Megan.

‘You’re staying here?’

‘Oh, I have a day off, and this is the best vacation day I’ve ever had. I’m just going to read books here today and I’m eating the special here in the bar tonight.’

‘Oh…’

He looked at her, as if the concept was completely new to him.

‘A vacation day in an outlaw community?’

‘Did you think I’d want one in First City Love Hotel quarter?’ She said, quoting the title of the famous but unreadable book about marriage and honeymoon that he had referenced on their first official meeting in a conversation about vacations.

‘A small place, nature within sight, without Wife Schools or anything like that. Just rest, and a lot of books. And no-one to tell me what to do. I don’t even need you to help me cook and clean, they have maidbots here. That was my ideal vacation, and it still is. I didn’t mention friends then I think, but I like having you and Eliza around too.’

‘It’s different… But I could get used to it.’ He said.

‘Yes, but you’ll have to have that medjool on May 12 with someone else. But if you need a time off we can hide from the world and read books here together. That sounds like a good plan for the winter holiday break actually.’

‘I think I’m working overtime in that period. But we will find another time.’

‘Hey, what's that stuff with medjools and may 12?’ Eliza asked.

‘You’re the smartest person here, tell me what a medjool is.’

‘Eh, isn’t that one of these fancy sweet dates, I mean the palm fruits? And may 12? Something with dates then?’

‘Oh, yes, the first meet-up questionnaire had a question about a perfect date, and she first said a medjool and then May 12.’

‘Come, no time for this. We’ll have to fix that bike.’

He took her hand and they left the building. Megan kept looking at the place where they had been for a while, lost in thoughts, before she poured a new mug of tea and started reading a book about post-Einsteinian relativity.

Half an hour later Eliza came back for her backpack before she would start a working day in the Ghost Town workshop.

‘Hah, who’d think I’d ever use my powers to get a boy to use a common bike from a Ghost Town…’ She said with triumph in her eyes.

‘No-one. But you’ve been unpredictable in all directions. But still, Eliza, what are you doing?’

‘Me? What do you mean?’

‘How did you get so flirty suddenly? Actually flirty I mean. And he turned you down recently. I still don’t get how you ignore that so easily.’

‘Me? Are you accusing me of being flirty again? Eliza the certified man-hater? Blame him for making me feel at ease again. It doesn’t mean a thing, we all know that, it’s a proven fact now that I don’t really care what sex people are if I like them as friends.’

‘There’s like and like, Eliza. You’re crossing too many lines with him, more than ever.’

‘Is that so? Does that even matter, apparently we both rejected him already, you heard that yourself. And girl friendships are more physical than boy friendships. Or maybe I really mostly taught him Eliza things?’ She smiled darkly.

‘Rejected or not, you’re going too far with him and you know it. You know you two would have my blessing but please be honest about what you’re doing…’

‘Megan, what are you insinuating? We were just having fun. The original trio, but now being high at Love Ceremony energy.’

‘You’re not stupid and you know what I mean.’

‘He is easy to be at home with, but we all know he isn’t ready for anything relationshiplike. So I just take what I can get and it’s clear he enjoys it like it is how. Is that wrong?’ ‘Don’t play with him. He’s sensitive and easily hurt.’

‘He’s as dense as neutron star matter, and this is just how our friendship works right now.’ ‘Yeah, you’re both hopeless you mean… Well enjoy your robots today.’ Megan said, turning back to her book.