Bitsy glanced back over her shoulder and saw Cord still at the cream-and-sugar stand.
So what if Gigory sees me having coffee with a guy? It's not like he'll be able to tell Cord is Real. And so what if Gigory waves or something and Cord asks who he is? I mean, he's not going to be shocked that I have coworkers ...
But her processor plotted out a crazy decision tree where Does Gigory turn around? (Y/N) led to Does Gigory spot Bitsy? (Y/N) then to Does Gigory come over to say hi? (Y/N) and of course Does Gigory for some reason have to mention that Bitsy invited him to dinner? (Y/N/Please dear Loj, not N)
Just then, she spotted an android tipping back the last of a Tera at a spot on the far side of a large, potted plastic fern. Not a great table, because the fern fronds crowded one of the two chairs, but at least there would be something between her and the slow-moving line Gigory was in.
She stepped over and tried her best to beam politely. "Excuse me, ma'am? If you're about to leave, would you mind me taking this table? I don't mean to rush you -- it's just so crowded ..."
The woman lowered her cup and blinked a moment, then put the fingers of her free hand over her mouth to cover a little burp. "Oop," she said, cheeks coloring with an embarrassment routine. "Sure, I was going anyway."
Bitsy thanked her effusively as she stood up. But the moment both chairs were vacant, a new decision tree opened up in her processor. Do I take the lady's seat where it will be easier for Cord to spot me? (Y/N) [If Y, next question; if N, sit in the chair where I'm going to get a fern frond stuck in my hair.] Once I've sat in that chair, won't it be easier for Gigory to spot me too? (Y/N) [If Y, sit in fern-molestation chair; if N, sit in good chair and make Cord sit with a floppy fern distracting him the whole conversation.]
She sat in the fern-infringed chair and immediately regretted it.
My hair! With a single effortless graze, a plastic frond hit the back of her head, rode up and over it, and hung swaying right in her bangs. Worse, when she tried to look around an see if Cord had spotted her humiliation the fern tracked with her head like the world's most tenacious pop-up. She had to duck forward and lean and twist her spine to get him into view, and when she did ...
He'd stopped to frown at his phone again. Something there clearly bothered him -- he grimaced and responded one-handed while his other held the coffee cup.
That stupid phone! Bitsy felt her irritation meter filling up, bar by bar. Why did someone have to bother poor Cord so much? Already committed to her awkward lean past the plant, she raised one arm and waved to get his attention, trying to force a smile onto her annoyed and embarrassed features. Just look up for a second, would you?
But he must have had his peripheral vis-processing off, because -- no, he's Real ... maybe whatever they're looking directly at is just what they're looking at?
Bitsy, though, did have a moderate arc to her visual frame. And in one corner of it, something flickered ... a motion ...
Gigory.
Oh, no, she thought. But there he was, turned around in the line, with a clear view of her waving because she'd thrust her whole upper body out past the fern frond.
And of course, he was waving back.
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