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There hadn't been much chance to relax. Andy still hadn't told Zari a few things she wanted to talk to her about. And it was obvious she was upset about something. She had asked the night prior if Zari wanted to go on a date the next day, Saturday. With the affirmative Andy had spent a furtive hour setting up a date. She wanted to get out of town, away from the school. Zari had agreed to have her Pegasus fly them somewhere. 

There Andy was outside Zari's dorm Saturday morning at 8 am. It would take them time to get to the San Francisco Zoo. She had tickets for them to go there and the Video Game Museum as well as a lunch reservation for Fog Harbor. It had been some luck that a restaurant that she remembered from her time living in San Francisco was still open. She hadn't been to San Francisco in so long. Shaking that thought from her head she knocked on the door and waited for Zari to respond. 

Before Andy had knocked on the door, Zari had been in a bit of an argument with Mr. Eyeball. Since apparently the robot did not want to get left behind. When the knock came, Zari very briefly threatened Mr. Eyeball with being temporarily dismantled, before she went to open the door. [color=05794C]"Andy let's gooooooo! This is going to be so much fun I can't wait!"[/color] Zari said as she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Andy grinned at Zari's excitement and let Zari lead them out of the building. There was no point in trying to go first. Zari would have been too happy to slow down enough for Andy to try to lead. [color=b71d5d]"So, first stop, we go to San Francisco. I got us tickets to go to the Zoo."[/color] She told her. Andy hoped that was something that would interest Zari. 

[color=05794C]"Oooooooh the zoo! that sounds like so much fun!"[/color] Zari said as she led Andy outside and pulled out her horn to summon up her pegasus. [color=05794C]"We can get there pretty quickly with Mr. Sparkles anyway, so let's goooooo!"[/color] with those last words she blew into her horn, summoning up the pegasus, and climbing on board. [color=05794C]"Come on Andy."[/color]

Andy climbed up behind Zari on the Pegasus. She hadn't ridden it that long of a distance yet. Andy had ridden the Pegasus for a few minutes during battle, but not for what would probably be a few hours. A flight on a plane from Los Angeles to San Francisco took two and a half. She didn't know how much faster, or slower, the Pegasus would be in comparison. But they had plenty of time so she wasn't worried about it. With the reduced stress of not having to worry about classes, dealing with the Contest didn't seem so daunting. She also had been getting therapy, there had been a lot she needed to unpack. Even though chronologically it had been years that everything had happened over, for her it still hadn't been a full year. She wondered if Zari was doing well with therapy. [color=b71d5d]"Do you know how long it would take to fly there?"[/color] She asked. [color=b71d5d]"It's about 340 miles to where we are going."[/color] 

[color=05794C]"Nooooooo idea, but we'll find out the more fun way,"[/color] she responded with a giggle, as she led the pegasus to go racing forward before taking off into the sky.

Andy laughed too. Zari was right. It would be more fun this way. The pair of them chatted as they flew to San Francisco. Talking about whatever they wanted to. Eventually, the city would come into view—a spec of skyscrapers on the tip of a peninsula. A long strip of green marked Golden Gate Park. The zoo was close to there. The park would be a good landing place. Andy pointed at a large field. The field was often used by Ultimate Frisbee or other outdoor sport enthusiasts. At least that was what it had been used by when Andy had lived in San Francisco. Her memories of living there had been hazy and distant, but some old ones relating to her first foster family, the longest one she had lived with, surfaced as she looked around. Something else to talk to Dr. Whitehall about. Andy had felt abandoned then. She was afraid of connections because of that. Had been for so long and it had felt like every time she made them those connections left her or died (often in horrifying ways). That was why she clung to Zari. She would never abandon Zari. Zari hadn't left her behind. Yes, definitely needed to talk to Whitehall about that. 

[color=b71d5d]"The zoo is this way."[/color] She indicated toward the ocean and south. Then started leading the way. The tickets were saved on her phone and she scanned them, the pair getting through security with surprising ease all things considered. Apparently, flashlights that turned into swords didn't get caught by their security. That was fine with Andy. [color=b71d5d]"So, first we have a Carousel or Lemurs."[/color] Andy pointed left and then right. [color=b71d5d]"Where do you wanna start?"[/color] She asked offering a copy of the [url=https://www.sfzoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SFZMap0924-website.jpg]map[/url] to Zari. 

Zari only really had to think for just a moment, with regards to what option she would prefer. Truthfully she hadn't really been to a zoo before, considering back home it probably was something fairly different than what it was here. [color=05794C]"LEMURS!!!!"[/color] she said happily, before heading off that direction sort of skipping a bit as she went.

Andy laughed and skipped after Zari. Her worries about others drifting away behind her. She didn't mind playing tour guide at the Zoo. She liked it here. Andy was excited to see the wolves back in Bear Country. For now, they headed into Madagasgar Center. Behind that was the African Region. First, though, the lemures. They were in a large enclosure with a lot of places to swing and climb. There was even a big treehouse for them. In total, there were seven types of lemures in the enclosure. All seemed happy and healthy. A couple of them, sitting on the treehouse, were cleaning each other. 

[color=05794C]"Awwww they're so cute! My mom on a visit here managed to get some old videos of a show she watched growing up. I've never been to a zoo before or really seen a lot of these animals in person back home, but the show made me love lemurs so much oh they are so adorable! Can't remember what it was called though, but one of the characters was definitely a lemur..."[/color] Zari said, as she was watching the lemurs.

[color=b71d5d]"Huh. I don't know the show."[/color] Andy tilted her head watching the lemurs play. [color=b71d5d]"I think I'd remember a show like that if I had seen it. Sounds amazing. Maybe we can find it online."[/color] She smiled watching the lemures, and Zari. [color=b71d5d]"Glad I get to take you then. Zoos are cool. Super important. They keep near extinct animals safe. Sometimes they can reintroduce them into the wild.[/color] Andy had read that on the zoos website while booking the tickets. 

[color=b71d5d]"What other animals do you wanna see? There's a ton to chose from."[/color]

Zari had to stop and think about it for a moment, as she thought about what animals she actually vaguely recalled about. Since her knowledge of animals was pretty limited, [color=05794C]"Do they have giraffes?"[/color] she asked.

[color=b71d5d]"They do. That way."[/color] Andy points farther down the path they were on. [color=b71d5d]"Sometimes they allow people to feed them. But only at certain times."[/color] 

[color=b71d5d]"Oh I have something to show you."[/color] Andy reached into her backpack and pulled out a notebook. Inside was a photograph. An old Polaroid of the two of them. [color=b71d5d]"Dorian and Percy found it. It's from Genosha."[/color]

[color=b71d5d]"So now Dorian knows. His dad's are Max and Ben. And Danni's parents are Casper and James."[/color]

[color=05794C]"Huh, wonder when someone took that picture. Eh, oh well. Not a big secret I told them all back then I was from the future not my fault people don't know that. Oh, I did also briefly tell Percy about the time travel adventures, though think he was a little annoyed that I didn't invite him to come along or something. Honestly, the whole thing doesn't matter to me,"[/color] she responded with a shrug as she started heading along in the direction of the giraffes. [color=05794C]"If people actually listened and paid attention, then people wouldn't get confused about things, just how it goes."[/color]

Andy snorted. [color=b71d5d]"Yeah that's very true. No one really believed you at first. I didn't understand,  but I trusted you were telling the truth."[/color] She shrugged. [color=b71d5d]"Danni and Dorian did invite us to visit their home and therefore we'd meet up with Max and them. So we can surprise them it'll be fun to see how they react to you being here now."[/color]

[color=05794C]"I mean I'll just tell them I told you so with regards to things. Cause no one listens,"[/color] she wasn't really too concerned or bothered by the entire situation. If people actually had just listened and believed her in the first place, then there would have been no issues with that sort of thing to begin with.

Andy laughed. That was a major understatement. The two of them chatted and spent the rest of the morning in the Zoo. They had a lot of fun chatting about the animals. Some Zari had never seen before. Andy was sad to see some animals had become more endangered since she had been a kid. After they finished they headed to the Warf for lunch. Andy had a late lunch reservation for them at two p.m. 

The restaurant Fog Harbor was on the water with a beautiful view. It was facing into the bay so on a clear day you could see Berkly and Oakland on the other side of the bay. It wasn't a clear day. So instead it seemed closed in with some ships crossing the water and the bridge disappearing into the fog. The food was diverse but heavily focused on seafood. Andy ordered an Ahi Tuna Salad. She didn't care for shellfish, but tuna was delicious. 

Zari had no idea what food to order at all. She wasn't exactly sure what half the stuff was, but usually she'd be fine with most anything, so she ordered something at random. [color=05794C]"This has been sooooooo much fun,"[/color] Zari said with a bit of a smile, looking around the restaurant.

[color=b71d5d]"Good I'm glad. We haven't had much time just the two of us, between school and training. I know we went to the mall but that was ages ago and with Mads. Not that I didn't have a total blast. I just wish we had more time for just us. Maybe, now that I don't have a roommate I can convince the staff to put you in my room."[/color] That'd be nice, Andy thought. 

[color=b71d5d]"What have you been up to? Other than the obvious stuff?"[/color] Andy remembered she wanted to tell Zari about the sleepwalking thing. That'd be another plus of having Zari share a room with her. She couldn't hurt Zari and if Andy did get up and wander the halls of the school Zari could stop her. 

[color=05794C]"Ooooh, that would be fun, like a sleepover or something with it,"[/color] she said, giggling a bit. Before thinking about the question Andy said, [color=05794C]"Oh, nothing really, just been tinkering with my watch a bit, think something might be wrong with it or something."[/color]

Andy tilted her head thinking. She didn't know anyway to help Zari fix the watch, but it would be bad if it wasn't working. The watch was how she was able to travel back home. [color=b71d5d]"Any idea what might be wrong with it? What is happening that made you think something was wrong?"[/color]  

Zari just now realized she hadn't exactly told Andy about what was wrong or going on. At least with how she saw the situation currently. [color=05794C]"Oh, uh well... I haven't been able to really contact my parents, like at all. Almost like there is an interference or something when I tried to call them... When I tried to use my watch to reality hop, nothing happened, like at all. Started having issues right after the break..."[/color]

[color=b71d5d]"That does not sound good."[/color] To Andy going back to Zari's home world, wasn't that important. However, for Zari it was very important. She frowned. [color=b71d5d]"What sort of interference? Is it the watch itself or an outside thing?"[/color] 

[color=05794C]"Nooooooo idea, haven't figured that part out yet."[/color]

[color=b71d5d]"Ah, I wouldn't even know how to test that."[/color] Andy sighed and shrugged. Soon their food was brought and it was delicious. Very high-quality food. It didn't really fill Andy up. She mostly ate for the taste these days. 

[color=b71d5d]"I should tell you. I don't think it is connected. If it was that would mean someone found out and was mad at me and was taking it out on you. But knowing your world that's unlikely."[/color] She shrugged. [color=b71d5d]"So the last night we were there I sleepwalked. I've never done that before. But I woke up and I had touched someone. They were dead at my feet. I don't know who it was. I do know I was full. That's really hard."[/color] Andy had come to realize she didn't feel remorse about the death. She was just concerned she'd do it at the school and get in trouble. 

[color=05794C]"Well you clearly didn't mean it, it was an accident, so honestly shouldn't be the end of the world. We literally not that long ago had talked about how Vicki shouldn't worry about having accidentally killed you in the game and not knowing about you clearly not dying. So it shouldn't matter too much if you ask me. Accidents happen, that sort of thing."[/color]

[color=b71d5d]"Oh yeah. I'm not that worried about that part of it. I'm just concerned that if I do that at the school. They'll probably actually expel me for killing a student in that case. Part of why I think it'd be good for you to be in the room with me. If I do that again you can stop me. You're the only person I know who is basically immune to my touch."[/color] 

[color=05794C]"If you're that concerned about it sort of, don't see how they'd have a problem with it and moving into your room."[/color]

[color=b71d5d]"Thank you."[/color] Andy smiled. The rest of lunch was more of them just chatting about random stuff and enjoying their meal. After Andy paid for it she had Zari fly them with her Pegasus again. Across the bay, they landed in front of the Museum of Video Games. Andy led the way and showed her reservation. 

The docent led them to a terminal and explained the setup. They would have two hours. The computer had an emulator for any game system you could imagine. Andy opened the one for the Switch and opened "Breath of the Wild." She had wanted Zari to see the game she had been trapped in for context. She didn't plan on playing only that, since it wasn't great for two players. 

[color=05794C]"Sooo...What are we exactly trying to do?"[/color] Zari asked as the game got pulled up. Despite being majorly into tech of various sorts. Her time with actual video games were a bit non-existent. So she didn't actually really know what she'd be doing with the game or anything.

[color=b71d5d]"Alright, there are a few things to do."[/color] Andy grinned and started explaining the game. She taught Zari how the controls worked. She explained the story as best as she could. [color=b71d5d]"I don't know all the Zelda games super well, but I played this one. I didn't finish it though."[/color] 

[color=05794C]"Uh, okay then? Seems simple enough, probably. Though mentally have to stop brain from trying to talk to the computer and console sort of thing,"[/color] she said with a shrug as she started sort of just pushing buttons to try to get Link to wander around and do something productive in the game.

Andy laughed. [color=b71d5d]"Yeah, that would be cheating. We can do a multiplayer game whenever you wanna switch. I'd appreciate you not talking to the game though."[/color] This moment. It was happiness. Andy had for years been afraid of people. Afraid of making friends. Afraid of so much. She had let herself become close with the Drummonds and their death had almost broken her. But Zari had saved her. [color=b71d5d]"Thank you. For being my friend and my girlfriend and bringing me with you."[/color] She took a deep breath. [color=b71d5d]"I love you. I know it's probably ridiculous to say that when we've only really been dating for a few months. But I do. I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't met. I don't want to ever know. Because the world with you in it. That's the world I want."[/color] 

[color=05794C]"I don't trrrrry talking to the games or computers. It just happens!"[/color] Zari protested a bit with a giggle, before thinking about the next thing that Andy said. [color=05794C]"If you want to get on technicalities we could say we've been dating for 17 years!"[/color]

Andy laughed. [color=b71d5d]"Then we've taken this really slow."[/color] Andy grinned. [color=b71d5d]"Last time I kissed you without asking. So this time I will. May I kiss you?"[/color] 

[color=05794C]"I mean nothing wrong with going slow anyway,"[/color] she responded with a shrug, before she thought about what Andy asked her, [color=05794C]"I don't see why not."[/color]

Andy smiled, waiting. She was glad Zari was thinking about it. She didn't want her to feel pressured. She wanted the honesty of what her emotions were. With the response, she leaned in. Her lips pressed against Zari's. A warm pulse of life passed to her, but Zari had never complained. She felt like it had just rained. It was clean and clear. 

Zari kissed back. For a moment it was just the two of them in their little cubicle with the computer playing Breath of the Wild music. Andy let Zari lead. Neither of them had much experience with this. It was awkward. Andy felt herself drawn into the pull of her energy vampirism so she pulled back. Not wanting to risk hurting Zari. 

She grinned, her lips glistening and a little puffy. [color=b71d5d]"So, video games? When we get back to the dorms we can explore more."[/color] 

[color=05794C]"Sure, fine with me,"[/color] Zari responded with a smile.