Tales from the Stream Ch. 27

Tales from the Stream

by Davina Lee

Author's Note

It's been a while since the last slice of life adventure with our intrepid gang of lesbian space pirates, so here's one of those "previously on" things to get you caught up.

Previously on Tales from the Stream

"I don't want to discourage you, but all we have to offer are bare walls and a bunch of granola bars. Our ship's galley is all jacked up and we've only figured out how to work half of the other tech."

The triplets spoke again, one after another.

"I am one person.

"Fashioned as three by science.

"Choice of my parents."

"Aidoru explained it to me while you were busy in the conn, ensuring our safety, Captain," said Lúcia. "Three bodies, sharing one consciousness."

"As much as the pharmaceutical companies would like you to believe they manufacture miracles, most medicines come from plants. The scientists just tweak what nature has already provided and tailor it for a specific disease fighting task.

"We don't have much science on Nauja Vilnius, mostly thoughts and prayers..."

"A toaster oven?" said Emily. "Is that for toasting the baguette?"

"Heavens no. Who would do such a thing to fresh baked bread?" Jamie shook her head. "The toaster oven's the prize. It's for whichever one of you randy babes turns me gay." Jamie winked.

And now...

Chapter 27: Low Toner

Onboard The Black Prince, in the galley

"Good morning, Lúcia," said Captain Jade as she breezed past the galley table, heading for the cupboard above the sink.

Lúcia said nothing as she stood staring at the galley's dispenser. Lúcia poked at the dispenser's touchscreen, glanced down at her empty mug, and poked the screen again.

Lúcia poked the screen a third time and frowned.

"Lúcia? You okay?" said Jade, pulling forth a black mug with Galaxy's Best Captain stenciled in bright yellow over a background of a full-color image of the Milky Way. She closed the cupboard.

"Sorry," said Lúcia, "Good morning to you as well, Captain."

Jade turned and stood next to Lúcia. "That thing giving you trouble?"

Lúcia nodded. "It does not seem to be dispensing tea this morning."

"Tonā ga sukunai," mumbled Jade as she poked at the touch screen.

"Tonā ga sukunai?" said Lúcia. "Why does it say that?"

Jade shrugged. "Dunno, but it's right here."

Lúcia squinted and leaned forward to examine the touchscreen under the icon of a teacup where Jade was pointing. "Tonā ga sukunai," repeated Lúcia.

"Tonā ga sukunai," said Amaliya, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she shuffled through the galley doorway. "Does that mean best wishes for a happy morning or something? Because I'm thinking the jury might still be out on that one."

"Still waking up, baby?" said Jade.

"I could use a cup of something to take the edge off."

"Yeah, about that..." Jade frowned.

"Tonā ga sukunai," said Lúcia.

"The toner is low," said Aidoru, the three of her gathering behind Amaliya, still mostly in the corridor.

"Tonā ga sukunai," she continued.

"It means low toner."

Amaliya held her face in both hands, rubbing. "My skincare regimen is fine. I don't need toner," she said. "I need a cup of tea."

Aidoru flowed through the doorway, slipping past Amaliya, and clustering around Lúcia to deliver three kisses before turning her attention to the screen on the galley dispenser.

"Merci, ma petit," whispered Lúcia, touching the tips of her fingers to the three places where Aidoru had laid kisses on her cheeks and smiling.

Aidoru smiled in return. She then tapped and swiped at the touchscreen. The image of the teacup evaporated and the screen went dark for a moment. When it lit up again, it presented a cartoon bust of a young girl, dressed in a sailor's uniform, her bleached blonde hair pulled up in a twin-tail do and secured with red ribbons. The cartoon girl's eyes sparkled as she raised her hand in salute.

"Wha--?" mumbled Amaliya.

"Enjo. Assistance," said Aidoru.

"I have found the help menu.

"I think she can help."

Captain Jade shrugged and turned her eyes to the screen. The anime girl blinked her big eyes once.

"Ohayō, my friend," said Aidoru.

"Ocha o kudasai,

"Arigatō"

"Ohayō is good morning," mumbled Amaliya. "Arigatō means thank you. What's Ocha o kudasai?"

"Tea, please," said Lúcia.

Amaliya tilted her head and chewed at her lower lip for a moment. "You speak Japanese?"

"My girl speaks Japanese," said Lúcia, "so yes."

"Hmm. But I swear I always hear you two chattering in French."

"Yes, of course we do," said Aidoru.

"It is the language of love.

"I love Lúcia."

"Fucking adorable," said Captain Jade, clutching her empty Galaxy's Best Captain mug in both hands and holding it just over her heart. "Sometimes you two are absolutely fucking adorable."

Three Aidoru put on three simultaneous smiles while a single Lúcia blushed. On the touch screen, the twin-tailed Anime girl frowned. "Tonā ga sukunai," she said.

One Aidoru tapped and swiped at the touchscreen. Anime girl shook her head. "Tonā ga sukunai."

A second Aidoru stepped up to tap again. "Tonā ga sukunai."

Just as the third Aidoru was extending her finger toward the dispenser's controls, the anime girl disappeared and the touchscreen lit up with white text on a bright blue background. "Error: 0xC000021A"

"That's not Japanese," said Amaliya.

"French either," said Jade.

"Not the help menu," said Aidoru.

"Can we contact Emily?

"I think she could help."

Captain Jade shook her head. "Not until we get to Nauja Vilnius," she said. "There's no way to access the net while we're traveling in the stream."

"How much longer?" asked Lúcia.

Jade shrugged. "Couple of days."

"A couple days?" wailed Amaliya, her head in her hands. "I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I'm not going to last more than a couple of minutes without a cup of something."

"Baby," said Jade, reaching out to rest her hand on Amaliya's shoulder.

Amaliya turned and buried her face against Jade's chest. "I'm sorry, I get... I just need... I can't function without my tea in the morning."

"If it's tea you need," said Aidoru.

"I have a stash of matcha."

"Just need to find it."

As Aidoru gathered together and departed the galley, Amaliya broke down in sobs for a several moments before turning her head toward the open doorway. "I love you, Aidoru," she hollered. "Have I ever told you that? I love you!"

Lúcia and Jade turned to catch each other's eye. They both broke out in a grin.

In the ship's galley, fifteen minutes later

Three Aidoru breezed through the doorway, wearing three identical, gleaming white Takahashi Ono Agricultural Sciences jumpsuits and three identical N95 masks. Aidoru pulled three identical hairnets from her jumpsuit pockets and slipped them on.

"Toaster oven, please," said Aidoru, her voice muffled behind the mask.

"The tea leaves are not dried yet.

"A few minutes time."

Captain Jade opened a cupboard and pulled out the toaster oven while Amaliya sat at the galley table, holding her head in her hands and sobbing softly.

Captain Jade plugged in the cord. "What temperature?" she asked.

One Aidoru stepped forward and turned the knob on the toaster oven until the display read 190C and it flashed the word preheating.

A second Aidoru produced a 500mL clear plastic zipper bag from her pocket that was rolled tightly to form a compact, cylindrical shape. She gripped the zippered edge in her thumb and finger, letting the bag unroll as the ship's centrifugal gravity tugged its contents toward the floor.

Behind her masks, all three Aidoru grinned.

The third Aidoru opened a cupboard and pulled out a plate. She set it on the galley table near where Amaliya was still clutching her head.

"This is how you make matcha powder, huh?" said Captain Jade, as Aidoru dumped the contents of the plastic bag onto the plate.

Three Aidoru sat down and began separating the contents of the baggie. Deftly, she pulled out a few hard, round seeds and cast them to the edge of the plate.

"That tea smells funny," mumbled Amaliya.

"Where did you get this tea, ma chérie?" asked Lúcia.

Aidoru said nothing in reply, but continued diligently working to separate the small seeds she uncovered and push them off to one side.

"If you ask me," said Jade, "that looks an awful lot like--"

All three Aidoru looked up, turned toward Captain Jade, and laid a finger over their N95 masks at the level where her lips would be. As Jade began to open her mouth again, a short, shrill beep issued from the toaster oven, interrupting her.

One masked Aidoru picked up the plate, a second Aidoru opened the toaster oven door with a hot pad, and the third Aidoru pushed the pile of greenish buds onto the tray.

After closing the toaster oven door, Aidoru pressed the button labeled timer and punched in 20:00.

"How much longer," grumbled Amaliya.

"About 20-ish minutes," answered Jade.

"I might die."

Captain Jade sat down at the galley table and rubbed Amaliya's back with the flat of her hand. "Try to hold on, baby," said Jade. "I'm pretty sure Aidoru's tea is going to be worth the wait."

Captain Jade raised her head to grin in Aidoru's direction. All three Aidoru shot their fingers up and laid them over their masks.

In the ship's galley, twenty-five minutes later

"What did you say this was, Aidoru?" asked Amaliya. "Matcha? What's matcha?"

"Powdered tea," said Lúcia.

"Hmm," said Amaliya, taking a tentative sip. "Smells a little... I don't know... herbal. Is it herbal? I'm not sure if that's going to help me."

"I added some mint," said Aidoru.

"It's definitely herbal.

"Just wait for a bit."

Amaliya blew across her mug and tilted it back to take a long pull.

"Careful," said Jade. "If Aidoru's tea is what I think it is--"

Three Aidoru sitting around the galley table simultaneously turned their gaze to Jade while dashing their index fingers over their lips.

"Just go slow," said Jade.

Lúcia raised her mug for a drink.

"You too, Lúcia," said Jade.

Aidoru grinned.

Twenty minutes later in the ship's lounge

Amaliya sat slouched on the Megacomf sofa, her hands gripping either side of her face. She was pushing at her cheeks with her fingertips, working her way down from just under her eyes to her chin as if she were kneading dough.

Beside her, Captain Jade pitched herself forward, resting her elbows on her knees for a moment before getting to her feet.

"Where are you off to, baby?" asked Amaliya, touching her cheeks starting again from the top.

"Granola bars," said Jade. "S'mores flavor. Anybody want one?"

Lúcia, lying horizontally across the three Aidoru occupying the adjacent Megacomf, shook her head. One Aidoru looked up briefly, shook her head as well, and returned to stroking Lúcia's hair.

"Ma chérie," whispered Lúcia, taking one Aidoru's hand to place it in the center of her chest, "entend mon coeur."

"I feel it chérie.

"And I can hear it as well.

"Pounding in your chest."

"It is the song of my heart," said Lúcia. "The rhythm of love. My love for you, my dear sweet chérie."

"That's fucking beautiful," said Jade.

"You know what else would be beautiful?" said Amaliya, still poking at her face with one finger. "Mac and cheese. Do we have any of those mac and cheese packets left? Those were so good."

Jade shook her head. "Sorry, baby. Granola bar?"

Amaliya frowned and flopped over on her side. "Can you turn the lights down while you're up? Hurts my eyes."

"Sure baby."

"Miss Amaliya," said Aidoru.

"I have some instant noodles,

"If you'd like to try."

"You're the best!" exclaimed Amaliya.

A single Aidoru excused herself as she rose from the Megacomf cushion she was occupying and followed Captain Jade down the corridor to the galley.

"I love you, Aidoru," hollered Amaliya. "You know that? I love you so much right now."

A single Aidoru grinned as she turned the corner into the ship's galley. The two Aidoru still seated under Lúcia grinned as well.

In the ship's galley

Captain Jade stood with the unwrapped end of a s'mores flavored granola bar clenched in her teeth, rifling through a cupboard. Two meters away, a single Aidoru pulled forth two cups of instant noodles and popped their self-heating tabs. Before Jade closed the cupboard, Aidoru reached in to grab three Toblerone bars. Between Jade and Aidoru, the galley dispenser flooded the room with its blue light and the message, "Error: 0xC000021A"

"So, about your tea." said Jade, the granola bar loosely clenched in her right hand now, as she made quotation fingers in the air while saying the word tea.

The single Aidoru standing next to Jade raised her index finger and laid it across her lips.

"You got our crew-mates baked, didn't you? With edibles. Like magic brownies, but with tea instead."

"All of us, Captain," said Aidoru.

"We have all had the same tea."

"Stoned. Immaculate."

"We should tell them," said Jade.

"I love you, Aidoru!" hollered Amaliya from the lounge. "I can smell your instant noodles already and I know I'm going to love them too. Just like I love you."

"I love you too, chérie! We all love you!" hollered Lúcia.

"Why are we shouting?" Amaliya's giggles echoed down the corridor. "We've still got two Aidoru right here. It's not like she can't hear us." And together, Lúcia and Amaliya let loose a peal of laughter.

"See what you've started?" said Jade.

Aidoru shrugged.

"You should at least tell them what's in the tea."

Aidoru nodded as she juggled two steaming cups of noodles and three Toblerone bars.

"Here, let me help," said Jade, plucking up one of the noodle cups.

Back in the lounge

Jade and a single Aidoru entered the ship's lounge to find Amaliya and Lúcia rolled onto their sides, staring at an upturned tablet on the floor. On the tablet's screen was a flickering holographic flame. Neither Amaliya nor Lúcia looked up.

"So pretty," mumbled Amaliya, staring at the flame.

Captain Jade handed a cup of instant noodles to Lúcia while Aidoru handed one to Amaliya.

"Oh, yes," heaved Amaliya, inhaling deeply as she dragged herself to sitting again. "These are gonna be so good. I feel like... like... I'm so hungry."

"About that," said Jade, as she sat next to Amaliya and the lone Aidoru nestled in with Lúcia and the rest of herselves.

"Amaliya, dear," said Aidoru.

"It's a special tea I've made.

"Cannabis infused."

"Infused?" said Jade, raising an eyebrow.

Aidoru shrugged. "It's all cannabis.

"Heated for the THC,

"And then brewed as tea."

"Huh." Amaliya wedged her cup of noodles between her thighs and raised her hands to her face to poke at her cheeks. "I know I said it before. But, I love you Aidoru."

Amaliya turned her gaze to Lúcia. "I hope that's okay, Lúcia," said Amaliya. "I know how your heart beats a special rhythm for her and all that..."

Lúcia and Amaliya locked gazes for a moment. Their lips began twitching upward at the corners, and soon they were laughing out loud.

"I love all of you," said Lúcia, just before raising a chopstick clutch of noodles to her mouth and slurping loudly. "All of you."

The three Aidoru who supported Lúcia on their laps began picking at the ends of their Toblerone bars. Lúcia picked up the hand of the Aidoru closest and pressed it to her chest. "Entend mon coeur," she said.

"I hear it, chérie." Aidoru frowned.

"Sorry for not telling you,

"How I made the tea."

Lúcia shrugged. "If you feel bad about it, nothing says I'm sorry like a nice foot rub."

"A foot rub, chérie?

"I could give you a foot rub,

"If that's what you'd like."

Lúcia grinned and rolled onto her back. She lifted the Toblerone bar from the hands of the Aidoru at her foot end. Lúcia broke a piece off and popped it into Aidoru's mouth while she wiggled her toes.

On the adjacent Megacomf, Amaliya was sprawled out horizontal with Captain Jade behind her, spooning. The empty instant noodle cup lay on the floor below her. Every few minutes, Amaliya would reach up with one hand and poke at her cheeks with her fingertips.

In the galley, the next day

Jade, Lúcia, and Aidoru sat around the galley table, each with their hands wrapped around a steaming mug. Amaliya shuffled through the doorway, running her hand through the unruly mass of blonde piled on her head. The galley dispenser cast a blue gaze and reflecting off the surface of the table was the hazy projection of "Error: 0xC000021A"

Jade straightened up and turned her eyes to Amaliya "Cup of tea, baby?"

Amaliya chuckled. "Did Aidoru make it?"

"Yes, I am the one," said Aidoru.

"But this is matcha powder.

"Real matcha powder."

"Not... um... infused with anything?"

Aidoru shook her heads. One Aidoru hopped up from the table and pulled a mug from the cupboard above the sink. She scooped a bit of green powder from a small box and added water from a steaming kettle. After whisking it into a froth, she handed the mug to Amaliya, bowing her head.

"I'm truly sorry," said Aidoru.

"My actions of yesterday,

"Have dishonored me."

"I still love you Aidoru," said Amaliya, wrapping her fingers around the mug. "You know that? I know I said it before. But I do."

Aidoru looked up to meet Amaliya's gaze as a slow smile crept over her face. At the galley table, Captain Jade scooted to her left and patted the empty spot next to her.

"I love all of you," said Amaliya.

Afterword

So what's up with the galley dispenser and why is it complaining about "low toner?" And where's Emily or Reg to help fix it? Find out when the gang is reunited again on Nauja Vilnius. Until then, beware of J-pop triplets bearing tea!