They exited the aerial pod, the curved door sliding shut behind them with a soft hiss. Xavier blinked a few times as the neon park lights flooded back into view, washing out the dim glow of the theater pod.
Reva looked at him, hands folded behind her back, eyes focused. "So?"
Xavier didn’t answer right away. He walked ahead a few steps, staring at the glowing pavement beneath his feet.
"I... don’t know how to judge it," he finally said.
Reva raised an eyebrow. "You didn’t like it?"
"I didn’t dislike it either," Xavier said, frowning a little. "I’m just confused if what I watched was supposed to be entertainment or a slow-burn psychological trap. They showed ads for thirty minutes straight at the beginning—ads I couldn’t skip—and then the movie ends with a so-called ’twist’ that basically says ’wait for part two.’"
Reva chuckled. "That’s fair."
Xavier shook his head, still processing. "And the story... it could’ve gone a hundred different ways if the characters just used their damn brains. One guy literally caused a massacre because he forgot to charge his weapon. Who forgets to charge their weapon in a warzone?"
Reva was still smiling as she asked, "So how was the movie itself?"
Xavier looked at her sideways. "It was tolerable. But I couldn’t understand half the decisions the characters made. If they’d just communicated properly, most of the drama could have been avoided. I mean, one guy knew about the bomb the whole time and just didn’t say anything because ’he didn’t want to cause panic’? That’s not noble. That’s idiotic."
Reva covered her mouth with her hand, amused. "You sound exactly
Xavier narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"
"She said, and I quote," Reva said with a smirk, "’Xavier’s like a freshly rebooted AI baby. He doesn’t know half the social rules, doesn’t give a damn about conventions, and still manages to understand everything better than people who’ve lived twice his age.’"
Xavier blinked. "...That’s not even an insult."
"She didn’t mean it as one." Reva stepped ahead, walking along the curved path. "She just finds it hilarious how you look at things so literally and still end up being right."
Xavier shrugged. "I just use logic. If something doesn’t make sense, I don’t pretend it does. And I’m not going to say a movie was good just because everyone else clapped."
"That’s exactly what she said you’d say," Reva replied, hands casually swaying as she walked. "She called it the Xavier Effect."
"...That’s a dumb name."
She laughed. "It is."
Xavier checked his UMS tab—his balance had updated. With the cashback from earlier, his system rebate had credited him 0.5% of the 690k payment—around 3,450. Combined with what the rebate money he already had, Xavier’s data budget was a little over 3,500.
Still plenty for the date. Not that he had any idea what else people did on dates.
"So," he said, walking beside her again, "what now? You want to go get food or do something else?"
Reva turned slightly, her silver eyes glowing faintly in the ambient light. "You’re the one on the date, Xavier. You decide."
Xavier paused. "...I thought you were the one asking me out."
"I was." She smiled. "But that doesn’t mean I want to lead it."
He clicked his tongue. "Angel didn’t prepare me for this."
Reva gave a tiny, amused tilt of her head. "Then maybe that’s good. You’re more interesting when you’re not prepared."
Xavier rolled his eyes and looked ahead at the floating cafes along the upper spine of the park. He pointed toward one with neon holographic flames coming off its rooftop and a tagline that read: "MECH MEALZ—Your burger fights back!"
Just by looking at that, Xavier didn’t feel like going there.
Reva followed his gaze, then said flatly, "Please don’t tell me you’re taking me there."
"I am not."
As they walked past the glow-lit café rows, Xavier pointed to another joint, the sign flickering with animated ramen bowls dancing to lo-fi beats. "How about that one?"
Reva shook her head. "No AI chefs. I want something made by real hands."
Xavier blinked. "You mean... handmade?"
Reva nodded. "It’s been months. I’ve been living off instant food packs, nutrient tubes, and synthesized meals. If I’m going out after so long, I want something real."
Xavier reached for his glasses. "Alright. I’ll check the net and see if there’s any human-run restaurant nearby."
But before he could start the search, Reva gently tugged his sleeve. "Don’t bother. I already checked. There’s nothing like that around here."
He looked at her. "You serious?"
She smiled faintly. "You’d be surprised. In places like this? All convenience. Real food’s too much effort for most people. Human chefs are practically a myth unless you’re in the vintage districts or some elite private lounge."
Xavier rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, makes sense."
"Do you know how to cook?" Reva asked, tilting her head.
"I’ve... never tried. Not even once. I don’t wanna blow something up on our first date."
"Hehe." She snickered. "Where do you usually eat, then?"
Xavier thought for a second, then added, "There’s a restaurant on the tenth floor of my megabuilding. Chef’s a human. Makes good food, and cheap too."
Reva’s eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Then take me there."
He hesitated. "We can just go somewhere else—"
"Nope." She grinned. "You talked it up. Now I wanna try it."
And that was that.
They headed down to the underground lot, where Xavier’s bike was still parked between two massive courier drones. He hopped on, and Reva slid behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist without a word.
"Let’s go. But hey, drive slow, okay? I might pass out if you drive fast."
Xavier paused for a second and wondered if he should tell Reva to mind her space. But then he shrugged it off, since sitting on a motorbike did require something to hold on to. Oliver and Lyra did the same.