On top of a queen-sized bed sat a large suitcase, wide open, surrounded by mountains of clothing.
“What should I do?” wondered Tessa, who found herself at a loss while preparing for a trip. Obviously, I have to take more than just clothing, she thought. Toiletries, medicine, in case I come down with something, books to read when I get bored, cooking utensils and ingredients... I need at least eight kinds of spices, and at least five pairs of shoes...
But no matter how she went about her packing, it wouldn’t all fit. Even with her large suitcase, it wouldn’t all fit!
Or won’t it? Couldn’t I rig something to make it all fit? What if I put all the clothing in plastic bags and vacuum sealed them with a compressor, input the size and shape of everything I need into a 3D model and ran the ideal packing arrangements through a simulator? Or... wait, there’s no such software for that, she realized. I’ll write some, then! If I base it on existing software, it’ll be a snap. The only hard part will be creating the 3D models. Maybe I should use a 3D scanner? But it’s 1 a.m... Even if this is New York, no store that sells 3D scanners could possibly be open. And my plane leaves at nine! It’s impractical to expect to buy one before then...
Out loud she said, “Um, Melissa?”
“Hmm? What?” responded Melissa Mao, who was reading a magazine while sprawled on the bedroom sofa.
“Do you have a 3D scanner in your apartment?”
“Given the giant pile of stuff around your suitcase, I can imagine what you want a 3D scanner for, but...” she tossed the magazine aside. “I obviously don’t have one.”
“A regular scanner will do, then,” said Tessa. “If I have enough scanners, I could jury-rig them to read a 3D image—”
“Seriously, I don’t have anything like that. I haven’t even used this apartment in years.”
This particular luxury apartment, located in an old high-rise, belonged to Mao, who had acquired it through either her father’s connections (as president of a company) or her own earnings from her Mithril days. Located in a swanky part of town, the apartment was like something out of a Hollywood movie, with an incredible view of the entire green band of Central Park.
Tessa had begun living there with Mao only two weeks ago, in exchange for a little rent. It had been just over three months since the decisive battle on Merida Island, and yet it felt so long ago...
Tessa had been hesitant to move in with her at first, partly because Mao had recently entered into a romantic relationship with Kurz Weber. But Mao had insisted that she’d meet up with him at his place if she wanted to see him. And then, because the idea of holing up in the country by herself somewhere was depressing (as well as there being concerns about her safety), Tessa ended up accepting Mao’s offer after all. The idea had been to spend a little bit of time wandering around the city while she thought about what to do next.
“When you came here, you were practically naked. How in the world did you end up with so many clothes in two weeks?” Mao whispered, gazing at the mountain of clothing.
“I ended up shopping as a form of stress relief,” Tessa admitted.
“Well, that’s fine, but you don’t need to take it all on you with your trip, do you? Let me have a look. Here we go...” Mao sat up with some effort before walking up to the bed upon which the suitcase lay. Her actions were sluggish and lazy, almost unimaginably so from such a normally energetic woman.
“Oh... are you all right?” Tessa asked. “You really don’t have to—”
“C’mon, I can handle it. Let’s see... Don’t need this,” said Mao. “Don’t need this, or this, or this. Definitely not this...”
“Oh... so merciless!”
Mao decisively threw the unnecessary clothing and other belongings onto the floor. “You’re going to the South Seas, right? Why would you pack a heavy sweater? You don’t need this, either. And when did you buy this sexy lingerie?”
“Mail order,” Tessa mumbled. “I wasn’t thinking...”
“You’re ten years too young,” Mao lectured, “though I want to see you in them when you’re back. At any rate, it’s out.”
“Ten years too young?” Tessa objected. “Melissa, I am eighteen, you know?”
At this, Mao turned and examined her closely. “Hey, yeah, I guess you are a little bit bigger.”
“In what way?”
“Your chest.”
“Argh...” Tessa folded her arms to cover the breasts filling out her flimsy camisole. She still wasn’t anything compared to Mao and the other older women in her life, but had nonetheless developed to a surprising degree. “Well... I suppose I have. I lost a ton of weight last year, after all.”
“That’s right,” Mao agreed. “You had a pretty rough year.”
“Then after losing my submarine, I got to relax, eat, and sleep all I wanted. This is the natural result.”
“In other words, you put on weight?”
“Well... I’m not sure,” said Tessa. “At least I’m back to where I was before I became so emaciated. I don’t think my waist is much wider, but— Hey, wait, Melissa! You’re tickling me!”