78 What Would You Do?

Having met Tatiana changed Vy's perspective on a couple of things. She wishes she had known from the start that Dotty would likely leave her at some point. Their chat yesterday opened her eyes to a different world as she wondered if Dotty might have been something more before her time as a helper.

When she asked Dotty, Dotty could not answer. She searched her memory bank and programming but nothing came up. Everything was either erased or it never existed.

"Have you ever wondered on your own where you came from and why you need to do this," Vy had asked.

Dotty's reply was simple and it made a lot of sense.

<No, it feels as if this was my calling.>

Lycster walked into the room and called out to Vy, but she was deep in thought and did not hear him. He could tell from her expression something bothered her, so he decided to distract her. Sneakily he tiptoed behind her. Without any warning, he leapt forward and hooked his arms around Vy's neck.

"Vy! What are you thinking about?" Lycster exclaimed with glee.

Vy was caught off guard. Lycster's unpredictable move made her smile and chuckle.

"It's nothing. Shall we go and grab something to eat?"

Lycster nodded in agreement and both of them headed into the kitchen in search for food. They had done their groceries shopping two days ago so they were well stocked on all types of foods. The market in the neighbourhood had lines of stalls, each selling different products. Most of the products were locally produced in the Prism Sector, with a few acceptions.

Everywhere they looked, Vy could see business opportunities waiting for her. From importing exotic food items for sale, to setting up her own restaurant or shop selling unique items to travelling merchants and locals. There was so much she could do if she stayed in the Prism Sector.

She envisioned herself with Lycster by her side as they opened closed one business deal after another. Eventually, she would be able to own her own shops, then a series of houses she would rent out, maybe her own hotel and much more. As Vy took out some ingredients and began preparing to cook up a meal for both her and Lycster, she did not notice his intense glare on every move she made.

Every item she cut and measured out the portion she needed, Lycster took mental notes on all of it. One day, he wanted to be able to replicate Vy's food. He had already noticed the multitude of differences Vy had compared to other people he had previously met before.

During his time living on the streets, he spent countless hours spying on food stalls from afar. He took note of the ingredients they matched together, from the amount of oil they put into their frying pan to the number of spices they used to marinate their ingredients. The choices Vy had made with her dishes were different and so was the end product.

As Vy continued to stir the ingredients in the frying pan, she realised she had forgotten to add in her condiments. Before she even reached out for the ingredients she needed, Lycster already had it in his hand beside her. She was pleasantly surprised as she took the ingredients from him and added it into her pan.

A huge grin formed on her face, it was difficult to hide her pride for Lycster. The boy was young, but he was smart and attentive to his surroundings. These were important skills he would need to survive in the world, no matter what world that might be.

"Why are you smiling to yourself? It's beginning to look a little creepy," Lycster joked.

Vy chuckled, "It's because I'm impressed by how in sync we were."

Vy served up the dishes in a couple of plates and Lycster brought them out into the dining room and laid the table. Once everything was complete, they sat down together and had their meal. Every dish tasted delicious, but not without room for improvement.

"Where did you learn to cook these dishes, Vy," Lycster asked out of curiosity as he took another slice of chicken from the plate and into his mouth.

"I think I learnt it from someone, in my other life," Vy replied without much thought.

Eating the dishes made her feel nostalgic, although she was not exactly sure why. There were things she wished she had the answers too.

"Vy?"

"Yeah?"

"If you had a chance to go back to the world you came from, would you?"