"How did it go?" she asked, not a trace of her original speaking manner left. To Toby's ears, it sounded like he was speaking to a normal girl. Damn, he was good.

"They bought it." he said. "We've been invited to a party this weekend. We'll have to download a few more programs and practice for the weekend."

"Toby, why must your friends not know I'm a gynoid?"

Toby didn't answer that question. Instead he said, "I just don't want them finding out."

"Okay." said Ariel after a pause. "By the way, your mom left a message. Would you like me to have Ronald forward it to you?"

Toby shrugged. "Fine by me."

There was a pause, and then there was a pinging noise. Toby saw the message icon flashing and pressed it to listen. Jetta's crisp French accent came on, sounding a little tinny at the other end.

"Bonjour Dresden, 'ow are 'oo? It's Maman. I 'ave not 'erd from 'oo in such a long time. I was tinking that maybe I shouldn't be separated from 'oo for so long, and then I 'ad the most wonderful idea. My next movie will be feelming for seeks months in Morocco starting in June. I will be 'ome a beet before that, so why don't 'oo join me on set for that time? It would be such a great learning experience for 'oo! And your Papa is on board wi' it, 'e thinks eet ees a wonderful idea too! Well, give me a call when 'oo get the chance, mon cher. Au revoir, Dresden!"

The message ended. "Did you hear that?" Toby asked Ariel.

"Yes, I heard it." she replied. "Why do your parents call you Dresden?"

"Dresden is where my parents met and then got married." Toby explained. "Paris is where they say I was conceived. I never really liked it."

"Are you going to take your mom up on her offer and go to Morocco?" Ariel asked.

Toby sighed. "I don't have time to think about that now." he said. "Look, I'll call you on my way home."

"Okay. I love you, Toby."

"Love you too." He hung up and left the closet, heading towards his first class and making a mental list of updates for Ariel to work on later.



"Toby, ten minutes till we have to go." Ariel's voice carried up the stairs to Toby's room, where he was checking himself out in front of the mirror. The event's dressed code was semi-formal, so he was wearing a black suit jacket and pants, a white shirt, and a tie with horizontal barcode patterns. He combed his hair to the side and surveyed himself. Yeah, he was ready for the show tonight.

That's what tonight was, anyway. Not a group date, but a show, one he was putting on with Ariel. And at the end of the show, if they were lucky, everyone would be fooled into thinking that Ariel was a real girl and that Toby was her boyfriend. And after that...well, he hadn't really thought that far ahead. But he wouldn't be thought of as a freak just because of who he loved.

Just then he heard footsteps on the stairs and Ariel appeared, wearing a silver dress with blue sleeves and sparkly roses around her wrists and waist. Her hair had been streaked with blue and wrapped in an intricate bun. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm good to go." he said, quickly kissing her. He didn't have time to appreciate how pretty she was, or that she'd put on eyeliner and mascara, or that she smelled like strawberries. He was too keyed up for that. "You ready for tonight?"

"Of course." said Ariel, stroking Toby's cheek. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. You've done everything to make sure your friends believe I'm not a gynoid."

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