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“Is it okay?”
“Yup. It is ridiculously overbuilt, and the only thing that would have made it better was to have a permit to anchor it to the dock itself.”
“You don’t?”
“This is a food kiosk on a dock. Anchoring it makes this actual taxable land.”
“Oh, got it. Cloudy, I don’t know how to say this...”
“Yes?”
“There is a very large guardian looming behind you.”
“There are two more cleaning up the inside of the stall.”
Morsek popped out. “Grill is good. You have tremendous forcefield generators in here.”
She smiled. “I know. How is the fridge?”
“Good. A little spilled akko but only a handful or two.”
She slumped in relief. “I can deal with everything else. Does anyone want a practice breakfast?”
The guardians raised their hands, and she shooed them out of the kitchen, getting into the groove and setting the food out for the morning.
Sunny came in to help, and Hazor leaned in the doorway. “You are obsessed.”
Sunny smiled. “After the world broke, Cloudy kept us alive by rationing us down to the last used calorie. She knew everything, and it was a relief to know that she would bring you food when you settled in after you came home. She fed us all and gave us hope.”
“I gave you soup. Lots of soup.” She got the breakfasts on the grill, which was remarkably clean considering.
Hazor asked, “So is that the reason you treat this building as something to protect?”
“Yes. I put my money into me and the tech to protect this place. I was thinking about storms, but it also came in handy during today’s events.”
“Does Emgoth know?”
“He’s more interested in the food.” She smiled and folded the first sandwich, sliding it into one of the new boxes that she had opened.
She moved quickly and got three boxes ready for them. Sunny had already added the sauce to the akko.
“Oh, shoot. Kio. Get the kio ready.”
Sunny nodded. “On it.”
She looked, and he was already using the heating canister to get it ready.
Hazor grinned. “This is something. Half an hour ago this was on the bottom of the sea.”
“Not really. It kept air in it and remained buoyant enough to bob along sixteen feet down.”
He smiled. “Deep enough they thought it was lost, shallow enough that you could retrieve it.”
“Yes.” She handed him the three packs.
He smiled. “I don’t suppose you can make two more for each of us.”
“Let me know if you like the breakfast as is. I can alter things.”
