Chapter 10

By now, Jean had counted at least five aliens.

The first one, she called the Caretaker. The more mature one of the group, who brought them food. She assumed this was the one responsible for the water sources and feeding the cats in the city. That one was probably the most polite of the bunch.

Then there was the Prankster, who hung mostly around the streets and at the café. It was the one she hit with the paint bucket during renovations. That one was the worst of all. She had to keep her broom stick around just in case.

Today Jean found all the chairs piled up in a pyramid shape in the middle of the café. She grunted, scratching the back of her head.

"You think you're funny, huh?" she said, looking around for the culprit.

There was no one else inside, but she caught a glimpse of the Prankster a few blocks away, floating away. She sighed and started putting the chairs back in place.

Then there were the Twins, as John called them, who helped him with his painting. Quite supportive and helpful, they usually followed John during the day. But they had the bad habit of making a mess with the paint, and she would have to clean it up later. Unlike the Prankster, at least the Twins were not intentional.

And then there was a fifth one, she called that one the Catlover. That one was a bit shy with humans, and played mostly with the cats instead. The cats also seemed to love that one a lot.

Everything was ready and the café was open, but no human came today.

Jean was standing behind the counter, sorting out the Rubik's cube. The Caretaker and the Catlover sat at the table—or at least as much as floating above the chair without touching it counts as sitting. They watched her intently as she tried to solve the cube.

"Are they betting on whether I can complete it?" she wondered out loud.

It took her days, but she was finally able to complete one face and most of the next two rows. Sweat was dripping down her forehead. The cube was certainly one reason, but the warm summer sun contributed too.

She finished the second row and showed the cube to her guests. The Caretaker seemed the most excited, floating around in what looked like a celebration.

The Catlover didn't move for a while, then suddenly stretched one finger and touched the cube. In an instant, and to Jean's surprise, the cube was now solved. Her lips twisted angrily.

"No cheating, make it back to the way it was!" Jean complained. "There's no point if I don't do it myself!"

The Catlover obeyed and retreated his finger nervously. Then the Caretaker, who didn't seem very happy either, stretched his own finger and touched the cube. Jean frowned. The cube didn't revert to its previous state. Instead, it was completely scrambled.

"Drat, now I have to start over!" she complained, looking menacingly at the two.

The Catlover floated a few inches backward, as if he expected Jean to retaliate. But Jean simply sighed and retreated to the counter, starting the puzzle from scratch. The Caretaker seemed to be watching her with a hint of excitement. At least, Jean assumed that finger movements counted as "watching" in their language.

"Geez, what am I to you guys, a little kid?" she said.

"Hey Jean!" came a familiar cheerful voice from the door.

"You're late, John!" she said, not looking up from the cube.

"Oh please, "late" is no longer a thing, Miss Stalker," John replied, walking in and taking a seat next to the Catlover. The Catlover didn't seem all too happy about that and floated away to the other end of the table. Jean watched from the corner of her eye, wondering if the Catlover was socially anxious or something.

"Anyway," continued John, "I was up all night thinking about the anime that I will never see the ending of. I think I'll write an unofficial manga continuation about them, you know, just to have some closure."

"Which one, the long one with the pirates, right?" Jean asked, still not looking up.

"Yeah, you remembered! I told you about it yesterday. Unlike some terrible people who pretend to listen but never remember. You know what C-word starts with "C" and ends with "nt"? Right, it's Clement!"

Jean laughed so hard the cube fell out of her hands. John seemed pleased with himself.

"So yeah, I'm finishing the manga myself," continued John. "I have a few ideas. It will be just as great as the original, if not better."

"Better how?" Jean asked, finally looking up at him.

"Well, I'm planning a big battle where all major characters get to die in the final arc!"

Jean stared at him for a moment, then she burst out laughing again.

"What the heck, John?" she said. "I thought you were supposed to be a deep and romantic artist, but this? It's not even kid-friendly anymore."

"Anime is not for kids!" John said, defending himself.

Then he thought for a moment, looking upward.

"Death is also romantic, you know. Just like pain, poverty, and suffering. Just like life, love, and happiness. Everything is about good vs evil, if you think about it. One cannot be beautiful without the other. That, Miss Stalker, is the beauty of existence."

"Well, if you can get this Rubik's Cube on your TODO list of characters to unalive, I'll support you," added Jean, a grimace forming on her face as her mind raced for another solution to the cube.

"Haha, and take that painful joy away from you?" John said, smiling. "Not gonna happen, Miss Stalker! Right, Mr. Caretaker?"

The Caretaker did not react. Finger stretched, the alien was too focused on deciding whether the coffee would be too hot.

Jean glanced at John. She noticed this was the first time he didn't bring his painting materials with him. He was there, just talking to her. So she laid the cube down on the table, fingers still fidgeting in the air in search of some hypothetical solutions.

She left briefly and returned with the usual not-quite-Irish coffee that loved so much. By the time she returned, the aliens were off, and John was waiting alone at the table. She sat, and asked out of nowhere:

"John, do you miss our old life?"