Isa nodded in agreement.

"You’re right," She said. "So what do we do now?"

Before Wren could respond with any suggestions...

GRRRR~

The sound came from Isa’s stomach and the blonde-haired woman immediately clutched her midsection with her eyes widening slightly in embarrassment.

Wren smiled, finding it endearing rather than awkward.

"Are you hungry?" Wren asked.

"I am," Isa admitted with her cheeks flushing slightly. "And who wouldn’t be hungry if they hadn’t eaten since this morning and spent half the evening running around like crazy people?"

Wren’s eyebrows shot up.

"You haven’t eaten since morning?" Wren asked.

"Of course not," Isa said. "I’m on a bit of a diet to reduce body fat percentage for the upcoming season. Race car drivers need to maintain specific weight ratios..."

Wren looked her over critically, taking in her athletic but healthy frame.

"I don’t see anything wrong with your bod—"

GRRRR~

His own stomach grumbled loudly, cutting off his compliment mid-sentence and Isa grinned triumphantly.

"You’re hungry too..." Isa pointed out with obvious satisfaction.

"I only had breakfast this morning," Wren admitted. "Then skipped lunch entirely, and clearly didn’t get to finish dinner."

He stood up from the bed and gestured around the luxurious suite.

"Since you’re here anyway, would you like some room service?" Wren asked.

Isa tilted her head curiously.

"I don’t mind," Isa said. "But how are you going to order? Do we call the front desk or something?"

Wren walked over to the nightstand where an elegant silver bell sat on a decorative tray. He lifted the bell up, and a piece of paper that had been tucked underneath fluttered down onto the bed.

The note was handwritten by Alfred, Wren picked it up and read.

[Ring Once For Help]

[Ring Twice For Food]

[Ring Thrice For Emergency]

[Master Wren, I might not be the one to answer each and every one of your calls, but please be relaxed. The Maid Brigade of the Celestine will answer your summons instantly. - Alfred]

"I wonder how long it would take them to arrive at the door?" Wren mused aloud. He raised the bell and rang it twice.

Ding-ding!

The clear sound echoed through the room... and immediately, as in the exact moment the second ring faded, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock knock!

Both Wren and Isa turned toward the door in complete surprise, their expressions mirroring each other’s shock.

"Room service here to answer your call!" a cheerful female voice announced from the hallway. Wren looked down at the bell in his hand, then back at the door.

He had literally just rung it. How had someone gotten here that fast? Had they been waiting outside his door? Was this some kind of magic? Advanced technology?

Wren set down the bell carefully and walked to the door before opening it.

A woman in the signature Celestine maid uniform stood there... that immaculate black dress with white trim, her hair was pulled back in a professional style with white gloves on her hands and behind her was a luxurious serving cart covered with a pristine white cloth.

"Good evening, sir," the maid said with a smile and a slight bow. "I am Maid 101, ready to serve. You rang the bell twice for food service, correct?"

"Yes," Wren confirmed, still slightly stunned by the instantaneous response time.

"May I come in?" the maid asked politely. Wren scooted aside, holding the door open wider.

"Of course."

The maid pushed the cart into the room with smooth movements and the wheels made almost no sound on the carpet.

She nodded respectfully at Isabella, who had quickly pulled her hood back over her head to obscure her face then the maid walked over to one of the room’s built-in drawers and pulled it open.

"In rooms where adults are staying," the maid explained matter-of-factly, "we provide contraceptives ranging from small to extra-large sizes. If you and your companion plan to engage in intimate activities, we simply ask that you be somewhat mindful of noise levels after midnight, as other guests may be sleeping."

Isa’s cheeks turned bright red beneath her hood.

"None of that is happening!" Isa protested immediately. The maid’s expression suggested she didn’t quite believe that, but she was too professional to argue.

Instead, she reached into the covered cart and pulled out two leather-bound menus, extending them to both Wren and Isabella.

"Please take your time selecting what you’d like..." the maid said.

Wren accepted his menu and flipped it open and the first page was beautifully designed:

═══════════════════════════════════════

≈ C E L E S T I N E ≈

∿ ROOM SERVICE MENU ∿

═══════════════════════════════════════

◆ APPETIZERS ◆

⊱ Fried Chicken Wings (6pc) ⊰

Crispy golden wings with choice of sauce

⊱ Lobster Bisque ⊰

Rich cream soup with fresh herbs

⊱ Bruschetta Trio ⊰

Tomato basil, olive tapenade, goat cheese

═══════════════════════════════════════

Wren flipped to the next page, scanning the extensive options. There were dozens of choices... regular dishes, combination platters, premium selections, vegetarian options, desserts, and an entire section dedicated to drinks ranging from fresh juices to aged wines.

Isabella was doing the same beside him with her finger tracing down the pages as she considered her options.

The maid walked over to the cart and removed the white cover with a flourish.

Underneath was an absolutely stunning array of pre-prepared dishes, all kept at perfect temperature in what must have been some kind of advanced heating system. Everything looked restaurant-quality, beautifully plated and garnished.

"As you can see," the maid explained, "all menu items have already been prepared and are ready for immediate service. As soon as you tell me what you’d like, I can serve it to you."

Wren looked up from his menu, slightly confused about one detail.

"Do we need to pay for this?" Wren asked. Isa actually chuckled at that, clearly finding his question amusing for some reason. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The maid smiled warmly.

"As VIP guests of the Celestine, all food and beverage services are complimentary," the maid explained. "You may order as much or as little as you wish, as many times as you wish, at any hour of the day or night... There are no additional charges."

’Right,’ Wren thought. ’Rich people ship so of course food is included.’

He looked back down at his menu and made his selections.

"I’ll have the grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce, the roasted vegetable medley, and a glass of sparkling water with lime," Wren said.

The maid nodded.

"Excellent choices, sir. And for you, miss?"

Isabella pulled her hood back slightly so she could see the menu better.

"I’ll take the herb-crusted chicken breast, the quinoa salad, and a passion fruit smoothie." Isa said.

"Wonderful," the maid said.

She immediately pulled out a folding glass table from a recessed panel in the side of the room... something Wren hadn’t even noticed was there and set it up between the bed and the sitting area.

Then, with remarkable speed and precision, she began plating their selections from the cart, arranging everything beautifully on the glass table with proper silverware, cloth napkins, and even a small vase with a fresh flower.

The entire setup took less than two minutes.

"If you require anything additional," the maid said, "simply ring the bell again. Once for general assistance, twice for food, three times for emergency services."

She turned the cart around, preparing to leave then she paused at the door and glanced back with a knowing smile.

"Oh, and underneath that drawer I showed you earlier," the maid added, "there are also some performance-enhancement pills if you need help lasting longer during your evening activities."

Isa’s face turned even redder, and she buried her face in her hands.

"Enjoy yourselves!" the maid said cheerfully, then slipped out and closed the door behind her with a soft *click*.

Isa let out a long, exasperated sigh and looked up from her hands.

"That maid was completely overdoing it," Isa said. "Why would we need to know about condoms and pills in the first place? We’re just eating food!"

Wren sighed as well, though privately he was somewhat grateful for the information.

"I really don’t know." Wren said aloud.

’But it’s good to know they’re available...’ Wren thought. ’Last thing I need is to accidentally get someone pregnant in case I do it on the ship.’

He walked over to the desk near the bed and picked up the remote control for the large smart TV mounted on the wall.

"Should we watch something while we eat?" Wren asked, clicking the power button.

The TV hummed to life with a soft musical chime with the screen displaying a sleek interface with various app icons arranged in a grid.

Wren could see several familiar streaming services: Melodia, Streamflix, Cliffgram, AnimeConis, SportsCentral, and several others.

"What would you like to watch?" Wren asked. "A movie? A series? I’m fine with anything."

"A romance movie wouldn’t be bad..." Isa suggested.

Before Wren could respond, she walked over and snagged the remote from his hand with a grin.

"Do you even like romance movies?" Isa asked, already navigating to the Streamflix app.

"I do, actually," Wren said. "More than I probably should admit."

He didn’t really like them that much but if she wanted to then it was fine, He had watched some with Leah too.

Isa smiled at that and started scrolling through the romance category and the interface displayed dozens of options... classic romance, romantic comedies, period dramas, tragic love stories.

She paused on one title... "Beneath the Autumn Sky" which was a highly-rated romantic drama about two people from different worlds meeting during a fall vacation.

"Oh, this one’s supposed to be good," Isa said while hovering over it. "It came out last year and won a bunch of awards."

"I’ve heard of it," Wren said. "Actually, I was supposed to watch it with Leah at some point. She kept recommending it."

Isa’s eyes widened slightly at the name, and she turned to look at him with renewed curiosity.

’Leah?’ Isa repeated in her mind... it was probably one of his best friends. She was about to press play when she suddenly turned back to him with concern in her eyes.

"Wait... are you seriously going to eat while wearing that expensive suit?" Isa asked, gesturing at his pristine white outfit. "If you get food on it, you’ll ruin half a million credits worth of fabric."

Wren blinked as the realization hit him.

"Oh, you’re right. Good point."

He rushed over to his closet and pulled it open, scanning the contents quickly. Among the various items Alfred had arranged for him, he grabbed a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a comfortable black t-shirt.

"You can start the movie," Wren called over his shoulder. "I just need to change real quick."

He headed into the bathroom with the casual clothes, closing the door behind him and as soon as he was gone, Isa’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

She pulled it out and looked at the screen.

Countless unread messages from her manager filled the notification bar... all of them increasingly frantic, asking where she was, demanding she respond, insisting they needed to discuss tomorrow’s photoshoot schedule and above all those messages, a new incoming call: Marcus.

Her boyfriend’s name glowed on the screen with the phone vibrating insistently in her hand and Isa stared at it for a long moment.

’This is my vacation,’ Isa thought firmly. ’I’m about to spend time with someone who’s not micromanaging every second of my life like you do.’

Her hand slowly reached for the power button on the side of her phone... She pressed it and held it down then the screen displayed.

[Power Off?]

She confirmed then the phone went dark and silent... She was at complete peace.

Wren emerged from the bathroom a moment later with the expensive white suit carefully slung over his shoulder as he was now wearing the comfortable casual clothes.

"Sorry for wasting time," Wren said.

Isa smiled genuinely with freedom visible in her expression.

"Not really," Isa said. "You’re right on time... Now let’s get to watching this movie."

...

Wren’s eyes slowly opened. He was lying on the bed, disoriented about when he’d moved from sitting to lying down.

He glanced at the TV... it had been turned off with the screen completely dark and his stomach felt pleasantly full.

Wren sat up, rubbing his eyes, and looked around the room.

Isa had left.

The glass table had been cleared, the food containers were disposed off probably and the remote sat on the nightstand with a small piece of paper underneath.

They had watched the movie together, eaten, talked between scenes. He remembered laughing at something Isa said. He remembered her explaining racing details. He remembered feeling comfortable and relaxed and...

And at some point, he must have fallen asleep.

’Great,’ Wren thought. ’Real smooth.’

He reached for the paper underneath the remote and unfolded it.

[Sleepyhead... Thank you for today. Here’s my number: 555-0847. Save me as "Isa." I’ll check it next time. - I]

Wren smiled. He folded the note and set it aside, then looked where he’d left his phone charging.

He unplugged it and the screen lit up.

Dozens of notifications flooded the lock screen... everyone had messaged him while he’d been asleep but there was one message at the very top that had been sent just ten minutes ago.

[Diana: Uh... Hey Wren. Could you come by my room? It’s Room 767. And when you’re coming, don’t wear any shorts underneath.]

Wren stared at the message, reading it several times then he spoke aloud to the empty room.

"Oh... I think she’s horny."