"Oh! Um, Elisandra. Elisandra Whyte."

"How long has it been since your first wing, darling?"

"Two months now. I'm still... figuring things out."

Ishaza nods. "How's front going for you?"

"Fine, thanks for asking - I really enjoy meeting new people, exploring new things, taking on new challenges -"

"I hear a but."

"... but I'm still struggling to get used to the job and balancing it with my wife, you see..."

"I'm going to speak plainly to you, darling. There is no 'job.' You can go months without seeing roses or berries and nothing will happen to you. You're a wing now, and that's never been an easy transition, but it'll go much easier if you just... relax. Let me guess, you've been trying to maintain a schedule?"

"Yes, well, if I don't schedule things then how will I make sure I'm giving enough time to my wife and to my clients and to myself?"

"You walked through the Doors of Night when you became a wing, yes?"

"Yes."

"So you know what it is to trust. Just... do what you want to, and don't sweat the hours. The Bowers will do the scheduling for you, like how it's made me show up when you happened to be open."

"I'm... learning that, slowly. It's why I opened this shop."

"Which isn't really a shop, seeing as how no money changes hands, but..."

"... I like making people food, okay? I always dreamed of opening a restaurant someday."

"You cook the shawarma yourself?"

"Mhm! The console stores it for me so I don't have to worry about refrigeration or anything, but everything I sell - well, give away - was made by me personally. And I always assemble the ingredients right in front of the customer."

"I think that's beautiful."

Eli blushes. "Really?", she squeaks.

"It's an act of service, right? New Los Angeles runs on that kind of thing. People giving from the deepest dreams of their hearts. You've seen the cafes, the libraries, the clubs, all the public art - now, most things are maintained and helped along by the bowers, but every part of this city was shaped by people. The Bowers doesn't do design work at all. It's all built by volunteers like you, having fun."

"... so would you like some shawarma?"

"I would love some."

There's the sound of a sliding shoji from off to the left.

Ishaza looks over.

The three-dimensional silhouette of a woman has just come into the room. She waves. She's not wearing clothing, but her ethereal form serves to preserve her modesty. 

"A customer!" Her voice is bright and full of a smile.