Hexaflexagons

It hadn't been long since Delta had been implanted. He was still getting used to sharing a mind, still getting used to having another voice present in his head, and he made the decision not to pull the AI as he strove to get used to the sensation. It affected things, of course, but he tried not to let it intrude on anything, whether it was training, or socializing during down time. 

Carolina helped him get through it, of course. She took things like that upon herself. They'd never quite cemented a relationship after their run-in at the nightclub, but there had always been something between them. She allowed him to tease her and teased right back with no hesitation, so any occasion when they found themselves talking late into the night like this was really nothing out of the ordinary. He walked with her back to her quarters, leaned against the jamb, and gestured with one arm as he spoke. 

"Here's the crazy thing," he said, continuing their discussion of the changes he'd experienced with the AI. "I'm getting used to the whole idea of, not so much never having any privacy, but the idea that he's a part of that. I don't know if that describes it very well."

He didn't know exactly when it had happened, but at some point partway into his drink he'd looked around and realized all of his friends were gone. He stood, and looked around. Spotting them among the flashing lights of the club was an impossible task, and he certainly wouldn't be able to call them when the music was playing so loud. So he just shrugged to himself and sat back down. After a bit he'd finish his drink and move on, but for now he took his lighter out and flicked it, trying to remember if they'd been planning to move on to another bar at some point.