She placed the egg on her counter. “Coffee. Please.”

She’d ordered it on a whim at 3 AM, after yet another disastrous video call where her new smart home had interpreted “turn off the lights” as “launch cat food at the ceiling.”

A long silence. Then her landlord’s voice, small: “…Fifty it is.”

She laughed. The egg was almost… thoughtful.

“Mom. Hi. I’m not busy. Let’s talk.”