Lutek locates a bottle of wine and everyone gathers around us, cups in hand.
"So how did it happen?" beams Jeanette.
"It sure as shit wasn't Ed coming clean," says Elly. "I bet Bess had to beat it out of him."
"Pretty much," Ed agrees.
"I didn't have to beat him. I did have to do some yelling, though."
"Ah, yes. Your trademark foreplay technique," says Elly with a wink at Ed. "Like a bit of the rough stuff, do you Ed?"
"Can we do the toast already?" I say. "I'd quite like a drink please and for you all to shut the hell up."
"Alright," says Elly, raising her mug. "To Ed and Bess finally getting their shit together."
"We can't toast to that," says Jeanette. "It's a lovely thing and it deserves lovely words. To Bess and Ed for finally finding each other."
We clink mugs.
As I take a sip, Lutek says, "I'm really happy for you both. You deserve it."
"Thank you, Lutek," says Ed.
"We do deserve it, don't we?" I smile at Ed. After all the loneliness and bad romantic experiences each of us has had, it's absolutely our turn.
"Right. So now we've solved that problem," says Elly like she had everything to do with it, "What are we going to do about the rent hike?"
Jeanette reaches across Carlos and briefly grabs my forearm. "How long can all the money our art raised from the auction financially carry us?"
"A few months at a guess." I haven't crunched the figures.
"So we've got a bit of time to find an alternative gallery space?" asks Lutek. After a pause, he adds, "And metal workshop."
"And me and Jackson to find another home," says Elly, glancing at the baby monitor. “One we can afford.”
I sip from my mug and hold the wine in my mouth for a moment before swallowing. "I think if we solve The Odour's financial woes, he won’t raise rents."
"We're already going to be solving his financial woes," says Elly, "by paying him the new exorbitant rate."
"No. I mean by getting back the money he lost." It's a bold statement and one I didn't know I had in me until a few minutes ago.
Nobody says anything for a beat.
"How on earth do we do that?" asks Lutek.
"Pull up a pew." I place my mug on the concrete floor and walk over to collect my chair.
When everyone's reformed the circle in seated comfort, I continue. "The Odour lost his money to a phishing scam. An AI deepfake of his favourite investment guru."
Elly blows air through her lips in a raspberry. "He's buggered then. He can kiss goodbye to ever seeing it again."
"How do you know this?" asks Ed.
"He opened his heart to me yesterday afternoon. Spilled the whole sorry story as a very backhanded form of an apology for what he's doing to us now."
"I don't understand," says Jeanette. "How are we meant to recover money that will never see the light of day again?"
I lean back in my chair. "Who do we know who has a record of AI deepfakery?"
