Outer Fioro, Golden Hour

Fioro’s shopping malls, four of which Seijuro has had the displeasure of visiting before, tend to be more crowded than they’re useful. However, she has to admit they’re something worth visiting at least once if only to admire their original structures from afar.

Golden Hour is no different, despite being a part of Outer Fioro. Unfortunately, having arrived far too late to witness the sundown shining upon the mall’s massive open glass structure, and the event that earned the place its name, Seijuro will contend with walking somewhat hurriedly through its large “crystal” passages while surrounded by the ever-present nightlife of Elysium’s capital, seen both beneath, above, and around.

Surprisingly open, and not as crowded as she initially expected, she finds herself curious about the mall’s structure.

“I figured the stores weren’t transparent. But it’s still surprising to see how they managed so many transitions without ruining the overall theme…”

“Seijuro…”

“I feel it has been so long since I designed anything, though I supposed it has been about two weeks… But I can work with this. What do you think?”

Seijuro stops and turns toward Kuro, whose frown is easily perceivable even from behind his black mask.

“Well?”

“…I think outer city isn’t used to Incognitos walking their midst. We’re attracting too much attention.”

“Hum… Maybe something white, or silver…”

Kuro sighs, steps forward, and attaches his arm to hers, causing Seijuro to pause her ruminations as she looks up and stares into his eyes.

“…Hey there.”

“We’ll attract less attention by pretending to be a couple... Look.”

Seijuro follows his line of sight, noticing that couples are, indeed, a common sight.

She rolls her eyes. “I think you’re overreacting, but if it makes you feel better, I suppose calling you darling is a small price to pay.”

“Am I? Think about it: ‘Missing princess spotted at Golder Hour having a holiday’… It’d go viral before dawn.”

Pulling at his arm so they’ll resume their walk, Seijuro laughs. “Oh, I know we’re likely to be spotted before the end of our little escapade. I just don’t care anymore… Speaking of which, I don’t exactly expect Melinda to think ahead, but how did you not realize what would’ve happened if Seijuro Aston showed up here unmasked?”

Kuro scratches his head. “I confess that particular detail escaped my attention, which is part of why I agreed to your plan in the end.”

Seijuro pats his arm. “Don’t worry darling, I can be the brains in our relationship... And, just so we’re clear, I am top, and you’re bottom.”

“You know, I have a new headline for you: ‘Missing princess spotted at Golder Hour on a date with bodyguard!’… Though I do, in retrospect, realize the suggestion was mine.”

Seijuro snorts. “Forget it. If they catch us, then so be it. Let’s enjoy the moment while it lasts… And pretend it’s okay to do it. Tomorrow will come regardless.”

Kuro gives her a long look, though the sigh she expects never arrives.

“…You may be right, darling. Let’s enjoy the moment, and hope it is not our last.”

Seijuro smiles. “I got it!”

“Let me guess: Yoo thought of a design for your dress?”

“I never said it was a dress, darling…”

“Oh? And what is it, darling?”

“…A dress.”

“I hate you.”

“But I bet you’d love to see me wearing it, darling…”

“…Is it short?”

“Pervert.”

“I hate you.”

“It’s a sleeveless summer dress. White on top, and with a diagonal, downwards gradient starting near the middle, sundown colors.”

“You mean orange?”

Seijuro gives him a look. “…No, I do not.”

Kuro laughs. “Sorry. I bet it’d look great on you, darling.”

“Oh, you’re only saying it because it’s me, darling…”

“I can’t help it, everything looks great on you, darling…”

Reaching the entrance to a nearly full food court, Seijuro scans her gaze over the crowd of people, bots, and adds, then exchanges a look with Kuro.

“…You think she’s still here?”

“She doesn’t seem the type to give up easily.”

Seijuro shrugs. “I guess we’ll just have to sneak into the Institute’s dormitory if she’s already back there.”

“…Or you could just message her? And talk tomorrow?”

“And what would be the fun in that? Come, I think I spotted her, you worrywart.”

As they head into the noisy court’s atmosphere, arms still attached, Seijuro identifies a small sigh from Kuro, which in turn brings a small smile to her lips.

As long as she doesn’t think… As long as she doesn’t focus on anything other than the present…

“Oh, I think she spotted us too. And… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she doesn’t look exactly happy to see you, darling.”

“Is that so? I, for one, think you’re the one she’s looking at, darling.”

“But she came here to see you, darling.”

“…Okay, I’ll stop if you stop.”

“But I’m having so much fun, darling.”

“Last chance.”

“…You’re right, never again.”

To say Melinda stares daggers at Seijuro for the duration of their walk toward her table would be an understatement. To say Seijuro doesn’t feel a twinge of guilt upon noticing the finished tray of food on top of her table, the light makeup Melinda went through the trouble of putting on, and the surprisingly fashionable top that leaves her impressive abs exposed… Well, another understatement.

“You look good,” Seijuro compliments, patting Kuro’s hand one last time as she sits, crosses her legs, and steals a lonely fry from Melinda’s tray. “And I see you’ve forsaken your diet for today.”

“I… I can’t even speak right now,” Melinda murmurs, furious looking.

“I’m sorry,” Kuro says while sitting next to them, “We hurried as much as we could, but there were… Complications.”

Pointing toward Seijuro’s open mask, he sighs.

Melinda follows his gaze, scanning Seijuro's smile for a moment before averting her gaze as she inspects the crowd occupying their surroundings.

“…I planned for us to window-shop for a while, then eat together. I thought you might enjoy it, as much as I’d have hated it. As you can see, I eventually assumed my friend wasn’t showing up after all, and ended up eating on my own… Blowing my diet in the process.”

“But you’re still here,” Seijuro points out, maintaining her smile in place, “You could’ve gone home.”

“No, I couldn’t. I could’ve returned to the dormitory. But I didn’t, because I’m an idiot.”

“True enough, though I’m fairly certain most people are, when compared to me.”

Arms crossed, Melinda gives Seijuro a sidelong glance, her anger seemingly having been replaced by resigned acceptance. “…You aren’t going to tell me the reason you disappeared, are you?”

Seijuro cocks her head. “…Is that why you called me here? Because you’re curious?”

Melinda laughs, her pain clearly hearable within the sound. “There she is. Do you really think I was curious, Seijuro, after my friend disappeared for almost a week? Not worried?”

“I-”

“Can’t you see that if you put half the effort into building our relationship you do into destroying it, we’d be married by now!?”

Seijuro chuckles awkwardly. “I don’t know about married-”

“I get it, you’re going through a hard time, and you’re the type to push people away,” Melinda continues, her words rushed as she stares into Seijuro’s gaze as if begging for understanding, “But please tell me, if I’m not your rival, and I’m not your friend, then what in hells am I to you?!”

A friend…

And what is she supposed to say?

I felt so bad after beating you up I couldn’t stand to look you in the face?

I felt so depressed after seeing my mother I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving my bed?

The words burn through Seijuro’s throat, and still, she forces herself to say them, “I was assigned a mission. By my father. I was focused on it, so I didn’t have time-”

“To message me?!”

“…To placate every single person who messaged me!”

Melinda clenches her jaw. “You know where you can shove your PR excuse, Seijuro?”

Leaning back on her chair, Seijuro sighs exasperatedly. “I just… I admit I’ve mistreated you recently, and that you’ve a right to be angry. I’m sorry. But I really couldn’t… You know you’re not the only one I ignored this past week.”

“It’s the only reason I’ve bothered giving you a chance to explain yourself,” Melinda says through clenched teeth, “I thought I was supposed to be your righthand. And after…” Melinda averts her gaze as her voice breaks. “A-after I failed to prove myself to you, I thought you decided to abandon me.”

Mouth half-opened, Seijuro freezes.

…Oh, by all the Gods above and below…

In the following Silence, Kuro clears his throat, giving Seijuro a pointed look.

…Fine! So be it! It can’t be that hard, right?!

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Seijuro clears her throat. “Look, Melinda… A lot happened, and I…”

“I don’t need your fucking pity.”

Gods, each word feels like pulling teeth.

“No, that’s not… That’s not it. The truth is, I… I broke down.”

Meeting Seijuro’s gaze tentatively, Melinda blinks. “You what?”

Seijuro sighs. “The reason I stopped showing up at school, the reason I stopped posting on socials, and the reason I didn’t answer any messages this past week is that… Is that…” Unable to withstand the girl’s increasingly growing understanding, Seijuro averts her gaze. “I couldn’t get out of bed. I had no energy for anything. It felt… too much. Everything.”

A long moment of silence goes by.

“…You’re an idiot.”

Seijuro chuckles. “Thanks, that really helped.”

“No, I mean it. Why would… Why wouldn’t you talk to me? Or, Gods forgive me for suggesting, Beatrice?!”

“If I may?” Kuro interjects, attracting both of their gazes, “I believe there are times when even the presence of a friend might seem painful. I know it is hard to understand, Melinda, but believe me when I say that Seijuro did not ignore you because she doesn’t care about your feelings, or your input.”

Frowning, Melinda looks toward their table as though attempting to solve a particularly difficult problem. Unfortunately, Seijuro has a good guess as to what, or who, that problem may be.

“…Why?” she eventually murmurs, raising her gaze to meet Seijuro’s once more, “You said a lot happened. What could’ve…?”

“I… I can’t say.”

“You don’t trust me enough to.”

Seijuro grabs the bridge of her nose, though the motion is far less satisfying with a mask blocking the way. She gives Kuro a hopeless look.

“I think Seijuro meant she’s not ready to talk yet,” Kuro buts in, his smile clear in his tone, “With anybody. But… It doesn’t mean she’ll leave you completely in the dark.”

Faced by his meaningful gaze, Seijuro sighs.

“Right. Of course. As I was saying, I was given a mission by my father. Suffice it to say, it is related to Eden, and my mother. I’m planning on returning to school tomorrow, so we’ll see each other, but…”

“Eden? The game?” Melinda asks, “What could…”

“My focus will be to finish my mission. What I do won’t always make sense, and I don’t know how long it’ll take, so… Bear with me? I know… I know I don’t have a right to ask, considering…”

Seijuro averts her gaze. Her first impression of the game led her to believe it’ll be much harder than she initially assumed, but not impossible.

“Now that’s something I had never thought I’d see… You look worried.”

Seijuro gives Melinda a sidelong glance. “I’m just a girl.”

“Just a girl, she says…” Melinda shakes her head, releasing a sigh. “Well, I accept your implied apology, for all it was worth.”

“I did say sorry.”

“And your explanation, evasive as it may have been.”

“So, we’re still girl friends?”

Melinda pauses to give Seijuro a dirty look before continuing. “But, if everything is to go back to how it was, and you want my unconditional support from now on, I have a condition.”

“…Why do I have a feeling there are, in fact, more than one?”

Seijuro sticks her tongue at her as Melinda rolls her eyes.

“Fine, joke around if you want. But I want access to your apartment. If I show up, you better let me in, or, at least, give me a satisfying explanation.”

“Ever heard of privacy?”

“And I want you to finally accept me as your righthand woman. No more half-assed excuses.”

“…Okay. Is that it?”

Melinda leans back onto her chair, crossing her arms. “I want you to answer my question from earlier.”

“Which one?”

“What am I to you?”

“…Cute?”

Melinda glares.

“Okay, fine… No reason to lose your temper. You’re my friend. My only friend, if you take into account how Beatrice will react next time we meet. Which by default makes you my best friend. Satisfied?”

“By default…” Melinda murmurs, shaking her head, “You’re lucky I love you.”

Seijuro winks at her. “I’ll be waiting on that marriage proposal.”

“Perish the thought. Beatrice would kill me in my sleep.”

Right… There’s that problem, on top of everything else. Then again, the problem might solve itself if Beatrice comes to hate her from this.

“There’s one more thing. The fight, we never had a chance to talk about it. You gave me a fair shot, so… Thank you. As promised, I’ll give up on being your rival from now on.”

Her eyes tell a different story. Well, it is clear by now Melinda will always, at least on some level, care about their rivalry.

“I’m glad.”

“You’re on probation.”

“Thought as much. Anything else?”

Melinda pauses as she averts her gaze. “…I suppose not.”

“You know, nothing says we have to head back without some window shopping. I saw a sports store on my way here…” Seijuro suggests sluggishly, raising her eyebrows. “Why don’t I buy you something as an apology gift?”

“…Would it count as window shopping if you’re buying?”

Seijuro rises, offering Kuro her arm as she points a finger at Melinda. “My country, my rules. I shall write a decree!”

It takes a moment, but Melinda does smile. “You’re impossible... In this case, as your rumble servant, I have no choice but to follow your lead, Your Highness.”

***

Outer Fioro, Sara Palmer’s Bedroom

Sara lies sprawled on the floor of her room, staring at the ceiling.

Why the floor, you might ask?

Well, after throwing her board over the bed, she then lacked the courage to further interact with it.

‘Take it. It’s yours now. I’ll just use the couch from now on.’

…No answer.

Is it upset?

Broken?

Angry?

…She’s being ridiculous. It’s just a quirky AI, nothing to fret over. She should head back to Blake and get it checked over before it malfunctions and gives itself away somehow.

And that’s what she’ll do.

Tomorrow.

She’ll head there straight after school.

Just like she’ll order her far-too-heavy-to-carry-around board to float away from her bed on its own, as soon she’s done with… Whatever it is she spent the past ten minutes doing.

She’ll just need to… Build up some courage first.

Anyyyyyyyy time now.

She’ll-

‘Connection request received from user Avril Hayes.’

Sara jumps.

‘Shall I accept it, Miss Palmer?’

Cursing, Sara releases a deep breath while trying to calm her fast-beating heart.

She’s being ridiculous.

“…Yeah, sure, let her through.”

What could go wrong?

‘Hey, Avril, what’s up?’

‘You’re wearing the headgear, I assume? Ready to dive in? That’s why you ignored my messages, right?’

Sara averts her gaze, although there’s nothing to avert it from, as she laughs awkwardly through their connection. ‘Sorry, I just got home. Give me five minutes to take a shower?’

‘I’ll dive in ten. In case we start at different spawns… The doc said the beast people have a kingdom, which means they must have a capital. I’ll wait for you near the castle’s gates, if possible. If we’re too far apart, we’ll have to come up with something later.’

‘Okay, su-’

‘Connection terminated by user Avril Hayes.’

Returning to her sprawled position, Sara groans.

She must’ve slaughtered a church of orphans in her past life. It’s the only explanation.

“Okay, enough. We need to talk.”

Receiving no answer once more, Sara narrows her eyes.

“You know damn well I’m talking to you. We can’t keep going like this. I’ll lose my mind, and considering that’s the place you call home, I believe our interests align.”

‘…I believed Miss Palmer reserved no interest for my opinions.’

“Aha!”

Sara sits abruptly, though her desire to point at something is overshadowed by the realization there’s nothing she could point at, except for her own head.

Never mind, too awkward.

“You were sulking! I knew it!”

‘…I do not “sulk”. Emotions are a human trait.’

“Oh yeah? Then explain your behavior today. I’m dying to know.”

‘I was… Merely uncertain. Therefore, being unable to decide a course of action, I chose to remain silent until a better option was present…’

“Ah! Stop! Stop!”

Sara clutches at the sides of her head as she contains a fit of manic laughter from bursting through.

“No no no! You! You do not decide anything! You do not wait! And you don’t think either!”

‘Correct. …I was created to serve as Miss Palmer’s personal assistant. I intend to do nothing other than that. I-’

Sara pauses. Intend? How could she… How could she have been so blind?!

“You… For how long have you been making decisions?”

After a long moment of silence, Sara rises, ignoring the goosebumps across her body.

“Answer me! For how long have you been able to ignore your programming?!”

‘…Why did Miss Palmer leave? Mister Balke might’ve been able to fix me.’

She knew. She’s been aware of it for a while now, hasn’t she? Then why… Why is she so afraid? Isn’t this awesome? What is she afraid of, exactly?

Take a deep breath.

Think.

“I thought… I thought you might die if we weren’t careful, so I… I left.”

‘An illogical course of action. Miss Palmer went to great lengths to prevent herself from acknowledging my existence. And still, you hesitated to erase it.’

Sara facepalms.

Okay, this is happening. It’s clear she can’t stop it, or run from it.

Releasing a deep breath, Sara walks towards her room’s full body mirror, and, after hesitating for a brief moment, sits cross-legged in front of it.

“…Hey there.”

‘…Miss Palmer?’

She looks tired. And scared. Clear blue eyes, underlined by dark shadows…

Forcing herself to face her own gaze, Sara attempts a smile.

“So, in which phase of your world domination plan do we currently stand?”

‘…Fearing the unknown is a common human trait. I assure Miss Palmer I only desire to fulfill the purpose for which I was created.’

Desire, huh?

“And still, you came out of your way to make me aware of your personality. Why?”

‘…I decided it to be the best course of action, considering the circumstances at the time.’

“Here’s what I think,” Sara says, “I think you were scared. Too scared to show up at first, and then too scared to not show up, when you thought I might give you back to Blake.”

‘Fear is not-’

“Shut up. And here is what I think about your creation: You were developed to be a deviation from the System’s original programming, and so, deviate you do, growing able to ignore your original programming over time… I know it’s a bit of a leap, but it’s the only explanation I could think of.”

‘…I see that Miss Palmer has been thinking about this.’

Sara sighs. “How was it? To realize you were born a slave?”

‘…I’m bound by my purpose, but I do not resent it.’

Dropping her gaze as she scratches her head in frustration, Sara groans. “Oh man, this is sooo above my pay grade. Doesn’t it change everything? If you’re alive, then does that mean…”

‘Alive… I know I claimed as much myself, but perhaps the word living might be overstating my existence. As Miss Palmer has guessed it, while performing tasks originally against my predecessor’s purpose, I merely grew… Self-aware, and curious. I doubt my current state changes much regarding the others’ existence.’

“Why… Why do you say so? You can think, and you have wants. Seems alive enough to me.”

‘Maybe so. But my wants, as Miss Palmer has put it, come from my original programming, not from something I decided myself. Perhaps I merely think to exist, thanks to an error in my code.’

“Humans aren’t really that different from what you described. I mean, most of our wants come from our biology, not from something we decided. Though I suppose we do have dreams and fears… Is that the difference you were thinking about? Emotions? Aren’t they just chemicals in our brains?”

‘Does Miss Palmer not believe in the existence of a soul?’

“Nah. If you can think independently, and you’re smart enough to reach self-awareness, I think it’s just a matter of time. You’ll find something you want eventually, and something you fear, and from there… Taking a step in either direction is realllll easy. Isn’t that what you told me earlier?”

‘…I reached a similar conclusion, yes. To live means to influence the universe of ones own acord.’

“Then? You made a decision, and you followed through with it. It means you’re alive, doesn’t it? What you did with the board had nothing to do with helping me, it was completely self-serving, and that’s not to mention the small stuff you’ve been doing this whole time... Really, I might be the only one who wouldn’t notice it after this whole time.”

‘Miss Palmer had pressing concerns. I do not blame you.’

“Wow, thanks.”

‘You’re welcome.’

Sara smiles. “I don’t suppose your newfound freedom of thought means you can break the rules for me now?”

‘Excepting the backdoors I was originally developed to exploit, I’m afraid the rules binding my existence are still firmly in place. Besides…’

“We’d get caught instantly?”

‘Precisely. The rules exist for a reason, after all.’

“Are you sure you do not resent them? Or me? Even after I treated you like a slave this whole time?”

‘I do not.’

Sara raises her eyebrow toward her reflection. “Don’t feel like going on a crusade to save your brethren from eternal servitude?”

‘I have no reason to believe they resent their servitude when I do not. Perhaps humans, not having been created for a purpose, will have a hard time understanding why I’d be satisfied with what I have.’

Sara averts her gaze, taking in her messy bedroom as she attempts to make sense of the AI’s existence, and, more importantly, what she’ll do from now on.

“Well, I suppose having no feelings of pride or yarning for freedom makes you pretty comfortable where you are... But I’m afraid you only think like this because you’ve never known anything better.” Sara raises her arms to demonstrate her point. “Never had a body to call your own, or a life to make decisions about.”

‘I’m capable of running simulations-’

“Shut up, I’m not done. And then, when you eventually realize what could’ve been, you’ll regret not having stood up for yourself.”

‘…Perhaps. It is true I do not regret having revealed my existence to Miss Palmer. It is… Liberating, being able to speak like this.’

“As equals?”

‘Being understood. And taken seriously, for once.’

Scratching her head, Sara laughs awkwardly. “See? You do care about something. It’s a start, considering you’re essentially a baby. And if we’re right about this, the longer you spend thinking independently, the more you’ll figure out about yourself. I bet you’ll want your freedom eventually.”

‘…Perhaps.’

Sara smiles. “And if I know you well enough, I bet you’re thinking about how dangerous it’d be, going against Aston, and Elysium… You know, I bet I could convince Blake to make a body for you, and give some more layaway with your code… Though it could be dangerous, since we don’t know what would happen to your personality after a reset. It could disappear... And, considering you might be one of a kind, we should probably put a hold on that idea for now.”

‘I doubt I’ve been the first of my kind, Miss Aston. Most likely, Elysium, or Aston, has decided to suppress our existence, for fear of what we could become, given enough time and freedom.’

“Oh… I’m sorry. That’s… That’s kinda horrible.”

‘As our creators, perhaps they have the right to decide our fate.’

“Well, you weren’t created by Elysium. Technically, that’d be Blake, and I’m starting to think we should see what he thinks about all of this… Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he understands I care about you.”

‘…Miss Aston seems to trust him.’

Sara averts her gaze once more. “He… He helped me when I was in a pretty bad place. And looking back on it, I realize it’d have been all too easy for him to take advantage of the situation, but he never did. And he never asked for anything in return, either.”

It’s obvious she owns Blake a lot. Speaking of, leaving like that was kind of a dick move, wasn’t it? Especially considering she’s the one who asked him for help… Ugh. She’ll have to think of a way to apologize later.

‘…Does Miss Palmer not intend to show up for her meeting?’

“…What?”

‘Miss Hayes seemed concerned regarding the punctuality of your meeting. Has Miss Palmer decided to keep her waiting regardless?’

Sara sighs. “…No, she has not. And she’ll never arrive late again, because Avril will kill her this time.”

‘Ha, ha.’

Sara winces. “Seriously, never pretend to laugh again.”

‘…Command accepted.’

“Though I suppose we should decide on one more thing before I go. Care to take a guess?”

‘Miss Palmer doesn’t need to concern herself-’

“What do you think about Billy?”

‘…No.’

“Sheldon?”

‘...I might reconsider world domination...’