Sepide and Remiel just finished their game of tennis, which ended in a draw since they couldn't agree on the rules. Sepide was exhausted, drinking water bottles like she hadn't drunk in a year. Remiel looked at her friend with curiosity, hesitating to ask something. Sepide noticed the strange behavior of her friend and decided to confront her about it.

"Are you still thinking you should have won? It's stupid, why would we count points fifteen by fifteen? Your information was wrong."

"No, it is not that... Yada, she is the one who created you. And yet, you managed to ignore her orders. From my understanding, she had a lot of control over you."

"Yeah... It felt like my whole being needed to obey her every time she used those words. Just thinking about doing something else burned my whole being, but giving up on everyone hurt me more."

"I understand."

Remiel stared in front of her with an empty gaze. Sepide could clearly see that something was worrying her.

"You can't disobey Emely either?"

"I am able to, she just scolds me a lot if I do not obey her. However, she rarely orders me around."

"So like a mom."

"Indeed. Sometimes, I wish I could be a real human. I am afraid that someone uses me to cause pain, and that I will not have the ability to refuse."

"You don't have to obey, I'm sure you can say no." Sepide took a good look at Remiel's body. The metallic skin of the robot was obvious, and even if she looked human, it was easy to see that she was a robot. Her skin imitated the Kronos's uniform, but it was nothing more than paint and metal "We should get you clothes, real ones."

"Clothes? Why is that?"

"Because then you'll look more human. I'm sure Emely has something that could fit you!"

Without asking, Sepide took her friend's hand and left the big room they were in. Remiel followed Sepide, but she didn't share the same enthusiasm.

Sepide entered Emely's lab along with her friend. The young engineer was with Silva, visibly helping her wear a strange uniform. Silva blushed intensely while Emely was annoyed by them. Understanding what the problem was, Remiel knocked on the now opened door.

"I knocked, mother."

"You're supposed to knock before opening the door..." Emely let out a sigh before turning toward Sepide "You need something?"

"Yes, we need clothes for Remiel."

"Clothes for Remiel... I don't think I have anything for her."

Emely headed toward her wardrobe where hundreds of clothes were. She searched around but turned toward the two girls with a disappointed sigh.

"I'm sorry, I don't have big enough clothes for her. If you really need that, I know a few worlds where you could get some clothes."

"That would be great! I wanted Remiel to wear human clothes, I'm sure it would cheer her up!"

"Cheer her? Are you feeling down Remiel?"

"Do not worry Mother." Remiel said, trying to hide her doubts.

"Okay then, let me come with you. You want to come Silva?"

"Just remove those clothes please... It's embarrassing with them around..."

Once everyone was ready, the group went toward the world Emely recommended. Sepide couldn't wait to find new things for Remiel to wear, and hopefully, make her feel more human.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silva and Emely walked around the big store together while Sepide and Remiel decided to search for clothes. Remiel mostly followed Sepide around, not particularly happy about the idea of getting clothes for her. The robot looked at her friend searching around until she turned toward Remiel with a jacket in her hand.

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"It's your size, you should try it?"

"It is blue, will it suit me?"

"I don't know, Neige is the one that knows about fashion and stuff."

Remiel wore the jacket and turned around, waiting for Sepide's reaction.

"Well... You look more human like that."

"Really? Does it make me look better?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

Remiel took out the jacket and handed it back to Sepide, a bit disappointed.

"I do not enjoy it."

"It's fine, we can take something else. Like..."

"No, I mean that I do not enjoy wearing clothes. There is no need for it anyway."

Sepide looked around her, trying to find something that would please Remiel. After searching for a bit, the girl found a beanie and gave it to her friend.

"What about that?"

Remiel took the beanie and put it on, visibly not satisfied.

"It looks weird and it does not make me feel better."

"Fine, what about..."

"Sepide, I do not think this will make me more human. However, I do not mind, I have accepted the fact that I am a robot and not a human."

"I don't accept that..."

Sepide walked around the store with Remiel following her. The girl looked at every piece of clothing and accessories she could but the robot always shook her head with disatisfaction. Even despite that, Sepide continued searching around and took a pair of glasses that she put on.

"Don't I look like Gwyn with the glasses?"

"You look really different from Gwyn. However, it suits you well."

"You should try them too!"

Remiel put the glasses on her head and looked in a mirror. She still could see herself but wasn't satisfied with the way she looked, so she gave Sepide the glasses back, which seemed to disappoint her.

"I do not like the way it looks on me. I apologize, but this was in vain."

"Didn't you have a bit of fun at least? It's one of the rare times we're not competing in something, I thought you'd enjoy it..."

"Perhaps I am unable to enjoy the average human activity, I am sorry for that."

"No, it's fine. To be honest, looking at clothes wasn't all that fun. It was just funny seeing them on you."

Silva and Emely arrived to see the two friends. Emely looked at them both and then asked Sepide,

"Did you find anything good?"

"Not really, Remiel is very picky. I feel a bit bad for wasting her time."

"Don't worry, it's fine. I'm sure Remiel was happy to be with you, right? Remiel?"

Emely turned toward Remiel but couldn't see anyone where she was standing, the robot disappeared from nowhere. Sepide looked around in worry, trying to find her friend.

"Where did she go?"

Remiel went outside, she felt bad that she couldn't enjoy Sepide's activity and decided to sit on a bench alone. Her friend tried to make her happy, but all she could do was be her robotic self. She was allowed to feel emotions, but still couldn't be a human in mind or body. The robot couldn't help but admire her friend, Sepide's birth was similar but harsher, and she still managed to be a real human. Remiel looked at her arms, they looked like a woman wearing black clothes from afar, but it was clear it was robotic from up close. Her body was a constant reminder of her state, she was a robot, nothing more. The only way a robot can be happy is by obeying and not thinking, and she knew that. While the robot was focused on herself, Sepide put a scarf around Remiel's neck and sat next to her.

"I found that for you. I know you won't like it, but I didn't want to leave without anything."

Remiel touched the fabric of the scarf, taking the time to caress it.

"I can feel it is soft, my sensors are telling me that. I just wished I could feel it like a human would..."

"Remiel... You're a human to me. You even act less robotic than Gwyn sometimes."

"There is no need to cheer me up, I will be fine. Maybe I should ask Emely to remove the part of me that feels, it brings a lot of doubts."

Sepide looked at Remiel with a bit of sadness and took her hand.

"It wouldn't be you then... But I used to think like that too. I just wanted the missions to keep going, not because I enjoyed them, but because it kept me busy. Silva and Neige forced me to think differently, but without them, I would probably still feel like a robot."

"Do you think emotions are a burden?"

"Sometimes... But don't you remember what you said to Polyetta in her world? You told her you wanted to feel everything, was it a lie?"

"I... Do not know..." Remiel held the scarf on her mouth, trying to understand her own feelings.

"You'd cry if you could, right? It's not a good feeling to be lost, but it's a feeling all humans feel."

"So... Am I a bit human?"

"Of course, I wouldn't be friends with a toaster."

Remiel chuckled a bit and looked at the black scarf Sepide gave her.

"This scarf... I think I like it."

"Do you? We tried some scarf before and you didn't like them."

"This one is different. It makes me feel human." Remiel closed her eyes and put the scarf on her cheek "It's not just a scarf, it reminds me of you..."

"Hey, you said it's! Usually, you always say 'it is' or something."

"Do I? I never paid attention before."

"It means that you change, like humans do, you're not so different!"

Remiel looked at the sun in the sky, still holding the scarf.

"Uriel... Most of my being is based on another robot named Uriel. She was a robot made for war but quickly changed her priorities once she found a friend. I am not made for war, but you give meaning to my life Sepide. Maybe there is a way for me to be more than a robot."

"You're already more than a robot for me."

Sepide smiled at Remiel, who gave her smile back. The two friends held hands for a moment, looking at the scenery in front of them until a voice interrupted them.

"Can we leave now? I'm hungry."

Sepide turned toward Silva, who was sitting right next to her. Emely was also there, sitting next to Remiel.

"Silva? Since when are you here?"

"Less than a minute, but it's already too much for me."

"I suppose it is time to go home then."

Remiel stood up, even despite the scarf hiding her mouth, Emely could still feel the smile on her face.

"Do you like your new scarf?"

"Yes, it feels like Sepide."

"See! I'm not crazy for wanting Emely's smell on my clothes!"

Remiel chuckled at Silva's words, holding dearly Sepide's gift. Even if she wasn't sure if she was ready to be more than a robot, she knew it would be alright as long as her friends were here, especially Sepide.