III

Friend in Need

“How do you expect me to stay calm, Skinny?” Madame Cascade embodied pure fury. “I’ve got five new robots that I need to teach how to do backflips, and you’re saying that my coffee is gone?!”

“It’s not gone,” murmured Skinny quietly. “Misty has borrowed it for experiments.”

“And what does he want to prove?” Madame Cascade frowned as if hit by force. “How many hours can I survive sane in this circus?”

Skinny doesn’t respond. Her limbs began to shake.

“I’ll take the rest of the pictures and bring the coffee back to you,” offered Shiny.

"You’re a sweetheart." Madame sighed heavily. "I don’t even know where his wagon is."

“He shares his wagon with Dorkins, it’s a storage room rather than a regular place,” said Skinny returning to the costumes.

“All right, girls! I’ll count on you!”

The woman left, and the sudden silence sounded soothing.

“I know I shouldn’t be afraid of her,” said Skinny and suddenly, she was talking agitated like Madame Cascade. “It’s just... Well, people are so unpredictable. They yell, shout and then you learn that they were hungry or got stuck in a jam on the way. Why don’t they say it from the start? I think I should be tested, there must be something wrong with me, I’m being oversensitive. But I don’t want to hear once again Misty going on about being sold for parts and about Pianist. As if Pianist were a great friend, anyway. Never bothered to ask me a question, so full of himself. But why on Earth, it’s taking Misty so much time with that coffee?”

“I’ll fetch it, don’t worry,” answered Shiny taking another picture.

“Just send him a message to come immediately,” Skinny picked a yellow costume from the pile. “We’ve got a lot to do, there’s no need for you to be an errand bot.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. To be honest, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to visit him,” answered Shiny, helping her friend to put the costume on the mannequin.

“I’ve been there once to help with packages. Well, the books are nice, but it’s nothing special.”

“It's not about his place, I just want to talk to him for a while,” explained Shiny wondering how long it will take Skinny to understand.

As a new robot in her first workplace, surrounded by models of other generations, she really hoped for a friend. Skinny seemed to be the right choice, the only choice. An upgraded droid with a flat screen – a perfect combination to connect between the old and the new. But she was so absorbed in her work that it seemed illogical. She has been a helper for choreographers and stage designers for years, shouldn’t she be more relaxed and confident?

“You speak with him all the time, learning about clients and the cards,” replied Skinny. “It’s early in the morning, you still have time. Not like me, I have to catalogue all of that before we leave the town. Sixteen boxes, can you imagine? But you can go now, if you want. It’s not like these boxes are going to run anywhere.”

The air outside was nice, devoid of dust and paint smells. Shiny followed the way to Misty’s wagon, trying to order her thoughts. She must be considerate but firm. People and robots tend to categorise her words before hearing her out. She must be sure to tell everything she wanted. It shouldn’t be difficult with a robot specialized in psychology, right?

“Oh, it’s you,” Misty opened the door and looked at her in surprise. “Wait a second, I’ll stretch the platform to help you come in.”

Shiny looked at the mechanical platform slowly covering the stairs. She doesn’t have long legs as Misty. His creators made him tall, taller than most of the humans.

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“I need coffee for Madame Cascade,” said Shiny coming inside. “It’s an emergency.”

“Well, I haven’t finished yet,” Misty looked troubled. “But maybe you can help me.”

The wagon was small and a bit dusty. All higher shelves covered with old books, ordered by their size. Below packages with careful writing. Spotlights, batteries, spare parts for droids. There was a small table in the middle. Electric oven, strange devices and coffee beans. And several cups of... coffee?

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” admitted Misty. “I’ve boiled it at the perfect temperature, and it still smells funny. I’ve added strawberries from tea bubbles, but the smell didn’t change. So I’ve added it to milk instead. And then it blurred after a few minutes.”

Each cup was accompanied by a small note made on a piece of packing carton. It was really an experiment, a scientific one.

“You should ask a human. We don’t have sense of taste,” said Shiny. “Why are you doing it? Did Director ask you for a new coffee recipe?”

“No, unfortunately, that was my idea. Now I have nobody to blame.”

Misty began to collect all the beans in a metal tin. His fingers were so skilful and quick. Almost human. Shiny felt stupid with her hands that were able only to perform simple tasks and show holograms.

“I came to apologise,” she plucked up the courage to speak her mind. “You must think that I was trying to show off when we first met. That I was trying to replace you. I’m really sorry for that. I… just felt so insecure.”

Misty thought for a moment, processing her words.

“It’s not your fault,” he said at last. “I was expecting it to happen. I try to be prepared any time. Stay up-to-date. I always know when someone’s contract ends and where vacancies are. Currently, I’m attempting to make a new coffee for VIP Jazz Lounge. I’ve read in the comments that clients complain about a lack of choice.”

“It’s a shame that ByePacker hasn’t chosen your takes for the video,” Shiny felt the guilt level rising, her mere existence was a reason that Misty was trying so hard to find his place in the circus.

“Oh, never mind. I’m happy that Dorkins made such a great job. Here you are” he handed her a tin. “Tell Madame Cascade that I’m sorry and thankful at the same time.”

So that’s it. She'll always be an errand bot, designed to make everyone happy.

“Misty, I must ask you ssomething” she said suddenly.

The pink hue appeared again on her screen, and she saw its reflection in Misty’s eyes.

“Yes, it’s like blushing, I’m calibrated to be cute and sweet,” she explained hastily. “What do you think about companionships?”

“You mean companionships between robots?” asked Misty and he even blinked like a human. “I don’t know much, they weren’t any in my times. But I’m sure Director wouldn’t mind if you tell him about your companion. It’s all about these dates, right? Holographic coffeehouses, engraving names, visiting creators and double checkups. I’m sorry, I don’t know much more than this.”

“I don’t have any companion,” said Shiny.

Misty had no answer for that. It was clear that the whole conversation made no sense to him. But before Shiny could explain anything, the door opened with a crack and Madame Cascade stormed inside.

“Found you!” she was energetic as ever, in her unhealthy manner. “Where’s my coffee?”

“There you aare” Shiny handed her a tin. “We’re terribly sorry, but...”

“Wait, is that a coffee pot?” Madame leaned over her shoulder. “I haven’t seen them in ages! And is this coffee? A real one?”

“I’d be honoured if you try it, Madame,” Misty bowed in elegant fashion.

Madame looked at the notes and her smile trembled for a while. Then she tried all cups with exaggerated gestures. Shiny decided that she doesn’t like her. Was she making fun of Misty and his efforts?

“They are all cold!” Madame laughed. “When did you make them? An hour ago?”

“Yes,” Misty checked his notes. “75 minutes ago. Is coffee supposed to be warm?”

“Yes, that’s the point of drinking coffee!”

“It has a sour smell. I guess it also tastes accordingly to that,” Misty winced a little in disgust.

He liked to use human gestures, it must give him a satisfaction to use them on a proper occasion.

“Yeah, it does,” Madame smiled broadly. “But you know what, Misty? There’s a kind of coffee that may interest you. It’s called cold brew, you don’t need to boil it at all. And these strawberry milk tastes nice. You should experiment with them more. Oh, are these stage spotlights in these packages?” she turned to the boxes, lured by the writing.

“Yes, but they are on batteries. Old type, last only twenty hours,” answered Misty without turning his head.

“I see,” Madame thought for a while. “I had no idea that we still have them! Well, Misty, I’ve just got a wonderful idea!” she clapped her hands like she was just encouraging her robots to perform gymnastics tricks. “There’s a new holographic café in this town, it’s called Nocturnal Clocks. You can go there and test all kinds of coffee. For humans and robots. Take Shiny with you, it’s challenging to navigate in this part of town without the newest updates.”

She turned to Shiny on her way back smiling broadly. And then gave her an undeniable wink.