Sade's POV
"Thank you, Sade. For this morning. It was very thoughtful of you to prepare all of this."
I resolved to finally look at him, hoping I could understand what was going through his head.
His sad eyes smiled at me, and I gave a small smile back.
His words felt like a goodbye.
I could have cried.
I walked away, unable to take more of this.
Was he going to send me back or not? He seemed to know something I didn't. Was the company staff waiting for me at the tea house? Will they cancel my contract once I arrive?
V had already had so many chances to break the bad news to me. What was he waiting for?
The breakfast had gone so well. He had seemed a bit surprised by the birthday cake, but he was looking happy not long after.
It wasn't enough to make him change his mind.
I had been in such a rush to get out of the house, and then, get out of my owner's sight, I was the first to arrive at the tea house. Standing by the entrance, I immediately recognized the woman I had met on my onboarding day. She was a trainee at Love Machina Inc., the one who didn't know what an Involuntary Debtor Offspring was.
I braced myself for whatever was next. Was she going to be the one to break the bad news to me? It would make sense since she was the one who onboarded me for that mission.
"Sade, right?" she smiled as soon as she recognized me. "I'm Calypso. We met on your first day. Since you're already here, let's find our table."
Nothing else.
Calypso didn't seem like she had a hidden agenda to take me away.
I followed her inside, my eyes drinking in every new sight around me. The anxiety that had pursued me from the house, through the loop, all the way here, slowly faded away.
I couldn't believe it.
I had managed to steal a few more hours in this magical world!
I will have to meet the owner later, and he will probably announce his decision to send me back. But for now, I could steal a few last instants of this perfect life. These moments I will cherish and hold on to until I finally pay off my debt.
The tea house was a vast, airy half-circle, with round alcoves of tables lining the walls. Behind each alcove, a wall of windows stretched across the curve, offering a view of Piao Aasman's towering skyscrapers and the suspended gardens between them.
My eyes widened in wonder at the tiny flower-shaped robots gliding gracefully around the space. I realized the room itself mirrored the shape of a massive flower, each alcove forming one of its petals, reaching outward toward the sky.
I slid onto the circular bench that wrapped around our table. Calypso chose the lone individual chair, positioning herself at the head of the table, the start of the petal.
Just like V, I noticed she didn't have a bag. She took out her glasses and tablet from the large pockets of her wide grey pants. I imitated her, pulling the tablet V had given me out of my printed bag.
I wished the alcoves didn't hide other customers. I would have liked to observe them, to know how to behave in places like this. I had never been to a tea house before, and just like in the loop, I had no idea what etiquette to follow. I knew for a fact it wasn't going to be anything like the cafeteria I was used to at the clinic, nor the meal boxes at V's house. I didn't want to appear clueless when the others arrived, the same way I had looked strange to V earlier this week.
Or every day, for that matter.
My fingers tightened around my tablet as my eyes searched for answers in my surroundings. Was there a system similar to the meal app?
"Your tablet automatically connects to the place."
I turned to the trainee.
"If you check your tablet, you'll see an icon with a flower on it," Calypso said, pointing to an engraved flower on the table itself. "Their logo."
She gave me a gentle smile, probably noticing my confusion.
"Oh. I see," I smiled back, tapping the flower symbol on my tablet. "Oh, wow!"
My eyes widened in surprise as a full menu appeared, offering even more options than I had ever seen on the meal app.
"Mine is prioritizing the menu items according to my tastes and nutritional needs..." Calypso's eyes blinked behind her glasses, which she had just pushed up on her small, perky nose. She was probably seeing the menu through them now. "I guess I'm about to die," she laughed, showing me her tablet's screen.
I smiled as I read the menu items her tablet had prioritized for her:
The Cleanse Catalyst, a detoxifying blend of dandelion root and ginger
The Energizer Elixir, a fusion of green tea and spirulina, packed with antioxidants to boost your metabolism
The Defense Shield, a mix of elderberry and turmeric, an immune-boosting tea
"I guess I shouldn't have had pizza for breakfast," Calypso sighed with another small laugh, as she selected her healthy tea.
I kept grinning, blissfully unaware of what ginger, turmeric, or even pizza were, yet somehow, I knew they were all wonderful. I glanced down at my own tablet, scrolling through options like Berry Bliss tea, Vanilla Chai Dream, or Chocolate Mint Velvet. None of the teas on Calypso's tablet appeared on my screen.
"Is this the Machina Learning meeting?"
I lifted my eyes to the figure who had just appeared by my side. She wore a long black dress and pigtails on top of her head made from her small dark braids. Her kind eyes smiled warmly at me.
"I'm Chaoxing," she introduced herself to the two of us.
"Welcome, Chaoxing," Calypso said, blinking behind her glasses as if checking something off a list. "Please, take a seat."
I smiled back and shifted aside to make room for the newcomer between Calypso and me. I noticed Chaoxing's silver high-platform shoes, similar to the ones I'd seen the young girls wearing in the loop.
I couldn't tell if Chaoxing was a true Love Machina or not. I didn't remember seeing her during the onboarding day.
I observed her as she casually pushed some of her pigtail braids behind her shoulder. Small filaments of silver were intertwined in her hair and twinkled under the alcove's light.
"You like it?" Chaoxing smiled again, noticing my curious eyes. "I got it done yesterday," she said, running her fingers through the long, tiny braids. "My boyfriend and I spent a full day at the new beauty center. It's wonderful! Have you been?" she asked, her smile radiant.
My eyes fluttered in awe at her beauty, leaving me momentarily speechless, until Calypso spoke up.
"Your boyfriend is the Chief Biotech Officer, correct?"
"Correct," Chaoxing confirmed, then added with another bright smile, "Have you met him?"
"I didn't get the chance," Calypso answered with a tight smile, her eyes not quite matching her expression.
Chaoxing's attention turned back to me.
"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the small yellow plastic bag between us. "It's so very cute!"
"Ah, thank you," I said, placing the small backpack on my lap. "It's just my bag."
"How very adorable! Where did you get it?" Chaoxing said as she took the bag in her hands, admiring it and fiddling with the zipper.
"I printed it, actually," I admitted.
As proud as I felt about my backpack, having spent countless hours perfecting the printing model I'd envisioned, I sensed that this wasn't a common thing. After spending more time observing the citizens of the City, I had never seen anyone else wearing something similar.
"Printed? How very wonderful!" Chaoxing beamed with even more admiration. "I can't figure out my home's printer even though my boyfriend showed me many times," she giggled, her hands coming to her face as if she were ashamed to admit it.
I couldn't help but wonder for a second if that was an admission that Chaoxing wasn't a true Love Machina. Wouldn't a robot perfectly know how to make another robot function? But then again, I wasn't a true Love Machina myself, and yet, I'd managed to do so.
"It can be difficult at the beginning. A lot of trial and error," I grimaced, remembering my unfortunate experimentations. "But you get the hang of it after doing it a few times," I explained with a shy smile.
"Really?" Chaoxing's eyes lit up, intrigued. "You should come to my house and show me how you use it, then! Wouldn't that be fantastic? I'd love to host a lunch one day, or maybe a dinner..."
Calypso quietly observed our exchange, and I had a feeling she was taking notes as well. Soon, more machinas arrived, and I struggled to keep up with all the names. Finally, ten women, plus our coordinator, were seated around the table, and I couldn't get enough of observing how they dressed, spoke, and held themselves.
Then I recognized a familiar face.
The redhead who had asked many questions during our onboarding day walked in. She was the last to arrive, sitting on a curve of the table that was hard to see from my seating spot.
"Shall we start?" Calypso brought her hands together once everyone had finished ordering drinks on their tablets. "For those who haven't met me before, my name is Calypso. I'm a Coordinator Trainee at Love Machina Inc. This is my first time leading a Machina Learning meeting," she admitted with an apprehensive smile. "Please, be patient with me if I make any errors."
I couldn't help but recall the "error" from my onboarding day, the way she had circled my Involuntary Debtor Offspring status.
"It's my first meeting," Chaoxing whispered to me. "Yours too?"
I nodded with a shy smile.
"First, I'd like to remind everyone that this is a safe space. You can share any experience you're struggling with or have struggled with... as long as it's within the boundaries of what your owner permits you to disclose," the trainee continued, her gaze drifting off through her glasses. "The purpose of this meeting is to help each other grow, adapt, and overcome challenges. Even if you feel uncertain or hesitant, your input can spark valuable insights for the group."
A hand rose at the far end of the table, and Calypso nodded.
"I'd like to update you all about a situation I spoke about last week."
I peeked to my side to see who was speaking. The woman was wearing a white dress with a high collar and no sleeves. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her outfit, though simple, was accented by a single line of shiny electric blue eyeliner above her eyelids.
"I finally found the courage to speak to my owner..." she began, encouraged by Calypso to continue, "...about my fear of abandonment."
I straightened on my seat, now all ears for what would come next.
"That's wonderful, Annie!" Calypso exclaimed as if reading more about it on her glasses, encouraging her to elaborate.
"I am a caretaker for my owner's mother. Over the last few weeks, Mother's health has drastically deteriorated..." Annie explained, her hands twisting nervously on the table. "We've been giving her palliative care since the beginning of the month, and I'm afraid her daughter will soon decide to..." she breathed sharply. "To give her grace," she managed, swallowing hard.
My eyes roamed the table, wondering if I was the only one puzzled by what palliative care or giving grace meant.
"I see. Are you scared of her passing?" Calypso asked with a gentle tone.
I noticed the trainee's tablet in front of her was summarizing every word spoken. Annie's face contorted as she looked up at the ceiling, biting her lip in apprehension.
"No. Scared, no," she answered after a moment. "Maybe... sad? But I think it's better this way too... Mother hasn't been truly herself for some time now... I'm not even sure she's still here..." Her eyes blinked rapidly. "I'm more scared of... after."
"After?" Calypso asked.
"After she gets grace," Annie sniffed, looking down at her hands. "When she passes away... what will happen to me?"
I watched as her eyes darted around the table as if she feared judgment, but it was met only with understanding nods.
"I fear the same thing," a woman with short hair admitted, leaning in to meet Annie's eyes across the table. "I'm a nanny for a family of three. The youngest is six. He's getting more and more independent each day, and I can't help but wonder... What will I be of use when they all become independent teenagers?"
More nods of agreement met her words.
"So, you spoke to your owner about your fears?" Calypso refocused the group on Annie's update.
"Yes," Annie smiled, placing her palms on her chest as if to contain a flood of gratitude. "I told her I wanted to stay with them, even after Mother gets grace. She completely understood me and said I could!"
"That's amazing!"
"Congratulations!" the short-haired woman said, clapping sincerely.
"Such a great update!"
"How very marvelous!" Chaoxing chimed in, clasping her hands together.
I joined in with soft claps, still processing all the new information. Everyone around the table congratulated Annie, who looked so happy and relieved to share her update.
"That's such great news, Annie. Thank you for sharing," Calypso smiled.
Our conversation was then interrupted by a cute, tiny flower robot arriving at our table. A faint melody played as its flower top detached from its head. The flower glided across the table in what seemed like magnetic levitation, its petals rotating and opening or closing before each customer to let them seize their drink order.
The women around the table began to chat about everything and nothing as the orders were served.
When it was my turn, I reached for my glass cup, a pink mist escaping from it. I had chosen the drink with the most ingredients I couldn't even name.
"Nebula Bloom?" the short-haired girl in front of me pointed at the drink with envy as I placed it in front of her. "I tasted the hibiscus on my lips all day the last time I had it... This is making me regret my order choice now!" she pouted, glancing down at her order that looked like a simple green tea.
"What's hibiscus?" Chaoxing asked innocently.
"It's a flavor like... similar to cranberry, maybe?" the other girl answered while sipping her iced tea. "It's one of my favorites!"
I tried it and it immediately became one of mine too.
"I'm still getting familiar with most things," Chaoxing mentioned to the ones who could hear her around the table as if to explain her questions. "It's my first week... so much new information!" she held her forehead, smiling with a sigh.
I watched as all the women around us nodded with compassionate smiles.
"Me too," I admitted with a shy smile to Chaoxing only when she turned to me again. "It's also my first week."
"I'm so glad we met," Chaoxing smiled, placing her hand on my forearm. "I feel less alone now," she sighed again.
Calypso continued to observe us behind her glasses, sipping silently on her Defense Shield tea. Her tablet kept typing out our conversations.
I listened to Chaoxing and the short-haired girl talk. I learned she was called Firinne, and they both chatted about the new beauty center, while other women discussed the upcoming multi-garden sports event at Piao Ghar. At the end of the table, Annie talked to the machinas with envious eyes about her plans after the mission. She was planning to look for a contributor job and study to become a kindergarten teacher.
I sighed, feeling a tug at my heart. As I brought the tea to my lips, I wondered when I'd ever feel the flavor of hibiscus again. I almost regretted not letting V break the bad news to me this morning. It felt cruel that I'd allowed myself to explore more of a world I knew I'd be torn from in just a few hours. I had just given myself even more reasons to regret leaving this place.
I looked around at the beauty of the space, and suddenly, everything felt so unfair. I didn't want to return to the dull clinic, where I'd spend my days confined to white rooms, waiting for the next injection, scan, or questionnaire, interacting with the computer tablets, eating the same meals, wearing the same uniform, seeing the same people every day.
Love Machina Return Policy, the blue words flashed in my mind again.
I should have seen it coming. This was too good to be true. And yet, as I looked up at the floating flower lamps, I yearned to stay.
I wanted to stay.
"Maybe we could ask our new joiners about their first week."
When I looked at Calypso, her eyes were already on me.
"Sade, would you like to start? How were your first days in your new home?" she encouraged me.
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