Slowly, B-02 lowered his head. He bypassed the safe, conversational distance entirely, his face brushing past her sleek black bob until his lips were hovering a fraction of a millimeter from the delicate shell of her ear.
"And why," B-02 whispered, his velvety baritone vibrating through the quiet room like the lowest, richest note of her ancient GuQin, "are you asking for permission, Mei Lin?"
Mei shivered, her spine pressing flat against the cool glass. The ambient heat radiating from his massive titanium chassis was a staggering contrast to the chill of the window. Her heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs, but her brilliant mind stubbornly clung to the logic she had learned from studying human and AI dynamics.
"Because," Mei replied, her voice incredibly soft, yet laced with a startling, unwavering conviction. "Communication is an important thing in a relationship."
B-02's internal processor violently stalled.
