Swallowing his nerves, he takes Alex’s hands in his and pulls him in for a hug. He has properly hugged anyone in a few years but Alex is a bit warm, his natural core processor temperature, and the whirling of his “heart” is comforting to Shantal, who has heard this noise for the past thirty days without pause.
Alex envelops him easily and Shantal is reminded once again Alex was created for this very purpose. He was made to bring someone happiness through a stable, loving relationship. Shantal’s a bit sorry he currently can’t be the one to give Alex all that he needs but he wouldn’t send him back for the world, not now.
“I’m sorry,” he says, speaking into Alex’s clothed chest. “Don’t be,” Alex replies. “Can I…Can I kiss you?”
Shantal shivers, head swimming. This is a bad idea. This has bad idea written all over it in large, very obvious fon
When the next morning came, Shantal found Alex at the edge of her bed. Whenever the robot was done charging, he usually sat at that same spot, facing the window until the first ray of the sun broke into the horizonShantal had once asked Alex if he would like a futon to rest on but the other party declined, saying he preferred the “heat” of Shantal’s bed and the view from his apartment window.On many mornings, Shantal has woken up slowly and turned himself to watch Alex. The sunlight plays beautifully in his brown hair. Alex really is like a doll sometimes, especially when he thinks Shantal isn’t looking. It’s still a mystery what Alex thinks about when he watches the sunrise.He’s painfully oblivious about certain things but he’s not by any means stupid, no matter what Kris or Tao try to tell Shantal. He finds Alex’s interest in the smallest forms of life endearing and also cute. But t
The days pass slowly, Shantal makes sure of it. He does most of his homework immediately after coming from university and spends the rest of the days dragging Alex all around Seoul.Their first stop is an ice cream shop and Shantal buys Alex the most possible scoops, much to the disbelief of the cashier. When Alex downs it all in the same time one would normally take for one scoop, the cashier lady is stunned.“I can’t taste it, not really,” Alex says as they walk hand in hand down the street. “But it feels good in my mouth! Wah, Shantal, you have some of your cheek. Let me get that for you!”Shantal expects a sleeve to start rubbing at his face or a hand, not soft lips and a curious tongue. Alex licks Shantal until he’s good and pink, laughing when Shantal ice cream comes apart in his hand because he was holding it too tightly.They act
Their first shower together is the only one Shantal will ever remember. Alex doesn’t have a problem with being without clothes and he steps into the bath tub first, urging Shantal to join him.Bathing for Alex is like eating: he doesn’t need to do it but he enjoys doing it nonetheless, if only to be with Shantal. Shantal feels a little silly telling Alex to close his eyes as he strips to his boxers but he feels even sillier trying to sit in between Alex’s legs in the tub because he takes up so much room.“Is Shantal really dirty?” Alex asks, hands resting on top of Shantal’s thighs.“I just showered this morning so not really.”“Can I wash you anyway? I want to see what it’s like.”Still a little hesitant, and perhaps a bit self-conscious, Shantal passes Alex the soap and wash-cloth. H
One day, almost in a trance, Shantal found herself browsing on the internet and without her knowledge, she was redirected to bunch of articles related to the study of human and its philosophical views. It was as though her fingers gained consciousness of their own and they started typing 'humanity' on the search bar.Shantal understands very little about what scientists consider a “human” and he wishes to understand a bit more so he can compare it to Alex and everything Alex is.The task itself sounds complicated but it’s only after collecting twenty different psychology, sociology, anthropology and literature books that it dawns on him how unreal the task he has given himself is. Right away, he discards all the books having to deal with human evolution since Alex is already modeled after a Homo sapien.“I think therefore I am,” says Descartes.“Our world is not the ‘real’ one,” says
One day, Jodi came visiting to Shantal's place, bearing some big news.“I sent him back.”She dropped the bomb just like that and Alex stops fidgeting in his chair the moment he heard her said that. Jodi did not have to name who she was referring with that 'him'; both Alex and Shantal already have an inkling of who he was.Almost at the same time, Shantal and Alex's head suddenly turned to Jodi's direction. Shantal pulled her eyes away from Alex and asked, “Sent who back?”“Arvin,” Jodi sips his coffee, staring into his cup.Next to Shantal, Alex frowns. “Why would you do that?”Jodi avoids Alex's eyes and meets Shantal's instead. “I had to. I realized…I realized I didn’t want him anymore. I don’t want a fake boyfriend. I want someone real.”“But he was real—“Jo
That night in bed, Alex suddenly turns to him. “You…you won’t send me back, right?”Shantal groans, “Alex, don’t you know what time it is—““Please,” Alex takes a deep breath. The whirl of his processor is loud in the silence of the night.Shantal opens his eyes, “No. I won’t send you back—““Good, because I know Arvin …I know he suffered. You don’t know what it’s like being one of us. We don’t remember how we’re born. One moment we’re just a pile of nuts and bolts and the next we look like a human and have a human’s heart. Arvin wanted to be human, I know he did. Does. We all do. Sending him back means…it means he failed as a human. There isn’t a worse thing you could do to my kind, please don’t ever—“Shantal sits u
Alex doesn’t have any problems with Jodi either and Shantal is grateful. Jodi is very careful with his speech and mentions nothing of what Alex is or isn’t; most of their conversations revolve around, interestingly enough, Shantal. “You should see him when he’s trying to sleep,” Alex says one time, eyes excited. “He makes these little noises when he’s trying to sleep, they’re really too cute.”“Hey, I do not!” Shantal interjects.When Jodi looks him over, right eyebrow raised, Shantal flushes unnecessarily. “What?”“You two…sleep together?”“Of course!” Alex bounces in his seat. “I keep Shantal warm at night.” “Shantal” Jodi repeats, enunciating the name.Alex, bless his soul, doesn't sense the sudden tense air around Jodi and continues to talk and talk, picking out more of Shantal’s bad habits. In
Alex’s first glitch happens a few days after their second month anniversary (not that Shantal’s been keeping count for ~sentimental~ reasons or anything).Shantal’s typing up his History paper when Alex drops to the floor. A few seconds after the fall, Shantal stares, unable to move. Alex lies on the floor not too far from him, on his side with his eyes closed.When Shantal’s adrenaline kicks in, he shoves his laptop away, sending it crashing to the floor, and rushes to Alex’s side. “Alex! Alex!” he yells, trying to shake him awake. Alex is cold to touch and doesn’t stir, not even when Shantal screams in his ear.With a cold feeling tightening in his gut, Shantal runs to his bedroom and looks for Alex’s manual, finding it finally after tearing his room apart with his shaking hands. His hands tremble with such ferocity he has trouble reading the Troubleshoot section an
"Gosh it's good."Harold said when he got to taste how refreshing the drink was. When he looked at the other two guys, he saw them gesturing to their head but he did not give them much attention."Yes.Sam repeated the same thing with a voice and face devoid of emotion."Something needs fixing."Harold told Sam afterward and so Sam fought back to urge to do and eye roll before replying flatly to him."Okay."This time, Harold noticed that Rico and Michael still keep on doing the same thing so he asked them instead,"What? Is your scalp itchy.""No."The two answered in unison. Jodi on the other hand who was watching all of this farce unfold right before her eyes, could not help but let out a sigh."You sure are made for each other."She said to no one in particular and it was also as seemed she was only talking to herself."Anyway. Michael, I need you to go to Casterly."
"I am right here. Respect my existence."Michael insinuated afterward before he sarcastically added,"Do you guys want be to get you a room instead?""I should not have fallen asleep that night."He muttered to himself as he recalled the night Jodi asked Rico out for a date. He believed that if only he was not asleep that time, then maybe Jodi would also consider dating him.On the other hand, Rico seemed to be out of it and oblivious of him."Lover."The other party mumbled to himself as he observed the tarot card in his hand.'"I did not know this will happen. I feel so lonely."Michael muttered to himself out of despondency and while he was in the middle of self pity. Someone walked into the room.They though the one arrived was some random girl who was in full glam and obviously had just gone to salon for her touch up when it decided to have some coffee."Wow! I told her she would be pretty."
"That robot was sometimes human and sometimes a robot for me and that was why others who can't understand my situation mistakes me as someone who hallucinates and believe a robot as a human just because I am treating it just like one. But for my opinion, my situation was no different from those who loves their pets so much, they even considered them as their child and called themselves as furparents.""My emotions were input into that robot and that person. That is how this miracle happened. That fact completely changed the way I view things. This will be yet another scoop for the reporters present. Nordstorme Corp will go from financing mergers and acquisitions to investing in futuristic industries that involved human sensibilities. Just like what Alpha Tec Inc pioneered years ago.""This is your first change in business strategy in 15 years. Do you have anything mapped out?"One of the reporters raised a question just like what a normal press conference should
On the flip side, just like what Shantal assumed, Mr. Takashi with Mathilde's instruction called for an emergency meeting on that afternood. Which happened to coincide to the time when Shantal will hold her press conference.Moreover, since Mathilde would not be able to make it there since she was still held in prison, her secretary presided the meeting."We shall begin the emergency board meeting."Secretary Ye declared loudly and her voice reverberated in the room. Jiro was also there along with other board members."The agenda is the dismissal of Director Shantal Nordstorme and the cause is as you were all informed. An illness."She continued while everyone was silent and anxiously prayed so they could ever this meeting once and for all. On the contrary, Mr. Takashi was nodding his head on the side and though he was anticipating for this day come.Mr. Takashi nodded his head toward Secretary Ye to signal her to start it once and for
In there, Jodi found a list of shares under her name as well as a soft copy of memorandum of renunciation address to Shantal with her name on it and it was then that Jodi realized that her mom had already long planned about it ahead of the time.As it turned out, Mathilde was thinking of using her influence to oust her cousin out of the position.In addition, inside the flash drive she also found an old email account with records of bunch of emails and it took Jodi more than four hours to go through all of them.But by the time she finished reading the exchange of chats Mathilde had with her hitman, Jodi's eyes was bloodshot.It was unsure if this was cause by her prolong exposure to the screen or if it was exhaustion that was doing this thing on her body, but when she get up from her chair, Jodi balled her hands into a fist.She slammed the door shut behind her back as she left the office and on the screen, the last conversation
It was late in the evening when Jodi received a call out from nowhere. When she checked that registered on the caller ID, she was surprised to see Jiro's name.Truth be told, he was the least person he would expect to contact her. After all, the two of them never talked to each other for ages.Jiro used to be a good friend of hers as well. Just like how she and Shantal were cousins, Jiro and and Zorens were first cousins too so naturally all four of them get to know each other and as a child, they eventually became acquaintances in no time.Besides, since Zoren's parents were a family friend of the Nordstorme they often had an opportunity to hang around during their childhood.However, ever since the day Zoren committed suicide due to the incident regarding the Nordstorme controversy, Jiro also stopped communicating with them.So this made Jodi wonder what had come to Jiro to decide and phone her at this time of the night.But
"In other words, she wants me to become director and cover up all his shortcomings?"Mr. Takashi insinuated after his contemplation. He did not exactly declined the offer this time, unlike before. Although he also did not directly implied that he would do it.Nonetheless, Secretary Ye considered his response as a good sign. At least, the other party was no longer adamant at turning them down.So with the same insinuating manner, she answered him back."That would make it easier for you to do your duties once you become a director. All that was left for you now is to leave Ms. Shantal Nordstrome no other choice but to step down and abdicate the position of board directory to your hands.""Ousting her is not enough. He will just come back. We must make sure he loses the will to come back."Out of nowhere, Mr. Takashi declared with conviction and for a second, the secretary was taken aback by this.One moment, he almost drove her a
"You told Jodi about everything?"Mathilde asked her secretary as soon as the two of them were finally allowed to have some private conversation within the prison hall where she was currently detained. Panic was noticeably present on the other party's face when she raised her question. Meanwhile, the secretary remained silence yet that was all enough for Mathilde to guess her response and not long after that, her shoulders dropped on the side when the realization hit her."I guess she was bound to find out about it sooner or later."She muttered under her breath with despondent undertone.An exasperated sigh escaped Mathilde's lips afterward. But then, she suddenly tenses up when she recalled about something else.Leaning towards the other party all the while grabbing a hold to the iron bars, Mathilde looked around her warily first to make sure that no ears were on them.Only when she confirmed for the umpteenth time that no one was listenin
Adelaine Smith's P o V~~~~While Jodi and I were driving down the road looking for any sign of the robot, I received a call and when I checked who it was, I found out that it was Amanda so I accepted the call right away."Ms. Smith, the robot just got on the bus number 707."I heard her voice telling me the moment it picked her call"Great! Thank you for the information."I replied and not long after that, she hung up on her because I reckoned that it would be best if I could relay this news to the other search parties. In this way they would also know where to start looking. Of course, the first one that I tried to call was my lady boss. However, to my dismay, I was only redirected to the voice call feature of the phone.'The number you have dialed is busy at the moment. Please try your call later or leave a message aft