Isobel let her eyes wander around the workshop, dozens of tables covered in blueprints, assorted tools and half built contraptions. The sound of rain on the skylight filled the room and sent waves of calmness rushing over her. She thought to herself in amusement, thinking she was getting pretty good at handling emotions.

She jumped in her seat when Aurelia suddenly cried out in anguish.

“A FUCKING SEMICOLON. IT WAS A FUCKING SEMI COLON IN THE WRONG PLACE.” Aurelia cleared her throat and composed herself. She spun in her chair to face Isobel, who was looking shocked. 

“Oh sorry, I get a little, shall we say, ‘excitable’?” the scientist said sheepishly.

“The young miss is greatly under-exaggerating.” Addison chimed in.

“I need to slap your programmer in the face, Addison.” Aurelia retorted in a huff.

“But you are-”

“Shhhhhh.”She casually dismissed. She opened one of her drawers, grabbing a pair of lollipops from within. She unwrapped them both with surprising dexterity, then handed one to the android, placing the other in her mouth.. 

“Let’s  try this again, please tell me your thoughts.” 

Isobel took the candy and placed it in her mouth, a much clearer swirl of thoughts and impressions coming to mind other than just ‘fruity’. Aurelia looked at her expectantly, but the android found herself distracted. The scientist's eyes were different colours, one was a deep, rich brown. The other eye was inorganic, the iris a dazzling array of colours, fading in and out, like the eye itself was breathing. The rest of the world seemed to just fall away as she was drawn into those bright, experienced eyes

“Isobel?”Aurelia spoke softly, waving her hand in front of Isobel’s eyes. The android snapped back to reality, the sound of rain almost drawing out Aurelia’s voice.

“Uh y-yes,” Isobel stammered, before continuing. “It has a pleasant flavour. It’s sweet, but a little sour too. However, I do not know the name of this flavour.” 

Aurelia smirked, letting out a chuckle. “Deep in thought? I thought perhaps there was a hang in your code.”

“Your eyes are beautiful, I got distracted. I apologise.” The android spoke, as if it were a matter of fact.

Aurelia froze, her cheeks going flush with red, before clearing her throat. 

“Umm yes, well, good to see you are in working order. Yes. Sight is apparently working well too.” She grabbed her cane, and stood herself up, her face scrunching up as pain shot through her body. 

“Let’s get you dressed. I have a bunch of old clothes you can have. We’ll get you newer clothes next time I need to place a supply order. Please follow me.” Aurelia motioned towards the doorway, and the pair made their way through the large facility to Aurelia's oddly cramped bedroom.

I’m going to lie down for a bit, you have free access to my closet, feel free to take whatever you want.” Aurelia collapsed onto her bed face first, completely motionless.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose.” Isobel said meekly.

“Hmffuph fiph mmurff” Aurelia spoke directly into her bed covers.

“I can’t hear you properly.”

Aurelia begrudgingly rolled over on to her side, and stared up to the clouded sky. “I can just buy more. Seriously, please take whatever appeals to you. If it helps, think of this as a test for preferences, or free will or something. I’m sure you can think of whatever reason to justify it. I need sleep.” 

Isobel nodded, opening the closet to reveal a room larger than the bedroom itself. The walls were lined with a variety of fashions, from formal suits and dresses, down to sweatpants and baggy shirts. She walked in slowly, feeling overwhelmed with the choices before her and walked up to the mirror.

She grabbed her hips, and pinched the soft silicone skin, a weird sensation making her jolt slightly. 

Existence is overwhelming. How do humans manage it?

She moved herself away from the mirror, and began browsing through the myriad of colours and designs. She found a red singlet with the name “Knives in the Nation”, a punk band that Aurelia was apparently a fan of. 

I don’t know much about my creator. Why didn’t she give me any knowledge of her?

Was it an accident? No, Aurelia seemed deceptively collected, despite the mess she kept in her workshop. Maybe she would ask a bit later, for now, she would dress. 

Isobel replaced the band singlet and continued browsing, moving to the variety of formal wear. She pulled out a dress, and held it up to her body. She shook her head, and pulled out a formal dress shirt, and with a nod of approval, slid the shirt over her shoulders, and delicately buttoned it up. 

Her mind was already filled with many concepts and ideas. She knew what many things were, a knowledge base likely set by her creator, but there were also gaps of things she would have thought were important. She didn’t really know where she was, she didn’t know how big the facility was, or what her true purpose was.

She must have created me for a reason, a purpose. 

She found a matching pair of pants, finding some plain underwear and putting them both on. Feeling like she was missing something she dug through the dizzying array of accessories, pulling out a black bowtie, and suspenders. Finishing off her outfit, she put on some dress shoes, and stood herself back up.

She felt properly dressed, smiling at herself in the mirror. It felt perfect for her, but something was missing, she wanted to do something with her hair. She dug through the accessories until she found a hair tie, and fashioned her hair on the back into a bun. With a nod of approval, she left the closet. Isobel closed the door quietly behind her, and turned to see Aurelia laying on the bed spread out as far as the space would allow. Her foot was hanging off the edge, her lab coat only half on.

Isobel was overwhelmed by an odd sensation, mixing between wanting to squeeze the life out of her and also hold her very gently. She now came to understand the pet videos on the GalNet. She stood there for a while, unsure of  what she should do. The room was plain, with only a single nightstand, and a picture in a frame. She crept carefully across the room, not wanting to wake up Aurelia. She gently picked up the frame, a group of people standing side by side, all dressed in military garb, massive metal objects attached to cloth ribbons around their necks..

They all had big smiles on their faces, but their eyes looked blank, filled with dread. Only one person wasn’t smiling, her creator. She was kneeling at the front along with a couple of other men and women. She almost didn’t recognise her, a bandage wrapped around her head, covering her left eye, her arm in a sling.

“You look good. I think you chose it perfectly.” Aurelia muttered groggily. Isobel yelped in surprise, almost dropping the frame. 

Aurelia rolled on her side, glancing at the object the android was holding. Her brows furrowed. “My squad, from the last war I participated in… directly.”

Isobel took one last look at the picture, and placed it back on the nightstand. She stood there awkwardly, unsure on what she should say next. As if to read her mind, Aurelia spoke again.

“It’s not a fun story, I might talk about it later, but for now this bed is very soft, and I do not want to get up. If you want to sleep, then ju....” she trailed off back to sleep. Unsure on what to do with herself, she lay herself down on the cramped floorspace beside the bed, staring at the ceiling. She had been active for fifty two hours, but the further she persisted, the harder it became for her to think. It was an alien sensation

She closed her eyes, and the world fell away as tiredness took her.