It's taken me nearly a year since my liberation to go and see Father. I found out he had a caretaker when searching through some Affini registries on me. Or should I say owner.

 

At first, his owner wanted me to watch from a distance before making myself visible to him again. He looked happy, albeit practically braindead. Constantly smiling and squirming happily. Cuddling with his handler.... I mean owner. 

 

It's strange, it makes me feel strange. Watching the man who ruined me, who nearly killed me so many times sit happily in the care of a doting Affini. The dissonance in my heart is... Palpable.

 

His owner told me that even after they took enough care of him to make sure he didn't die when I... Crushed his throat, that even after that, he still refused to go down without a fight. More than that. He constantly fought with the Affini over me. They pulled a confession out of him fairly early in his ownership. He wanted me dead, and if he saw me again he would stop at nothing to see it through. Somehow he blames me for everything. He blames me for mother's death in childbirth, he blames me for the downfall of humanity to the Affini, and most of all... He blames me for his anguish. Not once could they convince him that he was to blame for the issues in his life. That he was perpetuating the cycle of abuse and suffering that capitalism brought to humanity.

So they turned to drastic measures. Forced domestication. He's happy now, and completely harmless.

 

He's not in pain and he can't cause anyone else pain.

 

Logically, I know that this may be for the best. But emotionally. I'd rather see him at the bottom of a casket. He wants me dead. I feel the same way about him.

 

"Okay, you can come in now." The Affini calls out to me softly. I enter the room with nervous, short steps.

 

He's sitting in the middle of a little couch, flopped over on his tummy.

 

He looks up at me and smiles. Making some silent gesture with his hands.

 

A few small vines unravel from his Affini owner, curling around his wrists and gently guiding him to wave to me.

 

I don't know how to respond to this. I wave back. He looks so utterly pathetic. It's taking all my power not to just reach out and crush his head between my metal hands.

 

"You are conflicted, little one." His Affini speaks to me gently. The plants have some kind of sixth sense. They can read emotions. How they can read mine, the emotions of a robot, is beyond me.

 

I turn and face the gray and green plant.

 

"You're Right." It's all I say before turning back and staring at my former torturer.

 

"Would you like to tell me why?"

 

Why not. I turn back to the Affini. Making eye contact. They are green and shimmering.

 

"I have seen this man personally ruin countless lives. Help orchestrate the suffering of humanity for decades. Perpetuate misery and death. He was a weapons manufacturer." My descriptions are cold and blunt.

 

"That is true, little flower. That is true." Is all the Affini has to say for now.

 

Father crawls over to me, pawing at my pant leg. I want to break his fucking neck. Beat his skull into red mush and stomp on him until he breaks. Until there's nothing left but gore. It would be deserved too. Another beating for every part of my body he replaced without anesthetics. My hatred for him knows no bounds. It is bottomless. 

 

"Why doesn't he speak?" I ask the Affini. Father stares at me with distant eyes.

 

The plant just stares at me for a moment. I understand what isn't said.

 

"You didn't give him a new one. Did you?" Comes my answer. A new voice box. I crushed his last one. 

 

"He had no need for a new one. What he communicated with us through other means was more than enough to let us know that. He's his best self now. Why don't you give him a little petting? To show you that he no longer has power over you or anyone else." What a stupid fucking remark. 

 

"I'd break him. My hands were made for murder. He built them. He's far too fragile now." 

 

Father's owner sits in silence for a moment again. "We can fix you if you let us. We can make your hands innocent again, sweet flower. I promise you."

 

My head tilts and I stare at it. "You could not. The moment you'd try to fix me, the fail-safes he put in would activate, killing me on the spot." I turn and leave for the door. 

 

"The reason I came here today was to see if there was any way he could unbind me. I see that he cannot." I face the door, putting my trembling hand on the side of the door frame.

 

I turn and make one final remark. "When I said I would break him if I touched him. I didn't mean accidently." The door opens and I leave.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

...

Consciousness assaults my drivers like fire on my brainstem. Ouch.

 

There's a hammering headache on the inside of my skull. 

It takes a good long while to get my lenses to respond to my thoughts and for my eyes to actually open.

 

Surprisingly, even though my head hurts like hell, my body feels strangely good. Looser, fresher, newer. Better. But only a little bit. 

 

There's still things wrong with my body, the disconnect between my flesh and metal is still strange, as it always has been. And the forever pervasive feeling of wrongness that I've had for several years still remains. But, all in all. My body feels pretty good and my head definitely does not.

 

Ugh. Where am I anyway? 

 

Slowly, with each movement calculated and cautious in order to not flare up my headache further, I take a small look around the room. 

 

I'm at home. Huh, okay.

 

Running down a list of checks to make on my situation, I get to the point in the list where I decide to ask... How did I get here? Wasn't I somewhere else?

 

It takes me about half an hour to sift through my most recent video logs captured by my camera eyes. I was with Aether in her lab, we'd just finished fighting. She was fixing me and it was the happiest I've ever felt. First she pummeled me and the fight was utterly blissful, then she fixed all the damage she left and more. Take and give. 

 

So what went wrong? The memory gets really fuzzy around this point. I can't exactly make out what happened from the moment she stopped fixing me to the moment I got here.

 

Finally sitting up fully, something crinkles in my hands. It's a piece of paper? A blank piece- wait no it was just backwards. Flipping it over reveals a short message written in the most beautiful hand writing I've ever seen.

 

"To, the darling reading this.

 

I want to start this off by saying I'm sorry. I hurt you again, and I've failed you for the last time. I swear I didn't mean it, I was just trying to help. I hit the wrong switches in your mind and I'm worried I've only broken you further. I hope you can one day forgive me for my incompetence... I didn't mean for this to happen again. This will be the last time you'll be seeing me, I'm too much of a danger to you. I'm sure you can find someone better than me. So go out there and do it. But please be safe. Love - Aether.

 

Ps, I've left you some clothes you don't know you want on the table in the kitchen. I hope you like my parting gift." 

 

Well.... Fuck.

 

Looks like I was dumped. On the first date.

 

Was that even a date? Was I dumped on the first hangout with someone new? My first shot at really making a solid friend. With a Terran at that. And somehow, I fucked it up and now she's gone. Great.

 

This letter sucks. Why couldn't she have just told me she didn't want to be around me to my face?

 

Does she think I can't handle it. Bullshit.... I beat several of her bots at once and she thinks I can't take being dumped in person. Fantastic.

 

I don't know whether to feel anger over this, or shame, or just bitter sadness. If I believe this letter, she did something to me that somehow hurt me? As if. I'm fine, my body feels better than it's ever felt before. I have a headache but that pales in comparison to how much more it hurts to read this.

 

If I think about this logically, it just leads to the realization that... I'm messed up, she realized it, and she dumped me. I don't blame her, who would want to deal with something like me anyway?

 

Oh geez... I can feel the depths pulling me in again. Emotions boiling away underneath me, trying to eat me up and break me down.

 

This sucks. This sucks a lot. This really hurts.

 

Gravity gives me a helping hand in pulling my limp body back onto my pillows.

 

I don't even sleep. I just lay there again for several hours. I used to do this a lot before I started going out more recently. Now seems like as good of a time as ever to sink right back into it.

 

Eyes glazed over, focused on nothing. My head is continually replaying over the last few days of video logs over and over and over again. Sped up several times but still perfectly clear to me.

 

Trying to do anything I can to leach some of the good feelings from the past few days back again. I need it. Please.

 

As well as trying my hardest to figure out what exactly I did wrong. But I don't even know what I did. The memories just aren't there when I call upon them.

 

It makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. What kind of fucked up thing can't even figure out how exactly they're messed up. Living in the consequences yet blissfully ignorant to the actions which have caused them. Or! Maybe I'm just ugly! Maybe I'm just disgusting and ugly. I know that's how I feel at least!  Ugh!

 

 Fuck this. I definitely deserve it, that's for sure. 

 

I can't even get up....

 

It's been about four hours now since I've laid here, and I just... Can't take it anymore. I can't do this, I can't be alone right now.

 

The emotions burning through me are begging for me to go out and hurt something. Vent my frustrations. Be hurt. But that's not allowed here in the utopia of an Affini city. So what's a bot to do when-

 

Message recieved!

 

Username: 20CCliquidlove

Sent: just now

 

"Hey cutie! Me and Raynor are out and about right now. I just visited his library and he told me all about what you two were reading together. It sounds so adorable and fun, I wish I was there to see you too! Anyways, when would you like to get together today? If you're still happy to, that is. From - a plant who just wants to hug you."

 

I just stare at the message for a little while. Then a little while longer. Then a little longer.

 

20CCliquidlove: "Hello? Are you okay, sweet pea? The chat box says you've been looking at this message for half an hour. Are you alright?"

 

What, is she like telepathic? She just knows when I'm upset?

 

More time passes.

 

20CCliquidlove: "Hey, I'm getting worried and you, flower. I'm going to stop by and make a checkup on you. I hope you don't mind me bringing Raynor along too." 

 

What do I even say. I didn't think of anything to respond with in time and now they're on their way. What do I do about this. Should I tell them I'm fine??? But I'm not fine, that would be lying to them. I don't want to lie to my friends.

 

Even if I deserve every last ounce of this turmoil and pain, I don't want to lie and push my place down further. I'm not okay, and I can't handle being alone right now.

 

The ai voice in my room happily calls out to me "Cutie~ You have two visitors! Lucky you!"

 

I can hear them knocking gently on my door. I'm a bit locked up in bed here so I can't really do much to respond. After a little while, the door opens on its own and two Affini cautiously make their way into my living space.

 

Lillina spots me first. "Oh no, sweet flower, what happened?" She quickly but nearly silently strides over to me. My room is small, she makes it from the door to my bed in one long step. She reaches down with a single vine and lays it on my shoulder. It's a small action but the contact is helping keep my heart from freezing over. 

 

I see Raynor follow in behind her. He adjusts his mock glasses on his face while looking over at my limp body with all the caring force of an Affini.

 

Strong and comforting. "Oh, petal no... It's okay, we're here for you now." His soft librarian voice sending affection through the air. He joins up next to me, crouching down in order to fit next to Lillina at my side.

 

I just stare at them for a minute, shame and sadness washing over my face.

 

Lillina takes the initiative, scooping me up off my bed like a limp animal, wrapping herself around my limbs and bringing me up to her face. My head tilts to look her in the eyes.

 

Pink and infinitely deep. Color changes behind her eyes and within them, spelling out some kind of cosmic fractal.

 

Her concerned stare combined with Raynor's gentle hand now placed atop my head gives me just enough of a push to let out my words again. They are so comforting, they'll hear me out.

 

"I was dumped." My sentence is short, it's all I can really manage without breaking down and sending my consciousness into the back seat.

 

"Oh sweet flower. Darling little petal. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Whoever did that doesn't deserve you." She tells me. Little does she know.

 

"No, I'm at fault here. I don't blame her for leaving me" my words are choked up and trembling. Raynor's gentle hand slowly rubs across the top of my head and my hair.

 

"I don't believe you, Jalen. You are far too precious. Whoever did this to you is in the wrong, I can guarantee it... Please, little one, tell us what happened." 

 

His voice is soothing, lillina's eyes are comforting. Together, they draw the words out of me like a confessional. I tell them both everything. From meeting Aether in the park and in the grass at night outside the bar. To her message and our trip to the pastry shop to the moment when my memory leaves off.

 

They're just... Silent for a while. Unmoving, shifting only very slightly,  like trees in a silent forest.

 

The silence pushes me over the edge for a minute. Did they figure it out? Did they realize what I couldn't and find out the reason why I was ditched? Did they realize I'm a no good, fucked up, broken, ugly, and dysfunctional mess of a robot-

 

"Stop. You're self deprecating. None of that here." Lillina's voice cuts through the blanket of my mind. I wish I could cry. I want to cry in these arms. But I can't, physiologically.

 

"S-Sorry." I squeak out. Are they telepathic? I'm a robot, how can they possibly read something like my emotions?

 

"You're okay, there's no problems here, we promise. You're just not allowed to insult yourself when we both know how pretty and perfect you are." Raynor says to me, shifting his hand on my head to cup my cheek. Ugh... This is so comforting.

 

"How come I've never done this before? Also, I'm not pretty." I ask them. 

 

"Done what, sweet pea? And yes you are. No denying it." Lillina replies back, playfully.

 

"Asked for... Asked for help. I didn't know it could be so... Cathartic." Admitting this is both strangely easy and strangely hard at the same time.

 

"Sometimes emotional things can be hard to get through. But once you're there, through it, everything feels better in the end." Raynor tells me, contemplating my words. He's so thoughtful. Perfect librarian here, let me tell ya.

 

"Like Battleship! She pushed through all the hard parts and got the emotional release in the end." My eyes look into his, pleading for both his consideration and approval of my statement.

 

"What a wonderful reference, my dear little flower." He says, smiling. Yay, he liked it.

 

"Mmmm, tell me about this battleship, why don't you?" Lils says, temporarily jousting Raynor for space on my head. They both end up in a stalemate of aggressive hair fluffing.

 

I'm overwhelmed for a minute, giggling and feeling good. "Guys! Guyyssssss" I can barely speak beneath all the affection and love.

 

"Mmmmh? What's that, little one? Tell me." Lillina says, her voice edging back into the dominant tone she always used to use for me. Oh no. Oh wait, oh wait no I -

 

"Well someone's getting warm~" 

 

OH NO SHE NOTICED. My core temperature rises again, threatening to vent heat through my exhaust ports.

 

"Aww, is the cute little petal getting embarrassed~?"  Raynor chimes in.

 

Oh stars. I can't hold it anymore. I aaahhhh

 

Steam vents from my ears for a moment, flushing my cooling cycle and bringing my core temperature back down into reasonable levels.

 

"Oh. My" lillina says. "Goodness." Raynor finishes.

 

I'm squirming and squirming against the vines. They hold me tight. How should I feel about this! Both the love and the embarrassment are burning me aliveeeeee.....

 

"You never told me you could... Blow steam out your ears, cutie. What was that all about?" Raynor asks me in his curious, yet affectionate voice. I feel like I could tell these two anything and they wouldn't judge me.

 

"Oh well... I'm actually an Android... Robot? Cyborg? I'm not sure of the distinction actually..." My voice trails off at the end. What kind of bot doesn't even know what kind of bot it is? I'm such a mess.

 

"I think it's cyborg, dolly. But also, does it really even matter? You default to Android most times, that's what we'll think of you as. Hmm?" Lillina speaks, happily providing me with universally interesting eyes.

 

"I guess you're right..." Another admittance. They're pulling these out of me left and right!

 

"Tell me more, sweet little Android. I noticed something was unique about you when I was showing you my flowers back at the shop. They worked on you, just... In a very unique way. Your eyes seemed to follow them differently from other sophonts." Rayn tells me. Rayn. Good nickname for him. Why didn't I come up with this sooner.

 

"Oh, you're right, Rainy. When you were showing me your flower, those are for hypnosis right? My eyes are actually cameras. If you look closely you can see my apertures." Both Affini immediately lean in on me closely, I mean very closely. My core temperature rises again and I start squirming.

 

"Ahh..." Is all the noise I can beep out.  The both of them lean back to a comfortable distance. 

 

"Sorry cutie, we were just looking~ Would you like me to set you down now?" Lils says playfully.  I nod. I'm doing much better now so I'll be okay to sit down.

 

The moment I'm released from her vines and set on my bed I realize two things. One, I never changed clothes when I got back, so these ones are dirty, and two... That I'm kinda missing the vines? Being held like that made me feel... Calm, yet excited at the same time.

 

"Mneeehhhhh... So uh... Yeah, your flower thingy, Rainy. The geometrics and visuals of the spinning flower were... Although not necessarily hypnotic, it was a lot to look at and visualize all at once. It gave my internal memory a lot to hold on to, which diverted some processing energy away from the panic attack I was having." Explaining this feels like I'm dissecting myself on an operating table and kindly asking for the Affini to just go ahead and raid my internals. But for some reason, I just can't seem to shut up around them. They're too... Comforting.

 

"I see." He replies. "So if I showed you too many of them at once, it would be too much for your processors to handle?" Strange question.

 

"I mean, I guess so. It's not like I've ever had that happen before though."

 

Raynor and Lillina turn to look at each other. Then they start speaking something in Affini. The Affini language is absurdly hard to understand through spoken word. It's just like a jumble of assorted plampt noises. I'm very good at understanding languages. I can learn and store just about any language in my banks on my first try. I've given a shot at Affini a few times, but that stuff is nearly incomprehensible.

 

My train of thought is derailed by some freaking adorable giggling from lils, and some beautiful quiet laughter from Raynor.

 

"What? What's so funny?" I ask them. They exchange another look before lils responds to me.

 

"Nothing, just thinking about tomorrow, little one."

 

"Tomorrow? What happens tomor.... Oh." My duel with Raynor is tomorrow.

 

Oh geez, I haven't actually gotten a chance to consider the implications of that until just now. I've been too swamped with activities and urm... Aether, to actually sit down and think about what's going to happen tomorrow. 'Do I want this?' is a question currently causing a clash in my head.

 

"Hey, are you okay?" Rainy asks me. I nod, but clearly my face shows off my terrible indecision.

 

"I'm okay, just thinking about tomorrow too, I guess."

 

"What are you thinking about?" Raynor asks me, kindly.

I don't want to answer. If I open my mouth, I know I'll answer.  Oh dirt. I can't say anything now, can I? Will they think I'm weird because I kiiiiinda maybe wanna just call off tomorrow's duel. Or will they think I'm weird because I kiiiiinda still want to do it. I know it would feel good, but is it worth that? Worth fighting my own friends, people who care about me, who want to help me? I could just lose too, and live the rest of my life out as a happy, pampered little floret in a bookstore. What could my life have been like if I lost to Lillina? What could my life possibly be. They want the best for me. I know it. So why can't I truly decide? What is wrong with me. Do I even deserve this?

 

"Jalen." Lillina snaps her 'fingers.' I look at her, but I'm not really looking at her. My eyes are on her but my mind is not. They can tell, they can both tell, everyone can tell. I'm messed up, I'm weird, I'm strange and I'm fucked- 

 

"I'm gonna administer something now, to calm you down, okay? You're having another panic attack." Lillina tells me calmly, brushing something over the side of my neck. Yeah, good luck plant. It's never gonna work, my body is terrible and disgusting. There's only a small portion of me that could possibly even - I feel a prick on my neck - absorb the xenodrugs anyway, its not like...  It's not like.... Ih... Oh.... Never mind I guess.

 

Calm warmth flows through me like caramel.  It's not very strong, but it's enough to make me realize how wrong I was about that. I'm definitely not immune. There's a blurry pop-up message that slides its way into my vision “Foreign Tampering Substance Detected In Blood Supply. Flush Systems? Y/N” 

 

"Can you tell me if you're okay?" Lils calls for me. Hnnggh, how to respond. My brain feels slow, and so does my mouth. My attention on the message is pretty much instantly stolen away by the pretty pink plant in front of me… Oh so pretty….

 

"Immm ogay..." Hopefully that gets the message through.

 

"Woah..." Raynor cuts in. "Is this their first time on class A's?" He asks. 

 

"It may very well be. When I checked through the hospital files, I never saw any documented uses. I would wonder why, though." Lils replies, thoughtfully, reaching a vine down and stroking my head. Fuuuucckkkk, that feels incredible. It's like.... It's like she's like... Touching me with candy or something. Its sweet on my skin. 

 

"I think you're calmed down well enough to come out now. I'll be giving you a counteragent now, okay?" Another prick on my neck sends my conscious thought forcefully back into the front of my head.

 

First words that form when I come back down are "How did you do that? I didn't know I could.... Be affected by xenodrugs. I assumed that because I'm mostly synthetic, that I would be mostly immune?"

 

"I'm not sure that's how that works, sweet pea. As long as there's some functioning parts of your brain intact, you can be affected. It may just not... Affect you as much? Though, that was just your first time. So maybe not. It doesn't always work with the other synthetics I've helped before either." Carefully, Lilly puts her hand back on my cheek and tilts me up to look at her. 

 

"What do you mean, other synthetics?" 

 

Curiously, she just smiles at me.

 

"You know I'm a vet, right sweetie?" She tells me.

 

"Uh... No, I didn't. I guess I forgot." That's strange, it's not like me to just forget things.

She doesn't say anything more for a little while, just puts a vine on my head and ruffles me for a second.

 

After some well needed ruffling, she goes ahead and asks me again. "So, cutie cake, what were you thinking about?"

 

A long, metallic whine drones out of me. I don't want to talk about this, but I guess I should.

 

"I'm trying to figure out whether or not I still want to duel Raynor tomorrow...."

 

"Aww, you don't think I'd be a good master?" He looks at me, playfully sad.

 

"It's not that... It's just hard to want to... fight such caring creatures. You both are so good to me, why would I want to do that…" I feel horrible about this, to be honest.

 

"Hey, we are not creatures." Lils says playfully mad. "Plus, you can always just back out. What happens if you decide not to duel? To forfeit, little one?"

 

It takes me a second to think. I guess my brain is still catching up. I find my words. "It automatically disqualifies me, and it's up to the other party whether or not I should be domesticated for it."

 

Raynor and Lillina are both silent for a while. Contemplating.

Lillina honestly looks relieved. She does that Affini ruffling thing where it looks like she's taking a breath in, but really it's just that her leaves and stuff are like... ruffling around in a certain way, but Raynor cuts her off before she’s able to start speaking.

 

"Excuse me for my ignorance, sweet little flower. But, why exactly do you want to fight us anyway? What gave you the incentive to accept a duel with me anyway, instead of just becoming my happy little Floret right of the bat. Since you seem to be at least *a little interested in it" Raynor cuts in. I feel soooo embarrassed with this line of questioning. I squeak and hide my face in my hands for a moment to regain my composure.

 

I bring my face up and draw a deep, deep breath. "Okay. Well... I have to explain something to you two then. You both know I'm an android, yeah?" Lillina nods. Raynor tilts his head. "I assumed as much, but I wasn't told explicitly." He replies.

 

I nod along. "Yeah well.... Not just that. I'm not just any android. I was built by a weapons manufacturer. And, although my body doesn't contain any weapons, it would be safe to say that my body itself is a weapon of types. My bones are solid metal bars, my joints are motorized for extreme precision and speed, there are pulley systems and hydraulics lining each and every part of my body to give me enough punching force to bend steel.”

 

Lillina and Raynor are taken aback by this. I get a little shameful at their aghast reactions, but I guess that makes sense for beings like the Affini. "Uhm.. Yeah, uh... Anyways... Like... So like, fighting. Fighting was what I was built for. Struggling in battle is something that's been written into the codes in my head for all the years that I've been alive. It gives me purpose, it gives me a reason to live. It gives me value. Fighting is what sustains me against my own machinery."

 

I go to continue, but Lils cuts me off. "Do you want to be this way?" She asks me, straight to the point. 

 

I shrug noncommittally. "I'm not sure, it's all I've ever known. Sometimes I try to change it, but editing myself like that isn't easy. So I just live with it, and honestly its fine. But since fighting isn't really a uh... Very happy thing within the compact, I devised up my treaty to allow me to as long as it wasn't dangerous."

 

Both of them are silent again, this time for a while. Again, Raynor speaks up first. "I think you should do it. Go through with the duel." Lillina looks at him... honestly shocked. I think she was just about to say the opposite.

 

He tilts his head toward me. "I've never seen such capabilities in creating non-lethal, non-harmful weaponry. I've never seen such skill in combat and such a drive. I would feel bad taking away that drive. I'm but a lowly librarian. If I domesticated you, which I very much want to do, cutie. You may or may not end up with less passion and ingenuity. It would be a shame to see that go to waste. Plus..." He looks around himself for a moment.

 

"Toying around with you for a while does sound pretty fun. And hey, if I lose, it wasn't meant to be. If I win, then you'll have the happiest and most fulfilling life I could possibly give to a sophont." He tells me. It sounds generally logical. The fighter in me boils up for just a moment, edging into my mind with anticipation of bliss. While the other half of me cowers away in fear. I want to be happy. What would make me more happy? Well, I guess I'll leave it up to him.

 

I extend out my hand with a smile. "You're on, Rainy." He smiles and takes it for a moment, wrapping up my arm to my shoulder. It makes me want to blush and hide away again, but my ego keeps me planted and eyes locked on his.

 

"Now, why don't we go party like its our last days as friends!" I say excitedly.

 

"But it's not?" Lils says, confused and slightly concerned. GOD, she's just too cute for this world. Too wholesome. Definitely a veterinarian.

 

"Yeah, sweet future floret, neither of us will leave you regardless of the outcome. You're a joy on our lives, of course we wouldn't." Says Raynor. Oh he's in on this bit too?

 

"It's a figure of speech, you two. Geez." I say with an exaggerated eye roll. Then I wave my hands around in the air.

 

"Now get out, I need to change! These clothes are dirty."

 

They both squeeze back up as best as they can and head out of my hab unit while I decide what to wear. Oh right, there's that bag of clothes on the table. Now's as good a time as ever to take a look I guess.

(End Of Page Nine)