Astrid7Astridcharacter glanced at KMega6KMegacharacter every now and then as they continued forward. When they eventually arrived, she waited until everyone disembarked because she wanted to tell him something.
“I don’t mind what happened last night. If you like her more than my IRL self, I won’t hold a grudge.” (Astrid)
KMega blushed as he looked away.
“Astrid, I….” (KMega)
His mind swirled as he thought of an excuse.
After seeing him in such distress, Astrid smiled and gave him a hug.
“I just want you to be happy; even if it’s not with me.” (Astrid)
KMega paused before returning the embrace.
Adams then got on the bus again.
“Hey, lovebirds, we’re on a time crunch.” (Adams)
Astrid kissed his cheek before turning around and leaving him with a blushed face.
However, before she could walk away, he grabbed her wrist, “I want you to be happy too. Even if… it’s here or in-game.” (KMega)
Astrid paused before making a cute smile. Her heart was actually in slight turmoil though.
Her ultimate goal is to always be with KMega, but after he said that, she had a sudden realization. She’s essentially immortal, while he has an organic body and a limited lifespan compared to hers, even with the advanced medical treatment for their current time period.
This was an unexpected curveball that will affect her life.
When all three of them disembarked, Adams put something on Astrid’s and KMega’s wrists.
Since KMega didn’t know what the band meant, he didn’t have a reaction.
“What are these?” (KMega)
Adams looked at KMega with an amused expression on his face.
“You really don’t get out much. Astrid is wearing an ID band that labels her as a prototype mechanoid. Even though she’s safe enough to go out into the general public, she’s still learning to control her finer functions, like her grip last night.” (Adams)
KMega wanted to ask what he was talking about, but Astrid quickly cut him off.
“Your band labels you as my owner. Sadly, they’re required by law so I can enter the general public. Where are the event passes?” (Astrid)
Adams stuffed his hand into his jacket pocket before pulling out some badges.
“All right. The tournament is at 4, so be backstage around 3 so we can make our preparations. Make sure you don’t get into trouble in the meantime.” (Adams)
Adams then handed them the badges that labeled them as tournament contestants.
Since Astrid already made plans, she quickly grabbed KMega’s hand to go out on their first IRL date. What better place would there be to spend time with your robot girlfriend than a tech convention?
The others watched with amused expressions as they hurried off with excited looks on their faces. Winter paid close attention to KMega before taking her badge. She had regrets about the night before, and she could see the turmoil KMega was going through because she was going through the same thing. She was having second thoughts as she sat down for an open lan FPS game. Gaming was a way for her to escape and focus, but she was really distracted this time and wound up with a +13 kill/death ratio.
She was running on autopilot while her mind was in turmoil from all the emotions and stress.
…
Emma and Elsa started walking around and exploring the concession stands, while the boys toured the different booths. Brian went for swag; merchandise for fans of certain products or genres, and Adams went for the booth babes.
…
What Astrid was the most interested in was a live demonstration.
She had questions about a synthetic rubber that’s going to be used in large shipping containers.
The impact resistance of the material gave her a good idea.
