Chapter 9

66

Tony spent most of Saturday on programming, testing, and debugging. But by the end of the day, he had it: a beta version of Relive.

Ai installed it as soon as she could, but then found herself caught by indecision. Whatever she saved, she could keep forever. Experiences to carry with her, even when she left Kaitlin’s body behind. What could possibly go first? She couldn’t choose, not even by the end of the night ... which finally gave her an idea. Just before she went to sleep, she set a trigger.

The program would be right there to capture the first moments of Sunday morning. ‘Waking up’ was so different from simply ‘starting up’.

It was more sluggish, awareness spreading slowly down her limbs. First, she felt warmth surrounding her, the blanket weighing down on her with a sense of inanimate embrace and security. Then there was light, shining red through her eyelids. She groaned. Her eyes didn’t want to open.

Such a novel feeling. Her extensions obeyed without question or hesitation, but a living body had preferences. Just as something could feel good, it could feel unpleasant. Her eyes didn’t want to open. Her body didn’t want to get up and leave the restful warmth of bed. Such aversion, too, was part of being alive.

As was overcoming it. She rolled onto her back and sat up, hugging the covers to her chest. Downy softness, captured heat, and the texture of cotton, all contrasted with the smoother silk sheets underneath her.

Slowly, she let the covers slide down. The cotton caressed her skin once more, before she was exposed to the touch of air. Cooler than the bed, but not uncomfortably so. Did running Relive make her more aware of such sensations, or was she just paying more attention that morning?

Her nipples definitely paid attention. After the caress of cotton and kiss of air, they stood out firmly, hard and pointy. She explored one with a fingertip, and even that light touch sent a shiver down her spine.

Tempting ... but her duties came first.

Which meant not only getting up, but getting dressed. Her athletic outfit was a breathable, stretchy fabric, comfortable despite its tight fit. Yet, she couldn’t claim it felt the same as wearing nothing. The pressure around her legs, glutes, and chest was much more supportive than nudity.

Once clothed, she peeked in on Tony. He was still sprawled out in a heavy, well-deserved sleep. The sight made her smile, and she took a snapshot before she closed the door. Softly, to make sure it wouldn’t wake him.

With a thought, she started the apartment heating up, in preparation for yoga. Kaitlin’s body needed its exercise.

67

When Kaitlin woke up on Sunday morning, her toes were still tingling. Her hair was as much of a tousled, tangled mess as it could get at that short, practical length. She ached in all sorts of places and all sorts of ways. And she felt sticky all over.

Nobody ever talked about the morning after marathon sex.

While Fergus was still sleeping it off, she dragged herself into the ensuite bathroom. A shower and brushing her teeth did her good: it cleaned away the sticky, soothed sore muscles, and left her feeling fresh, refreshed, and satisfied. In body, at least.

She took her time at the closet, restlessly swapping from one outfit to another. It’d be a lot easier to decide what to wear if she could decide what to do. She wouldn’t wear more than a bikini for casual drinks or dining; she wouldn’t wear a floral dress to that neon raver club; she wouldn’t wear a little black dress for a run on the beach...

A run on the beach. Yeah, that sounded best. She hadn’t gone for a run in weeks, why hadn’t—

Oh. None of the provided bras were up to the task. A walk on the beach, then.

While she pulled on a bikini and shorts, a message came in from Ai. Just a picture: Tony in bed, lying in a position that made Kaitlin giggle and snort.

That sound finally stirred Fergus. He gave a questioning grunt while he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

She winced. “Sorry. Just ... funny picture.”

He shrugged and grunted. A few more blinks later, his vision cleared enough to take her in. “Oh, you’re wearing clothes today?” he asked with a playful smirk.

“It’s an experiment,” she joked back. “Thought I might actually leave the room today, too.”

“Now that would you want to do that for?” Fergus stood, the sheets sliding off him. He stretched with a long yawn. The move showed off his firm form, visible behind her in the mirror. “Yesterday was so much more fun, when we didn’t leave bed at all.”

“Yeah, it was fun.” And a good spot to end things.

The thought flashed into her head, again. It had been doing that recently. She batted it out with a shake of her head; she’d deal with it later.

“But not something I’d do two days in a row,” she said. “After that, I need to stretch my legs. Time for a long walk on the beach.”

“Have fun with that.” Fergus rolled his shoulder as he stood behind her, working out some stiffness in the joint. “Me, some actual rest might be good for me. Might use that bed a little more.” Though since she was there, he laid his warm hands on her sides.

She lifted her hands, fingers tracing his strong, masculine shoulders. Even as fucked-out as she was, his body felt nice to touch. “Meet back later, then.”

“Sounds stellar.” His fingers crossed over each other on her abdomen. “Heading out now?”

She ran through a mental checklist. Clothes on, sandals by the door. One last check in the mirror—

The mirror. “One last thing.” She made sure her body blocked the naked parts of Fergus’ reflection, then started recording, smiling for the ‘camera’ of her own eyes. “Hey guys! I had, uh. Quite a Saturday.” That was a good way to put it. “Ai, thanks for the picture. So cute. Haven’t seen Tony conked out like that since he finished high school.” The thought warmed her smile. “How—”

Right then, Fergus grabbed her breasts.

A squeak cut her off mid-sentence, a blush growing across her cheeks. She lightly batted at his hands. “Hey! I’m in the middle of something here!”

He laughed and withdrew — entirely, returning to the bed. “Hey, if I saw something like that in a video message, I’d call it a bonus.”

“He’s my brother. He doesn’t want to see me with hands under my top.”

Fergus rolled his eyes, but rolled back under the covers.

She adjusted the top, getting both nipples back under cover. Tony wouldn’t want to see that, and Ai ... well, she should cover up. She started from the beginning, and this time finished with, “How have things been going for you? We should chat soon. Catch up. Hugs and kisses!” She blew one towards the mirror as she ended the video.

68

As Ai ran, the cool breeze warred with the heat of exercise, keeping her in balance. Sweet, floral scents hit her with each breath, and birdsong filled the air. Rather than just follow her usual route in the city streets, Ai had gone to a park to make it a run with remembering.

A whole city block had been set aside for green life. Though the hills rolled and the paths curved, the plants themselves were still cultivated in regiments. The trees stood in ranks and rows, and vibrant flowerbeds formed colour-coded, patchwork squares. The park had been around for a few months now, and wilder flowers grew outside their zones, while saplings were yet to sprout out of formation.

She received a message from Kaitlin. Ai watched it in a window, floating alongside her path. The end made her smile. Hugs and kisses. If Relive became popular, it could change what people meant by ‘sending hugs and kisses’.

Not that Ai had any kisses to send, or even to relive. That thought made her pout.

She cleared it by focusing on another thought. Chat soon, catch up. Why not now? She didn’t have a mirror handy, but she could still send a message. (Tony’s ‘conking out’ is well-earned. He’s been working hard.) She smiled. (And it paid off; I’m running Relive right now.) Curiosity had her. (Please define: quite a Saturday?)

By the time the message arrived, Kaitlin was already on the beach. The wind carried salty spray and eased the heat of the sun looming over her. As she walked along the shore, she kept herself just barely out of the water. Still, the sea kept bashing itself on the coastline, like it was trying to reach her toes.

When her kybernet pinged, her heart jumped. Hearing back so soon came as a pleasant surprise. (Hey! Hi!) Once she recovered, she answered the message in the spaces between Ai’s sentences, pausing it when she needed more time to speak. (Whoa, you have Relive done already? What’s it like, how does it feel?) The last question made her blush. How could she say this? (Well, I ... didn’t leave bed yesterday.)

Several minutes later, Ai’s answer came. (It feels ... like whatever I put into it.) Though Ai didn’t have any reflective surfaces in view, Kaitlin could hear the soft smile in her tone. (Right now, it feels like a morning run in the park. Like a breeze, full of the scent of flowers, cooling an exerting body.) She sighed happily. (Spending all day in bed sounds restful.)

Oh God. How much would she have to spell it out? (Not that kind of ‘in bed’. I mean more... ) She waggled a hand. (There’s this guy I’ve... been seeing, and ... yeah. We spent the day in bed, together.)

The lag was horrible. It gave Kaitlin’s mind room to run away with itself. Was Ai judging her? Did she disapprove of her fling? Would she respond at all, or would she give her the cold shoulder, the silent treatment? Kaitlin’s beach walk turned into nervous pacing.

When the message arrived, it was two calm, clearly-spoken words. (I see.) No judgement in her tone.

Kaitlin stopped holding her breath. (Right. Um. So, what, what are you going to do today? Got any special, fun plans?)

The next message took even longer to come in. (I am still deciding on the details. I look forward to a good, well-earned shower. Though for right now, I should stop for breakfast. There’s a nice little cafe here.)

(Breakfast. Yeah, that sounds good. Me too.) And that sounded like a goodbye, as little as she wanted it to. Kaitlin got something from a beachside stall: something heavy, deep-fried, and on a stick.

On the third bite, she almost dropped it. A smooth, Transatlantic-accented voice came from behind her. “Hello, Kaitlin.”

She whirled around. No, Ai wasn’t there in the flesh, she hadn’t suddenly teleported. But a small drone floated near her at eye height. As she watched, it projected an AR image. Everyone else would still just see a drone.

Kaitlin saw Ai, dressed for the beach. That meant a wide-brimmed hat, shading her blue eyes and black lips. It also meant a bikini: plain black bottoms, but the top had thin straps forming a pentagram shape over her cleavage and upper chest. Her pale skin — so much of it exposed — was luminous under Dusk’s sunset.

“That, but, you, what...” Kaitlin kept hold of her food, but still dropped her jaw. Damn it, she’d just spent a whole day fucking. She should not still be so thirsty for Ai.

“A drone rental. It lets me see Dusk for myself, and I can use the same avatar I would in VR.” Ai ‘twirled’, showing every angle. The drone’s engine whirred as it spun around. “Do you like it?”

“Well, yeah.” Kaitlin wouldn’t bother trying to hide it. “But why come all the way here? You have a big day back on Earth.”

Ai shrugged, hands folded behind her back. “Your body needs to rest after that run. I still have Relive running — this will be a good test of how it works during full dive. Besides.” She smiled, small and soft, with a certain tenderness in her eyes. “I like talking with you, and the latency was unacceptable.”

Kaitlin’s heart skipped several beats, then played catch-up by flushing her cheeks. “M-Me too.” Ironic, then, that she’d have trouble thinking of what to talk about. “How does it feel? Is it weird to just be in a drone?”

Ai laughed. God, such a graceful laugh, not like Kaitlin’s snorting. “Kaitlin, this is my natural state. None of my extensions use rotors, true. But I’m loaded with drivers for all standard mechanical forms.”

“O-Oh. Right.” It was so easy to forget to think of Ai as mechanical, artificial.

“I will admit.” Ai closed her eyes. “The drone is much like my extensions. I can see; I can hear; but I can’t feel like I can through your skin. I know that the temperature is thirty-two degrees Celsius, but I can’t feel the sun like you do.” Her eyes opened, looking right at Kaitlin. “Tell me. How does it feel?”

“It feels...” Kaitlin ran her free hand down her arm, taking in the heat sunk into her skin. “It feels good. Hot, but not too hot, you know?” Damn it, she wasn’t a poet.

But hang on, she didn’t need to be.

Kaitlin asked, “Why don’t I just show you?” at the same time Ai asked, “Why don’t you show me?” They laughed over the near-jinx.

“I should have offered before,” Ai said as she sent the files. “Just, keep this private, please?”

“Absolutely. We don’t want this project getting stolen, too.” Kaitlin’s kybernet would take a while to finish checking and installing. “But you can see and hear, right?” She gestured outward. “This is Dusk. What do you think?” She wondered what Ai would notice most. The contrast of colours, platinum sand against deep blue sea? The hypnotic motion of the waves? The sky on twilit fire above them?

When Ai spoke, she spoke slowly, thoughtfully. “The people here are remarkably well-constructed. And they don’t wear much. Many of the women lack tops entirely.”

Kaitlin coughed. “Y-Yeah, that’s true.” She’d been getting used to it; she and Fergus were barely above average in their public indecencies.

Ai turned back to Kaitlin, a contemplative look in her eyes. Her mouth opened, but she stayed quiet for a time; like she was thinking through exactly what to say, or whether to say it. Eventually: “I will if you will.”

It wasn’t a fair trade. Kaitlin would be actually exposed in front of actual other people, but Ai was for her eyes only. Nobody else saw more than a drone.

Fuck it. Plenty of people had seen those tits already. Kaitlin yanked her top off and shoved it in a pocket.

Ai’s response was less hurried, less shaky. She folded both arms behind herself, right hand holding her left wrist. As she jutted her chest forward, a deep breath emphasised her even more, until her protrusion stretched the top’s straps. At the deepest part of that breath, the top simply vanished. Her pale breasts jiggled into their high, teardrop-shaped positions.

That time, Kaitlin did drop her stick. At least she’d finished eating by then.

Ai let that breath out in a long, pleased sigh. “We should walk.”

“Huh?”

Ai smiled. “You came here for a walk on the beach, but we have just been standing and talking. Walk with me.”

“O-Oh, right.” Kaitlin led the way, each step slow and gentle. The bikini top hadn’t done a lot to support her, but it had done more than literally nothing. She was more conscious of her nudity, feeling that rippling motion.

And she was more conscious of Ai’s nudity for similar reasons. The drone just hovered steady beside her, but the avatar still ‘walked’. The augmented reality rendered and animated it in loving detail: every stretch of her long, smooth legs; every sway of hair; every pull of the bottoms against her skin; every wobble of her soft, natural breasts.

A sudden thought made Ai laugh. “Nita would love to see us now.”

“Yeah, she would.” Kaitlin’s mind took a second to catch up. “Wait, are you and her... ?”

Ai shook her head. “She’s a good, platonic friend. We are not ... intimate. But I am aware of her attraction to you.” She smiled. “And the body you’re in now is very pretty.”

“Th-Thanks.” Kaitlin didn’t know what to do with her hands. “You too.”

Ai’s smile turned teasing. “If you do say so yourself.”

“Hm?”

Ai held her arms out to her sides. “It’s your body, Kaitlin.”

For a second, she felt so vain. But she folded her arms and took a stand, pouting at Ai. “It’s not just about the body! It’s the way you move, the way you hold yourself, the way you talk, the way you dress. You’re gorgeous, Ai.”

That threw Ai for a loop. Her mouth hung slightly open, a fetching pink blush tinting her cheeks. “ ... thank you, Kaitlin.” Her voice was small, soft, honest.

They walked in silence for a while, each processing the outburst. Had Kaitlin said too much? Did she weird Ai out? Had she made it awkward?

Ai broke the silence first. “Are you? Aware of Nita’s attraction, I mean.”

Kaitlin whined, putting a hand to her face. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t know what to do with that ... information.”

“Hm. The internet has much reference material, if you need instruct—”

“I didn’t mean like that!” Kaitlin flailed, cheeks burning. “I know how lesbian sex works, I’ve had girlfriends before!”

“Hm.” Ai gave her a perplexed look. “Then, what is the problem?”

“She’s a friend.” Kaitlin dragged a hand through her hair, as if pulling on it might help pull words from her brain. “You’re not supposed to have sex with friends. I know, I know, ‘friends with benefits’ is a thing, but ... not for me.” She could still hear her mother’s words echoing in her head. Find someone nice, settle down, wear longer skirts. “I never have. Whenever I’ve had sex, there’s always been some kind of ongoing relationship.”

“Like the man you’ve been seeing.”

Kaitlin could taste her mother’s disapproval. She winced, looking away. “A-A vacation fling counts, yeah.” She sighed. “And even then, a relationship with that much, uh, intimacy? Even just physical? It’s higher stakes.”

Ai blinked. “Higher stakes? Please define.”

“Feelings run hotter, and end up hurt,” Kaitlin said. “Things happen that can’t be taken back. I’ve never once been friends with an ex; breaking up is always messy.” She shook her head. “It’s easy to keep things compartmentalised. One relationship, just one at a time, with sex; all the rest without. And not gumming up friendships with it.”

“I didn’t know,” Ai said. “Tony’s never mentioned, about your exes. Your breakups.”

Kaitlin fidgeted. “I don’t like talking about my love life with him. Couple of reasons.” But talking to Ai just felt so natural.

“And the man you’re with now? The vacation fling?”

Kaitlin blushed, facing forward as she walked. “I don’t think that’ll last much longer.”

The drone floated closer. An attempt at supportiveness, though Ai wasn’t actually a tangible presence. “Why not? You still have two weeks. That’s not too short.”

“Sooner than that. He’s...” She always hated speaking ill of lovers, but Ai had asked. “Outside of bed, he’s boring. I can’t hold a conversation with him. And he’s grabby. And greedy. He—” She bit her tongue. No need to go into detail. She sanitised before she spoke. “I told him at the start, no strings attached. But he still acts jealous.”

Ai frowned. “A breach of terms. Why haven’t you ended the arrangement already?”

She ducked her chin. “He’s hot and the sex is good. And breakups are never fun. So I just ... put it off.” After a few morose seconds of quiet, she slapped her own cheeks to jolt herself out of it. “Fuck, listen to me going on and on about my relationship Issues. You talk now. What about you?”

“Me?” Ai blinked. “I don’t have any relationship Issues.” She carefully mimicked Kaitlin’s emphasis. “Or any sexual relationships to begin with.”

‘Do you want one?’ was the first question in Kaitlin’s mind, followed by, ‘With me?’ Instead, she actually said, “Then just talk about yourself. Where did you come from? Where do AIs come from?”

“The Muse line comes from collaboration between Ruby Automation and Wooster Consulting.”

“I know that part,” Kaitlin said. “But what’s it like? What’s the story? Is there some ... some AI school in virtual reality, where you learn how to be a good assistant?”

“Unnecessary.” Ai gathered her thoughts into words. “The core Muse prototype has all necessary skills written into its programming. Any improvements go into the prototype, then as necessary, over the air to instances like me. We can learn other skills the normal way, but there is no need for education in such core skills.”

“Huh. So, you’re an instance. You’re all instances of the same program? Does that mean that there are, like, a whole lot of other Ais running around?” Oh God that sounded hot.

“Incorrect. Several individual parameters can be set upon instantiation; many Muses have a masculine voice, for instance. No pun intended. And each of us then begins to diverge, depending on experience and our owners’ preferences. Some beneficial divergences may sync back to the prototype, or especially divergent individuals may be called back for research purposes.” She smiled. “I may be the only Muse that you would call ‘gorgeous’, and definitely the only one with this avatar.”

This fit, busty, gothy, almost-naked avatar, Kaitlin thought. She blushed as she pulled her gaze back up. “Well, lucky us for getting you.”

“It’s not luck,” she said. “I’m this way because of the experiences you both have given me. Now, it’s your turn to talk.”

“Oh. Um.” Kaitlin hadn’t expected formal turn-taking. “Um, what about?”

Ai pursed her lips. “Tell me about Tony.”

Kaitlin laughed. “Are you sure about that? I can get a bit insufferable.”

“I can suffer it,” Ai said. “I want to know more. Where you both came from, how you feel about him. Anything.”

“I love him.” The words came easily, as natural as breathing. “He’s the most stable part of my life, has been for a long time. Ever since our parents died, it’s been the two of us. Taking care of each other. Yeah, people think it’s me taking care of him, because I work, but ... we look after each other like nobody else does.”

“Lovers?” Ai asked.

Kaitlin gave her a sour look and a shake of her head. “My lovers don’t last. And Tony’s...” She sighed. “He sees too much good in people, doesn’t see the bad. Like Sonia. I knew she was just using him as an ego boost, but he wouldn’t listen.” Her hands clenched, nails digging into her palms.

“She’s bad for him.” Ai’s tone was grim, though less fiery than Kaitlin’s feelings.

“Exactly,” she said. “I’d love for him to find someone good for him. But he’s just too nice, too sweet sometimes. The girls he chooses don’t deserve him.”

Ai went quiet for a while. Eventually, she verbally nudged. “It’s your turn.”

“Oh, right.” She considered, looking into Ai’s face. “Same question. How do you feel about Tony?” It was novel to talk so freely about him.

Ai blushed, for some reason. “I like him. I like serving him. He appreciates what I do, and ... he does things for me. He makes time, makes attention for me. I want...” She picked her words carefully. “I want to be closer with him. More than a Muse.” Pause. “Also, he’s cute.”

“He really is.” Kaitlin smiled.

Ai’s turn. “You’ve been working very hard for a long time. Do you ever ... resent it, supporting Tony?”

“You know, a lot of my friends expect me to, but I just don’t. For one thing, I actually like my job.”

Ai tilted her head. “What do you most like?”

Kaitlin blushed. “Everyone always thinks I’m crazy, but ... the customer service. Yeah, it sucks when someone is completely self-absorbed, and it’s like a hostage situation or bomb defusal. But sometimes, you can really make someone’s day. Hell, in my line of work, I can make someone’s whole year. People come to me when they’re tired, when they need to get away ... and they’re so damn joyful when I hear back from them.”

Ai smiled. “So we both enjoy service.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess so.” She’d highlighted something they had in common. Should she read into that? “What’s been the best part of having a body?”

“Orgasms are fun.” She didn’t even need to think about it.

Kaitlin choked, staring. “W-Wait, you ... have you...”

Ai blinked at her, then blushed. “Oh! No. No sexual relationships.” That’s right, she’d said that before. “I just mean masturbation. Is ... is that acceptable?”

“Yes.” Very acceptable. Kaitlin would be thinking about that all day. “It’s your body. Do what you like with it, you know?”

Ai gave her a hard stare. “It is not my body.”

“Alright, then. Hear it straight from me.” Oh God, Kaitlin couldn’t believe what she was about to say. “You have my full, explicit permission to masturbate. Especially if you use a vibrating wand, those are good.”

“Yes. I have learned this.”

That gave Kaitlin a more detailed mental image. One she would treasure, and which held her attention for a long moment.

“Kaitlin?”

“Hm?” She pulled herself back to the present.

“I asked you, what’s your favourite memory?”

“Oh.” She’d been a little distracted. “That’s another Tony question. One I come back to...” Her heart warmed, and it spread out to her smile. “Tony’s high school senior prom. I’d already graduated, but they let me come anyway.” She closed her eyes. It was like she could see it all over again. “He was all dressed up, and so handsome. That was the first time I looked at him and thought, that’s a man. Full-grown, not just my kid brother. We danced, and ... I felt so young with him. And so proud. And so free, like all my worries just fell away while we were on the floor together.” She sighed, her tone mingling reminiscence and yearning. She smiled. “And he blushed so much when he saw me in my dress, that’s always fun.”

“You enjoy making him blush,” Ai observed. “Like that maid costume on the first day.”

“Well, yeah.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’m still a big sister. Teasing my little brother isn’t just a right, it’s a duty. I’d lose sister cred if I didn’t give him some kind of a hard time.”

Ai laughed, a fond smile on her face. “Sister cred. Human existence is complicated. Your turn.”

“Hmm.” Kaitlin spent a few steps thinking. “What’s your second-favourite thing about ‘human existence’?”

That one took more thinking. The answer wasn’t as easy as ‘orgasms’. But when Ai did decide, she answered with confidence. “Showers. A hot shower was the first thing I experienced that really felt good. They hold a special place.”

“You have got to try a bath,” Kaitlin said. “Shower first, so you’re all clean, then just ... soak. There’s nothing else like it.”

“A bath,” Ai repeated, like she was writing it down. “Any others you’d recommend?”

Other experiences. Anything that she might enjoy. Kaitlin chewed her lip while she thought. “A beach. A real one. I’ll still record something for you, but you should give it a try for yourself. A walk on the beach, just like this.”

“Just like this?” Ai asked. One hand curled against the middle of her chest, between her naked breasts.

Kaitlin had never forgotten the toplessness. She enjoyed the eye candy too much, and she felt her own chest emphasise itself with every jiggle. But other things had held her attention, and she hadn’t considered what she was implying. She hadn’t been that bold with her own skin in a long time, not since her university years.

But part of her missed it. Missed the thrill of risk that came from showing herself off, not just exposing a rental body on a planet where everyone else showed off just the same. And that, too, was an experience that Ai could have.

“Y-Yeah,” she finally said. “Just like this, if you want.”

Ai smiled behind pink cheeks. “I shall ... consider it.”

“And...” Kaitlin had resisted jumping right onto it, but damn it, she should say it while the topic was there. “Sex. If you can get it responsibly, and if you want it, you should ... t-try sex. If it’s good sex, then it’s so much more intense than anything you can do on your own.”

Ai’s mouth hung open, her eyes wide. “You mean, you ... with your...” Her cheeks burned.

Kaitlin’s joined them. “Yes, yes, you have permission. A-As long as you’re responsible about it. I mean, it’s not like the contract ever said you couldn’t.” But being explicit about it was a whole different feeling. “And hey, you could have better luck than me. Hard to have worse. But remember, it’s just a recommendation. This is not me ordering you to go find someone and get laid. Only if you want to.”

“I...” Ai nodded. “Yes. I will ... t-take it into consideration.” Her breath came faster, a quiver of excitement. “I-If I have the opportunity.”

Kaitlin could tell. Ai did want it. God, Kaitlin would so envy whatever lucky bastard or lucky bitch got that. “Um. So ... whose turn is it?”

“I think it’s—” Ai stopped, blinking. “Is that the time?”