Chapter 21: Lady Heather's House

Thoughts

Events

Darlene stood on the sidewalk looking at the path leading up to the large house. It was an elegant, impeccably maintained, Victorian modern dwelling set back behind an equally well manicured pseudo-grass lawn. The house itself was painted in rich tan with avocado green trim. It got its cheery appearance from flowerboxes full of bright blooms below each window. Although only a few tens of meters off the busy boulevard on a residential side street, it was so calm and quiet Darlene felt as if she'd stepped into another world.

She had been dropped off here when she'd given the address she'd received from Anna, with only a couple extra outfits and her remaining spare parts to her name. The rest was up to her.

Without human fears or concerns to hold her back, she only paused long enough to analyze the situation and verify that this was indeed the correct address. Anna would either be inside, or she wouldn't. If she wasn't, information about her might be found here. That was as far as Darlene extended her decision tree extrapolations for now.

Picking the container of her meager belongings, she started up the path, her heels clicking on the durable polycrete surface.

Next to the door was an engraved brass doorbell plate that seemed in keeping with the age and style of the house. Darlene had no idea who Lady Heather was, however she recognized the reversed-F+B fembot logo below the button.

With no other logical course of action, Darlene reached out and pressed the button. Deep inside the house a bell chimed.

There was a long pause before the heavy glass and wooden door opened silently on well-oiled hinges. Darlene wasn't surprised to find herself facing another fembot.

This fembot was a bit taller than Darlene, perhaps because she wore fine red satin pumps with four-inch heels that Darlene's own feet and balance could never manage. Her eyes were bright blue, her hair a straight and an astonishing deep red. Her figure, under the thin top she wore, even more impressive than Darlene's own. Darlene could easily see through the nearly transparent cloth to the thickly padded red satin bra underneath, where this 'bot's overly large remote was tucked into a pocket obviously made for it between her pair of large, globular breasts. It was the first time Darlene had not seen the remote being worn on a chain around the neck instead. The 'bot also wore a matching red pair of equally thickly padded panties carefully fitted over her sex.

"Hello, and welcome to Lady Heather's. How may I serve you, sister?" came the bright, slightly stilted query. "Are you a new client? Or perhaps you've you come here seeking employment?"

"Neither," Darlene replied, realizing that her quest was a more unusual one than most patrons here. "I am looking for my... special friend... Anna," she finally said.

Understanding her business now, the 'bot extended her hand in the human form of greeting while announcing, "I'm Synthia. Anna is occupied at the moment. However she should become available again in thirty-seven minutes. You are welcome to come inside and await her."

"Thank you," Darlene replied, taking the proffered hand and shaking it in approved human fashion, while missing the irony in this 'bot's name. Some human had really been trying to make a point about her once upon a time. Synthia's gesture now was not a resync offer, and Darlene did not offer that in return.

But then Synthia reacted unexpectedly as Darlene took her hand. The 'bot seemed to freeze for a moment, then said, "Do you want me to come with you?" She held that position until Darlene released her hand, at which point Synthia appeared to reset back to normal.

"Let me take that for you," Synthia said, easily picking up Darlene's rather heavy bag, before leading the way into the house.

Darlene saw little of the house itself, since Synthia led her in, only to immediately turn right into the Parlor. Ahead had only been a staircase heading up, and a passage leading into the back of the house.

The Parlor itself was large, with a fireplace at the far end, polished grand piano to the left of it, bar running down the right side with the front windows behind it, and a wide opening in the left wall also leading further back into the house. Reds predominated, and anyone from 1910 Victorian England would have felt right at home here. The décor was impeccable. Except for Darlene, it was also deserted at the moment.

"Sit anywhere," Synthia offered, although both of them knew that Darlene could stand as easily as sit as far as that was concerned. Darlene selected a seat in the far corner by the end of the bar on a comfortable horsehair chair. It conserved power to not need to continuously balance, and Darlene realized that she had to be concerned with that type of thing now.

"Would you care for refreshments?" Synthia offered, although they both knew Darlene didn't require any nourishment. It was a courtesy offer that Darlene politely declined.

Synthia took a moment to place Darlene's luggage in a hall closet so as not to clutter up the room, and then returned as if to continue the conversation. Just then, however, the front doorbell chimed again and Synthia went to answer it. Moments later Darlene saw Synthia escorting a gentleman up the stairs. He already had his hand on her nicely sculpted, and completely available, ass. They seemed to know each other very well and she was already giggling about something.

Darlene didn't mind being left alone. Her robotic patience was not even tested by this. For a while the only sound was the deep ticking of the grandfather clock across the room.

Soon another fembot came down the stairs with a different man. They exchanged a lingering, sensual kiss in the hallway, promising to see each other again as soon as they possibly could, before the man turned and left. The new fembot also then came over, introduced herself, and asked Darlene if she required anything, although she didn't inquire as to Darlene's business. Either she wasn't that curious, or had already been informed as to Darlene's errand. Darlene suspected the latter.

There were a couple more comings and goings, and Darlene's well-experienced mind quickly saw the patterns - and differences -here. This time of the day was always the slowest of all in the trade, although that allowed for a less hurried pace with any clients.

The biggest difference here from Darlene's past experience was that it appeared the fembots themselves determined which customers they would take, and what services they would perform, all with no human intervention involved. And not all of them even had their remotes available on their person. This was completely opposite from Darlene's first life, where she took whatever clients were sent her way, and let them use her as they wished.

Also, although she had yet to actually interact with most of them, all the fembots here seemed as self-aware as Darlene was herself. And they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Suddenly a tall, striking figure entered the room. Darlene almost leapt from her chair to dart across the room for an embrace, before proffering her fingers for resync.

Anna gratefully accepted the hug from the shorter, dark-haired beauty, but declined the resync offer. Instead she took Darlene's arm and led her over to a couch explaining, "Inside this House, we tend to do things the slower, human way when possible."