Human After All (II)

Lights blinked and flashed in front of Joshua's eyes while he stood in pure awe. Beau tugged on the end of the boy's sleeve to remind him that they had only left his house and still had to go to the square for the android market.

Joshua marveled at the scenery around him. There were small shrugs here and there, an old tree in the background, but other than that, everything was digital, machine-like, and flashy. Beau smiled at the mindless boy who was only a few hours old, take in everything that was around him. His other robots had done the same thing the first time they went out in public.

“Master.” Dahlia shouted from the hood of Beau's jacket. She hopped out, landing on his shoulder with a loud groan. She shouted his name once more, before tugging on his ear. “Kiyah wants to know if she can have another teddy bear.”

Beau stifled a rude laugh. “How do you know that? She can't speak.”

“Humans are not the only ones who can speak through their eyes.” Dahlia said knowingly, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. Beau agreed to buy Kiyah a new bear, while Dahlia still tugged on Beau's dark locks of hair. Joshua's eyes were wide with excitement, seeming almost human with his curiosity for the world around him.

Dahlia flicked the side of Beau's head. “Can I stay on Joshua's shoulder? I promise I'll behave!” She looked eager to jump on Joshua's shoulder, but waited as Beau scooped her up, and gently placed her upon Joshua's slouched shoulders. He hadn't even noticed she was sitting upon him, until she giggled quietly. Then he turned his gaze to her with gleaming eyes. Beau studied the strange shade of eye color Joshua had. Beau had never seen a human with glasz eyes, let alone a bot. With an undertone of blue, a layer of green, a ring of yellow fire around the pupil, and specks of gray topping it all off, it was nearly breathtaking compared to the usual green or blue eyed bots that ran around.

Joshua pulled himself away from the surrounding scene to bother Beau for only a second. “Master, where are we going for my clothes?”

“The android market, of course!” They have a few shops there, so you'll have a great variety.” Beau paused and furrowed his brows. “And please stop calling me master.”

“But I am programmed this way.” Joshua said, trying to keep an attitude from forming in his voice. “I know your name is Beau, and it's an amazing name, but you're master more than you are Beau to me.”

The sidewalk ended, and two small signs stopped them from walking to the other side of the street. Joshua stood ridiculously close to the edge, and when a train sped by his face, he yelped and fell on his back. Beau hardly moved as the tracks screeched terribly loud. Dahlia held onto Joshua by his auburn hair, hoping she hadn't hurt him.

“Silly!” Dahlia squealed. “That's just the train.”

“Train?” Joshua's response was no greater than a squeak. Beau reached a hand out to Joshua, pulling him off the clean sidewalk, wiped a crushed leaf away from Joshua's side, and looked back as the train was just passing by.

“The train carries all kinds of things that have to get to places really, really fast! They carry medicine, and people on there sometimes.”

“Only really important people, usually politicians.” Beau interrupted. “And it usually has viruses on there, too. Y'know, diseases that have been quarantined. It doesn't stop in the towns at all, but enough of that. C'mon, let's get going.”

As they approached the android square, citizens were rushing and searching for last minute gifts. Crowds rushed together around the front doors of the mall, shoving each other every which way. Yet the shops for robots were practically empty. Robots had an idea in their mind that only their master, or mistress, could buy them any possessions, so there obviously wasn't any point in buying your friend's bot a gift.

Joshua squeaked loudly as they walked through a bustling crowd of people. He held tightly to Beau's scarf, letting go only when they had safely made it through. Beau thought to himself about how strange it was to have such a sensitive bot, not that it was a bad thing.

They slipped inside of an android shop where the loud chatter of the crowd subsided into small talk between friends. The woman behind the counter smiled at Beau, and he did the same before tugging on the soft, silky sleeve of Joshua's shirt. Joshua gasped quietly before he realized that it was only Beau touching him, then let out a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” Beau said. Joshua nodded quickly. “Too many people?” Joshua nodded again. Beau pursed his lips thoughtfully. There were always two sides to teaching a robot how to live; being sensitive to their need, but also being firm and disciplined when the time called for it. Beau had to make sure not to upset his personal computers, but he also had to draw the line on sensitivity and give them a tough shell. Since Joshua was just a few hours old, Beau decided to let the discipline slip.

“Come here, Joshua.” Beau started towards a few racks of clothes. Graphic designs were printed on the shirts, and a few were just plain shirts with the name of the shirt on the center of it. Beau never bought those shirts for himself, but he had to be considerate of Joshua. He pulled one out, and placed it over his arm while Dahlia jumped from Joshua's shoulder to Beau's.

“Do you like it?” Beau said.

Joshua looked down at the shirt, waiting for his master to say something about it first. When Beau didn't say anything, or change his expression much, Joshua furrowed his brows in confusion.

“I... I like it.” Joshua nodded. His mind duly noted his likes and dislikes. Beau pulled out two other shirts. One Joshua rejected, the other he smiled and nodded at. Beau began to pick out shirts automatically from the first few, without paying Joshua much mind unless he gave a little squeak of hesitation. Dahlia chatted away, until she went silent for a few seconds, and then tugged on Beau's ear.

“Master.” She said. Beau didn't react until she said his name again. “The boy is gone.”

“What?” Beau turned to his right where Joshua should have been, but wasn't. Beau searched the store desperately to find that Joshua wasn't anywhere in the shop.

Beau was fuming. As much as he had grown fond of the boy in the few hours, he knew it was only a matter of time before he glitched and went against his own programming. That was exactly why Beau hadn't wanted a new computer in the first place! Well, his mother wasted her own money, because it wasn't Beau's fault that the boy glitched. Anger played at Beau's insides, and he rolled his eyes with a loud scoff.

“Excuse me.” Leslie pulled a lock of Beau's dark hair. “He didn't glitch master. I know you're thinking that he's brother, but he's not. Look, at the candy shop.” She pointed across the sidewalk to the other side of the square. “I heard his steps. I just know he's over there.”

Just as Leslie said, Beau could see the mess of auburn hair skipping in the candy shop. He watched curiously as Joshua began to make choices in a store where they were rampant. Shelves of marshmallow treats, lollipops, gumdrops, gingerbread, gum, sugar sticks, rock candies, and so much more must have had Joshua in a frenzy.

Joshua seemed confused at the sudden variety of objects in his sights as he turned his attention back to the shop they were originally in. He ran out of the candy shop, skipping back into the android store, and next to Beau. He hastily latched on Beau's arm, excitement twinkling in his glasz eyes.

“Master, there are so many sweets next door. Look!” Joshua pointed eagerly across the way. “I-I have never seen so many choices, master,”

“You left.” Beau said firmly. His eyes were fill of disappointment in the boy. “You left my side without permission.” Joshua's eyes widened to look like a dear caught in the headlights, and he made almost a high pitched gasp. Beau wondered if his heart would start racing, as Beau's own would do when he grew nervous.

“I'm so sorry, master.” Joshua exclaimed. “Please forgive me. I just—“

Beau hushed him, giving him a gentle smile in return. “I wasn't going to punish you. Please don't do it again, though. I would hate for... someone like you to get lost in a place like this.”

“Someone like me? Joshua pointed at his own chest. “A bot?”

“Not a robot.” Beau said quickly. “Somebody so sensitive. Others would use you if the found you, and I only want you to be careful, Joshua.” His bot nodded quickly in response.

“Yes, master.”

“And my name is Beau. I know you can say it, Joshua.” He paused. “I just don't understand why you won't.”

Joshua made the same gesture that Beau did and sighed. “We have established this. You are my master. Of course I will call you master.”

Beau shook his head in defeat. He had tried to teach his other bots to call him Beau as well. It felt so degrading to have somebody call him, “master,” because it made it sound like he was better than them, but Beau didn't feel that way. He was just a person named Beau, and he wanted to be addressed as such. But so is the life of a master.

“Okay, fine. Just don't say it after every sentence.” Beau said. Joshua smiled, and nodded.

“Okay!”

Beau chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, staring at the vulnerable boy before him.

“Let me....” He trailed off, rolling his eyes with a smirk on his face. “We'll stop by the candy shop after we're done shopping for clothes.” Joshua squealed in happiness, clapping his hands together and jumping up before he suddenly stopped, and put his head down like a scorned puppy. He peeked at Beau only once. “You can celebrate, Joshua. Dahlia does all the time.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Joshua smiled and put his hands together in front of him as he answered his master on what he liked and didn't like. The black jeans, yes; white jeans, yes; ripped jeans, no; sweatpants, yes; white shirts, no; red shirts, yes. Joshua answered every question, eager to run back to the candy shop and show his master how many treats there were waiting for them.

Finally Beau went to the counter where the cashier's eyes widened when she saw the pile of clothes Joshua and Beau carried in their arms. She scanned the items, almost as slow as possible before she spoke.

“Is he a bot?” She nodded in his direction. Beau glanced at Joshua, and then nodded back to her. “He looks so real!” She exclaimed. Joshua realized they were speaking of him, so he looked in her direction. She gasped audibly. “His eyes, they're so beautiful!” She said under her breath. Joshua looked confused, almost like he thought he was doing something wrong. “How much? Y'know, how much was he?”

Beau shrugged.

“He was a gift from my parents.”

“Some parents.” She murmured before she scanned the rest of their items. The dolls in Beau's hood spoke back and forth between Leslie and Dahlia, while Kiyah only squeaked once or twice in agreement.

At last, the final shirt went through the scanner, and Beau placed a black card on the counter. Joshua was eager to leave the store, almost crashing through the window in excitement. Beau then thanked the cashier, grabbed the bags of clothes, and followed Joshua, who skipped all the way to the candy store.

Joshua held the door open for all of them, the two teenagers at the register waving at Beau with grins upon their faces.

“Oh, master, look!” Joshua tugged on Beau's arm, pulling him into an aisle full of bright colors, where candied apples, exploding gum, and color changing lollipop awaited them. Beau hadn't been in the candy shop in such a while, and everything had changed. What used to be simple little things had turned into delicious treats that were pleasing to the eye.

“Well?” Beau said. Joshua cocked his head slightly. “Well, what do you want? You can have whatever you like.”

The boy's jaw nearly dropped as he spun around the aisle, then he sprinted off to shelves full of candy, treats and sweets. After a few minutes, Joshua brought a bag of candy, but Beau couldn't see through the bag. Instead, he only saw the end of a large lollipop sticking out of the top.

“I can't see what you got?” Beau asked. Joshua shook his head, and grinned cheekily. “Why not?”

“Because.... Because I don't want you to. Or you can look, if you really want to, master!” Joshua leaned forward, nearly opening the bag. Beau placed his hand over it, avoiding the sight of the delicious candy.

“It's fine.” Beau said, messing with Joshua's soft hair. Joshua giggled, hiding his face behind the bag of candy. “Well. C'mon.” They walked to the register where the cashier scanned everything (while Beau had his back turned, of course). After they re-bagged the candy, and Beau paid for it all, he urged Joshua out of the story, quickly following suit.

Joshua would peek in the bag every so often with a childish smirk upon his face that Beau adored. He wondered if anyone couldn't love a genuine smile like Joshua's.

***

As Beau neared the front door to the apartment complex, there came a loud squeak from his hood. Kiyah hopped out, soon followed by Dahlia, who looked angry and disappointed in Beau.

“What?” Beau grabbed Dahlia, and held her in front of his face. “What's with the attitude?”

“If you weren't my master, I would call you a jerk.” She stuck her tongue out at Beau. He raised his brows, but waited for her to keep talking. “Kiyah wanted another teddy bear, and you forgot, master!” Beau gasped audibly, gently taking Kiyah in his hand. He did forget to buy Kiyah a new teddy bear!

“I'm sorry.” Beau said. Kiyah nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her small hands. Beau kissed the top of her head, sighing gently. “I'll get it tomorrow, okay? I promise.” Beau's voice was soft, and loving. Joshua watched in love, as Beau played innocently with Kiyah. Joshua reached into his own bag of sweets and pulled out a large gummy bear. They weren't made of the same things, a gummy bear and a teddy bear, but they were both bears. It was nearly the same thing.

Joshua handed her the gummy bear that was almost as large as she was. Kiyah marveled at it, squishing it in her arms tenderly. She looked at Joshua, raised her brows, and poked her own chest.

“Yes, you can have it.” Joshua smiled. Kiyah kissed the gummy bear, and placed her fingertips at her bottom lip. Joshua furrowed his brows together.

“It means thank you.” Beau answered his question. “Since Kiyah can't speak, she signs. Only a little, but it's better than nothing.”

“Wow.” Joshua leaned closer to her, studying her wide eyes. “You're very beautiful, Kiyah.” He nodded, and Beau caught a glance of a dimple on Joshua's cheek. Beau smiled inwardly. Dimple on a robot? The creator obviously put plenty of thought into this generation of bots. “Very beautiful.”

Kiyah giggled, and covered her face with the gummy bear. Then Dahlia yelled from Beau's shoulder.

“What about me?” She poked her own chest. Her pink locks of hair were matched only by her lovely rose eyes. Joshua agreed, and said they were all beautiful after he reached into Beau's hood, and pulled out a dazed Leslie. He stroked her blonde curls of hair while she covered her pink cheeks.

It was a bit awkward as they stood in front of the apartment complex in pure silence, but Beau thought it was one of the cutest things he had seen while Joshua was only a few hours old. He was catching onto habits and emotions quite fast. He was taking a turn for the best. Beau could only hope he would stay that way.

“Wait, master.” Joshua pulled his attention away from the girls to look into Beau's eyes. “We were supposed to visit your friend.”

“Oh shit. I forgot.” Beau murmured. He quickly looked at Joshua. Don't say that word. That's not a good word.”

“Okay, master.” Joshua nodded. “Was it my fault you forgot?”

Beau shook his head quickly, to keep Joshua from feeling any guilt. “No, it wasn't your fault. We'll just go see him tomorrow or something.” Joshua still looked a bit sad, and his eyes were full of disdain. “Really, Joshua. It wasn't your fault. I just didn't keep track of time.” He nodded. “I swear.”

Joshua followed Beau into the building after he decided that he would just visit Drew the next day instead. When Joshua turned to shit the door, he stared at the city skyline that they had just left behind. The town was full of colors, technology, and digital noises. Joshua cocked his head to the right when he saw something black fluttering in the air. He watched it intently. Then Beau stood next to him, leaning his head forward so he could find what Joshua was studying.

Beau grabbed Joshua's hand, curling his fingers around the boy's. He brought their hands to eye level, pointing one finger at the black object in the digital sky.

“That's a bird.” Beau said, looking at Joshua out of the corner of his eyes. “It's an animal.”

“Animal?” Joshua sounded the word out. Beau smiled and nodded. “Animal. Bird.”

“It has these things called wings, and it lets it fly around in the sky. They can go wherever they feel like going.” Joshua placed his hand back at his side, though the feeling of Beau's warm fingertips lingered.

“Why don't they go home?” Joshua asked. Beau shrugged.

“Why be home when you can take your friends and go someplace beautiful?”