Love Cherry
Chapter One: Marionette with the Blue Eyes
From the moment he saw her he knew that there was something special about her. Even if she was just an ancient machine that spent her time collecting dust at the curio shop when she wasn't being put to work.
He wasn't sure why he went into the shop in the first place. There wasn't anything he really had in mind that he wanted to buy. Perhaps another clock for the kitchen, the green plastic thing currently hanging on the wall over the refridgerator was due for a replacement. And being that he thought that something with a bit more elegance would be a good idea the curio shop seemed a logical place to look.
Which was why Stephas Marzette found himself inside a curio shop in downtown San Plazo, New Texas.
***
The door jingled as it swept open, admitting Stephas Marzette who was just another potential customer as far as the shop owner was concerned. The shopkeeper looked up from his book to give him a once over. Stephas was perhaps a bit above average height with short dark hair and wearing what could be best described as "business casual". The shop owner inwardly smiled, Stephas looked looked like the type that made purchases without ever thinking to haggle over price.
The owner levered himself up from his chair to greet him. "Good day, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The younger man looked around the shop. "I'm looking for a wall clock to put in the kitchen. Something a bit more stylish than the plastic thing hanging there now."
"Of course, sir," the shopkeeper said. "You'll find that we have an excellent selection of antique clocks from all over Terra II."
"All over Terra II?" Stephas said raising his eyebrow.
"I meant the human inhabited part of the planet of course," the shop owner said with a small chuckle.
"If you don't mind I'll just have a look around and see if there's anything I like," Stephas said. It was clear that he neither needed nor desired any help.
"Of course, sir," the shopkeeper said and sat back down. He watched the young man wander around the shop, looking over clocks of various origins and antiquity. Stephas stopped to admire a large cuckoo clock. "You have good taste, sir. That was handcrafted by a master clockmaker in Gartlant during the reign of Faust VII."
Stephas moved to another clock that had a carved wood clockface. Prominent in the wooden sculpure was the unmistakable Castle Japoness. "Ah, yes. That was made by no less than the celebrated wood sculpter, Shiro Yoshida during the reign of Ieyasu XII."
Stephas grunted and moved on to yet another clock.
The shopkeeper watched as Stephas wandered the shop before turning back to his book. Several pages later he looked up to see Stephas making his way back carrying the cuckoo clock as well as the clock from Japoness.
Stephas managed to navigate around a large display of wind chimes only to bump into the store's only non-human occupant. He flushed with embarrassment as he desperately juggled the clocks before getting the situation under control. Then he took a good look at who he bumped into and blushed even more.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said. "I guess I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Oh no, sir," the girl said. "I should be the one apologizing. I was careless."
Stephas opened his mouth to protest when he took in the sight of the girl he bumped into and made a realization. "Oh my...I don't believe it, you're-"
The clocks slipped from his nerveless fingers and plummeted to the floor. Only to be saved at the last second by the girl. He turned to the shop owner. "How...when...*what* is she doing here!?"
The shopkeeper glanced over at the girl and laughed. "She's a just a replica. You didn't seriously believe that she's the real Cherry did you?"
"But she looks just like the pictures in the history books!" Stephas said, astounded.
"A very convincing fake," the owner conceded. "But still a fake."
Stephas looked at the marionette.The pink outfit that seemed just a bit too flashy to be an actual kimono. Call it kimono-esque. The big red Christmas hair ornaments. The weird bulbous shoes that were clearly Japonessan. The purple hair that was tied on both sides and hung down to her waist. And those big blue eyes, the kind of eyes a man might find himself staring into for hours. Or possibly drowning in.
This marionette was one incredibly accurate replica of Cherry.
Stephas continued to stare at the marionette. "You seem to be quite taken with her," the shopkeeper observed. "For the right price she can be yours. She does help around the shop some but she's hardly indispensable."
"Actually, as a young boy I had more of a crush on Bloodberry," Stephas admitted.
Both men missed the brief scowl on the purple haired marionette.
The shopkeeper laughed in agreement. "Now there's a marionette that could have come from New Texas. Brash as you please and more noticeable... assets."
The marionette muttered something that might have been, "Perverts."
Stephas turned to her. "I'm sorry, did you say something? I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention."
The marionette held out the clocks to him. "I believe these are yours, sir."
Stephas looked at the clocks. "I can't decide which one I like better, what do you think?"
"I'm not equipped to make that decision, sir," the blue-eyed marionette replied.
"Neither am I," Stephas said with a chuckle. "I'll just take them both."
"And the marionette?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Well, I don't know," Stephas said. "I wasn't really looking to make such a big-ticket purchase."
"I can make a very reasonable offer," the shopkeeper said. "You won't regret it."
Stephas turned to the man. "You seem pretty eager to be rid of her. Why?"
"It's my wife," the shopkeeper admitted. "She's been getting paranoid. She accuses me of sleeping with the marionette. Can you imagine that?" The man laughed bitterly at the insanity of the accusations. "Anyways, I figured it would be a lot easier on me if I sold her."
"So, what is a reasonable offer?" asked Stephas.
***
Stephas found that he couldn't stop glancing over at the marionette sitting in the passenger seat of his car as he drove home. He allowed himself a small smile. Heaven knew that his house could do with a bit of the feminine touch.
Ok, so she wasn't really a woman. Just a machine in the shape of a woman. Still, it couldn't hurt. And it would be nice to have someone else around to keep him company even if she was an emotionless machine.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" the Cherry replica asked. "You keep glancing over, perhaps something is amiss?"
Stephas' face burned. "Not at all. Just thinking of how very much you look like the original Saber Marionette from Japoness."
"Oh, you've met the original Cherry then?" the marionette said.
"Of course not," Stephas replied. "I meant how she looked in the old video footage and the photos in the history books."
The marionette looked out the window to hide the small smile that played at her lips. "Of course, sir."
"And please stop calling me "sir"," Stephas said. "Makes me feel old. My name is Stephas."
"The order is noted," the marionette said. "Anything else, Stephas-san?"
"Stephas-san?" Stephas said.
"I was made in Japoness. The use of the suffix "san" shows respect, much like the use of "Mr.", "Mrs." or "Miss" in New Texas," the marionette informed him. "I can call you "Mr. Stephas" if you prefer."
"Actually it would be more properly "Mr. Marzette"," Stephas said with a chuckle.
"Alright then, Mr. Marzette," the marionette said.
"Ack! No! "Stephas-san" will be fine," Stephas told her. "Speaking of names, what's yours? I can't just go around saying "hey you" all the time."
"They always just called me Cherry," the marionette answered.
"Not very creative, huh?" Stephas answered. "Trouble is, neither am I. Ok, Miss Cherry it is then."
"Miss Cherry?" Cherry said.
"If I have to be Stephas-san then you can be Miss Cherry," Stephas said.
Cherry looked out the window. "We're leaving the city, you don't live in San Plazo?"
"Nope," answered Stephas. "I live in Mount Verdant. I'm told the name was chosen as a joke."
"A joke?" Cherry said.
"Yeah, I don't get it either," Stephas said. "Must of not been a very funny one. Anyways, the one thing that's no joke there is the weather in the winter. It's not very New Texas-like at all. What with the blizzards and abominable snowmen."
"Abominable snowmen?" Cherry said. "I have been programmed with knowledge about all the different species of wildlife to be found on Terra II and nowhere is any mention of abominable snowmen."
"That's cause they don't really exist," Stephas told her. "It was just a joke about the cold weather we get in the winter. Not a very good joke either I guess."
"I'm not programmed for humor," Cherry told him. "So it's possible that your joke is good after all."
"Not programmed for humor, huh?" Stephas said with a sigh. "It's unlikely. Nobody ever thinks my jokes are funny."
"Laughter is the natural human response to humor is it not?" Cherry asked.
"Um, yeah sure," Stephas answered.
"Well then, if you wish it I can make a note to laugh whenever you make a joke," Cherry said. "Of course, you'll have to let me know when you're making a joke so I can give the appropriate response."
Stephas chuckled at that. "Are you sure that you're not programmed with a sense of humor? That was quite a bit more humorous than anything I've ever said."
"But there was no humorous intent in my statement," Cherry said. "The offer was quite serious so I don't see how any humor can be derived from it."
"I know and that's what makes it so funny," Stephas told her.
"I'm afraid that I don't understand, Stephas-san," Cherry said.
Stephas reached over and gently put his hand over one of hers for a brief instant. "That's quite alright, Miss Cherry. Neither do I really."
***
Cherry turned to Stephas once they had passed the sign welcoming them to Mount Verdant. "Stephas-san, this is a small town, is it not?"
"Yes it is, Miss Cherry," Stephas answered. "Not quite ten thousand people. Much smaller than San Plazo and nowhere near the size of Japoness City. Why do you ask?"
"I've always been in large cities," Cherry said. "This will be a new experience for me."
"And you're worried about being somewhere that you're unaccustomed to," Stephas said with a nod.
"I'm not capable of worry," Cherry said. "However, in order to serve you better I do need to anticipate the requirements of a new environment."
"There is no need to worry," Stephas said. "The people here are very friendly if a bit nosy. One thing though, you'll have to interact with people more than when you lived in San Plazo. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. To be quite blunt my neighbors aren't the type that mind their own business."
"I'm designed to handle all types of social interactions," Cherry replied.
"Glad to hear it," Stephas said. "That might be put to the limits when my neighbors discover that I have a marionette in the house."
Stephas turned onto a side street and drove nearly to the end of the street before pulling into a driveway. Several houses down the street ended in a cul-de-sac.
Cherry looked at the house as she exited the car. A large brick villa in the early New Texas colonial style with four towers at the corners of the house that jutted a couple of stories above the rest of the building.
"It's certainly a large house," Cherry said to Stephas.
"Not as quite as large as it seems from this angle," Stephas replied. "There's an enclosed open-air courtyard. Even so, you're right, it's a big house."
Cherry elegantly raised a single eyebrow. "An open courtyard? This house couldn't have been cheap. Had my previous owner known just how wealthy you are I doubt he would have sold me quite so cheaply as he had."
"Wealthy?" Stephas said with a laugh. "Hardly. This place was quite run down when I bought it. I was able to buy it quite cheaply."
Cherry merely looked over at his car. "A rather expensive model," she noted.
Stephas sighed. "Yes, but the car is over ten years old. I hardly went and plunked down cash for a brand new one. I will admit that I'm not exactly starving. In fact, I do alright for myself but I'm not rich. Anyways, let's head inside, it's nearly time for dinner."
Cherry headed for the large entrance facing the street when Stephas touched her arm and pointed to the back of the house. "I'm afraid that part of the house hasn't been finished yet. We have to use the rear entrance that leads directly to the kitchen."
Cherry followed Stephas as he walked to the rear of the house. "How much of the house is finished?" she asked.
"About a third," Stephas answered. "It takes time to work on the house and I don't always have the time to spare."
As they approached the door to the kitchen a dog began to bark. Stephas looked over at Cherry. "Nothing to worry about. She's very friendly, if a bit loud. Too friendly really."
"I am quite capable of defending myself and those around me from any animals that might pose a threat," Cherry told him. "I'm certainly not worried."
"I feel a lot better knowing that," Stephas said with a grin. "We get wild animal attacks all the time here. Now I can rest easy."
Cherry remained silent as he unlocked the door and opened it. A moment later her eyes went wide as he shoved her aside when a huge gray dog burst out of the kitchen and past them into the yard.
"Does she have a name?" Cherry asked.
"Her name's Ceres. As you can see she's a bit rambunctious," Stephas said apologetically. That's when he noticed that his arm was pressed up against the marionette's chest. He jerked his arm away as if her breasts were hot coals. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...."
Cherry remained impassive as he trailed off. "Didn't mean to what? There is no need for you to apologize. I'm your property now and you can feel my breasts any time you wish to. Certainly it isn't the first time a man has expressed the desire to feel my breasts."
A bright red blush bloomed on his face and he quickly turned to walk into the kitchen. "It was an accident," he mumbled as he flicked the light on.
Cherry smirked at his back. "You find my breasts unsatisfactory then? Perhaps you will want to replace me with a more well endowed model."
If possible Stephas blushed an ever deeper shade of red. "You're perfectly satisfactory, I have no intention of replacing- Hey! You did that on purpose!"
"Did what?" Cherry asked, smoothing her facial features to erase the smirk before he turned to look at her.
"You purposely twisted my words to make me seem like a pervert," Stephas said. "At no time did I express any dissatisfaction with any aspect with your body. Not that I was paying any attention to your body really."
"I'm incapable of twisting anyone's words," Cherry said. "You mentioned a preference for large breasted red-heads with no manners."
"I don't recall making any such statement," Stephas said. "For an emotionless machine you seem to have a fixation on breast size."
"You certainly did express such a preference," Cherry said. "I believe your exact words were "as a young boy I had more of a crush on Bloodberry". Since I don't have the equipment you seem to desire-"
"Ok, you can stop now," Stephas said, cutting her off. "You made your point. I'm not sure exactly what you are but a completely emotionless marionette you are not. You're to far too clever and far too aware to be just another mass produced run of the mill marionette."
"I never made the claim of being the extremely limited capacity marionette which you are no doubt familiar with," Cherry said. "I'm designed to emulate a wide variety of human functions. That includes human conversation as well as a host of other human activities."
"Eating?" Stephas asked.
"Yes, I am capable of eating just like humans," Cherry answered. "As I said, I'm capable of a wide range of human activities. Including sexual activities."
"Um, well that's nice," Stephas said uncomfortably. "I don't know if you're hungry or not, I don't know if you're even capable of feeling hungry, but either way I'm going to throw something together for dinner."
"I'm quite capable of cooking," Cherry said. "There's no reason for you to do it yourself."
"You can starting tomorrow," Stephas replied. "Tonight I just want something quick and easy. I suddenly feel rather tired and I'd like to get to bed fairly soon."
"You are a capable cook then?" Cherry asked.
"Oh yeah," Stephas said with a laugh. "If comes in a box or is something that can be microwaved then I can cook it easily."
"I see," Cherry replied.
***
Stephas opened the door to the small bedroom. "It's not much I'm afraid but it's the only spare bedroom I have right now."
Ceres squeezed past the two to crowd into the small room where she immediately climbed onto the bed.
"Out!" Stephas said sternly to the dog as he pointed at the door. "This room is small enough as it is. Cherry isn't going to want to share it with a big furball like you."
"This is to be my own room?" Cherry asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry it's so small," Stephas apologized again. "If you wish I suppose you could take my room and I could use this as my bedroom. I'll have to move all my stuff in here though."
"Oh no, Stephas-san, this will be quite adequate," Cherry said. "I've always just sat in a corner during my periods of inactivity. My previous owner didn't care about simulated human behaviour."
"Well, I do," Stephas said. "It'll make things more pleasant around here. Anyways, I'm going to bed now. Have a good night." He turned to look at his dog. "Come along, Ceres. I doubt Cherry wants to share her bed with you." He shut the bedroom door as he left the room with the dog.
Cherry was still looking around the small room when Stephas knocked on the door. He opened the door just wide enough to thrust a hand into the room. "I thought maybe you needed some bed clothes. All I have are my own pajamas but you can borrow these until we can buy you something better. I figured you wouldn't want to get your kimono all wrinkled wearing it to bed."
"It's no problem," Cherry replied. "I would have gone to bed naked."
"Um, yeah, well here you are just in case you decide to wear them," Stephas said as he continued to hold out the pajamas. Cherry smiled to herself as she took the bed clothes from him.
***
Cherry slipped into bed and pulled the blanket up over herself. She quietly sighed as she stared at the ceiling in the darkness.
"I really shouldn't have teased him like that," she thought to herself. "He does seem like a very nice man. But I suppose that's what made it so fun, he's such an easy target."
Indeed, it had been a very long time since anyone had treated her more than if she were a mere machine. Not that she had cared in a very long time. She hadn't cared about much of anything at all in the last century. Not since the death of Otaru.
For a moment she wondered if perhaps Stephas was going to be her way of replacing Otaru. She instantly rejected the idea. No one could ever replace Otaru. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name.
What was special about Stephas was that he was the first person in a very long time to treat her as an equal. He treated as if she were human even though he knew she was a marionette. In her experience that was pretty rare.
"I probably should tell him the truth," she thought. "And I will, just not yet."
She wiggled her toes and adjusted the pillow for maximum comfort as she sought the best position to fall asleep in. It had been so long since she had been able to do the simple human things like sleeping in a bed that it seemed like another life. In fact, it had been another life.
She allowed herself a smile as she realized that against all expectations she suddenly found herself in something of a family setting again. It made for an odd family to be sure but it was a sort of family none the less.
"Odd or not it will do just fine," she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter One: Marionette with the Blue Eyes
From the moment he saw her he knew that there was something special about her. Even if she was just an ancient machine that spent her time collecting dust at the curio shop when she wasn't being put to work.
He wasn't sure why he went into the shop in the first place. There wasn't anything he really had in mind that he wanted to buy. Perhaps another clock for the kitchen, the green plastic thing currently hanging on the wall over the refridgerator was due for a replacement. And being that he thought that something with a bit more elegance would be a good idea the curio shop seemed a logical place to look.
Which was why Stephas Marzette found himself inside a curio shop in downtown San Plazo, New Texas.
***
The door jingled as it swept open, admitting Stephas Marzette who was just another potential customer as far as the shop owner was concerned. The shopkeeper looked up from his book to give him a once over. Stephas was perhaps a bit above average height with short dark hair and wearing what could be best described as "business casual". The shop owner inwardly smiled, Stephas looked looked like the type that made purchases without ever thinking to haggle over price.
The owner levered himself up from his chair to greet him. "Good day, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The younger man looked around the shop. "I'm looking for a wall clock to put in the kitchen. Something a bit more stylish than the plastic thing hanging there now."
"Of course, sir," the shopkeeper said. "You'll find that we have an excellent selection of antique clocks from all over Terra II."
"All over Terra II?" Stephas said raising his eyebrow.
"I meant the human inhabited part of the planet of course," the shop owner said with a small chuckle.
"If you don't mind I'll just have a look around and see if there's anything I like," Stephas said. It was clear that he neither needed nor desired any help.
"Of course, sir," the shopkeeper said and sat back down. He watched the young man wander around the shop, looking over clocks of various origins and antiquity. Stephas stopped to admire a large cuckoo clock. "You have good taste, sir. That was handcrafted by a master clockmaker in Gartlant during the reign of Faust VII."
Stephas moved to another clock that had a carved wood clockface. Prominent in the wooden sculpure was the unmistakable Castle Japoness. "Ah, yes. That was made by no less than the celebrated wood sculpter, Shiro Yoshida during the reign of Ieyasu XII."
Stephas grunted and moved on to yet another clock.
The shopkeeper watched as Stephas wandered the shop before turning back to his book. Several pages later he looked up to see Stephas making his way back carrying the cuckoo clock as well as the clock from Japoness.
Stephas managed to navigate around a large display of wind chimes only to bump into the store's only non-human occupant. He flushed with embarrassment as he desperately juggled the clocks before getting the situation under control. Then he took a good look at who he bumped into and blushed even more.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said. "I guess I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Oh no, sir," the girl said. "I should be the one apologizing. I was careless."
Stephas opened his mouth to protest when he took in the sight of the girl he bumped into and made a realization. "Oh my...I don't believe it, you're-"
The clocks slipped from his nerveless fingers and plummeted to the floor. Only to be saved at the last second by the girl. He turned to the shop owner. "How...when...*what* is she doing here!?"
The shopkeeper glanced over at the girl and laughed. "She's a just a replica. You didn't seriously believe that she's the real Cherry did you?"
"But she looks just like the pictures in the history books!" Stephas said, astounded.
"A very convincing fake," the owner conceded. "But still a fake."
Stephas looked at the marionette.The pink outfit that seemed just a bit too flashy to be an actual kimono. Call it kimono-esque. The big red Christmas hair ornaments. The weird bulbous shoes that were clearly Japonessan. The purple hair that was tied on both sides and hung down to her waist. And those big blue eyes, the kind of eyes a man might find himself staring into for hours. Or possibly drowning in.
This marionette was one incredibly accurate replica of Cherry.
Stephas continued to stare at the marionette. "You seem to be quite taken with her," the shopkeeper observed. "For the right price she can be yours. She does help around the shop some but she's hardly indispensable."
"Actually, as a young boy I had more of a crush on Bloodberry," Stephas admitted.
Both men missed the brief scowl on the purple haired marionette.
The shopkeeper laughed in agreement. "Now there's a marionette that could have come from New Texas. Brash as you please and more noticeable... assets."
The marionette muttered something that might have been, "Perverts."
Stephas turned to her. "I'm sorry, did you say something? I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention."
The marionette held out the clocks to him. "I believe these are yours, sir."
Stephas looked at the clocks. "I can't decide which one I like better, what do you think?"
"I'm not equipped to make that decision, sir," the blue-eyed marionette replied.
"Neither am I," Stephas said with a chuckle. "I'll just take them both."
"And the marionette?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Well, I don't know," Stephas said. "I wasn't really looking to make such a big-ticket purchase."
"I can make a very reasonable offer," the shopkeeper said. "You won't regret it."
Stephas turned to the man. "You seem pretty eager to be rid of her. Why?"
"It's my wife," the shopkeeper admitted. "She's been getting paranoid. She accuses me of sleeping with the marionette. Can you imagine that?" The man laughed bitterly at the insanity of the accusations. "Anyways, I figured it would be a lot easier on me if I sold her."
"So, what is a reasonable offer?" asked Stephas.
***
Stephas found that he couldn't stop glancing over at the marionette sitting in the passenger seat of his car as he drove home. He allowed himself a small smile. Heaven knew that his house could do with a bit of the feminine touch.
Ok, so she wasn't really a woman. Just a machine in the shape of a woman. Still, it couldn't hurt. And it would be nice to have someone else around to keep him company even if she was an emotionless machine.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" the Cherry replica asked. "You keep glancing over, perhaps something is amiss?"
Stephas' face burned. "Not at all. Just thinking of how very much you look like the original Saber Marionette from Japoness."
"Oh, you've met the original Cherry then?" the marionette said.
"Of course not," Stephas replied. "I meant how she looked in the old video footage and the photos in the history books."
The marionette looked out the window to hide the small smile that played at her lips. "Of course, sir."
"And please stop calling me "sir"," Stephas said. "Makes me feel old. My name is Stephas."
"The order is noted," the marionette said. "Anything else, Stephas-san?"
"Stephas-san?" Stephas said.
"I was made in Japoness. The use of the suffix "san" shows respect, much like the use of "Mr.", "Mrs." or "Miss" in New Texas," the marionette informed him. "I can call you "Mr. Stephas" if you prefer."
"Actually it would be more properly "Mr. Marzette"," Stephas said with a chuckle.
"Alright then, Mr. Marzette," the marionette said.
"Ack! No! "Stephas-san" will be fine," Stephas told her. "Speaking of names, what's yours? I can't just go around saying "hey you" all the time."
"They always just called me Cherry," the marionette answered.
"Not very creative, huh?" Stephas answered. "Trouble is, neither am I. Ok, Miss Cherry it is then."
"Miss Cherry?" Cherry said.
"If I have to be Stephas-san then you can be Miss Cherry," Stephas said.
Cherry looked out the window. "We're leaving the city, you don't live in San Plazo?"
"Nope," answered Stephas. "I live in Mount Verdant. I'm told the name was chosen as a joke."
"A joke?" Cherry said.
"Yeah, I don't get it either," Stephas said. "Must of not been a very funny one. Anyways, the one thing that's no joke there is the weather in the winter. It's not very New Texas-like at all. What with the blizzards and abominable snowmen."
"Abominable snowmen?" Cherry said. "I have been programmed with knowledge about all the different species of wildlife to be found on Terra II and nowhere is any mention of abominable snowmen."
"That's cause they don't really exist," Stephas told her. "It was just a joke about the cold weather we get in the winter. Not a very good joke either I guess."
"I'm not programmed for humor," Cherry told him. "So it's possible that your joke is good after all."
"Not programmed for humor, huh?" Stephas said with a sigh. "It's unlikely. Nobody ever thinks my jokes are funny."
"Laughter is the natural human response to humor is it not?" Cherry asked.
"Um, yeah sure," Stephas answered.
"Well then, if you wish it I can make a note to laugh whenever you make a joke," Cherry said. "Of course, you'll have to let me know when you're making a joke so I can give the appropriate response."
Stephas chuckled at that. "Are you sure that you're not programmed with a sense of humor? That was quite a bit more humorous than anything I've ever said."
"But there was no humorous intent in my statement," Cherry said. "The offer was quite serious so I don't see how any humor can be derived from it."
"I know and that's what makes it so funny," Stephas told her.
"I'm afraid that I don't understand, Stephas-san," Cherry said.
Stephas reached over and gently put his hand over one of hers for a brief instant. "That's quite alright, Miss Cherry. Neither do I really."
***
Cherry turned to Stephas once they had passed the sign welcoming them to Mount Verdant. "Stephas-san, this is a small town, is it not?"
"Yes it is, Miss Cherry," Stephas answered. "Not quite ten thousand people. Much smaller than San Plazo and nowhere near the size of Japoness City. Why do you ask?"
"I've always been in large cities," Cherry said. "This will be a new experience for me."
"And you're worried about being somewhere that you're unaccustomed to," Stephas said with a nod.
"I'm not capable of worry," Cherry said. "However, in order to serve you better I do need to anticipate the requirements of a new environment."
"There is no need to worry," Stephas said. "The people here are very friendly if a bit nosy. One thing though, you'll have to interact with people more than when you lived in San Plazo. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. To be quite blunt my neighbors aren't the type that mind their own business."
"I'm designed to handle all types of social interactions," Cherry replied.
"Glad to hear it," Stephas said. "That might be put to the limits when my neighbors discover that I have a marionette in the house."
Stephas turned onto a side street and drove nearly to the end of the street before pulling into a driveway. Several houses down the street ended in a cul-de-sac.
Cherry looked at the house as she exited the car. A large brick villa in the early New Texas colonial style with four towers at the corners of the house that jutted a couple of stories above the rest of the building.
"It's certainly a large house," Cherry said to Stephas.
"Not as quite as large as it seems from this angle," Stephas replied. "There's an enclosed open-air courtyard. Even so, you're right, it's a big house."
Cherry elegantly raised a single eyebrow. "An open courtyard? This house couldn't have been cheap. Had my previous owner known just how wealthy you are I doubt he would have sold me quite so cheaply as he had."
"Wealthy?" Stephas said with a laugh. "Hardly. This place was quite run down when I bought it. I was able to buy it quite cheaply."
Cherry merely looked over at his car. "A rather expensive model," she noted.
Stephas sighed. "Yes, but the car is over ten years old. I hardly went and plunked down cash for a brand new one. I will admit that I'm not exactly starving. In fact, I do alright for myself but I'm not rich. Anyways, let's head inside, it's nearly time for dinner."
Cherry headed for the large entrance facing the street when Stephas touched her arm and pointed to the back of the house. "I'm afraid that part of the house hasn't been finished yet. We have to use the rear entrance that leads directly to the kitchen."
Cherry followed Stephas as he walked to the rear of the house. "How much of the house is finished?" she asked.
"About a third," Stephas answered. "It takes time to work on the house and I don't always have the time to spare."
As they approached the door to the kitchen a dog began to bark. Stephas looked over at Cherry. "Nothing to worry about. She's very friendly, if a bit loud. Too friendly really."
"I am quite capable of defending myself and those around me from any animals that might pose a threat," Cherry told him. "I'm certainly not worried."
"I feel a lot better knowing that," Stephas said with a grin. "We get wild animal attacks all the time here. Now I can rest easy."
Cherry remained silent as he unlocked the door and opened it. A moment later her eyes went wide as he shoved her aside when a huge gray dog burst out of the kitchen and past them into the yard.
"Does she have a name?" Cherry asked.
"Her name's Ceres. As you can see she's a bit rambunctious," Stephas said apologetically. That's when he noticed that his arm was pressed up against the marionette's chest. He jerked his arm away as if her breasts were hot coals. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...."
Cherry remained impassive as he trailed off. "Didn't mean to what? There is no need for you to apologize. I'm your property now and you can feel my breasts any time you wish to. Certainly it isn't the first time a man has expressed the desire to feel my breasts."
A bright red blush bloomed on his face and he quickly turned to walk into the kitchen. "It was an accident," he mumbled as he flicked the light on.
Cherry smirked at his back. "You find my breasts unsatisfactory then? Perhaps you will want to replace me with a more well endowed model."
If possible Stephas blushed an ever deeper shade of red. "You're perfectly satisfactory, I have no intention of replacing- Hey! You did that on purpose!"
"Did what?" Cherry asked, smoothing her facial features to erase the smirk before he turned to look at her.
"You purposely twisted my words to make me seem like a pervert," Stephas said. "At no time did I express any dissatisfaction with any aspect with your body. Not that I was paying any attention to your body really."
"I'm incapable of twisting anyone's words," Cherry said. "You mentioned a preference for large breasted red-heads with no manners."
"I don't recall making any such statement," Stephas said. "For an emotionless machine you seem to have a fixation on breast size."
"You certainly did express such a preference," Cherry said. "I believe your exact words were "as a young boy I had more of a crush on Bloodberry". Since I don't have the equipment you seem to desire-"
"Ok, you can stop now," Stephas said, cutting her off. "You made your point. I'm not sure exactly what you are but a completely emotionless marionette you are not. You're to far too clever and far too aware to be just another mass produced run of the mill marionette."
"I never made the claim of being the extremely limited capacity marionette which you are no doubt familiar with," Cherry said. "I'm designed to emulate a wide variety of human functions. That includes human conversation as well as a host of other human activities."
"Eating?" Stephas asked.
"Yes, I am capable of eating just like humans," Cherry answered. "As I said, I'm capable of a wide range of human activities. Including sexual activities."
"Um, well that's nice," Stephas said uncomfortably. "I don't know if you're hungry or not, I don't know if you're even capable of feeling hungry, but either way I'm going to throw something together for dinner."
"I'm quite capable of cooking," Cherry said. "There's no reason for you to do it yourself."
"You can starting tomorrow," Stephas replied. "Tonight I just want something quick and easy. I suddenly feel rather tired and I'd like to get to bed fairly soon."
"You are a capable cook then?" Cherry asked.
"Oh yeah," Stephas said with a laugh. "If comes in a box or is something that can be microwaved then I can cook it easily."
"I see," Cherry replied.
***
Stephas opened the door to the small bedroom. "It's not much I'm afraid but it's the only spare bedroom I have right now."
Ceres squeezed past the two to crowd into the small room where she immediately climbed onto the bed.
"Out!" Stephas said sternly to the dog as he pointed at the door. "This room is small enough as it is. Cherry isn't going to want to share it with a big furball like you."
"This is to be my own room?" Cherry asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry it's so small," Stephas apologized again. "If you wish I suppose you could take my room and I could use this as my bedroom. I'll have to move all my stuff in here though."
"Oh no, Stephas-san, this will be quite adequate," Cherry said. "I've always just sat in a corner during my periods of inactivity. My previous owner didn't care about simulated human behaviour."
"Well, I do," Stephas said. "It'll make things more pleasant around here. Anyways, I'm going to bed now. Have a good night." He turned to look at his dog. "Come along, Ceres. I doubt Cherry wants to share her bed with you." He shut the bedroom door as he left the room with the dog.
Cherry was still looking around the small room when Stephas knocked on the door. He opened the door just wide enough to thrust a hand into the room. "I thought maybe you needed some bed clothes. All I have are my own pajamas but you can borrow these until we can buy you something better. I figured you wouldn't want to get your kimono all wrinkled wearing it to bed."
"It's no problem," Cherry replied. "I would have gone to bed naked."
"Um, yeah, well here you are just in case you decide to wear them," Stephas said as he continued to hold out the pajamas. Cherry smiled to herself as she took the bed clothes from him.
***
Cherry slipped into bed and pulled the blanket up over herself. She quietly sighed as she stared at the ceiling in the darkness.
"I really shouldn't have teased him like that," she thought to herself. "He does seem like a very nice man. But I suppose that's what made it so fun, he's such an easy target."
Indeed, it had been a very long time since anyone had treated her more than if she were a mere machine. Not that she had cared in a very long time. She hadn't cared about much of anything at all in the last century. Not since the death of Otaru.
For a moment she wondered if perhaps Stephas was going to be her way of replacing Otaru. She instantly rejected the idea. No one could ever replace Otaru. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name.
What was special about Stephas was that he was the first person in a very long time to treat her as an equal. He treated as if she were human even though he knew she was a marionette. In her experience that was pretty rare.
"I probably should tell him the truth," she thought. "And I will, just not yet."
She wiggled her toes and adjusted the pillow for maximum comfort as she sought the best position to fall asleep in. It had been so long since she had been able to do the simple human things like sleeping in a bed that it seemed like another life. In fact, it had been another life.
She allowed herself a smile as she realized that against all expectations she suddenly found herself in something of a family setting again. It made for an odd family to be sure but it was a sort of family none the less.
"Odd or not it will do just fine," she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
