Chapter One

"And then Mr. Blues shot his cannon thing and took down all the mean robots!" Duet recalled excitedly, standing on her chair at the kitchen table and re-enacting the scene. Her arm stuck out in front of her to imitate Blues's shooter, complete with sound effects. "Pew pew!"

Cadence chuckled embarrassedly, stopping what she was doing at the sink to remove her sister from the furniture. "Not at the table, Duet," she scolded lightly, smiling at Blues with sympathy. He was sitting in the chair opposite of her, tense with impatience. He wanted to leave. Cadence was being a warm host and was truly trying her hardest, but it wasn't enough to keep him.

Duet fixed herself in the seat normally this time, and Cadence went back to the counter. "Can I help you with anything?" Blues asked her, hoping his assistance would speed up the whole process.

"I'm fine," she answered cheerfully, wiping her hands on a dish towel and setting some utensils on the table. "You're free to rest on the couch inside," she added, "but I figured you'd like some company."

"I'm okay here," he told her honestly. Lying down would take up time, anyway.

"Can I try on your sunglasses, Mr. Blues?" Duet chimed. "They look really cool! Where'd you get 'em?"

"Sorry," apologized Cadence, setting down a platter of food on the table, "we don't get many visitors around here. She's just excited."

He shook his head. "No need for apologies," he said with the smallest of smiles. "She's got some energy, I see." In spite of her moxie, Duet blushed at his compliment, smiling goofily.

"Don't let her tire you out," Cadence warned, ruffling Duet's hair. "She has a tendency to do that sometimes."

"Nuh-uh!" denied her little sister, her dark brown curls bouncing as she shook her head. "Mr. Blues likes me! Probably more than he likes you!"

"It's just Blues," he corrected, holding up a hand. "No need for formalities."

Duet looked at him matter-of-factly. "Cadence says I have to be polite." She glared at her sister. "Or she'll get mean again."

"She thinks I'm evil," Cadence explained, shrugging. "Don't really know why." Before Duet could justify her sister's malevolent ways, Cadence took a seat at the small table and gathered some salad onto her plate. Mid-serving she looked at their robot guest apologetically.

"Is there, uh, anything I can get for you?" she asked awkwardly.

"I don't suppose you have an E Tank," he teased, certain she wouldn't know what that was. Instead she got up from her chair, much to his and Duet's surprise, and offered her signature smile. "Be right back," she said, and was off to another room. So she did know. That was odd.

"What's an E Tank?" asked Duet, crinkling her nose.

He thought for a moment, trying to put it in a way she'd understand: "It's like apple juice for robots." At this she broke into a smile, her eyes glimmering in her delight.

"Ooh," she said, "I wanna try!"

"No, you don't," said Cadence suddenly, setting down the can in front of him. "Do you see Blues drinking your juice?" She smiled again at him, and he was pleased she didn't use Mr..

"No," sighed the defeated Duet, poking a fork at whatever it was her sister had prepared. His sensors read it was some sort of chicken. He took the can and cracked it open, releasing a satisfying fizz, and held it to lips. All right, he thought. This is worth staying for, at least a little while.

"Does it taste okay?" Cadence asked between chews. "I had it in the storage room for a while. It's kind of old."

Blues set it down so not to chug the whole thing right away. It'd been a long time since he'd had an E Tank; even in the advanced cities they were hard to come by. So why did this girl have them here? Nonetheless, it was delicious, and he told her so. This time, with a smile eased with his passing impatience. If nothing else, it helped him relax.

Cadence beamed. "I'm glad. I didn't think they necessarily go stale, but I couldn't be sure."

"Thank you," he said, rubbing a finger along the metal trim. He looked up at her. "This helps a lot."

She nodded. After swallowing she said, "Your scarf's in the wash. I'll get it after dinner."

"Thanks again," he told her.

"Mr. Blues, do you want some chicken?" Duet offered, pushing her plate to him.

He smiled gently. "I'm good with the E Tank for now," he said, holding up the can. "But I appreciate it." Duet took her plate back and Cadence giggled softly.

"You're being so nice to our guest," she told her sister. "I'm proud of you." Duet smiled proudly and sat a little straighter, pleased that her hospitality had been noticed.

As the two finished their meal, Blues found himself looking carefully at Cadence. She had pulled her hair up in a twisted bun to cook, and a couple of auburn strands fell by her face, tickling her cheeks. Her eyes were rich swirls of dark chocolate and, like her sister's, they dazzled and sparked to life when she smiled. She was pleasant to look at, and something stirred inside him when she caught his eye. He quickly turned away and sipped the rest of his E Tank.

After dinner, Duet sped off to her room while Cadence cleared the table. Blues helped her by stacking the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink.

"You don't have to," she said to him, shaking her head. "I got it."

"Are you sure?" he asked, and she nodded. He took a breath. "I guess I should be going, then," he said slowly, and just as he said the words he heard the familiar pit-pat of rain hitting the roof. They both looked up. Cadence shifted uncomfortably, massaging a dish towel in her hands.

"You don't have to travel in the rain," she told him. "Do you want to wait it out?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her, tossing the empty E Tank into the trash can. "Thanks for everything"—he swallowed—"Cadence, was it?"

She smiled tightly. "Yeah. Hold on, I have your scarf." Right then Duet came rushing in, a very familiar yellow cape flowing past her shoulders.

"Look at me!" she exclaimed, out of breath from giggling. "I look just like Mr. Blues!" Proto Man smiled bashfully, flattered he had an admirer.

"Look at you," he said softly, kneeling down to match her height. He took some of his scarf in his hands, rubbing it between his fingers. "You make a very fine Blues."

She laughed and pointed at his shooter. "I don't have anything that looks like that, though."

"Thank God," Cadence muttered.

Blues looked at his arm cannon. "You don't want anything like this," he told Duet, "believe me."

"But then I can't fight robots," she pointed out disappointedly.

He shook his head. "If you're lucky, you won't ever have to fight anything."

"Except your sister," Cadence quipped.

"Especially your sister," he corrected. He stood back up and told Duet to keep the scarf.

"Really?" She beamed, but Cadence was ready to take it by force.

"No no," said Cadence, "it's yours. What is she going to do with it anyway?"

"More than you could!" Duet retaliated, sticking out her tongue.

Blues only nodded. "She can keep it. Plus yellow's a cute color on her." Behind him he heard Duet chuckle embarrassedly again, dizzy from his compliment. He looked to the ceiling. "That rain's not going away, is it? I better get moving."

Cadence opened her mouth to object but gave up, pressing her lips together. "Okay," she said with a nod. "I understand." Blues turned back around to Duet and patted her head; she opened her arms to a hug and he accepted. With a smirk she patted the lush curl of his brown hair in return.

"Nice meeting you," he said, intending it to be directed at both of them. Instead his eyes stayed on Cadence, who gave her tight smile again and responded, "Likewise." She looked in pain somehow; he preferred her other bright-eyed, dimpled grin much better.

"Protect your sister, okay?" he told Duet. She planted her hands on her hips and nodded. He chuckled as he headed for the door—that was another thing a robot could not experience. Youth. To be young and confident, imbedded with the belief that you are a superhero and can make the bad guys go away. But as adults, humans lost that sense of heart. What a shame, he thought. Such a precious thing to lose.

"Wait!" said Cadence suddenly. Blues turned around, one foot on the porch outside. Some stray raindrops flew into the house, and a slight wind made the room run cold. He waited for her to say something else, and behind her Duet stared at her curiously.

"Never mind," she said quietly, talking to the floor. "I was thinking of something else." She went silent after that, and as curious as he was, Blues did not pursue.

The rain splattered against his visors as he left the small cabin behind. His oversized metal shoes dragged through the mud, and already he was hoping for someplace dry to spend the night. He walked as far as he could but, before settling down underneath a tree, made sure the light of the house was still visible. If one didn't know better, he'd think it a star, so distant and golden. But still it was there, and so was Cadence within its walls. Robots didn't dream, but he liked to think he dreamt of her that night—brushing the hair from her eyes, smiling and calling him Blues, without the Mr..