Day 1: July 7, 2062 | 1201 Hours | Base S09 Dining Hall

When Juno entered the dining hall, she expected to find a place resembling the boring and bland mess hall in the academy. However, much to her surprise, the dining hall looked more like a high-end restaurant in the city. It had beautiful wooden flooring with a brand-new shine to them. To the right, there were large and tall windows with a clear door in the middle leading out to an outdoor patio. To the left, there were several booths lined up against the wall, and in between, there were several wooden chairs and tables arranged to accommodate groups of various sizes from two to at most six without needing to move around any furniture.

Juno wondered why Griffin didn't have a facility of this quality at the academy. Maybe it was because command probably didn't want the recruits to be distracted during their training. After taking in the scenery, Juno noticed two dolls at the bar by the patio entrance. One sat at the bar slumped over while the other doll stood behind it. Recalling the name G36 mentioned, Juno figured at least one of the dolls there was Springfield and made her way over.

At the bar, the T-Doll sitting down had her head buried in her arms and lightly snored with a large empty bottle next to her. Juno could only see her long dark-brown hair and a vibrant orange streak to the right of her bangs. She carefully sat next to the sleeping doll and looked at the doll behind the bar. Her back was facing Juno, and she hummed a pleasant tune as she washed some glasses.

"Excuse me." Juno called out in a quiet voice to avoid waking up the slumbering doll next to her. The doll turned around, and upon laying eyes on the Commander, she grew a welcoming smile. She was a mature looking doll with long hazelnut hair, mesmerizing emerald eyes, and wore a brown apron over a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Unlike G36, she had a gentler appearance.

She walked up to the bar and stood across from Juno. "Ah, my Commander. G36 told me you would be stopping by."

Juno nodded. "You must be Miss Springfield."

She performed an elegant curtsy. "If there is anything that I can do for you, just give me the order."

Juno looked at the sleeping doll next to her. "Is she ok?"

"M16? She's been busy for the past couple nights." Springfield picked up the empty bottle next to M16. "She's quite the drinker and spends a lot of money here."

"How much has she spent?" Juno asked.

Springfield went over to a nearby computer screen and swiped through it. "Hmm… over the past two days, it amounts to three hundred forty-five dollars and twenty-five cents."

Juno couldn't even hide the shock on her face. "Calling her a drinker is quite the understatement."

"I couldn't agree more, and she always gets quite the scolding from her younger sister."

"Younger sister?" Juno was surprised to find out a T-Doll could have a sibling. She wondered if Springfield meant it literally or metaphorically.

Before Springfield could explain, Juno's stomach growled again and reminded her why she came into the dining hall in the first place.

Springfield giggled and grabbed a tablet. "Well, we should attend to your empty stomach before we get our own scolding from G36."

Juno put her hand over her stomach. "What do you have to offer?"

"As long as I got the ingredients, I can make anything you want." A gleam of pride could be seen in Springfield's emerald eyes. "But if you're unsure, I can give you the menu."

Juno contemplated for a moment. "Why don't you choose for me?"

"Really?" Springfield was surprised by Juno's request.

"I trust that anything you cook will be delicious," Juno said.

"Oh, you flatter me, Commander." Springfield placed her hand over her chest before eying the Commander. "I think I got just the thing. It'll be ready in a few minutes. Do you want something to drink in the meantime? We have a wide selection of alcohol, so I'm sure there's something to suit your taste."

Juno shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, Miss Springfield, but a glass of apple juice will do just fine."

"Apple juice? Oh, you're such a cutie, Commander." Springfield teased.

"W-Well, I just don't want to drink alcohol."

"It's ok, Commander. I just love to tease." The T-Doll went back to the fridge and dug through it for a moment before returning to the bar with a bottle of apple juice and a glass. "This is our only bottle. I'll make sure to order some more just for you."

"Thank you, Miss Springfield."

"No need to thank me." Springfield's eyes looked deeply into Juno's eyes. "It is my duty to see that my Commander's needs are attended to."

"M-Much appreciated." Juno felt a bit nervous under Springfield's eyes.

The T-Doll poured out a glass of apple juice and pushed it towards Juno. "Now you just sit there, and I'll be back in a bit with your food."

…

Juno drank the remaining broth in the bowl before carefully placing it down on the bar. "That was the best bowl of ramen I've ever had."

Hearing Juno compliment her cooking filled Springfield with great joy. "I'm glad to see you enjoyed it."

Looking at the empty bowl, Juno remembered the lack of variety at the dining hall in the academy. The days of eating mediocre cafeteria-level food seemed to be behind her. "I'm quite surprised you had ramen on the menu."

"Well, we have may T-Dolls all from different cultures. So, I sought to learn recipes from each one to give them a piece of home." Springfield explained as she cleaned up the dishes.

The sound of M16 groaning caught the two's attention. She lifted her head up from her arms and much to Juno's surprise, M16 had an eyepatch over her right eye with three scars coming out from under it. Seeing the missing eye made Juno wonder why the T-Doll didn't have it repaired. It seemed detrimental to one's combat ability to be missing an eye.

Springfield wiped down the bar. "Rise and shine, 16."

M16 stretched her arms and rubbed her left eye. "How long have I been asleep?"

Springfield checked the clock on the wall behind her. "About three hours."

"Oh, shit…" M16 got up from her stool and stretched her legs out. "I need to head out, I was supposed to meet up with M4 at the gym."

Looking up at M16, Juno felt even smaller than she was. The T-Doll towered over her and Springfield, probably standing at about 190 centimeters. Unlike the dolls she met like Grizzly or MP40, she had the look of an experienced soldier that has seen a plenty of combat.

"I'll catch you later, Springy." M16 grabbed her coat off the counter and stumbled her way out.

Juno stared at the double doors M16 went through and then swiveled her stool to face Springfield again. "Is my presence really that unnoticeable?"

"Don't worry, Commander. Whenever it comes to her sisters, she can become quite tunnel visioned. Plus, I'm sure she might have some alcohol in her system still."

"Can T-Dolls get drunk?"

Springfield nodded. "We have alcohol intake sensors that simulate the effects of alcohol. We can turn it off to remove those effects much like our emotion modules, but where's the fun in that? The whole point of drinking alcohol is to let loose."

"How is M16 when she's drunk?"

Springfield shrugged. "I'm not sure. She handles her alcohol pretty well, so I've only seen her tipsy despite the amount of alcohol she consumes when she's here. Especially with Thompson. So, I'd say she's not the one to worry about."

"Then who is?"

Springfield opened her mouth but quickly stopped herself. "Well, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

Juno sighed. "Wouldn't want to make it too easy for me."

"Anyway, is there anything else I can do for you, my Commander? If not, I shall go on my break before the lunch crowd comes in." Springfield told her.

"No that's all." Juno got up from her seat and smiled at the T-Doll, "Thank you again for the meal, Miss Springfield. I'll talk to you later."

"You have a good rest of the day, Commander." Springfield waved goodbye.