I forgot the disclaimer in chapter one so here it is. Saber Marionette J is the creation of Satoru Akahori, Hiroshi Negishi and Tsukasa Kotobuki. It's licensed by Bandai Entertaiment in the USA. This fanfic is written without their knowledge or permission.
Love Cherry
Chapter Two: Meeting the Neighbors
Stephas woke to the wonderful feeling of being in a warm comfortable bed without having to be anywhere particular anytime soon. Even better was the wonderful smell that wafted up from the kitchen. Suddenly he sat bolt upright in the bed.
A pleasant smell coming from the kitchen could only mean that someone was cooking. Someone named Cherry. He leapt out of bed and onto a shaggy fur rug that let out a yelp of protest.
"Sorry about that, Ceres," Stephas said as he quickly pulled on a shirt, pants and socks. The dog followed him as he stumbled out of his room and down the stairs.
The sight of the purple haired marionette busy at the stove greeted him as he walked into the kitchen. She quietly hummed a happy little tune as she bustled about the kitchen in her pink kimono. Stephas smiled at the sight of the lovely looking marionette cooking, her presence really made the place feel more like a home. Despite the fact that she had been in the house for less than twenty four hours it already felt like she truly belonged.
"That's just your hormones talking," the skeptical part of Stephas' mind said. "One look at a pretty girl and all logic goes right out the window. Heck, she's not even really a girl at all, just a marionette, a machine." Stephas growled and gave the skeptical part of his mind a firm boot in the ass.
"Good morning, Miss Cherry," Stephas greeted her. Machine or not she still was a female and deserved respect. Especially after she got up early to cook breakfast while he was still sleeping. "Breakfast smells delicious."
Cherry turned to Stephas and favored him with a smile. "That's very kind of you to say. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of using your kitchen."
"Mind? Not at all," Stephas said. "Usually I just eat cold cereal for breakfast. This will be a nice change."
"You'll never have to eat cereal again as long as I am here, Stephas-san," Cherry said. "If you'll forgive me for saying so this kitchen is in serious need of restocking. Everything here is in a can or a box which is fine for a bachelor on his own but not...."
"But not for an accomplished chef such as yourself," Stephas finished for her as he rooted through the cupboards to retrieve a can of dog food. "Ceres gets pretty grumpy if she doesn't get her own breakfast. Of course it's not exactly home cooking."
"I don't wish to boast but I am programmed to be an expert cook," Cherry said.
"Well, I was thinking that we would need to do some shopping for you anyways, so we'll just do some grocery shopping too," Stephas said.
"Shopping for me? What for?" Cherry asked.
"Clothes of course," Stephas answered. "While there is nothing wrong with your kimono you only have the one. Not to mention that it would be a good idea for you to have some clothes that will fit in with the locals better. Not too many people here go around wearing kimonos."
"Not mention bedclothes," Cherry said. "Unless you wish me to continue to wear yours."
"Um, no," Stephas said. "I think it would be a good idea for you to pick out a complete wardrobe. I'm afraid I won't be much help to you there."
"Won't that be rather expensive?" Cherry asked.
"I'm more afraid of what will happen when my neighbors find out that I have a marionette living with me," Stephas said.
"What for? Will you get into some sort of trouble?" Cherry said.
"Not trouble so much as a bunch of embarrassing questions," Stephas said. "I told you that my neighbors are rather nosy."
"Surely there must be other marionettes in the town," Cherry said. "Why would I draw so much attention?"
"Not that many actually," Stephas said. "And as for the unwanted attention let's just say that Mount Verdant is a fertile rumor mill. And we certainly will be fair game. When people find out that the town's secretive and very confirmed bachelor has just brought a pretty marionette home they're going to come to the obvious conclusions quite quickly. And they're not going to be quiet about it either."
"What conclusions are those?" Cherry asked.
"Oh, nothing very important," Stephas said. "Anyways, I'm feeling quite hungry." He pulled a plate from the cupboard and loaded it up. "This all looks very good, Miss Cherry. You even managed to do the eggs over-easy without breaking them. Quite a trick."
"I should have asked you how you like your eggs but I didn't want to wake you," Cherry said. "Breakfast in Japoness is quite different from the traditional New Texas breakfast. But I pride myself in being able to cook the cuisine of all cultures on Terra II."
"At any rate we'll head out after breakfast," Stephas said. "I'll just need to take a quick shower before we leave."
"I probably should clean up myself," Cherry said.
"Um, well, ok," Stephas said. Why a marionette would need to take a shower was something he definitely didn't understand but he wasn't about to argue.
***
Stephas knocked on the bathroom door. "Um, Miss Cherry? Are you done yet? You've been in there for a rather long time. Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," Cherry said through the door. "I'll be out in just a little bit."
"Well, ok, as long as you're alright," Stephas said. "Guess I'll just keep myself amused by hanging up the clocks I bought yesterday and get rid of that ugly plasic thing currently hanging in the kitchen."
Humming to himself Stephas found the clocks and set about hanging them in their new home.The only problem was that he had only needed one for the kitchen. Having two was one too many. So which one would he hang in the kitchen? And for that matter where would the spare go?
He considered the clock from Gartlant and nodded to himself. Climbing on top of a kitchen chair he took down the old clock and replaced it with the cuckoo clock. He stepped back down to the floor and critically surveyed the clock as well as the entire kitchen. Yes, it was perfect.
Now where to put the other clock?
***
Stephas was nursing a cup of coffee and still admiring the new clock when Cherry stepped into the kitchen. "Sorry, for taking so long," she said. "I just wanted to make sure that everything was perfect before we left. I'm programmed for extreme neatness, it just wouldn't do for me to be unkempt."
Stephas gave her a cursory glance. "Naw, you're perfect. So what do you think?"
Cherry glanced up at the clock and gave it a brief scowl. "What, the clock? It's fine I suppose.What did you do with the one with the sculpture of Castle Japoness?"
"Hmmm? Oh, I put that in the den," Stephas said.
"Den?" Cherry replied.
"Yeah, well I don't know what else to call it," Stephas told her. "It's just a small room that I piled several bookcases and a sad looking recliner into. Doesn't make for much a den. Plus, it's messy like nobody's business."
***
For being such a small town Mount Verdant definitely seemed to bustle with activity Cherry noted as she looked around the small downtown district. She mentioned as much to Stephas.
"Well, it's the weekend and the weather's nice," he told her. "Which means that everyone is out doing their shopping just like we are." He spotted a nearby bistro where people were taking advantage of the warm weather to eat at the parasol equipped tables on the bistro's small patio. "What do you say to me buying us lunch after our shopping expedition?"
"You don't need to do that," Cherry said quickly. "I will be more than happy to prepare lunch for us. It's more than enough for you to provide me with a wardrobe, Stephas-san. Much more than enough."
"Nonsense, Miss Cherry," Stephas replied. "Since you're a part of my household now it's my obligation to see that you have the things you need. And you definitely need clothes if you want to interact with the local people. You can't wear that kimono day in and day out and you certainly can't go do any shopping without any clothes so...."
"Stephas! Stephas, is that you?" Stephas and Cherry turned around to see a young woman with a girl that looked to be no more than four or five years old waving at them. "I thought that was you but I wasn't sure from behind," the woman said to Stephas. She gave Cherry a long look, taking in her exotic apparel. "So, are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend or not, Stephas?"
Stephas just stared at her for a moment. "My...my girlfriend?" He glanced over at Cherry. "Oh, um, I think you have the wrong idea. She's not my girlfriend, she's just a...um, friend."
"Do tell," the woman said as she carefully studied Cherry.
Cherry turned to Stephas. "It might be cliche but honesty really is the best policy, Stephas-san."
Stephas sighed. "Alright then, Lori, I would like you to meet Cherry, the marionette I bought in San Plazo," he mumbled. "Cherry, this is Lori, a friend that I've known since I started school."
Cherry studied Lori in turn. While the New Texas girl was taller than Cherry's diminutive stature she was in turn noticeably shorter than Stephas. She had striking blue eyes that offset a sprinkling of freckles and wavy brown hair. There was somehing about her that Cherry couldn't put her finger on, something she felt she should recognize.
Stephas looked down at the little girl who was now peeking out at him and Cherry from behind Lori's legs. "Hello, Emily. You don't remember me do you?"
Lori looked down as her daughter continued to hide behind her legs. "You remember Stephas don't you?" Emily looked up at her mother with large doubtful eyes. "He has the big scary looking dog, remember?" Emily shrank even further behind Lori showing that she remembered the dog at least.
"That worked out well," Stephas said drily.
"Well, Ceres does make quite an impression," Cherry observed.
Lori gave the marionette a look before turning to Stephas. "A marionette named Cherry no less, not to mention that she certainly looks familiar." A brief scowl crossed Lori's face. "Mind telling me what's going on here, Stephas?"
"Er, um, I just happened to find her in San Plazo," Stephas said quickly. "She just helps around the house, you know, cooking and stuff. You know that I'm not exactly the world's greatest cook. There's nothing, um...," Stephas quickly glanced at Emily, "nothing p-e-r-v-e-r-t-e-d going on. Honest."
Lori rolled her eyes. "As if I cared about that. What I'd like to know is how did you come across a fully functional marionette that you could actually afford?"
"Huh?" For a moment Stephas could only stare at Lori. "Well, I got a real good deal on her. Her previous owner was anxious to sell her. I could have never afforded to pay fair market value."
"That's right," Cherry chimed in. "My previous owner had tried to sell me several times before he met Stephas-san but no one was interested in the steep price or the upkeep I require. By the time Stephas-san appeared my asking price had dropped considerably."
"Sounds like you got lucky then," Lori told Stephas. She looked Cherry in the eyes and said, "I hope you take good care on Mr. Bachelor here, heaven knows somebody needs to."
"But that's not true, I'm fully-"
"Of course, ma'am," Cherry said. "I'm fully programmed to be handle all domestic chores."
"Glad to hear it," Lori said, the corners of her mouth curving up into a smile. It was smile that transformed her entire face from being merely pretty to something much more. As Lori's eyes seemed to reflect her restrained amusement Cherry was struck with a sudden thought.
She suddenly realized what it was that she had been trying to figure out about Lori. There in the young woman's smile was a reflection of Lorelei. She had seen Lorelei smile and laugh so many times during the years that they had known each other that she had come to realize that it was her natural state. Not that Lorelei never had suffered heartbreaks or felt sadness but no amount of unhappy circumstances changed her optimistic outlook on life. It was a trait that she had shared with Lime along with her innocence.
And now she was faced with those same qualities in a woman who was Lorelei's descendant. A woman who inherited Lorelei's legacy as indeed every woman on Terra II had. As Cherry looked at Lori it was no longer the New Texas girl that looked back but a long dead woman peering out from the shroud of an era long over with. In that moment it was if she and Lorelei's ghost had looked each other in the eye and some unspoken message had passed between them. Then the moment was over and Lori was just Lori once again.
"Well, looks like you're in good hands," Lori said to Stephas. She took Cherry by the hand for a moment. "Maybe I'll stop by sometime and we can have a little chat. You know, girl stuff. I'll even tell you about Stephas' more embarrassing moments in school."
"Gee, thanks," Stephas said.
"As long as it's alright with Stephas-san...."
"Like I could stop her," Stephas said with a snort.
"Great, in that case we'll make a girl's day out of it sometime," Lori said. "We'll spend the day shopping and maybe catch a movie or something."
"But we're spending the day shopping today," Stephas pointed out. "Why would she want to do it again?"
"Because shopping with a guy is absolutely no fun," Lori answered.
***
"So what do you think, Stephas-san?" Cherry asked as she turned around to give him a full view of her outfit. She was wearing a sweater that sported the flag of New Texas and a rather tight pair of jeans that took advantage of her slender yet shapely legs.
"Oh, very nice," Stephas said distractedly.
Turning to face him once more Cherry saw that he wasn't even looking at her. He was staring at a young woman who was wearing a somewhat short skirt and was currently bent over as she rifled through a display of woman's unmentionables. It was a pose guaranteed to show off a lot of leg as well as a good bit of backside.
"Um, Stephas-san, you're not even looking at me," Cherry pointed out. "So there's no way you can tell what my outfit looks like."
Stephas glanced over at Cherry. "Yeah, it's great," he said before turning back to look at the skirt wearing girl.
Cherry glared at his back. "Fine, so that's how it is then. I'll just fight fire with fire. You asked for it, Stephas-san," she thought. "I'm glad you approve. In that case I'll try on some more outfits if that's ok."
"Oh sure," Stephas replied. "You need more that just one change of clothes after all."
"Good, in that case I'll try to find something a bit more interesting than these jeans," Cherry said. "I'll be back in a bit."
"Mmm hmmm," Stephas replied, his eyes never leaving the other girl.
Cherry glared at him for a moment before turning away. "Pervert," she softly muttered under her breath.
It was quite some time later when Cherry reappeared. Stephas was twiddling his thumbs, the girl he had been watching having been long gone.
"So what do you think?" Cherry asked. She was wearing a white blouse along with matching green and black tartan skirt and jacket. On her feet were a pair of brown leather loafers along with white knee high socks.
Stephas looked over the ensemble and then down at comfortable looking brown leather shoes she was wearing. "I'm surprised you didn't go for a pair of black Mary Janes to go with the whole school girl motif," he said. "And that skirt is rather...short don't you think?"
"Short? Do you really think so?" Cherry asked as she made a quick twirl. "So you don't like what you see?"
"Well. I didn't say that exactly..." Stephas trailed off as Cherry turned away from him while slowly and deliberately bending over.
"Oh! Somebody must have dropped their money," Cherry said as she pretended to pick up several imaginary coins.
Stephas' brain all but shut down as he found out first hand that Cherry's panties were every bit as white as the socks she was wearing. "Um...er...uh...."
"Something wrong, Stephas-san?" Cherry asked, craning her neck to look back at him. She allowed herself a small self satisfied smirk when she saw how flushed his face was.
It took several moments before Stephas trusted himself to speak. "Yes, the skirt is too short. Way too short. And please stand up now, I don't want you mooning every guy who happens to be passing by."
"But you didn't mind looking at that girl in the short dress over there," Cherry pointed to where the girl in question had been standing.
"Oh crap, I've been busted," Stephas realized silently. He gave Cherry a sickly smile and gave it his best shot. "But that's different, Miss Cherry. I don't know her and besides it was accidental." He inwardly winced at just how pathetic that sounded.
"I see," Cherry said. "I thought that ten minutes would have been an indication that it was intentional but apparently I was in error."
"Ok, that sounded pretty weak," Stephas admitted. He bowed his head and sighed. "I'm sorry that I was ogling that girl and I promise not to do it again."
"So, does this mean I should keep this outfit?" Cherry asked.
"I would prefer something a bit more modest but okay," Stephas replied. "Just try not shock and outrage the citizens *too* much. If you don't mind."
"I would never do that, Stephas-san," Cherry said. "I'm programmed to be a proper and demure marionette after all."
Stephas wanted to point out that her outfit wasn't very demure and that bending over and all but exposing herself was about as far from the definition of the word as a person could get. He wanted to say all that but something told him that he'd regret it so he wisely decided to keep his silence. The marionette was too clever by half and would no doubt somehow turn his own comments against him.
He allowed himself a sigh as he wondered if that was what was going to be in store for him in his future. It seemed almost a certainty when he considered the fact that Cherry would be spending time with Lori who herself was extremely adept verbally confounding Stephas. He knew that Lori meant well but he also knew that she was very likely to teach Cherry some bad habits.
"Not that Cherry doesn't already have some bad habits," Stephas thought as he considered her current attire while trying not too turn it into yet another session of ogling her. "Bad habits that will probably result in me having a heart attack." He realized just how interesting his life was about to become.
"Is something wrong?" Cherry asked after hearing Stephas sigh.
"No, nothing," Stephas answered. "Why don't you go find some more clothes to fill out your wardrobe. Don't forget socks and ,um, other underthings."
"Underthings?" Cherry said, raising an eyebrow. "Such as bras and panties?"
"Yes, such as them," Stephas replied.
***
Cherry fidgeted as the not inconsiderable collection of clothes was rung up by the cashier. Having the clerk paw through her future unmentionables was bad enough but even more embarrassing were the bras. They were all but advertisements of just how underdeveloped her chest was. While she was never overly concerned about such things there were times that she wished that she was just a bit bigger. And standing in front of the cashier was one of those times. Fortunately, Stephas seemed determined not see any of Cherry's more delicate garments. He was staring at the store clock, seemingly extremely interested in knowing exactly what time it was.
The cashier finished ringing up Cherry's purchases and looked at Stephas expectantly. Unfortunately, he was still was staring at the clock. Cherry sighed and touched his arm. "Stephas-san, she's done ringing us up," she said, pointing to the cashier.
"Ah, right, sorry for zoning out on you," Stephas said. He pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to the clerk.
After running his card through the register she handed it back to him. "Have a good day, sir."
Stephas flashed her a smile. "Sir? Geez, now I feel old." He picked the bags filled with Cherry's new wardrobe and headed towards the exit with Cherry in tow. "So, what do you think of small town life so far?"
"You seem to enjoy it," Cherry answered as she liberated several bags from Stephas.
"I wasn't asking if *I* enjoyed it," Stephas said. "I already know my own feelings, thanks."
"Marionettes were made for only one purpose, to serve humans," Cherry replied. "Where I am is irrelevant as long as I'm able to serve my human owner. In this case that would be you."
"Hey, about some lunch now?" Stephas said, changing the subject. "All that shopping made me hungry."
***
Stephas watched as Cherry delicately consumed the salad in front of her. Her eating habits were meticulous and he suspected that she would prove to be equally so in everything she did. After all she was made to be a convincing copy of the real Cherry, the most famous homemaker in the history of Terra II. Still, she had shown no emotion during the meal, no sign that she either enjoyed it or found it lacking. Also, she had made no response to his obvious close attention to her.
"Miss Cherry, can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Of course, Stephas-san," Cherry replied. "I will endeavor to answer any questions you might have."
"Ok, well no offense but what exactly is the purpose of having a marionette eat?" Stephas said. "Can you actually taste food?"
"Absolutely," Cherry said. "I have to be able to taste my own cooking in order to tell if it's good or not. It's not possible to be world class chef without a sense of taste. Also, in my case eating serves the same purpose as it does in a human, more or less."
"Really? But I thought that marionettes had to recharge themselves from a power source. Such as an electrical outlet."
"That would be true for more primitive marionettes but not for myself. I am not merely a robot with a human face, Stephas-san. Rather, I am closer to an android, an artificial lifeform."
"So, then you're able to enjoy eating," Stephas said.
"Yes, of course," Cherry said. "Almost as much as I enjoy preparing meals."
"So, what do you think of what you're currently eating?" Stephas asked.
Cherry gave the salad a thoughtful look. "It's not bad but I could have made it better."
"Um, it's just a salad," Stephas pointed out. "How much better can you expect it to be?"
"Well, for one thing the vegetables aren't as fresh as I'd prefer," Cherry said. "There is absolutely no substitute for freshness. Also, whoever made this salad obviously tossed it together without a single thought to it's appearence. How a meal tastes is the most important factor in determining success or failure but presentation is also an important factor. Ideally a meal should look attractive as well as be delicious."
"That's a lot of thought for just a simple salad," Stephas said.
"If you can't do well with something as simple as a salad how can you hope for success in larger more complex meals?" Cherry asked him.
Stephas found that he didn't have a good answer to that so he found himself changing the subject yet again. "So, have you given any thought to what you would like to with yourself here?"
"Do with myself? I assume I'll keep busy cooking and cleaning and doing other household chores," Cherry said.
"Yeah, but don't you want to do more than just a bunch of boring chores around the house?" Stephas asked. "What about doing something for yourself?"
"But everything I do is for myself as well as it is for you," Cherry replied. "When I cook, clean or do any of the many tasks required to keep a household running is gives me the satisfaction of a job well done. And that is why I do what I do."
"I see, so it's your programming," Stephas said.
Cherry mentally sighed, humans could be so blind sometimes. Programming was something that they did to machines and computers, they never seemed to realize that all living things had programming to one degree or another. Even humans had programming that they instinctively obeyed without even realizing it.
Yet it was humans that she owed her very existence to. Human genius and engineering had given birth to her and her fellow Saber Marionettes. When she thought about her own existence she could only marvel, the improbability of it all seemed overwhelming yet here she was. Of course, such thoughts brought to mind two other marionettes who were very important to her.
Lime. Bloodberry. Cherry sighed as she felt an ancient longing suddenly reassert itself after having been silent for so long. Trips down memory lane were always painful which was the reason why she rarely indulged them.
"Miss Cherry?" a concerned Stephas said as he lightly touched her hand. "Are you alright?"
Cherry looked up at Stephas. "Of course, I'm fine."
"Oh, well you looked kind of sad for a moment there," he said.
"Sad? Oh no, Stephas-san, it's just that, uh...." Cherry desperately tried to come up with some excuse or failing that, a way to divert the conversation. Fortunately for her help came in the form of Stephas' coworkers.
"Hey, Stephas, imagine meeting you here," a tall slender sandy haired man said as he walked up to the table Stephas and Cherry were sitting at. He was accompanied by a woman of obvious Japoness descent. The man gave Cherry appraising lookover. "So, who's your new girlfriend?"
Stephas sighed, he knew that it wouldn't take very long before everyone in town knew that he had a "new girlfriend". However, in this particular case he wasn't going to clear up the misconception. Having his coworkers gossiping about his "new girlfriend" was infinitely preferable than to have them talking about his new marionette. He knew it wouldn't take too long before the rumors had him having an affair with the marionette. From there his working conditions would make the short trip of descending into a living hell.
However, if he allowed them to continue to think of Cherry as his girlfriend then the assumption of sex would be automatic and would cause only as minimum of speculation. He inwardly congratulated himself on his cleverness as he stood up from the table.
"This is Cherry, a friend," Stephas said as he turned to the marionette. "Cherry, these are coworkers of mine, Davis Sheffler and Sakura...." Stephas trailed off and gave her an apologetic look as he realized he didn't remember her family name.
"Watenabe," Sakura said.
"Sorry," Stephas apologized. "I kept wanting to say "Wasabi" but I knew that couldn't be right."
"Indeed," Sakura said,"Wasabi is a popular condiment in Japoness that's typically used on sushi and sashimi. It's rather famous for it's spicy hot flavour."
"And if I recall correctly sakura is the word for cherry blossom," Davis said with a chuckle. "So Sakura Wasabi could be construed to mean hot spicy cherry blossom. I wonder if it's true." At this he gave the Japoness woman a very obvious leer.
"You'll pay for that later," Sakura promised, sounding almost amused by Davis' antics.
"Anyways, I'm the Network Specialist at the Facility and Ms. Wasabi here is actually on loan from Japoness for the time being," Davis told Cherry.
"The Facility?" Cherry said with recognizable confusion.
"Yeah, the Mount Verdant Plasma Diffusion Facility," Davis said. "You mean to tell me that Mr Goodbar here didn't even tell you where he works?"
"No, the subject of Stephas-san's employment never came up," Cherry said.
"It didn't, huh? Well, Stephas is no less than the Senior Engineer of the Power Management and Maintenance Department," Davis said. "Pretty spiffy huh? Yes sir, Mr Marzette is quite the catch."
"Stuff a sock in it," Stephas grumbled. "That's just a fancy title for plant electrician. It's nothing special."
"And modest too," Davis pointed out. Stephas rolled his eyes but remained silent, letting Davis have the last word.
Sakura turned her attention to Cherry. "I'm guessing from your kimono and use of the honorific on Stephas' name that you're originally from Japoness."
"Yes, that's right," Cherry said.
"So, how long has it been since you lived in Japoness?" Sakura asked.
Cherry's eyes widened in surprise. That was one question she really didn't want to answer. She realized that Stephas had decided to let them continue to think of her as Stephas' new girlfriend. It was a lie of omission which was still a lie but one that could be excused later if need be. However, to actively lie was a different story. "It's been over thirty years," she admitted.
"But...but that's just not possible," Davis said. "No way are you that old."
"It's quite possible," Stephas said. "Cherry is a marionette."
"A marionette?" Davis said, slightly shocked. "Geez, you really are hard up ain't you?"
"If you have nothing more worthwhile to say, Sheffler, than I'd appreciate if you would allow me to finish eating," Stephas said, his voice tight. He sat back down, pointedly ignored Davis and Sakura, making it plain that he had no intention of saying another word to either one.
"Davis, I sometimes wonder how it is that you have any friends at all," Sakura said in disgust. She gave Stephas and Cherry one last glance and left. Davis shrugged and hurried after her.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told her the truth," Cherry said. "I made things more difficult for you didn't I?"
Stephas waved the apology off. "Nah, you did the right thing. It's better to face the music right up front than to try keep putting it off forever."
***
The shadows were getting long when the car finally pulled into the driveway. Stephas and Cherry loaded themselves up with bags to carry into the house. They were halfway to the house when a voice behind them called out.
"Stephas, hold up for a second!" Stephas and Cherry turned around to see the couple that lived in the house next door making their way across Stephas' lawn. "See, I told you that I saw Stephas with a girl earlier today," the woman said to her partner.
"Trying to sneak your girlfriend in the house without us noticing huh?" the man said. "Not that I blame you, she is a pretty little thing, isn't she?"
Stephas sighed, he realized that he'd been doing that a lot since he woke up. "Cherry, I'd like you to meet Mr and Mrs Hightower, my next door neighbors."
"Don't be so formal, you can call me Dan," Daniel Hightower said.
"And I'm Jen," his wife said with a smile.
"Daniel-san, Jennifer-san, it is a pleasure to meet you," Cherry said, giving them a shallow bow due the bags she was carrying.
"And so polite, not like Stephas here who's been holding out on us," Daniel said. "Well, we don't want to hold you up from carrying those bags in. Just wanted to meet you was all."
"Yes, we just had to meet the lucky girl who managed to land Stephas," Jennifer said. "The saying is that there are lots of fish in the sea and that's true enough but even so our Stephas is a rare one."
From inside the house Ceres started barking. "Ah, the dog probably needs to heed the call of nature," Stephas said, grateful for a reason to derail the current conversation.
"Ok, that's enough for one night," Daniel said with a chuckle. "Those bags look like they're getting heavier by the second."
"Yes, Dear," Jennifer said. "You two have a good night."
"Good night," Stephas and Cherry said as the other couple departed.
"That was relatively painless," Stephas observed. "Somehow I thought they'd make a bigger deal about it."
"They seem nice enough," Cherry said as Stephas opened the door to the kitchen. A grey blur raced past them and streaked across the yard.
"Yeah, they're nice people, just a bit nosy," Stephas said as they carried the bags into the kitchen where Stephas seperated Cherry's clothes from the bags of groceries. "Why don't you go put your clothes away while I take care of the groceries."
Cherry nodded her assent and left the kitchen loaded down with her clothes while Stephas worked on putting the groceries away.
***
Cherry suppressed a sigh as she stood in the doorway watching Stephas filling the cupboards with the contents of the earlier grocery shopping expedition. While Stephas was at least trying to be somewhat neat it was clear that his organizational skills in the kitchen were haphazard at best. The kitchen would need a major reorganizing later, sometime when Stephas wouldn't be around to interfer. "Would you like some help, Stephas-san?"
Stephas turned around and looked at Cherry. She had changed out of her kimono into a light sundress over which she had an apron decorated with a print of common kitchen utencils. Rounding out the ensemble was a pair of house slippers that matched the color of her hair. Gone were the "Christmas Tree ornaments" in favor of a simple ponytail down her back. The overall effect was rather homey Stephas had to admit.
"Nah, I'm almost done," he replied.
"Ok, in that case I'll start on dinner," she said. "What would you like?"
Stephas pondered the question. "Hmmm, well, pork chops sound good. And maybe some potatoes."
"Mashed, baked, home fries?" Cherry asked.
"Baked with lots of sour cream," Stephas said dreamily.
"Why don't you watch some tv while I cook," Cherry suggested.
"I don't mind helping out," Stephas said.
"Not necessary," Cherry said quickly.
"Fine, I get the message," Stephas said and left the kitchen.
Cherry hummed a tune as she set about preparing the evening meal. Cooking was the one thing that she knew above all others and she certainly didn't need Stephas underfoot trying to help. Besides, too many cooks ruin the soup as she well knew from previous experiences with Lime and Bloodberry.
***
Stephas was brushing his teeth before going to bed when Cherry peeked into the doorway. "Ah, Stephas-san, I'm going to bed now."
"Good night, Miss Cherry," Stephas said to her.
"I want to thank you for everything you've done for me today," Cherry said. "I know it must have been a trying day for you."
"Not at all," Stephas replied. "I had fun, Mr Sheffler or no. And to have the day topped off with your wonderful stuffed pork chops made it even better."
"Next time I think I'll do something that's a bit more of a challenge," Cherry said.
"I'm a meat and potatoes sort of guy so I don't mind at all," Stephas told her. "By the way, cute pajamas."
Cherry self-consciously smoothed out her bed clothes. "I'm glad you like them," she said, not meeting his gaze. She quickly retreated from the bathroom doorway back into her room.
"Score one for the human," Stephas thought as he smirked into the mirror.
Love Cherry
Chapter Two: Meeting the Neighbors
Stephas woke to the wonderful feeling of being in a warm comfortable bed without having to be anywhere particular anytime soon. Even better was the wonderful smell that wafted up from the kitchen. Suddenly he sat bolt upright in the bed.
A pleasant smell coming from the kitchen could only mean that someone was cooking. Someone named Cherry. He leapt out of bed and onto a shaggy fur rug that let out a yelp of protest.
"Sorry about that, Ceres," Stephas said as he quickly pulled on a shirt, pants and socks. The dog followed him as he stumbled out of his room and down the stairs.
The sight of the purple haired marionette busy at the stove greeted him as he walked into the kitchen. She quietly hummed a happy little tune as she bustled about the kitchen in her pink kimono. Stephas smiled at the sight of the lovely looking marionette cooking, her presence really made the place feel more like a home. Despite the fact that she had been in the house for less than twenty four hours it already felt like she truly belonged.
"That's just your hormones talking," the skeptical part of Stephas' mind said. "One look at a pretty girl and all logic goes right out the window. Heck, she's not even really a girl at all, just a marionette, a machine." Stephas growled and gave the skeptical part of his mind a firm boot in the ass.
"Good morning, Miss Cherry," Stephas greeted her. Machine or not she still was a female and deserved respect. Especially after she got up early to cook breakfast while he was still sleeping. "Breakfast smells delicious."
Cherry turned to Stephas and favored him with a smile. "That's very kind of you to say. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of using your kitchen."
"Mind? Not at all," Stephas said. "Usually I just eat cold cereal for breakfast. This will be a nice change."
"You'll never have to eat cereal again as long as I am here, Stephas-san," Cherry said. "If you'll forgive me for saying so this kitchen is in serious need of restocking. Everything here is in a can or a box which is fine for a bachelor on his own but not...."
"But not for an accomplished chef such as yourself," Stephas finished for her as he rooted through the cupboards to retrieve a can of dog food. "Ceres gets pretty grumpy if she doesn't get her own breakfast. Of course it's not exactly home cooking."
"I don't wish to boast but I am programmed to be an expert cook," Cherry said.
"Well, I was thinking that we would need to do some shopping for you anyways, so we'll just do some grocery shopping too," Stephas said.
"Shopping for me? What for?" Cherry asked.
"Clothes of course," Stephas answered. "While there is nothing wrong with your kimono you only have the one. Not to mention that it would be a good idea for you to have some clothes that will fit in with the locals better. Not too many people here go around wearing kimonos."
"Not mention bedclothes," Cherry said. "Unless you wish me to continue to wear yours."
"Um, no," Stephas said. "I think it would be a good idea for you to pick out a complete wardrobe. I'm afraid I won't be much help to you there."
"Won't that be rather expensive?" Cherry asked.
"I'm more afraid of what will happen when my neighbors find out that I have a marionette living with me," Stephas said.
"What for? Will you get into some sort of trouble?" Cherry said.
"Not trouble so much as a bunch of embarrassing questions," Stephas said. "I told you that my neighbors are rather nosy."
"Surely there must be other marionettes in the town," Cherry said. "Why would I draw so much attention?"
"Not that many actually," Stephas said. "And as for the unwanted attention let's just say that Mount Verdant is a fertile rumor mill. And we certainly will be fair game. When people find out that the town's secretive and very confirmed bachelor has just brought a pretty marionette home they're going to come to the obvious conclusions quite quickly. And they're not going to be quiet about it either."
"What conclusions are those?" Cherry asked.
"Oh, nothing very important," Stephas said. "Anyways, I'm feeling quite hungry." He pulled a plate from the cupboard and loaded it up. "This all looks very good, Miss Cherry. You even managed to do the eggs over-easy without breaking them. Quite a trick."
"I should have asked you how you like your eggs but I didn't want to wake you," Cherry said. "Breakfast in Japoness is quite different from the traditional New Texas breakfast. But I pride myself in being able to cook the cuisine of all cultures on Terra II."
"At any rate we'll head out after breakfast," Stephas said. "I'll just need to take a quick shower before we leave."
"I probably should clean up myself," Cherry said.
"Um, well, ok," Stephas said. Why a marionette would need to take a shower was something he definitely didn't understand but he wasn't about to argue.
***
Stephas knocked on the bathroom door. "Um, Miss Cherry? Are you done yet? You've been in there for a rather long time. Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," Cherry said through the door. "I'll be out in just a little bit."
"Well, ok, as long as you're alright," Stephas said. "Guess I'll just keep myself amused by hanging up the clocks I bought yesterday and get rid of that ugly plasic thing currently hanging in the kitchen."
Humming to himself Stephas found the clocks and set about hanging them in their new home.The only problem was that he had only needed one for the kitchen. Having two was one too many. So which one would he hang in the kitchen? And for that matter where would the spare go?
He considered the clock from Gartlant and nodded to himself. Climbing on top of a kitchen chair he took down the old clock and replaced it with the cuckoo clock. He stepped back down to the floor and critically surveyed the clock as well as the entire kitchen. Yes, it was perfect.
Now where to put the other clock?
***
Stephas was nursing a cup of coffee and still admiring the new clock when Cherry stepped into the kitchen. "Sorry, for taking so long," she said. "I just wanted to make sure that everything was perfect before we left. I'm programmed for extreme neatness, it just wouldn't do for me to be unkempt."
Stephas gave her a cursory glance. "Naw, you're perfect. So what do you think?"
Cherry glanced up at the clock and gave it a brief scowl. "What, the clock? It's fine I suppose.What did you do with the one with the sculpture of Castle Japoness?"
"Hmmm? Oh, I put that in the den," Stephas said.
"Den?" Cherry replied.
"Yeah, well I don't know what else to call it," Stephas told her. "It's just a small room that I piled several bookcases and a sad looking recliner into. Doesn't make for much a den. Plus, it's messy like nobody's business."
***
For being such a small town Mount Verdant definitely seemed to bustle with activity Cherry noted as she looked around the small downtown district. She mentioned as much to Stephas.
"Well, it's the weekend and the weather's nice," he told her. "Which means that everyone is out doing their shopping just like we are." He spotted a nearby bistro where people were taking advantage of the warm weather to eat at the parasol equipped tables on the bistro's small patio. "What do you say to me buying us lunch after our shopping expedition?"
"You don't need to do that," Cherry said quickly. "I will be more than happy to prepare lunch for us. It's more than enough for you to provide me with a wardrobe, Stephas-san. Much more than enough."
"Nonsense, Miss Cherry," Stephas replied. "Since you're a part of my household now it's my obligation to see that you have the things you need. And you definitely need clothes if you want to interact with the local people. You can't wear that kimono day in and day out and you certainly can't go do any shopping without any clothes so...."
"Stephas! Stephas, is that you?" Stephas and Cherry turned around to see a young woman with a girl that looked to be no more than four or five years old waving at them. "I thought that was you but I wasn't sure from behind," the woman said to Stephas. She gave Cherry a long look, taking in her exotic apparel. "So, are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend or not, Stephas?"
Stephas just stared at her for a moment. "My...my girlfriend?" He glanced over at Cherry. "Oh, um, I think you have the wrong idea. She's not my girlfriend, she's just a...um, friend."
"Do tell," the woman said as she carefully studied Cherry.
Cherry turned to Stephas. "It might be cliche but honesty really is the best policy, Stephas-san."
Stephas sighed. "Alright then, Lori, I would like you to meet Cherry, the marionette I bought in San Plazo," he mumbled. "Cherry, this is Lori, a friend that I've known since I started school."
Cherry studied Lori in turn. While the New Texas girl was taller than Cherry's diminutive stature she was in turn noticeably shorter than Stephas. She had striking blue eyes that offset a sprinkling of freckles and wavy brown hair. There was somehing about her that Cherry couldn't put her finger on, something she felt she should recognize.
Stephas looked down at the little girl who was now peeking out at him and Cherry from behind Lori's legs. "Hello, Emily. You don't remember me do you?"
Lori looked down as her daughter continued to hide behind her legs. "You remember Stephas don't you?" Emily looked up at her mother with large doubtful eyes. "He has the big scary looking dog, remember?" Emily shrank even further behind Lori showing that she remembered the dog at least.
"That worked out well," Stephas said drily.
"Well, Ceres does make quite an impression," Cherry observed.
Lori gave the marionette a look before turning to Stephas. "A marionette named Cherry no less, not to mention that she certainly looks familiar." A brief scowl crossed Lori's face. "Mind telling me what's going on here, Stephas?"
"Er, um, I just happened to find her in San Plazo," Stephas said quickly. "She just helps around the house, you know, cooking and stuff. You know that I'm not exactly the world's greatest cook. There's nothing, um...," Stephas quickly glanced at Emily, "nothing p-e-r-v-e-r-t-e-d going on. Honest."
Lori rolled her eyes. "As if I cared about that. What I'd like to know is how did you come across a fully functional marionette that you could actually afford?"
"Huh?" For a moment Stephas could only stare at Lori. "Well, I got a real good deal on her. Her previous owner was anxious to sell her. I could have never afforded to pay fair market value."
"That's right," Cherry chimed in. "My previous owner had tried to sell me several times before he met Stephas-san but no one was interested in the steep price or the upkeep I require. By the time Stephas-san appeared my asking price had dropped considerably."
"Sounds like you got lucky then," Lori told Stephas. She looked Cherry in the eyes and said, "I hope you take good care on Mr. Bachelor here, heaven knows somebody needs to."
"But that's not true, I'm fully-"
"Of course, ma'am," Cherry said. "I'm fully programmed to be handle all domestic chores."
"Glad to hear it," Lori said, the corners of her mouth curving up into a smile. It was smile that transformed her entire face from being merely pretty to something much more. As Lori's eyes seemed to reflect her restrained amusement Cherry was struck with a sudden thought.
She suddenly realized what it was that she had been trying to figure out about Lori. There in the young woman's smile was a reflection of Lorelei. She had seen Lorelei smile and laugh so many times during the years that they had known each other that she had come to realize that it was her natural state. Not that Lorelei never had suffered heartbreaks or felt sadness but no amount of unhappy circumstances changed her optimistic outlook on life. It was a trait that she had shared with Lime along with her innocence.
And now she was faced with those same qualities in a woman who was Lorelei's descendant. A woman who inherited Lorelei's legacy as indeed every woman on Terra II had. As Cherry looked at Lori it was no longer the New Texas girl that looked back but a long dead woman peering out from the shroud of an era long over with. In that moment it was if she and Lorelei's ghost had looked each other in the eye and some unspoken message had passed between them. Then the moment was over and Lori was just Lori once again.
"Well, looks like you're in good hands," Lori said to Stephas. She took Cherry by the hand for a moment. "Maybe I'll stop by sometime and we can have a little chat. You know, girl stuff. I'll even tell you about Stephas' more embarrassing moments in school."
"Gee, thanks," Stephas said.
"As long as it's alright with Stephas-san...."
"Like I could stop her," Stephas said with a snort.
"Great, in that case we'll make a girl's day out of it sometime," Lori said. "We'll spend the day shopping and maybe catch a movie or something."
"But we're spending the day shopping today," Stephas pointed out. "Why would she want to do it again?"
"Because shopping with a guy is absolutely no fun," Lori answered.
***
"So what do you think, Stephas-san?" Cherry asked as she turned around to give him a full view of her outfit. She was wearing a sweater that sported the flag of New Texas and a rather tight pair of jeans that took advantage of her slender yet shapely legs.
"Oh, very nice," Stephas said distractedly.
Turning to face him once more Cherry saw that he wasn't even looking at her. He was staring at a young woman who was wearing a somewhat short skirt and was currently bent over as she rifled through a display of woman's unmentionables. It was a pose guaranteed to show off a lot of leg as well as a good bit of backside.
"Um, Stephas-san, you're not even looking at me," Cherry pointed out. "So there's no way you can tell what my outfit looks like."
Stephas glanced over at Cherry. "Yeah, it's great," he said before turning back to look at the skirt wearing girl.
Cherry glared at his back. "Fine, so that's how it is then. I'll just fight fire with fire. You asked for it, Stephas-san," she thought. "I'm glad you approve. In that case I'll try on some more outfits if that's ok."
"Oh sure," Stephas replied. "You need more that just one change of clothes after all."
"Good, in that case I'll try to find something a bit more interesting than these jeans," Cherry said. "I'll be back in a bit."
"Mmm hmmm," Stephas replied, his eyes never leaving the other girl.
Cherry glared at him for a moment before turning away. "Pervert," she softly muttered under her breath.
It was quite some time later when Cherry reappeared. Stephas was twiddling his thumbs, the girl he had been watching having been long gone.
"So what do you think?" Cherry asked. She was wearing a white blouse along with matching green and black tartan skirt and jacket. On her feet were a pair of brown leather loafers along with white knee high socks.
Stephas looked over the ensemble and then down at comfortable looking brown leather shoes she was wearing. "I'm surprised you didn't go for a pair of black Mary Janes to go with the whole school girl motif," he said. "And that skirt is rather...short don't you think?"
"Short? Do you really think so?" Cherry asked as she made a quick twirl. "So you don't like what you see?"
"Well. I didn't say that exactly..." Stephas trailed off as Cherry turned away from him while slowly and deliberately bending over.
"Oh! Somebody must have dropped their money," Cherry said as she pretended to pick up several imaginary coins.
Stephas' brain all but shut down as he found out first hand that Cherry's panties were every bit as white as the socks she was wearing. "Um...er...uh...."
"Something wrong, Stephas-san?" Cherry asked, craning her neck to look back at him. She allowed herself a small self satisfied smirk when she saw how flushed his face was.
It took several moments before Stephas trusted himself to speak. "Yes, the skirt is too short. Way too short. And please stand up now, I don't want you mooning every guy who happens to be passing by."
"But you didn't mind looking at that girl in the short dress over there," Cherry pointed to where the girl in question had been standing.
"Oh crap, I've been busted," Stephas realized silently. He gave Cherry a sickly smile and gave it his best shot. "But that's different, Miss Cherry. I don't know her and besides it was accidental." He inwardly winced at just how pathetic that sounded.
"I see," Cherry said. "I thought that ten minutes would have been an indication that it was intentional but apparently I was in error."
"Ok, that sounded pretty weak," Stephas admitted. He bowed his head and sighed. "I'm sorry that I was ogling that girl and I promise not to do it again."
"So, does this mean I should keep this outfit?" Cherry asked.
"I would prefer something a bit more modest but okay," Stephas replied. "Just try not shock and outrage the citizens *too* much. If you don't mind."
"I would never do that, Stephas-san," Cherry said. "I'm programmed to be a proper and demure marionette after all."
Stephas wanted to point out that her outfit wasn't very demure and that bending over and all but exposing herself was about as far from the definition of the word as a person could get. He wanted to say all that but something told him that he'd regret it so he wisely decided to keep his silence. The marionette was too clever by half and would no doubt somehow turn his own comments against him.
He allowed himself a sigh as he wondered if that was what was going to be in store for him in his future. It seemed almost a certainty when he considered the fact that Cherry would be spending time with Lori who herself was extremely adept verbally confounding Stephas. He knew that Lori meant well but he also knew that she was very likely to teach Cherry some bad habits.
"Not that Cherry doesn't already have some bad habits," Stephas thought as he considered her current attire while trying not too turn it into yet another session of ogling her. "Bad habits that will probably result in me having a heart attack." He realized just how interesting his life was about to become.
"Is something wrong?" Cherry asked after hearing Stephas sigh.
"No, nothing," Stephas answered. "Why don't you go find some more clothes to fill out your wardrobe. Don't forget socks and ,um, other underthings."
"Underthings?" Cherry said, raising an eyebrow. "Such as bras and panties?"
"Yes, such as them," Stephas replied.
***
Cherry fidgeted as the not inconsiderable collection of clothes was rung up by the cashier. Having the clerk paw through her future unmentionables was bad enough but even more embarrassing were the bras. They were all but advertisements of just how underdeveloped her chest was. While she was never overly concerned about such things there were times that she wished that she was just a bit bigger. And standing in front of the cashier was one of those times. Fortunately, Stephas seemed determined not see any of Cherry's more delicate garments. He was staring at the store clock, seemingly extremely interested in knowing exactly what time it was.
The cashier finished ringing up Cherry's purchases and looked at Stephas expectantly. Unfortunately, he was still was staring at the clock. Cherry sighed and touched his arm. "Stephas-san, she's done ringing us up," she said, pointing to the cashier.
"Ah, right, sorry for zoning out on you," Stephas said. He pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to the clerk.
After running his card through the register she handed it back to him. "Have a good day, sir."
Stephas flashed her a smile. "Sir? Geez, now I feel old." He picked the bags filled with Cherry's new wardrobe and headed towards the exit with Cherry in tow. "So, what do you think of small town life so far?"
"You seem to enjoy it," Cherry answered as she liberated several bags from Stephas.
"I wasn't asking if *I* enjoyed it," Stephas said. "I already know my own feelings, thanks."
"Marionettes were made for only one purpose, to serve humans," Cherry replied. "Where I am is irrelevant as long as I'm able to serve my human owner. In this case that would be you."
"Hey, about some lunch now?" Stephas said, changing the subject. "All that shopping made me hungry."
***
Stephas watched as Cherry delicately consumed the salad in front of her. Her eating habits were meticulous and he suspected that she would prove to be equally so in everything she did. After all she was made to be a convincing copy of the real Cherry, the most famous homemaker in the history of Terra II. Still, she had shown no emotion during the meal, no sign that she either enjoyed it or found it lacking. Also, she had made no response to his obvious close attention to her.
"Miss Cherry, can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Of course, Stephas-san," Cherry replied. "I will endeavor to answer any questions you might have."
"Ok, well no offense but what exactly is the purpose of having a marionette eat?" Stephas said. "Can you actually taste food?"
"Absolutely," Cherry said. "I have to be able to taste my own cooking in order to tell if it's good or not. It's not possible to be world class chef without a sense of taste. Also, in my case eating serves the same purpose as it does in a human, more or less."
"Really? But I thought that marionettes had to recharge themselves from a power source. Such as an electrical outlet."
"That would be true for more primitive marionettes but not for myself. I am not merely a robot with a human face, Stephas-san. Rather, I am closer to an android, an artificial lifeform."
"So, then you're able to enjoy eating," Stephas said.
"Yes, of course," Cherry said. "Almost as much as I enjoy preparing meals."
"So, what do you think of what you're currently eating?" Stephas asked.
Cherry gave the salad a thoughtful look. "It's not bad but I could have made it better."
"Um, it's just a salad," Stephas pointed out. "How much better can you expect it to be?"
"Well, for one thing the vegetables aren't as fresh as I'd prefer," Cherry said. "There is absolutely no substitute for freshness. Also, whoever made this salad obviously tossed it together without a single thought to it's appearence. How a meal tastes is the most important factor in determining success or failure but presentation is also an important factor. Ideally a meal should look attractive as well as be delicious."
"That's a lot of thought for just a simple salad," Stephas said.
"If you can't do well with something as simple as a salad how can you hope for success in larger more complex meals?" Cherry asked him.
Stephas found that he didn't have a good answer to that so he found himself changing the subject yet again. "So, have you given any thought to what you would like to with yourself here?"
"Do with myself? I assume I'll keep busy cooking and cleaning and doing other household chores," Cherry said.
"Yeah, but don't you want to do more than just a bunch of boring chores around the house?" Stephas asked. "What about doing something for yourself?"
"But everything I do is for myself as well as it is for you," Cherry replied. "When I cook, clean or do any of the many tasks required to keep a household running is gives me the satisfaction of a job well done. And that is why I do what I do."
"I see, so it's your programming," Stephas said.
Cherry mentally sighed, humans could be so blind sometimes. Programming was something that they did to machines and computers, they never seemed to realize that all living things had programming to one degree or another. Even humans had programming that they instinctively obeyed without even realizing it.
Yet it was humans that she owed her very existence to. Human genius and engineering had given birth to her and her fellow Saber Marionettes. When she thought about her own existence she could only marvel, the improbability of it all seemed overwhelming yet here she was. Of course, such thoughts brought to mind two other marionettes who were very important to her.
Lime. Bloodberry. Cherry sighed as she felt an ancient longing suddenly reassert itself after having been silent for so long. Trips down memory lane were always painful which was the reason why she rarely indulged them.
"Miss Cherry?" a concerned Stephas said as he lightly touched her hand. "Are you alright?"
Cherry looked up at Stephas. "Of course, I'm fine."
"Oh, well you looked kind of sad for a moment there," he said.
"Sad? Oh no, Stephas-san, it's just that, uh...." Cherry desperately tried to come up with some excuse or failing that, a way to divert the conversation. Fortunately for her help came in the form of Stephas' coworkers.
"Hey, Stephas, imagine meeting you here," a tall slender sandy haired man said as he walked up to the table Stephas and Cherry were sitting at. He was accompanied by a woman of obvious Japoness descent. The man gave Cherry appraising lookover. "So, who's your new girlfriend?"
Stephas sighed, he knew that it wouldn't take very long before everyone in town knew that he had a "new girlfriend". However, in this particular case he wasn't going to clear up the misconception. Having his coworkers gossiping about his "new girlfriend" was infinitely preferable than to have them talking about his new marionette. He knew it wouldn't take too long before the rumors had him having an affair with the marionette. From there his working conditions would make the short trip of descending into a living hell.
However, if he allowed them to continue to think of Cherry as his girlfriend then the assumption of sex would be automatic and would cause only as minimum of speculation. He inwardly congratulated himself on his cleverness as he stood up from the table.
"This is Cherry, a friend," Stephas said as he turned to the marionette. "Cherry, these are coworkers of mine, Davis Sheffler and Sakura...." Stephas trailed off and gave her an apologetic look as he realized he didn't remember her family name.
"Watenabe," Sakura said.
"Sorry," Stephas apologized. "I kept wanting to say "Wasabi" but I knew that couldn't be right."
"Indeed," Sakura said,"Wasabi is a popular condiment in Japoness that's typically used on sushi and sashimi. It's rather famous for it's spicy hot flavour."
"And if I recall correctly sakura is the word for cherry blossom," Davis said with a chuckle. "So Sakura Wasabi could be construed to mean hot spicy cherry blossom. I wonder if it's true." At this he gave the Japoness woman a very obvious leer.
"You'll pay for that later," Sakura promised, sounding almost amused by Davis' antics.
"Anyways, I'm the Network Specialist at the Facility and Ms. Wasabi here is actually on loan from Japoness for the time being," Davis told Cherry.
"The Facility?" Cherry said with recognizable confusion.
"Yeah, the Mount Verdant Plasma Diffusion Facility," Davis said. "You mean to tell me that Mr Goodbar here didn't even tell you where he works?"
"No, the subject of Stephas-san's employment never came up," Cherry said.
"It didn't, huh? Well, Stephas is no less than the Senior Engineer of the Power Management and Maintenance Department," Davis said. "Pretty spiffy huh? Yes sir, Mr Marzette is quite the catch."
"Stuff a sock in it," Stephas grumbled. "That's just a fancy title for plant electrician. It's nothing special."
"And modest too," Davis pointed out. Stephas rolled his eyes but remained silent, letting Davis have the last word.
Sakura turned her attention to Cherry. "I'm guessing from your kimono and use of the honorific on Stephas' name that you're originally from Japoness."
"Yes, that's right," Cherry said.
"So, how long has it been since you lived in Japoness?" Sakura asked.
Cherry's eyes widened in surprise. That was one question she really didn't want to answer. She realized that Stephas had decided to let them continue to think of her as Stephas' new girlfriend. It was a lie of omission which was still a lie but one that could be excused later if need be. However, to actively lie was a different story. "It's been over thirty years," she admitted.
"But...but that's just not possible," Davis said. "No way are you that old."
"It's quite possible," Stephas said. "Cherry is a marionette."
"A marionette?" Davis said, slightly shocked. "Geez, you really are hard up ain't you?"
"If you have nothing more worthwhile to say, Sheffler, than I'd appreciate if you would allow me to finish eating," Stephas said, his voice tight. He sat back down, pointedly ignored Davis and Sakura, making it plain that he had no intention of saying another word to either one.
"Davis, I sometimes wonder how it is that you have any friends at all," Sakura said in disgust. She gave Stephas and Cherry one last glance and left. Davis shrugged and hurried after her.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told her the truth," Cherry said. "I made things more difficult for you didn't I?"
Stephas waved the apology off. "Nah, you did the right thing. It's better to face the music right up front than to try keep putting it off forever."
***
The shadows were getting long when the car finally pulled into the driveway. Stephas and Cherry loaded themselves up with bags to carry into the house. They were halfway to the house when a voice behind them called out.
"Stephas, hold up for a second!" Stephas and Cherry turned around to see the couple that lived in the house next door making their way across Stephas' lawn. "See, I told you that I saw Stephas with a girl earlier today," the woman said to her partner.
"Trying to sneak your girlfriend in the house without us noticing huh?" the man said. "Not that I blame you, she is a pretty little thing, isn't she?"
Stephas sighed, he realized that he'd been doing that a lot since he woke up. "Cherry, I'd like you to meet Mr and Mrs Hightower, my next door neighbors."
"Don't be so formal, you can call me Dan," Daniel Hightower said.
"And I'm Jen," his wife said with a smile.
"Daniel-san, Jennifer-san, it is a pleasure to meet you," Cherry said, giving them a shallow bow due the bags she was carrying.
"And so polite, not like Stephas here who's been holding out on us," Daniel said. "Well, we don't want to hold you up from carrying those bags in. Just wanted to meet you was all."
"Yes, we just had to meet the lucky girl who managed to land Stephas," Jennifer said. "The saying is that there are lots of fish in the sea and that's true enough but even so our Stephas is a rare one."
From inside the house Ceres started barking. "Ah, the dog probably needs to heed the call of nature," Stephas said, grateful for a reason to derail the current conversation.
"Ok, that's enough for one night," Daniel said with a chuckle. "Those bags look like they're getting heavier by the second."
"Yes, Dear," Jennifer said. "You two have a good night."
"Good night," Stephas and Cherry said as the other couple departed.
"That was relatively painless," Stephas observed. "Somehow I thought they'd make a bigger deal about it."
"They seem nice enough," Cherry said as Stephas opened the door to the kitchen. A grey blur raced past them and streaked across the yard.
"Yeah, they're nice people, just a bit nosy," Stephas said as they carried the bags into the kitchen where Stephas seperated Cherry's clothes from the bags of groceries. "Why don't you go put your clothes away while I take care of the groceries."
Cherry nodded her assent and left the kitchen loaded down with her clothes while Stephas worked on putting the groceries away.
***
Cherry suppressed a sigh as she stood in the doorway watching Stephas filling the cupboards with the contents of the earlier grocery shopping expedition. While Stephas was at least trying to be somewhat neat it was clear that his organizational skills in the kitchen were haphazard at best. The kitchen would need a major reorganizing later, sometime when Stephas wouldn't be around to interfer. "Would you like some help, Stephas-san?"
Stephas turned around and looked at Cherry. She had changed out of her kimono into a light sundress over which she had an apron decorated with a print of common kitchen utencils. Rounding out the ensemble was a pair of house slippers that matched the color of her hair. Gone were the "Christmas Tree ornaments" in favor of a simple ponytail down her back. The overall effect was rather homey Stephas had to admit.
"Nah, I'm almost done," he replied.
"Ok, in that case I'll start on dinner," she said. "What would you like?"
Stephas pondered the question. "Hmmm, well, pork chops sound good. And maybe some potatoes."
"Mashed, baked, home fries?" Cherry asked.
"Baked with lots of sour cream," Stephas said dreamily.
"Why don't you watch some tv while I cook," Cherry suggested.
"I don't mind helping out," Stephas said.
"Not necessary," Cherry said quickly.
"Fine, I get the message," Stephas said and left the kitchen.
Cherry hummed a tune as she set about preparing the evening meal. Cooking was the one thing that she knew above all others and she certainly didn't need Stephas underfoot trying to help. Besides, too many cooks ruin the soup as she well knew from previous experiences with Lime and Bloodberry.
***
Stephas was brushing his teeth before going to bed when Cherry peeked into the doorway. "Ah, Stephas-san, I'm going to bed now."
"Good night, Miss Cherry," Stephas said to her.
"I want to thank you for everything you've done for me today," Cherry said. "I know it must have been a trying day for you."
"Not at all," Stephas replied. "I had fun, Mr Sheffler or no. And to have the day topped off with your wonderful stuffed pork chops made it even better."
"Next time I think I'll do something that's a bit more of a challenge," Cherry said.
"I'm a meat and potatoes sort of guy so I don't mind at all," Stephas told her. "By the way, cute pajamas."
Cherry self-consciously smoothed out her bed clothes. "I'm glad you like them," she said, not meeting his gaze. She quickly retreated from the bathroom doorway back into her room.
"Score one for the human," Stephas thought as he smirked into the mirror.