Chapter Four: As a Girl Should.

After pulling back into the garage at the estate, Elesis got out as Ara shook Elsword awake. Hosting a small yawn she got out as well. She felt rather sore, and a sharp pain was in the back of her neck.

"Sis?" Elsword called for her sister.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Add?"

"Probably in the basement." Ara stepped in kindly, not wanting Elesis to give away her clear distaste for Elsword taking an interest in the mad scientist.

"Thanks." Elsword smiled and went inside. No one was in the living room as she walked by; did everyone else leave as well? Looking around Elsword only found one doorway leading downstairs. Thinking it was the correct way, the weak connections in her mind assimilating basement with descent, she went down the steps. There was an inconsistent, soft clinking sound.

"Ah, hey Elsword." She jumped as she reached the base of the stairs and saw Raven, with no shirt on, on his back on a thin table and pushing a long bar with clearly heavy discs on each end up and down.

"Oh! S-Sorry!" Elsword turned to leave.

"Wait, you don't need to leave." Raven said, breathing out deeply, "Anyone can be in the basement, I just have my barbells set up down here."

"You sure?" She asked nervously.

"Absolutely." Raven smiled, "So, what brings you down here? Looking for something?"

"Y-Yeah, my sister told me Add would be down here?" Raven paused for a moment before sighing ever so slightly. He pointed to a door in the back, clearly of different make than the rest of the house. Leaving Raven alone the crimsonette approached the door and placed her hand on the cold steel handle. She opened the door and stepped into the room.

It was small, very small even for a hallway. It was made of different origin than the house, and an odd line of glowing circles made a ring around the middle of the room. Curious and somewhat unnerved Elsword made her way to the door on the other side.

"Halt." A feminine and monotone voice addressed her as Elsword stepped over the line of circles. Her body went stiff against her will, not even able to panic but aware of what went on around her, "Identifying…Complete. Subject, Elsword Sieghart. Access level: three. Please remain still for decontamination." A mellow hum filled the space as the shapes on the line spewed out a nearly invisible smoke. As the ghostly vapor lapped at her skin Elsword became euphoric with a feeling of utter peace, relaxation, and cleanliness. After she began to sweat ever so slightly the gas was sucked up, "Thank you for your cooperation, please refrain from touching any equipment or specimens without express consent from the administrator."

"O-Okay…" Elsword said, looking around to try and find the voice. With no victory she sighed and proceeded to the door. Unlike the other it opened as she drew near and she needn't even lift a finger. The sight before her truly sent her brain backward. It was a large, no a giant laboratory. The softly glowing walls and floor illuminated thousands of oddities. Just to her right, suspended in an odd glass container, was a sphere of green goo. Elsword did not know why or how but an incredible curious urge came over her to touch it. But she forced her hands to be still, remembering the voice from before. It would be wrong to touch something after agreeing to not do so, she wasn't sure who she was but she was sure she wasn't a liar.

"If you wish to find the administrator, I shall lead you to him." The voice from the walls said again.

"That will not be needed AMI." A familiar voice said from behind her.

"Eek!" Without thinking it through Elsword jumped and spun around to see Add standing there in his long coat, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry for frightening you." Add apologized, bowing politely, "I see you came to visit my lab."

"I-I was looking for you." Elsword stammered, still startled.

"Oh, for what agenda?"

"Umm…to, uh, talk." Elsword said, calming down.

"Well, I thank you for coming to see me." Add walked beside her and gestured to the green goo floating in the case, "I see you were interested in this?"

"Umm…yeah." She said, akin to a child trying to get a cookie from the jar. Add smiled and brought up a glowing transparent display and keyed something in. The case vanished but the object continued to float.

"No need to be nervous, you may touch it. If you can." Add smiled. Confused but wanting to sate her mind Elsword extended a hand to the glob, as if to caress it. But the substance morphed its form and evaded her touch. Confused Elsword tried again with her other hand in an attempt to corner it but it made its waist tighter. She clapped her hands together, but the goo split into two and hovered there until she removed her hands, returning to normal.

"Why can't I…"

"It's was a little fun project I did a while back." Add said, "It feels wonderful to the touch, but it's rather…shy." Add held up his hand, "You need to be fast and precise." Add then shot his hand at it in a stabbing motion and his hand went straight into it. He then withdrew it and as able to handle it as he saw fit.

"Wow…." Elsword breathed. She didn't understand it but found it incredible.

"Administrator, experiment T-0090 requires your attention." Add calmly returned the goo and the glass reappeared.

"Very well AMI. Elsword, care to accompany me?" The scientist asked. Elsword nodded, eager to see more wonders in this odd place. They walked down the halls, passing countless intersections.

"Add?"

"Hmm?"

"What's that…voice?" The crimsonette direly wanted answers to the mysterious being he called 'AMI'.

"That is my assistant, a complex and specialized program and machine to aid in my laboratory." Add explained, "I have thousands of tests running here, it would be impossible to monitor them myself, so I created AMI to give me constant updates."

"What is AMI?"

"She is…well AMI is not a being, AMI is an it, but the artificial intelligence identifies itself as female." Add gestured to Elsword's own from, "But in reality AMI is a computer program. I assume you know Eve is not human?"

"She isn't?" Elsword blinked.

"No, she is not. Eve is the queen of a race of highly advanced machines known as Nasods. AMI is similar, and her names stands for 'Automatic Multi-experiment Informant.'"

"Oh. I think I get it." Elsword said simply, gently rubbing the back of her neck. Add chuckled and stopped.

"If you want to talk, how about it waits until I'm not busy?" He said kindly, "After all, I have literally a million things to do, and little time to do it in."

"Administrator, I have deduced you are exaggerating again." AMI said from the speakers.

"Only a little." The scientist shrugged.

"O-Okay, I guess I'll see you." Elsword said.

"Very well. AMI, be a dear and escort Elsword to the door." Add continued walking off, and the lines in the floor changed from blue to a pale red, tracing a line back to the exit for Elsword to leave.

Elsword was safely and quickly back in the basement. Raven wasn't there anymore so she headed back upstairs to the living room. No one was there so, lonely, Elsword sat down on the couch.

"Hey Elsword!" The crimsonette turned to see Rena coming down the stairs with a violet haired individual.

"Oh, h-hello Rena, and….um…..Aisha?" Elsword was still focusing on the names, only really knowing Add, Elesis, Ara, and Rena due to substantial impressions.

"Yup, what you doing out here alone?" The mage asked kindly.

"I just talked to Add, now I don't know what to do."

"Well, me and Aisha are on our way out for our weekly regime, want to come?" The gentle elf asked.

"What do you do?"

"Well, spa, some shopping, manicures, maybe get our hair done." Aisha listed off some examples, "Kinda 'girly' stuff if you want to be frank about it."

"Okay, sounds like fun." Elsword said.

"Nice, we can get you some new clothes too, this'll be fun!" Aisha clapped her hands together. The trio made their way to the garage and got into Raven's truck. They shared some simple conversation as they drove to just north of Elder, a quaint little resort in the hills. They parked outside a rather natural building, as if carved from the rock and trees around it, and went inside.

"Ah! If it isn't my favorite girls!" Elsword jumped slightly as a cheery woman with short, smoothed back silver hair wearing a single oriental dress came up to them.

"Hello Rebecca, the usual."

"But for three." Aisha finished Rena's sentence.

"Oh is this Elsword?" Rebecca shook her hand. The employees here were well versed in the oddities that occur in the El gang's lives and knew not to say anything unless told that it was fine.

"Yep, poor thing lost her memory a couple days ago so we're working on getting her back into the groove." Rena said with a subtle wink.

"Aw, you poor thing. Don't you worry, once you're done here you won't be having a care in the world about the past!" Rebecca said cheerfully; Elsword shied away further.

"It's that bad?" She mumbled.

"No, Rebecca means that you'll be so relaxed you won't be worrying about what you've forgotten for the entire day." Aisha said, "Trust me it's amazing." Still hesitant the crimsonette trusted her friend's judgement.

Rebecca led them through the establishment to a warm, steamy room with tubs of mud. Following their steps, however confused, Elsword disrobed with her friends and meekly slipped into the warm mud.

"What's this?"

"It's a mud bath, helps your skin." Aisha said, sighing contently. Three other employees came out and lit four sets of candels for each tub, placed on the edges.

"Would you like the television on miss Rena?"

"Sure." The elf took the remote she was handed and flicked the TV on. With the incense lit and the girls settled they were left alone.

"So Elsword, how's the new life?" Aisha started the conversation, resting her head on a soft pillow like the others.

"Well, Ara is really sweet, and Elesis is so nice to me." Elsword said.

"Well she is your sister." Rena giggled, "And Ara is a total sweetheart too, one of her best charms."

"And I really like Add…he's so kind to me and interesting." Elsword sighed. Aisha and Rena glanced at each other.

"Well, I suppose so." The magus shrugged.

"But…what about Chung?" Rena prodded. Aisha saw where this was going, if they could make Chung seem much more appealing than Add, things would be much better for everyone.

"I dunno I haven't really talked with him."

"You should." Aisha smiled, "He's a really nice young man, and not to mention cute."

"Maybe." The disinterest in her voice was clear. It was going to be a long day.