Sora and Robecca
Sora was leaving Monster High after hours. The boy had just gotten out of detention for damaging school property.
Again.
The Keybearer was passing the fountain before he tripped over something.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," a ghoul's voice with a londoom accent reaches his ears.
Looking over, Sora finds a certain copper skinned ghoul laying on the ground. Though, she's missing an arm from its socket and her leg from below the knee.
"Would it be too much of a bother if you'd lend me a foot?" Robecca asks.
"Uh," the boy tilts his head. "Don't you mean a hand?"
"Nope!" the ghoul raises her still intact arm to reveal the missing one in its grasp. "It's right here. My foot on the other hand…" she points over at the normie's feet at where the ghoul's leg was laying.
"Oh!" Sora realized as he grabbed the limb. "Sorry about that," he then assists the robot with replacing the leg where it belongs as the ghoul does the same with her arm. "What happened?"
"I was working on a new scare-defying stunt!" the ghoul beams. "It would have been smashing had I not made an error and missed my mark," she finishes tightening the bolts for her arm and then moves to help Sora with what remains for her leg. "As a scaredevil, I'm ashamed to say that I landed at a bad angle. It only takes one miscalculation to ruin what should have been a fantastic spectacle," Robecca sighs as they completed the task.
"Are you alright?" the Normie asks as he assist the robot ghoul back up on her feet.
"I'm just ace!" she announces before testing her rocket boots. "Everything seems to be in working order."
"So, you're not hurt?"
Robecca shrugs. "Not really. One of the perks of not being real is that I cannot feel pain."
Sora tilts his head. "Not real?"
"Well, yes," the ghoul starts walking away from the school as the boy follows her. "I'm a machine, Sora. I was built in a workshop out of scraps of metal over a hundred years ago. It is far different from how you normies or any other monsters came to be. I cannot experience life the way everyone else does as I am held together by gears and bolts instead of flesh and bones. I do not feel pain," she then places a hand over where one's heart would be. "Nor am I capable to feel the warming touch of another."
That put Sora in deep thought for a moment. "None of that means you're not real."
That causes the robot ghoul to stop while turning to the boy. "Huh?" she blinks.
"You may not experience life the same as everyone else. But the thing is, nobody has the same exact experience. It's what makes every person unique. Be they human, monster, or robot. Flesh or metal," Sora turns to her to add, "And being created doesn't make you any less real. My friend, Xion, was created as well. And not with good intentions. But she chose to go against her purpose as that's not what she wanted. That's what makes you real. Being able to make your own choices. As for being able to feel?" Sora takes one of the ghoul's hands and holds it in his own. "Feeling this isn't the warmth that matters the most," he then moves the hand back over where Robecca's heart would be. "It's this one."
Robecca had to give him credit for one thing. There is a warmth that she's feeling right there. And it's a great feeling. That warmth just kept rising and rising until…
With a lout whistle, puffs of steam are emitted from the ghoul's ears.
"Oh, goodness me!" Robecca gets another warm feeling, but it's different from the last one. "This is embarrassing," she waves the smoke away. "I am sorry about that. Oh, my!" the ghoul then covers her face with her hand.
Sora waves the smoke out of his face. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"I, I am not upset," she stutters.
"I thought that happens when you're angry?"
"I does, but, also…" she found it difficult to look the boy in her eyes. "Um, Sora, would you like to hang out some time?"
The boy was stunned for a moment before flashing her his signature goofy smile. "Sure. I'm free now if you like?"
"I'd love to."
"Great! What would you like to do?"
"Call me old fashion but I'll be fine with a simple chat over some fine tea."
"Great!" the Normie beams. "Let's go!"
"Sora!" Robecca calls out and that warm feeling starts rising within her again. "Before we go. May I have my hand back?"
This entire time, Sora had kept Robecca's hand in his own while it remained over Robecca's heart.
"Sorry," the boy finally let go.
"It's no bother," the robot admits. "It strangely felt nice."
"Felt?" Sora asks and receives a nod from her and the Normie smiles.
The two teens then started walking once again. There was nothing but silence for a few minutes until the ghoul spoke up.
"Care for a race to the nearest tea shop?"
At this, Sora nods. "Sure! The loser has to pay?"
"What a smashing idea," the ghoul agrees as she activates her rockets. "See you at the finishing line!"
"Hey! No Fair!" Sora dashes forward with a laugh. "We didn't start yet!"
End