Her favorite place to smoke was the kitchen.

Well, her favorite place in the house was the kitchen, period. It was home-y. Her place. Don't get her wrong, she loved the mansion. She loved her father's paintings and her little pottery strewn about, messy yet well-kept. Their studio outside, a mess of paintbrushes and hunks of clay and jotted down ideas mixed in a mess on tables, it was amazing. But that was their place. The kitchen was hers. She could spend hours in there, working on new recipes and baking to her heart's content. Iris could make three dozen pastries in no time. It was a trait she knew she got from her mother.

And in this kitchen was the little breakfast nook that jutted out the side of the house. There were three pieces bulging from the structure in total, and nearly floor-to-ceiling windows on each piece. The edge of the window stopped a good two feet from the floor, so when she opened one to smoke she could sit on the frame and stare out the window, pensive. It's where she was in the moment, smoking her fourth cigarette in a row while she waited for a car to pull up. It was the perfect spot to check on the road while she and her father waited.

Her father was alone in the studio, waiting for the android to arrive with only his paints for company. While he wasn't completely against the idea now, it still took some nudging from Iris to take that extra leap and call Kamski. Speaking of, the ex-CyberLife employee said it would come by at exactly noon-time. Iris didn't make the arraignment, her father did. But she was really happy he did. Ecstatic, even. Hopefully the android would provide her some ease in taking care of Carl.

As the time on Iris's watch turned exactly 12, a car pulled into the driveway. Damn. Punctual. Leaving her cigarette pack on the window sill, she squished the end of her lit cigarette to the edge of the frame and stood up. With a quick huff to recharge her thoughts, she ruffled her hair and started striding to the front door.

The android was too quick for her. It made its way to the door faster and had pressed the doorbell once, allowing the loud noise to ring through the mansion for promptly five seconds.

"Yup!" Iris called, picking her feet up more as she scurried over. "Coming over!"

When she opened the door, she nearly gasped at the android in front of her. He was tall; taller than her (though that's not hard. She was only 5'2".) He wore the typical male android outfit: Dark pants, dark jacket with a blue holographic band on the right upper arm, undershirt hidden. His hands were clasped together behind his back, resting peacefully. But him, woah… Green eyes, bronze skin, short buzzed hair, chiseled features. Intensely set eyebrows and firm muscle build. If Iris had walked past him on the street, she would have thought he was human. Elijah Kamski must have put weeks and weeks worth of work into making him.

It, Iris thought. This is an, "it." Easily perceived by the blue LED circle behind its right eye.

The LED in question began to blink yellow, its pieces slowly circling in unison before it returned to the soft blue.

"Good afternoon, Miss Manfred." The android calmly greeted. Iris realized she hadn't said anything when she answered the door; just stared at him with her mouth slightly agape. He didn't seem to mind. He shouldn't—it shouldn't. "I am your new RK200 model, an android created by Mr. Kamski." It waited a beat before adding, "May I come in?"

"Uh, of course." Iris found her voice and nodded. She pulled the door further open, allowing it to easily walk past her so she could close the door.

"My orders inform me I am to take care of two people. Iris and Carl." The RK200 said, looking back to her.

"I'm Carl." Her father said, easing himself into the room. Iris stared at the yellow and orange paint against his cheek and the top of his shirt collar. Uh oh, someone made a mess. But unfortunately that was not all there was to look at. With a harsh set glare in the androids direction and a clenched jaw, Iris could tell how tense Carl was feeling with the new development.

"Pleasure to meet you both." The RK200 said, curtly nodding in Carl's direction and even smiling. "Now, what are my daily duties?" It looked between both humans, awaiting an answer.

"Little flower, would you like to fill him in? I need to go wash up." Carl asked and already began zooming away. She sighed internally. More change equals more bumps in the road.

"Sorry," Iris apologized quietly once her father was out of earshot. "He actually loves androids. He just never thought he would need one."

The android nodded to her, its LED flashing yellow quickly. "That's quite alright. I understand that for some humans our personal integration to daily life may be difficult."

"Uh huh." She said to him, and got back on track. "So, daily chores. Um, dad likes to get up pretty late in the morning most days. He needs help with showers, though baths are easier. He has a pretty intense medicine schedule that we need to keep on track of. Some diet restrictions." She began walking slowly throughout the walkway, pointing out small details of their everyday life. Books, games she and Carl liked to play, their studio outside. All the while the android took in the information, his LED staying mostly in yellow while Iris chattered on.

"What do you and Carl like to eat?" It asked her as they passed the kitchen. "I can download over 20,000 recipes online based on personal criteria."

"Oh, no, don't worry about that." She waved off the request. "I am more than happy to cook for myself and dad. I love being in the kitchen."

The androids eyes swept over the new area, looking at the clean counter space, few dishes in the sink, and landing on the opened window and pack of cigarettes. It asked her, "You smoke cigarettes?"

"Yes." She answered, her response sounding like a question.

The RK200 politely informed her, "Cigarettes are immensely unhealthy for you. They can take up to eleven years of your life and have been linked to causing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, lung disease, heart disease, and even strokes. As a health care companion, I am asking you to stop immediately."

She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the request. "You aren't the first person to say that, and you certainly won't be the last."

Stepping back into the main area of the house, she looked back to the android. "Last thing: scheduling. You're also going to set up my father's doctor appointments, along with our art banquets and other art world needs. But I think that's it on our list."

She looked up to his face as the LED set itself to the comfortable, soft blue. And before even thinking about it, she asked, "Is there anything we should know about you? I mean, would you like your own room? How do we perform maintenance on you? Do you need a charging station or anything?"

The machine chuckled softly. Damn it! How could laughter sound so damn good? How could it have come from a damn fancy computer? "I need nothing of the sort. I perform regular self-maintenance check-ups on my operating system, and my batteries are self-sustainable. Seeing as I don't sleep, I will not need any personal quarters."

Iris nodded, her eyes focusing on his easily. "Okay. Anything else we should know? Anything to keep you comfortable?"

The RK200 shrugged in its spot. "No comfort needed. I'm an android. I can cook, clean dishes, and take care of animals and young children. I can administer medicine, book appointments, keep you up to date on the news without turning on the tv. I am a handyman that can fix faulty equipment at home without fail. I am also built to be anatomically correct, so I can be used as a sexual partner by my owners."

Oh? Oh. Oh dear.

Iris tried to say something along the lines of, "Okay," but it came out more of a, "Ohhk-lrighty." Get the thought out of your head. NOW.

The android added one more thing, his soft green eyes staring thoughtfully out at nothing. "If you would like, I can also be named."

"Sure, sure." Iris nodded to him. "Any ideas?"

"I don't know. Would you like me to check popular names online?"

Right. It can't exactly, "think."

She said the first name that came to mind. An old friend of her fathers, someone she knew and passed way before his time. "How about Markus?"

The LED flashed yellow in a single beat. "Markus. I like it."

Iris smiled to him—it. "Markus it is. Welcome to your new home."

"And I believe that's checkmate." Markus grinned.

"God damn it!" Iris groaned across from him. Carl chuckled happily as he watched the pair. "That's five in a row! How?!"

Markus couldn't help but smirk proudly. "You must forget I have downloaded every notable piece of information on chess."

Iris raised an eyebrow at him accusingly. "Can you uninstall it then? Even the playing field a bit?" She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, glaring at him playfully.

"I could, but I won't. Then you'll be mad that I'm going too easy on you. I can't win in either scenario."

"Very true, Markus." Carl clasped at the android's shoulder. "Ladies are complicated creatures, but no matter what, you are always in the wrong. Easy life lesson."

"If you wanna be philosophical about it, why don't you let him kick your ass, dad?" Iris pushed her chair out dramatically. "Take it like a real man."

"Fine, fine." Carl laughed. "Watch and learn, little flower."

Markus had been integrating into their lives for over a month now, and they couldn't be happier. He made life so much easier, so much smoother than before. Iris could get out of the house more and work on her clay projects alone, and Carl still had good enough company to keep himself busy. Markus was the missing piece in their puzzle; he fit into the mansion like a glove.

A soft beeping from Iris' phone brought her out of her thoughts, and she grinned as she turned the alarm off. "Whoop whoop! Batch two, sugar cookies, are done! Now onto the chocolate chips."

"Do you seriously think the animal shelter needs that many cookies?" Carl pointedly asked, concern in his words.

"They're having a bake sale, aren't they? Then they need baked goods." Iris defended. "Besides, the volunteers and I can eat whatever's left over. Win win." She happily strode away from the pair as Markus and her father re-set the chess board by the window, and with practiced ease she pulled the cookie trays out of the oven. She already had a batch of snickerdoodles resting on cooling trays strewn on half the countertop. Grabbing ahold of her spatula, she set the sugar cookies on the next set of cooling trays.

Iris took her time while baking. There was just… something natural about it. The skill was easy to master growing up. Carl told her that it was something she inherited from her mother, (it had been one of the topics they spoke of in their night together.) Iris wanted to know every detail about it; every cookie, pie, cake, pastry. If it had to be baked, Iris had probably tried it out at least twice. It was the only way she knew to feel close to her mom. And besides, the boys in the next room don't need her supervision. She could spend as long as she needed in there.

After mixing all-purpose flower, baking powder, flour, and sugar, Iris felt something vibrating in her pocket. My phone, she realized. Who the hell would be calling?

Quickly cleaning her hands on a towel, she fished the damn thing out of her pocket and checked the name.

Leo.

Within the second of reading it she answered the call and put the device against her ear. "Hi," she breathed into the receiver.

"Hey." Leo said softly on his end. She could hear his smile, even if it was barely there. He was happy, at least a little bit.

"How-how've you been?" Iris asked him, staring blankly at the mess of dry ingredients before her. She didn't know what to say to him. She never did.

"I'm-" He took an audible breath. "I'm good. Great, even."

"Yeah?" Iris asked. "That's nice to hear. It's just great to hear your voice. It's been so long, Leo." It wasn't the longest they've been without talking. That trophy was at six and a half months. The current stretch was four.

"I know, I know." He responded. "Too long. I'm sorry. I just—with dad's accident, and losing my job, it's been rough out here."

"I get it; I hear you. I'm just glad you called, is all." When she found the ability to move again, Iris set the phone into the crook of her neck and began to beat the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Her hands moved slower than before; she would rather hear Leo than bake. Calls from him were like striking gold.

There was a quick stretch of silence before he spoke again. "I got a new job. A moving company, downtown in Toledo. Its good pay and benefits. Let's me help myself and my mom."

"How's Deb doing?"

"Better than before. Much happier now that I'm getting a decent check every couple weeks."

Iris smiled to herself. "I'm glad you found something worthwhile." She didn't want to preach to him; it's not what he needed. He just needed his baby sister to listen to him.

"Me too." He waited a beat before adding, "How's the old man?"

Iris chuckled softly as she put the wet ingredients into the dry and added chocolate chips. "Dad's doing fine. You should come by one of these days. He misses you."

"Maybe soon. Can you put him on the phone?"

"I would, but he's playing chess right now with our android."

There was an audible sharp intake on the other line. "No way. You two did not get a fuckin' android." Iris's half-brother wasn't overly fond of the android uptake in society. Never has been, and most likely never will be. But hopefully he would understand/tolerate why the pair got one.

"Indeed we did." She nodded curtly before remembering he couldn't see her. "He's been a huge help these past couple of weeks around the house. I can finally pee by myself without worrying about dad. Really liberating after a stretch of time. We named him Markus, after dad's old friend from Boston." After about a week of trying to call Markus an it, she realized she just couldn't do it. While he was a machine, he was more than that to her. He was a helping hand, a friend, an ear when she needed to vent. Markus was more than just an android to her and her father.

"Damn. Gotta admit, I'm surprised at you two. I never expected you guys to go the CyberLife side."

"Well, I'm very happy with Markus around. And besides, he's cuter to look at than you."

"I take offense to that."

The pair laughed heartily, and Iris's heart zinged. She missed Leo. So much. There was never a good time for them to just meet up and chat about their lives. They were pulled in two very different directions after school. Leo started playing around with Red Ice, Iris went to art school. Then Leo's mom had a seizure and he became pretty much the sole provider for her medication. Sure, dad would send in checks every now and then, but he and Deb weren't together. They were just like Iris' mom and him; a one-night stand that added a surprise to Carls' life. When Iris made it big in the art world, Leo had a measly job in a convenience store. He had lost it at the beginning of the year. Then Carl was in his accident, and that brought them to the present. With the news of Leo getting a new job, Iris was mentally pleading that he finally stopped using.

"'Ree…" Leo started. "I have… I have a huge favor to ask of you."

Iris flared in anger for a second, her movements stilling and eyes harshly set. And there it was, she thought. The whole damn reason he called. She could never just get a call from him. He always needed something.

She sighed heavily, running her fingers through her hair as she asked. "How much?"

"'Bout $450." He replied sheepishly.

"$450?!" She barked in the receiver. She pulled the phone into her hands, staring it down as she hissed, "What the fuck did you do this time, Leo?!"

He scrambled over his words. "My last dealer is apparently in some shit, so he needs what I owe him in full. Sooner rather than later." Iris sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose. She attempted to keep her voice quiet when she responded. Don't want to get dad and Markus in on this. They can have their fun.

"Leo, this kills me. Every goddamn time."

"I know, I know." No you don't. "I'm trying, 'Ree. Really, I am." No you aren't.

Her hands found themselves wrapping the edge of the countertop, fingers curling over the wood structure tightly as the phone was haphazardly dropped on it. Leo didn't say anything. Neither did she, for a good long while. Just an irate silence between the pair.

When Iris did pick up the phone, she let out an irritated, "I'll send it later tonight," into her phone.

She could hear audible relief on his end. "Thank you, Iris. Really. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." She mentally waved him off. "You'll thank me by leaving that shit in your past, you hear me? Please, Leo."

"I'm trying." He responded. He almost sounded earnest. It was convincing. "Really, I am. It's been five days."

She closed her eyes, taking in the information. Five days. That's a good start. "Okay. That's good. Keep it going."

"I'm trying. Seriously, Iris. If not for myself, then for my mom. And for dad. And you. I promise, this time around I'm gonna be different."

"Okay." She repeated. Her heart told her to believe him; her mind said otherwise. It wasn't the first time he made that promise. Hopefully it'd be the first time he kept it, but history just loves to repeat itself. "I love you."

"Love you too, 'Ree." He said. Then she heard a click, and the line disconnected.

With an audible huff she tossed the phone onto the countertop, a good couple feet away from her baking explosion. Her eyes were shut tight, her face pulled in a deep grimace as she relayed the information in her head. Hey, Iris. It's been four months. Yeah, I'm doing good, got a job, need $450, went to the beach. Normal stuff, y'know?

Iris loved her brother deeply, no matter what. But she was going to slap him silly next time they met face-to-face. It was almost a guarantee.

"-That was an intense game, Carl." She could hear Markus' voice trailing down the hallway and coming closer. Shit.

"Oh, you're just saying that because you're programmed to." Carl replied cheekily. Iris quickly grabbed her scooper and set a couple halfhearted balls of dough onto her empty cookie sheets, trying to stifle her hands from shaking.

"You are a wonderful opponent, and that's not something in my programming. I may have won this time, but your actions in the game surprised me."

"Ah, if they've surprised an android, then I must be doing something right!" Soft chuckles ensued before Markus stepped through the kitchen threshold and into view.

"How are the cookies coming along?" He asked Iris simply, a soft smile on his perfect features. Then he took in her slowly fading frown, elevated heart rate, tension, and low cortisol levels. The smile faded into a look of concern. "Are you alright, Iris?"

"Just fine," she muttered, scooping up more of the dough and slapping it onto the tray with more force than necessary. "I don't want to talk about it."

Carl rolled in behind Markus, still cheerful. He must not have heard the pair, but had picked up on the tension immediately. "What happened?"

Iris opened her mouth to push the topic away, but Markus spoke before her. "Iris's heart rate is elevated, and her cortisol levels have decreased. She is tense and angry, with no discernable reason why."

Dammit, Markus. Her father was happy right now; she didn't want to bother him with Leo's issues. She glared daggers at the android as Carl asked, "Everything okay, little flower?"

Might as well. "Leo called."

"And?" His voice was deeper this time. He already knew where this was going.

"And he needed cash. I'm gonna give it to him later. I didn't want to bother you with it."

Carl's features dropped, old lines on his face wrinkling in anger more than sadness. He and Iris were used to it. "How much?"

She didn't want to tell him. "$450."

"Markus, send the money to Leo Manfred's savings account at 5:30pm today." Carl spun his wheelchair around to point at the dining room. "From my account. Not Iris'."

"Yes, sir." Markus blinked, his LED flashing yellow quickly. Carl wheeled himself out of the room and out of Iris' sight, and she could only assume he was heading to the studio to let off some steam.

Her assumptions were proven when she heard the automatic door pulling open for him, and the quick burst of air as it shut behind him. Immediately she turned to Markus, nostrils flaring in anger and tone biting. "What the hell was that?!"

His green eyes blinked at her slowly, and his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" His hands go behind his back, resting easily as Iris stared at him with a fury in her eyes.

"I mean—" She sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her noise. "When I say something like, 'I don't want to talk about it,' it means I probably don't want to talk about it. Especially not in front of dad, when I know the news is gonna piss him off."

The LED continued to blink yellow, and in the moment, Iris wanted to rip the damn thing off his head. Okay, calm down. He didn't mean to. She closed her eyes, taking a slow breath to calm her thoughts. "It's just that… Leo is a touchy subject. We both love him, but he is a handful at the best of times. This issue was something I could solve by myself. I don't want to worry my dad about things I can handle. Understand?"

Markus nodded curtly at her. "Of course, Miss Manfred. It won't happen again." He pulled his hands to his sides and turned swiftly. "I will go check on him now."

"Okay." She nodded. As he took a step just outside the threshold, Iris added, "By the way, it's Iris. You don't need to call me Miss Manfred, if you don't want to. I mean," she shrugged. "You can call me whatever."

Markus gave her a kind smile. How the hell did Kamski manage to program fifty different types of smiles into this tin can? "Iris, then. Of course."

As soon as he was gone from her vision, she looked back down at the mess in front of her. Okay, let's finish up these cookies.