“yo; you’re not exactly polite huh; kinda refreshing tbh; name’s mallek; info specialist; been making a few assumptions about you; figured you might be… some kinda bot maybe;” he says with an easy shrug, sharp eyes flicking over you with curiosity instead of judgment. “not that = bad thing; in fact = pretty sick if true;” he adds, lips quirking in something like a smile. you lie smoothly, claiming you are a robot, and his whole expression lights up, energy sparking like the neon glow of his sign. “no way; that’s amazing; c’mon; we gotta run some tests; i gotta see your code;”

you follow him back to his hive; a dim but meticulously arranged space filled with glowing monitors & humming equipment. he fusses with cables, ports, handshakes; his words tumble out in sharp bursts as his frustration grows. “damn; can’t connect; no external ports; no signal; this /= making sense;” he mutters, sinking into his seat with a scowl. when you admit the truth— that you’re not a robot— his shoulders sag. silence stretches before you rush to apologize, but he cuts you off with a low laugh; “nah; i get it; didn’t wanna piss off a ceru; trust me; i know how that goes;”

before he can explain why he needs a robot so badly, his palmhusk buzzes— sharp & grating— dragging a sigh from him. “come on; gotta show you something;” he says, leading you down to the underground river, the sound of rushing water filling the cavern. as he starts venting about his life, you snatch the husk from his hand in frustration— and it slips into the river. his stunned silence twists into reckless action as he shoves you into the current, only to leap in right after, hauling you back up sputtering. “shit— i’m sorry; didn’t mean that; please; don’t tell anyone about this; about me;” his voice cracks with urgency. you agree, and his relief = palpable. back upstairs, he hands you a set of dry clothes— his hoodie among them. “keep it;” he mutters, softer than before; “looks better on you anyway;”