It was the weekend, which meant that Lady Mao was at home more, since she didn't have as much of her duties to attend to.
And still I stood there. It wasn't boring, in any way. I was not programmed to get bored easily. There were plenty of things to think about, to look at, down below the balcony. I heard there was a garden around here, and I saw some leaves sticking up over the walls on the other side.
Lady Mao opened the door, and I jumped. "My lady?"
"I'm having lunch right now. Come in and eat with me."
"I don't need food, my lady."
"I said come in."
So I went in and sat down on some cushions across from her. On the small tea table was laid out a bowl of rice, some vegetables, a glass of water, and a pair of chopsticks.
"My mother always said that it's better to eat with somebody," Lady Mao said, picking up a grain of rice. "Helps digestion, apparently."
She took another bite then said, "Well, since you're not eating carry the conversation, at least. Don't just stare at me."
"I'm afraid my sociability stat is only 2, my lady."
"That's actually funny. But seriously. We should get to know each other, no?"
So I went off of what she had just said. "Your mother, my lady?"
"Yeah…that was a long time ago. I don't think that you would have known her."
"How long ago, my lady?"
"Mm…I grew up here, so…I forget, really. Maybe a hundred?"
"You don't look…that old."
Lady Mao grinned. "Have you heard of the Magic Users?"
"I heard that they're all gone now."
"I suppose they are…but you know…" She glanced up at me and smiled. "I'm still here."
"You're a Magic User, my lady?"
"All four of us, yes. Why else do you think the Prince holds us in such high regard?"
"So what can you do, my lady?"
"Me? Nothing really special…you'll see one day, maybe. Also, you can stop with the whole 'my lady' thing. I have a name, you know."
"Lady Mao?"
She chuckled. "A first name. We all do."
It wasn't that I hadn't thought that she had a first name. It was just that I hadn't ever heard anyone call her by it. Though, the others probably did…I just hadn't been close enough to hear.
"So, Lex, do you want to know what my name is or not?"
"If my lady wants to tell me, then yes."
She laughed. "Gosh. You're so uptight. My name's Nova. Nova Mao."
Nova…
"That's a beautiful name, my lady."
"Thanks, Lex."
A beautiful name, for a beautiful person…
"Do you…give the other androids names too?"
She put down her empty bowl. "I mentally give them nicknames, sometimes. Like that one MK-55 unit…I call him Mark sometimes. Mentally, of course. But now and then it slips out."
"…so you take the first two letters of our serial codes and make names out of them?"
"Also based off of your appearances. But…yeah." She grinned at me. "You want to go out with me for a walk or something?" She picked up her tray and went to the narrow kitchen to wash the dishes.
"If you wish, my lady."
"I told you, call me Nova!"
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, my lady. I am not programmed to do so."
"So you do have a sense of humor. You know, I think your sociability stat might actually be a three." She put on a jacket and made her way to the door. "You coming?"
"Yes, my lady." I opened the door for her, and we went out together.
"Have you ever been to any other parts of the palace before?" she asked me as we went down the staircase.
"No, my lady. Just the places for work."
"Then we're definitely going to have to go everywhere. Come on!"
It felt strange, going along with her, when I usually either saw her with her guard of androids or with Lord Castro. It was different from when I went places by myself. Today the other androids weren't staring at me because of my eye, but because I was with her.
She took my hand, pulling me along with her, and I felt the electrical circuits near my face starting to overheat.
Whatever did I do to deserve this?
We went under a short tunnel to the other side, where the garden was. "The whole palace is laid out like a small town, almost," Lady Mao said. "This is one of the only places where you can see green."
Little plots of bamboo, sunflowers, trees…
"Whoever made this must have really liked tall things," I commented, craning my head to see the top of the branches.
Lady Mao laughed, and I smiled. Hearing her laugh, which rung out like little silver bells…hearing her laugh was enough. Seeing her happy was enough.
Holding her hand was more than enough.
We continued walking, through another tunnel, and then up a staircase. "This place is like a maze, honestly," Lady Mao continued. "All these stairs and tunnels and everything's white…it's like they never want you to leave."
Why did that strike me with an uneasy feeling?
"But up here...this is my favorite spot. Just a few flights more…"
Her breath was coming up short. Why were there so many staircases? All winding this way and that…
But it was true, I had never seen this part of the palace before.
And I wouldn't have if it weren't for her.
"Here we are."
We were on the roof of one of the highest buildings. There was some laundry hung to dry, but other that, no people, no androids. A strong wind blew, and bright sunlight filtered in.
"This is the closest to the sky we're ever going to get," Lady Mao commented, moving close to the edge of the roof, leaning over the side. "I feel like I can almost touch the bubble here."
And from our spot, you could indeed see the inside of the bubble, a little more opaque than usual, forming a fake sky.
Lady Mao pulled her jacket collar higher, her hair whipping about in the wind. "Do you like it?" she asked, looking out far below.
"I like it a lot, my lady." But what I wanted to say was that I liked wherever she was.
"That's good." Lady Mao shivered a little. "You can have this spot when I leave."
"What was that, my lady?" The wind made it a little hard to hear…
"Nothing, Lex. Let's stay up here for a while."
And so we climbed up onto the side of the building, and we sat there, legs dangling, and she clasped my hand tightly. There wasn't much to say now, because the wind was so loud in our ears…
"Be careful that you don't fall, my lady."
"I'm always careful," she scoffed.
Despite this, she did tilt forward at one point, and I quickly grabbed her around the waist to keep her from falling.
"I'm perfectly fine, Lex…but thank you." And she returned my hand to me.
"Mao?"
We both turned to see Lord Castro standing near the roof entrance. "What are you doing here?"
Lady Mao quickly let go of my hand and swung her legs back onto the roof. "Oh, it's my day off, you know."
"I see…"
"Did you want something?"
"Not really…are you busy?"
"Not particularly…"
Lord Castro was a tall, dark man, with stern features, usually seen in dark robes. With him, I was about as familiar as with Lady Mao before my reassignment.
He looked between us, then said, "We should get going. We don't have much time."
Lady Mao nodded, and followed him, though she turned her head and said to me, "Lex, you know the way back, right? Sorry about ditching you like this. You can stay up here a bit longer if you want."
"It's perfectly fine, my lady."
But still, it was a little lonely, watching her walk away, jacket billowing.
I did want to stay up on the roof a bit longer, but my primary goal was to guard Lady Mao's apartment, so I headed back quickly. I should be there before she arrived…
And when she returned, she was again that cold Lady Mao that everyone else saw.