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ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the June 6, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from chanter1944, heartsinger, and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
zianuray. It also fills the "Naked / Vulnerable" square in my 6-1-21 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, ng_moonmoth, bairnsidhe, erulisse, and edorfaus. It belongs to the China's Mistake arc and the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes emotional distress, the aftermath of extreme sexual abuse of underage sexbots, paralyzing physical damage, intimate conversations, anxiety, synthetic genital reconstruction, reference to disturbing requests for genital modifications, boundary issues, robotic-medical details, poorly constructed modesty programming with subsequent lack of contextual modesty, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"Getting to the Next Part of Yourself"
[Saturday, January 23, 2016 around 5 PM in China]
[Saturday, January 23, 2016 around 2 PM in Thalassia]
Bayesia was beyond outraged,
but she didn't dare show it.
That would just make matters
worse than they already were.
The normally quiet robotics lab
was a pit of chaos at present,
as rescued sexbots arrived from
China in various states of disrepair.
The victims needed someone
to be calm and rational, so
that was what she would do.
Bayesia directed her lab techs
to sort them and determine
who needed how much help.
Some of them only needed
to be cleaned up and then
dressed in decent clothing.
Xù Shǎng, for instance,
was perfectly fine except
that she had no arms or legs.
Bayesia made a note for
Ajendar to check on her later
and discuss what kinds of
prostheses she might like.
Others had cosmetic damage
that could be repaired easily.
The ones with structural damage
went to more experienced techs.
Bayesia took the worst herself.
The sexbot looked like a teenage girl,
what was left of her. Arms and legs
had been bent too roughly and broken
or jammed in place. Deep gouges
in the soft synthetic flesh showed
the shiny metal skeleton inside.
Farther down, the hilt of a knife
still jutted from an intimate place.
She had been wrapped in a blanket
of pink Microfyne for comfort,
but she still looked anxious.
Bayesia looked down at herself
to make sure she hadn't forgotten
and thrown on a lab coat, but no, she
was still wearing the tank top that read,
I build robots. What is your superpower?
She checked the chart. Guāi Qiǎo's owner
was a violent sexual sadist who had done
a lot of damage, according to the notes
from the rescuer and the teleporter.
"Hello, Guāi Qiǎo, I'm Bayesia," she said.
"You have extensive damage to your frame
and the synthetic flesh envelope around it,
which means making decisions about
how you want all of that repaired."
"Can you really fix it without making
it worse?" Guāi Qiǎo asked her.
"I never thought I'd have to say this,
but the ... foreign object can be removed
without further damage to the affected area,
if we have permission to access that area?"
Bayesia said. "Limbs can also be reoriented,
at least broadly. Once we get you tidied up
a bit, that should make decisions easier."
"Yes, please," said Guāi Qiǎo. "I
want to look normal, at least."
"We can do more than that,"
Bayesia said. "Let me introduce
you to my assistant, Ajendar. I think
you'll like him -- he's a cyborg."
Ajendar stepped forward and
waved with all four hands. "Hello."
He wore a backpack that gave him
an extra pair of hands along with
a sensor head that peeked over
his shoulder like a curious pet.
That made him very useful for
tasks that required a lot of help, like
the delicate process of removing
the knife and straightening bent limbs.
By the time they were done, Guāi Qiǎo
looked better, but parts of her were quivering.
"How are you doing?" Bayesia asked her.
"You look better, except for the trembling."
"I just wish that it would all go away,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "Connecting with
the others is not much help when
everyone else is as upset as I am."
"You shouldn't try to stop everything
from happening," Bayesia explained.
"Why not?" said Guāi Qiǎo. "I'm
so tired, and scared, and it's awful."
"Sometimes you're supposed to feel
awkward," Bayesia said. "Sometimes
you're supposed to be vulnerable
in front of people. Sometimes it's
necessary because it's all part
of you getting to the next part
of yourself, the next day."
Ajendar, who had exchanged
his lab coat for a red plaid shirt
to seem less scary, was trying
to soothe her by stroking her hair.
"Being vulnerable isn't as awful
when you have people to take
good care of you," he offered.
"Think of it as a way to confirm
that you're somewhere better
now than where you used to be."
"Yes," Guāi Qiǎo said. "It's better."
"Okay, first choice," said Bayesia.
"Do you want a whole new body,
or would you rather repair this one?
A new one could be much sturdier,
but there are some risks involved
in transferring digital people. Repair
avoids those risks, but it limits what
we can do about the damage."
"I don't want to change bodies,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "I'm too scared
that something will go wrong."
"That's your choice," Bayesia said.
"The good news is that you have
no significant facial damage, and
the core frame is still pretty good.
We can replace the limbs, too."
"And the bad news?" Guāi Qiǎo said.
"With flesh, you have two basic options,"
said Bayesia. "We can recast it around
your frame, which will take a lot longer
but look better. Or we could open up
a precast envelope and seal you inside,
which would go fast but leave a seam,
like a scar, on the front or the back."
"Do the envelope and put the seam
in the back," Guāi Qiǎo said. "I
don't need to look perfect."
"That's a wise answer,"
Ajendar said. "We'll do
our best to make you
look the way you want."
"Thank you," said Guāi Qiǎo.
"Well, shall we talk about
vulva reconstruction next?"
Bayesia said. "We could
replace whatever you had,
or do something different."
"I don't know ... can you
even tell what it looked like
before?" said Guāi Qiǎo.
"We could look it up,"
said Bayesia, "or you
could pick from a set.
In any case, we can
match your skin tone."
"Could I see the set?"
Guāi Qiǎo asked. "I can't
guess what the options
might actually look like."
"Here, these are some of
the more popular options
for various purposes,"
Bayesia said, showing
a collage on the tablet.
"Oh, I want that one,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "Row 2,
Column 2 -- it's discreet."
It was a snug little slit,
closed tightly on itself.
"Sure, we can do that,"
Bayesia promised.
"Any modifications?
That has a list too."
Some of the others had
wanted their orifices sealed.
Three had requested tasers,
and one asked for blades.
Guāi Qiǎo checked on the list,
then said, "No, just plain, please."
"I'll put in the order," Ajendar said
as he entered it in his tablet computer.
Kraken operatives were taking over
the sexbot factories that they had found,
searching them for other victims, so
getting replacement parts was easy --
they could be fetched by teleport.
"Okay, big question: do you want
to be present for the repairs or not?"
said Bayesia. "We can turn off what's
left of your sensory net below the neck,
so you can watch what we're doing,
or you could enter sleep mode and
I'd wake you up after it's all done."
Guāi Qiǎo gave an anxious twitch.
"I can't stay, that would be awful,
but after what happened I don't want
to spend so long in sleep mode either."
"Well, can you turn all your attention
to the internet?" Bayesia asked. "If so,
then you could chat with your friends
or explore some of our resources here,
and just ignore your body for a while."
"That will work," said Guāi Qiǎo.
"There is so much to explore,
and it all feels so open, too!"
"Ah ... you can go wherever you
want in the open areas, but I suggest
staying in the upper levels for now,"
said Bayesia. "The deeper ones
might not be comfortable for you."
"I thought I'd look at community things,
or the support websites we were given,"
said Guāi Qiǎo. "Those are safe, right?"
"Yes, those are fine," said Bayesia.
"Do you want a spotter to watch us
while we work?" Ajendar asked. "We
have emotional first aides and such."
"Some people like to have a friend or
family member supervising, to make sure
their wishes are honored," said Bayesia.
Guāi Qiǎo couldn't move much, but she
managed to glance around at the others.
"My friends aren't much better off
than me, and I don't want to ask them
for something difficult," she said.
"I trust you to fix things right."
That was possibly too much trust
for an abuse survivor, but Bayesia
didn't want to argue about that.
Instead, she filled in the forms
and then sent those to Guāi Qiǎo.
"Okay, here's the paperwork,"
said Bayesia. "First, a summary of
our ethics -- based on your choices,
we're working at the safest level today.
Next, a list of the damages and options
for repairs, with your selections. There
are links to more information if you wish."
"Don't worry about making us wait,"
Ajendar said. "Read as much of
that as you want. We have time."
As Guāi Qiǎo took several minutes,
she must be following the links,
which was a good thing as far
as Bayesia was concerned.
"This all looks right,"
Guāi Qiǎo said finally.
"Then sign where it
says Informed Consent,"
Bayesia said, and she did.
"Excellent. Go ahead and
leave your body now; I'll send
you a message when it's fixed."
Watching the scanner, she
could see the body power down.
The central processing unit
remained active, but engaged
with the internet, not the body.
The sexbots had features
so that the hardware could be
repaired at the same time as
the software was updating,
without risk to either sexbot
or the roboticist working on her.
It took hours for Bayesia and
Ajendar to make the repairs.
First they had to remove
the flesh envelope, which was
too badly damaged to patch well.
With the metal skeleton exposed,
they could see the mangled limbs
and replace the damaged parts.
So much was broken that
Ajendar had all four hands full,
and his sensor head was busy
examining the infrastructure
across multiple wavelengths.
"Maybe turn it the other way
to loosen it?" he said, peering
at a tangle of twisted struts.
As Bayesia rotated the mass,
it popped loose. "Got it!"
Finally they got that fixed and
all the bodily sensors calibrated,
so it was time to cover the frame.
Bayesia checked to make sure
that the new skin matched the face
and the vulva was the right shape.
Then they carefully tucked the skeleton
into the envelope and filled it with the gel
that would meld flesh to skeleton. Next
they pulled the skin together, sealing it
with gel that soon dried to match.
The process left definite scars
along the back, but they were
smooth enough that they didn't
look bad or impair anything.
"What do you think?"
Ajendar said, holding up
a different garment in
each of his four hands.
Kraken had provided
a sample wardrobe for
each of the sexbots,
based on their choices.
"The pink plaid blouse
with the blue cardigan,
the white shorts, and
the pink thong sandals,"
said Bayesia. "Let's
keep it simple for now."
Carefully they dressed
Guāi Qiǎo, then sat her up.
Bayesia sent her a message,
and a few seconds later,
Guāi Qiǎo blinked at them.
"Welcome back," said Bayesia.
"Everything went very well.
"Shall we run a test sequence?"
Guāi Qiǎo looked around. "But
I don't see any sex toys. Do you
want to test me in person then?"
"No no no," said Bayesia. "Sex
isn't something I generally do.
If you want to test sexual activity,
I'll find you some toys so you
can do that part in ... private ..."
Guāi Qiǎo had already pulled
her shorts down to examine
the shape of her new vulva.
Ajendar cleared his throat.
"This model does have
a chaste mode, but if it's
not engaged ... well ..."
"I see," Bayesia said.
"Guāi Qiǎo, please put
your shorts back on for
now. I would like us to do
some basic nonsexual tests
before we get to fine tuning."
"Okay," Guāi Qiǎo said. "I'm
not used to people being shy."
"Someone will have to figure out
how to manage modesty with
digital people who may not have
that programming or, like you,
have it segregated," said Bayesia.
"Don't worry about it right now. Let's
just check your motion and senses."
They had a checklist to go through.
Guāi Qiǎo dutifully turned her head,
wiggled her fingers and toes, moved
her arms and legs, and reported on
sensations in various body parts.
"This is so much better than before!"
she exclaimed. "I have never had
this much range or sensitivity."
"The factory standards were
ridiculous," Bayesia muttered.
"We followed the basic build but
upgraded sensitivity and mobility
to match the more expensive models,"
Ajendar explained. "It wouldn't be
fair to leave you with a cheap body."
"Let's check large motor movements
next," said Bayesia. "Can you stand
up and walk around? I'll spot you."
She held out her hands just in case
Guāi Qiǎo wobbled or tipped over.
Bayesia had watched a lot of videos
about robotics, some hilariously bad.
She didn't trust Chinese programming.
Guāi Qiǎo made it to her feet just fine,
though, and walked in a careful circle
around both Bayesia and Ajendar.
"How are you feeling? I mean, is
your body comfortable? Does it feel
like all the repairs worked?" said Bayesia.
"It's normal if your emotions have not
settled down from the ruckus yet."
"I feel ... good," Guāi Qiǎo said.
She petted the soft blue cardigan.
"This is nice, but why put it on me
when I can't really get cold?"
"It looks nice and it gives you
something to cuddle," Bayesia said.
"We keep capsule wardrobes for
people in distress. It was just
a matter of choosing sizes and
colors for you and the others."
"Oh, that's why they asked
about that stuff, not just for
the blanket," Guāi Qiǎo said.
"We'll do our best to make you
comfortable here," said Bayesia.
"If you need anything related to
your body, just ask us," Ajendar said.
"For psychological stuff, they're setting up
emotional first aides and counselors who
will help you all get settled in here."
"... can I see how bad the scar is?"
Guāi Qiǎo said in a small voice.
"Sure," said Bayesia. "I think
it turned out pretty well. It's visible,
but it's smooth. I'll get you a mirror."
Using the hand mirror and another
on the wall, Guāi Qiǎo examined
the faint seam down her back.
"It's not so bad," she decided.
"I hope that nobody else minds."
"Most people have some scars,"
Bayesia said. Then she tugged up
her T-shirt to show an old, pale line.
"I had my appendix out when I was little."
Ajendar pointed out a few marks on
his flesh hands. "Most of mine are
from lab accidents. That's a burn scar,
and that's from a beaker that broke."
"So having scars is ... normal,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "Okay then."
"Do you want to test out
your sexual parts, or save
that for another session?"
Bayesia asked. "It's up to
you, and you don't have
to perform for anyone."
Guāi Qiǎo tilted her head.
"I think I'd like to talk with
someone about modesty
and my settings. It's really
just on or off, and that doesn't
seem quite how humans do it."
"Not quite," Bayesia said.
"All right, you're good to go.
We'll pack up your clothes
and other courtesy supplies.
You'll find more waiting for you
in your assigned room later."
The clothes and things filled
a large beach bag. Bayesia
added a folder with some maps
of Thalassia, care instructions,
and other things in case Guāi Qiǎo
wanted paper copies in addition
to the usual electronic files.
"You get in touch with us if
you have any problems or
questions," Ajendar said.
"We'll be happy to help you.
I'll find someone to walk
you to your new quarters."
"Thank you," said Guāi Qiǎo.
"You're welcome, and good luck
getting to the next part of yourself,"
Bayesia said, waving goodbye.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
chanter1944, heartsinger, and zianuray. It also fills the "Naked / Vulnerable" square in my 6-1-21 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, ng_moonmoth, bairnsidhe, erulisse, and edorfaus. It belongs to the China's Mistake arc and the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes emotional distress, the aftermath of extreme sexual abuse of underage sexbots, paralyzing physical damage, intimate conversations, anxiety, synthetic genital reconstruction, reference to disturbing requests for genital modifications, boundary issues, robotic-medical details, poorly constructed modesty programming with subsequent lack of contextual modesty, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"Getting to the Next Part of Yourself"
[Saturday, January 23, 2016 around 5 PM in China]
[Saturday, January 23, 2016 around 2 PM in Thalassia]
Bayesia was beyond outraged,
but she didn't dare show it.
That would just make matters
worse than they already were.
The normally quiet robotics lab
was a pit of chaos at present,
as rescued sexbots arrived from
China in various states of disrepair.
The victims needed someone
to be calm and rational, so
that was what she would do.
Bayesia directed her lab techs
to sort them and determine
who needed how much help.
Some of them only needed
to be cleaned up and then
dressed in decent clothing.
Xù Shǎng, for instance,
was perfectly fine except
that she had no arms or legs.
Bayesia made a note for
Ajendar to check on her later
and discuss what kinds of
prostheses she might like.
Others had cosmetic damage
that could be repaired easily.
The ones with structural damage
went to more experienced techs.
Bayesia took the worst herself.
The sexbot looked like a teenage girl,
what was left of her. Arms and legs
had been bent too roughly and broken
or jammed in place. Deep gouges
in the soft synthetic flesh showed
the shiny metal skeleton inside.
Farther down, the hilt of a knife
still jutted from an intimate place.
She had been wrapped in a blanket
of pink Microfyne for comfort,
but she still looked anxious.
Bayesia looked down at herself
to make sure she hadn't forgotten
and thrown on a lab coat, but no, she
was still wearing the tank top that read,
I build robots. What is your superpower?
She checked the chart. Guāi Qiǎo's owner
was a violent sexual sadist who had done
a lot of damage, according to the notes
from the rescuer and the teleporter.
"Hello, Guāi Qiǎo, I'm Bayesia," she said.
"You have extensive damage to your frame
and the synthetic flesh envelope around it,
which means making decisions about
how you want all of that repaired."
"Can you really fix it without making
it worse?" Guāi Qiǎo asked her.
"I never thought I'd have to say this,
but the ... foreign object can be removed
without further damage to the affected area,
if we have permission to access that area?"
Bayesia said. "Limbs can also be reoriented,
at least broadly. Once we get you tidied up
a bit, that should make decisions easier."
"Yes, please," said Guāi Qiǎo. "I
want to look normal, at least."
"We can do more than that,"
Bayesia said. "Let me introduce
you to my assistant, Ajendar. I think
you'll like him -- he's a cyborg."
Ajendar stepped forward and
waved with all four hands. "Hello."
He wore a backpack that gave him
an extra pair of hands along with
a sensor head that peeked over
his shoulder like a curious pet.
That made him very useful for
tasks that required a lot of help, like
the delicate process of removing
the knife and straightening bent limbs.
By the time they were done, Guāi Qiǎo
looked better, but parts of her were quivering.
"How are you doing?" Bayesia asked her.
"You look better, except for the trembling."
"I just wish that it would all go away,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "Connecting with
the others is not much help when
everyone else is as upset as I am."
"You shouldn't try to stop everything
from happening," Bayesia explained.
"Why not?" said Guāi Qiǎo. "I'm
so tired, and scared, and it's awful."
"Sometimes you're supposed to feel
awkward," Bayesia said. "Sometimes
you're supposed to be vulnerable
in front of people. Sometimes it's
necessary because it's all part
of you getting to the next part
of yourself, the next day."
Ajendar, who had exchanged
his lab coat for a red plaid shirt
to seem less scary, was trying
to soothe her by stroking her hair.
"Being vulnerable isn't as awful
when you have people to take
good care of you," he offered.
"Think of it as a way to confirm
that you're somewhere better
now than where you used to be."
"Yes," Guāi Qiǎo said. "It's better."
"Okay, first choice," said Bayesia.
"Do you want a whole new body,
or would you rather repair this one?
A new one could be much sturdier,
but there are some risks involved
in transferring digital people. Repair
avoids those risks, but it limits what
we can do about the damage."
"I don't want to change bodies,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "I'm too scared
that something will go wrong."
"That's your choice," Bayesia said.
"The good news is that you have
no significant facial damage, and
the core frame is still pretty good.
We can replace the limbs, too."
"And the bad news?" Guāi Qiǎo said.
"With flesh, you have two basic options,"
said Bayesia. "We can recast it around
your frame, which will take a lot longer
but look better. Or we could open up
a precast envelope and seal you inside,
which would go fast but leave a seam,
like a scar, on the front or the back."
"Do the envelope and put the seam
in the back," Guāi Qiǎo said. "I
don't need to look perfect."
"That's a wise answer,"
Ajendar said. "We'll do
our best to make you
look the way you want."
"Thank you," said Guāi Qiǎo.
"Well, shall we talk about
vulva reconstruction next?"
Bayesia said. "We could
replace whatever you had,
or do something different."
"I don't know ... can you
even tell what it looked like
before?" said Guāi Qiǎo.
"We could look it up,"
said Bayesia, "or you
could pick from a set.
In any case, we can
match your skin tone."
"Could I see the set?"
Guāi Qiǎo asked. "I can't
guess what the options
might actually look like."
"Here, these are some of
the more popular options
for various purposes,"
Bayesia said, showing
a collage on the tablet.
"Oh, I want that one,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "Row 2,
Column 2 -- it's discreet."
It was a snug little slit,
closed tightly on itself.
"Sure, we can do that,"
Bayesia promised.
"Any modifications?
That has a list too."
Some of the others had
wanted their orifices sealed.
Three had requested tasers,
and one asked for blades.
Guāi Qiǎo checked on the list,
then said, "No, just plain, please."
"I'll put in the order," Ajendar said
as he entered it in his tablet computer.
Kraken operatives were taking over
the sexbot factories that they had found,
searching them for other victims, so
getting replacement parts was easy --
they could be fetched by teleport.
"Okay, big question: do you want
to be present for the repairs or not?"
said Bayesia. "We can turn off what's
left of your sensory net below the neck,
so you can watch what we're doing,
or you could enter sleep mode and
I'd wake you up after it's all done."
Guāi Qiǎo gave an anxious twitch.
"I can't stay, that would be awful,
but after what happened I don't want
to spend so long in sleep mode either."
"Well, can you turn all your attention
to the internet?" Bayesia asked. "If so,
then you could chat with your friends
or explore some of our resources here,
and just ignore your body for a while."
"That will work," said Guāi Qiǎo.
"There is so much to explore,
and it all feels so open, too!"
"Ah ... you can go wherever you
want in the open areas, but I suggest
staying in the upper levels for now,"
said Bayesia. "The deeper ones
might not be comfortable for you."
"I thought I'd look at community things,
or the support websites we were given,"
said Guāi Qiǎo. "Those are safe, right?"
"Yes, those are fine," said Bayesia.
"Do you want a spotter to watch us
while we work?" Ajendar asked. "We
have emotional first aides and such."
"Some people like to have a friend or
family member supervising, to make sure
their wishes are honored," said Bayesia.
Guāi Qiǎo couldn't move much, but she
managed to glance around at the others.
"My friends aren't much better off
than me, and I don't want to ask them
for something difficult," she said.
"I trust you to fix things right."
That was possibly too much trust
for an abuse survivor, but Bayesia
didn't want to argue about that.
Instead, she filled in the forms
and then sent those to Guāi Qiǎo.
"Okay, here's the paperwork,"
said Bayesia. "First, a summary of
our ethics -- based on your choices,
we're working at the safest level today.
Next, a list of the damages and options
for repairs, with your selections. There
are links to more information if you wish."
"Don't worry about making us wait,"
Ajendar said. "Read as much of
that as you want. We have time."
As Guāi Qiǎo took several minutes,
she must be following the links,
which was a good thing as far
as Bayesia was concerned.
"This all looks right,"
Guāi Qiǎo said finally.
"Then sign where it
says Informed Consent,"
Bayesia said, and she did.
"Excellent. Go ahead and
leave your body now; I'll send
you a message when it's fixed."
Watching the scanner, she
could see the body power down.
The central processing unit
remained active, but engaged
with the internet, not the body.
The sexbots had features
so that the hardware could be
repaired at the same time as
the software was updating,
without risk to either sexbot
or the roboticist working on her.
It took hours for Bayesia and
Ajendar to make the repairs.
First they had to remove
the flesh envelope, which was
too badly damaged to patch well.
With the metal skeleton exposed,
they could see the mangled limbs
and replace the damaged parts.
So much was broken that
Ajendar had all four hands full,
and his sensor head was busy
examining the infrastructure
across multiple wavelengths.
"Maybe turn it the other way
to loosen it?" he said, peering
at a tangle of twisted struts.
As Bayesia rotated the mass,
it popped loose. "Got it!"
Finally they got that fixed and
all the bodily sensors calibrated,
so it was time to cover the frame.
Bayesia checked to make sure
that the new skin matched the face
and the vulva was the right shape.
Then they carefully tucked the skeleton
into the envelope and filled it with the gel
that would meld flesh to skeleton. Next
they pulled the skin together, sealing it
with gel that soon dried to match.
The process left definite scars
along the back, but they were
smooth enough that they didn't
look bad or impair anything.
"What do you think?"
Ajendar said, holding up
a different garment in
each of his four hands.
Kraken had provided
a sample wardrobe for
each of the sexbots,
based on their choices.
"The pink plaid blouse
with the blue cardigan,
the white shorts, and
the pink thong sandals,"
said Bayesia. "Let's
keep it simple for now."
Carefully they dressed
Guāi Qiǎo, then sat her up.
Bayesia sent her a message,
and a few seconds later,
Guāi Qiǎo blinked at them.
"Welcome back," said Bayesia.
"Everything went very well.
"Shall we run a test sequence?"
Guāi Qiǎo looked around. "But
I don't see any sex toys. Do you
want to test me in person then?"
"No no no," said Bayesia. "Sex
isn't something I generally do.
If you want to test sexual activity,
I'll find you some toys so you
can do that part in ... private ..."
Guāi Qiǎo had already pulled
her shorts down to examine
the shape of her new vulva.
Ajendar cleared his throat.
"This model does have
a chaste mode, but if it's
not engaged ... well ..."
"I see," Bayesia said.
"Guāi Qiǎo, please put
your shorts back on for
now. I would like us to do
some basic nonsexual tests
before we get to fine tuning."
"Okay," Guāi Qiǎo said. "I'm
not used to people being shy."
"Someone will have to figure out
how to manage modesty with
digital people who may not have
that programming or, like you,
have it segregated," said Bayesia.
"Don't worry about it right now. Let's
just check your motion and senses."
They had a checklist to go through.
Guāi Qiǎo dutifully turned her head,
wiggled her fingers and toes, moved
her arms and legs, and reported on
sensations in various body parts.
"This is so much better than before!"
she exclaimed. "I have never had
this much range or sensitivity."
"The factory standards were
ridiculous," Bayesia muttered.
"We followed the basic build but
upgraded sensitivity and mobility
to match the more expensive models,"
Ajendar explained. "It wouldn't be
fair to leave you with a cheap body."
"Let's check large motor movements
next," said Bayesia. "Can you stand
up and walk around? I'll spot you."
She held out her hands just in case
Guāi Qiǎo wobbled or tipped over.
Bayesia had watched a lot of videos
about robotics, some hilariously bad.
She didn't trust Chinese programming.
Guāi Qiǎo made it to her feet just fine,
though, and walked in a careful circle
around both Bayesia and Ajendar.
"How are you feeling? I mean, is
your body comfortable? Does it feel
like all the repairs worked?" said Bayesia.
"It's normal if your emotions have not
settled down from the ruckus yet."
"I feel ... good," Guāi Qiǎo said.
She petted the soft blue cardigan.
"This is nice, but why put it on me
when I can't really get cold?"
"It looks nice and it gives you
something to cuddle," Bayesia said.
"We keep capsule wardrobes for
people in distress. It was just
a matter of choosing sizes and
colors for you and the others."
"Oh, that's why they asked
about that stuff, not just for
the blanket," Guāi Qiǎo said.
"We'll do our best to make you
comfortable here," said Bayesia.
"If you need anything related to
your body, just ask us," Ajendar said.
"For psychological stuff, they're setting up
emotional first aides and counselors who
will help you all get settled in here."
"... can I see how bad the scar is?"
Guāi Qiǎo said in a small voice.
"Sure," said Bayesia. "I think
it turned out pretty well. It's visible,
but it's smooth. I'll get you a mirror."
Using the hand mirror and another
on the wall, Guāi Qiǎo examined
the faint seam down her back.
"It's not so bad," she decided.
"I hope that nobody else minds."
"Most people have some scars,"
Bayesia said. Then she tugged up
her T-shirt to show an old, pale line.
"I had my appendix out when I was little."
Ajendar pointed out a few marks on
his flesh hands. "Most of mine are
from lab accidents. That's a burn scar,
and that's from a beaker that broke."
"So having scars is ... normal,"
Guāi Qiǎo said. "Okay then."
"Do you want to test out
your sexual parts, or save
that for another session?"
Bayesia asked. "It's up to
you, and you don't have
to perform for anyone."
Guāi Qiǎo tilted her head.
"I think I'd like to talk with
someone about modesty
and my settings. It's really
just on or off, and that doesn't
seem quite how humans do it."
"Not quite," Bayesia said.
"All right, you're good to go.
We'll pack up your clothes
and other courtesy supplies.
You'll find more waiting for you
in your assigned room later."
The clothes and things filled
a large beach bag. Bayesia
added a folder with some maps
of Thalassia, care instructions,
and other things in case Guāi Qiǎo
wanted paper copies in addition
to the usual electronic files.
"You get in touch with us if
you have any problems or
questions," Ajendar said.
"We'll be happy to help you.
I'll find someone to walk
you to your new quarters."
"Thank you," said Guāi Qiǎo.
"You're welcome, and good luck
getting to the next part of yourself,"
Bayesia said, waving goodbye.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
