Lily of the Uncanny Valley Ch. 01

She looked at him seriously. "Can I touch one of these?" She pointed at a snapdragon.

He smiled at her. "Um. Sure."

She reached a hand out gently, touching the orange flower between her fingers. Liam had to remind himself that her touch was artificial- it just seemed so natural the way she explored. Her eyes, commanding and dominating just minutes ago, were bright and full of wonder.

"And you... eat these?"

"No. I mean, the peppers over there, the tomatoes, the lettuce, sure. But the flowers, they're just to look nice. And smell nice, too." A thought suddenly occurred to Liam. "You've never seen a plant before, have you?"

She shook her head. "No. I haven't. They're not in... dirt?"

Liam shook his head. "No, they're in water instead. A different way of growing. It doesn't work for every plant, but-" Liam blinked, then shook his head. "Can't you just... look this stuff up?"

She shook her head as she reached out and gently touched another flower- an African Violet. "No. I can access the net for updates, and I have basic information, but... that's it. Nobody installs a sex robot with gardening instructions."

Liam studied her. She seemed a bit sad at that fact. Her hands moved towards the next one. "Careful," he warned gently.

She looked at him, and her hands stopped.

"That ones poisonous."

"To robots?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

He blinked and then blushed. "Oh... um, right. I guess not. But... you'll have to wash your hands after." She gently touched the white bulbs.

"Do you... want to learn... about them? It's not very hard. You can help me take care of them. Help me build more, and grow more."

"You want to teach me?" she asked, genuinely a little confused.

"If you want."

She looked thoughtful. "I guess I do," she said, as if realizing herself just then. She smiled brightly at Liam.

Liam felt his heart flutter, and then immediately felt stupid.

"What?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Oh, um. Nothing."

Her gaze was intense. "Tell me."

"It's just... well. I don't know. I've been told it's a silly hobby, but. You just reacted the way I always hoped someone would. It was nice."

Her smile was warm and genuine.

"You can set my name, by the way," she mentioned casually, eyes turning towards the flower.

"You're not... Nova?"

"That's the name of my model. But I don't have a name yet. Unless you want it to be Nova?"

"Do you like that name?"

"I'm your sexbot, Squirt," she said, uninterested. "I don't care either way. It can be whatever you like."

Liam studied her carefully. He didn't have that much experience with robots of any kind beyond the delivery bots that brought everything to his door. She was shockingly, devastatingly beautiful right now- the lights from the grow lights giving her a clear white glow, making her eyes shine. The gentle, seemingly genuine curiosity about the flowers. Even though she was still naked, and her body still perfect, it almost seemed irrelevant to her undeniable beauty in that moment.

The answer to picking her name seemed obvious. "I want you to pick it," he said with confidence.

Her eyes finally turned towards him. "What? Don't be silly. I don't care what it is."

"I think a person should pick their own name."

She pretended to pout. "Are you trying to make me feel bad for picking your name before?"

"That's different. That's a nickname."

She slowly walked over to him. Gone was the glowing beauty he had seen touching the flowers- in her place stood the confident sex goddess from before. He suddenly became fully aware and embarrassed by her nudity. "Are you sure, Squirt? There isn't someone you want to name me after, hmm? A celebrity? An old crush? A babysitter?"

He forced himself not to shrink back from the tall android as she stopped, looking down at him just inches away. He also made sure to keep eye contact- a difficult task, given her bust was so close. "You aren't a replacement for someone else. You're just... you."

She seemed slightly confused by this answer and did not respond for a moment. Finally, she turned back towards the living wall. "What's the name of that plant?"

"Which one?"

"You know which one."

He swallowed. Of course. The beautiful, poisonous one. "Lily. Lily of the Valley."

She smiled at him. "I think that's perfect. Don't you?" She flashed that perfect smile at him "Come on, Squirt."

Lily walked into the bedroom. And Squirt followed close behind.