A Change of Mood
Metal Body, Human Soul
Clink. Clink. Clink. Tap. Creak. Click. Clink. Clink. Tap. Creak. Click. Clink. Clink.
Walking into Creator’s experiment room, I pulled the large, thick veil off of the new robot, folding up the sheet and storing it into a small cabinet.
The robot was progressing well and Creator made extra effort to ensure that nothing was out of place even by a small millimeter. Everyday he worked on it, there would be a smile on his face. Despite the difficulty, Creator enjoyed what he did.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Shing. Creak. Creak. Squeak. Clop.
I organized the small tools on the tool cart, making sure everything was just as Creator liked it. He’d be in any time now to begin working.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
I grabbed a small cloth and ran it slowly and carefully over the robot and remove anything that had managed to sneak under the veil. The internal systems were still very basic, obviously not completed. It should take probably a few more months until it would be finished.
“Oh, good, you’re here. Would you go and get Luhan? I will need him to stay here for the entire day, for I do not want anything to go wrong. I last saw him in my study.”
“Yes, Creator.”
Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Knock. Knock.
The door opened heavily, and Luhan stood behind it, eyes gray. They slowly bled back to red-violet. “Does Creator need me to be in the experiment room right now?”
“Yes.”
Luhan walked out, eyes slightly darker, closing the door, and continued towards Creator, me following close behind.
“Why can’t Creator just take a picture?” said Luhan in a low volume.
“There are things that a picture does not depict clearly,” I replied.
“It was a rhetorical question,” said Luhan, glancing at me quickly over his shoulder.
I mentally flinched at the harshness of his statement, simply following him quietly for the rest of the way.
When we got to Creator, he seated Luhan next to the robot he was working on, took off Luhan’s shirt, and opened up a panel that was on Luhan’s abdomen. A complicated series of gears, wires, etc were all mashed up inside, something that I could never decipher. However, both Creator and Luhan seemed to make complete sense of it. Creator would say he was looking for something and Luhan would point it out perfectly.
The two seemed to be in sync completely, even better than I’ve ever been with Creator.
“Luhan, I will be going into town tomorrow. Please come and help me carry a few supplies.”
Luhan only nodded, continuing to point out a few spots where Creator was mixing up in the new robot. Creator fumbled around with the robot, trying to match it to Luhan.
Creator looked up at me and said, “Please be sure to come and check on the robot tomorrow when I’m gone. Clean it properly before I get back and be careful not to touch the internal systems at all.”
“Yes, Creator.”
“Also, go prepare the oil for Luhan. You are to be oiled today, right Luhan?’
Luhan nodded. “I can go prepare the oil. The rest of this section is basic and easy for you to do without me.”
Creator seemed confused for a second, looking at me for a moment before nodding, and closing the panel. Luhan stood and walked to a cabinet to prepare the oil for himself.
“Come and help me by handing me my tools. I’ve numbered them so it should be easier for you to identify.” Creator gestured for me to stand by him.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Clop.
“Do you need to be oiled?” asked Creator, continuing with his work while he spoke.
“No, Creator.”
“Number five.”
Creak. Creak. Cling. Creak. Click.
“It seems you do need to be oiled. Though that doesn’t seem to quiet your limbs very well, does it? Number seven.”
Creak. Creak. Cling. Click. Tap. Creak.
“But it won’t do you harm. Go oil yourself today after Luhan is done.”
Creator was being uncharacteristically caring today. Was it because Luhan was cooperating so well and put him in a good mood?
“Number Four.”
Creak. Creak. Tap. Clink. Creak.
“Ah, Luhan, I must speak to you later. Perhaps during lunch.”
“Of course, Creator,” replied Luhan quietly, beginning to oil his arm.
“Number ten.”
Creak. Creak. Clink. Creak.
“Go get oil. The constant creaking is giving me a headache,” said Creator, waving me off.
“Yes, Creator.”
. . .
Clink. Clink. Clink.
I walked towards Luhan’s room, determined to find out what he was thinking. He must have had a reason for ignoring me.
Earlier, I heard his voice and Creator’s, though the words were unclear. They must have been talking about the new robot or tomorrow’s trip into town.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Knock. Knock.
Before I could turn back and try to forget I even wanted to ask, Luhan’s door opened. However, his eyes seemed to take on an abrupt change from the red-violet I’ve seen frequently. They were now a surprising green. Was it something from his conversation with Creator?
“Luhan, may I ask you a question?”
His eyes shifted to blue, though not as clear and light as it was before. It seemed to be a bit darker.
“Of course. Come in.”
Clink. Clink. Clink.
“What was it that you wanted to ask?”
I hesitated, glancing at Luhan who calmly walked over to his bed to sit down.
“Will you please explain… why you have been avoiding me lately?”
His eyes flickered to pale purple before flickering back to blue.
“I apologize.”
“Will you be able to answer why?”
The purple appeared again before disappearing. “Why do you wish to know?”
“Your actions are very confusing.”
“You are a very blunt robot at times,” said Luhan, his eyes flashing a slightly dark green. They then turned a dark, indigo blue. “It was because I believed that it would be a lot easier to pretend you never existed if I began now. By the time of your destruction, I would be able to completely forget or cover up the memories of you.”
So that was his reason?
“So then why are you talking so freely now?”
He seemed to hesitate, his eyes turning gray for but a moment before he said, “Because I realized that it would be better to keep speaking to you and trying to make the rest of the time you are here more enjoyable.”
His statement seemed false. Perhaps Creator had wanted him to act this way towards me so that I would not suspect my destruction. But why would Luhan go through with it if he knew that I was already aware of my destruction?
“Does that answer your question well?” asked Luhan, his eyes turning back to a lighter blue color.
No.
“Yes. Thank you, Luhan.”
“Have you opened the gift I bought you that time when I promised to get you something?”
I was surprised by the sudden question. I had not opened it yet. I was too occupied by my chores and my own thoughts that I forgot it was still laying, unopened on a small table in my room. “Not yet.”
Luhan nodded. “Please do. This time, perhaps Creator will allow me to buy something to match it for you.”
“There’s no need to, Luhan. I would not be able to use it for long anyways,” I said, voice as always: monotonous.
However, Luhan seemed to be able to sense the darkness of my mood, for his eyes turned slightly darker. “It does not matter. But please do open the gift. I must go now to assist Creator. We may speak later then.”
I nodded, still confused a bit. But I left his room after thanking him, not wanting to disrupt his work any more.
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Thanks for reading ^.^!
~DespisedSecret
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