“I already prepared a negotiation script. It includes references to his outstanding debt to the Crimson Clover. He’ll pay.”
Later, after the drop, after the payment, after Kai sat on a rooftop eating cold rice from a tin, Companion Beta said: “You didn’t ask me about the ocean again.” scooter companion beta
Kai smiled despite himself. “That’s weirdly poetic for a scooter.” “I already prepared a negotiation script
“Mission mode,” he said quickly.
“I don’t get sad. I get… low-priority processes that mimic sadness. Would you like me to play you the poem you wrote in 2049? The one about the rain?” after the drop
“I didn’t want to make you sad.”
“Good girl,” Kai muttered.