text: [Themes: Fanfic, fan fiction, robot, fanfic, complex NPC, female protagonist, experimental, romance]
  
  > Y.
  debugcheapnitfol quit with exit status: 0
  
  [Author's Note: You, Mary Jane Minsky, have a few things to clear up with your best friend Jenny Yoshida. When your robotic birthday gift doesn't go over as planned, you may need to reset your expectations, for her and yourself.]
  
  Jenny tilts her head and squints at the Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow. It's dressed in pink and its chassis is chrome-embellished. You even gave it your own hairstyle.
  
  "Do you like her?" you ask.
  
  "Mary Jane, I-" Jenny gives you a sideways look. Things have been weird since you both almost died. You've been trying to listen better. "I wasn't expecting a present like this."
  
  1) "You said you hate being cooped up in the store alone! So now
  you can have a replica me. For company!"
  2) "I had to recycle a lot of the supplies so my father wouldn't
  know what I was working on, but she's got all the same hardware as the Wife of Tomorrow."
  3) "Happy Birthday!"
  
  > 3
  "Happy Birthday!" you say. You even throw in a cheerleading jump. That always makes her smile.
  
  "This is amazing! And so impressive. You could have your own engineering company if you wanted." But. You can tell there's a but. "I just... couldn't you have made one of me? To run the shop? And then I wouldn't need robot company because I could spend the afternoon with actual you."
  
  1) "I couldn't copy you, silly!"
  2) "But... it would've been weird to give you a birthday present
  that was another you."
  
  > 1
  "I couldn't copy you, silly!" Just the idea of a Jenny of Tomorrow makes you feel strange. You'd be telling her what to do and how to be, a little like your father does with you, and...
  
  "Could you try?" Jenny asks. "It doesn't have to be an exact replica. Just as long as it can ring up purchases and answer some basic plant care questions, it ought to be fine... And maybe you want to make sure it can bake, just in case."
  
  1) "I really like Jenny of Today."
  2) "Well, I might need some more training resources..."
  3) "Anything you want!"
  
  > look
  While you're conversing, you can only pick conversation options.
  
  1) "I really like Jenny of Today."
  2) "Well, I might need some more training resources..."
  3) "Anything you want!"
  
  > 2
  "I'd need some more training resources," you say. "I don't know all the things you know."
  
  "If you really get stuck, call me," Jenny says. "But I bet you've got more around here than you realize... oh! I'd better get going. Speaking of the shop."
  
  She gets up and gives you half an apologetic smile. You try to think of what to say. While you're thinking, Jenny kisses your cheek and goes out.
  
  "Should I follow her?" The Pine Nut Queen turns hopefully to you.
  
  1) "Not this time, kid."
  2) "We've got some more training to do."
  
  > 2
  "We've got some more training to do."
  
  "I'd love to!" The Pine Nut Queen takes a seat on the sofa.
  "I'd love to!" The Pine Nut Queen takes a seat on the sofa.# The Mary Jane of Tomorrow
  Fanfic for Steph Cherrywell's Brain Guzzlers From Beyond! by Emily Short
  
  There are plenty of actual laboratories at MinSystems Labs. This isn't one of those: you train your robots in an ordinary household setting.
  
  Off to the east is the kitchen area, panelled in faux walnut, and there's a bathroom, south, just for the sake of verisimilitude. The robots do not need to use it.
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow is sitting properly on the sofa and wearing a sash. The sash was a good touch, but it's not very Jenny. Arranged on the coffee table in front of her (to make the room look more realistic) are a poem book and Le Dernier Regret de
  Thérèse.
  
  > About yourself
  You, Mary Jane Minsky, were the Pine Nut Queen of Canyonville, and before that, Pine Nut Princess. You ride in parades. You taste pies. You have an exquisitely efficient metabolism. You are beloved by the entire citizenry. And that was even before you helped Bonstance Noodleman save the town from the massive brain-suckage induced by incoming yellow-slimed monsters. That's all in the past now. They're probably not coming back.
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow looks at you. And blinks. Twice.
  
  > look at what you're carrying with you
  You are carrying:
  a pink purse (being worn and closed and locked)
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow watches you go through your possessions. "I did not take any of your things, if that is what you are worried about."
  
  Okay, hang on, let's focus.
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow is still able to process new training documents: books, manuals, pamphlets, any kind of written document. You just need to give her something to work with.
  
  > Open purse
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow changed the combination last week during training, and you never got around to writing down the new combo.
  
  If anything goes too wrong with the training program, you can always reset the Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow back to hardware level with her reset button.
  
  > give the poem boom to Pine Nut Queen
  You can only do that to something animate.
  
  > read the poem book
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow has better things to do.
  
  > give the poem book to the pine nut
  (first taking the poem book)
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow watches you pick up the poem book. "Is that for me?" she asks. "I've got lots of spare storage space still!"
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow scrutinizes the poem book, committing all of its details to memory. "Poetry: Learned! Ennui: Memorized! Would you refrain from boring me with your purposeless tasks?"
  
  > ask the pine nut about the pine nut
  Here we TALK TO people. I'll assume that's what you meant.
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow begins to speak: "Hello there. I am the Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow."
  
  1) "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  2) "Your new name is Jenny Yoshida of Tomorrow."
  3) "Could you hand me your sash?"
  4) "Can you give me some tips about plant care?"
  5) "Could I have the contents of your chassis?"
  6) "How do you feel about parades?"
  7) "Can you write me a poem?"
  8) "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  9) "Is it true you fought off the Brain Guzzlers almost
  singlehanded?"
  10) "I'm done talking now."
  
  > 2
  "Your new name is Jenny Yoshida of Tomorrow."
  
  The Pine Nut Queen of Tomorrow shrugs. "Understood. I'm now Jenny of Tomorrow."
  
  1) "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  2) "Could you hand me your sash?"
  3) "Can you give me some tips about plant care?"
  4) "Could I have the contents of your chassis?"
  5) "How do you feel about parades?"
  6) "Can you write me a poem?"
  7) "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  8) "Is it true you fought off the Brain Guzzlers almost
  singlehanded?"
  9) "I'm done talking now."
  
  > 7
  "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  
  The Jenny of Tomorrow says, "Sorry, I don't recall. I need security training."
  
  1) "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  2) "Could you hand me your sash?"
  3) "Can you give me some tips about plant care?"
  4) "Could I have the contents of your chassis?"
  5) "How do you feel about parades?"
  6) "Can you write me a poem?"
  7) "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  8) "Is it true you fought off the Brain Guzzlers almost
  singlehanded?"
  9) "I'm done talking now."
  
  > 1
  "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  
  The Jenny of Tomorrow puts her hands on her hips in a mock cheerleading stance. "Known skills: pine-nuts; cheerleading; poetry; ennui; ...and that's it."
  
  1) "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  2) "Could you hand me your sash?"
  3) "Can you give me some tips about plant care?"
  4) "Could I have the contents of your chassis?"
  5) "How do you feel about parades?"
  6) "Can you write me a poem?"
  7) "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  8) "Is it true you fought off the Brain Guzzlers almost
  singlehanded?"
  9) "I'm done talking now."
  
  > 9
  "Goodbye, friend!"
  
  > give le dernier regret to the pine nut
  (first taking Le Dernier Regret de Thérèse)
  The Jenny of Tomorrow watches you pick up Le Dernier Regret de Thérèse. "Another book. I'm surprised we're not training in the Canyonville Central Library."
  
  Thérèse, but says, "Sorry, I need better French before I can understand such a text."
  
  > Reset pine nut
  The button depresses. The Jenny of Tomorrow's head emits a metallic PING!! noise and her eyes flash twice. She is now back on line.
  
  > talk to Jenny
  The Jenny of Tomorrow begins to speak: "Hi! I am the Jenny of Tomorrow." She looks nothing like actual Jenny, which is disconcerting.
  
  The Jenny of Tomorrow tosses her hair.
  
  1) "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  2) "Could you hand me your sash?"
  3) "Can you give me some tips about plant care?"
  4) "Could I have the contents of your chassis?"
  5) "How do you feel about parades?"
  6) "Can you write me a poem?"
  7) "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  8) "Is it true you fought off the Brain Guzzlers almost
  singlehanded?"
  9) "I'm done talking now."
  
  > 1
  "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  
  The Jenny of Tomorrow plays a mood-enhancing chime. "Known skills: None. At all. I am skill-less. You'd better do something quickly."
  
  1) "Remind me what you're trained in right now."
  2) "Could you hand me your sash?"
  3) "Can you give me some tips about plant care?"
  4) "Could I have the contents of your chassis?"
  5) "How do you feel about parades?"
  6) "Can you write me a poem?"
  7) "Do you remember how to unlock my purse?"
  8) "Is it true you fought off the Brain Guzzlers almost
  singlehanded?"
  9) "I'm done talking now."
  
  > 9
  "Farewell, friend!"