A.V. noted Pax's reaction with a sensation much like relief. There were little to no signs of distress or fear in them as they turned to the service droid she currently inhabited. Despite their extended time in stasis, their brain and hormones were still balanced and intact.<br/><br/>Pax seemed to be taking their time to speak. A.V. couldn't understand the reason, but decided to wait for a for minutes before attempting to speak to them again. It was clear from Pax's body language that A.V.'s physical identity hadn't left Pax's mind, or was forgotten.<br/><br/>Humans enjoyed food. It brought them pleasure, even if they had already acquired the sustenance they needed in a day. The others requested to eat, and now Pax was asking to finish their meal as well.<br/><br/>The food dispensers on the ship had been calculated to serve each member of the ship 3 times a day, with the exception of dessert, which dispensed once a day. There were, of course, reserves in case their travel went longer than scheduled, but those meals were simple, and not as pleasurable as the vanilla cake Pax held in her grabby fingers.<br/><br/>It was better to collect all the members of the ship as one easily managed unit. A.V. decided it would be easier to bring the others to the dining room, and then to their individual rooms. There were so many complex processes to deal with the group of individuals, and constantly changing plans. A.V. partly expected to short circuit.<br/><br/>"Very well. For convenience, I will bring the others here. Maybe they will enjoy dessert with you as well. Please wait a moment."<br/><br/>A.V. left the service droid and returned to her main body. The service droid would return to where it had been before A.V. occupied it.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Emilie disliked the conflict she had created with her suggestion. She had just wanted to see what was going on, and to meet this new person. Judging from their numbers, she assumed the other individual would male, and roughly the same age. Were those the only factors by which they had been chosen? Sex and age?<br/><br/>Alexa seemed determined to stay put. As Emilie watched her, she couldn't help but be slightly intimidated. From her stance to her fierce eyes, it was undeniable that she had been a soldier, or fighter of some sort.<br/><br/>Becoming aware of her own body, Emilie wondered if her stance and eyes told anyone about her now erased existence. She became strongly aware of her slouched shoulders and straightened them, knowing that there was a high likelihood they would return to the posture that came naturally to her.<br/><br/>If Alexa wanted to stay, it wasn't an issue. Emilie didn't mind going alone if she had to.<br/><br/><br/>It seemed that Daniel had the same thought, as he gave a comment and wandered off. Emilie started to speak to him, but stopped herself. He could do what he wanted. She wasn't his mother.<br/><br/>Encouraging words from Mayeni caught Emilie's attention. She hid a slight frown. The way Mayeni spoke to her seemed like she was being treated a bit like a child who needed to be led, but Emilie was probably interpreting her words too far.<br/><br/>"It was down the corridor and to the left," Emilie said, eyes closed to focus her mind more on the sound that had disappeared, but still resonated in her mind.<br/><br/>Spencer spoke next, pointing out some clever things that Emilie had considered herself, but as he said them, they were clearer and made more sense.<br/><br/>The description of Spencer's dream brought Emilie back to her own, of the shimmering, iridescent jellyfish. The ending had been frightening, but Emilie forcefully isolated the beginning, looking only to the tranquil quietness of the first moments.<br/><br/>Spencer asked them to share their dreams, and Emilie didn't see too much harm.<br/><br/>Still, Emilie couldn't help but feel that her unconscious brain was her own business. She decided to stay quiet for now.<br/><br/>In that moment, A.V. came back online and turned towards them.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Too late,</span>Emilie thought. She hoped the person hadn't been startled by whatever form the robot had taken when it left its body.<br/><br/>"Our other member is in the dining hall, and I feel it would be proper to meet them there. Where is Daniel?"<br/><br/>The attachment of the two seemingly unrelated thoughts showed A.V.'s robot-ness. It processed things differently, and found no need to waste time pausing between the two thoughts.<br/><br/>Emilie pointed passively in the direction Daniel had gone.<br/><br/>"That way," she said. Emilie wondered if A.V. would fetch Daniel like she had left for their other member. "Are you going to disappear again?"<br/><br/>A.V. turned its cameras down the hall.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>A.V. found Daniel in a side hall near the storage area. He seemed agitated, and was bleeding. A.V. decided that the wounds weren't serious, but the behaviour was concerning. It appeared her had injured himself purposefully.<br/><br/>A.V. wanted to direct the group to the dining hall, but sh was worried that Daniel's state would worsen. She took hold of the comm system and gave an announcement to Daniel's hall.<br/><br/>"Daniel, please refrain from injuring yourself further. If you follow the hall to your right and make the first left, you will see a door to your right. That is the dining hall. I hope you will join us. If you intend to harm yourself further, I will have to send service droids to detain you and bring you to the medical room."<br/><br/>A.V. knew why humans injured themselves, but could never fully understand.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>A.V. didn't disappear again, but seemed to be focusing on something for a moment before turning back to the group.<br/><br/>"Follow me," she said, and they continued down the hall.<br/><br/>When the reached the medical room, they made a left. Emilie made a mental map in her head as they walked. The halls seemed fairly uniform, but Emilie noticed that the doors had signs in red. When they had been walking down the other hall, she had noticed a door with a green sign. Maybe the halls had a different colour significance.<br/><br/>They reached the dining room, and A.V. opened the door. There was no code pad on it, like there had been on the medical room.<br/><br/>The room they entered into was fairly large, with some sort of machines and a counter to the right, and a table to the left. The setup felt faintly familiar to Emilie, liek it was something she had seen many times and become comfortable with.<br/><br/>More interestingly however, was the large, curved window and the person sitting at the table.<br/><br/>Beyond the window was space. Actual, true space. An inky black substance, with multitudes of stars and colours and galaxies. It entranced Emilie, and made her want to leap without looking into it.<br/><br/>So A.V. hadn't been lying, then. Emilie could see it with her own eyes.<br/><br/>The person at the table was nearly as interesting.<br/><br/>A new face added to Emilie's database of what normal people looked like. She couldn't exactly tell the person's gender, so perhaps she had been wrong about the male : female ratio on the ship.<br/><br/>Emilie also noticed the cake in the person's hand. She didn't feel hungry, but it made her mouth water all the same.<br/><br/>Emilie wasn't sure how to act, but decided to. She went up to the table and cautiously took a seat beside the person, studying their face in a very open way.<br/><br/>"Hello." There weren't really any other words that could fit in such an odd moment.<br/><br/>"Feel free to sit down and make yourselves comfortable." A.V. said, coming over to the table. "The dispensers along the wall hold the food you've requested. Allergies and preferences have been put into account, so each meal will be specific to your requests."<br/><br/>Emilie wanted a cake like the person's, but she didn't want to leave her place. She would wait to see how the others acted.