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The moment he entered his lab, Erique released the tension in his shoulders, slumping against the door as it closed behind him, taking deep, calming breaths. People were stressful. Working with people who didn't trust him was stressful. Trying to pretend he didn't care what people thought about him was stressful. Everything about the stupid initiative was stressful. Thank goodness he still had his lab as a safe retreat.
Speaking of, he pushed himself away from the door and turned towards it, locking and deadbolting it. There. That should take care of the precious few who did seek him out (nominally, Arlene). He needed to be alone right now.
A quiet, staticy "mow" came from his feet, and he glanced down, smiling a bit to himself. A vaguely cat-shaped robot sat on its haunches, looking up at him with a single glowing blue eye. And by cat-shaped, it had the triangular shape of a cat's head and two sharp, pointed ears, a sleek body, and a long, lashing tail, but it had twice the amount of legs, looked like it was made out of thin chrome plates attached to a metal frame, and the tail had a wicked hooked end to it. A faint, pulsing blue glow emanated from its chest.
The cat from yesterday was taking marvelously to its new frame. It had just been a stray Queen he'd taken in to neuter, but after Arlene had startled him and his hand slipped, well...
"Hello there, beautiful," he crooned, kneeling down and offering his hand out to the cat. It uncoiled itself, gracefully slinking to its feet to approach him, poking at the thick black leather of his lab gloves with its nose. His other hand came down to stroke along its spine, earning him a low purr, the sound crinkling with static.
Scooping it up in his arms, he rose to his feet, ducking his head to tuck it into the nape of the cat's neck, and walked across the lab to his drafting table, plopping heavily down in his chair. Loki, his pet Goliath Bird-Eater sat perched on one corner of the table, sunning himself beneath the desk lamp. Erique chuckled as he reached out to stroke his fuzzy blue abdomen, then the spider reached his forelegs up, pulling himself up onto Erique's wrist.
He felt a little more tension leave his body, watching quietly as the spider crawled up his arm, then onto his head, shuffling through his hair in a circle before settling down. His precious little boy was just the sweetest thing, he thought, sighing contentedly to himself. Sweeter than any person he'd ever met, to be sure. This cat, with its static-filled purring and gentle kneading of his chest, was certainly making its way towards the top of his list of sweet things.
"Perhaps I ought to name you," he said to it, curling its tail around his fingers. "How about Nefertiti? That's Egyptian, you know. Egyptians worshiped cats. It means "the beautiful one." I think it suits you."
The cat meowed, moving to headbutt his chin, and he laughed quietly, ducking his head. "Okay. Nefertiti it is. My beautiful one."
He sighed, slumping further down in his chair, eyes sliding closed. Who needed people? He had sentients who loved and accepted him right here, and they were all that mattered. People could say all the mean things and make all the threats they liked. Someday, he would show them. He would show them all. He would be their machine god, and all would revere him as much as they feared him.
Someday.
Speaking of, he pushed himself away from the door and turned towards it, locking and deadbolting it. There. That should take care of the precious few who did seek him out (nominally, Arlene). He needed to be alone right now.
A quiet, staticy "mow" came from his feet, and he glanced down, smiling a bit to himself. A vaguely cat-shaped robot sat on its haunches, looking up at him with a single glowing blue eye. And by cat-shaped, it had the triangular shape of a cat's head and two sharp, pointed ears, a sleek body, and a long, lashing tail, but it had twice the amount of legs, looked like it was made out of thin chrome plates attached to a metal frame, and the tail had a wicked hooked end to it. A faint, pulsing blue glow emanated from its chest.
The cat from yesterday was taking marvelously to its new frame. It had just been a stray Queen he'd taken in to neuter, but after Arlene had startled him and his hand slipped, well...
"Hello there, beautiful," he crooned, kneeling down and offering his hand out to the cat. It uncoiled itself, gracefully slinking to its feet to approach him, poking at the thick black leather of his lab gloves with its nose. His other hand came down to stroke along its spine, earning him a low purr, the sound crinkling with static.
Scooping it up in his arms, he rose to his feet, ducking his head to tuck it into the nape of the cat's neck, and walked across the lab to his drafting table, plopping heavily down in his chair. Loki, his pet Goliath Bird-Eater sat perched on one corner of the table, sunning himself beneath the desk lamp. Erique chuckled as he reached out to stroke his fuzzy blue abdomen, then the spider reached his forelegs up, pulling himself up onto Erique's wrist.
He felt a little more tension leave his body, watching quietly as the spider crawled up his arm, then onto his head, shuffling through his hair in a circle before settling down. His precious little boy was just the sweetest thing, he thought, sighing contentedly to himself. Sweeter than any person he'd ever met, to be sure. This cat, with its static-filled purring and gentle kneading of his chest, was certainly making its way towards the top of his list of sweet things.
"Perhaps I ought to name you," he said to it, curling its tail around his fingers. "How about Nefertiti? That's Egyptian, you know. Egyptians worshiped cats. It means "the beautiful one." I think it suits you."
The cat meowed, moving to headbutt his chin, and he laughed quietly, ducking his head. "Okay. Nefertiti it is. My beautiful one."
He sighed, slumping further down in his chair, eyes sliding closed. Who needed people? He had sentients who loved and accepted him right here, and they were all that mattered. People could say all the mean things and make all the threats they liked. Someday, he would show them. He would show them all. He would be their machine god, and all would revere him as much as they feared him.
Someday.