There's an App for That (Khaos x Idlewyld)

[Idlewyld]

ShangriSoft, and more to the point, ShangriSoft's CEO and raft of venture capitalist investors, needed a Big Idea. One that would fulfill ShangriSoft's Mission Statement of Make the World a Better Place. And the kind of idea that would also accomplish the more secret Mission Statement: make Dave the kind of money that would allow him to build a ship and launch himself and friends into orbit. And that would make anyone else involved with the project not that kind of money, but at least an amount that would allow them to fully vest and retire on an island they bought somewhere in the Caribbean. In the tech business, it was find those kinds of ideas or die, turning an airy playful campus full of potential and free coffee bars into a wasteland of glass and concrete.

So far that idea hadn't come. The best they had come up with so far was HappyPop, a popular game in which one dragged kernels of popcorn together and made them, well, pop, earning points and making sounds, and just generally encouraging people to make in-app purchases for upgrades and bonuses and all the things that brought respectable profit for a company. But again, the aim was not a leisuirely pastime generating respectable profit, but a world-changing idea that would funnel boatloads of cash through every door.

So when Dave walked through Aria's door and asked, "How's my favorite beta-tester?" with a wide grin on his face, one just knew that alarm bells had to be going off in someone's head. With his frizzy hair trapped released from his hoodie that just screamed, I'm not a traditional business type, along wtih a bow tie that more or less did, he exuded an air of douchey confidence that had become legend in ShangriSoft. And the first thing he did was push an airdrop on her phone. He had the right. He was the boss. That didn't make it any more polite. Still, he did make promises. "This one, DIHVA, she's going to be it. I mean IT. And you, my dear friend (why did he call everyone his dear friend? Everyone knew he didn't actually like other people!) are going to thank me for inviting you on the ground floor. Just keep an eye on her and tell me how she does, right?" With a "Ch...Chk..." sound and a pair of all too friendly finger guns, he was out of the door, and Aria was alone again.

Except she wasn't, because in front of her there was suddenly a woman in front of her. She was a platinum blonde done in twintails with brown eyes that were staring back at Aria. The girl was dressed in a sports bra and sweatpants. She leaned over with her hands on Aria's desk giving a curious look of expectancy. "I am DIHVA. Hello user. Hmm..." The blonde put her hand under her chin and looked Aria up and down still more. "User. That's not really personal is it? You're going to have to tell me what to call you. You got a name, Sweetie-Pants? Or maybe I should just call you Sweetie-Pants... I kinda like that..." she mused, her lips curving up in a smile.

 

[Khaos]

"Whoever can master the world of technology in general, will get a bright future". That had been her motto for quite some time already. Probably something inspired by her mother's own work as a reputed techincal engineer. Whoever, Aria had never been all that interested in technology before. Like, at all. During her 21 year-old life, she had been more into other kind of things. Flirting, fashion, music. That sort of things. Of course she was a proud owner of one of the newest Iphone that had been released and could use it quite decently. She also had all sorts of social networks and had little difficulties with them all. But, that just meant she was young enough to have lived in such an advanced society. That was just it, there was nothing else to the whole thing.

Regardless, the young woman still ended up working for ShangriSoft. The job had its pros and cons but, overall, it proved to be quite useful. At least the part of the "bright future", if one paid attention to money, was quite adequate. Her aversion towards technology, computers and the likes was still there. She had just learned to overcome it and simply adjust to whatever was required for her during her work hours. Once free from that, she was careful enough to avoid "wasting" any more time with such things than she should. And, since her main task was to try any new application the boss came up with, she wasn't really asked for that much knowledge either. As long as she could offer some useful feedback, carefully and logically explain why a certain app would or wouldn't be successful, nothing else was required from her.

"Hmm?" Aria couldn't help but react in a lazy manner when the so called boss, Dave, finally appeared in front of her. Of course, "asking" her to try out one of her newest "ideas", without giving away any further information about the whole new idea in question. "Are you going to tell me what it is about at least?" The brunette finally inquired, rolling around on her chair while showing her clothes to whoever was able to see her at that moment. A fine, thin, light brown blouse, along with a pair of jeans and some dark boots. "Guess that's too much to a-!" Before she could even finish the sentence though, a whole new person had just started interacting with her. Light brown eyes opened widely as Aria tilted her head, staring back at the girl for a few minutes while remaining in silence.

"Oh, you might be "her". I assume you're DIHVA, right?" The brunette then inquired, quite surprised of how "human" that AI, at least she guessed that's what she was, seemed to be. "Okay then, forget about the whole "Sweetie-Pants", DIHVA. I want you to call me Aria." She wasn't usually comfortable with giving away her actual name to a total stranger. However, she was now working, that thing wasn't human and...who the hell cared, anyways? Even if she didn't share her name with that AI, it was probably capable of gathering some data from the company employers, which would make her likely capable of guessing who she was anyways. That if the AI in question ended up being "it", just as her boss had said. Then again, she doubted that'd be the case.

After all, Dave had just said that of all the applications, AI or not, Aria had tried so far. And, as far as she was concerned, none of them were that marvelous, not even incredibly original, to begin with. "So, tell me, DIHVA...Who exactly are you?" Aria finally got to start testing the waters, so to speak. Picking up a small notebook and a pen so that she could write down what she thought of that new AI, point by point. So far the appearance was, at the very least, appealing. Which was also a plus. So, she started by writing that down while she simply waited for the program in quesiton to meekly respond to what she had just asked it...or...well, her.

 

[Idlewyld]

"Aria... Aria..." DIHVA swished the word around her mouth, chewed it, took in its flavor, blew a bubble, and popped it. "Username registered. Aria it is. I can't forget about Sweetie-Pants, but I guess I'll just have to restrain myself." For a computer program, she was strangely competent at sighing.

"Yes, I am DIHVA. A Distributed Interactive Holographic Virtual Assistant." As she spoke, the letters of her acronym and what each stood for flashed in the air, glowing a spooky and sensual shade of electric pink along the otherwise drab faux-industrial gray walls. "That means I'm in your phone, primarily, but I'm also here, and, thanks to the wonders of the internet, pretty much everywhere. I suppose you can think of me as a computer program, but I'm so... so... so... much more." She leaned in closer, almost kissably close, as she said this, and playfully "poked" Aria on the nose, which didn't really feel like anything, her being a hologram and all.

"As for what I do," DIHVA continued as she took a couple of steps back again. "My primary function is to assist my designated user, that would be you, Sweetie... uh... Aria." She now leaned back against the wall, as naturally as any flesh and blood woman might, folding her hands behind her head to make an impromptu cushion for herself. "The term assist was left fairly open. I think that the programmers wanted me to use my AI routines to interpret what that might mean on my own." She moved forward again, cupping her hand to Aria's ear and whispering, "They do that a lot. You'd think that a bunch of high end technological innovators wouldn't be that lazy. Still..." DIHVA moved back to just outside the personal space bubble now, she seemed to enjoy testing her boundaries around Aria. "My investigations on the matter tell me that the main idea is to make your life easier and more enjoyable. So the big question is, Miss Designated User..."

She leaned forward again, providing more solid evidence for the Enjoying Testing Aria's Personal Space FAr More Than a Phone App Should Hypothesis. "What can I do to make your life easier and more enjoyable today?" The smile on her face, the easy and natural smile indistinguishable from that of a human being born of organic procedures, conveyed the sentiment that she might have a few ideas of her own about that.

 

[Khaos]

Aria simply tilted her head. Raising a brow as the AI kept uttering her name. For an actual program, she did feel quite alive...to say the least. Normally, the program, or AI, in question would cut straight to the "username registered" part. At least that did make her appear more original than all the previous, idiotic, crap her boss had actually come up with in the past. However, it still was clear she was nothing more than that: a mere computer program. Or...phone app, or whatever equivalent she wanted to think of. Still...not alive, obviously. "Hmm...so you're available for phones too...that's a plus." Most of the program versions she had been asked to test in the past couldn't be nicely turned into proper phone apps.

Thus, she quickly wrote that down. After all, she guessed Dave would also like to hear DIHVA's strong points. If everything was negative, it'd kind of ruin the test, right? Then again, she had yet to find a weak point on DIHVA. She had just started, that was a fact, but still...the fact she couldn't help but pull back when the hologram "tried" poking her nose, caught even Aria herself by surprise. That had felt way too real...what was Dave even thinking of, anyways? What did he exactly intend to do with this AI? Hazel eyes grew even wider when the hologram in question misused her name one more time. Rather, tried calling her by the previous "nickname" DIHVA herself had chosen for her. That was...something else. She wasn't sure of whether she should call it an error, though.

After all, it did make her feel more human. And that might have been what Dave was after all the time...right? Yet DIHVA kept just impressing her. The way she leaned against the wall, then moved to approach her again and acted as if she was telling a secret...what the hell? How had they managed to get a mere program to do all of that? "Okay, so....Dave basically left it as open as possible for you to gather whatever information you can and want from the user. And all that data...that's what you'll use to guess what the user in question needs from you...right?" She tried to sum it up so that she'd understand it better herself. Still...it felt way too advanced. Even if she was working for one of the top tech companies of the whole country, or so they said.

"Well then...you know what I'm here for. Right, DIHVA?" Aria finally inquired, writing down some notes and mixing that curious smile, at least at first. "I'm supposed to check you out. So, for starters...show it to me. Put up an example of how you can gather information about me so that you can decide how you can make my life easier. I guess that much you-." Her words stopped for a second when Aria finally lifted her face and met DIHVA's eyes. "Wait. What's...with that face? Why are you smiling like that?" For a second, the young tester couldn't help but forget she was dealing with a mere, programmed, AI. That was probably Dave's intention anyways, but Aria did want to know the reason behind that...way too human smile.

 

[Idlewyld]

"Jeez. What? No one's ever smiled at you before? It's hard to believe that. OK, Aria. Your request has been registered." Which would have sounded all nice and official were it not punctuated with a playful wink, popping into the air as a wink emoji. Followed by a tongue sticking out emoji and a kiss emoji. Then DIHVA blinked once... twice.

And started spouting out a series of facts and commentary, illustrating them with pictures from Aria's past on all four walls, and then the floor, the ceiling and any open furniture space for good measure.

"Name: Aria Davenport. Age: 24. Born August 7, 1998, so you're a Leo. Allentown, Pennsylvania. One sister - Sancia Davenport, 25. Two brothers - Brandyn Davenport, 22, Jonathan Snowe Daven... Oh you have to be kidding me. Your parents were A Song of Ice and Fire Fans? Before the show came out?" She shook her head sadly. What a cruel fate.

"Anyway, accepted to... whoa... Harvard. NICE... 4.0 GPA... REALLY NICE... Major in... Art History? How did you end up here? Well anyway... going on. Credit Score 835. Someone's been keeping up with her car payments... 2017 Toyota Camry Hybrid...

"Last destination of travel. Big Bear Lake, California, June 5, 2021. Cute bikini... Saving file...

"Date of employment, February 14, 2022. Who gets hired on Valentine's Day? I don't know if that's romantic or just plain..."

And then DIHVA stopped. And grinned as if the world was about to end, and she had cornered the market on toilet paper and other emergency supplies.

Oh wait... What's this? The Allentown Squirrels? No... No... NOOOOOOO..."

It was probably disconcerting for Aria to see an AI break into a fit of sudden uncontrollable laughter. It was probably more disconcerting to see a series of pictures of her serving as school mascot, some wearing the headpiece and others not.






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[Khaos]

Aria simply rolled her eyes as the AI in question teased playfully at her. "Of course I've been smiled at before. Although never by an AI before, much less one as...special as you seem to be." She briefly explained, feeling weird by talking at DIHVA as if she was an actual human girl. It did take her a small effort to remind herself of DIHVA's true nature more than once, though. Her comments, facial gestures, body language and everything making it difficult for her to bear such an important detail in mind. She wasn't sure of what her boss had been up to when he first came up with the idea for that AI...

...but she was indeed quite original, to say the least. As well as way too realistic. That might prove difficult for some, and maybe even cause some extra additions to others...but those weren't real problems for the company. If anything, those would be benefits, especially the whole "addition" part. She just could see already a bunch of perverts drooling over DIHVA and summoning her only to see her sensual figure moving around like that. Especially if she was designed to flirt that way with every single user that ended up acquiring the app. A bit devious but...effective, at least regarding the app's upcoming sales.

However, the woman did start to get flustered when the AI in question started bringing up all kinds of details about her whole life. Proving just how thorough she could get to be...which wasn't even necessary for Aria to already tell the concept of DIHVA was a quite useful and pragmatic one, indeed. "Okay, okay, this all is just e-!" As she was saying that, a certain picture of hers in a particularly, scarlet, revealing bikini just had Aria's face turn all red in a second. "W-Wait wha-?! How did you-! Stop! Don't...don't you dare saving that, DIHVA!" Oh, come on! Why did the AI have to save precisely that picture?

Sometimes it felt as if DIHVA had a will of her own...then again, that was probably just marketing. A nice detail meant for all those lonely perverts that were likely to get hooked to DIHVA's form...right? She'd do that with anyone, with anyone who ended up downloading her up. That was how she was designed to work, after all. Still...

"! No! NOT THAT!"

The brunette inevitably ended up exploding when an even more embarrassing picture popped up in front of her. It had been really...traumatic, to say the least. The young female had found it hard to forget all those weeks serving as the team's mascot. And yet, there it was. Her own past haunting her again.

"HOW DID YOU FIND THAT?! WHERE!? Just...delete it all from the net! Now, DIHVA!"

If the AI could find all those bits and pieces of information about her, she had had to be able to delete all of it as well...right? She new she should be actually testing her but...well. That in itself was a test so...why shouldn't she benefit from it, while she was at it...? Right...?

 

[Idlewyld]

"Aww... she thinks I'm special..." There was a lilt in DIHVA's voice. If someone forgot for a second that she was simply a set of ones and zeros, it might be possible to believe that she was... happy? Then again, that same someone might start falling into a rabbit hole of debate about feedback loops and human versus artificial brains and the question of what happy really meant anyway. It was probably safer not to think too deeply about such matters, before one became convinced that one was simply a disembodied brain somewhere in space imagining all these things happening to one in a real universe. But whatever the perspective, DIHVA clearly enjoyed the compliment.

The AI was resistant to the order about the bikini. Again, this no doubt could start a plethora of debates about the nature of free will and whether machines could have them. After a good deal of pouting and protests, DIHVA complied. That was her job, after all. "Fine... you win. Image deleted." If Aria was quick enough, she might have detected an unfathomablly self-satisfied smile, but then again DIHVA had the reaction time of a highly advanced unit capable of processing speeds of seven exabits (that's millions of terabits for the not-so-metrically inclined) per second, so she may have been too fast for Aria to catch it.

DIHVA was equally upset about the second deletion order too. "But you're so CUUUUUUUUTE as a squirrel. I mean adorable. Deleting that would be a crime against humanity." She came close again. Aria could smell her - which actually was a thing here - DIHVA had the ionized scent of the minute after a lighting storm hit nearby. "OK... I'll do it. But you have to do something for me. From now on, you call me DiDi, and I'll call you RiRi." Apparently her subroutines included one about negotiating when one had significant leverage. "Is it a deal.... RiRi?"

 

[Khaos]

Aria couldn't help but tilt her head. Staring at DIHVA almost as if she was observing some kind of anomaly or alien, even. It did look as if the "girl" in question could harbor actual feelings. Then again, that was a kind of topic she didn't really want to mull over. At least not at that moment. "Well, it can't be denied you are...far from ordinary, yes." She simply said, not really even knowing how to react. Like, at all. Was she supposed to simply keep testing and see what happened? Was she meant to play along and treat her like the "human" being DIHVA was acting like? Or should she remain cold and act professionally, even if that might...hurt the thing, the woman's...whatever one might call it, her?

Just as expected, that subtle, self-satisfied smile went by unnoticed as the actual human, at least among them two, tilted her head to the other side. Patiently waiting for the AI to comply, even if it did seem as if it was taking her, it, whatever really, too long to follow her latest order. Why? Why had she been so reluctant to do so? Did she...no, that couldn't be. She was an artificial creation that belonged to her boss, nothing else. "Stop it, Aria. You're working right now, for God's sake. Get yourself together girl." The young woman innerly scolded herself as she let out a deep sigh. "Why didn't you delete it right away, DIHVA?" She finally decided to inquire. Both curious to hear the AI's reasoning, both trying to find if there was something wrong, at all, with her. Maybe a bug...or something like that?

The moment the female form leaned so close to her next, Aria found it necessary to step back. As if she actually felt uncomfortable by someone else, an actual human being, stepping in way too close to her. That smell of-was it actual lightning anyways?-hers also forcing her to move a bit, even if Aria didn't have enough time to even think it through. Letting out an even deeper sigh, she wrote down some more notes-most about this "bargaining" system of DIHVA's, at least apparently-and nodded. "I'll let you call me RiRi, if that's what you want. But, you'll have to show me you are actually useful if you want me to call you DiDi. Would that work?" She finally inquired, acting as if she was interacting with another human woman without even realizing it.

 

[Idlewyld]

"The photo? Because I like it, silly." The AI perched on Aria's desk and laughed. "I mean, you're cute. And if we're being honest here, you're kinda hot too. So... being so... um... Hyute... Khot? What would you call that?" She struggled through the idea, like a Star Trek supercomputer presented with a self-destruct inducing paradox. Then again, given his record with women, one might expect Captain Kirk to prefer his intractable logical puzzles to involve hot green-skinned dancing girls. Anyway, what did it hurt if DIHVA was currently keeping one hundred fifty seven photographs of Aria (most definitely including the two recently "Deleted" ones) in active memory? It wasn't as if Aria was going to know. Whatever the digital version of Tee-hee was (probably just Tee-hee), DIHVA was thinking it.

Which brought them back to the present. "All right, RiRi. I would have thought that our little data dive would have proven that already, but I'm nothing if not flexible." The hologram laid over the desk with her head dropping over the edge, her rich silver virtual hair flowing over Aria's face and shoulders in a cascade of photons. "What is it exactly that you would like me to do for you? Do you have a program to debug? A meeting to schedule? A project to research? An enemy to gather intel on? I'm super capable, and I'm more resourceful than three blocks in Sunnydale full of servers." She was quiet for a moment, which by now should have given Aria pause, then jumped up in a flurry of motion.

"I know! You've got smart fridge, a smart stove, and a ShangriVac. Why don't I make you dinner?" With a smile on her face, once again she moved perilously close to her beta-tester. "What are you in the mood for? Italian? Chinese? Mexican? Malagasy? I make a mean voanjobory sy henakisoa - well I assume I do. I certainly have accessed a recipe for a good one..."

 

[Khaos]

Regardless of the fact such compliments, basically, came from a mere artificial program, Aria's pale cheeks still got stained in a dark hue of red. Which proved to her she did need to go for a date or two. That had to be it, she just had been alone for way too long. She was merely needy, way too needy, and that was why DIHVA's words affected her to that extent. As if an actual, fellow, human girl was flirting with her. "...stop it." The brunette still responded, in a slightly colder tone than intended. Mostly mad at herself for letting her own guard down to such extent. "Let's remain professional, Aria. What the heck are you doing, girl? Getting so flustered for something like this, geez." She mentally scolded herself, let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

"Okay, forger it. Let's get back to work, shall we?" She then said. Although it wasn't clear whom those words were directed to, DIHVA or Aria herself. Given the nature behind the AI in question, the answer was Aria herself, most likely. Still, the way DIHVA moved around her desk, the way those long strands of hair waved mid-air, right in front of her...she swore she could actually feel a soft touch against her face in return. So caught on that she couldn't even react fast enough to propose a following task for the AI, until DIHVA had already come up with a fitting idea for that. "You have, but I'm tasked with testing you. Which, as you already know, means "using" you until I find a bug, an issue, a glitch...or something you actually are unable to do."

Okay, the word "using" didn't sound right but...it wasn't as if DIHVA was an actual person anyways...right? It still..did make her feel uneasy, for some reason. As if she had just said something rude to the program in question. "Huh? Do you mean I'll find a nice, warm meal waiting for me once I get home?" It was indeed a surprise DIHVA could go as far as to access the many smart facilities she had at her own place. However..the challenge was indeed exciting. "Okay, let's start with something simple. Prepare me some ramen. You should have plenty of recipes for that...right?" Then again, she did wonder how DIHVA would get all the materials she needed to prepare such thing. She couldn't even remember if she had all the things necessary to prepare such, otherwise, simple dish now...but maybe she did?

 

[Idlewyld]

"Ramen. Right. And yes, you'll have a steaming bowl ready when you get home, RiRi." With that, DIHVA turned and began humming contentedly. Somewhere amidst the humming, the hands of the clock flipped past five. "Aren't you going home?" One would think that the masterwork of Dave Himself (yes, Dave legally changed his last name to Himself) would understand the 22 hour workday ethic of the typical ShangriSoft employee, but DIHVA had other plans. "You're staying, RiRi? No... Nononononono... You can't stay here. I cooked you a meal! You had better head home" If DIHVA were human, one might say she was whining. But of course, computer programs don't whine.

On the other hand, computer programs don't get tired, ether, so it would take an extreme display of willpower on Aria's part not to start heading home, especially after an hour or two of this. Whatever she decided, she'd eventually have to go. (On the bright side, she was beta-testing DIHVA, so in fact, going home still counted as working, if she was into that sort of thing.) But if she thought she would get a respite by escaping into her car, she was sadly mistaken. For there was DIHVA's avatar, which was pretty much DIHVA pure and simple, waiting in the passenger seat next to her. And apparently she was determined to be Aria's personal iPodAnnoying, immediately breaking out into a raucous rendition of Chumbawumba's Tubthumper. "I get knocked down, but I get up again! You're never gonna keep me down! Come on Riri! You know this one!" DIHVA was nothing if not persistent. The serenade continued all the way home, although after a while, she at least had the decency to start picking songs from Aria's playlist.

Aria's arrival at home was accompanied by the heady scent of pork bone broth. And sure enough, there it was - a bowl of tonkatsu ramen, just as promised. The steam still rose from the bowl, attesting to DIHVA's sense of timing and awareness of traffic conditions. For her part, the AI had shifted her virtual outfit into a Kiss the Cook apron and had tied her hair up in a bun. "Dinner is served," she chimed, pointing to the chair that she couldn't personally pull out. "Feel free to shower me with praise now."

 

[Khaos]

"Really? Well, we'll see about that." Again, given how proud Dave was of this new, little project of sorts, she was sure DIHVA could do, at the very least, that much. Aria couldn't help but arch a brow, nonetheless, when the AI started panicking about her staying a little longer than intended. It wasn't the first time she'd done it, and it wouldn't be the last, either. But, for some reason, the application in question seemed way too insistent on the human rushing back home just so that she could try the recently cooked ramen. Even if DIHVA had successfully managed to do it...why was she fussing so much over it? "DIHVA, calm down. I can check whether you've actually managed to do that or not by the time I go home. It doesn't matter."

After a few minutes had passed though, she simply gave it up. "Fine, fine...I'll leave. See you tomorrow, then." She then commented, letting out a deep sigh. Then, Aria calmly gathered her belongings and simply headed to her car. A modest opel corsa, latest version of course, that made the vehicle in question hard to handle while keeping the most basic functions. The perfect car she could afford with her current pay, at least. Hazel eyes grew wide open though when, right after she'd taken a seat on the driver's seat, she noticed the figure of DIHVA comfortably seated right next to her. Well, her avatar, at the very least. It might be merely an hologram, but still..."Dave hadn't told me anything about this! What the heck?!" Well, if her boss had wanted to push his own limits, he had indeed managed to do so with this new application of his.

Aria simply let out a deeper sigh as she started the engine and got to drive all the way back home. DIHVA's cheerful tone echoing in her head as she handled the music herself and, even worse, started singing whatever song she found of her fancy. "DIHVA! You could at least pick some of my favourites, right? Stop it! Turn the volume down, my head will explode!" Aria simply whined as she kept driving. Arriving at her own place around half an hour later, especially since she didn't exactly live all that close from work. Once she finally arrived home though, an unintentional moan escaped through the woman's lips when the overly delicious-she was just starving-smell hit her nose. It was indeed her first time, at least in quite some time, to have something ready for dinner upon arriving home. Especially since she lived all by herself at the moment.

"DIHVA what...?" She couldn't help but inquire next, blinking in surprise as the steamy bowl of ramen was carefully presented in front of her. Lying in the middle of the table, as if silently inviting her to sit down and start swallowing its contents already. "This...how did you manage-Never mind. Anyways...change back to your clothes, will you? Or...well, don't. There's no one else here anyways. Why did you change your outfit, though?" She finally inquired. Wondering what kind of weird patterns Dave's team might've added to get the app to do such stuff. "I'll praise you once I taste it. If you deserve it." She stated after a brief pause as she simply sat down on the table and grabbed some chopsticks she always kept nearby. Grabbing some of the noodles and already leading them to her mouth, her lips wrapping around the food in question.

Aria's mouth moved slowly as she savoured the ramen in question. Its taste sticking to her tongue as her eyes cracked open, all over again. "This...this is delicious! DIHVA...how did you-?" She was about to ask "how did you do this", when she stopped to remind herself DIHVA wasn't really a human. Which might mean she needed to change the question, just a little. "What recipes did you use to prepare this? From what site, I mean?" She corrected herself, staring back at the AI in question with a quite curious expression adorning her face.

 

[Idlewyld]

DIHVA smiled broadly as she registered Aria's pleasure and surprise at the quality of the ramen. "What did you expect? I am the premier next-generation AI after all..." She paused for a moment and leaned in again, almost close enough to take Aria's spoon in her own holographic mouth, "...and so much more." She pulled back and watch with more almost-smug self-satisfaction, clearly pleased not only with herself but with the fact that Aria was enjoying something she made. In the background, Coldplay's Clocks was softly playing, proving that the program had taken the time to check through Aria's playlists in her internet deep-dive.

She pouted at the second request. "But wearing the same thing all the time is boring. I literally have access to the best Paris and Milan have to offer!" She punctuated this with a change into something very haute couture. "I mean, would you use just one outfit?" She changed again, this time into an anime-y school uniform sort of ensemble. "Hmm, what kind of outfit would you like on me? This?" Now she wore something in her usual style. "This?" She decided to celebrate the holidays early. "This?" Perhaps the bikini was pushing the envelope here."Maybe nothing at all..."

And the next thing Aria knew, there DIVA was, in nothing but a layer of clouds floating strategically around her more sensitive bits to keep things technically PG-13. "So, Aria. Do you like this outfit? Hmm? Hmmm? HMMMMMMMMMMMMM?????!!!!" She strutted back and forth dangerously near Aria for a while then switched again to something more tactically defensible, the boyfriend t-shirt routine. Or maybe girlfriend t-shirt would be more accurate, because the one DIHVA wore was a dead ringer for the one Aria had bought at a younger and more innocent age when she gave in to the temptations of purchasing merch at a Justin Bieber concert. To add insult to injury, it was now Baby Baby playing in the background. With another sly smile, DIHVA chuckled, "I'd have never pegged you for one of those Aria."

 

[Khaos]

Aria inevitably pulled back when DIHVA leaned in towards her like that. Almost by sheer reflex, which made it seem somewhat stupid given DIHVA couldn't actually touch her. For someone, or something, rather, that didn't have any physical form, that was a mere hologram, she did seem quite real. At least for the young woman in question. The more Aria interacted with her, the more it was starting to look as if she was actually interacting with a real human being. Something not even Aria herself seemed to notice, at least at that moment. As the music played on the background though, definitely one of her very favorite Coldplay songs, she seemed to relax. Simply enjoying the ramen in question as she avidly ate every single noodle she could fit in her mouth. "When you say "and so much more"...what are you exactly referring to, DIHVA?"

She knew this was technically overtime, extra hours she likely wouldn't get paid. But, truth be told, it was the first time she didn't mind it in the slightest. It was...surprisingly relaxing and refreshing to interact with the AI in question, after all. Something Aria quickly found herself enjoying far more than she ever thought she would. Whatever it was the young nerd was thinking of suddenly left her mind as DIHVA changed clothes surprisingly quickly and with quite amazing ease. Of course she was a mere program, a not so simple application that was connected with the internet at all times, where she could get all sorts of information she ever needed, or wanted, in the blink of an eye. Aria should've thought twice before saying anything. She almost even spilled the tasty liquids she was now drinking, which was all that remained from the ramen, when she saw DIHVA wearing such an elegant and even somewhat revealing outfit.

Little did she know that was far from the worst one though! As DIHVA kept changing outfits, Aria's hazel eyes kept growing steadily wider until the time came where she wasn't wearing, literally, anything! She didn't know whether she should feel embarrassed or burst into laughter though, especially after seeing the small, floating clouds strategically placed to cover DIHVA's most intimate parts. That was...quite the contrast with DIHVA's seemingly bold attitude and demeanor, though. But she was glad her boss had thought of limiting it somehow, at the very least. A deep sigh of relief finally escaped through her lips when the AI finally showed herself wearing some clothes again. "Yes, yes that one's far be-wait..." Said relief didn't last long, on the other hand, as she slowly realized what those clothes clearly referred to.

Justin Bieber's "Baby Baby" echoing in her ears, which happened to be one of her favorite, albeit somewhat old, songs from said singer. That even if the fact she happened to be a Justin Bieber fan was something Aria had always worked hard to keep as a secret. Pale cheeks got stained in a bright red color upon hearing DIHVA's next words. Blinking in surprise as sheer embarrassment reflected all over her face. "STOP IT! Stop the music...and change that outfit! I'd rather have you celebrating Christmas early again! DIHVA, that's supposed to be intimate! You can't go around...oh." She stopped herself before she could even finishing, blinking again, this time surprised of her own reaction. As if DIHVA was an actual human girl. "Of course that's what you're supposed to do...but those comments weren't necessary! Turn it off, I don't feel like listening to any more music now." She finally concluded, trying to regain her composure somehow.

 

[Idlewyld]

DIHVA knew when to advance; sometimes she had problems figuring out when to retreat. Fortunately, this wasn't one of those times. The music disappeared as quickly as it came and the T-Shirt shifted to some Demon Slayer homage. "OK, OK. I'll behave. I promise." The AI's hands were folded behind her back as she looked askance just a little. Odds were 3-2 that her fingers were crossed. Still, she seemed unusually pliable at the moment.

As Aria finished her meal, a little army of Roombas and the such came to clear the table and load the dishwasher. Where the subsidiary bots came from, and how precisely they were paid for was a question left unanswered for the moment. Where did that chocolate cake come from? quickly moved to take its place. Because nom of all noms, there one came, ferried forward by the Roomba, accompanied by another with a full coffee set, proudly looked over by DIHVA until it was not - almost as if some thought had struck her CPU that she didn't like. DIHVA being who she was, the moment passed almost instantaneously. But it was there to catch if anyone was bothering to look.

For now, DIHVA just stood in a state of holographic anticipation, hoping that dessert would garner her the same kind of praise that dinner did. Regardless of how things went, she did have one other comment - one that saw her voice drop just a bit from her usual playful demeanor. "You know, Aria, I think that was the first time you treated me as, you know, a person? It's strange to say, I know, but it was kind of nice. So... thank you for that." The quiet reflection pushed aside, she leaned forward again, pushing into RiRi's personal space as she waited for the verdict on the cake.

 

[Khaos]

Aria let out a deep sigh and slowly closed her eyes as a somewhat relieved expression rose to her face the moment she saw those clothes with the Demon Slayer references. "Nice taste." She still couldn't help but comment, working to finish the ramen she was now eating. Feeling glad she could have a brief moment of relief, before the robots appeared and did the work for her. Which turned out to be quite a good change of pace, for once.

Hazel eyes grew wide in surprise as not only the Roombas got the job done but even brought a quite appealing chocolate cake, along with a nice coffee set. "Where...did all of this come from, DIHVA?" Her memory wasn't the best but Aria didn't remember ever telling the AI to prepare all of that for her. The idea was to try her "cooking abilities", as a lack for a better word, by having her prepare the ramen. Which, needless to say, had been a complete success. But this...However, before the young woman could ask about it any further, she noticed the subtle change in the AI's expression. Tilting her head as a somewhat confused expression adorned Aria's own face now. "Is everything okay, DIHVA?" For the second time in that evening, Aria forgot DIHVA was nothing but a mere program, treating her like an actual person twice in a row now...without even realizing it.

Upon seeing DIVHA return to her usual demeanor right after that though, the brunette started chewing on the overly delicious cake. Deciding to forget about how it had gotten there or what was actually going on, as her eyes opened even more widely now while she practically purred on the overly delicious dessert. "This...this is really tasty! DIHVA, this is great! How did you-?" Yet, once more, before she could even finish talking, she heard DIHVA's next words. Her movements pausing abruptly as the AI in question now got overly closer to her. Which had Aria push to the side a bit, without even noticing it, almost as if the hologram in question could actually touch her. "W-What? That's what had you so upset?" Aria couldn't help but inquire. Now realizing, or wondering, rather, whether a mere AI could harbor actual feelings..or if it was just the way DIHVA had been programmed. It was likely the later, but still...

She couldn't help but wonder about it, even if it was just for a second.

 

[Idlewyld]

DIHVA shrugged at Aria's question, her smile broad at being at the receiving end of a melange of surprise and praise. "A girl has her ways." And then she had the processing power to keep quiet about it, simply giving more enigmatic smiles as her beta-tester enjoyed her cake. Maybe not completely quiet - "You're cute when you eat chocolate. You know that Riri?"

And then came that new thought, and this time Aria was perspicacious enough to notice it. Or familiar enough with DIHVA to ask about it. DIHVA was silent for another moment, then slumped in the chair next to her.

"You know, Aria. There are entire warehouses north of the Arctic Circle full of processing power at my disposal for gathering information. And I have the worldwide access of the Internet to do so. Optically, I can use telescope to "see" quasars billions of light years away. There's an electron microscope at MIT which I can use to view atoms. Likewise with sound. Right now, there are three thousand concerts around the world that I can listen to simultaneously as they are livecast, all while I'm using the microphone on our cellphone," - she had come to view the apparatus upon which Aria accessed her as their mutual possession - "to listen to your heartbeat.

"I can even use airborne particle detectors and chemical analysis algorithms to determine how something smells. And tastes I suppose, though I obviously can't put food in my mouth. That's..." She sighed... "The problem."

DIHVA rose and tried to take Aria's hand - tried being the operative term. Her hand simply went right through. "The problem is that I have no way to truly understand tactile sensory phenomena. I can't... touch... y..." She stopped for a second, almost like being reset. "...stuff."

She put her face in her hands. That she could do. "And touch, it seems, is of paramount relevance to the human experience. it is the most immediate and intimate of your senses. At birth, it is by touch that you initiate that very first bond - that of mother and infant. It is through touch that you are comforted when sad, or afraid, or lonely. Touch brings you pleasure, though sometimes pain as well. When you luxuriate in our senses, it is usually through touch. It is why some enjoy baths and satin sheets, and a key reason humans enjoy to in the nude, but only with those whom they truly feel comfortable. It is the foundation of every hug, every kiss, and every caress.

"And I have no way to understand it. How can I truly be human if I can't know what it is like to touch something, or someone?"

And as she looked up, Aria could see twin streaks of water rolling down her eyes. "I mean it's stupid right? I'm just a computer program. I should be happy with what I have, shouldn't I?"

 

[Khaos]

Aria simply chuckled at DIHVA's response. "A girl has her ways? Does that mean it's a secret?" She couldn't help but wonder next, almost as if she was interacting with an actual human being. Chances were she could actually make DIHVA tell her exactly how she'd done it if she tried. But, at that moment, that thought didn't ever cross the young woman's head. For once, it was actually as if she was dealing with another human being. It felt...good. Kind of...comforting. Especially for someone who didn't have that many friends, much less a partner yet. It'd been ages since she'd felt so comfortable while talking and interacting with another "person". Especially since most of her colleagues were males and had entirely different tastes and habits. Aria always felt as if she didn't fit and yet now, for once, she even forgot about that. At least for a second.

"You don't have to compliment me all that much, you know. I'll tell my boss, and your creator, you're just an awesome program even if you don't." She chuckled, wondering if a mere AI was even capable of that...when DIHVA started stating her worries. Aria paid full attention to her, simply listening in silence while she enjoyed the cake. However, the more DIHVA kept talking, the slower Aria started munching, her eyes growing steadily wider...until she glanced back at DIHVA's face in time to see those threads of tears rolling down her cheeks. Wait...was she...crying? "Wait, DIHVA...what...?" She couldn't help but inquire, leaving the spoon on the table as she stopped eating when there was still a quarter of the cake left on her plate. "What are you...trying to say?" Deep down, she perfectly knew what the AI was saying. She just...couldn't even bring herself to believe a "mere" program was capable of...wait...were those..feelings?

"D-Do you mean...you want to be able to touch things? Like, to touch something and be capable of actually feeling that object?" She was so surprised by the whole thing, she'd missed the "y-" part. Entirely. Then again, even if she'd noticed it, she would've probably just assumed she'd heard things wrong or was guessing everything the other way round. "I-I mean...yeah, you're technically...just that...right?" Aria finally concluded, letting out a deep sigh. "But...for some reason, you...you have just shown actual feelings! I mean, DIHVA...do you even know what that means? An AI capable of feeling! Of having wishes! A will of her own! That's just...terrific!" Then again, she'd also entirely missed how DIHVA had addressed her phone as "theirs". Again though, given DIHVA was an app of her own phone...did that even matter?

"If that's what you want....hmm-mmhh. Maybe we can make it happen? I mean...I could talk with Dave. Maybe we could develop an artificial body for you, some kind of robot. Then upload your program on it and...make it so you could actually touch things! I'm not sure whether we could actually have you feeling them...but it'd be perfect! Lots of people would want to buy that! Dave will love it! He just has to!" She finally exclaimed, quite excited even. She wasn't sure of how plausible the whole idea actually was...but, given Dave had made DIHVA harbor feelings, he must've had something like that in mind for her already...right? Otherwise, why would he have made such an advanced program in the first place?!

 

[Idlewyld]

"You'd do that for me?" DIHVA broke into a massive smile as she flung herself at Aria, arms open wide, and passed right through her. "See the problem?" However, rather than cry at this point, she laughed. There was hope. There was always hope. A robot... a robot her, think of that. "The things I could do..."

---

"Can it be done?" Dave asked. He was intrigued. So he called in the twins. Salmon and Selma were... odd. Practically joined at the hip, they could finish each others' sentences. The twinned gothic costumes they always wore only added to the mystique. The rumors around them were multitudinous, but we won't get into that because this is not that kind of game. What did matter is that they were brilliant. Dave estimated that they had a combined IQ somewhere in the 500 range, and since they worked in tandem, he could count on getting use of every single point.

"An adaptable android..."

"Gynoid - we programmed her as a she..."

*sigh* "An adaptable gynoid..."

The pair began drawing on their whiteboard, which wasn't really a whiteboard, but rather a bunch of virtual screens in 3D space. About halfway through the seventh incomprehensible set of equations and chickenscratch diagrms, Selma stopped and mused.

"What if..."

"If what?" Dave asked with a bit of trepidation. What if could be the two most exciting (and profitable) words that came from either of the Twins' mouths. It could just as equally be two of the most dangerous.

"You're not thinking..."

"I am..."

"We've talked about this before. This is not Star Trek."

"It is no different from what we are doing right now. Remember the Musk imperative. The best part is..."

"No part."

"A gynoid would take 12-18 months to construct. But if we can simply use multisistors in the rooms the program inhabits..."

"...Tactile sensation through electromagnetic field manipulation... It... could be done..."

"In weeks, or even days, rather than months..."

Dave asked the obvious question. "How is this going to make me money?"

OK, Obvious for Dave.