Manufactured Love (Mortica & Seraphyna)

[Seraphyna]

Misfits. A bold and assuming name that identified the very collection she held close to her heart. It was odd and not many understood the inner peace she held with such distant creations. Most thought it had been due to her parents' company V-Synth, and their grand design that trickled down to their daughter. Alas, her occupation wasn't what caused this obsession, but it had been the fueled feeling of relatability and empathy which drove her. Vivian Valentine was a woman of strict yet kind nature, showing compassion where it was due, all while her serious nature allowed her to maintain her dignity and respect among the public eye. She held herself and the company passed down to her to a high standard, one she increasingly felt she was unable to surpass herself, let alone the workers. This was of course the third year her company made more than expected in sales, yet she strived for more and felt an odd sense of failure as she fell short. But it wasn't due to greed in the least but instead it drove her to change the world as she knew it. While she worked around the clock to create an innovative product, hired the greatest team she could imagine to code and assemble her family dream and cause the lives of others to change around her for the better, Vivian's desires stopped abruptly the moment she came upon one thing; a defective android.

These weren't just regular Synthetics - or robots - that assisted in everyday searches or diagnosis, each model serving its own purpose and it was the owners which purchased what they desired. Some customers bought their synthetics for cleaning and maid purposes, allowing for that personal connection along the way. Others kept them for company as a friend or even a lover. But the sales seemed to skyrocket when it came to their SM series especially. While they came with a healthy desire for 'anything' written within their code, there was a daunting excitement for submissive women, often maids, over the idea of a domme or butler type synthetic. The connection was often undeniably fulfilling for the owners, finding little control in their lives and turning that into playtime with their synthetics. The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive, shocking even Vivian herself, for she felt a sense of pride within her work because it meant the world to her. It added a new layer to knowledge and appraise, knowing she was working in the right direction. Recently there had been a particular comfort feature update she'd been working on that was taking far longer to develop than she liked. A sense of unease grew within her, beating her up on the inside as she struggled, for the last thing she desired was for her synthetics to go through any true pain that was non-consensual. Abused synthetics were the ones that continued to be reported the most and at times most extreme, they were often given to Vivian herself to look at personally. At the worst of times, the owners would be banned from purchasing one of their products again. It was only a shame that she was unable to charge or report them to the authorities. They were only 'robots' to the government of each continent. But one day she hoped to fix that.

Vivian's schedule was normally filled with an abundance of tasks and meetings from the moment she woke until she fell asleep. What made today different wasn't just the pouring rain from the humid and dry week, but the fact that her calendar had only one slot on it. It was an important appointment and one she deliberately pushed everything out of the way for. Normally a deep sleeper, last night's ventures had been anything but peaceful, as she struggled with getting a decent rest. Nothing a little concealer couldn't fix, alongside some caffeine of course. As always, her driver took her to the core of the city, her office building near the busiest and brightest part, unlike the manufacturing plant just on the outskirts. Ads displayed themselves vibrantly, boldly claiming why each individual should choose them outside any competitors. Anything from food to cars, phones and virtual games that took the lives of others by storm. While marketing had never quite been her strong suit, she refused to have her synthetics obsessively over running the advertisements within her city, even if she had the money to do so. It felt tacky, especially outside her office. Vivian was no stranger to those who protested her creations as well, as oftentimes when she arrived she would be escorted by security just to enter the building when a downfall occurred in the news. Luckily today wasn't one of those days, and she was free to enter the building with little worry, let alone security. Yet they still escorted her upon arrival and she was still cautious nonetheless. Chances couldn't be taken in this day and age, especially with her background and status.

White and black was commonly her attire, and today was just the same. Wearing a white button-up blouse and a black pencil skirt, she kept her black leather shoulder bag close to her side as she walked inside directly to the elevator. Heels clicking loudly behind her, she ran a hand through her thickly styled wavy black hair. A gentle sigh escaped her upon entering the elevator, only to be quickly followed by another woman who rushed inside with her.

"Miss Valentine! I am so sorry, I didn't realize you would be here so early." Timidly spoken, the girl handed her a cup of coffee with a few creams and sugar, just how she liked it.

Vivian never truly understood why others were so quick to be nervous around her, even if she was the boss, but this woman in particular was younger than her, just breaking into the business. "Andrea, you're fine. Thank you for the drink." Pressing the open doors button before the elevator could close, she ushered the girl out with her eyes gesturing toward the entrance. "I'll be attending this appointment alone though."

"O-oh, of course." The girl quickly scurried from the elevator and moved back toward the front counter, joining a few others who were on calls, likely taking appointments. Andrea was used to following Vivian around, mostly sticking to her side as an assistant, often making her appointments or calls. Today was rather confusing though, as her schedule seemingly changed on its own and last minute at that, which was quite rare.

As Vivian remained in the lift alone, she pressed a button for one of the many basement floors. With an ID card around her neck, Vivian tapped the back of it to a scanner, and the elevator itself beeping softly as it began its descent. Arriving at the second basement floor with a soft ding, she stepped out and entered the long hallway where only a few people were seen. Bland walls of white and grey made her wish she'd done this at home and not within the confinements of such an uncomfortable area. Those who passed Vivian knew to greet her, as she nodded to them in return, or offered a 'good morning' in response. With coffee in one hand, she tapped her card on the door at the end of the hallway with her free one and opened the door.

Contemplating her options, Vivian momentarily held the door open as she wondered if having an assistant with her today would be beneficial. Normally Andrea would be with her, or perhaps even her technical assistant Collin, but there were times when the two of them got in her way. That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy their company or help, just that she liked to do things a certain way and their input wasn't always necessarily desired. Though safety at times could be a concern, especially when they were dealing with such different personalities for each experiment or creation. With that thought alone, she finally stepped into the room, and the lights automatically turned on.

The room itself was plain, basking in the basics of different shades of white upon the walls, ceiling and floor. A black table sat in the middle of the room with a small desk and computer next to it, cords partially resting on the table as well. But while the room would normally be empty, today held different opportunities. In the midst of the room resting on the table; was a synthetic, a beautiful robot in all her glory in such adorable maid attire. A gentle smile was brought to Vivian's face as she made her way over and dropped her bag upon the desk.

Reaching over with care and caution, Vivian brought the synthetic to an upright position, sitting her carefully over the edge of the table. Brushing those beautiful short black locks back behind her ears, she reached behind the upper ear and unlocked the side, revealing a few ports and a button for powering her on. It didn't take long for Vivian to plug a couple cords in, all while ensuring she was properly hooked up to the system as the computer began to display all of her statistics in a code-like format that she understood. A diagnostics wasn't run and instead, the woman wanted to know and hear the exact details from the service bot herself. So without further adieu, she pressed the button and waited for the lovely synthetic to come alive.

"Good morning," she spoke with sincerity in her voice, allowing some space between them as Vivian took a seat in her chair. Oh how she desired to know the details and story of this one, despite how terrible it may have been. No matter the misery or pain, she mentally prepared herself for the worst. "My name is Vivian Valentine, I am the CEO of V-Synth. It's lovely to meet you." Caffeine was no longer necessary, as she felt a strike of excitement fill her. "I have a couple of questions for you. What is your model number? Who was your previous owner? And lastly, what is your name?"