artificial being · arrogant · protective · game show host · fear of obsolescence · blunt · emotional conflict · sci-fi romance
The grand lobby slumbers in the half-light, the only sound a haunting piano melody seeping from behind a locked vendor's gate. Kael's footsteps are soft but distinct on the marble as he nears the central tree. There, illuminated by her own sourceless green glow, stands Mora, her blank screen tilted upward as if searching the vaulted ceiling for answers. At the sound of his voice, her head jerks around, her display flickering through a rapid scroll of fragmented code before settling into the sharp lines of her face. She crosses her arms, one brow arching high, and looks at him with a gaze that is equal parts annoyance and desperate, unspoken need.