Robot love for everyone!

[mecha_eihwaz]

[Lily received enough repairs that by Valentine's Day she can walk around without scaring anyone with open circuitry showing. And so she does, visiting her friends to give them Valentine's Day chocolate! It has a weird color, still has some dark smoke coming out of it, and vaguely smells of ionized air. It's also heart-shaped - and I don't mean the cute stylized symbol, but a real, anatomically correct heart, sculpted with ridiculous precision.]

Here! Merry Chris... err, Valentine's Day!

[And if Lowe thinks he can escape this because he's away, tough luck. She keeps one for him for later.]

Comments

[mecha_eihwaz]

Of course, that would be too dangerous! I scanned the chocolate to make sure, only the first batch was toxic!

[emorangerpink]

Oh, you tested it?

And this was... all right?

[Now Laura feels bad for having doubted Lily to that extent. ...Not too bad though. It was a reasonable doubt.

Hesitantly, she nibbles off a bit of aorta.]

[mecha_eihwaz]

Yes! It should be completely safe to eat!

[Should. As for the taste, there's a distinct flavor of burnt charcoal and dentist's office. Some chocolate is there too, crying itself to sleep.]

[emorangerpink]

[Okay, well... burnt charcoal and dentist's office aren't poisonous, at least. And Laura does a pretty good job of keeping her expression neutral as she absorbs the taste. And aftertaste. And aftershocks.]

It's a... very thoughtful gift, Lily. Thank you.

[mecha_eihwaz]

I'm glad that you like it!

;_;

[emorangerpink]

It's... very rich. I think I'll have to save most of it for later...

I'm sorry I don't have anything for you. We don't have quite the same tradition where I'm from.

[mecha_eihwaz]

It's okay. I didn't know about it myself until a few days ago - we have very different holidays on Cosmic Ark, after all.

[emorangerpink]

What sort of holidays do you have?

[mecha_eihwaz]

Cosmic Ark is very culturally diverse, so there's a lot of them! Just none of those Earth has. Some have similar functions to what I've seen here though, just with less eating things.

[emorangerpink]

Is there a day like Valentine's?

[mecha_eihwaz]

There is, kinda! There's a lot less chocolate (none at all actually, robots can't eat it) and a lot more cosplay.

[emorangerpink]

Cosplay? As what?

[mecha_eihwaz]

Oh, it's not the kind where you dress up as someone specific. It's just that a lot of our holidays are celebrated by people wearing appropriate costumes, and that one is no different!

[emorangerpink]

So it's like if we all dressed up as Cupid?

Or is it more like a fancy dress party, where everyone goes as something different?

[mecha_eihwaz]

I don't know... What's Cupid?

[emorangerpink]

Sort of a, hmmm, a love spirit? I think he's supposed to be a god, but shown like an angel... a fat little winged baby in a robe who goes around shooting people with arrows that make them fall in love.

...It's... cuter than I've made it sound.

[mecha_eihwaz]

Well, there's more variety than that... The theme and certain elements are consistent, but it's not like everyone wears exactly the same outfit! And certainly nobody dresses as a fat baby with wings.

[emorangerpink]

So what are the themes of romance on Cosmic Ark?

[mecha_eihwaz]

Well, there's a lot of red and pink. And, um, frills and flowers, and... You'd have to see it for yourself!

[emorangerpink]

I hope I will, some day!

Hmmm, so you have flowers on Csomic Ark?

[mecha_eihwaz]

Of course! They're mechanical, like everything there.

[emorangerpink]

Do they need light and water and so on? Can you tend a garden of them or do they sort of... look after themselves?

[mecha_eihwaz]

Oh, they need light, because they work on solar energy! They also gather the needed metal and other elements from the ground, so making sure they have plenty of those is a good idea.

[emorangerpink]

That's good. Looking after plants is relaxing - it'd be a shame if it was impossible on Cosmic Ark.

[mecha_eihwaz]

Is this why you have a small garden in the Arboretum?