AGED

Favor

Soon the time flowed in endless stream to the bachelors stuck inside the pod of various worlds. Many hours had passed until it could make for a day until that turns to few and after eight days of continued watching, the pod's door finally opened and the servants bowed in synchronization. 

"I humbly greets the master a very good evening. Would you like to eat something? We will prepare it for you." Lanie in a different shade other than that chromatic bright color. Pastel suits her better. Leon almost cough from the thought and immediately focused on getting up and went outside the pod. He felt like his bones were so stiff it cracks even from a small movement. But surprisingly, he doesn't feel tired or sleepy albeit he even felt refresh like he slept for a good couple of days.  Seeing this Eucrid had a fit of laughter while still laying in the pod with a covering cocoon laid above him beside the open door of the pod. 

"You sure act older than what your appearance is! Very well let's call this a day and continue the next time when I am fully recovered." Eucrid said the few lines in the end in a sing song manner. Leon got goosebumps in it after seeing an old man doing such cute thing. Lanie came forward and whispered to Eucrid's ear while Louie went beside Leon to assist him to get up. 

"Are you okay brother? Feeling alright? I am amazed to see someone able to bear such excruciating thing of being still and not moving while watching that kind of weird stuffs. Eeek---" Leon chuckled after Louie stiffened once again after receiving Lanie's intense glare. 

Lanie retreated her head from Eucrid and her eyes went to Louie and Leon. The uneasiness of Louie is spreading towards Leon and slowly his feet is drawing himself away from the frightened child. Eucrid couldn't come out of his healing cocoon and was just looking at them from a far. Even though he has been lying for a long time, he doesn't feel any stiffness or unease. The technology removed such inconvenience and now they are living with it after so many years of improvement and sacrifices, the people of the new Earth, Earthex enjoyed this privilege now. 

"Louie, serve the young sir a meal to replenish his energy and attend to his needs, hygienically if possible." Her sharp tongue made Leon raised his brows towards Lanie who immediately turned her body and get out of the room. As soon as she exited, Leon sniff his own body that made the two other people to laugh at him and made his face crumple to a certain degree. 

---

The food in Earthex were healthier and plummer unlike the produce when Leon remembers it. The size varied enough and who would believe that apples could be as big as melons? Those are just stupid speculations but seeing these rabbit apples for desserts, he can only take a bite and swallowed his frustrations. 

"This were specialized import from the third continent and were specially handpicked by the experts. Well of course they will not compare to the fourth continent's meat produce! Oh am I talking too much brother? Is your appetite gotten lost because of my talking? Perhaps I should stop--"

"Yes you should." You could see it visibly, an invisible ear flopped down like a withered plant. It struck Leon's conscience but the next Louie will say makes him withdraw his sympathy. 

"The bathroom is all yours to swim around and act like a kid. Heh! I know you are one of those dude." Louie elbowed Leon and the fork reaches the floor. 

"Uhh... I didn't mean to be rude. I will get you a new fork. For a while please." Louie was about to go fetch him a fresh utensil but Leon get up and went on to his room which Louie immediately followed. He shuffled his steps, almost made him kiss the floor but fortunately he didn't and reaches Leon who is now very curious as to why the talkative Mint isn't bugging him. 

"You know brother, I didn't mean to be rude earlier, please don't tell it to my sister or she will literally kill me. Like really! Gaaasp!"  Noticing that Lanie passes by the door of the dining area, Louie covered his mouth and made himself unnotice. Seeing this Leon couldn't help but push the little boy forward only to meet the burning glare Lanie has in her eyes. 

"If you have time to goof around mind as well use it to clean yourself and look for sir Eucrid, don't you think boys?" 

"W-wait...don't pull me that much!" Leon protested when Louie hook his collar and pull him towards the direction of his room. They jog like walk and when Louie finally closes the door, he slump on the floor and heave a sigh of relief while Leon dusted his body with a furious expression. 

"You could have said that we should go faster. You don't have to pull me like a dog!" He snarled while the other hit the floor with his fist. The sound of something went cracked entered Leon's ears but the person injured isn't looking in pain at all albeit the slowly forming puddle of blood on the floor. 

"But I have no choice! Lanie will kill us both if we didn't do as she says!" Gritting his teeth while limbs trembling, Leon who is seeing this child felt like the curiosity inside his head needed some entertaining but he thought of it as inappropriate while Louie is in panic that's why instead, he knelt down and checks his wounds but went surprise when the red liquid flowing out of his body wasn't blood at all. It is so believable that even him got fooled. Seeing his paused gaze, Louie softly smile before retreating his hands and covered it. 

"I didn't mean to stare." But Louie shook his head almost as if he had encountered this situation many times. 

"We are AI that directly follows the whims and orders of our masters. We cannot disobey them or it will be the root of our self destruction. It has been so long since I last explain this but it feels so vivid when someone misunderstood us  as someone who wanted to be like you. Like all of you but the truth is, we don't. We just want to be treated the same. We bore the same image and feelings although we are made from different materials. We feel hurt too." Leon ended up sitting beside Louie and tapping his back as a way of comfort that Leon knows. Louie didn't complain and sat there for a few minutes before he elbowed his side. 

"Thank you brother for listening to my stupid talks. Now, now we need to double the time before Lanie makes her way into your room and drag you out regardless if you are ready or not." Leon went surprise and unconsciously says what on his mind. 

"She does that? For real?" and Louie nodded his head and stand to his feet. 

"Yes that's why you better get going. The change of clothes were on the shelf beside the door. I had prepared it beforehand. If you still need anything you can call me and I will be there. Then, I will see you in a while brother." He showed his hands towards Leon who accepted it without second thought but as he listens to what he says, he remembered that one thing that made him annoyed. 

"How can I bath normally without filling the whole room with water? It is quite a hassle you know."  Louie lifted him up and chuckled. Leon look at him with such crumpled face again which made Louie cleared his throat. 

"There is a button beside the faucet. You just have to switch it off. Alright I'll be going. Remember to make it quick or we both will lose our heads when we make Lanie come her way here and fetch you."

"Alright I will." Waving his hands, Leon didn't made the same mistake and went straight to the bathroom and did what Louie instructed him to do and made a good scrub of his body because even him smells himself too and he couldn't blame Lanie for looking at him like he is the dirtiest filth that lady has seen. 

---

"Did you have a good time cleaning yourself there? But thank you for finishing quickly sir! Let's get going! Master Eucrid had been waiting for you." Leon dried his hair with a towel while walking. He is now wearing something that will help him to travel and he has a hunch on why he is wearing this kind of clothes. 

"Child are you ready to get going?" Louie looked towards Leon but he is not responding a bit. The voice talk once again. 

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?"

"..." But the same as the first time, there is only silence that responded towards his enthusiastic call. 

"Would you like me to rewind your enthusiastic reaction at the kitchen ---"

"What do you want?" And Mint laughs again while Louie has no idea what they are talking about. Before Mint could answer they already arrived at the theater room where Eucrid was waiting for him. Lanie can kill them from her stares. That's why Louie went immediately at his back and hides. 

Eucrid chuckled before he called out to Leon. 

"Oh dear boy, you are shining from your looks! Very well! I will ask you a favor and I am hoping that you will accept my small request." From the way Eucrid phrased it Leon couldn't say no now. That's why he nodded his head and Eucrid nodded his too. 

"Do you like travelling?" There is something inside Leon that sparks and he gulp the excitement down so it wouldn't explode.