2
DIN
The summer sun warmed Din's face as he and Fenella walked toward the village green, but even more warming was the knowledge that she'd missed him this morning.
Getting such an admission from a woman who was so fiercely protective of her independence was invaluable, but he tried not to strut like a peacock and to keep his jubilant mood at bay. If he made too much of it, Fenella might never admit such things to him again.
When they reached the village square, Din was stunned by the transformation that had been accomplished overnight for Kian and Allegra's joint birthday celebration. What was usually an open expanse of grass was now a festival of color. Streamers in pastel shades crisscrossed overhead, tied to temporary poles that had been erected around the perimeter. Beneath this canopy, white-linen-covered tables dotted the area, each centerpiece featuring paper flowers with doll fairies suspended by wire between them.
A raised platform stood at the far end of the green, no doubt where the Clan Mother would give her speech and Kian would make an appearance with his daughter.
"Wow," Fenella breathed. "I can't believe how quickly this was done. Yesterday, it was just a lawn with neatly trimmed grass." She waved a hand at the buffet that lined one side of the area. "Who cooked all that?"
"I guess the Odus." Din pointed with his chin at the three butlers standing behind the tables with aprons tied around their suits. "Ogidu, Okidu, and Onidu, I think. I have a hard time telling them apart. You know they are a kind of cyborg, right?"
She nodded. "They are not identical, but they still look like triplets to me."
"Ogidu is Annani's butler, Okidu is Kian's, and Onidu is Amanda's, and it looks like they have combined their efforts to prepare this party."
"That's incredible." Fenella stared at the three figures. "I wonder what it would feel like to have one of those. It's like having the artificial intelligence chatbot installed in an actual body." She looked up at him with a smile. "Soon, there will be one in every household, but I don't think they will look quite as human as these."
"Which one would you prefer?" he asked. "The human-looking type or one that is obviously a robot?"
She pursed her lips. "I'm not sure. I need to think about it."
He chuckled. "What is there to think about?"
She gave him a look that seemed to question his intelligence. "A human-looking robot could be fun because I could treat it as afriend and have talks with it. On the other hand, it's much easier to tell a robot to clean the toilet and then power down for the night, because I want my peace and quiet. I don't need to think about hurting its feelings or anything like that."
"There's something to that," Din acknowledged. "The Clan Mother and her children have always treated the Odus as if they were part of the family, so now that they are gaining sentience, there is less concern about them turning out evil."
Her eyes widened. "Are you serious? These cyborgs are sentient, and there is a chance that they could turn against the clan?"
"I don't think that even partial sentience can override their base programming to not harm Annani and her family, but I'm not an expert on those things." He craned his neck to scan the crowd for William and Kaia, who were the experts, but it seemed like they hadn't arrived yet. "It's an excellent question, though, and we can ask William when he gets here."
Fenella's attention was already on something else. "Oh my God, look at that cake!" She tugged him toward the center of the buffet.
The enormous cake dominated the table—a masterpiece of confectionery architecture. Six tiers high, each layer was frosted in gradients of pastel colors that flowed seamlessly from one to the next. Delicate sugar flowers cascaded down one side, and crowning the top was a porcelain doll that resembled a beautiful baby girl dressed in layers of tulle.
"It's gorgeous," Fenella said. "Do you think Allegra will be wearing a dress like that? I can't wait to see her."
Din shrugged. "Maybe."
He was more interested in who had baked the cake. If it were Gerard, they were in for a treat. Otherwise, it would probably be meh.
Fenella's gaze lingered for a moment longer on the cake and then moved to scan the gathering crowd. Looking down at her outfit and the flip-flops on her dainty feet, she grimaced. "I feel underdressed for the occasion. The dress is nice, but these flip flops are too casual."
"You look beautiful, and flip-flops are perfect for an outdoor party on the grass. The females in heels will be sinking into the lawn all afternoon."
He loved the sundress she was wearing and how it hugged her curves in all the right places. Her dark hair was swept up in an elegant knot, showcasing her graceful neck, and he had a hard time refraining from trailing kisses all over it.
"I guess," Fenella said without conviction.
"If you want, I could take you shopping in Los Angeles."
Her eyes brightened. "That would be lovely, but I need to get paid first." She gave a rueful laugh. "I just realized I didn't even ask Atzil how much he's paying me. I was so excited to have the job that it completely slipped my mind."
"You just wanted to have a purpose, not a paycheck."
