"I have an idea," you say. "Why don't all of you try teaching Caliban something about science? Caliban is trying to learn everything he can about the world right now."
You find that you have enough charisma in you to convince the students that this is a good idea, and Eiji runs with your brilliant idea. Soon, the students are explaining to Caliban all kinds of scientific facts, and the robot's questions make them think about things they take for granted.
"What is a cloud?" asks Caliban, apparently inspired by the walk.
Many of the students look at each other in puzzlement but one girl says, "It's water."
"Why is it the case that the water does not fall?"
The students look to each other in puzzlement again, and Eiji explains water vapor. He missteps and tries to talk about seeing the vapor they breathe out on a cold day, only to discover that many of these young Californians have never had that experience.
By the time the students leave, they and Caliban have learned a fair amount from each other. (+Empathy)
As you leave the library, Eiji thanks you again for volunteering. You think back to your seven-year-old self, the excitement of opening up a robot kit for the first time, and you feel good about it. Maybe you've sparked some robot dreams among those kids.
Feeling good about your accomplishments, you ask Eiji out to dinner at a nice tapas bar in downtown Palo Alto. He agrees, and the two of you drop Caliban off at your apartment before heading over.
The restaurant has no tables, so they seat you both at the bar. The two of you end up chatting so long that you stay for several drinks, and by the time you get to his apartment, you are both very giggly. The two of you have a very good time that night, and you can tell that Eiji is very much in love with you.
The next morning, you return to your apartment to find Caliban has thoroughly trashed it: shredded linens, a smashed monitor, and clothes scattered everywhere. Oops. That will cost a fair amount to repair. You find Caliban in your closet, having gotten tangled in your laundry hamper. Perhaps this was a learning experience for him but you're starting to realize you aren't paying as much attention to his development as perhaps you should.
Then again, maybe Eiji makes it all worthwhile.
The next day, the new semester begins. Though you're past the point of taking classes, you're a teaching assistant, and that means instead of doing one homework assignment, you grade fifty. You're also busy writing a grant proposal for the National Science Foundation, trying to get an alternate source of funding that doesn't involve the military. Grant proposals are very long, it seems, and require you to make a lot of claims about things you don't actually know yet.
Thankfully, you still have time to see Eiji every so often, though that takes up much of your remaining time. You always enjoy your dates, and you often hear people say you're a cute couple. Between your other time commitments, you're in danger of hardly seeing Eiji at all. You had thought of yourself as developing a romance with Eiji but it doesn't seem to be happening in practice.
1) We'll just have to see each other a little less frequently—I'm really busy.
2) I shouldn't be putting so much time into my advisor's grants.
3) I shouldn't be spending so much time on Caliban—Eiji is a real person, after all.
Year: 2019
24-year-old Ada Doniec
Humanity: 79%
Gender: female
Fame: 0 (Who?)
Wealth: 0 (Broke)
Romance: Eiji
Caliban
Autonomy: 5 (In Beta)
Military: 0 (Nonexistent)
Empathy: 14 (Stable)
Grace: 4 (Buggy)
Relationships
Professor Ziegler (Good): 52%
Eiji (Great): 79%
Josh (Good): 60%
?: 50%
?: 50%
?: 50%
?: 50%
?: 50%
Author
Topic: Let's Choose in Choice of Robots (Read 87539 times)