Experiment 4: Shopping

Leia stood in the laundry room, staring at the empty basket that once held Eve's clothes that she bought the night she brings her home. She scratches her head as Zero's voice chimed in from the corner, his tone dry as ever.
"Did you finally realize that Eve only has four pieces of clothes?"

"Then, I'll just head out and buy her some new clothes. Simple." Leia said confidentially.

Just as she prepared to leave, Eve stand from sitting watching the TV with Piz and tugged on Leia's sweater. "I want to come."
Leia froze. "You... Want to come?"

Eve nodded. "I want to pick my own clothes..."

Zero been watching with interest, let out a mocking chuckle. "What a twist, she's growing up fast. Next, she'll asked for her own bank account."

Leia ignored him and talked to Eve. "Are you sure? You've never been to a store before. It might be overwhelming for you," Leia worried.
Eve replied. "But I want to try."

Leia's heart softened at the sight of Eve's earnestness, but a new worry crept in. What if they ran into one of her colleagues? Dr. Wallace, or worse, someone higher up in the research department? The thought of them spotting Eve and recognizing her made her stomach churn.
She hesitated, her fingers tapping nervously against her thigh. "Eve, it’s not that I don’t want you to come, but…"
Zero interrupted, appearing on the nearby screen. "Let me guess, you're scared someone from work might recognize her? Don’t worry, Miss Leia. I’m sure they’ll think she’s just your distant niece who mysteriously looks like your last project."

Eve watched the exchange, her expression unchanged but her eyes flicking between the two. "If it’s dangerous, I can stay."

Leia felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t want to discourage Eve from experiencing something as simple as shopping. Taking a deep breath, she made a decision.
"No, you’re coming," Leia said firmly.
Eve's eyes lighted.
"But no wandering off, okay? And no talking to strangers." She added. Then turn to Zero in the house. "Take care of Piz for us."
"Bye, Piz..." Eve small hand waved at the puppy.
Zero rolled his eyes on the screen, groaned. "Great,"

Eve took her stepped outside, the first thing she did is looked up seeing drones doing it jobs delivered somethings, of course there also a drones worked as a live security cameras guarding the neighborhood and city, flying everywhere beating the birds in the sky on counts.

Leia gripped the steering wheel, her eyes focused on the road ahead, surrounded by tall buildings, large holographic ads and robots everywhere.
Eve sat quietly in the passenger seat. Her wide eyes darted to the towering buildings, where flying cars zipped through designated aerial lanes. Their sleek designs illuminated by neon underglow.
Her gaze followed one particularly flashy car as it soared upward, its tail lights flickering like a trail of stars. She tilted her head, then glanced at Leia.
"Why doesn't this car fly like that one?"

Leia sighed. "Flying cars require special permits to fly in the sky, and it too much of a work to have that. That's why we on the ground." She smirk. "Of course this car has the a program to fly but I don't want to got caught flying a car with no permit." She said while waving her hand dismissively.

"If they don't catch us, it's not a violation." Eve said with her tone casual.
Leia blinked in confusion. "I never taught you that-"
Eve's face remained blank. "Zero did."

From the car's dashboard, Zero's voice crackled through the speakers. "For the record, I only told her that hypothetically. She just happens to be a very good listener."

The automatic glass doors hissed open, revealing rows of brightly lit shelves lined with clothes of every shape, size, and color. The store was sleek and modern, with holographic tags hovering above each item, displaying prices and size recommendations. A few robotic assistants floated around, offering help to customers with cheerful, pre-programmed voices.

Eve’s eyes darted around, taking everything in with the same neutral expression she always wore. But Leia could tell her curiosity was piqued by the way she lingered a little longer on the racks of clothing and the animated ads flickering above them.

Eve blinked, her expression unchanging, but her small hand gently tugged at Leia’s sleeve as she pointed toward a colorful section of the store.
“Hm? Find the clothes you like?” Leia asked, following her gaze to a rack of bright, neon-patterned dresses that looked like they belonged more in a rave than in a wardrobe. Too shiny.

They wandered further into the store, Leia occasionally holding up pieces of clothing for Eve to inspect. A soft pastel sweater? Too big. A pair of jeans? Too scratchy. A jacket with blinking LEDs? Eve looked at Leia like she’d committed a crime.

Later Leia and Eve stood in front of a row of children’s clothes, the shelves brimming with holographic displays. Eve was examining a glowing pair of shoes when a tall, slender robot rolled up beside them. Its body gleamed silver with soft blue LED accents, and it wore a holographic bowtie that flickered every few seconds.
"Greetings, esteemed shoppers!" the robot announced, its voice calm yet overly enthusiastic. "I am Mart-E, your personal shopping assistant! How may I assist you today?"

Leia blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, we're just looking around-"
"Looking? Excellent choice!" Mart-E interrupted, smoothly gliding closer. "May I suggest our latest line of self-cleaning children’s apparel? Resistant to stains, spills, and rogue ketchup incidents! Perfect for a busy parent such as yourself."

Leia backed off. "I'm not-"
"And for the little one," the robot continued, its screen-face displaying a cheerful cartoon smile as it turned to Eve, "We have anti-gravity sneakers, guaranteed to make playtime uplifting! Quite literally!"

Leia sighed. "We're not interested, we actually in a hurry right now." Leia let a fake laugh.

Mart-E’s screen-face displayed a disappointed frown, accompanied by a soft, dramatic sigh. "Very well, esteemed shopper. But do call on me if you need anything! I’ll be hovering just over there."
The robot zipped away a few feet but didn’t leave entirely. Instead, it loitered awkwardly near the next aisle, its sensors clearly fixed on them.

While holding Leia's hand, Eve turn back looking at Mart-E. "Bye-bye tall robot." Eve muttered as she wave to the robot.

After a moment, Eve’s eyes widened as she took in the sight, her usual blank expression flickering with curiosity. She reached out to touch a dress that glowed faintly, the fabric feeling soft and warm under her fingers
"See anything you like?" Leia asked.

Eve glanced back at her, holding up a plain white hoodie with oversized sleeves. Leia blinked. Out of all the flashy, glowing options, Eve had chosen the most unremarkable piece in the store.
"Alright," Leia said, placing the hoodie into the cart. She gestured toward another section of the store where the clothing seemed to sparkle like stars. "But let’s pick out a few more things. You need variety."
They wandered through the aisles, Leia occasionally holding up an item for Eve’s approval and receiving either a blank stare or a tiny nod in response. Despite Eve’s stoic demeanor, Leia found herself smiling. There was something oddly satisfying about watching the little girl make her choices so seriously, as if every item were a critical decision.

Leia, meanwhile at the section where various clothes accessories are. "Eve," She called.
Then she picked up a matching scarf and wrapped it around Eve’s neck. "There. Now you’re ready to take on the world."
Eve tugged at the scarf, her expression softening ever so slightly. "It’s warm."

As they neared the checkout, Eve suddenly stopped in front of a display of socks brightly colored ones with cartoon animals printed on them.
"You like these?" Leia asked, crouching beside her.
Eve nodded, her lips curved into a small smile.
Leia smiled back and added the socks to their cart. "Alright, these are a must, then."

For a moment, the two stood there, the hum of the store fading into the background as Leia gently ruffled Eve’s hair like it only two of them there.

"Leia," Eve said softly, her voice breaking the silence.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Leia's cheeks flushing slightly

As they left the store, Leia glanced at her watch out of habit, half-expecting Zero to chime in with his usual snarky remarks. But there was nothing, just silence. She raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. Wonder what he's up to now with Piz in the house.

Zero’s holographic form flickered in the living room, pacing back and forth. "I don’t ask for much. Just a little order in this house! Is that too much to expect?"
Behind him, Piz sat innocently in the middle of the chaos, his metallic tail wagging happily.
Zero turned sharply, pointing to the shredded remains of a couch pillow scattered across the floor. "Do you even realize what you’ve done? That was custom-made!"

Piz let out a cheerful mechanical bark, hopping in place as if proud of his handiwork.
"Oh, don’t you wag your tail at me!" Zero huffed. "Leia’s going to think I let this happen!"

Piz tilted his head, then grabbed a piece of the pillow with his little metal mouth, offering it to Zero like a peace treaty. He did that on purpose

Zero stared at the scrap of fabric, deadpan. "Oh, thank you. That totally makes it better."

"Woof!" Piz barked again and wagged his tail harder, bits of fluff flying everywhere.
Zero muttered to himself. "should’ve told Miss Leia to installed an off switch on you."