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Xiphoid stepped quietly into their office. The door was open, which was concerning, but it made their entrance quieter. It wasn’t until they closed the door behind them that their visitor noticed they’d been caught. Viroid’s head whipped up at the door's hydraulic hiss, and their eyes immediately found the towering bot across the room. Xiphoid stared back at them, a blank expression on their face, eyes adjusting ever so slightly. It was only after a few beats of awkward silence that Viroid remembered to innocently step away from the doctor’s laptop. “Dr. Xiphoid! You’re back.” Viroid gave their best friendly smile, tucking their hands behind their back. Maybe overselling it by using the proper title. Xiphoid returned the greeting with a smile that might’ve looked gentle, if not for the way it displayed their sharpened teeth. “Were you looking for me?” Xiph asked, matching Viroid's tone. The doctor stepped closer, not taking their eyes off of the other bot. They didn’t need to look where they were going, the room was almost an extension of the body, and kept meticulously clean. And yet, their hair seemed to trace along each surface they passed. “Sorry, I was just down the hall. You weren’t waiting too long, were you?” Xiphoid paused when they reached the desk, still between Viroid and the door. Any path around the desk and toward the exit would still be within reach of Xiphoid’s hair, the doctor seemed to make that clear. Vi saw the only option was to follow along with the narrative. “Oh, no, you’re fine, I’d just stopped by for a minute or two. Figured I’d take the opportunity to take a look around.” Viroid gestured vaguely at the wall next to the desk, probably noticing for the first time that it was decorated. “But, you know what, I actually got so distracted in here, I just. Totally forgot what I came to ask you about.” Xiphoid gazed fondly at their office wall. “It is pretty cool,” they agreed, seeming quite convinced with this excuse. Vi nodded along, ready to give their freshly-composed excuse to slip out of this situation. Then Xiphoid spoke again. “Y’know, that reminds me. I had a question to ask you.” The Xiphoid's hands moved onto the desk in front of them, sharp fingers shuffling the papers and spare parts as Xiphoid leaned across, until they were face-to-face with the smaller bot. The hair inched closer as well, not touching, but too close for comfort. Viroid froze. The doctor continued quietly, plenty close to be heard. “Do you think you could come back here this evening? Just after hours, it shouldn’t take too long. It’d be a big help.” Vi tried to think carefully, despite the multiple sharp objects now in their personal space. After hours? That meant it wasn’t official work. They’d never dared coming in past closing before, that’s just asking for questions, but if it was at Dr. Xiphoid’s request… “Uh- sure, yeah, no problem. I can do that.” Xiphoid smiled again, still not comforting in the slightest. “Perfect.” With this agreement made, the doctor backed up again, and Viroid relaxed their locked joints. A clawed hand gestured gently for them to move around the desk, and Xiph led them to the door with all their friendly energy returned. “Now, do be sure to get some charge in before you come by, just in case. Got it? Doctor’s orders!” Xiphoid gave a cheesy wink, which the other bot was absolutely not in the mood for after just being maybe threatened, but Vi managed a smile and a thumbs up before finally finding themselves dumped back in the hall. Viroid took a moment to compose themself. They had just been caught by one of the most powerful bots in the lab, while actively trying to steal their blueprints, and yet. They didn’t say a word about it. Like they hadn’t been staring at them for who knows how long. And as Viroid ran back through their memory of the encounter, they realized the most concerning fact of all. Xiphoid didn’t say what they wanted help with. Viroid had no idea what they just agreed to. |
