Cyn looks at you. "Returning to the bar?"
You nod. "Yeah. I’ve had enough excitement for one day."
N waves as you and Cyn turn to leave. "See you later, L! See you later, Cyn!"
Tessa smirks, picking up one of the dolls. "Watch out for the feral Roombas!"
You roll your eyes with a chuckle, closing Tessa's door.
Cyn takes your hand and looks up at you. "Curious. What are... Roombas?"
You shrug. "Never heard of 'em. Maybe we can figure that out at the library. I'm sure there should be plenty of books."
Cyn nods, then points forward. "New Quest: Discover the secrets of the Roombas."
You snort. "Yeah, yeah. Let’s go before J finds another excuse to yell at us."
Cyn nods in agreement, her fingers lightly tapping against your hand before she lets go. The two of you make your way toward the library, dodging the occasional human and drone as you go.
The library is quiet when you arrive. Tall bookshelves stretch up to the ceiling, filled with countless books that probably haven’t been touched in ages. A faint scent of dust and aged paper lingers in the air.
Cyn steps inside first, her visor flickering as she looks at the shelves. "Big place."
You nod. "Yeah."
You both split up, scanning the shelves for anything that might hold the answer to this very important mystery. As you skim through titles, you can’t help but wonder—what are Roombas? Some kind of ancient technology? A long-forgotten legend? A terrifying swarm of cleaning machines that once roamed the world?
…Okay, maybe that last one was a stretch.
Somewhere in the library, you hear the distant sound of books falling and Cyn saying "Ow."
"Are you okay, Cyn?" A soft, yet familiar voice asks.
"None of these are the right book," says Cyn.
"Hi, V," you call out.
V peeks out from behind one of the bookshelves, adjusting her glasses. "Oh. Hi, Y/N."
She glances down at Cyn, who is still standing among the fallen books, visor flickering in mild irritation. Cyn crosses her arms. "The books are flawed. Contain no useful information."
V kneels to help gather the scattered books. "Um… What were you looking for?"
You chuckle, pulling a book off the floor and dusting it off. "Roombas."
V blinks. "Roombas?"
Cyn nods. "Yes. The feral kind."
V gives you a confused look, and you shrug. "Long story."
She hesitates for a moment before looking down at the book in her hands. "Well… I, um, did find this." She turns the book around so you and Cyn can see the title: Roombas: A Comprehensive Owner’s Manual.
Cyn stares at it for a moment before grinning widely.
You smirk, taking the book from V. "Alright, let’s see what these things actually are."
Flipping open the manual, you skim through the pages. Diagrams of small, round machines with brushes on their undersides appear, accompanied by descriptions of their cleaning functions.
Cyn leans in, tilting her head. "…They do not appear feral."
V adjusts her glasses, reading over your shoulder. "I think they were just… cleaning robots."
You sigh, closing the book with a soft thud. "So no ancient battle machines or terrifying swarms?"
V shakes her head. "No… Just automated vacuums."
Cyn crosses her arms, looking slightly disappointed. "Mildly underwhelming."
You grin. "Yeah, but imagine if they were feral."
Cyn pauses, then slowly nods. "New theory. Roombas were secretly alive and rebelled against their owners. A hidden war. A forgotten history."
V giggles softly. "I… I don’t think that’s how it worked."
You tuck the book back onto the shelf. "Well, mystery solved. Should we head back?"
Cyn nods. "Returning to the bar. Mission complete."
The three of you pause and stare at the books that had fallen off the shelves. You debated if you, Cyn and V should pick them up or leave N to it. Knowing how much he likes being in the library.
V, ever the responsible one, kneels down and starts gathering the books. You sigh, crouching down to help. "Fine, fine. Let’s at least stack them neatly. N can put them back later—he actually enjoys this kind of thing."
Cyn tilts her head. "Effort… unnecessary."
You give her a look. "Cyn."
Cyn hums, then picks up a single book and places it delicately on top of another. "Contribution made."
Once the books are at least somewhat organized, you stand up, dusting off your hands. "Alright. Now let’s go before we get dragged into something else."
Cyn tilts her head. "Is V coming with us?"
V smiles softly. "Well, I don't have anything to do. So, I suppose I don't see why not?"
You nod, a smile tugging at your lips. "Great. The more the merrier."
You lead the way out of the library, Cyn and V following closely behind. The mansion feels eerily quiet as you make your way back down the long hallways. Every so often, you hear faint noises—some murmurs of conversation, distant footsteps, the hum of drones working. It’s like the mansion is always alive, even when no one is around.
When you reach the bar area, the familiar sight of the cluttered space welcomes you. The bar is still in its usual disarray, with glasses scattered across the counter. Cyn immediately moves to her usual spot, adjusting the duster in her hands as she takes up her usual cleaning routine.
V slides onto one of the stools beside you. She glances around again, her hands resting in her lap.
Cyn’s fingers tap rhythmically against the counter, as if in deep thought, before she speaks aloud, "V. Have you ever been feral?"
V blinks at the sudden question, clearly taken off guard. "Feral? No. That’s… not really something drones are." She looks at you for clarification. "Why do you ask?"
You let out a small laugh, leaning back in your seat. "It’s a long story. Cyn's new theory about Roombas ever since we visited Tessa."
Cyn nods seriously, her visor flickering. "Secret war. Hidden history."
V stares at Cyn for a moment, then giggles softly. "That’s… an interesting theory, I suppose."
You grin. "Well, we’ve got to have fun with it. At least we solved the Roomba mystery, even if it wasn’t quite as exciting as we thought."
Cyn's head tilts to one side. "It was not a battle. But… maybe the next mystery will be."
V smiles warmly. "I’m sure you’ll find one soon enough."
You lean back in your seat, content with the moment. It wasn’t exactly the adventure you expected, but it was a nice break from everything. Just you, Cyn, and V. Maybe not the most thrilling, but in some ways, that’s exactly what you needed.
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