"There is someone in that alcove?" Kakuja raised his eyebrows and turned his head to gaze at the alcove.
"A very stubborn someone that I seem to have underestimated…"
Noble had been wrong about her Android. Her assistant hadn't gone to sleep and wasn't oblivious. Rather than go on the offensive, Bee Two had chosen to refuse to engage entirely.
"Come out, Bee Two. You are not a child, nor have you ever been one."
"That is not my fault. And I am led to believe this is how teenagers handle conflict, which is what we are in right now..."
Noble blew out her cheeks.
"Bee Two, come out, or I will be doing a deep dive into the files you have been examining lately. I think your memory data may be corrupted." Noble's words triggered a metallic whir.
The alcove, which had been overridden to remain shut, suddenly released, and an alloy humanoid figure walked casually toward the pair.
"There is nothing wrong with my data. There is, however, something wrong with not informing your assistant about being replaced! I had to find the job posting myself!" Bee Two flipped synthetic hair dramatically.
'Ah, so that's it.'
Noble could almost picture it now. Having found the job posting, Bee Two had taken to message boards to find out what to do.
'And the answer was to throw a pity party and refuse to engage.'
Noble shook her head. This was partly her fault.
"Bee Two, you aren't being replaced. I should have told you about the position earlier, but…"
"Hmph! You already have an assistant. Am I not good enough?" Bee Two's arms crossed with a clang.
"Remarkable!" Kakuja's eyes were full of stars. "You have an android! I've only ever seen them at high-tech restaurants, but none quite as stunning as this!"
"Ha, those cheap knock-offs can't even do simple addition unless it's to process a bill. There's simply no comparison!" Bee Two paused. "But back to my question. Professor…"
"You are more than good enough, Bee Two–"
"Then am I not smart enough? I can upgrade my computing power with that patch I have been putting off." Bee Two's eyes began to flicker slightly.
Kakuja lifted from his chair. "I can wait outside..."
"Listen to the little girl. She can wait in the hall, or better yet, head on home!" Bee Two's chin tilted upward.
Kakuja smiled softly and stepped backwards. However, the door to the classroom slammed shut before he could even get to the first step.
"No! Stay! If you are going to take this job, you need to see this." Noble was quite certain that if the young man left, he would not return. "First off, Bee Two, Kakuja is a he, not a she. Calling him a little girl was uncalled for."
The android's eyes adjusted. "Are you certain?"
"If you want to call me a girl, that's fine." Kakuja held up his hands.
"No, it's not fine." Taking a deep breath, Noble rubbed her head.
'Maybe I should have let him go outside.'
The floating woman forced a smile.
"Let's try this all again. The third time is the charm, or so I am told." When no one laughed, Noble coughed. "Bee Two, I have taken on an extensive amount of new work with my new position as Provost. You are more than capable of handling things. You have proven that more than once before. However, I refuse to leave that burden on you alone. I am hiring an associate so that the area of Memory research can continue as a team effort."
Bee Two raised synthetic eyebrows. "So this person you are hiring would be my assistant?"
"I would prefer to think of it as both of you would be checking in with me, seeing as I am head of the Academy now." Noble nodded.
"But if you had to choose who was the more senior member of the team, it would be me, correct?" Bee Two persisted.
"Of course!" Kakuja swept his sleeve elegantly in front of his body. "How could a junior like myself hope to compete with someone who has been here for years? I look forward to learning from your unbridled knowledge."
Noble held her breath.
Bee Two studied Kakuja for a moment. A small light passed over him.
"I don't see any signs of sarcasm…"
'Signs of sarcasm?' Noble wondered what facial changes the Android was trying to detect.
"Why would I be sarcastic? While I would love to study under the Master, I would consider it an honor to be guided by your tutelage to further Provost Noble's extensive work." Kakuja nodded gently.
"You see? There is nothing to be worried about." Noble smiled and patted her desk lightly.
"I am an android, Professor. I am not able to be worried." Bee Two scoffed.
"Of course, my mistake." The provost smiled apologetically.
"To err is human." Bee Two answered mechanically.
Noble felt her jaw tighten, but she kept the sarcastic comment to herself. The provost had talked herself out of believing that her assistant had feelings many times, but the longer they had worked together, the less she could convince herself that it was true. If the Android didn't have feelings and original thoughts, then it was amalgamating information such that it could emulate them.
Where exactly was the line between consistently copying human responses and genuinely producing them, and had the android crossed it?
Noble wasn't sure.
"Well, if you are hiring an assistant for me, that is an entirely different matter altogether." Bee Two found a chair and took a spot next to the desk facing Kakuja.
"I am not hiring an assistant for… anyway, the title is associated with the opportunity to change titles as the role grows." Noble pulled out her datapad and opened the file that Const had sent.
She studied the resume for a moment and nodded slowly.
"If you were a writing utensil, what color would you be and why?" Bee Two asked in a strange monotone voice.
Kakuja's mouth dropped open slightly.
"Uh, light purple because it's soft but still leaves a strong impact."
Bee Two nodded and continued.
"What is your go-to karaoke song?"
"Whatever I think will get the crowd on their feet." Kakuja shrugged.
"If a movie were made about your life, what genre would it be and who would play you?" Bee Two folded alloy hands across one knee.
This time the applicant faltered. "I…uhh…"
"Bee Two, where are these questions coming from?" Noble furrowed her brow. What had gotten into her assistant this time?
"I found an article on how to gauge an applicant's personality based on these fifty interview questions."
Noble resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"That's all well and good, but let's put a pin in that for now. I need to ask more practical day-to-day questions first."
"Like what?" Bee Two seemed willing, even eager to add them to the compilation that was forming.
Noble paused. What should she ask?
Kakuja coughed lightly.
"If I may, I would love to show you why I think I would be excellent in this position. It has to do with my Aspect. Watch this."