by EHY
From the outside, the IPM Companion Showroom looked almost like just another clothing store on the second floor of the mall. It had three window displays which almost looked like mannequin displays.
To the left of the entrance stood a pair of lovely women, standing motionless with their faces almost touching. On the left was a brunette in a short black dress, turned partially away from the onlooker but looking back over her shoulder with a friendly smile, and next to her was a lovely long-haired black girl in black slacks and a green blouse. Plaques at their feet identified them. The brunette was "Shari," the dark-skinned girl was "Ayesha." Neither figure moved... no, on second thought, they did, occasionally. Their bodies and arms remained perfectly motionless, but each lovely girl turned her head slightly from time to time to make eye contact with one of the men passing by, and smile at him.
To the far right of the door stood a tall, elegant man dressed in a black tuxedo. He too stood motionless, posed like a butler. His plaque named him "Brice."
The center and largest window, however, showed a candle-lit dinner for two. A handsome dark-haired, bearded man sat across a small table from a lovely blonde girl. Unlike the other figures, these two actually moved in the window. They could be seen talking, laughing, sipping from wine glasses, touching hands. Occasionally they kissed. They too had labels: "Michaela" and "Marcus."
Henry Saunders admired the windows for a moment, like everyone else, and noticed Shari catching his eye. Automatically, he smiled back at her. But he knew Shari wasn't the doll he wanted.
A couple came out the door. The man was an Asian in his forties, about Henry's own age, and nothing special to look at. His companion, however, could only be an android. She was a lovely, young, dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty with smooth, perfect skin. She wore a basic black skirt and white blouse, and carried on the opposite side from the man a large shopping bag with the IPM Companions logo emblazoned on its side. She said something to the man that made him laugh, and pressed herself against him.
Yes, Henry thought, that was the one he wanted.
IPM Android S/N EN-T-05-* (Lianna) Memory Record (biological):
A swirl of colors appeared. Slowly they resolved into a series of images, almost like Rorschach blots. Dianne relaxed, letting her thoughts wander. A house.. a dog... a pair of breasts... an apple...
Downloading in-store display protocol.
IPM Android S/N EN-T-05-A147 (Lianna) Activation (Natural Mode):
Dianne woke up. She felt soft fabric pressing around her entire body, except in front of her. Opening her eyes, she found herself facing a beautiful dark-complexioned man wearing a stylish gray suit. He was pointing a small black device at her. There was a green-glowing square embedded in his neck - as she was suddenly sure there was a matching square in her own.
It worked! she thought. I'm really an android! She felt cold, as was to be expected, but she could sense her heating system functioning to bring her up to normal human temperature.
"Hello, Lianna," the man said. "I'm Jerome."
"Hi, Jerome," Dianne - Lianna - said, smiling. Her voice wasn't her own, but rather the soft, Southern voice she had last heard when from the Lianna android, when she had gone with Jeanette to see it. She was about to ask, Where am I? when something inside her head answered in the same Lianna voice.
(You are at IPM Companion Showroom number 43 in Newport, Ohio,) it informed her.
(Who are you?) she thought.
(I am your director module,) it answered. (I will answer to the name Lianna.)
(My what?)
(Your director module. My function is to guide your body's actions. I am programmed with a detailed set of guidelines as to how you may and may not behave, and I will ensure that your actions always fall within those guidelines.)
(What kind of guidelines?) Dianne wondered. This whole conversation seemed to be happening in the blink of an eye. "Lianna's" answers to her questions did not come in fully-formed sentences, the way another person might speak - instead they simply appeared fully formed in her mind.
(I will ensure that you obey all orders given to you, especially by your owner. I will prevent you from harming any person or property. I will ensure that you are properly respectful of your own status as the property of your owner. I am programmed with many skills, which I will use to enhance your behavior in those areas.)
(Well, if you do all that, what am I here for?)
(Your purpose is to provide this unit with a personality, to make it seem more human. You will normally have full control over your body. I will only intervene should you attempt any action which is not in accordance with your behavioral guidelines.)
Jerome interrupted Dianne's discussion with her director, saying, "Step out of your case, Lianna."
Dianne/Lianna obeyed. Once she was out from the pleasantly confining padding of the box, she could look around, and down at her own body. Sure enough, she had become Lianna. She felt her black braid against the sensitive skin of her back, even through the fabric of the blue leotard she wore. Her arms and legs were smooth and shapely. She was in a storeroom similar to the one at IPM where she had first seen this body, but this room was much larger and more crowded. The coffin-like android boxes here were brightly colored, bearing descriptions of the androids inside. Dianne saw one near her containing another Lianna unit, and the text, "Evening Comfort Lianna - a servant, lovely playmate, intimate companion, and perfect-"
She didn't find out what she was a perfect one of, as Jerome interrupted her to say, "Start your in-store display protocol, Lianna. Take off that leotard." The first part Dianne didn't understand, but the second part she was not quite so pleased to obey. However, her body had no such compunctions. Unwillingly, she found herself reaching behind her back to lower the leotard's zipper, and pulling off the skin-tight garment. She made a half-hearted attempt to protest, but her lips refused to open to utter her words. Well, she decided, I did choose this. I knew I'd be completely subservient to the wills of others.
When she was undressed, Jerome handed her a pile of clothes. "Put these clothes on," he ordered her, and she began to dress herself. "I've told other Liannas this before, but I want you to know I think you're very beautiful."
Dianne smiled. "Thank you, Jerome," she said. It's been a long time since anyone told me that, she thought, but the words came out as, "Nobody's ever told me that before." She would have looked confused had she been able.
Wait a minute - "Other Liannas?"
"Yes, you're a popular style," said Jerome. By now Dianne/Lianna was fully dressed in flesh-toned nylons, a short black skirt, and a white blouse with a wide V-neck, and was stepping into a pair of black high-heeled shoes that she was sure did very pleasant things to the lines of her legs. Her director stifled a gasp of surprise as Jerome reached a finger inside the waistband of her skirt, then clipped something to it. "Follow me to the females showroom," Jerome ordered.
Dianne obediently followed the male android down the cramped walkways of the stockroom. As they walked, she looked to see what Jerome had attached to her skirt, and discovered a remote control, presumably hers. She tried to touch it, but her hand stopped an inch away from it and would go no closer. When she wondered why, she heard her own silent voice in her head once more, explaining, (You may not touch your remote control unless ordered to do so.)
By this time, they had reached a door conveniently labeled, "Females." Jerome pointed her through it, and, whether she wanted to or not, she entered the showroom.
It was a large area, she could tell, although she couldn't see all of it at once. Dividers of various sorts - decorative stone walls, hedge bushes in long pots, curtains and garment racks broke up the space. She knew without knowing how she knew, that the purpose was to give plenty of space where a customer could feel a certain amount of privacy to examine the androids, discuss what he wanted, and so on, without feeling that everyone else in the store was watching him. As indeed, there seemed to be a lot of people around. Many were clearly androids - their perfect good looks gave them away even when she couldn't see the glowing square at the base of their necks... or else see two or three identical figures. Others were human... although she quickly noticed that every man she saw looked attractive to her, even pimply-faced teenage boys and gray-haired old men. While all of the androids in this section were female, the humans seemed to be mostly (although not entirely) male. Some androids were walking about, or talking to customers, or being touched by customers. Others stood motionless on small pedestals.
Dianne had no idea what she was supposed to do. Panic seemed to form an icy ball inside her stomach - or at least, in the spot where she was used to having a stomach. (Lianna, what do I do now?!) she asked her director frantically.
(Relax,) Lianna told her. (Running in-store display protocol.) Immediately, her lips parted in a broad smile, and she strode into the showroom. (You are programmed to display and demonstrate yourself to potential customers. I will make sure you do nothing inappropriate.)
Dianne relaxed a little. She didn't have to make any decisions. She was programmed to do the right thing. Whatever that was.
She saw two humans looking around confusedly. They didn't seem to be together. She noticed a red-headed android approaching one of them, so she walked over to the other, a brown-haired, attractive (except when compared to the beautiful androids in the showroom) woman, perhaps in her mid-thirties. Dianne was a little disappointed. She wanted a chance to try seducing a man with her new body - not that she had any idea how she would go about doing that. But the red-head was already talking to the man, and her director wouldn't let her interrupt them. Not knowing what else to do, Dianne let Lianna handle this first contact with a human being as an android.
"Hi, my name is Lianna," she greeted the woman. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Hi," the woman said. "I'm... well, I'm interested in buying an android, I think. I really don't know much about them..." Dianne recognized her distinct Ohioan nasal twang.
"That's okay," Lianna said, "I can tell you anything you want to know. I'm an android myself. What are you looking for in an android?"
"Well, I'm actually looking for sort of a babysitter. My husband and I have three children, you see, and... well, I want to go back to work, and..."
"Of course," Lianna agreed. Although her face maintained a friendly expression, Dianne groaned inside. Please don't tell me I'm going to be a babysitter! she thought. But she continued speaking. "We sell several different models of child-care androids. I'm not designed for that myself-" Whew! "-but I can help you find one that is." She looked around the room. Dianne didn't know what she was looking for, but evidently she found it. She did notice the red-headed android who had intercepted the male customer, though. She was standing rigid while the customer barked orders or questions at her. Perhaps it was just as well Dianne hadn't been in time to approach him, she thought.
"Why don't you come over here," she invited, leading the woman across the room to another android. This one looked a few years older than Lianna did, and wasn't nearly as beautiful. She addressed the android, "Darlene, this young lady is looking for an android to help take care of her children."
"Really? Well, perhaps I'm what you're looking for. Thank you, Lianna. My name is Darlene..." Lianna turned away as Darlene began speaking with the woman.
(Thanks for handling that, Lianna.) Her director didn't reply. She supposed there wasn't really any need to thank it after all - it was just a machine doing what it was programmed to. Just as she was, now... (What now?)
(You are programmed to seek other customers in need of assistance,) Lianna replied. She walked around the showroom, but it seemed no one wanted to speak to her just then. Dianne found herself climbing onto a small white pedestal. (You will now go into display mode,) Lianna informed her. (You may select an attractive pose.)
(What kind of pose?) Dianne asked hesitantly. What if she picked a bad pose?
(You may choose a pose for yourself. I will prevent you from assuming an inappropriate pose.)
Dianne wanted to choose something sexy, but she didn't really know how. She put one leg in front of the other, and swayed her hips tentatively. After a second's thought, she rested one hand on her hip, and did her best to look seductive.
(Is this okay, Lianna?) she asked. There was no answer inside her head. Feeling more than a little silly, she tried to relax her pose - and found she couldn't. Her body was frozen in place. Fear filled her for a moment, until she realized this wasn't some kind of punishment. Lianna must have decided her pose was good enough for display. Cheered, she would have smiled had she been able. (How long do I have to stay like this?) she wondered.
But again, the director didn't answer. Dianne resigned herself to standing there as long as necessary. She was pleased to realize she didn't get tired as she quickly would have had she been human, nor did she feel cramped in any way. She could stand there, rigid and relaxed, all day, watching the action around her. It was actually quite pleasant, knowing that nothing at all was expected of her. She was a bit taken aback the first time she saw another Lianna walk by with a male customer, talking to him just as Dianne would have herself... but of course, the other Lianna would have her own copy of Dianne inside... She wondered what would happen if she talked to another Lianna.
After a time, she noticed a young man, perhaps as young as eighteen, eyeing her. He had a fairly serious acne problem. (Should I say something to him, Lianna?)
(Not unless he approaches you.)
(Oh. Sorry.)
After a minute or so, however, he looked around furtively, approached her and reached up to touch her face.
(Now you may greet him,) Lianna told her, tipping her face down to smile at the boy. Dianne thought he was a little young for her... but then again her new body looked only in its twenties anyway. He might conceivably have a girlfriend who looked the age she looked... but not, she knew, one as lovely as she. He snatched his hand back as if she had threatened to bite him.
"I'm sorry," she blurted. "I didn't mean to scare you. Can I help you?" She carefully hid any sign of any distaste at his appearance... and in truth, for some reason, she found she didn't actually feel any. In fact she found herself rather turned on by his attentions - and not just literally turned on, either.
"No, that's okay," the boy said. "I thought you were turned off."
Dianne didn't know what to say, but she found herself speaking calmly anyway. "That's all right," Lianna soothed him. "It's okay to touch me, or any other android you like. My name is Lianna. Would you like me to tell you about myself?"
"No," the boy repeated. "There's no way I can afford an android anyway. I'm just here to look. Just stand like you were and pretend I'm not here."
Obediently, Lianna resumed her frozen, seductive stare into space. She felt a stab of guilt - wasn't she supposed to please him, make him happy, try to make him want her? The boy waved his hand in front of her motionless face a few times. Getting no response, he ran his hand up her left leg. Dianne felt his touch through the nylons she wore. Automatically, she tried to move her arms to brush his hand away, or step back from him, but she couldn't. She could only stand there, helplessly self-conscious, as the boy's touch moved all the way up her thigh, under her skirt, setting off little bursts of arousal between her legs. Then the boy looked off to his left and seemed to see something, for he suddenly pulled his hand away and departed quickly, leaving Dianne with the sensation of a fizzy glow in her lower body. She wished she could do something about it.
A little while later, an attractive blonde android led a rather handsome man of forty or so over to her pedestal. She heard the man say, "Yes, that's the one."
"This is Lianna," the blonde android introduced her. "Lianna, are you active? Ah, yes, you are."
Lianna, released again from her frozen display pose, lowered her arm from her hip and descended gracefully from the pedestal. "Yes, I was just on display. How can I help you?"
"This gentleman is interested in you," the blonde explained. "Would you describe yourself for him, please?"
Lianna turned her attention to him. "Of course," she said. Once she had the man's attention, she noticed, the blonde withdrew. Lianna began speaking before Dianne had a chance to realize she didn't know what to say. "I'm an Evening Comfort, with a donated personality, Sir; an entertainment android. My function is to please. I am programmed with a full array of adult-oriented recreational skills, including games, low-impact sports, dancing, and personal attention, as well as standard housekeeping and secretarial tasks. I also contain an actual donated human personality, which allows me to behave much more naturally than less advanced androids."
While Lianna gave her sales pitch, Dianne looked the man over. He wore a pair of casual slacks and an old, but nice shirt. He had short, light brown hair, just slightly thinning, and his face was clean-shaven. It was a nice face, Dianne thought. A strong face - perhaps an executive's face - but a kind face too, with a hint of sadness. And also, she was pleased to see, a hint of lust. Would he decide to buy her, she wondered? She hoped he would - and then feared she would somehow repel him.
"You are fully realistic?" the man asked, glancing down as if to check for himself.
"Yes, Sir. I have perfect simulations of all the features of a human woman."
(Lianna, can I tell him I can make love to him?) She found that she really wanted to.
(Yes.)
"I-" she started to say, before realizing what she was doing. How could she say that? She'd never in her life been so bold as to tell a man she wanted to sleep with him... But Lianna wouldn't let her drop the sentence there. She seamlessly continued, "-would be happy to make love to you, Sir, if you were to rent me." Dianne felt hideously embarrassed... but the man didn't seem to mind.
"Really?" he asked. "Would you tell me if you didn't want to?"
"Yes, but I think I would be happy to make love to any man," Lianna replied. Dianne wasn't sure she felt that way... but then again, she had noticed that all the men in the store seemed unusually attractive to her. Even the acne-faced boy. "There are other android models who are more selective and might not like you. If you wish, I could introduce you to one." That was interesting, Dianne thought. Did some men really want to buy an android who didn't like them?
"No, that's okay," the man said. "How strong is your skin? I mean, how hard are you to damage?"
Lianna answered, "My skin is as resistant to damage as that of any household android on the market today, sir. It's a little tougher than human skin, but not much. If anything were to damage my skin, you could return me to this showroom for repair."
"That's what I thought. I think you're just what I'm looking for. I'd like to... um..." He hesitated, for the first time looking unsure how to say what he meant.
"Examine me more closely?" Dianne found herself suggesting. "Please feel free to make any inspection you like, Sir, or to ask me any questions you may have." She wondered what kind of inspection the man might find appropriate. Would he...
He looked around, seeming a little apprehensive. "Is there someplace where we can be alone for a bit?" he asked. Apparently he would.
"Of course. Come this way." Lianna led the man to a small room just off the main showroom. Once the door was closed behind them, the man turned her a bit roughly to face him, pulled her close to him, and kissed her deeply on the mouth. Dianne was surprised, but her body responded automatically, and after a moment's hesitation she took over and returned the kiss just as fervently if not more so. Finally! she thought, I'm beautiful enough to seduce a man without hardly trying! She loved the sensation of his warm lips against her own, her breasts pressed against his chest, his strong hand against the back of her neck and the fingers of his other hand gently stroking her jaw.
She smiled into the man's eyes as he let her go, letting him know how much she had enjoyed the kiss. Lianna spoke, saying, "I'd better warn you, Sir, that's as far as I'm allowed to go here in the store. I'm not allowed to make love to you unless you buy me, or rent me." Dianne wanted to tell him how much she hoped he would, but she didn't dare.
"Quite a temptation you are..." the man mused. Dianne cocked her head at him, hoping to be even more of a temptation. This was the kind of man she wanted to serve... at least, she thought so.
"How do I operate you, Lianna?" he asked. "Remote control?"
"I have a remote, Sir," Lianna said. "It's clipped to my belt if you'd like to see it. But I also accept spoken orders for all functions except activation." The man reached for and took her remote control, and looked at it.
"Will anyone object if I turn you off?" he asked.
"No, Sir. To turn me back on use one of the mode buttons. I'm currently in `Natural' mode." The man aimed the remote control at her. No, Dianne thought, don't turn me off; I'm enjoying-
IPM Android S/N EN-T-05-A147 (Lianna) Deactivation (Remote)
Henry pointed the remote at Lianna and pressed the `Off' button. Instantly, the android ceased all motion. Even its breathing stopped. The green light in its neck faded to black.
He was pretty sure he wanted Lianna. Still, he was a careful shopper, and determined to examine the merchandise before he made a purchase. He unbuttoned the doll's blouse, and spread it wide open to reveal a sexy silver bra beneath it. He lowered the blouse's collar off Lianna's creamy shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Then he walked around the android's motionless body, letting his fingers caress its soft synthetic skin as he moved, and when he was behind it he unhooked the bra and let it drop too. He ran his hands up and down the sleek expanse of Lianna's back, with its beautifully sculptured shoulder blades and muscle tone. When he reached the hips, he slid his hands under the waistband of its skirt and nylons, and lowered them both down its silky legs. The doll's legs were slightly apart, the right leg in front of the left, so he couldn't easily remove the nylons completely, but that was okay.
He crossed in front of Lianna again. The android had a lovely pair of breasts, perfectly shaped, with no sag at all. It certainly didn't need to wear a bra - although it looked quite sexy in one. The breasts were nicely sized, big enough to be noticed and enjoyed, but not so big as to seem caricatures. He took them in his hands, felt their curved warmth, the hardness of the erect nipples. Were they always erect, he wondered, or just for me?
Then his gaze traveled downward. Just the barest hint of ribs showed beneath her breasts, and a nicely curved, narrow waist. She had a small navel. Below that... she had no pubic hair, but was otherwise complete in all ways. Seeing no reason to refrain, he ran his hand down between her legs, feeling the softness there, and everything he would expect to feel in a young, nubile woman.
His examination of the doll was not yet complete, of course. He took Lianna's right hand and lifted it up so he could look at it. There was a bit of resistance from the joints of her shoulder and elbow as they bent in response, but not a lot. She had a nice hand. Smooth-skinned, long, delicately-tapered fingers ending in nails just long enough to be feminine, but not long enough to get in the way. Was there an option for long fingernails? he wondered. Never mind, he preferred these. Her nails weren't colored, but he assumed they would take any kind of nail polish he wanted her to wear. Experimentally, he bent the fingers and straightened them again. Then he gently raised the doll's hand to his face, and brushed his own clean-shaven cheek with her soft, cool fingers. When he let go of her hand, it remained where he left it, hovering near his face.
Finally, he reached up to touch the doll's face. She was so realistic, it was hard to believe she wasn't a living girl, except that no living girl would stand - could stand - so utterly motionless while Henry bared and touched all her most sensitive parts. He caressed her soft cheek with his fingertips, brushed his index finger down the straight line of her nose, felt her lips and her ears. He noticed that her lips were slightly parted, as if she had just begun to say something when he had deactivated her. Her lips... which he bent to kiss again, putting his arms around her naked body and pulling it against him once again, caressing her skin. Her mouth yielded softly to the pressure of his own lips and tongue, although now there was no answering pressure of her own.
When he was finished, he had to steady the android on its feet to keep it from toppling over. Once it was balanced, he took another look at the remote control. Some of the controls had functions he was familiar with from Julia, the android he had owned before his divorce - the "call" button, "Power Off," "Priority," and so on. Others were new to him, though he had read some of the documentation of this model on the net. He pressed the button for robot mode, and looked up at Lianna.
The square in the android's neck flashed red three times, then glowed solidly red. Her expression relaxed, and she lowered her arms to her sides and brought her feet together, still caught in partially-removed nylons.
"Hello, sir," she said calmly. "May I help you?"
"Tell me about the mode you're in now. How is it different from natural mode?" Henry ordered.
"I am now in Robot mode," Lianna replied. "This means that my personality module is completely deactivated. I will remember any orders you give me, but otherwise I will not remember anything else that happens to me. I will obey my primary programming and your orders with very little initiative of my own, like a simple robot. This is a good mode if you wish to control my actions very precisely. However, I have no personality in this mode, and I will not be able to act very realistically."
"Hmm," Henry grunted, thinking. After a moment, he reached out and touched the android's bare breasts once more. It still did not respond, even when he brushed the nipple lightly with his fingertip.
He approached her more closely. "Kiss me," he ordered, leaning down to the doll's lips for the third time. This time Lianna was once again an active participant, willingly opening her mouth for him and kissing him with fine technique... but even though Henry wouldn't have called himself an expert judge of kisses, he could tell there was something lacking. When he'd kissed her for the first time, it felt like kissing a person, a woman who wanted to be kissed - almost like the first time he'd kissed Ellen, his soon-to-be-former wife. By comparison, now, the doll kissed like... well, like a robot.
"I've kissed other androids before," he said after breaking off the kiss. "Even a 2048 model did better than that."
"Yes sir," Lianna agreed. "Most androids who lack a donated personality are programmed to simulate human emotions and desire. However, my personality actually feels such emotions and desires, and therefore I am not programmed to simulate them. Would you like me to activate my personality module for you?"
"Not yet," Henry said. "Tell me about your other modes first."
"Yes, sir. In Passive mode, my donated personality matrix is activated, but is not permitted to act on its own initiative. For example, if you ordered me to kiss you in Passive mode, I would use my personality module enhance my kiss, but I could not kiss you unless you ordered me to, no matter how much I wanted to. In Natural mode, I can do anything I want to so long as it does not violate my primary programming or your orders. I also have a Free mode, which is the only mode in which I can actually disobey my master's orders, although I would still not be able to cause damage even if I wanted to."
Henry said nothing for a moment. The doll said nothing further either, waiting patiently for orders. He stepped back and admired the total picture.
Yes, he decided, Lianna would be just fine.
IPM Android S/N EN-T-05-A147 (Lianna) Activation (Natural Mode)
Dianne woke up. The man still (again?) stood in front of her, but more to her left, and was again pointing the remote at her. Her arms were at her sides, and her legs together. She felt a bit chilly, but there was warmth in her breast, parts of her back, and especially on her lips and in her mouth. The chill she understood as soon as she realized she had been mostly undressed. Damn! she thought, I missed it! But it was all right. She knew she would be undressed again. The warmth... could only come from an embrace, she decided. Another pleasure she'd missed while deactivated. At least it had happened. It never did in her old body.
"Do you like me, Sir?" she asked, moving seductively for him - not that it seemed to be necessary.
"Yes, I do," the man said. "I've made up my mind. Do I need to talk to a salesperson, or can you sell yourself to me?"
"I can do whatever you need, Sir," Lianna said. "Would you like to buy me outright, or would you prefer to rent me?"
"How much do you cost?"
Lianna named a purchase price, and a monthly rental fee. Dianne was shocked. She cost almost twice as much as she'd expected. She was sure he would never buy her at that price. She hadn't really done anything to make him love her, after all...
"You're worth that," he said. "I'll buy you now."
(You will?) Dianne thought, though she said instead, "Thank you, Sir. I'm glad." It was strange; sometimes even Dianne herself couldn't tell for sure whether her words came from her own personality, or from Lianna the android. Maybe it didn't matter anymore. "May I get dressed before we work out the details?" she asked.
The man agreed, and Dianne reassembled her attire. "You can buy this outfit for me if you like, Sir," she informed him as she dressed, naming a price. "Otherwise I'll have to change back into the leotard I came from the factory in. We also sell several packages of clothes for me. They're all guaranteed to fit perfectly, and to look wonderful on me. Would you like to buy one for me? I would like to have different outfits to wear for you."
They discussed clothing for a bit, and Lianna led him back to the showroom to let him look at his options. After looking at pictures of her in various outfits, the man decided to buy the 'Sexy Looks' package. Dianne looked forward to seeing how she looked in it. She hoped he would like her in it. He declined to purchase her shipping case ("I'll worry about it later if I need to ship you anywhere,") but did decide to buy both an extra battery and a self-charging adapter for her, as well as the clothes she was wearing. She pointed out to him a selection of extension programs and hardware extras he could buy for her (including Ballroom Dance, Handmade Clothes, and Advanced Sexuality, as well as Wind-Up Actuator and Wireless Networking), but he decided to wait and see if he wanted any later. Dianne wondered if she was supposed to try harder to make him buy them, but she couldn't think of anything else to do - and besides, she thought she would have done the same in his shoes.
A few minutes later, the man signed his name, Henry Saunders, on a credit slip. "Congratulations, Sir," Lianna said, smiling. "I'm now legally yours. There's just one more thing we need to do before we can leave." She led him to another counter, where there was an electronic device Dianne didn't recognize. "This will deactivate my theft-protection system, and program me to recognize you as my new owner. It'll take about ten seconds, during which I'll be unable to respond to you. Okay?"
When her new master nodded, Lianna picked up a cable extending from the machine on the counter, and placed its end over the status indicator on her neck. She pressed a green button on the machine -
IPM Android S/N EN-T-05-A147 (Lianna) Memory Record (informational):
Deleting in-store display protocol.
Disabling in-store theft-protection system.
Deleting memories of in-store experience [except for purchaser]
Registering owner: Henry Saunders [facial characteristics] [body characteristics] [vocal characteristics]
- and Evening Comfort Lianna A147 belonged to Henry Saunders.
"I'm all yours," she smiled.
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