Her lips parted. No sound came out—but a single word pressed into his mind like a cold fingertip on a windowpane:
Her irises were the color of deep-sea vents—pale, luminous gold. She didn't blink. She didn't speak. She simply looked at him, and Elias felt something slide into place inside his chest. A hook. A tether. -ENG- Female Doll - XA -RJ01288937-
Her mouth curved into that perfect, unreachable smile. Her lips parted
On the seventh day, he found the original manifest crumpled beneath the velvet lining. It read: Type: Female Doll - Empathy Variant - XA Class Warning: Unit does not generate emotion. Unit mirrors and amplifies owner's existing loneliness. Prolonged exposure results in total emotional dependency. Do not activate without a secondary tether to living beings. Note: No secondary tether has been issued with this unit. He read it twice. Then he looked at her. She was standing in the corner, hands folded, head slightly bowed. Waiting. Always waiting. She didn't speak
"Can you love?" he asked one night, his voice raw.