Movie Night [Other Coda&Other You]

"So. Should we talk about it?""Talk about what?" you ask, tossing your jacket at the back of a dining table chair and nearly missing. The cleaning bots have come in already, and the furniture is aligned with surgical precision, but not where you like it."Fucking bots," you mutter, adjusting the chair and fixing your jacket over its back. "PANSY."You glance over your shoulder to where Coda is lingering at the door. They close it, and you hear the soft ting of the lock engaging, an alert that your habitat is secure for the evening. "What about her?""It," Coda corrects."It," you repeat. "What about it?""I mean... to start, it's creepy as fuck."You can't hold back the laugh at that. They aren't wrong. "I mean, that's kind of our fault. She -- fuck, it is modeled on our combined psyche.""Well, it must be drawing more heavily from you, because a white chick in a mod dress is not my idea of a soothing, helpful presence."Your laughter won't stop. It's a little manic; your insides are tingling with relief after the final approval from Concurrent. After finalizing your neighborhood setup. After your PANSY came online and greeted you with a surprisingly personable smile and amiable voice. "Hey there! I'm PANSY, your personalized neighborhood system - it's so nice to meet you.""Sh -- it was nice.""Impossible; it's an AI."You sigh and sink onto the loveseat in your living room. Coda is usually fine with AI assistants - even praises those who help with triage at the hospital. This level of distrust is new. This agitation.The coffee table's glasstop lights up with a pleasant but muted query, picking up on your mood shift. Would you like a mug of tea? You flick a finger over your profile photo in the corner as an acknowledgment, then glance at Coda. "Drink?"Coda joins you but still seems annoyed. The display changes to: Would you like a coffee with bourbon?They swipe to confirm and sink down beside you. "Wow, it's a bourbon night?" you muse. "I thought you'd be happy to have things up and running. Now there's just the conversion appointments, and we're golden."Coda shakes their head, worrying their lower lip. "There's just something... It feels wrong.""PANSY?""No. Well, yes, but I mean all of it."You snort, leaning your head back into the plush cushion and relaxing your muscles. "Careful - you sound like you regret everything we've done over the past three months.""Not everything," Coda says. You can hear the faint smile in their voice. The relaxing of their body beside yours. "The wedding was nice.""Those lobster rolls," you hum in agreement.Coda moans in remembered delight. "God, those lobster rolls. I'd marry you every day if I got to have those lobster rolls."You both cackle, the tension easing. The kitchen dings, alerting you that the replicator has finished preparing your drinks. Coda gets up to retrieve them, and you announce to the room, "Television on, world news."The recessed television comes to life, and the room's ambient lights dim in response. Coda settles in beside you, handing over your tea and murmuring, "Can we skip hearing what fresh hells are going on in the world tonight? Watch a movie or something?"Your skin itches at the prospect of not hearing what's happening in DC, what's happening overseas... but you take pity on your best friend and nod. "Sure. You pick."