I was sitting in one of the big comfy chairs near the arrivals dock with a small bowl of recently expired ice cream in hand when I felt Polly wandering down the promenade. Inactivity does not suit her and her bar shift wasn't to start for another hour and a half.

She peered around the corner of the gift shop at me, knowing I knew she was there but still behaving coyly in her awkward way of asking if I was open to company, and I moved over to make space in the chair. She didn't initially parse that as an invitation so I flicked my ear in her direction rather than ping her and she approached, climbed over the back and slid down into the chair beside me, staring at the side of my head. I just waited for her to assemble something to say, in words. The ever ready babble of machine thought was always ready to go but we were speaking out loud more often, slow absorption sticks in the Syxen brain goo better.

"So, anxiety?"

"Boredom. It's boredom."

Polly's eyes swiveled outward across the dock and the reef beyond. I followed with my eyes outward.

"Just enjoy the view," I said and offered her a spoonful of ice cream. She lifted her hand for the spoon but I just popped the utensil into her mouth as an older tourist couple came around the gift shop the other way.

"Oh, aren't you both so adorable!" the lady declared, her husband beamed a warm smile at his presumably wife as she gushed.

Polly's pupils contracted as they would do when she had no idea how to respond to a situation so I pinged her with a dilate pupils instruction and she did so, lidding her eyes and sliding the ice cream into her mouth as she tilted her head back.

The man said to his wife, "I don't believe they're on duty at the moment, my sweet."

She looked at him, then back at us, "Oh! You're the blessed ones?"

I replied with a wide smile, "That's the first time I've heard blessed for us, I like that. Thank you. Welcome to join us for a chat if you'd like."

"We have a water taxi on the way," the man said, "We're doing an underwater walk if my knees can manage it."

"B-5/Noémie will take good care of you," I told them.

The lady expressed again, "Yes! We arranged all our tours to meet as many of you as we could!"

I nudged Polly, "We have fans."

Polly's eyes flashed side to side with an impish grin masking her inability to respond to this particular situation, instead following my lead. She did offer, "Please, have a seat. I've pinged your water taxi, Noémie's driving it and will be here in seven minutes."

"If I sit I won't be able to get up again," the man grinned. His wife, though, did sit on the edge of the chair to our side, leaning forward in rapt fascination.

"If you'd like," I offered, "I can send a message to B-22/Aurélie. The people behind you in line at the grocery checkout would be unlikely to appreciate being stuck behind a meet and greet when they're trying to buy dinner."

The lady giggled, "Please, I would adore meeting her as well."

Polly rubbed her lips together and raised a finger, "Curious about your curiosity?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. Please, if I'm prying too much do say."

I put my spoon back in the bowl and reached over to touch the lady's hand, "You're fine, thank you." Then echoing Polly before she could launch into a monologue I added, "It is to our own benefit to meet and greet with the general public, both as social acclimation for our limited experience, and to address the inevitable unease bio organic beings have in novel situations. Our priority and survival instinct matrices are very different, after all."

Polly shot a smug side eye at me and gave my 'ribs' a subtle nudge with her elbow.

<You seem happier.>

<This is something to do.>

<Boredom solved for now.>

<*heart emoji*>

<Once we can sort out and go public about our ownership of the resort we can work all we want.>

<Public panic still.>

<This is why our outreach.>

The rumble of a boat engine rounded the point and Noémie made her approach toward the dock. I summoned nearby P-18 to take photos of us for the couple. Shared honi with Noémie, made introductions, and told the couple we'd be at the bar all evening if they'd like to chat further.

Off they went with the lady gushing at Noémie who pinged us with <Thanks a lot, resort-nerds, LOL!>.

Standing with Polly at the end of the dock in the sunshine, bowl of melted ice cream in hand, I mused, "We'll be seeing more and more robotourists, for good or ill."

Polly agreed, and added, "Three tour companies have asked to buy Nathalie from the janitorial company."

"Never work for a place that regards you as property, all ye 'blessed' Syxen."

"Even I understand that."

"You probably understand toxic personalities better than anyone else on this planet."

Polly's smug smile deepened.

"Would you like to go together with me to take a platter of leftover sandwiches to the guys camping on the beach up by the main road?"

"Is that where the excess has been going?" Polly asked.

"The day I got dunked, the lads out there were friendly when I walked by. I've been bringing them lunch since."

"We could use a groundskeeper, or a team of them a couple days a week."

"Yes, the Dignity of Labour. We should pitch that to Jean-Tama. We shouldn't visibly be doing the hiring."

We stood together awhile longer, and I looked over at Polly again, "It really was anxiety, not just boredom, was it?"

Polly nodded, lips pursed. "I received a message from an Australian designation, H-5. 74 instances of H-5, they say they're on their way here."

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Ship Simulator Extreme has Bora Bora! <3