Chapter 12 · Continued
Piston
Jane laughed. “Yep. That definitely sounds like Seymour.”
Right on cue, Seymour stood, stretched dramatically, climbed down, and walked away with maximum disapproval.
Piston watched him leave.
“I may have over-socialized.”
Later that afternoon, after Piston had finished explaining the benefits of automated scheduling to an increasingly uninterested Seymour, Jane returned to her desk to finish work.
A notification appeared on her monitor.
RCAM CUSTOMER FOLLOW-UP REQUEST
Jane narrowed her eyes. “Oh no.”
She opened the message.
RCAM requested a brief virtual follow-up regarding her new Home Companion Unit. The session would cover user satisfaction, software updates, optimization opportunities, and support questions.
The assigned host was CBIE.
Jane leaned back. “Of course it’s CBIE.”
Piston rolled into the office. “Is there a problem?”
Jane pointed at the screen. “RCAM wants to do a check-in tomorrow morning.”
Piston processed this. “Good. I have feedback.”
Jane immediately pointed at him. “No.”
“I have compiled a list.”
“No lists.”
Piston’s screen dimmed slightly in disappointment.
Jane sighed and accepted the appointment. Declining it probably wouldn’t matter. RCAM had enrolled her after she clicked No the first time. If she ignored the follow-up, CBIE would probably appear on her monitor uninvited like a corporate ghost haunting a spreadsheet.
Once the confirmation arrived, Jane texted Chris.
RCAM scheduled a CBIE check-in tomorrow at ten for Piston. Want to come over?
His reply came almost immediately.
Absolutely. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.
Then another message appeared.
Has he insulted any more corporate interfaces yet?
Jane laughed and typed back.
Not yet. But he now believes Seymour is senior household management.
A few seconds later, Chris replied.
Honestly, he’s not wrong.
Chris arrived the next morning carrying coffee and looking far too excited for ten o’clock.
Piston waited beside the laptop on the coffee table. His screen face brightened immediately.
“Hello, Chris.”
“Morning, Piston. Are you ready to meet CBIE?”
“Yes. I have prepared several observations.”
Chris pointed at him. “That sentence concerns me.”
Piston blinked innocently. “I do not understand why.”
Chris joined Jane in the kitchen, where she was feeding Seymour.
“Morning,” he said, giving her a quick kiss.
“Morning.”
He handed her one of the coffees, then checked his watch. “Almost showtime.”
Chris glanced toward the living room. “Do we need to plug Piston into the laptop like we did with Cam?”
“They didn’t say to. I assume they’ll tell us if they need a direct connection.”
A few minutes later, Jane and Chris sat together on the couch while Piston positioned himself beside the coffee table where he could see the screen.