Kian sighed. "He wants to present his case to you in person so he can decide whether he trusts you with his secret. You know I would tell you if I could, but I promised him that I wouldn't. What I can tell you, though, is that his real name is Eluheed, not Elias."
"Eluheed. That's such a beautiful name. Why did he call himself something else?"
"He thought that it would invite questions about its origin because it was so unique. He didn't want to attract attention."
Syssi lifted her head off his shoulder. "Why? What does he have to hide?"
"That's part of what I cannot tell you." Kian let out a breath. "If he decides to trust you with his secret, he might ask you to help him with a vision."
Her eyes widened. "And you agreed to that?"
Kian nodded. "What he wants help with might be beyond what I can do, so I offered him your vision as a sort of consolation prize."
"Now I'm really curious. I'm also curious about how his visions differ from mine and why he thinks I can see things he cannot."
"He's not as gifted as you are, my love." Kian leaned over and kissed her temple. "His gift is small. Yours is stronger by an order of magnitude."
The sound of small feet thundering down the hallway announced Allegra's arrival before she burst into the living room, her blond curls bouncing, and her expression excited.
"I help Okidu," she announced. "Come see."
"Did you, now?" Kian scooped her up, earning a delighted squeal.
"Let me go, Daddy." She wiggled in his arms until he set her down. "I bring napkins. Come see."
She ran back out, leaving Kian and Syssi smiling after her.
"We'd better follow," Syssi said. "We need to be supportive of our child's domestic endeavors. After all, she won't have an Okidu to do everything for her when she lives in her own house."
"Don't say that." Kian took her hand. "I don't want to even think about her being all grown up and living on her own. Besides, by then we will have a whole production line of Odu Juniors going."
"Is that what we are going to call them? Odu Junior?"
"It's a place-holder name. They will not be as sophisticated as the Odus because the materials that were used in their production don't exist on Earth."
Kaia had made great progress after decoding several key symbols, but the technology was so advanced that William was scratching his head at the specifications. They would not be able to produce anything even close to the Odus, but they could make functional robots that would fulfill many of the same functions, just with less flair and elegance.
Watching Okidu set the table was like watching the inner workings of a Swiss watch. Everything was done with grace andprecision, placing each plate, each piece of silverware, and each glass in perfect alignment.
"Daddy!" Allegra ran up to him with a napkin clutched in both hands. "Look!"
Kian examined the napkin, which was wrinkled and folded into something that might charitably be called a triangle if viewed from the right perspective. "Beautiful work, sweetheart."
"It is a masterpiece," Okidu said solemnly, taking the napkin and placing it beside a plate with great ceremony. "Your folding skills are marvelous, little mistress."
Allegra beamed.
Okidu had always been good with her, but it had been easy when she was younger. Now she required more patience and encouragement that he somehow knew how to provide.
Was he emulating behavior from one of the soap operas he watched? Or was it his growing sentience?
Then again, how did anyone learn appropriate behavior?
Children learned by observing their parents, mimicking what they saw, and internalizing patterns of interaction. Okidu was learning from soap operas how adults praised children, how families interacted, and how to show warmth and encouragement. Was that any different from a child learning from their environment?
"Can I make tea?" Allegra asked.
"The kettle is very hot," Okidu said. "But you can help me arrange the cookies on a plate. That is a very important job."
