Maid to Love You - A Clockwork Romance

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  • Informational
    • Maid to Love You
    A Clockwork Romance

    Miss Jane Eleanor Polestar
    The player character. An 18 (nearly 19!) year old woman, next in line to the County of Polaris, wandering the galaxy in search of love aboard MSY Mercury. You vote on her actions, but her perspective here is limited.

    Mark Butler
    Miss Polestar's robotic butler, and head of the servant staff. He is tasked primarily with management, but also acts as valet to any male visitors.

    Marie Lady's Maid
    The viewpoint character. A newly activated robotic servant who acts as Miss Polestar's lady's maid. Though witty and sharp, some quirk of her construction has intensified both her physical and emotional sensitivity. Is inexplicably French.

    Pierre Chef
    Miss Polestar's robotic cook, responsible for the kitchen and larder. He is noted to have loose association with many lovers in many ports.

    Tom Mechanic
    Miss Polestar's robotic handyman, who also helps to maintain the other machines.

    Tessa Mechanic
    Miss Polestar's robotic handywoman, who is hired later in the story. She has greatly modified her own body, and has a complicated history.

    Hans Messenger
    Miss Polestar's robotic messenger, who manages the mail, prints newspapers, delivers messages, and manages the property of guests. Is inexplicably German.

    Amber Housemaid
    Miss Polestar's robotic housemaid, who keeps MSY Mercury clean and tidy. Noted to have two large, orange headlamp eyes. Is inexplicably American.

    Polly Kitchen Maid
    Miss Polestar's robotic kitchen maid, who assists Pierre in making food. Also the head of the serving staff's union, a position she does not take very seriously.

    Content Warning
    This quest is an erotic romance. There will be sexual content, and it will not be separated from the main text or spoiler tagged. You have been warned.​
     
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  • Informational
    • We might start on snippet votes soonish. or just use commentary from people as a guide!

    (PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS IS KEEPS US ALIVE)
     
    open_sketch said:
    We might start on snippet votes soonish. or just use commentary from people as a guide!

    (PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS IS KEEPS US ALIVE)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    One thought that i just had while getting ready for bed... are the machines only human-modeled? Or, are there, say, robo-cats???? Perhaps cute and cuddly designer robo-cats that would be potential gifts from suitors??? (alternately, for more drama suggestions, a suitor having gotten one to seem sensitive, and then when failing at interesting either Miss Polestar or some pre-this-story suitor, sent the poor thing onto the streets where it is rescued by our robotic crew during shore leave?)
     
    I am wondering personally, if they have holograms.

    Not like, great ones.

    Basic, like sepia tones and scanlines
     
    IX - Imagine Her Touch
  • Threadmarks
    • Happily, Miss Polestar's poor mood has slowly began to improve, and I count it as a success on my part that I only had to stop her from trying to reverse course twice. It was also relatively simple to keep her distracted a fair amount of the time, as whilst we were on the move, there was little else for her to do but continue to teach me swordplay. Such a task required her full attention, and I could do naught but be an attentive student.

    To my surprise, I found that I am best suited to the broadsword, as it's length is a decent match for my height. Despite its reputation, it is a weapon that requires grace and dexterity more than strength. Miss Polestar even told me that with diligence and effort, I may even match her in skill one day.

    However, outside of the practice ring, my miss has developed a degree of listlessness and apathy that I must admit that I find worrying. She is no longer debating turning the ship around and crawling back to the Lieutenant, so there is progress, but when she has naught to occupy herself with, she has become prone to simply staring into space.

    Humans are so vulnerable to heartache. Seeing it here, I am glad I lack the capacity. I can scarcely manage my own feelings, muted as they are by comparison to hers. It must be agony for her.

    Complicating matters was that my half-days off had arrived, and humans took these things very seriously indeed. When I attempted to break out a set of cards after lunch, Miss Polestar looked at me sternly and reminded me, and the fiction that I merely wanted to play a game of cards was immediately transparent to her.

    "You can play cards with the rest of the staff, Marie. Seriously, go relax. Take some time for yourself." she insisted.

    Dejected, I wandered back into my room, took off my apron (and briefly glanced at my pay, in an envelope on my desk, wondering if perhaps it would cover new clothes to wear on my time off), and headed down into the servant's area.

    I did get to play cards, though, in the common room. Somebody turned on a bit of quiet background music, just to raise our spirits a bit, and we all did our best to try and distract ourselves from all the things that needed doing.

    "Yeah, I try to frame this time as a teambuilding exercise for the staff. It really helps." Mark said, staring over his cards, "Are you all feeling like more of a team?"

    "The brass railings on the main stairway have fingerprints on them." Amber muttered dejectedly, "I can't do anything about it for fourteen entire hours. Why do they do this to us?"

    "It ist not the haffing time off that ist the problem, it ist that they insist it be structured. I enjoy relaxing und games und music as much as any other machine, but saying, no, for this time you must not vork, no matter how much you may vish to… utter agony!" Hans lamented.

    "We already get plenty of time off each day anyway. I struggle to fill those extra hours." Polly said. "So, no Marie, you're not alone in being frustrated by it."

    "It is very silly, but that is humans for you." Pierre added.

    "They make us to vork, and then they say: at this time, you must not vork! It ist madness!"

    Several more games passed, and I noticed I was beginning to win more and more often as I understood the strategy better. While it wasn't what I wanted to be doing, exactly, I was enjoying myself well enough, and in between games I was learning to shuffle. I found myself enamored with the sound the cards made as they snapped back to shape, and the way that the card edges felt against my fingers.

    Then, suddenly, the music switched off, and I glanced up to see the servant staff joined by almost all of the crew of the ship itself.

    "Is something wrong?" I asked.

    "No, Marie, just time for the union meeting." Mark explained. I went to put away the cards, but he indicated to me not to bother, then proceedings began.

    Polly, it seems, was the head of the union: it had been Mark originally, but he'd stepped down citing conflict of interest with him also being in charge of the staff. Captain William was official timekeeper, and one of the sailors, a smaller machine named Peter, kept minutes,

    "Right, meeting is… started. Meeting go." Polly said half-heartedly. "So… um, we have a new member. Hello Marie."

    "Hi Marie." everyone muttered.

    "Um… Hello. I don't quite understand what is happening here." I admitted.

    "Everyone who works for Miss Polestar is part of the union. We collectively advocate for our working conditions and pay and such. It's an old human thing." Amber explained.

    "The humans who first built us got feeling all guilty with how productive we were. And a lot of them were labourers themselves before us, right? So they tried to teach us all this stuff about labour agitation and such." Mark said.

    "Some dude named Rousseau." one of the sailors offered.

    "Yeah, that guy. But I mean… wasn't much of an issue. We controlled all the production of pretty much everything anyway, so we fixed all the safety issues ourselves mostly. Unions never really came into it." Mark continued. "The first time anyone tried a strike, it was for longer working hours at a lamp factory."

    "Didn't work, though. Everyone crossed the picket line." Polly pointed out. "So… does anyone have any grievances that need to be addressed?"

    "Well… with Marie on t'old maintenance schedule now, it's starting to get a mite busy. I know I said I could handle it, but thinkin' on it… I could really use an extra hand." Tom said. "Can't hardly maintain myself either, it'd be a big help."

    "Right. I'll bring that up with her, that makes sense. Anyone else?"

    There was silence around the table.

    "Miss Polestar should be more adventurous in her tastes. I don't mind making her the same few meals regularly, but I'm worried." Pierre said, finally.

    "That's not a labour issue." Mark said, "But you're right. Marie, maybe you can help."

    The rest of the meeting ended up just being discussions of how to convince Miss Polestar to try some new foods, and finally somebody just turned the music back on and poker resumed.

    "I raise you… dusting the reading room."

    "Urgh. I fold." I said, leaning back in my seat as Polly dragged the pile of papers towards her. I almost had it, but I got greedy, and now I don't have any fun chores left to do before bed, save for writing this.

    ---

    The last incident of note came when I was least prepared. The night before we hit the Atalanta system, I heard a soft knock at the door connecting my room and Miss Polestar's. I had put myself to bed early, and my charge was at seventy-three percent, I hurriedly put on my dressing gown, and opened the door to find my miss in a fair state.

    She was dressed only in her nightgown, and the oversized garment having fallen to one side, leaving one shoulder bare and perfect. The moment I opened the door, Miss Polestar stepped closer and I found myself offering an embrace, which she fell into readily. For a moment, I surely felt like my processors were about to overheat, but then I heard the first sigh, and I reminded myself that I could not let my own desires get the better of me. Her breathing was a little shaky as I led her to sit on the edge of my bed, one of my hands finding a place on her leg, that she might feel reassured by my presence.

    "I… I don't know what I'm going to do…" Miss Polestar's voice was small, as soft as I had ever heard it. "I fear that he isn't going to like me, or maybe… he'll sense that I'm hesitant. It's a lot more complicated now, I fear. I don't want to make another mistake..."

    "What mistakes have you made, miss? You met a man, stayed respectful, got to know him, and when the time came you made a decision. It sounds as though you have done perfectly, at least to me." I said, and she nodded, small, quick, nervous motions.

    "I suppose, but… will he see it that way?"

    "He won't know one way or another, and if he did mind, well, then he isn't good enough for you either. You're a remarkable young woman, miss, and you deserve somebody better than that."

    "I'm… I'm just so worried about what he will think. Somebody so smart, he might well think I'm an idiot or something." she said.

    "Well, then he'll be sorely surprised when he realises his mistake." I said, somewhat tartly. "You're much cleverer than I think most people realize."

    She brightened up, then leaned back a moment, against the wall my bed sat against. The pale blue starlight pouring through my small window washed over her, painting her silhouette in subtle shades.

    "How do you always know what to say?" she asked.

    I didn't know how to answer that, so I just stayed silent. I am not sure if it was because I did not have an answer, or because I could not possibly formulate one with such a sight before me.

    "Well… thank you. I felt as though I was going to panic, but… I think I've evened out." she said, standing up and stretching her arms high above her head with a yawn, exposing pale thighs to the starlight as her nightgown shifted. "What would I do without you?"

    "You'd probably do just fine, I imagine." I said, and I truly meant it.

    We wished each other good-night and she left. As the door swung closed I fell back heavily into bed, feeling utterly electrified, and not merely because of the charging cable in the back of my head. I was overwhelmed, adrift, lost.

    Needless to say, my feelings have not faded with time. If anything, they have intensified.

    I could not have a repeat of the last time this happened. I needed to sleep: if I could not calm my mind and enter low-power mode, the most my charger would do is maintain my battery charge where it was. But this was not simply dismissing an irritating thought. It felt as though I was on fire.

    The image of her under the starlight felt burned into my mind. The shape of her, the subtle transparency of the backlit garment, the light reflecting off the smooth skin of her shoulder, her hair, her lips. The heat of her leg so near mine, radiant, thrilling. Her eyes meeting mine.

    I have yet to say this out loud. I have written and even thought of it euphemistically, but I simply cannot avoid it any longer.

    I am in love with Miss Jane Polestar, and it is going to destroy me.

    I would give anything in the universe for her to come back through that door. For her to lean against me again, for her lips to find mine. To feel her hands…

    Slowly, experimentally, I ran my fingers down my shoulder, the shoulder her garment had left bare, and though it was but a fraction of the intoxication sensation of having her near me it was something, a measure of it. Not nearly enough, but more than nothing. I closed my eyes and let my imagination make something new of my touch, that for a moment it might almost have been hers. Her fingers slowly moving from my shoulder to my chest. Her fingers slowly brushing at the hollow of my throat. Her fingers working lower, and lower, until I was lost in sensation, wound up tighter and tighter until I felt as if I could come apart at the seams.

    My fingers brushed against the plate between my legs and I admit, it was as if I had been struck by lightning, my back arching and my legs rigid as I struggled to quiet myself. I had been too lost in the moment and pushed too far, too fast, and my fantasy dissolved about me, leaving me once more adrift.

    Steadying myself, I forced my limbs to relax, and slowly, ever so gently, I tried again. Excited as I was, I could barely bring myself to touch that place, the burning heart of my arousal. Even the gentlest of brushes from my fingertips threatened to overwhelm me and smash me apart in a wave of ecstasy.

    But I found myself mired, floundering in the sensation, riding the crest of that wave but unable to push myself over with light, careful touches. It shames me to write what I finally imagined, in a burst of desperation. I thought of Miss Polestar's lips, pressed hard against that place, and all at once, I could feel myself falling, focusing entirely on making not a sound as I jerked and tensed upon my bed.

    I believe something might have gone wrong with my internal chronometer, as that single moment felt as though it lasted hours. However, my systems informed me that it lasted not twenty seconds. But it was done, and I thanked my makers that I was not organic, or I might have broken something.

    Once my mind cleared, as I fell asleep, I could only think that though these feelings were dangerous, wrong, shameful, in that moment I simply could not bring myself to care.

    ---

    I am pleased to report that I was adequately charged the next morning, and as the ship furled its sails and maneuvered into position around Atalanta Six. A gleaming blue orb, close as we were, I could easily make out what seemed to be a massive storm of some sort on it's southern hemisphere. Thankfully, we were not headed down to the planet at this time. High above the surface of the world, locked in a geosynchronous orbit about the equator, was the orbital city of New Atlantis.

    It is the largest single structure I believe I have ever seen, a great, flat disk that filled the viewport as we drew ever closer to our assigned docking space. It is the first place wherein we will be able to fully dock the Mercury, nestled at the edge of the massive dome that kept the aether out.

    There were almost fifteen thousand human beings here, and a hundred times that machines. Obviously, I had never been anywhere so grand, but neither had Miss Polestar.

    Most of the human residences were, of course, transitory, with quarters of the city given over to houses for when they arrived on business or social events. Huge, beautiful hotels dominated the skyline for those who did not visit frequently enough to own property, and many more simply stayed on their ships, as Miss Polestar would be doing.

    The majority of the long-term population were the students and faculty of Atlantis University, and one of their number had extended an intriguing invitation to Miss Polestar. Mister Parker Fullmore II is a graduate student here, heading for a PHD in history, specializing in the final days of Old Earth and the effects my forebearers had on human society. He sounds like a fascinating man, and one who would probably be pleased to have as adventurous and curious a wife as my miss.

    However, we would not be meeting him until evening, due to his morning class load, and the solar winds had been so favourable that we had arrived hours ahead of schedule. Miss Polestar wishes to make good use of this time with an expedition into the city, and I am to accompany her.

    I… I look forward to it.

    —-

    You've arrived a bit early and aren't scheduled to meet Mr. Fullmore until the evening, when you will be going to a public dance at Poseidon Park together. That leaves you plenty of time to take your mind off things in the city.

    Not to mention, you think Marie may be a little nervous on your behalf, poor dear. Seeing you after the fiasco with the Lieutenant seems to have greatly disturbed her, so it would be good to show her that you're alright now and ready to seize the moment.

    [ ] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!​
    [ ] Tom says he needs help managing all the staff and the work around the manor. You could just let Mark handle it, or you could head into town, see if any machines of that type are looking for your kind of work, and put in an order if there aren't!​
    [ ] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?​
    [ ] Write-In: subject to veto​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    [x] Tom says he needs help managing all the staff and the work around the manor. You could just let Mark handle it, or you could head into town, see if any machines of that type are looking for your kind of work, and put in an order if there aren't!


    we have approval voting yes?

    and I find it pretty funny that the robots bet chores during their poker games.


    Jeboboid said:
    "Yeah, that guy. But I mean… wasn't much of an issue. We controlled all the production of pretty much everything anyway, so we fixed all the safety issues ourselves mostly. Unions never really came into it." Mark continued. "The first time anyone tried a strike, it was for longer working hours at a lamp factory."

    "Didn't work, though. Everyone crossed the picket line." Polly pointed out. "So… does anyone have any grievances that need to be addressed?"
    Click to expand...
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    and of course a strike for longer wokring hours fails in an instant since a strike means zero working hours for how long the strike lasts, the opposite of what they want
     
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    [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    [X] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
     
    [x] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
     
    [x] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!

    This brilliant, mad setting...
     
    Finally. I'm glad our little maid finally explicitly says it.

    [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    [X] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
    The Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Union(FALGSU) was excellent.
     
    [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    [x] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
     
    [X] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
     
    [X] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
     
    [X] You know, you should pick up an outfit for meeting Mr. Fullmore tonight. And Marie can get herself something so she doesn't spend all her time off in a featureless black dress!
     
    [X] Tom says he needs help managing all the staff and the work around the manor. You could just let Mark handle it, or you could head into town, see if any machines of that type are looking for your kind of work, and put in an order if there aren't!
     
    I voted but now that I'm more awake, you two really killed this update. It was wonderful! The emotional intensity and tension in the night time conversation between Marie and Miss Polestar was palpable. And you made a bare shoulder seem positively salacious. Well done!
     
    Gah, I'm torn. I'd love to go dress shopping for Marie, but I got to vote for Miss Polestar to develop her interests.

    [X] The city is home to a branch of the Stellar Cartography Society, a social club for explorers. You've sworn to your parents you won't join until you've secured an engagement, but no harm i visiting, right? Marie will be happy to see you engage with a passion, and maybe you can get her excited for it too?
     
    ancusohm said:
    Gah, I'm torn. I'd love to go dress shopping for Marie, but I got to vote for Miss Polestar to develop her interests
    Click to expand...
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    We could try a write-in to do bits of both as a compromise.

    I mean, Marie certainly needs s dress, but also some expedition gear. She got damaged last time she froze, so a bunch of survuval gear and all weather outfits is an utmost neccesity..
     
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