Nighttime has finally arrived in their utopian world as they traverse together through the calm streets of their metropolis after putting on their respective clothes after a long, enjoyable time of submerging themselves into the lake that warmed their bodies for a few hours while they spent their moment there.
Some of his fellow clones are present in the open, still working or taking care of their daily business as usual; others were simply out to have a midnight stroll, as it is considerably one of the favorite traits he still appreciates in himself, along with smoking cigarettes.
In fact, all of his brothers have cigar in their mouth, making him somewhat jealous of this sight as it has been while since he last smoke; feeling like it has been ages since he had taste of nicotine, "do any of you have pack of cigars?" Glancing left and right on his friends, hoping they can provide some from their pockets.
To his displeasure, none of them have any, leaving him disappointed in not having any source of nicotine to smoke and having to resort to something else to get what he wants instead of having to physically get it himself through all the effort.
Using his mind, he telepathically send an signal of one random person around him to hand over their pack; seeing a peculiar individual walking towards them, Carter smiled from this and waved a hello as they stopped in their tracks, "I would like a pack of cigars," requesting politely as he awaits their response with expectant expression on his face, "mine ran out unfortunately and I would like to have one right now."
The clone wore a black coat over their gray vest and purple shirt underneath it, along with short brown pants, "sure thing original," having gotten the message from him, "use it wisely," handing the pack over to their creator, "Augh, I hate it when this happens," responding quietly before departing from the group to continue what they're doing previously.
Looking at the pack of cigars, it's plain and simple just like every other he has seen; never understanding why some people waste money on extravagant design or artwork on their boxes of cigars, he always only cares about the simple of things; as long as something works, then there is no need for improvement unless, of course, a flaw is present in the design that requires fixing to make sure the product isn't faulty to use.
Taking one out and putting the pack inside his pockets, he placed it between his lips before immediately forgetting something important, "shit, I have forgot to ask lighter," groaning annoyingly as he went through his pockets only to find empty space, "hey Sebastian, do you have one by chance?" Asking his companions again on their possession of carrying one.
As if lady luck had finally entered his life, the butler nodded with a smile. "I do," he said as he handed Carter his golden lighter that shines beautifully under the fake moonlight. "Please, take it with my gratitude, master Carter," he chuckled with a smirk. "See it as a gift of the deep affection to you that runs through my veins." Smooth as always when it comes to speaking his heart's feelings out.
Placing the cigar between his teeth, he used his hand to hold onto it as he flicked the ignition. He felt a warm flame approach his face, which made him flinch momentarily with widened eyes before it receded to its original size. "Thanks a lot," he mumbled in thankfulness, putting this lighter inside one of his pockets.
Although Yumi felt jealous of the flirty comment that Sebastian had made to her beloved, her red cheeks puffed like a chipmunk, and she glared at the other man in disbelief, not saying a word, but her eyes were dangerous enough to communicate that.
Glancing at her expression, a playful idea grew on Sebastian's face, deciding to tease her just to further fuel the flames in his heart: "Of course, Yumi." Humming smugly, "With the two of us living together for the rest of eternity, I have every right to show master Carter how much I truly love and treasure him," continuing without any intention to stop at all.
Yumi's fury reached its limits as her temperament was beginning to erupt, she wanted to grab her knives and slash that infuriating smile off his face, "stop talking like that about him! He's not yours, he's mine! And mine alone!" Pulling out a tongue out at him as she grabbed her master's left arm.
"Hey!" Carter said in surprise, "oh," realization hit him once again when he finally looked at her jealous expression, sighing from this rival between them as he turned his direction to the butler, "stop teasing her like that, Sebastian," warning him with indifferent tone, "I know that you two don't get along sometimes, but that doesn't mean you can just poke fun of each other whenever you two want," finishing with eyes that screams of exhaustion.
His childhood friend, however, laughed it in a friendly manner, finding his statement to be hilarious. "I cannot help myself with this situation, master Carter," he answered jokingly, "miss Yumi is a woman of many colors that I find entertaining and interesting to converse with," looking at the furious maid with an uninterested glance, "the same cannot be said the other way around unfortunately," laughing at his own joke.
"Come on, you two," he said, closing his eyes with a smile and proceeding to inhale the smoke into his mouth and lungs as he blew the air into the wind, "be more mature and considerate of the people around you," reprimanding the two in disapproval even though he finds this amusing to watch.
Seeing him again, Yumi quickly turned to his direction; her face morphed into concern and disappointment, "I already said this before but why must you keep smoking?" Concerned of his health and well being, "your health is a lot more important than that filthy object you have in your mouth," gesturing to the cigar with disdain.
The trio marched forward together while Carter's face was blank of anything, looking straight ahead without acknowledging her, merely taking a few seconds to contemplate his words, "it calms my nerves down, that is all." Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, releasing all the tension he has in his body, "nothing too bad," trying to ease her up from being fretful.
Her eyebrows twitched upon seeing her lover disregard her question once more; her mouth opened as she readied to deliver a sharp retort, only for Sebastian to intervene before it could escalate into anything else. "Unhealthy it is; addiction is a difficult illness to cure," he stated in a truthful manner, "but he knows what is good for him and what is not."
That was one thing she had to agree from this man and it is about her precious Carter knowing what he wants or not, "I understand..." Sadness shown on her face, defeat was visible in her body language, "if that is what master wants, then so be it."
Sensing the depressing atmosphere in the air, he made a small cough to catch their attention, saying, "On the plus side, if either of you guys would try out something entertaining you two might like," bringing them back to their senses while making his way through the scattered crowd, "perhaps you would be able to relate to me about that feeling," mysteriously suggesting without revealing anything else.
Confused by his strange words, they both tilted their heads slightly with puzzled looks while glancing at each other with the same questions, "your suggesting of gadget or device, sir?" Sebastian asked inquisitively, trying to understand what their master means by this.
A smirk appeared on his face. "It's a surprise," he whispered excitedly, "I promise you guys, what I am going to show you is going to be blast." His thrilled response made them stare at him with bewildered expressions, figuring to decipher what he was referring to; nevertheless, they agreed to follow him as the walk resumed for the three of them back home.
Reaching the massive dome building, they entered, where other clones are still present in the spacious lobby, mostly relaxing and conversing with one another, which he doesn't mind or care about as they have the ability to choose whatever they want to do.
Some were even still partaking in projects that required their assistance. Carter often enjoys taking a peek at their own personal progress, finding it both fascinating and astonishing how far their advancement can go through one's hands.
Entering inside a empty shaft; he peeked at the hundreds of buttons that laid before at their side, knowing each location and area that each section of this building has to offer; "number 214..." Quietly musing under his breath while his index finger pressed the button.
Almost immediately, the metal doors then closed itself as it descend downwards from the ground floor, making its way to the mysterious said section as classical music began to play inside their surroundings, "what kind of music is it, master?" Yumi curiously asked, staring at the ceiling above with curious look.
Bumping his shoulder at her lightly, he smiled kindly at her, "what would you like to listen to?" He whispered in soft tone, not wanting to disturb the music from playing, "any song in particular, anything that you want," inviting her to choose the genre that interests her.
"Hm..." Nodding her head in confirmation, she pondered on her request that she desired to listen to, "can I listen to something cute and sweet?" Her eyes sparkled with innocence that made him feel warmth in his heart, "pretty please?" Batting her eyelashes and pursing her lips, looking at his with big adorable eyes that she uses whenever she wants to have something from him.
Letting out a sigh, he conceded to her pleas, "alright, alright," chuckling at this display, "just don't get it over your head," making his way towards the wall that separates the entire place; with the touch of his hand, he slid his hand at the smooth surface that soon revealed a screen that pops out from its hidden compartment.
Showing him a wide array of musical genres that he can select at will, scrolling his fingers around, he searched for something that sounds pleasing to her ears, "here we go," pressing a few options that he thinks suits her preference, "I hope you enjoy the melody."
High-pitched voices echoed throughout the area as pop tunes played in their surroundings. With a fast tempo and fast beat, the women within the music danced and sang enthusiastically while the lyrics boasted of girl power and friendship, all while having a catchy and pleasant tune.
Seeing that he had chosen her request, she hummed with smile, "it sounds..." Before she could even finish her sentence, Sebastian cut her off with grimace, "rather plain, miss Yumi," he commented in displeasing manner, "but it will do for the time being," shaking his head in distaste.
Not liking the insult he had made towards the singer, she gave him a frown, saying, "Well, it sounds pleasant, unlike whatever dull rock you always listen to," shooting a glare at him in retaliation, "at least we can enjoy ourselves from this song instead of listening to something boring," slightly raising her voice while not losing her composure.
With her final words, the elevator then stopped; arriving in their desired destination that the master himself has selected, "alright, that is enough of arguing, you two," intervening between their potential bickering, "now let's go, we have somewhere," exiting out the shaft as the two nodded from behind before following suit.
The moment Sebastian and Yumi exited, what they saw before their eyes was unexpected; dozens of scattered human sized stasis pod filled with blue lime and embryo growing inside them along with cables connecting them to machines, tools, and other technological inventions of different varieties that laid within the walls, tables or other corners.
All the clones in here were either standing moving around or fiddling with their equipment in their hands or nearby machinery, "is this your laboratory?" Sebastian questioned, finding the many sights before his eyes rather curious in what he can observe in their vicinity.
"There are many laboratories here in this building," Carter informed him with smile, "however, that isn't important," moving his way towards nearby chair pod with operable glass door that contains a clone inside; gesturing to the two to come and inspect his handy work.
"This entertainment craft puts the person into sleep once inside by injecting gasses to put them in deep slumber state, " proudly explaining to them what it does, "allowing the user to experience their dreams at real life while simultaneously connecting their brain to a special server where they can meet and interact with people in their own imagination," he finished with grin on his face.
Quirking their eyebrow, Yumi and Sebastian stared at one another, confused of what he had meant, "in other words, this device is able to transport them into dreamland?" The maid questioned, wondering if she heard him correctly.
He nodded his head, "sort of like that," Carter clarified while clasping his hands together, "what this device does is connect one's conscious mind into the server after sensing the person's brainwaves and linking their minds through a special neurotransmitter, allowing them to safely be transported into their personal inner world inside the colossal server."
Tilting his head, Sebastian gave his opinion, "may I ask what is the purpose of such a thing, sir?" Questioned in puzzlement, not certain if this is merely another one of his creative project or something more, "why did you bother make such thing, especially when this world is already perfect? Not that I do not approve of your creation, master Carter," he assured him of this.
Sigh of understanding escaped from his lips, looking directly at his eyes with prepared answer, "because sometimes, its a way to lend of your steam from all the work and stress that we deal in daily basis," he told them in simpler way.
"There are moments when a person's mind desires to escape the mundane reality of life and immerse themselves into a new world of their own, allowing them to be in their own world where they can do anything or anything that is possible in their mind," his speech made them feel motivated from what he said, "think of it like escape but not a permanent one as he or she can still return back to their normal lives in the end, wouldn't you two like to experience it for yourself?"
