Jack of Harts

It’s a hard thing when a toy you created wakes up and asks you if you care about her as an elaborate toy or as a real person. Especially when you can see in her eyes the worry that you’ll just throw away the toy if it isn’t entertaining enough. It’s the kind of thing that makes you look at all the worlds in a different way. It’s the kind of thing that becomes a real clarion call. I had to admit that I’d never thought of it like that. I’d never put the thoughts to words, and they sounded pretty monstrous when said like that. I could tell there were a lot of eyes watching me at the time. Far more than either Dad or Tai had guessed. I had to do some fast talking that day. And some true talking. It’s real hard to lie to top shelf AIs.