"Do me a favor, AL," Enidri said as she kept her lone eye focused on the empty shot glass in her hand. With her hand she tapped the bottom of the glass against the glassy black counter. The robotic bartender are the other side of the counter turned it's round head and stared at her with bright white eyes that lit up behind a dark black panel.

"It is in my protocol to please all customers," the robot replied in an appropriately mechanical manner. "Provided that sufficient Tokens are provided."

"Yeah, yeah." Enidri gestured towards the robot with a shoving motion of her hand. "I know the deal. I've got some Tokens to spare at the moment." She brought up a panel and proceeded to transfer funds from her account to that of the bar. The robot's eyes lit up once the transaction was complete. It slid over on its wheels and parked itself in front of Enidri. AL reached out one of its metal hands and kept the fingers wide open, offering to take Enidri's glass. She placed it inside the robot's palm.

"What do you require of me?" AL asked. 

Enidri turned her head around and looked into the depths of the bar. The room was dark. The only lighting game from long and narrow red neon fixtures that lined the corners of the building. The tables behind her were modestly populated with a few patrons enjoying their meal and drinks with company. Inside were the regulars; older individuals that spent much of their middle and later years emptying bottles. On each face was a look of apathy as they either waited for drunkenness to kick in. Or it had already set. 

She looked back at the automated bartender in front of her once more. It still held onto her shot glass as it awaited her next command by staring at her with big, vibrant and digital white eyes. She sighed as she scratched the back of her head.  "Think you could... listen to me for a bit?"

"Of course," AL replied. "You've paid enough Tokens for fifteen minutes."

"Don't say it so loud!" Enidri said as she quickly looked behind her to see if anyone was listening. The scene looked identical to what it did the last time she checked. "I just want to talk to someone, alright?"

"Understood," the robot said in a monotonous tone.

The woman gave the rest of the bar one more glance over before returning to face AL once more. "So..." she said in a low voice, "Uh... how's business."

"Revenue has plummeted since the sudden absence of many of the city's Exterminators," the robot stated as it wiped out Enidri's shot glass with a cloth. "And the bar owner has expressed interest in decommissioning me to save on costs."

"That's rough," Enidri replied.

"I show no concern for the matter. I wasn't programmed to show a desire to continue functioning."

"Oh yeah. Sometimes I forget that you're just a robot." Enidri leaned forward in her seat and with ends of her fingers gave AL a gentle tap on its metallic shaft of an arm. "Don't worry. I'll put in a good word for your boss. I won't let him decommission you."

"I remain indifferent on the topic," AL said. It turned around placed the glass into a sink filled with water before turning around to face Enidri again. "And you paid for a Listening Session. Four minutes remain."

"Gah," Enidri muttered. She fumbled through her banking screen again and sent another round of Tokens to the bar. "There. That should be enough for all night. You think with how much I've spent on these things, you'd be willing to chat just for the sake of chatting."

"That would contradict the bar's business model."

"Whatever." Enidri propped one elbow on the counter and rested her head on her hand. She drummed her fingers across the surface of the counter as she stared blankly towards the wall of drinks. "Ask me something."

"What would you like me to ask?" AL inquired. 

"Anything. Just... try to get a conversation going. Shouldn't be too hard for you to come up with something seeing how many times I've been here."

The robot froze. There was a short silence as AL computed a single question to ask. "How was your last Exterminating session?"

"That's a good start." Enidri sighed. "Too bad it was the same as always. Killed a couple of Spittlers. More than a few Lurkers. Same old, same old."

"We have had this conversation, Enidri," AL responded in its usual blunt manner.

"I remember. But maybe I want to have it again! I paid my Listening fee. Can't you just let me get on with my story."

AL lowered and waved its hand. "Continue."

"As I was saying. I killed a few Spittlers and Lurkers. The usual." There was a pause. AL stared at Enidri with it's bright, round glowing eyes. 

"Continue."

"You're not really listening, are you?" Enidri asked. 

"I am. This conversation is being recorded as proof of receipt."

Enidri rolled her lone eye upwards. "Okay, technically you're listening. But you don't really care what I have to say, do you?"

"It's not in my programming to depict concern when a patron only pays for a Listening session."

"Ugh..." Enidri folded her arms on top of the counter. She dropped her head onto her forearms and bumped the entire counter. "Just forget it."

"Refunds are not issued to unused Listening Session time."

Enidri sighed. She kept her face buried within her elbow. AL took its attention off of her and returned to its cleaning tasks. An extended period of nothingness ensued. Enidri remained motionless, her head continuing to use her arms as makeshift pillows while AL continued to chip away its never ending set of tasks and chores. The other patrons slowly left the bar. The sound of a gentle rain snuck into the restaurant's space whenever the door opened. 

"Some conversations you have," Enidri snapped while keeping her head buried into her elbow. 

"My primary functions are serving drinks, cleaning glasses and listening. Maintaining dialogue with patrons is only a secondary operation."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Enidri tapped her screen again. "I went ahead and sent you some extra Tokens your way. At least you're honest. I can appreciate that."

"I require no use for Tokens. That money goes directly into the owner's banking account."

"You're welcome."

Enidri spun around in her seat. She leaned back against the counter and stared at the door. "I'd head out but there's nothing worse than riding an open-chassis carrier in the rain."

"There are services you can call that will give you a ride home."

"No thanks," Enidri turned around and shook her head. "Those guys charge too much. And I don't trust them flying out in the rain like this."

"Then your best option is to wait." AL began aligning the bottles that lined the shelves, making sure the labels could be seen by those that entered the bar.

"Fine. Maybe I'll have another drink to pass the time away. How about you get me... a..." Before Enidri could finish her selection, the door to the entrance flung wide open. A wet and chilly breeze rushed throughout the entirety of the bar. Enidri's jacket ruffled from the sudden gust. She angled her head slight to the left and eyed the individual that stepped inside. 

His entire body was soaked as he stood in the doorway, dripping water on the ground. The man's face was obscured by his long wet and hair that dangled in front of his low head. His upper body was completely bare, showing off his slim yet lean physique. From the waist down, the limited lighting of the night obscured the finer details, but it was clear enough that he wore a pair of long pants accompanied by a chain around the hem of his waist. The man's breathing was slow and heavy as he held open the door with one hand. Rain and wind continued to spill into the bar room, drawing the attention of AL.

"We request that you do not hold the door open," the robot stated in a calm manner. 

"Apologies," the man replied. His voice was tired. Despite the weariness, there was a hint of youth. He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him. He trudged further into the bar. The lighting made the other aspects of his appearance more visible. Long scars coated his upper body. They were red, indicating that they were somewhat fresh. Bandages wrapped around his abdomen, with the excess trailing behind him. His drenched hair still drooped in front of his face, obscuring it almost completely. 

Enidri faced forward, avoiding looking at the other patron any longer. She watched the reflection of the man in the bottles in front of her, clenching one of her fists when she saw that he was heading straight to the seat adjacent to her spot on the counter. Despite the proximity of the soaked man, she remained focused on staring ahead. 

He pulled the stool next to her, making it creak as the legs grinded against the tile floor. He took a seat, letting water drip onto the floor. Enidri didn't bother to turn her head. 

"I'm trying to have a conversation, here," she said, looking straight ahead. 

"Although you did pay for a Listening Session, you didn't choose a private one," AL replied. "Customers are free to participate as they wish."

"Thanks for looking out, for me, AL," Enidri groaned, making no attempt to conceal her annoyance. 

"Are you... Miss Saelex?" the man asked, unable to hide to his exhaustion. Enidri bobbed her head up but didn't commit to turning her head fully to the side. 

"What's it to you?"

"I've come asking for assistance."

Art Spotlight: Enidri Saelex