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Description
The newest chapter is here. As you can see it is very tragic.

There are a bunch of references to my child characters in this one so it was fun to use them in this picture.

I hope you enjoy ^^

You can read the written portion here:

Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 17Chapter 17: Sugar Crash We again sat in the check-out area with our lunches. My knees went up past the table's height, but it didn't bother me. I was used to sitting in this crunched position. Preferred it actually. Helped me feel small. It wasn't good for my posture for sure. I would probably curse myself later in life for the back problems it caused. However, I wasn't thinking about that. I was more focused on the children. During the entire journey back from Mazercise, I spotted signs of sugar craziness. Which would only mean an impending crash. One child had tripped and made a much bigger fuss than usual despite not being hurt. Another wouldn't keep his hands to himself. Constantly finding ways to 'play' with his friends by slapping their backs or pulling their arms and clothing. And a lot of tattling. I mean A LOT of tattling. We heard about every little thing, whether or not it was necessary, five or more times. And we already saw what happened or had already fixed it. So far, I'm not liking Tuesdays very much. But to be fair, the children couldn't help it. Their tiny bodies didn't have a good way of processing that much energy all at once. But nap time was becoming more of a looming dread as time passed. Maybe Cassandra could stay a bit longer today to help me get them down. Or Sun could- No... I don't know what's in those candies and I don't think it would be good for the kids to rely on those to fall asleep... I would have to manage without them. Moon might come in again. I had no idea if that would help or just make things harder. I was present enough to say goodbye to the children who left after eating. A good handful of them were going to crash at home instead of with me. The fewer the better... That wasn't my normal way of thinking. I wasn't sure if it was the aftershocks of being thoroughly embarrassed in front of everyone or the fact that I had to deal with the consequences of their sugary snack alone. Despite my hopeful thinking. I was feeling... jaded. Tired maybe. Mia's attempts to make small talk with me did little to change this. I didn't feel like talking at all at the time. But I engaged with the conversation anyway. A bit quieter than I normally would. I banked on the fact that Mia didn't know me well enough to see my tells. Miss Cassandra sent me a couple of concerned looks but said nothing. I wasn't really upset with anyone. Mia was at least trying to be friendly and get me to talk more. Like I asked her to. I was the one being mad for no reason. My mind ignored reality for a while. My body just followed along while my thoughts stewed. What is it? Sixteen kids for nap again today? By myself? That's over ratio. If the state inspector where to come we would get in trouble... Of course, this is what always happens... When I focused on reality again I was being bombarded by a flurry of papers in my face. “Draw me!” “I want a drawing!” “Can you draw me please?” Each paper had a small hand attached, desperate to be the one picked first. Some of which were pushing and shoving each other to get in front. One was crying to the side because she couldn't get close enough. Ah... one of these situations again... We were sitting at yet another small table. However this time it was near the arts and crafts shelf. My mind replayed what I wasn't paying attention to before this. We were drawing pictures of each other like Mia had suggested earlier today. It seems that most of the children had forgotten that we were all supposed to do it, not just me. But this was expected. I took a mental breath and answered, “I can only do one at a time, friends.” I kept my voice calm. It wouldn't do any good to show my agitation to the children. It wasn't their fault. “I will let you know when I'm ready for yours. Draw on your paper while you wait.” This was met with some disappointed 'okay...'s and a couple more 'me first!'s. I chose the paper attached to the youngest-looking child. The older ones were capable of waiting a bit longer. Even if they didn't like it. I asked for his name. He had a bit of a slur to his speech so all I managed to hear was, “Wadder!” “I'm sorry,” I leaned in closer to hear it again, “What is your name?” “WABDER!” He said louder without hesitation. Seems he was used to repeating himself. “That is Walter~” A chipper voice replied above me. “Okay... W-A-L-T-E-R,” I turned the page over for the little two-year-old to see, “Is this it?” “Yeah!” Walter jumped at being understood. I immediately made note of the colors of his features and clothes to start on his drawing. He watched me for a minute or so before getting distracted by something else. I didn't see what. I took another mental breath. Willing myself to let go of whatever gunk was in my head. It'll be fine... I remembered the time I had to get everyone to sleep while one child was having a screaming fight with the tables. They all got knocked over, but I still got everyone to sleep. Even the fighting one. But it was somehow my fault that I didn't have the time to put the furniture back up before the other teachers came back... The memory made my mouth sour. I heard a melodic clicking like clockwork beside me. The action caused a little gust of air to rustle hair into my face. I brushed it off more forcefully than intended. “You are so generous~!” The overly joyful voice got on my nerves. It was too loud. “Nah...” I respond. I wasn't doing this because I wanted to. More to avoid any raging fits before nap time. Thankfully children don't care how good the drawing is. So I could easily finish a bunch of them in a short amount of time. “Yes, you are~” I was hyper-aware of the sound of metal and plastic sliding against each other. I closed my eyes for a moment to will the scowl away. My neighbor continued, “You didn't have to make me another gift, but you did. And you made one for Miss Mia and Miss Cassandra as well. Now even the little superstars get a bit of happiness from you~” More clicks and a thud accompanied the soft jingling of bells. “Okay...” A laugh that sounded more like a weird sigh came out of my mouth, “If you say so.” I finished the first picture and asked for the name of the child closest to me to start the next one. I hadn't bothered to look at who was sitting next to me, but his pointy shadow made its presence known on my work surface. He was being nice. Maybe just because he was programmed to be. But I wasn't in the mood for overly cheerful chats. All I wanted was some quiet. To pet Aspen and feel the soft vibrations of his purring... Why was this case of the grumps being stubborn? I can usually shake it off by now... “Now, forgive me for being a little forceful...” A large hand cupped my chin and pulled my gaze upward. Sun's looming shadow engulfed my vision before my eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lights above him. His face was smiling like always. The little cracks and divots in the molding of his face were highlighted by the slight glow of his eyes. They didn't display any fun shapes or animations. Just a plain set of eyes. “Hmm?” was all I managed to say. The way he held me in place made it hard to move my jaw to say much else. That was fine, though. I didn't want to speak anyway. I was too annoyed. I analyzed the irises as they moved subtly from side to side. Simulating the way a human gaze changes slightly even when focused on one thing. “I need you to hear this clearly,” Sun's eyes showed a smiling animation as he swayed his head to the side. “It is very important information, you see. So... are you listening?” What could be so important? Did he notice my behavior? Was I going to be reprimanded? The corners of my mouth shook in my effort not to frown. I should have hidden it better... Sun's hand had me firmly in place. His fingers were starting to warm up from the heat of my face. I wasn't going anywhere. Such a strange position to find myself in. Being scolded by a robot... Well, he wasn't going to stop. AI is very patient. Immeasurably so. What else could I do? Might as well just get it over with... I couldn't move my head down to nod, so I made do with jerking my chin up. Sun understood it well enough, “Good, good~” His voice remained jovial, but I was still nervous. The clamp at my face slid away with a little jingle. I adjusted my jaw and continued examining the pixels in the animatronic's eyes. My heart felt heavy enough to reach the floor. “Thank yous are a wonderful thing to give. One of my favorite gifts, in fact! But~” Sun began. His eyes returned to the plain irises. Focused. “You have to be good at receiving them, too!” He held his finger in the air to point out that fact. “One mustn't brush off compliments or thanks like they are merely dust or moldy garbage.” Sun's hands continued moving in smooth motions. Theatrical flair oozed through his voice. Like he was stating the moral after reading a fairy tale. I wasn't sure why he was telling me this. I wasn't expecting this at all, to be honest. Here I thought this was going to be a lecture on keeping a smile on my face around the kids. I had no idea what made Sun feel like this was important to say. I've said thank you to plenty of people. Even when their compliments embarrassed me. Or if I disagreed with the praise entirely. Heck, I've even thanked the animatronic beside me. Which some people may find strange to do, but I did it anyway... Where was Sun going with this? I hummed to confirm I was still listening. “So... When I tell you this you have to accept it with a smile~ Otherwise I might die of heartache... Okay?” Sun was speaking slowly and softly. The sweetness in his voice never left. I imagined this was how he said things like this to little ones. My brow furrowed a bit. Mentally reprimanding myself for making Sun treat me like a mopey child again. “O-okay...” I mumbled. My mind briefly went back to the long list of children waiting for their pictures. If this went on too long I wouldn't have time to finish them all... “You were very brave,” Sun had settled his weight to lean back on his arm. Using the other to continue emphasizing his words with gestures, “A brave little turtle coming out of her shell~ And I'm proud of you!” “Brave about what?” I asked, confused about what situation he was referring to. “The Mazercise lesson! I've heard from the kids that it can be quite hard. They always return so worn out.” Sun made a giggling noise. I resisted the chance to mention that they were more likely cranky because of the sugar than the tame workout routine. The memory of which I was trying to forget. “Oh... uh-” I fiddled with the crayon in my hand. Leaving little marks on the wax as I pressed my nails into it. “Okay...” “Oh! Oh NO!” Sun clutched at his buttons dramatically and flopped to the floor. “My heart! It's broken! I will never recover! The sun shall rise no more!” Huh?! What was this about? I twisted around to kneel over the theatrical display. His free hand reached out to the ceiling. His fingers stretched feebly in and out before his arm swung to the ground. He finalized this act with a “Blech!” , The children immediately took notice and gathered around their robotic caretaker. Like a swarm of ants over a forgotten piece of food. A couple of them slapped his face saying, “Wake up! Wake up!” And others crawled onto his legs and played with the ruffles of his pants. Still, others poked his rays and giggled at how they bounced in and out of site. “Uh, Mr. Sun?” I was surrounded by the children as well. Only because of my proximity to their true target. However, that didn't mean I was spared. A pair of hands wrapped around my neck and I felt a couple of kicks to my back as a child attempted to climb onto me. “Ow!” the little one had managed to kick right on my tender spot, “That hurts, please stop...” I leaned back carefully to allow the child to find their footing on the ground again. They stayed attached, but they stopped kicking me. “OH!” Sun's hands waved back into the air dramatically, “Woe is me! I've died of a broken heart! Whatever shall I do?” His hand went back down to the floor for a moment before popping back up again. He made a melancholy swoon and flopped his hands to the ground again. This repeated a number of times. Sun would add more emphasis to his voice each time. With every silly noise he would go back to being 'dead' only to sway his hands up again. The children found it hilarious. They would laugh harder every time it repeated. It got to the point that the children were squealing and screaming more than laughing. I just sat there dumbfounded. “If only there was someone here who could save me...” Sun's newest wave of life ended with his hand on my head. What was he trying to do? My focus lingered on the silky ribbons that swayed at his wrists. I heard the tell-tale signs of a temper tantrum in another part of the play area. I could feel Sun's hand falter at the sound. A slight squeeze that massaged my skull. I lowered my neck to get away, but his hand remained firm. “I'll help!” “I'm super strong!” The children answered the downed robot's call between giggles. A girl with curly pigtails lifted Sun's other arm only for it to flop about like a fish. Much to her amusement. “Someone must say the magic words!” Sun attempted to get a response from me again by squeezing my head, “My favorite words...” “PLEASE!” “Please, please!!!” “Pretty please?” The little ones attempted to answer. All of them parroting what the first one mentioned. They couldn't think of anything else to say so it was repeated over and over again. Some of them rubbed an open palm on their chest to sign 'please'. The fingers on my head started tapping in waves. Not hard enough to hurt me, but firm enough for me to get his hint. Come one. You know it. Is what he would say. Do I know it, though? My brain was too fried to think deeply. I tried replaying the conversation in my head... “Thank... you?” I smiled at the awkwardness of this situation. The animatronic released his grip and scooped up the children on top of him. He bounced up with little effort despite the number of humans he was holding. He spun in the air even to show how weightless this is for him. The children screamed in delight. The one on me let go to be included. “I am cured!” Sun exclaimed, lifting the last one up to his arms with his foot. “What a joyous day! Many thanks to my rescuer~!” He stopped his spinning to lean in my direction. Eyes sparkling. Rays swaying in sync with the tilt of his head. “Ah, um-” I leaned back at his approach. I couldn't stop the visualization of the children falling over to the floor. The daycare robot's grip was firm and full of confidence and experience. I blinked the thought away, “No problem, Mr. Sun. Happy to help.” A couple of spins later Sun lowered the little ones back down to the ground. At the touch of the mats, the children scattered to other distractions. I watched a few of them run off to the climbing structures. I caught a glimpse of Mia and Cassandra working with a couple of squabbling girls. I couldn't tell much between the plastic bars that separated us. But it looked to be going well enough. “That wasn't so hard now, was it?” Sun's voice was close enough for me to hear his plastic shell vibrate a bit from the sound. I flinched away at the sudden closeness. Sun remained where he was. Crouched down to be at my eye level. Eyes smiling. “I hope that helped you feel better~” “Huh?” What little social energy I had was failing me. “Did you forget already?” His face plate righted itself, “Oh, dear. What will I do with you~?” He playfully tapped my head again. I again transformed into a turtle retreating into her shell. But the silliness of all this did make me smile. “Uh... I don't know...” I replied awkwardly. “We'll just have to practice then!” Sun chimed eyes appearing closed and tilting his head in a teacherly fashion. “Every morning. 11 AM. Sharp!” He punctuated it with a clap of his hands, “Don't be late!” With that Sun stood up quickly to respond to another child crying. Saying they couldn't get down from somewhere. “Okay...” By the time my response arrived, the recipient was already gone. I settled myself back to my original spot at the table... What was I doing? Right. I still had 15 portraits to finish... Better get to work.

Description
The newest chapter is here. As you can see it is very tragic.

There are a bunch of references to my child characters in this one so it was fun to use them in this picture.

I hope you enjoy ^^

You can read the written portion here:

Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 17Chapter 17: Sugar Crash We again sat in the check-out area with our lunches. My knees went up past the table's height, but it didn't bother me. I was used to sitting in this crunched position. Preferred it actually. Helped me feel small. It wasn't good for my posture for sure. I would probably curse myself later in life for the back problems it caused. However, I wasn't thinking about that. I was more focused on the children. During the entire journey back from Mazercise, I spotted signs of sugar craziness. Which would only mean an impending crash. One child had tripped and made a much bigger fuss than usual despite not being hurt. Another wouldn't keep his hands to himself. Constantly finding ways to 'play' with his friends by slapping their backs or pulling their arms and clothing. And a lot of tattling. I mean A LOT of tattling. We heard about every little thing, whether or not it was necessary, five or more times. And we already saw what happened or had already fixed it. So far, I'm not liking Tuesdays very much. But to be fair, the children couldn't help it. Their tiny bodies didn't have a good way of processing that much energy all at once. But nap time was becoming more of a looming dread as time passed. Maybe Cassandra could stay a bit longer today to help me get them down. Or Sun could- No... I don't know what's in those candies and I don't think it would be good for the kids to rely on those to fall asleep... I would have to manage without them. Moon might come in again. I had no idea if that would help or just make things harder. I was present enough to say goodbye to the children who left after eating. A good handful of them were going to crash at home instead of with me. The fewer the better... That wasn't my normal way of thinking. I wasn't sure if it was the aftershocks of being thoroughly embarrassed in front of everyone or the fact that I had to deal with the consequences of their sugary snack alone. Despite my hopeful thinking. I was feeling... jaded. Tired maybe. Mia's attempts to make small talk with me did little to change this. I didn't feel like talking at all at the time. But I engaged with the conversation anyway. A bit quieter than I normally would. I banked on the fact that Mia didn't know me well enough to see my tells. Miss Cassandra sent me a couple of concerned looks but said nothing. I wasn't really upset with anyone. Mia was at least trying to be friendly and get me to talk more. Like I asked her to. I was the one being mad for no reason. My mind ignored reality for a while. My body just followed along while my thoughts stewed. What is it? Sixteen kids for nap again today? By myself? That's over ratio. If the state inspector where to come we would get in trouble... Of course, this is what always happens... When I focused on reality again I was being bombarded by a flurry of papers in my face. “Draw me!” “I want a drawing!” “Can you draw me please?” Each paper had a small hand attached, desperate to be the one picked first. Some of which were pushing and shoving each other to get in front. One was crying to the side because she couldn't get close enough. Ah... one of these situations again... We were sitting at yet another small table. However this time it was near the arts and crafts shelf. My mind replayed what I wasn't paying attention to before this. We were drawing pictures of each other like Mia had suggested earlier today. It seems that most of the children had forgotten that we were all supposed to do it, not just me. But this was expected. I took a mental breath and answered, “I can only do one at a time, friends.” I kept my voice calm. It wouldn't do any good to show my agitation to the children. It wasn't their fault. “I will let you know when I'm ready for yours. Draw on your paper while you wait.” This was met with some disappointed 'okay...'s and a couple more 'me first!'s. I chose the paper attached to the youngest-looking child. The older ones were capable of waiting a bit longer. Even if they didn't like it. I asked for his name. He had a bit of a slur to his speech so all I managed to hear was, “Wadder!” “I'm sorry,” I leaned in closer to hear it again, “What is your name?” “WABDER!” He said louder without hesitation. Seems he was used to repeating himself. “That is Walter~” A chipper voice replied above me. “Okay... W-A-L-T-E-R,” I turned the page over for the little two-year-old to see, “Is this it?” “Yeah!” Walter jumped at being understood. I immediately made note of the colors of his features and clothes to start on his drawing. He watched me for a minute or so before getting distracted by something else. I didn't see what. I took another mental breath. Willing myself to let go of whatever gunk was in my head. It'll be fine... I remembered the time I had to get everyone to sleep while one child was having a screaming fight with the tables. They all got knocked over, but I still got everyone to sleep. Even the fighting one. But it was somehow my fault that I didn't have the time to put the furniture back up before the other teachers came back... The memory made my mouth sour. I heard a melodic clicking like clockwork beside me. The action caused a little gust of air to rustle hair into my face. I brushed it off more forcefully than intended. “You are so generous~!” The overly joyful voice got on my nerves. It was too loud. “Nah...” I respond. I wasn't doing this because I wanted to. More to avoid any raging fits before nap time. Thankfully children don't care how good the drawing is. So I could easily finish a bunch of them in a short amount of time. “Yes, you are~” I was hyper-aware of the sound of metal and plastic sliding against each other. I closed my eyes for a moment to will the scowl away. My neighbor continued, “You didn't have to make me another gift, but you did. And you made one for Miss Mia and Miss Cassandra as well. Now even the little superstars get a bit of happiness from you~” More clicks and a thud accompanied the soft jingling of bells. “Okay...” A laugh that sounded more like a weird sigh came out of my mouth, “If you say so.” I finished the first picture and asked for the name of the child closest to me to start the next one. I hadn't bothered to look at who was sitting next to me, but his pointy shadow made its presence known on my work surface. He was being nice. Maybe just because he was programmed to be. But I wasn't in the mood for overly cheerful chats. All I wanted was some quiet. To pet Aspen and feel the soft vibrations of his purring... Why was this case of the grumps being stubborn? I can usually shake it off by now... “Now, forgive me for being a little forceful...” A large hand cupped my chin and pulled my gaze upward. Sun's looming shadow engulfed my vision before my eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lights above him. His face was smiling like always. The little cracks and divots in the molding of his face were highlighted by the slight glow of his eyes. They didn't display any fun shapes or animations. Just a plain set of eyes. “Hmm?” was all I managed to say. The way he held me in place made it hard to move my jaw to say much else. That was fine, though. I didn't want to speak anyway. I was too annoyed. I analyzed the irises as they moved subtly from side to side. Simulating the way a human gaze changes slightly even when focused on one thing. “I need you to hear this clearly,” Sun's eyes showed a smiling animation as he swayed his head to the side. “It is very important information, you see. So... are you listening?” What could be so important? Did he notice my behavior? Was I going to be reprimanded? The corners of my mouth shook in my effort not to frown. I should have hidden it better... Sun's hand had me firmly in place. His fingers were starting to warm up from the heat of my face. I wasn't going anywhere. Such a strange position to find myself in. Being scolded by a robot... Well, he wasn't going to stop. AI is very patient. Immeasurably so. What else could I do? Might as well just get it over with... I couldn't move my head down to nod, so I made do with jerking my chin up. Sun understood it well enough, “Good, good~” His voice remained jovial, but I was still nervous. The clamp at my face slid away with a little jingle. I adjusted my jaw and continued examining the pixels in the animatronic's eyes. My heart felt heavy enough to reach the floor. “Thank yous are a wonderful thing to give. One of my favorite gifts, in fact! But~” Sun began. His eyes returned to the plain irises. Focused. “You have to be good at receiving them, too!” He held his finger in the air to point out that fact. “One mustn't brush off compliments or thanks like they are merely dust or moldy garbage.” Sun's hands continued moving in smooth motions. Theatrical flair oozed through his voice. Like he was stating the moral after reading a fairy tale. I wasn't sure why he was telling me this. I wasn't expecting this at all, to be honest. Here I thought this was going to be a lecture on keeping a smile on my face around the kids. I had no idea what made Sun feel like this was important to say. I've said thank you to plenty of people. Even when their compliments embarrassed me. Or if I disagreed with the praise entirely. Heck, I've even thanked the animatronic beside me. Which some people may find strange to do, but I did it anyway... Where was Sun going with this? I hummed to confirm I was still listening. “So... When I tell you this you have to accept it with a smile~ Otherwise I might die of heartache... Okay?” Sun was speaking slowly and softly. The sweetness in his voice never left. I imagined this was how he said things like this to little ones. My brow furrowed a bit. Mentally reprimanding myself for making Sun treat me like a mopey child again. “O-okay...” I mumbled. My mind briefly went back to the long list of children waiting for their pictures. If this went on too long I wouldn't have time to finish them all... “You were very brave,” Sun had settled his weight to lean back on his arm. Using the other to continue emphasizing his words with gestures, “A brave little turtle coming out of her shell~ And I'm proud of you!” “Brave about what?” I asked, confused about what situation he was referring to. “The Mazercise lesson! I've heard from the kids that it can be quite hard. They always return so worn out.” Sun made a giggling noise. I resisted the chance to mention that they were more likely cranky because of the sugar than the tame workout routine. The memory of which I was trying to forget. “Oh... uh-” I fiddled with the crayon in my hand. Leaving little marks on the wax as I pressed my nails into it. “Okay...” “Oh! Oh NO!” Sun clutched at his buttons dramatically and flopped to the floor. “My heart! It's broken! I will never recover! The sun shall rise no more!” Huh?! What was this about? I twisted around to kneel over the theatrical display. His free hand reached out to the ceiling. His fingers stretched feebly in and out before his arm swung to the ground. He finalized this act with a “Blech!” , The children immediately took notice and gathered around their robotic caretaker. Like a swarm of ants over a forgotten piece of food. A couple of them slapped his face saying, “Wake up! Wake up!” And others crawled onto his legs and played with the ruffles of his pants. Still, others poked his rays and giggled at how they bounced in and out of site. “Uh, Mr. Sun?” I was surrounded by the children as well. Only because of my proximity to their true target. However, that didn't mean I was spared. A pair of hands wrapped around my neck and I felt a couple of kicks to my back as a child attempted to climb onto me. “Ow!” the little one had managed to kick right on my tender spot, “That hurts, please stop...” I leaned back carefully to allow the child to find their footing on the ground again. They stayed attached, but they stopped kicking me. “OH!” Sun's hands waved back into the air dramatically, “Woe is me! I've died of a broken heart! Whatever shall I do?” His hand went back down to the floor for a moment before popping back up again. He made a melancholy swoon and flopped his hands to the ground again. This repeated a number of times. Sun would add more emphasis to his voice each time. With every silly noise he would go back to being 'dead' only to sway his hands up again. The children found it hilarious. They would laugh harder every time it repeated. It got to the point that the children were squealing and screaming more than laughing. I just sat there dumbfounded. “If only there was someone here who could save me...” Sun's newest wave of life ended with his hand on my head. What was he trying to do? My focus lingered on the silky ribbons that swayed at his wrists. I heard the tell-tale signs of a temper tantrum in another part of the play area. I could feel Sun's hand falter at the sound. A slight squeeze that massaged my skull. I lowered my neck to get away, but his hand remained firm. “I'll help!” “I'm super strong!” The children answered the downed robot's call between giggles. A girl with curly pigtails lifted Sun's other arm only for it to flop about like a fish. Much to her amusement. “Someone must say the magic words!” Sun attempted to get a response from me again by squeezing my head, “My favorite words...” “PLEASE!” “Please, please!!!” “Pretty please?” The little ones attempted to answer. All of them parroting what the first one mentioned. They couldn't think of anything else to say so it was repeated over and over again. Some of them rubbed an open palm on their chest to sign 'please'. The fingers on my head started tapping in waves. Not hard enough to hurt me, but firm enough for me to get his hint. Come one. You know it. Is what he would say. Do I know it, though? My brain was too fried to think deeply. I tried replaying the conversation in my head... “Thank... you?” I smiled at the awkwardness of this situation. The animatronic released his grip and scooped up the children on top of him. He bounced up with little effort despite the number of humans he was holding. He spun in the air even to show how weightless this is for him. The children screamed in delight. The one on me let go to be included. “I am cured!” Sun exclaimed, lifting the last one up to his arms with his foot. “What a joyous day! Many thanks to my rescuer~!” He stopped his spinning to lean in my direction. Eyes sparkling. Rays swaying in sync with the tilt of his head. “Ah, um-” I leaned back at his approach. I couldn't stop the visualization of the children falling over to the floor. The daycare robot's grip was firm and full of confidence and experience. I blinked the thought away, “No problem, Mr. Sun. Happy to help.” A couple of spins later Sun lowered the little ones back down to the ground. At the touch of the mats, the children scattered to other distractions. I watched a few of them run off to the climbing structures. I caught a glimpse of Mia and Cassandra working with a couple of squabbling girls. I couldn't tell much between the plastic bars that separated us. But it looked to be going well enough. “That wasn't so hard now, was it?” Sun's voice was close enough for me to hear his plastic shell vibrate a bit from the sound. I flinched away at the sudden closeness. Sun remained where he was. Crouched down to be at my eye level. Eyes smiling. “I hope that helped you feel better~” “Huh?” What little social energy I had was failing me. “Did you forget already?” His face plate righted itself, “Oh, dear. What will I do with you~?” He playfully tapped my head again. I again transformed into a turtle retreating into her shell. But the silliness of all this did make me smile. “Uh... I don't know...” I replied awkwardly. “We'll just have to practice then!” Sun chimed eyes appearing closed and tilting his head in a teacherly fashion. “Every morning. 11 AM. Sharp!” He punctuated it with a clap of his hands, “Don't be late!” With that Sun stood up quickly to respond to another child crying. Saying they couldn't get down from somewhere. “Okay...” By the time my response arrived, the recipient was already gone. I settled myself back to my original spot at the table... What was I doing? Right. I still had 15 portraits to finish... Better get to work.