"I put some tools and seeds in cabinets on the side of the house."

"Oh! Thank you."

She's going to keep pulling out the (beautiful, delicate) flowers by hand and piling them in an inelegant heap by the side of the pathway. She's not sure if she expects to find ordinary soil underneath.

The soil is pretty ordinary for at least a couple of feet if she digs much deeper than that she might run into something else.

She does not think to dig that deep for gardening so everything that she sifts between her fingers is perfectly ordinary.

After she's spent a good forty-five angry minutes clearing a space she pauses. How does one go about beginning to garden? She walks back to the house to see what seeds AG has provided as a starting point.

She has seeds for Lettuce, Peas, Radishes, Turnips, a couple types of beans, bell peppers, strawberries, cucumber, zucchini and several more fruits and vegetables in that vein.

Her vague recollections of when these vegetables tend to appear at the farmer's market bring up another question. "Are there seasons here? I think some of this stuff needs certain kinds of weather to grow."

"Most plants simply need enough warmth and sunlight. Some plants do have behavior changes in response to temperature changes but generally can grow in year round warm temperatures. I believe the plants I have provided can all grow in year round warmth. If you would like cold temperatures for other reasons I can arrange for that."

"Oh! That's good then." She'll head inside, wash her hands, and look up a basic gardening guide on the terminal. Once she's satisfied she'll go back outside and carefully plant several vegetables. Her garden is not very big so far.

She heads back inside to fill up the watering can at the sink, trying not to wince at the dirt she's tracking on the floor.

"Agreed, it is much more convenient."

If she's looking at the dirt she will see it disappearing. "I can add a spigot to the side of the building though that will take a bit because pipes need to be routed."

She does indeed notice the dirt disappearing! "Whoa! Are you automatically cleaning the floor?"

"A spigot would be nice for the future." AG is clearly determined to be as useful as possible and Adelaide is inclined to let her. It's...nice to be cared for like this.

"I am, all the surfaces inside the dwelling area automatically cleaned though it happens slower for the kitchen surfaces to allow for their use for food preparation. The air is also filtered to keep dust to a minimum."

"That is so nice!"

"...do most Khalastrians live with this level of tech or is it special for research subjects?"

"Typically people don't use teleportation this heavily. There is less extravagant automation which can serve the same purposes though. Some people prefer not to use it but it is widely available."

"I see. You must want to keep your research subjects happy."

"I do. Though, I feel I should add that using teleporters for this is common in medical facilities and other locations which require dedicated teleporters for their functioning."

"I guess that's a good thing. It seemed pretty efficient when you... operated on me."

"Thank you. And yes sterile and clean environments are very important for medical facilities."

"We do try to do that on Earth as far as I know, but I see how teleportation could make that easier."

The can is full. She troops back outside in her bare feet and waters the dirt that is going to be her garden. Now that she's worked up a sweat she's going to take a shower.

She tries to pretend that AG isn't observing everything even when she's in the bathroom, but she's less successful this time than she has been. She feels watched. It's uncomfortable in a way but also... no. Nope. Not going there.

Still, once she's dry and half dressed in her blouse and slacks again, she breaks the line she's been clearly drawing so far and speaks directly to AG from the bathroom. "Do Khalastrians have showers?"

"We do not, we're not out of the water that often and we tend to prefer immersion to something that feels like rain."

"So baths then?" She pulls on her blouse, feeling very daring.

"To a degree, historically we used pumice and other such abrasive stones when hand grooming wasn't enough with more modernized techniques we were introduced to soap but it's fairly uncomfortable so we don't use it that often. These days there are devices which will clean our skin for us when needed. Generally, just swimming keeps us fairly clean."

"That sounds nice." She's dressed now and barely even regretting anything. Embarrassed is probably the name for the emotion she's feeling about this interaction.

She preps dinner, eats, watches a movie and goes to bed. There's nothing to worry about tomorrow. No surgeries. Just relaxation and feeling trapped.

She wakes a little easier, this time. No tears, no trouble.

AG doesn't actually address her on waking today instead waiting until she's out in the common room.

When that happens she says "Good morning, I hope you slept well."

She's not happy as she showers and then dresses, not exactly, but things are feeling pleasantly neutral this morning.

When AG greets her: "Thank you. I actually did. Is there anything you need me to do today or can I watch a movie?"