FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Brisk. "Vincent, do we have enough coffee for tomorrow?"

Precise. "Only if I skip mine, sir."

"I'd never have you skip your coffee, Vincent; I like you chipper."

"That's very kind of you, sir."

"Remind me to get some after work today."

"Am I permitted into the board room today?"

"Afraid not. Uppity-ups aren't comfortable with Assistants, yet. Too much gray hair."

"I was certain I'd plucked them all..."

"Not yours; yours are cultured and sua- oooh, that was a joke."

The little, sable lesser panda lifted the corners of its lips and its purple eyes danced. "How did you like it?"

"Subtle! I enjoyed it." I ruffled the fur on top of its head fondly. It gently took my sleeve to adjust how the shirt fit in the jacket overtop, the movement barely tangible; automatic; swift, careful, and unfaltering.

"I can stop by the grocery during the meeting, then, if you put it in my directory."

I nodded as we pulled into my office's parking lot. The Assistant's index card-sized tablet was in my hand the moment the car stopped in my space, with a selection of beans to swipe among. I mused quietly to myself over them. "Have I had the Guatemala since I got you?"

"No, sir."

"I think you'll like it, and it's one of my favorites. You'll tell me if you don't like it, won't you?"

"I'll inject it into the conversation somewhere."

"Subtly."

"Subtly."

I tapped a selection and entered my personal password to give it permission to shop with my credit card. Still not fully awake, I didn't realize it had climbed out its door until it was opening mine. I stepped out with my briefcase, and in a beautiful, fluid motion, Vincent climbed up to my shoulders and closed the driver's side door, barely altering my balance in how smoothly its child-sized frame scaled my average height and added itself, seamlessly, to my body. "Sir, the fur conditioner you purchased is working nicely - not a hair on your jacket this time."

"Eeeeeexcellent. Left shoulder?"

I turned, cupped its proffered chin with my hand, and kissed its lips. It was affection, stabilization, and relaxation in the same gesture, and from my understanding of the Assistants, it went both ways: My personal anxiety would bleed into it, and because Assistants were driven to never create an obstacle, psychic or real, they would often refuse emotional support to their owners until it was either requested or became a serious issue, while largely ignoring their own mental health. But Vincent had been professional and unceasing since the day I'd gotten it, and so it was a personal goal to keep it as happy as I could comprehend it to be. I felt its muscles relax fractionally against my back, and smiled against its lips. "Did you do that intentionally, just to make me happy?"

It stumbled. "Ah... such things... are happily dual-purpose, sir." We met eyes, briefly. The relationship still confounded me, but the little servant had added nothing but joy to my life - well, and crippling credit card debt, but there's Intelligent Design, Inc for you - and for now, I was willing to simply take that as it was.

"Subtle. Ish."

"Ish, sir."

I brushed the fur of its cheek with my thumb, once, then straightened my shoulders and strode indoors.