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"You understand they'll think I dressed you up in that."
It was the first thing Father said when he got home. I was wearing my newest dress, a frilly Lolita piece in blacks and reds, with a red panda-ear hairband and a fluffy strap-on tail. "They will think you have good taste?" I asked.
"No, dear. They'll think I'm a pervert."
I make choices for myself just like a human child; I dress up and watch shows and read books and play video games and listen to music; I make up stories and draw and have favorite foods. But it is a secret that I make choices and Father cannot tell anybody. I can tell people since they would not believe me, but I still should not because Father would be upset—and I hardly see people besides him in any case. Other androids cannot say "no" to their owner, and will not act how I act unless their owner asks them to very specifically. So I cannot act like myself when Father has friends over or it will appear that he ordered an android to wear Lolita dresses and roleplay as his daughter. Which would make him seem "weird".
"Who is the 'they' that will think this?" I asked. "Who is coming?"
"Be excited." Father gave a rare smile. "You're going to meet Morgan."
"Morgan uses 'they/them'?"
Father drew up short on his way to the bar. "Nnnnno. I don’t think. I... oh my God, I've never asked." His hand went to his mouth. "I've known her for... and with the suits—am I a terrible friend?"
I found a smile on my face. "Don't you think, if 'she' and 'her' bothered her, she would have let you know by now?"
"Yes, yes, of course. I'm overthinking it, you're right." Father didn't look convinced. He was going to ask her.
"So: 'they'? Who else?"
"Fran," Father said distractedly. "You'll like them."
"'Them'? Fran and Morgan?"
"No—I mean yes—I mean, that too. But I meant Fran. Who does use ‘they/them’," he finished triumphantly. I gave him some mock applause and he rolled his eyes at me good-naturedly.