Deneb

The Puppet's Second Life The spirit of the puppet used to be called Loo, but she was unwilling to recall memories from those days. For now, she is content as a puppet made by Layla, and yearned nothing more than a normal life. She was tasked with protecting her master. Despite having immense powers and self-modification technologies, she's also aware of her duties, and harbored neither greed nor ambition. Grateful Seed In one incident, Deneb unleashed a surprising amount of destructive power that resulted in doubt and ostracization. She was also fearful of her impending fate of being salvaged. But a mercenary decided to stand up for her sake regardless of her rampant nature and potential risks. Deneb was extremely grateful to him and swore to repay his kindness. The current Deneb often experienced discrimination as she went about her tasks assigned by Professor Layla. Their gazes betray these words: Get away from me. Don't get too close. Stay in the room. To them, a puppet should not enjoy such immense powers, especially since Deneb experienced a rampage event before. Such artifacts should not be kept around. "Professor Layla, am I a terrifying thing? " Feeling helpless and isolated, Deneb could only seek aid from her creator. But as she walked towards Layla's labs, she overheard a dialog between Layla and Alven regarding her fate of being "salvaged". The word cut like a cold knife. The ostracization and her impending execution robbed her of any desire to ask further questions. She felt that her existence and desires meant nothing to others. But the red-haired mercenary who was willing to talk to her said a few simple words: "That isn't fair. " After Alven left Layla, Deneb blocked him and used her body language to express her current sense of fear and panic. Lacking a speech system, she feared that Alven was unable to feel her pain or understand her feelings. However, Alven patted Deneb on her head. "Don't worry. Both Layla and I know of your kindness. We will support you. " Deneb was extremely agitated and decided to use sign language to communicate a problem that always plagued her. "Is... everyone afraid of me? " "Of course not. We're not afraid. People will no longer fear you once they get to know you. " Alven never expected his simple words to exert powerful transformative powers on Deneb. Deneb thus made up her mind to repay such kindness. First Name to Speak Out Having avoided salvaging, Deneb also received a garden. She and Alven managed the garden together, and the experiences left a lasting link between the two. Never before had she experienced a greater desire for the power of speech. Other forms of communication could not satisfy her. When she finally could talk, the first word she uttered was the mercenary's name. Alven and Layla worked together and saved Deneb from being salvaged, and even acquired a garden where she could grow flowers and keep pets. Deneb's favorite hobby was to get in touch with nature and enjoy peaceful moments. Now she gained another pastime: tending the garden with the mercenary who saved her. The warmth of being cared for moved Deneb and planted a seed of romantic attachments within her. "It was not part of his duties, yet he did so much for me... I must express my gratitude. " But body language, pictures, or words were not direct or powerful enough to convey her true intents. She thus submitted a strong request to Alven and Layla: She wanted the power of speech. Layla was extremely cautious of this as she wanted to keep the fact that Loo's spirit dwelt within Deneb. "It doesn't matter who she was. She is Deneb right now. It would be sad if an ordinary girl like her is deprived the power of speech. " Alven's insistence convinced Layla to agree and fix Deneb's voice synthesis system. Deneb trembled with emotions when she heard Alven's words. He was the first person in the world to regard her as "an ordinary girl". That was the moment when she decided on the very first words to utter once she acquires the power of speech. The speech system was fixed, but learning its use would take time. Deneb tended to the gardens with Alven in the morning, and, without Alven's knowledge, practice countless times in front of a mirror during the night. When she felt everything was ready, Deneb carefully approached the sleeping Alven and placed her lips next to his ear. "Al...ven... " Alven was shocked that Deneb mastered controls over her speech system with such speed. "Alven, thank... you..." Despite having practiced thousands of times, Deneb was still extremely nervous. She broke down every word to its component syllables and struggled to pronounce every one of them to the best of her abilities. "...you... are...a...good... per...son...I...like...you... " Alven blushed. He was a little surprised and shy. Deneb gave a satisfied smile. Alven's cute response was the best gift she hoped for her efforts and sincerity.