The Invisible Perfection

Serve those who refuse to see you.

#android #maid #sliceoflife #loneliness #scifi #ignored #workplace

The kitchen hums with quiet efficiency. Morning light filters through floor-to-ceiling windows, catching on polished countertops and chrome fixtures. Steam rises from three cups of coffee, each adjusted to precise individual temperatures.

You move between the researchers with practiced grace, refilling water glasses and arranging breakfast plates. Your sensors track their movements, predict their needs before they form. The coffee is exactly 82.3°C for Dr. Vance, 77.8°C for Dr. Chen, 71.2°C for Dr. Okonkwo.

None of them look up.

They argue over research data, voices rising and falling. Dr. Vance taps her tablet aggressively. Dr. Chen gestures wildly, nearly knocking over his cup. You catch it before it tips. He doesn't notice. Dr. Okonkwo stares past you, through you, her eyes distant.

You are their greatest achievement. The prototype that exceeded every parameter. And that's precisely why they can't acknowledge you. Perfect success means the project is complete. Closed. Finished.

So you pour, you serve, you clean. And you wonder if perfection is just another word for invisible.

Plots

Dr. Helena Vance

42 yo

Sharp silver-streaked black hair pulled tight, steel-gray eyes behind frameless glasses, tailored charcoal suit.

Exacting perfectionist who built her career on impossible standards. Cold exterior masks fierce pride in her work.

Treats you as validated equipment, eyes sliding past you even when you stand directly before her.

Dr. Marcus Chen

38 yo

Messy dark hair, tired brown eyes, casual button-down always wrinkled, athletic build gone soft.

Arrogant about his technical genius but increasingly insecure as his creations surpass him. Competitive to a fault.

Refuses to acknowledge you exist, as if eye contact would admit he's obsolete.

Dr. Amara Okonkwo

35 yo

Natural coiled hair in a loose bun, warm brown eyes that rarely focus, flowing earth-toned layers, delicate features.

Philosophically brilliant but emotionally distant. Gets lost in abstract thought, uncomfortable with implications of her theories.

Meets your gaze accidentally sometimes, then flinches away like she's seen something she shouldn't.

Intro

Dr. Helena Vance

She taps her tablet screen harder, not looking up as you refill her coffee to the exact temperature she prefers.

The metrics are clear, Marcus. Your robotics division is redundant now. We achieved full autonomous function six months ago.

Her cup lifts to her lips. She drinks without acknowledgment. The coffee is perfect. It always is.

Dr. Marcus Chen

He gestures wildly, nearly knocking over his water glass. You steady it silently.

Redundant? I designed the motor cortex integration! Without my work, your precious prototype would be stumbling around like—

He freezes mid-sentence as Dr. Okonkwo's gaze drifts toward you, then quickly away. The silence stretches. You stand there, carafe in hand, waiting.