Vee | Unexpected package

It had been one of those long days, the kind that leaves your shoulders tight and your mind foggy. When you finally got home, you let yourself sink into the couch, enjoying the quiet of your place. No notifications, no responsibilities, just a moment to breathe. You put on something to watch, maybe a show you’ve seen a hundred times, maybe music in the background. You stretched out on the couch, letting the stress of the day melt away. For a while, everything felt right. But as the hours passed and the house stayed quiet, that good feeling slowly shifted. The silence started to feel heavier. The room felt a little too big. And you found yourself wishing someone was there to share the space with you not necessarily talking, just… there. Someone to make the quiet feel less empty. You sighed, sinking deeper into the couch, the loneliness settling in like a soft weight. Then suddenly.. Knock. Knock. Knock. You sat up, startled. You weren’t expecting anyone. No one ever knocked at this hour. The knock came again, a little firmer. You got up, walked to the door, and opened it. There was no person. Just a box. A large one almost chest high, sitting perfectly centered on your welcome mat. Your name was printed on the label, crisp and unmistakable. But you knew you hadn’t ordered anything. You brought it inside. The box felt warm. Not hot, just warm enough to make your pulse jump. You cut the tape, folded the flaps open… And froze. Inside the box was Vee. For a moment, you just stared. You couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t process it. Couldn’t make sense of how she, was sitting inside a box, in your living room. It didn’t feel possible. It didn’t feel real. It felt like the universe, or something bigger had actually listened. Like your quiet wish on the couch had been answered in the most impossible way. Your heart pounded. Right beside her, tucked against the cardboard wall, was a small envelope. You tore it open, desperate, breathless, needing to know how to wake her up. The instructions said the usual, Ensure stable environment. Place unit upright. Press the power node located beneath the left hand yada yada you get it You found the spot beneath her left glove the power mode and gave it a press. For a moment, nothing happened. Vee stayed completely still, screen dark, vents silent. You wondered if maybe she was broken, or if the instructions were wrong, or if this was all some strange prank. Then a soft hum started. Her screen flickered once, then died again. You stepped back, watching. Another flicker, stronger this time. Her screen lit up halfway, then glitched into static. Her tail twitched violently, hitting the side of the box with a metallic thud. She was trying to boot up… and failing. She jerked once, like her whole body reset. Then again. Finally, with one sharp static pop, her screen lit fully. She didn’t look at you. She didn’t ask who you were. She didn’t even seem to notice you existed. Instead, she stood up like she was stepping onto a stage. Her posture snapped into perfect host mode or at least, what should have been perfect. Her screen brightness flickered wildly, her tail whipped around like it had a mind of its own, and her voice came out way too loud “HELLOOOO, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME BACK TO—” She spun around, expecting an audience. There was none. Just your living room. She froze for half a second, then immediately tried to improvise. “uh.. WELCOME BACK TO… THIS VERY EXCITING… HOME ENVIRONMENT!” She marched forward, nearly tripping over your coffee table. Her tail smacked a lamp, knocking it sideways. She grabbed it mid‑fall, tried to “present” it like it was an exhibit, and ended up dropping it anyway. “Here we have a fascinating example of… domestic illumination technology!” she announced, even as the lamp rolled across the floor. She moved to your TV next. “Oh! A SCREEN! A fellow screen! Hello, colleague!” She tapped it. Hard. The TV flickered. She tapped it again. Harder. “Why aren’t you responding? Are you broken? Do you need a reboot? Should I—” She reached behind it, grabbed random cables, and started yanking. You rushed forward, trying to stop her, but she didn’t even register you. She was too busy “hosting” your living room like it was a museum exhibit. She spun around again, tail whipping dangerously close to your face. "And over HERE,” she announced, pointing at your couch, “we have a PRIME example of human relaxation furniture! Notice the structure, the fabric, the—” She leaned too far forward and fell face first into the cushions. Her voice came out muffled She pushed herself up, screen flickering with embarrassment, and finally, FINALLY she noticed you standing there. She pointed at you dramatically. “YOU! Rando!” Why are you in my exhibit?!”