"Is it customary to play sports at Christmas?"

"Hah, what? No...not that I know of." 

"But apparently baking is?"

"Unless you're lazy and buy shop bought things. But it's never the same as homemade stuff."

"Watching movies of the holiday is?"

"Nothing like furthering any joy and excitement."

David was silent and thinking over this for some time while remaining leaned back against Alma. They had finished the rather quick attempt of a match. She sat down cross legged and he went and sat behind her. Sitting back to back they each had a view of one of the baskets, now motionless from having the ball thrown its way. "So what's the point of this Father Christmas? It seems wrong to have a stranger come into the house to leave presents while you sleep."

"He's actually just someone's parents. He isn't real, David. Just something to tell little children, something for them to believe in and all that."

"Did you believe in him?"

"Of course. What kid hasn't?"

"Even though you knew he wasn't real?"

"I didn't know he wasn't real. Not until I was about eight. Kinda takes all the innocent fun out of Christmas then."

"The thought of him still doesn't seem right."

Alma laughed, "Yeah...yeah I know that." She said and looked around the dimly lit court space. There was only really low lighting on the walls which made the whole place feel gloomy and cold. "Are those bikes over there?" She could distinctly see something chained up and in a line. Squinting through the dark she saw wheels and bike stands. 

David lifted his head up and away from leaning on top of hers. He turned and looked over her shoulder. "Yes."

"What? Seriously why? When are we ever going to think about going for a friendly cycle? When we've landed who knows where? That's if the gravity of wherever is stable and that." David raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. Alma frowned and looked at him, "What?" 

"I think they're more for being used inside, Miss." He stated plainly, she puffed out her cheeks and nodded slowly. He watched her pat her knees and stand. 

Brushing herself down she nodded backwards towards the stationary bikes. "Want to race?"

David smiled and stood up, "You've had eight hours and forty minutes worth of sleep, you have not eaten substantially since waking, to exert more energy than you have would be unwise."  

Alma looked at him with a small frown. "So...if I sleep and actually eat you'll let me on a bike?"

"Perhaps." David narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. 

"I managed to play basketball though!"

"Barely."

"David!" She exclaimed and lightly shoved him on the shoulder. "I'm not the fittest person alive I know that, you could at least humour me."

He tilted his head and shook it slowly, "Giving you false information would be unfair to you, and painful to me." 

"Hm...yeah, I should think lying to me would hurt you somewhat. Not that I want you to be in pain or anything, David." 

"I understand your meaning, Miss."

Alma nodded and looked back to the bikes and then grinned up at him. "You can ride though, right?"

He smiled, "I know how to, yes." 

"Plenty of time to practice, right?"

"You've got it in one." David inclined his head slowly and got suddenly pulled along by the sleeve. 

"Great."

"Great?" He asked and watched Alma pull a bike forwards and lean against the handlebars and nodded at him. She straightened up and pushed it closer. "I don't understand." He didn't quite get what the slow nods down at the bike meant. 

She rolled her eyes, "I can't ride, apparently. Because someone's restricting me from getting on. But you can. Get on," David didn't question her yet did so and cast a confused look over his shoulder when she managed to climb on too. She easily balanced her feet against the bars in the wheels and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Go on...you mean to tell me you've not gone tearing around the ship on one of these?"

"Believe it or not, Miss, but I have had other things to do."

"Boring things probably."

David smiled, "Perhaps." He looked forwards and kicked off from the ground. Alma gripped onto him from the sudden movement yet remained standing and laughing. It was such an odd yet simple amusement. Corners were a bit dodgy, especially when he decided to take them too quickly and she'd grip onto him and readjust her footing so she didn't fall off. 

"No, really, David. What you got set out to do sounds boring. I'm all for learning new things...but each day every day? No wonder you got bored. I guess it's a good thing you can't get tired." She mused, "But then I always thought boredom was linked to some form of tiredness. Are you tired, David?"

"No," he replied while completing a circuit. They had just gone around the court and he turned off and into the bright corridors of the ship. "I don't know. I don't think I am able to get tired, like you said."

"Yeah I never really asked, but can you sleep?"

"No, that I am unable to do."

"Was going to ask if you could dream. Daydream then, maybe?" Alma asked curiously yet excitedly. She leaned forwards and peeked over his shoulder to see his face. He looked thoughtful, "You must ponder about things which aren't involving work that's asked of you." He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. Alma smiled softly, "David, you must have some secret aspirations. Everyone does, even you."

His expression softened, "Do you?" He asked, "But then you don't dream. How can you daydream?"

Alma laughed, "They're not totally the same thing. I mean dreams come from an unconscious part of the mind or something. They happen without us knowing. We have no real control over them. Yet daydreams we do. And yes, I do."

"What do they involve?"

"Hm...it depends. If I'm having a good day, I tend to just muse over good things."

"Like?"

"I'm not sure...daydreams are so fleeting at times!" Alma laughed and simply rested her chin against her hand which remained on his shoulder. 

"I think I would like to know what that feels like."

"It's the closest you'd get to dreaming, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience. Or maybe you won't? I'm not sure." 

"And sleeping? What is that like?"

"It's like being weightless. Just feeling yourself ebb away and become totally at peace."

David frowned. "I don't think there's anything I can do to relate to that."

"I'm sorry." 

He pulled at the brakes and steadied the bike by placing his foot on the ground. He turned his head and looked at her. "Why?" He asked curiously. He didn't understand why she looked so suddenly sad. 

"I made you as human as possible...just seemingly without a few things that you strangely would like to know about. So I'm sorry there, David."

He shook his head, "I quite like the life you gave me, Miss. By sounds of it I'm not really missing out on much. Eight hours wasted by just being motionless and...no, it doesn't sound like much. But really those hours could be spent doing something else, something more productive." 

"Like watching movies?"

"I'll have you know that that only happens when I've done everything else I'm meant to." David took a hand from the handle and pointed it her way. 

Alma just laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm not calling you out as a slacker, David, it's okay." She patted him on the shoulders and jumped down. "I'm going to attempt to find something to eat, you'll know where to find me." She waved his way and turned to go to the kitchen in an effort to see if there really was anything to eat which resembled food. Everything just looked like baby food really. It wasn't the most appetising thing in the world. But oh well, Alma managed to find something which was less baby food like in appearance and grabbed a glass of water before shuffling off. 

The kitchen was a spacious room, all bright lights and glaring white walls and seating. It actually hurt her eyes to be in there for longer than needed. So it naturally stood to reason she ended up sitting in front of a computer system still on standby. She curiously looked around with the fork peeking out from between her lips. David hadn't yet returned. The court was about a three minute walk away if that. Considering she made it seem like she'd be in the kitchen he'd naturally go there first before looking confusedly at the empty space. 

Alma typed away and flicked through the different windows which cropped up. She raised an eyebrow at foreign writings. She skimmed past, she didn't understand any of that. Though she was quite surprised David did. But then he had the capability to learn new skills and languages within an hour, well, maybe a little longer. Alma honestly wasn't certain. Maybe she'd ask him? His constant evolution really did pique her curiosity. He was more than just an android with emotional abilities. He was one of the most amazing things which Alma had ever crossed paths with really. 

Frowning at the sight of a heavy duty looking paper she commenced reading it. Her mouth opened slightly and she caught the fork before it could fall to the table surface. "So you've found the reason as to why we are all out here."

"Bloody hell!" Alma shouted and gripped her heart. She turned in her seat and looked to where David stood motionless a few paces away with his arms by his sides. 

"I shouldn't be surprised. You have always been a rather curious person, Miss. And also very able to find things out without much aid from anyone else." He said while just looking at her with a rather blank face. 

Alma sighed and ran a hand down her face. Now her heart had stopped racing thanks to him almost giving her a heart attack, she shook her head. Frowning she looked suddenly at him. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't find this out?"

"I didn't think you'd care for trawling through the system when you've got these few days of freedom." David replied while finally moving forwards and sitting by her side. He leaned against the table with his arms crossed. "What do you make of it?" He looked at her with a sidelong glance. 

"So far? Well..."

"Do you believe in it? Do you believe that there is something, someone, somewhere that created you and your species?" 

"Everything comes from something."

"So you believe in Shaw and Holloway's thesis?"

"Well..."

"As a creator it must be an odd concept for you to possibly meet yours." David said while looking towards the thesis before them. He took over the controls and shut down the system. He turned and smiled at her. "You had success," he looked suddenly pleased by her finding something to eat.

Alma mumbled something and then nodded mutely. She was trying to bypass David's sudden shift in character. From serious and stern to content and relaxed, it was sudden to say the least. She hadn't really noticed it before. The only other time was when she first stepped onto the ship. "Yeah, though it still tastes rubbish." Alma laughed a little awkwardly. 

"Are you feeling all right?" David asked seemingly picking up on her own shift of dispositions. Alma looked up at him, he was looking at her with a worried look. 

She smiled, "Don't worry about me, David. I'm good. Just really shocked that through all the money which got shoved this way, that they couldn't improve food. Like we can travel to space, we can create machinery that can pretty much do anything, yet we can't get decent food for when we're in space?" She laughed and shook her head before eating another fork full. 

"I know that's not what's wrong, or rather that's not what you wished to say. I won't pry, Miss. Just know that I shall believe you to be fine, and that I will worry if I see fit."

Alma sighed, she looked at him and rolled her eyes to look around the dimly lit space around them. She hadn't realised how dark it was really. Now that she truly sat silently she realised this whole thing was a little eerie. She looked back to David, he just sat looking at her patiently; that wasn't to say that she didn't trust David, because she did, but it was eerie, feeling like the only real living person on the edge of space. "It's your moods, David. I worry that you may go from one to another drastically." 

"I don't understand." Which he didn't. He didn't get where this just came from. 

Alma smiled a small smile his way. "It's fine. Just...ease up when you go all serious. You can be a little intense." She nodded and continued eating. It got better as it went on, she had to admit.  

"Intense is bad?" David asked while watching as she looked thoughtfully into her glass before shrugging slowly. 

"Depends what the intensity is being directed to."

"Not you, Miss."

"Well that's good," she said even if one of his moments accidentally just was. She wasn't going to mention it. Mainly because he just contently smiled her way and nodded rather innocently. "Can we relocate? This dark room is really pretty depressing." Alma picked up her food and glass and started for the main living room space. Least there the seats were more comfortable and the lights were dim, but not so dim that they'd be sitting in depressing gloom. David merely nodded silently and slipped from his seat and walked after her, he had no reason to say otherwise really. Wherever she was more comfortable, he didn't mind, just so long as he could be around too.

——

(Edited: 26/Feb/2021)