A couple's first argument since wife Dana was implanted with her new Chip-Pet, a device that allows another person to change aspects of someone's personality, body chemistry, mood, and other aspects.
Set in the Chippet Universe
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Dana was mad. No, she was furious. She'd been working all day, only to come home to a complete mess. James had tried to be romantic, tried to have a whole meal ready when she got home, but he'd made some terrible mistakes. The result was a steak that was hard as diamond and a pan coated in a thick black layer of soot.
"You're mad, aren't you?" James asks, sitting at the dining room table picking at a baked potato, the only thing he'd cooked that was even mostly edible.
"I'm not mad," Dana responded, he words short and laced with venom, "Why would I be mad? It was *really* sweet." Her words were clearly saturated in sarcasm.
"I just wanted to do something nice," James pulled his phone from his pocket as he spoke, opening a nondescript app with a collection of dials and toggles.
"And yet I'm the one in here scrubbing the pots and wiping up the oil!" Her words sharp. Dana stands in front of the sink, half hunched over it scrubbing the pan angrily. Her long dark hair hung down over the water, swaying gently as she scrubbed. Periodically she reached up using her wrist to keep the black glasses she wore from falling into the water. Her loose t-shirt and sweats concealed the impressive form of her body. They were a comfort she longed for after her long days as a project manager. After a long day in a suit and heels, nothing was sweeter than fluffy sweats and an old Metallica shirt. Dana rubbed her neck mindlessly, the small red bump at the bottom of hairline. Her neck had been sore for a few days now.
"Jesus you just do it better than-"
"Because I try! I feel like you never put any effort into fucking anything!" Dana had found her limit, "You give it two fucking seconds and if it doesn't magically resolve itself, you give up and walk away." She scrubs the pot even harder, the soapy water splashing up her arms and leaving little dark specs on her shirt.
"I would put in more effort if you were ever home!" James pressed his hand against the table, his frustration mounting. With his other hand he taps some boxes on his phone. He sets the new subliminal setting but doesn't hit the commit button. Dana turns away from the sink facing James with her arms crossed over her chest.