FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Grand platforms floated through an expanse of snow white clouds. Each platform served a different purpose for the inhabitants and visitors of the planet. On one of the many platforms, a single building sat waiting for visitation. It was inside of that building where information was gathered from professionals and academics of all sorts who wanted their findings to be public domain. Great rows of servers sat around on the inside like great bookshelves with displays in front of them where anyone could access the information available, and surprisingly, there were only three employees. One for maintenance, one for management, and one for cataloging the information who sat at the front desk. They were a short robot with smooth olive synthetic metal and large hands with digits that were tapping away rapidly at the display in front of them. The robot wore a sleeveless robe that fell just between their legs that were not covered. Their thin wire tail was coiled around one of their digitigrade legs and connected to one of the many ports below the front desk. Glowing orange eyes stared at the display with an almost hungry look behind the light. They only turned their attention away from the display when the front door to the archives opened up.

Ireh sighed happily as their little digits continued to type away at the screen. Their job of working with information was a dream come true. They hadn't necessarily been built for this task, but it had certainly been the one that had called to them the most. Today they were sorting some information which they had already seen and even though that wasn't as interesting, it was still something that they cherished. Information flowing from one place to another always filled them with a certain stimulation that made their circuits grow hot and their mind grow fuzzy. It felt even better with the attachments to their body, but they had to keep it under wraps while working, or at the very least, wait until the day slowed down. At the very least they could engross themselves in this work, of course, they would have to pause their fun whenever someone came by to drop off some new info. Perhaps signaled by their sudden thoughts, Ireh heard the front door open.

They looked over their display with their sharp antenna twitching as they heard heavy footsteps. Ireh saw the source of the sound and beamed. A large lupine figure with four amber eyes and black fur stepped to the front desk and inclined their head slightly. In the most polite voice they could summon, Ireh said, "Welcome to the interplanetary archives in the service of the public. My name is Ireh, how may I help you today?"

The wolf set down a small chip on the desk, "This...It is my study into a particular planet's history. It has been approved and the historical federation has accepted it. I wish to submit it for the public. Do you, ah, need an explanation of what is in the study?"

Ireh calmly took up the chip in hand, though they wanted to hop up and down like an idiot on their seat. Their voice came out just as steady as their demeanor, "Not at all! I'll be able to check it out myself. I'll just need your name for accreditation"

"Tr'en."

With an almost loving care, they set the chip inside of the feed underneath their desk and watched as the display before them lit up with several documents containing research papers and findings. They opened up a new slot in the archives and gently tapped out the name of the wolf. Ireh was almost shocked at the amount of information in that tiny chip. There were pages and pages of papers to sort through on the indigenous people of a planet that had been thought to have been devoid of life up until exploration and that was only what they could see on a quick skim. If they had it installed, they would be drooling right now, but instead, their glowing eyes were growing wide and if their tail were detached from its port then it would certainly be wagging like mad. Ireh had even forgotten that Tr'en was still there.

"Fuuuck me there is so much here! Gosh, just a cursory glance and I can see at least three separate fully written papers. That tiny chip held so much in it. I'm gonna be spending nearly all my shift pouring over this and I might just have to do it again just to understand the contents for myself. Mph! If it weren't for my upgrades my innards would be fried right now from this stupid heat."

A throat being cleared caught their attention and tore them from their little chirps and moans. Ireh's eyes blinked and they peeked over the display to see that the wolf was standing there and most assuredly had heard them uttering such embarrassing things.

Ireh's words came out slowly colored with their embarrassment, "I uh...See you're still here. I'm sorry you had to hear me like that."

"Think nothing of it." Grumbled the wolf.

A silence sat between them for a moment with the wolf looking down at them with those amber orbs and Ireh felt like those eyes were boring right through them, "I...Can I help you with something else?"

Tr'en scratched behind one of their ears before looking away, "I uh...Maybe? I'm just curious. About--"

"That embarrassing display?" Ireh finished with a sigh.

"Not embarrassing..." The wolf then looked away while covering his mouth, "I'd say, more cute."

Ireh felt a spark snap across their body as they wondered if that was the wolf's form of flirting, "Hah, wow! Cute? I uh, never heard that one before. My co-workers just usually call my fixation with information a little weird or kinky, but never cute. I mean, thanks! But, that's really all there is to it. Sorting information, learning new things, it kinda makes me feel weird in a good way. Makes me feel even better with the upgrades." Deciding that maybe talking about their chassis might be a bit too personal, they skipped those details to return to their love of information, "Y-you see. I value information and the way it is used above all else and ever since I was built I found myself gravitating toward dealing with that. I just thought it was a simple focus at first, but I learned later in life that not all synth life forms feel this way about their occupations and focus."

The robot then took a deep pause and looked down at their feet before looking up and letting out a puff, "I...I was really talking too much there wasn't I?"

Much to the surprise of the talkative robot, the wolf was smiling. The words were just as surprising too, "Not at all. Passion is a pretty thing. If you weren't at work then I'd ask if you maybe wanted to speak on a more personal level."

Ireh's eyes flashed from orange to a bright pink and back to normal as they tried to retain their composure while asking, "Are...Are you asking me out on a date?" The wolf simply nodded and Ireh tapped the display before them to check their schedule, "I...I have tomorrow off which is wonderful if you're free at that time. I'm so sorry if I seem flustered but you know, I just never get this type of thing at work or when talking about work. There are only a select few people who can really stand that sort of talk and of course I'd meet one at work."

Again, the sound of a throat being cleared interrupted their train of thought and the robot looked up to see that the wolf had produced a small personal pad. Tr'en slid the pad on the front desk and it extended and lit up to reveal the wolf's contact information. Ireh beamed happily and brought up their wrist where their own personal display appeared and they tapped in the wolf's info before letting their own appear.

Once that exchange was done, Tr'en took their pad and placed it in the fluff of his chest, "Tomorrow evening, maybe around six? Maybe a movie and some conversation?"

Ireh nodded happily, "Yes! That sounds fantastic! I'll uh, keep it in mind! If anything happens I'll call you."

With a small wave, the wolf saw himself out leaving Ireh sitting at their desk with their eyes flashing a mixture of pink and their normal default orange. Slowly, they took their digit and slid something on their display before tapping at it rapidly.

An orb flew in from the ceiling with a bright red glowing eye and accompanying it was a very irritated voice, "What?! Stop pressing that! I connected the call feature to my head so I can hear that damnable ringing! I didn't think the pragmatic applications of such a thing would be outweighed by the fact that both of you love to spam the hell out of it when you need something."

Ireh reached up and clutched their round boss to draw them closer to their own face, "Boss I got a date!"

Perhaps, if the orb could emote, they would have frowned deeply or maybe some sort of scowl. Ireh couldn't see it, but they could certainly feel the emotion practically pouring off of their bosses glowing eye, but still ever professional the orb said, "Good for you, but why are you telling me this when we're both on the clock."

"Because today is slow."

The orb's light flashed at them, "That's no excuse! Look there! I just saw that you have a new set of documents to put into the system and be expedient about it. I know that you like learning new things, but you don't have to read every single thing that is put into the system. Now, is that all you need me for?"

"No."

The orb sighed, "What else do you need me for?"

"Dating advice."

The orb looked at them for a moment before beginning to float away. Ireh frowned and tapped the button on the display before the orb scowled, "Okay, you're serious. Why are you serious about that question?"

"Because you're worldly and you're honest with how annoying I am."

A sound akin to a snort filtered through the orb's vocal module, "Really? Me? Wordly? Hardly! I am a unite whose sole purpose is connection to this archive. I manage you and your co-worker and I double check that all the information is properly stored. I might know a lot because of my position, but that doesn't mean anything. Wordly experience is gained through action dear worker of mine, besides, you've been on dates before."

Ireh nodded, "Well...I always ask you for advice on those other occasions don't I?"

"Yes and I still don't know why! You're a socialite despite your misgivings and tendency to poke your nose in anything text related, so just be you and you'll be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some important things to be doing."

The orb floated back off to the top levels of the archive leaving Ireh to sit there looking at their display. It was true that they had experience, but they couldn't help but feel nervous. Interactions with other life forms were always variable. It was something that they couldn't learn, and that was absolutely terrifying and exciting all at once. Whatever tomorrow evening would bring would certainly be fun and interesting, but Ireh just hoped that they wouldn't mess up.

That evening, Ireh prepared for their date in their room, a storm brewing in their mind as they picked out what to wear and how to look. In a carpeted room full of books and data pads, Ireh stood in front of a mirror. They posed and turned as they looked at their body with orange blinking eyes. Ireh was gearing up for the date tomorrow and unsure if their current upgrades were good enough to handle anything saucy. At the moment, they had a cock and balls with an ass that could handle a good rough pounding if need be, but they weren't sure if that was what they wanted, or what they really needed anyway. Maybe their date would consider it a little weird that they had these upgrades as a robot or maybe their date prefered one thing or another, and most importantly they weren't really sure what they wanted today. While deciding if their genital choice would stick or not, they flicked their hand near the mirror and a display popped up. They tapped a few numbers on the display's pad and waited as it began to ring.

"Hello?"

Ireh smiled just a bit and moved to the closet near the mirror to begin fishing through it, "Hey J. Do you have a moment?"

The voice on the other line answered, "Yeah, a bit and a half, unless you're going to talk my ear off about something you've recently archived."

Ireh huffed, "Rude! I just need a little conversation while I pick out stuff for a date tomorrow."

"Ah, I see. I wish you luck in monogamy and hope that you at least think to invite me to the marriage."

Despite the teasing, the robot was smiling while they fished through robes and dresses, "Very funny. Monogamy might as well be extinct on this planet, and if I ever get married then, of course, I'm going to be having you make whatever I'm going to be wearing, but you won't be invited. You're much too noisy."

"Please! You wound me...But seriously, why the call? You only call me during prep for something if you know, you're nervous."

Ireh held a skirt and sweater against their body before humming to themselves, "Welllllll, maybe I am."

"Hah, that's a good one. What is this, a fling with a monster?"

For a moment, the robot remained quiet before answering, "No, I don't think he is. He is made of flesh and blood though. You know, purely organic and what not."

"Ohoh, am I ever going to be meeting him? You know how I people out of flesh space."

Ireh frowned deeply at that, "Firstly, was that a pun? And secondly, don't be weird. I've dated organics before and they're just fine. Of course, I don't think I've ever been asked out at work before."

"Really! So he heard you blabbing on and on and on and didn't either fall asleep or run away?"

A hot spark ran through the robot's body as they replied, "Very funny! He was actually extremely interested a-and...I might have also gotten a bit fucky while looking over the data he handed me over. He's a big wolf too."

"Ohoh, so what's the problem then? You think he's going to ask for something extra on the first date? Or are you trying to figure out how to get on him during the first date?"

Ireh sighed as they moved over to the mirror with the sweater and skirt they had picked out, "Well, no, that isn't it at all. You see, sex or not I think I'll enjoy it and I think he'll be happy to have me along, but you see, these things are such...such...uh"

"Wild variables?"

"Yes!" Exclaimed the robot before continuing, "I can't record or analyze interactions with people so--"

"Then don't"

Ireh frowned and tried to say something, but their friend continued on, "You can want to learn about every single thing in the universe itself and catalog it, but cataloging people is something that is nearly impossible. Someone might be different tomorrow and even us synthetic life forms have been given the opportunity to change. You can say, this type of synthetic will be drawn to one thing, but their personality will still vary. It's even more chaotic with meat people."

The robot remained quiet. They had always wondered how to really grasp the information and knowledge behind relationships, but it always seemed to slip away from them. In the end, Ireh had always come to the conclusion that it was just better to enjoy them rather than try to get some sort of grand understanding of them, but that answer wasn't always satisfying.

"Hey, Ir, you there?"

Ireh responded with a nod, "Mhm, just thinking. You see. I know you're right. I've known that for a long time, but you see, I'm wondering how he would take it if I asked him about it. I've never really been forthcoming about that type of thing with people I've dated. Sex and what not is fun and fine, but I really only seem to enjoy their reactions and their emotions. Maybe if I were more honest then I wouldn't feel like these relationships are just passing things."

"Ahah...I see. You're not after monogamy, but you feel like you don't have anything substantial with anyone that you have had relations with."

Ireh let out a little huff and sat back on their bed, "Yeah...I'd like some sort of deeper relationship or relationships, y'know? To get into that whole love thing, but I don't think I've ever established that type of relationship. I also feel like...Kind of a jerk. I don't want to make people feel like they're under my microscope, but I just really like trying to understand people."

"You're fine. The fact that you feel that way alone makes it fine hah! Someone who actually considered people to be toys and experiments to be put under the knife or scope wouldn't think of that. Now, I gotta go, but if you need to call me, ring me twice and I'll answer no matter what, 'kay?"

With a small smile, Ireh said, "Thanks."

"Anytime. Buh-bye."

With that, the call was hung up and Ireh sat there on their bed alone and thinking. Tomorrow evening would be interesting, to say the least, and perhaps with this wolf, they could establish something deeper. For now, it was best to just think about what to wear and process the conversation they had just had.

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