Shinderera

"Do you think they even see the petals, or just the data?" one trainee whispered to another. They watched from a bamboo veranda as Shinderera knelt by a reflecting pool in The Great Panda City, their raspberry visor hiding their eyes. Their face was, as usual, a perfect blank. With immense care, they used a single reed to nudge fallen cherry blossom petals across the water's surface, one after another, arranging them into a pattern. The others assumed the visor was calculating trajectories, analyzing water tension, or logging the subtle color variations of each bloom. Shinderera finally stood and walked away without a word. The trainees squinted to see the masterpiece left behind. Bobbing gently on the water was a simple, goofy-looking smiley face.