[IC Inbox | Hadriel]

[missiondeterminant]

| text | voice | video |

Comments

[madambutterfly]

[She knows he is still exploring, getting accustomed to this place, getting accustomed to himself. Therefore it isn't too far a stretch of the imagination to think he might take the opportunity to encounter something new.

Something needed, desperately.]

I wonder if you might accompany me to the shops today.

[missiondeterminant]

[Connor responds very quickly, both because he can what with the whole androids and electronics thing, and because she's very right. He'd love any opportunity to do something new.

Not that it isn't still very new just for someone to invite him somewhere not related to work.]

Yes, I'd like to. Where should I meet you?

[madambutterfly]

Central Island - Spire 1.

[Writing it out is quick, perfunctory, reminds her of the slip of paper on the table only a few feet away. Park 1 - Sector 15 - Zone 3. Maeve looks back at her phone.]

There are shops nearby. A walk would be nice.

[missiondeterminant]

I'll be there shortly.

[And as promised he shows up quickly enough, nodding politely to her in greeting. He isn't quite smiling, but his expression is light and curious.]

Hello Maeve.

[madambutterfly]

Timely of you.

[Comes the amused observation, and she greets him with a warm hand to his arm - brief, familiar - before pulling away.]

You weren't sleeping right outside the door, were you?

text;

[hasitsthorns]

Hey, dude.

1) Can you get to the east island? 2) How are you with plants?

text;

[missiondeterminant]

[Well this is unexpected, but Rose is one of the few people he has a positive impression of from his post, so he's curious more than anything else.]

1) Yes, I can reach the east island. 2) I haven't tried caring for plants. What kind are they?

text;

[hasitsthorns]

[ Score. ]

The orchard is mostly fruit trees but there's a handful of other people's stuff growing here.

Personally, I'm growing Rosa rugosas and marijuana.

[ So, like. That's a thing. A thing that is, in fact, happening. ]

There's a whole project over here too to like build docks and help out though so. Figured I'd ask if you were interested.

text;

[missiondeterminant]

[He'd seen the Orchard in his exploration of the different islands, but hadn't looked extremely closely; since he doesn't need to eat it wasn't super important to figure out what was edible, and as he--truthfully--told Rose he's never really had experience taking care of plants. Still, he knows where it is, and he's a bit curious.

Less so on the dock building project, but eh. He might take a look, but he's not made for manual labor and also just isn't super interested in being social with many of the people here. It doesn't help that construction is inherently dangerous, which wouldn't be a problem except that if he scratches himself and bleeds blue where people can see it he'll be in trouble.]

I'll look into it. Did you need any help with your plants?

text;

[hasitsthorns]

[ Too bad, socialization is coming at him whether he likes it or not. ]

The weed isn't doing so well but it's finicky to begin with.
This is actually the perfect climate for Rosas though so I was hoping to try and plant more.

action; sometime during the love event!!!

[hasitsthorns]

[ This is so dumb. Wolves are social creatures and Rose is no stranger to... to feeling a desire to be close to others. Still. She's also fought against that instinct more of her life than she hasn't. She knows it's Love's influence pretty quickly and as a result decides to avoid people where she can.

Androids should be easier, right? He's a person in his own right, she knows, but maybe the distinction is strong enough in her mind that it won't cause an issue. It seems not to at first when they ferry over to the orchard to check things out. The longer she hangs around him though, the stronger the urge to be affectionate is.

She won't. She barely knows Connor and she can already tell he's not a touchy-feely sort. So she keeps her hands busy, working where she can as he does his thing to test the soil. But even then, it only helps so much. They should talk, right? That might aid in distracting her if they talk about something, anything. Unfortunately, because her mind is on intimacy in general, she can't help but ask: ]

So, like, what happens when you kiss someone?

[ and only after realizes once it's out there how fucking awkward a question that is. Sure, Rose, say you barely know this guy so you're going to respect his personal space and curb the urge to cuddle him. Just ask invasive questions about his love... operations instead. She's making this worse, isn't she.

Just raze this orchard to the ground with her in it, please. It's a kinder fate than she deserves. She could probably set it aflame with the heat from her cheeks alone. It's fine. ]

yes excellent

[missiondeterminant]

[Hadriel doesn't keep Connor as active as he would like, so when Rose suggests they check on the soil at the orchard he's immediately all about the opportunity to do something useful. He isn't unaware of the extra-affectionate nature of many of those in Hadriel at the moment, and has figured out what's surely causing it, but fortunately it hasn't affected him personally.

At first he can't tell if it's affecting Rose, though there are subtle things that hint that it might be. Still, as long as she isn't latching onto him or something he's fine with it; he doesn't even mind some minor contact, although he won't initiate it.

He's testing another patch of soil as she asks her question, which earns a brief furrowing of his eyebrows as he decides exactly what she means by the question and also how to answer it.]

Do you mean in regards to my analyzer? It would work normally, and I would receive any basic biological information identifiable through saliva. In my world it would also identify the individual by name, birthdate, and criminal record as well, but that would be due to checking DNA against a database.

[Which is obviously not possible here. Also she was obviously only asking about the analyzer, not any other aspect of kissing someone, right?]

Re: yes excellent

[hasitsthorns]

Woah. That's actually pretty cool. But like- What if it's something not in your files? Like me.

[ Wait, no.

No, no, no, dear kami why is she like this. She stops, holds up her hands in a "wait, let me attempt to fix this" gesture. ]

Not a suggestion, for the record. Just. Curiosity, I promise. My kind probably don't exist in your world so you can't have any information on me. If you were to kiss me - or anyone here not human - would it just be like. A blank, maybe?

[ And as an afterthought: ]

That kind of sounds like it'd be annoying though if you did just wanna' kiss someone.

[missiondeterminant]

[Despite the clarification, Connor is slightly suspicious, but not enough to actually think it's the main motivator for her question. She probably is genuinely curious, at least primarily, and he considers the question again for a few moments before responding.]

DNA would obviously not be human and therefore likely return a result of unknown origin. However, presuming biological functions are generally similar, then I would probably still get results for secondary tests such as blood alcohol content.

[No reason the lab analysis wouldn't work, but results might be a little skewed especially as far as what would be considered 'normal'. But as for the last part--]

I doubt desire to kiss anyone will be an issue. The positive physiological effects that kissing produces in humans and similar species aren't a factor for androids, and so any kissing done is typically for a human's benefit only.

[Except for a case where it might be used for manipulation or something, but fortunately none of Connor's cases ever involved that being necessary to test out. He isn't ruling out the idea that androids may eventually find kissing to be a positive experience in its own right as they--if they get the chance to--develop as a species and culture, but for now the whole idea holds absolutely no interest to him other than curiosity.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Kill her now. The temptation to just hurl herself dramatically over the nearest edge into the sea is growing stronger by the second. ]

Oh. So, like. [ A pause. She's trying to figure out how to word this delicately. Since, you know, she's obviously so good at that. ] You don't want to kiss anyone, okay. That's cool.

[ There's the opportunity to dig herself further here but she (thankfully) doesn't take it. There's still a lot of questions buzzing around in her head, now more than answers but. It's interesting. He's definitely an impressive individual. ]

Smooching's overrated anyway. Like, it's enjoyable enough but- [ There's a lot of feelings that generally come with it that are gross. No thanks. ] It's not for everyone, I guess.

[audio] 10/10

[onlyanautomaton]

[It has become routine for Oscar to monitor the contact list on his device throughout the tenth day of each month. He commits every new name that appears to memory. When he finds 'Connor' among the recently added names, the unbidden apprehension he feels is as unexpected as it is unpleasant. His normal reaction would have certainly been one of genuine concern; the Door's energy fluctuations do, however, seem to be amplifying it, increasing his already heightened worry for the android's welfare and causing him to experience a fleeting sensation that is similar in severity to panic.

He hastens to call him. He would have soon done so without the Door's influence, but it would have been with a less pressing sense of alarm.]

Mr. Connor? This is Oscar. You were absent from the communication network for approximately three days. ... Please call me when you are next available.

[Upon noticing Mr. Connor's unceremonious disappearance from the network, Oscar thought he might have been returned to his world of origin. Could he have been mistaken in this presumption?]

[audio]

[missiondeterminant]

[Connor is, honestly, quite amazed by the number of people who seemed to have noticed he was missing. It isn't something he's used to, and it's kind of nice.

It takes a minute or two before he's certain he's composed enough to call back, having even more trouble than usual handling his emotions, but once he's sure he can sound calm he returns the call.]

Hello Oscar. I'm sorry if I worried you.

[audio]

[onlyanautomaton]

[The agitation begins to abate as he awaits a response. Oscar then considers the possibility that Mr. Connor mightn't have any memory of Hadriel. And what if this 'Connor' is simply another person with the same name? (Improbable, especially when one takes into account the absence of a surname, but there still exists a minute possibility.)

He responds to Mr. Connor's greeting without delay.]

What happened, Mr. Connor?

[audio]

[missiondeterminant]

I'm not entirely sure, but it seems I left Hadriel at some point and returned to my world, then returned here.

[And it wasn't the same amount of time in each location, which was strange, and he also doesn't remember how he left.]

[audio]

[onlyanautomaton]

[The clinic has not received reports of new creatures being sighted on the west island yet, but it is only a matter of time. So he has to ask:]

Were there any creatures in the Colosseum?

[Did Mr. Connor sustain any damage?]

[audio] - November 30th

[synthedick]

Connor.

[Nick's tone is even; he's aware they haven't really spoken much since Connor returned to town, but he's noticed his fellow synthetic has been somewhat off since then. He hasn't really found the time to bring it up, as he's had other things on his mind, as always. Even now, he's got something particular on the brain.]

You got a minute?

[audio]

[missiondeterminant]

[He's certainly not expecting the call, but it's not like he's really doing anything; he's off duty at the moment so he's just wandering aimlessly in an attempt to stay busy, to limited success.

So he responds pretty quickly.]

Yes. I'm not busy.

[audio]

[synthedick]

[Just going to get right to the point.]

Drake said he had a visitor today. I don't suppose lock-picking is a standard part of your software.

[audio]

[missiondeterminant]

[Oh, so that's what this is about. There's silence a moment, before he responds simply--]

I'm a detective model.

[So really, lock-picking should be expected, even if it's not something that gets much use at home what with the electronic locks and all.]

[synthedick]

Guess we have something in common.

[Nick might not have been programmed to be a detective, but he's picked up a thing or two along the way. He doesn't sound angry, or even disappointed -- there's a soft kind of caution in his voice, the sort that says he's aware of how this looks.]

I just wanted to make sure we're on the same page about things -- about why he's in there, and why we aren't exactly advertising it.