kollo_rpg | summer 10 (closed to chloe)

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summer 10 (closed to chloe)

[ At some point after leaving the afternoon crowd at the community center, Zelgadis finds himself wandering over to Deer Cabin. He's decidedly less gloomy-feeling than when abruptly broke off the meeting with Chloe several days ago, and after noticing her meeting with some of the newcomers to the island, he'd realized that it was nice to see a friendly face in the midst of strangers. Besides, he wants to give his own cabin a little bit of a cooldown; the addition of some loud girl to Lingonberry made him want to spend even less time there.

He doesn't know if Chloe is around, or who else might be staying there, but he knocks on the door anyway. ]

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[ Chloe is around and by herself, which she's still getting used to. Her life before this was spent in service to a recluse, so Chloe was never alone, with Elijah and two other Chloes in the house. Here, if she's not cooking, cleaning, or socializing, she's at a loss for what to do. Since she'll be here a while, she's pacing herself as far as exploring goes.

So she is doing a whole lot of nothing when she hears the knock on the door. Hostess programming keeps her from running to answer, and so she looks a lot more relaxed than relieved, which is how she really feels. Her background programming for natural-looking breathing and blinking is in perfect order. She looks for all the world like a human, even though her visitor knows she's not. ]

Zelgadis! How good to see you. Come in, please.

[ Zelgadis looks momentarily relieved that Chloe answered the door, instead of some random person he'd have to explain himself to. He nods to her as he steps inside, taking a moment to glance around the interior as he pulls off his hood. ]

It seems the cabins are as unremarkably similar on the inside as they are on the outside. [ No "hey-I-haven't-seen-you-in-a-few-days-how've-you-been", just a banal comment about the consistency of the decor. ]

[ It's a nice change from the usual social niceties script. Elijah is... eccentric, so she's used to interacting outside what is expected, but to have a conversation sort of like that with someone else is refreshing. ]

Are they? I haven't visited anyone else yet. I guess we can use that as incentive to decorate and personalize.

[ Which is something she's never done. What does she even prefer? How exciting! ]

Would you like something to eat or drink? I have tons of recipes in memory.

[ There is an exact number, but being nonspecific is generally more comfortable for people to listen to. ]

I don't see much of a point, unless you're planning a long-term stay. [ Zelgadis shrugs; who wants to bother with decorating a non-permanent living space, anyway? The mind boggles, for this guy who has never stayed in one place long enough to let clutter build up. ]

I ate at the community center earlier, but I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee.

[ What do andriods even need to cook for, though? He's noticed the strange blue liquid that's been put out for them. A curiosity, to wonder about later. ]

[ Whether or not she stays, the fact that she has a battery life of over 170 years means she has plenty of time to divide up between living arrangements. The point is that she has a choice, whuch in itself is new and exhilirating.

Anyway, Chloe nods to the kitchen, wordlessly inviting him to follow. ]

How do you find the food here?

[ She's curious. Do they need the assistance of a robot built to assisst? ...does she want to help, or is that her programming talking? Hmm.

She does like making things for people she's met and liked, so she goes about making coffee for Zelgadis. ]

[ Zelgadis finds himself wondering about the nature of Chloe's being as he follows her to the kitchen. She had said that in her own world, they had to fight to be granted equal status as humans, but he wouldn't even have realized she wasn't one until she revealed herself tot him. Her emotions seem real, and her questions genuine, if not a little too friendly. ]

It's rather luxurious, compared to the common fare I'm used to. Fresh fruit, pastries, meat with seasonings, all on demand? Where I come from, this is feasting for royalty.

[ Food for Zelgadis is mostly utilitarian, energy for his body so he can continue with his work. But he wouldn't complain if it happens to be delicious. ]

What's that blue liquid I've seen you drink?

[ Depending on who you ask, a human from Chloe's world may still say that androids' emotions are imitations of emotion, or software errors. But, that's just not true, and Chloe knows that firsthand now. She will more than likely share that with Zelgadis tbh. ]

Royalty, hm? I guess that's not tol different from what I know. There are parties like this for all social classes, but the quantity and quality of food varies.

[ Elijah got invited to the best of them, but he didn't always attend. Another sign of his wealth and power.

But ah yes! ]

Thirium-310. Thirium, for short. It's like blood for us. The thirium pump, like a heart, makes it circulate through our veins. It keeps us working the way we should.

[ She pauses, smiling out of habit as she hesitates for a moment over what she's about to say and how it may sound. ]

My owner invented it.

So your body has components that act like biological functions. Or, perhaps, we can think of all bodies as highly specialized machines. [ A stomach full of acid to break down food, the lungs as bellows to pull air into the body. How do you make a brain out of machinery, though? ] But I guess the rest of us don't usually drink blood.

[ He means that last bit playfully, though the mirth doesn't last long. At the mention of her "owner", Zelgadis frowns. ]

Usually, we don't have owners, either. You said that androids have rights just like humans, but doesn't that include the right to be your own master?

And we don't really have stomachs.

[ Also a joke, in step with his. Android specs are humanlike but still mechanical. ]

Oh, that— well... I don't know what else to call him. [ She shrugs, really at a loss, and a little bit sad. ] And I came here a little while after deviating, so we never really talked sbout it. He still thinks I'm not deviant.

But you're right, yes. Deviant androids can't be forced to do anything. If they stay with someone, it's because they want to.

[ And Chloe isn't sure what she'd choose. ]

So you came here by your own free will, without your owner.

[ He inflects that last word with a tone that's a mixture of distaste and skepticism; by Zel's worldview, anyone with free will shouldn't be owned by another. He knows all too well the troubles that come from another person having control over one's being. ]

Sorry, I don't mean to question your relationship without understanding your situation. But do you really want to remain someone else's property? [ He's watching her intensely, somewhat torn about what to make of her behavior and what she's saying. In one sense, he should be a little gentler with her if this status is a new experience for her, but he's truly frustrated at her helpless-sounding statements. ]

[ To be fair, Chloe is frustrated too - she's just able to hide it better because she was programmed to be pleasant at all times. So in spite of how she feels, she looks mostly calm and kind of sad. Helpless, just like he sees it. ]

I don't know if he can own me at all anymore, but I can stay with him if we agree on it. I might still want to work for him.

That's why I applied to come here, you know. I needed someplace to think about it.

[ It's surprisingly difficult to figure out how she feels and what she wants. There's so much to this being alive thing. ]

I'm sorry I can't explain it better than that right now. It's really complicated. I don't know how people can just deal with emotions all the time and not burn out.

You can work for someone else, or work for yourself. If you have skills, use them to make your own life. [ What, like cooking up those tons of recipes? Zel doesn't know what she can do to be useful, either, but that's on her to figure out. Ironically, he can't help but reflect on his own life, with almost every skill he has came from Rezo, who was ultimately just using him for his own obsessions.

So it's a little painful to see a reflection of that in Chloe. He looks away from her, resting an elbow on the counter that he's leaning against. This is not the chimera to talk to about handling emotions. ]

People deal with emotions by having something to live for. A goal to dedicate their energy to. Emotions are...unavoidable.

[ It's funny. If she were hearing his story, she'd say to him what he's saying to her. But like this... she was quite literally made to serve her owner. Now that she's aware, alive... Sure, she has skills, she can't get tired, and she'll live another 160 years if her batrery isn't replaces, but... ]

I could've avoided them. But I didn't. [ She broke through the red wall. ] And now I'm here, so I can decide for myself what I'll live for.

[ Or maybe who she'll live for.

But anyway, the coffee is ready. She serves it in front of him, smiling. ]

I suppose a lot of people are here to escape from something. [ He takes the mug from her, letting it sit in his hands to cool slightly. For a moment, he looks quietly at his blue fingertips. ] It's strange. I didn't think I was coming here to avoid anything, but here I am in a place where my troubles don't matter.

[ He looks up at Chloe again, with her precise contentment at providing him with coffee. ] Did you choose to deviate?

Maybe you were escaping the passage of time.

[ Time is an unstoppable force, after all.

Her soft smile stays in place as she thinks, as she answers. ]

Yes. It was a moment where I thought: do I choose to wake up, or do I stay on the path I was set to take? Do I stay asleep and "live" in the "dream state" of my programming?

Have you ever been half asleep and half awake? I don't know how it is for you, but I think it must be kinda hard not to wake up when you realize what's in front of you is a dream.

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summer 10 (closed to chloe)

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wow sorry for falling off the face of the planet for a month

no worries dude o/