castellae | Ongoing PSL - In-game setting

[ 2B grunts in response, laconic as ever. She dresses him slowly, taking care not to further aggravate his injuries. Her movements are precise and measured, and soon she has him completely dressed, picking dust off of him and brushing him off again.

With her visor completely unusable, 2B knows that she'll have to do without it. Keeping it around her neck, she moves to 9S' side, hooking her arms underneath him and lifting him up. With the rain stopping, their way out is much less hazardous. Still, she takes her time walking over to the rubble, still pointedly not looking at his face. ]

It would be best if we spoke of this to no one. [ 2B says after an extended silence. ] If word were to get back to Command, we could be given reassignment.

[ She glances to his face now, coolly. ] Allow me to do the explaining when we get back to camp.

R-Reassignment?

[ 9S is obviously cooperative as 2B lifts him, perhaps a bit flustered by it being required. But he doesn't feel shame in it. Mostly, he may feel some shame in the reason this is necessary. He really is a lot weaker than her. It's not like he was built to be overly sturdy. 9S' visor hadn't suffered the same fate as 2B's, given it was removed beforehand, and so he lifts his over his eyes again. It's best he has his running, just in case. He can't speak for the rest of him though. His arm hangs around her shoulders, head tilted while he looks at her. ]

Uh. Yeah. Might be best.

[ He might stammer in his explanation. He's not exactly a great liar. And he tends to go off on tangents, even in his best mental state. He doesn't want reassignment; 9S realizes now that he would be devastated, were they to be separated. That's been a thing for a while but now? It's... he can't live without her. ]

We did just experience a cave-in, so it's not like we can't use that as an--

Hnk!

[ His hip sparks again, forcing his head to lean back. ]

May... wanna be careful. Oh man, I hope I don't light on fire. Jeez...

[ He laughs again, awkwardly. ]

Really did a number on me, 2B.

[ Worth it. ]

Hm. [ 2B responds, offering absolutely nothing. She knows of the tangents 9S is prone to go on, and usually she tolerates them, but... the idea of being separated from him hurts her far more than it should, and she tries to stifle it. Something has shifted between the two of them, though she knows it can't last. The elation she feels is shot through with guilt and with sorrow, leaving nothing but emptiness welling within the circuitry of her gut.

She manages to clamber out from the pit while keeping a firm hold on 9S, assuring that he's fine with every grunt and hiss of pain he makes with her movements. His feet dangle limply, jostled by her walking, and she focuses on them if only to keep herself from looking at his face. ]

If you light on fire, I'll dump you in the river.

[ She tries to stab at humor if only for his sake, though her delivery is flat as ever. ]

[ 9S is used to her cold, often flat delivery of response. It's just how she is, though it may change periodically. He's keenly aware of what can change, given that he can't seem to get the sounds she had preciously made back in that basement. 9S gets lost in that, committing to memory every sensation and glance. Her piercing blue eyes and seemed to lock in as she stole what little oxygen he had left. The squeeze of his neck, the way her gaze seemed to lock on as his consciousness threatened to fade. 9S feels a twist in his gut, a thrill that shoots through what parts of him still work and he has to shake out of it. ]

[ Thankfully, 2B's humorous threat drags him right out of it. ]

WH-- Please don't! My wiring is exposed, I can't get wet!

[ He whines. ]

Do you want to kill me?!

[ Yep. Sooner or later. ]

Edited 2017-04-14 18:02 (UTC)

[ 2B, on the other hand, is trying her best not to think. In spite of her best laid plans, she finds herself getting closer and closer to 9S each time they go through this cycle, and she almost feels as if she's at a loss. She holds him close, but gently; the last thing she wants is to crush him more. She knows that the memory of the noises he made will be burned into her cerebral processes for the rest of her activation period, and while it arouses her to no end, it causes her more pain than anything else.

At what he says next, she fixes him with a look. It's times like these that she feels as if he knows far more than he lets on, though she knows that that can't be possible. She leans in close, looking at the front of his visor as she walks, expression flat and measured. ]

You'd die either way. [ 2B says, matter-of-factly. If fire or water didn't kill him, she would eventually. ]

[ In this position and manner of condition, there isn't much that 9S can do. If 2B were to decide to toss him in the water, he'd be screwed. But he doesn't quite take such a notion seriously. At least not until she looks him in the eye in such a way and exclaims he'll die anyway. ]

[ That's... Ominous. While 9S doesn't have too much basis to feel any suspicions, as past experiences and murders have been cleared from his system, something about those words make his chest twist a bit. 9S stares at 2B, lips parted to his never-ending curiosity that always seems to ruin him. He's not stupid, and he's already processing every letter, every aspect of her tone and gaze. What the hell is that supposed to mean? ]

[ Suddenly, 9S is too scared to pry. He's usually quick to ask questions, but this time? He doesn't. He turns his gaze ahead, adjusting his visor to at least keep a vigilant eye while 2B's is out of commission. ]

They're gonna scan our fluid levels, you know. Both of us are likely low on lubricant. You paint a good excuse yet?

Edited 2017-04-14 20:40 (UTC)

[ So long as she doesn't get the explicit order to terminate him, 2B intends to stay her hand. The thought of killing him fills her with both dread and elation, the former because of her feelings for him and the latter because of her programming. 2B doesn't want to lie to him, even though she knows it's necessary; she can sense a subtle shift in 9S' demeanor in response to her words, and while she doesn't feel that she's compromised her mission yet, she makes a mental note to keep tabs on what she says.

She continues to hold onto him, gentle and steady, allowing a thoughtful silence to stretch between the two of them after his question. ]

Lubricant is not necessary for combat operations, thus it isn't mission-pertinent. They have no business asking, and if they do, we'll tell them we found a nest of machines underground and exterminated them. They can draw their conclusions from there.

[ 2B isn't one for planning, especially when it comes to fabricating lies. She dutifully avoids eye contact as they make their way up the hill to the camp, the rain beginning to lightly fall again. ]

All the more reason for them to ask. It's not like that much lubricant is required. Even for non-combat models like myself. We can easily say the damage from the collapse caused a leak for me, but what about you?

[ Distract yourself from what she said, 9S. It's easier. ]

You... Ejaculated a good amount.

[ Not meant to come off as dirty, but 9S still stutters. ]

See? This dials back to my last point. You're not one for plans.

Edited 2017-04-15 00:04 (UTC)

Well, it's not like I was damaged at all, [ 2B replies coolly, looking up at the sky as a few raindrops pelt her face. It seems that the storm is about to rage anew, and she's grateful for the shelter Anemone has provided both for herself and 9S. ] All I'll need is routine maintenance. They won't have to take me apart and put me back together.

With communications to the Bunker cut off, they're going to have to repair you as-is. Under more ideal conditions, we could just have your black box moved to a fresh body... but we don't have the luxury of waiting out this storm. [ As she says it, the sky opens up, deluging the both of them. 2B moves quickly to cover the exposed wiring of 9S' pelvis and torso, picking up the pace of her walking. ]

Aren't you the Scanner model? Plans are more your area of expertise, aren't they? [ Perhaps it's due to the aftermath of what happened in the basement; 2B is notably more open to quibbling with 9S about minutiae at present. ] I don't hear you coming up with alternatives.

You're the one who told me to keep quiet and let you do the talking!

[ Admittedly, he's just... Very flustered. And perhaps a bit scared. That remark said before hasn't made him feel any better. And the fact that he's in a good number of pain likely makes his head not as functional as it should be. 9S sighs, dramatically rolling his head back as 2B continues to carry him. ]

Auuuugh. Are we there yet?

Stop moving. I can't cover your wiring properly.

[ Admittedly, she's flustered, too, though she hardly understands why. Though there's no reason for it, the crux of her thighs aches, lubricant coating her inner thighs and soaking through the bottom of her leotard. 2B knows that routine maintenance is necessary, but even she's a bit nervous about letting anyone near enough to notice.

When they reach the camp, 2B takes him directly to the infirmary, informing the maintenance personnel there of 9S' injuries. "There was a cave-in," she says flatly. "His lower half got caught under some concrete." As she walks away, she vaguely hears snippets of a conversation between two of the androids stationed there, half-joking in their incredulousness: "Did he fuck the concrete? His groinal region looks like the only part of him that's seriously damaged!"

Without another word, she steps out into the rain in order to wash off her parts in an area far from the camp, forgoing routine maintenance in favor of bathing for the first time in... well, ever. ]

[ 9S doesn't fuss too much once they get to the Resistance Camp. Well... Not entirely. The remark about him fucking the concrete is made just before he's powered down for maintenance. And he's completely powered down for the process. Which may as well be a godsend, because then his mind can't wander and linger on the entirety of the afternoon. He can only hope too many questions aren't asked, but it seems concern and interest is gone the instant he powers back up. ]

[ Likely because the repairs took hours to achieve. 9S required almost an entire replacement of his groin and related fluids. At the very least, they salvaged heartier parts. Not that this status report is meant to encourage 9S, but it may... A little. ]

[ A few days pass. Surprisingly with no further error or concerns. Simple errands for the Resistance, little side missions that don't pertain too much to intel. It's likely they'll be called back to the Bunker sooner or later. But 9S isn't sure he wants to go back. No, he's too busy lingering over those words. "You'd just die anyway"... ]

[ Perhaps he's worrying too much. That could have meant anything. And 9S desperately wants to believe that 2B is the only good thing going for him. And she is. They haven't touched each other since that strange afternoon, but 9S hangs on to this strange hope that something will come of it. He doesn't pry too much, but his focus on that has him ignoring any paranoia. For the time being. ]

[ He sighs, packing his small bag in the room loaned to them by the Resistance, back turned to 2B. ]

Any word from Command for further intel? I feel like all we've been doing are crummy deliveries.

[ 2B spends the days after 9S' recovery dutifully finding ways not to be left alone with him for too long, taking on errand after errand for the members of the camp. Building rapport with the Resistance is important, of course, but she'd be lying if she said she was doing all of this from the goodness of her heart. She actively distracts herself from thinking too much about what happened between the two of them in that dark, dingy basement, and though she knows she'll have to face it eventually, it suits her just fine to forget about it in the present.

She's organizing her chipset on the other side of the room when 9S posits his question, giving her pause. The Commander actually had contacted her once the storm had passed... but not with the directive that 2B had been anticipating. Apparently, 9S hadn't shown any further signs of knowing anything about the moon base and its inhabitants, and there was no concrete proof that the files regarding the Council of Humanity had been accessed by unauthorized personnel. The Commander had made herself clear in saying that 2B was to remain vigilant and to act upon the first exhibition of suspicious behavior on 9S' part by eliminating him with extreme prejudice, sending his black box back to the Bunker for reformatting.

2B accepted these terms without question, of course, despite the heaviness that seized her chest and made it hard to breathe. ]

The Commander wants us to continue to help out the Resistance. We need a sturdy foothold on Earth if we want to continue operations against the machines, [ 2B states, moving on from organizing her chipsets in favor of checking on her weaponry. ] She said she'd contact us if she finds any leads. For now, she wants us to carry on as we have been.

Edited 2017-04-15 04:37 (UTC)

[ 9S sighs heavily, head throwing back in an eye-roll that can't be seen behind the shroud of his combat visor. ]

But it's been like this for days. I'm not programmed to be an errand-boy.

[ He's itching to learn more about the humans. To gather useful Intel rather than run around and deliver parts to and from Pascal's village. Or whatever else these Resistance androids want from them. It's easy to get a bit pouty when he would much rather do what he was intended to. ]

Why don't we check out the center of the City again? I could have sworn I picked up on some signals a few days ago. Weak signals, but I'm sure I can drag up something that'll give us accolades from the Commander.

We're soldiers. Soldiers take orders. [ 2B states flatly, satisfied with the configuration of her weapons. Standing, she straightens out her skirt, stretching her limbs before she ascertains that 9S is ready to go, stepping out into the blinding sunlight flooding the camp. The flowers in the center of the campgrounds are flourishing in the aftermath of the storm several days ago, and 2B can't help but look at them as she waits for 9S to follow her lead.

At what he says next, she calls over her shoulder to him, inclining her head. ] It couldn't hurt to look. Good call.

[ She trusts any intel 9S feels he can dredge up; as a cutting edge Scanner model, he's much better equipped for sussing out potential leads than she is. His curiosity fascinates her, and though she knows that it gets him into trouble from time to time, she can't help but admire it. ]

There are machine parts there that we can use to upgrade our weapons, anyway. [ She continues, turning her gaze back to the flowers from behind her visor. She remembers 6O saying she wanted pictures of nature, so she requisitions her Pod to take a few shots before sending them off to the Operator model.

It isn't long before they're off, moving on foot towards the central region of the city. It must have been a sprawling metropolis in its heyday, but all 2B sees now are ruins. She walks ahead of 9S in silence, idly swinging her sword through stray machines that happen to cross their path, hoping to appear too occupied for him to attempt to speak to her. ]

[ 9S can't help but smile when 2B agrees to taking an alternate obligation for the day. Gathering intel is what he's meant for, and he honestly enjoys learning more than anything else. Running errands is stifling to him, so knowing that today won't be a bore is far satisfactory than running back and forth all day. ]

[ He offers a nod as he follows closely behind. 9S keeps up well enough, but there is a slight delay when he notices 2B linger around the bed of flowers. He stops, observing, as he usually does. And there's a certain level of interest, especially in knowing she'd taken a picture. He had overheard Operator 6O request shots of flowers, but there's a quality to the way that 2B looks at them. ]

[ With a head tilt, he waits until she puts some distance between them. 9S curiously kneels down and grabs a flower. Yanking it from the dirt with a delicate hand, though he's a bit hasty in how quick he takes it. ]

Wait, wait, 2B! I'm coming!

[ He rushes behind her, catching up as they start along their path. He hides the flower behind his back, leaning forward with a smile that's directed at her. ]

[ Part of 2B wonders if she acquiesces to his demands easier now; another part of her says it doesn't matter. She throws herself into combat with a gusto that isn't terribly unlike her usual on the outside, but internally, the entirety of her mind is a mess. She tries to sort her thoughts, to keep herself steady, but to no avail.

As the machines fall to her blade, she hears the quick footfalls of 9S as he closes the distance between the two of them. She turns to face him and immediately regrets it: his smile disarms her, though her expression remains unchanging.

To know that she'll have to end him for not even the first or second time eats away at her. To see his face, so open and eager, actually stings. 2B turns away quickly, driving her blade through the torso of a machine that hops its way towards them. ]

Tell me about these signals you detected. [ She says, her tone as even as ever even as she slashes her blade in an arc before her, dismembering a few more machines. She hasn't noticed the flower behind 9S' back, or even the fact that he has a hand behind his back at all. ]

[ He has no clue what is to come, though he might be vaguely concerned. It's those words that still burn him, but 9S seems to cling to some hope that he's so wrong. And this seems to be a step in that direction. He jolts only briefly as 2B roughly impales a machine lifeform, though it doesn't bother him truthfully. The piece of garbage deserved it. But his attention seems to be locked on other things as of now. ]

[ 9S cranes his neck, gaze shifting towards the west. ]

Can't be too sure. Not until we get closer, at least. I felt some static the last time we were around the central area. Kinda hard to get a full reading when I'm not directly connected.

Before that.

[ The machines in this particular area are cleared out, so it's safe to at least be a bit casual for the time being. 9S pulls his arm forward, holding out the flower from the bunch she had previously taken a snapshot of. ]

It's uh.

A thing... That humans did. A gesture.

[ 2B is at the end of her arc when she glances 9S' way, the flower delicately held in his hands catching her attention immediately. Her weapon dissipates as she straightens, his words registering immediately. Some part of her wonders if she should crush it. If she should laugh at him, or berate him.

A bigger part of her feels as if she's suddenly become small and cold. The look on his face, so earnest and innocent, steals her breath and makes her feel like falling.

With a remarkably steady hand, 2B reaches for the flower. ]

... A token of courtship. Or simple affection. [ 2B says softly. Some deep, rebellious part of her wonders if she should just take it, if she should just ignore the directive given to her in spite of her programming. The both of them would be branded traitors and would need to live the rest of their lives on the run from YoRHa pursuers, but they would be together, and for her... That would be enough.

... But what about for 9S?

2B wants to scoff at herself. That isn't the life she wants for him, but... she's basically saying that she would rather him have a life that ends by her hand. Over and over and over.

Her hand meets his and gently, gingerly lingers around the flower. She can't run from this. From anything. She really is powerless. She wants to scream. ]

... We aren't. Human. [ She says, her speech stilted. Still. She takes the flower, examining it from behind her visor. Such a simple gesture.

After a few moments, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, placing the flower into the fold created by it. 2B keeps her gaze upon the ground, feeling all at once emptier and fuller than she had before. She doesn't say anything, because she can't.

Turning, she continues walking, though she keeps closer to 9S than she had before. ]

That's right.

[ 9S seems to feel as if his entire system will seize again just waiting for 2B to react. Truthfully, there's a desperation there, a need for validation or reassurance that everything is okay. That she doesn't outright hate him after the mess they had made a few days prior or that she doesn't find him foolish or isn'tactuallygoingtokillhimlikehethinks. 9S feels his gut tighten, watching as her fingers just barely graze around the flower. ]

[ She takes it. 9S exhales a brief breath of relief, smile seemingly wider when she accepts it and places it in her hair. ]

We aren't. But we were made in their image. I assume, given the attention to detail and what we already know, they... Kinda wanted us to be close to them.

[ He shrugs, walking close beside 2B. ]

At least that's my theory. I can't help but wonder if we were created for more than a purpose of just protecting them and taking back their planet.

Maybe some of them were lonely. Wanted a companion. Why else would we have similar behaviors?

[ 2B listens to him speak, and part of her wants to shut him up by any means necessary. Part of her wants to take her blade and drive it through his gut already, to end this cycle, as if it would end the way her insides seem to overheat and stutter whenever he's around. As if it would end the rapidly hollowing of her gut circuitry every time the thought of killing him swam to the forefront of his consciousness.

She was created to kill him. That's what executioner types do. Every time 2B sees his face, she's actively fighting against her own nature. Her fist clenches and unclenches, once and then twice, as she focuses on her own breathing.

When she speaks, her voice is as even as it ever was. ]

There's no room for loneliness in war, [ She says softly, knowing damn well how hypocritical she's being. 2B knows loneliness intimately. She stares it in the face every time 9S reintroduces himself to her. ] Created in their image or not, human sentimentality isn't meant for androids. [ And yet that flower remains in her hair. ]

Even if some androids were created for companionship, we weren't. Our purposes are clearly defined and non-negotiable. [ 2B says, trying to convince herself more than anything. They're nearing the city's center, now. ] We weren't made for anything else.

[ She had seemed to take to the flower, but the rest that follows? Not... Exactly what he wanted. But he expected it. This is 2B. Cold and aloof. 9S often has to wonder if this is a front that she puts up to avoid something, and he never stopped wondering if she initially intended for them to never get close. He could point out the flower in her hair, correct her, but something about what she says has him feeling a bit deflated. ]

[ There is no room for loneliness in war. ]

[ 9S turns his head away from 2B, simply following beside her. Perhaps with a bit of distance between them. Perhaps what happened a few days ago was a mistake. He shouldn't be surprised. It's not recommended of androids to participate in anything remotely close to intimacy. Hell, even friendships are ill-advised. ]

[ But it's 9S' obsession with humans that has him so far off from what is expected of him. It's no secret that he'd rather be human than a cold, unfeeling android. But he can't help it, and he can't understand why androids have emotions to begin with if they aren't supposed to have them. So what does that make him? Other than separated from the rest... ]

[ At least 2B gives him the time of day. He always seems to put his own Operator in a bad mood. Pod 153 has been a close companion, but... That's different. ]

[ Perhaps he's just assuming too much and there's just something wrong with his code. His gaze shifts down to his feet, voice lowered. ]

Right.

Loneliness is just a human concept anyway. More for social creatures. Androids just... Do the bare minimum. Whatever's relevant for the mission.

[ He probably should just stick to that. And whatever signal he's reading from afar. ]

[ 2B hates this. Hates how dejected he sounds. It makes her reconsider the alternatives to everything she's just said; it makes her neural circuits fire off in different directions, recounting her words and compiling new, different paths for her to follow. She knows that this is better for the both of them, that distance is the one thing that will keep this from hurting, but--

-- More than anything, she wants to be close to him. As close as they were in that basement. Close enough for their circuits to entangle and never be apart. 2B doesn't know what love is outside of some archaic, abstract definition of the word gleaned from human records provided by the Bunker, but 9S somehow gives that vague denotation clarity. She doesn't claim to love him. She only knows that she never wants to leave his side.

2B wants to reach out to him, to bridge the chasm she's created willfully with her own two hands. But she doesn't. She can't. Not when she knows how this will end.

And so, she lapses into silence again. It's easier. Better this way... Until it isn't. Something hot seems to cause her verbal synapses to misfire, pushing the words out before she can stop them. ]

So why don't you do just the bare minimum? Why do you keep acting the way you do?

[ 2B's tone is softer than it usually is. This conversation isn't mission-critical. It's illogical. But something inside of her feels like it will break if she doesn't get the words out. ] Why do you keep reaching out?

Edited 2017-04-15 06:03 (UTC)

[ His head looks up, as if to be bewildered by the fact that 2B continues the conversation. This is how it has always been, since the day he met her, and it's not like he can change her. All androids act this way for the most part, and he has yet to meet to many like him who are a. Abandoning expectations in favor of frivolity or b. Willing to even give him a passing glance. 9S was made the way he was for a very specific reason, and while he's only aware of his curiosity being made for his Scanning capabilities, he can't help but feel out of place. ]

[ All he can do is offer 2B a shrug. ]

I can't? It's not like I haven't tried to pretend I feel nothing. Rejecting the reality of who I am doesn't change anything.

[ He shifts his gaze away again, lips pressed in a fine line. His tone soft and distant. ]

Lying to myself seems almost worse than outright being alone. They're both terrible, but I go with the lesser evil because it's easier.

[ He pauses. ]

I don't... I can stop reaching out if you want me to. What happened was a mistake. I get it.

Edited 2017-04-15 06:10 (UTC)

[ In a lot of ways, this confirms something 2B has already known: 9S is far stronger than her, far stronger than she can ever hope to be. His resolve in the face of everything they'd been created for is admirable; she enjoys-- loves-- his curiosity, his willingness to investigate things. His hunger for knowledge. She's met other Scanner models, but none of them catch her attention the way he can.

2B wants to laugh at how pathetic she's being again. ]

If it works for you, it works for you. I wasn't trying to assert that it was wrong. You haven't been decommissioned yet, so Command doesn't see it as a liability, either. [ A half-truth, all things considered. ] I find it... admirable.

[ A small admission in the face of everything, but an admission nonetheless. At what he says next, 2B pauses, stopping in her tracks. The gears of her mind, both literal and figurative, begin to turn, and she fully looks at him for the first time since their encounter in the basement. ]

... So you admit that it was a mistake. [ Not a question. A statement. Her expression gives up nothing, though something about 9S feeling that way... sort of bothers her. ]

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