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[alizarinclupea]

At some point, Alizarin decides that, given that there are people who he is getting to know that actually might try to get in touch with him, he should find a way to make that happen.

There are complications to consider though. For one, without a physical form of his own he can’t really buy a phone or give someone a street address. He’d probably have to rely on one of the same people he is learning from to figure out a way to reach him in between his periods of wandering.

[alizarinclupea]

"Maybe I should something to call a home."

[alizarinclupea]

At some point, Alizarin decides that, given that there are people who he is getting to know that actually might try to get in touch with him, he should find a way to make that happen.

There are complications to consider though. For one, without a physical form of his own he can’t really buy a phone or give someone a street address. He’d probably have to rely on one of the same people he is learning from to figure out a way to reach him in between his periods of wandering.

[m3chanical-rhythm]

alizarinclupea​:

It kinda looked like a skeleton, although he remembered just enough of a human body to know that it wasn’t quite right. He followed along with her thinking, and then had an empty pause as the other shoe dropped on what she was suggesting. Everything she had said made perfect sense.

“I can….will try.” He brought himself closer, settling himself into the mechanical limb. Feeling it out, noticing the way the parts were made to move with and against each other even if he wouldn’t be able to describe the how.

Alizarin pictured what it would be like if this were his actual hand. He tried to move the hand….only to be met with some resistance at first. It wasn’t working why wasn’t it working he’d be letting her down if it didn’t work was it making a sound that wasn’t right–wait.

Aria was the one who had helped him learn how to be calm and relax. He was overthinking it too much, like he had been when he was first drifting. That had to be it. Just think of a gesture and try it.

Wave at her.

The index and middle finger straightened while the middle finger and pinky curled inwards, and a gentle wrist motion tried to send a little salute at Aria.

Aria watched patiently, pulling up another holopad to take notes on. A noise from the limb signaled he was attempting to move it–she wrote that down. She watched carefully, eyes widening as the fingers began to move. The limb was working perfectly, joints smoothly rolling with intent, as the wrist pivoted and gave Aria a greeting.

“It…it works.” Aria beamed, excitedly bouncing in place.

“It works!! Tell me–how does it feel? Can you feel any resistance in the ligaments? How smoothly do the joints feel to move? How did you decide what to do?”

[alizarinclupea]

Alizarin let himself be distracted by answering her comments, letting him fidget and flex without thinking too hard about it. “There was resistance but I think it was from, from trying too hard. I’ve never done something with as many moving parts so if I try and.....think about how the movement works I lose track of things and might have panicked but the joints uh...the parts know how they are supposed to move, if that makes sense.”

“I just had to not think too much and that’s how I used to wave hello.” He is still moving the hand, trying to make a fist. “Everything moves pretty smoothly...”

[m3chanical-rhythm]

alizarinclupea​:

Was that a ….nickname? She not only remembered his name but decided to put a spin on it? He was touched!

“You. I mean if you….” He moved into the lab and collected himself before trying again. “If you think I can help I’ll do what I can to try! I might…don’t recognize what anything is in this lab but if you give me instructions I’ll do my best.” His voice was still a little hard to read, but there was definitely some eager excitement leaking into his words.

She’d helped teach him so much and he was glad to have a chance to try and return the favor somehow.

“Perfect!”

Aria walked back into the lab, and over to a table with some parts and wires on it. Among them was a robotic limb–an arm–without the synth skin on it. Around the table on suspended holoscreens were blueprints and notes on building a reploid.

“After your last visit, I kinda got to thinking,” Aria began, taking a tool and making some last minute adjustments. “You can possess things and kind of make them move around, right? And to a certain extent, you can ‘feel’ in your own way. So that gave me an idea–if you can possess a pillow, why not a limb?”

She stepped back, satisfied with her work.

“Do you think you’d be willing to do a test run for me, Alizarin?”

[alizarinclupea]

It kinda looked like a skeleton, although he remembered just enough of a human body to know that it wasn’t quite right. He followed along with her thinking, and then had an empty pause as the other shoe dropped on what she was suggesting. Everything she had said made perfect sense.

“I can....will try.” He brought himself closer, settling himself into the mechanical limb. Feeling it out, noticing the way the parts were made to move with and against each other even if he wouldn’t be able to describe the how.

Alizarin pictured what it would be like if this were his actual hand. He tried to move the hand....only to be met with some resistance at first. It wasn’t working why wasn’t it working he’d be letting her down if it didn’t work was it making a sound that wasn’t right--wait.

Aria was the one who had helped him learn how to be calm and relax. He was overthinking it too much, like he had been when he was first drifting. That had to be it. Just think of a gesture and try it.

Wave at her.

The index and middle finger straightened while the middle finger and pinky curled inwards, and a gentle wrist motion tried to send a little salute at Aria.

[m3chanical-rhythm]

alizarinclupea​:

“I….I think I can just…hang on a second.” He was inside the door wasn’t he? And he’d been in and out of things like this before, so all he had to do was just leave it on the correct side. In theory it should work.

In practice it did work, and he was now inside her home. He recognized the place. “I’ll make my way up!”

Stairs. He was looking for stairs. There’s gotta be st–there they are. He didn’t make a sound as he drifted up the stairway to the second floor, but once he arrived he spoke up, both announcing his arrival and trying to get a little extra guidance in case he managed to get lost looking for her. “I just got here and I’ve already learned a new talent.”

Aria beamed, opening the lab door and stepping out in her labcoat. She looked around, quickly remembering she wouldn’t see anything and flushing with embarrassment.

“That’s great, Ali! You can come into the lab if you’d like. I’m just working on a new project–I think you can help me with it, actually!”

[alizarinclupea]

Was that a ....nickname? She not only remembered his name but decided to put a spin on it? He was touched!

“You. I mean if you....” He moved into the lab and collected himself before trying again. “If you think I can help I’ll do what I can to try! I might...don’t recognize what anything is in this lab but if you give me instructions I’ll do my best.” His voice was still a little hard to read, but there was definitely some eager excitement leaking into his words.

She’d helped teach him so much and he was glad to have a chance to try and return the favor somehow.

[alizarinclupea]

star-lit-seas​:

Well, it speaks. That at least puts him at ease knowing it’s not a body he has to report but now he’s got to worry about a whole different situation. 

Whatever it is in the water, he can’t see it but his sensors can. He keeps an eye on those as he swims closer, trying to make out any features.

“Uh, hi?”

The words came out in a flood, rising concern apparent in the voice. “Hello? I’m lost. I. I drifted a little and lost track of where I am and. Now every direction I go is just more emptyness and I feel heavy and what if I’m back in the void I don’t want to be there I gave so much to get out the first time I don’t have anything left to pay please. Please......Where am I?”

[alizarinclupea]

robotic-hearts-n-minds​:

The woman was still backed against the wall, her eyes darting around behind the lenses of the goggles. The hammer had… some weird… fog? Around it. And it moved. It. Moved.

“What… the actual… fuck…” Did she step closer? Did she run screaming from her lab? Call Gate? Cedar? “Wh-What are you?! Are you some sort of new program designed to- to just mess with stuff?!” Clearly this was her first experience with a ghost.

The hammer was clearly not helping. He left it.

He wasn’t really there in a way that lent himself to be easily seen. Enhanced vision helps, but instead of making a clear visual they would just serve to make the unaffected area stand out. Now that he’s left the hammer, what is left is a vaguely humanoid shape of slightly less activity. As if somehow, in defiance of all proper physics, a shadow had decided it didn’t need a surface to be cast on.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m just a gh...just deceased. Should. I should leave?”

[alizarinclupea]

robotic-hearts-n-minds​:

Cera had not at all noticed the tools being simply handed to her- but when a hammer appeared instead of a very, very precision attachment tool- “What the-?!” Now she took notice.Her tools had been slightly scattered, a few here and there moved, but only the 3 she’d touched were in her area- the bag was still a ways away.

“… Gaaate? If this is you, it isn’t funny. Whatever thing you must have made to help me malfunctioned…” Her eyes darted around the lab, looking for any shimmeriness from nanites or movement from some tiny bot, “Gate, seriously! What have I said about sneaking down here?! Or your own projects!”

Well this isn’t quite working the way he had expected. And now it sounded like someone else was going to pay for his attempts at being helpful. He had to do something about that and make things better.

“I don’t know who Gate is but they had nothing to do with this, it was my fault.”

Surely that would fix things.

[robotic-hearts-n-minds]

That… wasn’t Gate’s voice. Or anyone else’s voice who’d usually mess with her. Not to mention it didn’t seem to be coming from anywhere… Cera ran to a wall, “WHO ARE YOU?!” Not only had they invaded her lab, they’d touched her tools and been watching an extremely top secret project in the works, “SHOW YOURSELF BEFORE I HAVE TO CALL FOR BACKUP!” A panel was pressed and goggles appeared which were placed quickly on her head- infra red and ultra violet scans already testing to see what they could reveal.

[alizarinclupea]

The first thing he did was hide, slipping back into the hammer, as it was the last thing he’d used. She was clearly scared, (he knew the words for that one now) and he had not, in fact, managed to calm her down by speaking. But it was really his only option now.

“My name is Alizarin and I can’t....don’t have anything of myself to show but I’m over here.” He moved the hammer, although with how nervous he was his motion was shaky and less fluid than it had been. “I was trying to help but that doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard of.”

[alizarinclupea]

robotic-hearts-n-minds​:

Cera had not at all noticed the tools being simply handed to her- but when a hammer appeared instead of a very, very precision attachment tool- “What the-?!” Now she took notice.Her tools had been slightly scattered, a few here and there moved, but only the 3 she’d touched were in her area- the bag was still a ways away.

“… Gaaate? If this is you, it isn’t funny. Whatever thing you must have made to help me malfunctioned…” Her eyes darted around the lab, looking for any shimmeriness from nanites or movement from some tiny bot, “Gate, seriously! What have I said about sneaking down here?! Or your own projects!”

Well this isn’t quite working the way he had expected. And now it sounded like someone else was going to pay for his attempts at being helpful. He had to do something about that and make things better.

“I don’t know who Gate is but they had nothing to do with this, it was my fault.”

Surely that would fix things.

[alizarinclupea]

m3chanical-rhythm​:

Aria was working on the second floor lab when the notification came in. A visual of her front door popped up on the screen, and though she saw nothing, she recognized the voice. Pushing a button to project her voice outside, she answered.

“Yes, Alizarin! You are welcome to come in! I am on the second floor in the labs if you’d just like to make you way up. Or um, do I still need to open the door…?”

“I....I think I can just...hang on a second.” He was inside the door wasn’t he? And he’d been in and out of things like this before, so all he had to do was just leave it on the correct side. In theory it should work.

In practice it did work, and he was now inside her home. He recognized the place. “I’ll make my way up!”

Stairs. He was looking for stairs. There’s gotta be st--there they are. He didn’t make a sound as he drifted up the stairway to the second floor, but once he arrived he spoke up, both announcing his arrival and trying to get a little extra guidance in case he managed to get lost looking for her. “I just got here and I’ve already learned a new talent.”

[alizarinclupea]

robotic-hearts-n-minds​:

She certainly hadn’t seemed to notice anything odd in her shop, continuing to work on the gauntlet while humming the tune, “Hmm-mm-hmm- or is he blind? Can my wrench walk at all?” she hummed in rhythm, “Or will my screwdriver move and fall?” She chuckled at herself and kept working, a few more tools just appearing in her hands really. And she was far too focused on the project at hand.

“Hm-hmm- Ah, tricky part now.Where’s my pneumatic thermal attacher?” 

She had an interesting way of working. He didn’t recognize the tune, but calling out tools made it easier for him to help. He knew what a wrench was, and she just had the one. He handed it over, gently getting it into her searching hand.

Screwdrivers were a little more numerous, but he picked one at random and apparently lucked out and slapped the right one into her waiting hand.

Alizarin had absolutely no idea what a pneumatic thermal attacher was. Some complicated technical term probably. Maybe it was a joke term for a more common tool?

He gave her a hammer.

[robotic-hearts-n-minds]

Ghosts in The Machines

{Starter for @alizarinclupea}

A somewhat sleepy Cera trudged down from her apartment into her lab, activating computers, machines, and pulling up schematics for the day’s projects. There was one or two for the Hunters, of course, but the big one was the one she’d been given a huge and important greenlight on.

“Duuuhh, duuuu-duuh-dun-dun~” She hummed, absentmindedly, moving over to a table with a gauntlet shaped piece strapped to it. A box nearby opened up and her hands went to work, the song, one she’d found by accident, being hummed as she started work, mumbling every so often about a tool she’d need before picking it up.

[alizarinclupea]

Sometimes Alizarin had a place he specifically intended to go, in which case he’d navigate as best he could to that point. But by default? He roamed, ever searching for some lost hint or clue that would help him remember what he had fought so hard to come back to do.This meant he mostly didn’t know where he was, but also didn’t need to know either.

He came across a woman, working at something. She seemed pretty content with what she was doing, and he didn’t want to interrupt her work. Maybe if he helped, she’d finish faster and he’d be able to talk. Doing someone a favor before asking them anything seemed like a good idea too.

He’d gotten better at moving objects when he was inside them, so maybe he could just help hand her the tools she needs from the box.

[alizarinclupea]

It had been some time since he last visited, although he couldn’t be sure how long. He’d had a lot to think about, bits and pieces of ideas that he needed to line up with each other and try to make sense of. He still had a lot of unsolved mysteries, but he felt he’d made progress. Truth be told, he missed her too; of all the ones he had talked to she had taken it the best.

She’d said last time that the trick with the door was the best way to announce a visit. As he had last time, he dove into it, possessing the door and working from inside to force a knocking sound.

While he wouldn’t be visible, through a strange quirk of his condition and location he’d be ‘visible’ through the doorcam’s system. He spoke up as well, trying to keep it from getting too loud. “Aria? Are. Is it a good time? Are you there?”

@m3chanical-rhythm

[alizarinclupea]

Alizarin sure is grateful that his GOOD FRIEND Aria had taught him the importance of TAKING IT EASY AND HAVING A REST to make sure you’re strong enough to face what you’re up against.

[m3chanical-rhythm]

alizarinclupea‌:

He could feel the tears falling from above, he knew those were real. Could feel her face pressing against him warmly, also real.

He could hear a heartbeat, and he knew that was remembered instead.

Alizarin didn’t say anything for a while, not that he could figure out what else to say.

When he found his words again he still stammered some, but it was more out of being overwhelmed than the hunted ‘fighting for the strength to talk’ that his voice had been the first time they’d spoken. “Aria you-you… I feel a lot better now. A very warm and friendly hug and and I’ve got a lot to think about now and thank you you’re helping me so much.”

“Ahh–”

Aria loosened her grip on the pillow, sniffling and wiping her eyes with gloved hands.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry all over you.” Aria softly giggled through sniffles. “You keep saying how much i’m helping you…but I still wish I could do more.”

The reploid sighed, gently setting the pillow in her lap and wiping the last of the teary residue away. She lightly laughed again, brushing her fingers over the textures of the pillowcase.

“You are very kind, Alizarin. I am happy to have met you, and be of any help, however big or small. Please, feel free to come by any time for assistance and company alike.”

[alizarinclupea]

The way her fingers brushed the pillow felt like a gentle backrub. “I’m happy to have met you too Aria. I. I feel like I should go now but I promise I’ll take you up on that offer. I think some time to think and reflect and process will help me put this back together a little more, and I can better describe how helpful this has been for me.” The voice left the pillow, moving towards the door as he had been talking.

“OH! Before I go. Aria was. Is knocking in the door the best way to show up? I’ve. There’s been. I don’t want to scare you, and the door worked better than the things I’ve tried before. So. I should knock on the door if I’m trying to visit again?”

[telescopic-thunder-claws]

Nothing happens. For several seconds, it is just you and the can, locked in an epic stare down that would be sung of down the ages. Except nobody was around to watch you. Just you, the can, and whatever just squeezed the trigger. There is now an excess of very loud FheeeEEEEEEEEYYYYY

His ears audio receptors rung  with  such a high pitched squeal that you would think the poor multicolored  buffoon had tinnitus.  That  stupid loud EEEEEEeeeEEEEEeeee  wouldn’t  cease  for several long minutes  and he felt  the equivalent of what  humanity would  define as  nausea. What the  hell was going on to make his beloved soccer horn betray him.  

[telescopic-thunder-claws]

There was indeed a loud girlish wail that escaped the lips of the jester. He eyed the rubber chicken with suspicion. If he ever used some of these props again.. well it would be too soon, though he was sure that he could do it. Eventually. More pressing was the fact that this ghost.. this thing… this whatever it was, was currently in the body of one of his rubber chickens. All he could think about was that stupid “Stapled to the chicken” joke. “No No No NO NO NO!” he hollered. but not because of the object possessed, “You’re thinking about this too literally! The joke is “Why did the chicken cross the road?” it’s because any human being or normal thinking person would cross “To get to the other side!” therefore because of the redundancy and sheer stupidity, it becomes funny, because of course it wanted to get to the other side! does that make any sense… because I’ll be honest here. If you have to explain a joke. THERE IS NO JOKE!” Clown Man seemed utterly frustrated. an A for effort at least, he awarded himself, there was a modicum of effort being put forth to help the ghost learn humor. Then he had an idea: why not attempt a joke of his own? “how about this, What is a ghost’s favourite bedtime story? Little Boo Peep!”He posed with his arms out stretched in hopes that the pun would land for the… polterspoop.

[alizarinclupea]

The loud one was squawking at him even more than the chicken. He’d thought he had a handle on the joke thing, that he’d been following along. “I came out here to learn how to have a good time and honestly I’m feeling very attacked right now. Why are you yelling at me? I’m trying and you’re confusing and i was just wanting to learn from you. And now you’re screaming at me!”

As he left the chicken, he launched it as hard as he could away from both of the pair he was talking to. It flew across the room, making a strangled SQUOARNRK noise on impact that rather spoiled the dramatic mood.

“Enough.”

Jazz’s advanced sensors would pick up his ‘body’ again, the almost color having shifted a little more towards red than at first, to the extent you could call it a color.

[alizarinclupea]

A cup of not-named Joe

[alizarinclupea]

reportingforrobots‌:

Jayden let him digest her explanation, but for a second she swore the voice actually left the room. He hadn’t responded as quickly as before, but she’d give it another moment while delightfully sipping her sweet, liquid concoction. Dark chocolate mixed with her favorite espresso brand equaled a warm, pleasing hum. 

Just right. 

His voice roared back to life rambling his own musings aloud while Jayden leaned against the counter popping more grapes. Although they were some rather silly scenarios, Alizarin appeared on the right state of mind distinguishing the two. She’d throw a hand to help him.

“You’ve got the right idea about fear and surprise. Everyone interprets those two in different ways because it all depends on their experiences with the emotion, the memories they have surrounding them, or how they were taught about such concepts.” One vine of grapes plucked, but Jayden snatched another bunch from the fridge for more snacking. 

“Let me help you understand it a little more. You have the friend you’ve known for a while, then they tell you they feel like they see you as more than just friends. You didn’t expect it, you didn’t see this coming, so the natural response would be surprise. Take that same friend and you find out they were involved in some horrible accident, then you’ve become aware of a certain danger. The more your brain takes in the details, the more upset and concerned you grow. That would be fear.” 

Alizarin didn’t realize that he was basically just describing the same thing a different way, the third time if you counted Jayden’s attempt at making the scenario more generally applicable. “So going on a date would be a surprise, as would bringing them home, and then finding out they wanted to surprise you with breakfast would...even have surprise in the word, doesn’t it.

It was as if there were some memories written so deeply that even after the original page had been torn away, the impression could still be traced. Each time the conversation passed over the topic, a little more ink stayed behind, pooling in the empty memories like coffee would in the countertop if she hadn’t cleaned it up.

“But then that would. would turn to fear if they got sick? If they’d eaten something bad while cooking and it was hurting them and you were worried it was your fault for having whatever it was in there in the first place and not throwing it out because you couldn’t even remember how long ago it you’d bought it so it was probably bad and they run off the the bathroom and sound so sick and just won’t stop and--”

It didn’t sound like Alizarin was going to stop on its own.