justmeg:
For a long moment, Meg quietly studied Bashi’s face. The stillness of it unsettled her. Usually, she found comfort in reading her opponent, in studying the slightest changes in their facial expressions that marked desire, annoyance, nervousness, anything. With most people she could see exactly what they were thinking; it gave her confidence, reassured her. But with androids she could never be sure. Were they displaying emotions and thoughts like everyone else, or were they just coded to mimic human nature? What did it mean if their faces, like Bashi’s, remained completely neutral and didn’t display any feeling whatsoever?
Eventually, Meg nodded for the lack of a better option. “Alright, I’ll do it.” She paused once more, carefully preparing her next words. “How exactly does the captain feature into your plans, then?” Perhaps he was to function as their scapegoat should anything go wrong? For a second, Meg wondered if she was worried about such a possibility – but her mind couldn’t focus on much else than the prospect of finally holding an artefact in her hands once more.
Her eyes were on zhi, clearly. Zi wondered what she was thinking, what she was hoping to get out of it. And most importantly: how she would try to double cross zhi. That was a huge possibility, especially in the desert, especially among the pirates, and even more so when a magical artefact was in play. They rarely were. Bashi knew the chances of hearing about another one ever, at least in the coming decade, was impossible. They needed this opportunity to fight off the other cities. Under zhi leadership. Because neither Jae or Sam were going to do what it took.
Zi smiled, a human reaction, one zi had to force instead of it coming naturally. Naturally nothing would follow, zhi code was different from other androids, from entertainment ones, from soldiers. “Dawnlight is one of Jae’s, but he’s the only Ironer we have entrusted in a higher position, aside from Chan that is.” Samual Chan however was barely recognisable as an Ironer. “He will simply deal with the outcome of the situation same as us.” Zi didn’t meant to be as vague, but the outcome depended on Cian’s own decisions, zi could not change much about that.