The biggest cheat of them all

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“Uh, sorry about that.” His voice was low, clearly he felt bad about not being of any help to the other copy.

“Why are you looking for a bee robot, anyway?”

firstchildofwily

“She’s a friend.” Copy said. He was starting to sound worn out. “And she’s been missing for awhile. I’m afraid someone might’ve went and hurt her…” But he couldn’t find her.

“Oh!”

Copy clasped his hands together in front of his face, hiding his mouth slightly. “Do you want help looking?”

He pretty much mentally smacked himself the moment he asked that. Why wouldn’t he want help looking for a missing friend?

#;RP #firstchildofwily

continued from (x)

“Uh, sorry about that.” His voice was low, clearly he felt bad about not being of any help to the other copy.

“Why are you looking for a bee robot, anyway?”

#;RP #firstchildofwily

“No need to make the decision right now, of course. But I’ll set a space aside for you and give you the details later. If you’re interested, come by the day before and we’ll set things up. If not, there’s no pressure. It isn’t for everyone.”

What he didn’t mention of course was that the hunting days were so popular that it was usually down to those who got their names in first. If he took reservations for months in advance they would probably be booked solid for a year or more. However, he had taken a liking to this small robot and wouldn’t mind holding a space for him. If Copy simply decided not to come, the next person who put their name down would probably be happy to receive a call telling them they were in.

Manny clapped a hand gently on Copy’s shoulder. “If you’d like I can get you set up with a firearm like these three are using. You’d be welcome to borrow one for the hunting trip if you decide to join.”

Copy flinched as Manny touched him, shoulders raising as if he was on guard. He took a short, sharp breath in as he tried to force himself to relax. Manny wasn’t going to hurt him. No one was going to hurt him.

“Sure! I’ll use one of those...” He’d never really used one before, but it couldn’t be that much different from his buster, right?

And he still had to think about whether he wanted to go on this hunting trip or not...

"Hey kid, you wouldn't happen to see a bee bot come around here...?"

“A bee robot?”

He thought about it for a few moments, before shaking his head. “I don’t remember seeing any bee robots.”

#firstchildofwily

((Hey so uh I’ve started my classes again so that’s why I haven’t been here very often. And I probably won’t be here very often for a while.

I don’t really want to call it a ‘hiatus’ because I’ll still be around, just kind of rarely? But yeah that’s a thing that’s happening! So I’ll take a while to respond to threads and asks and that kinda thing!))

#ooc #tbd maybe

You are small and pure and deserve nice things '^' *gently places chocolate on his head*

He is small but he is pure evil.

He looked up, going somewhat cross-eyed as he tried to figure out what had been placed on his head.

#Anonymous

There was a short pause while Manny surveyed the copybot, his slight frown hidden behind the mask of his helmet. It was difficult to figure out how to feel about him. On the one hand, he was a Wily bot. A dangerous robot that he should probably report, not just to security but also to the authorities.

And yet Copy wasn’t to blame for who he happened to be built by or what he was for. Right now he was just a child having fun. It didn’t seem right that he should be feared for that. No more than it was fair that Manny himself should have earned his siblings’ hate for simply doing his job.

“… Say, Copy, are you interested in hunting? I happen to lead a hunting party twice a month. There’s still an opening in the next one, if you wouldn’t mind using a less destructive weapon.”

“Hunting? I’ve never been hunting before.” That was like, the thing with animals, right? He’d never really thought about trying it until now.

“I can use less destructive weapons, sure.” While he didn’t think that anything he currently had was ‘less destructive’, he could probably find something. That was if he decided to join in, of course.

Copy looked like a cornered wild animal. Manny could practically see the tension radiating off him. He had seen it countless times in wild rabbits and deer that had realized predators were nearby, moments before their lives were cut short by a well-aimed arrow or bullet. It was fortunate that Copy only had to worry about verbal dangers for the moment.

“I see,” the teacher repeated slowly. For a moment he merely considered Copy, weighing the risk of his presence here against the problems that might be caused by revealing him. It wasn’t long before he came to a decision.

“Well, Copy, why don’t we keep this secret between us? So long as you’re only here to explore and enjoy yourself, I don’t see any reason the others need to know who you are. All sorts of people walk through our doors in search of some relaxation time. You’re no different than any of them. Don’t you agree?”

#;RP #infinitetales #((Sorry this is so short I just started back at college and it's exhausting already '^'))

If it wouldn’t of immediately given him away to anyone watching, he probably would’ve burst into tears. Instead, he exhaled shakily, forcing his body to relax.

He wasn’t in trouble? At least, not yet? “Y-Yeah...” It took him a moment to find his voice. “That sounds good. I mean, if I was here to cause trouble, I would’ve done it already.”

He paused. “...That probably sounded a lot worse than it did in my head.”

The change in attitude told Manny all that he needed to know. Copy didn’t want to answer, which meant two things that he could guess. The first was that just as he had guessed, the robot standing before him was a Wily bot. And secondly, he didn’t seem to want people to know. The reason for that remained to be seen.

“I see. And I suppose my siblings don’t know? They would most likely have called security if they learned of your identity. Not to worry, son, I won’t raise the alarm unless you give me a reason to. Security and I do not particularly get along.”

He gave Copy a serious look. “May I ask why you’re here?”

“No one else knows.” He mumbled, moving his arms so he was practically hugging himself. Oh yeah, he was nervous. While Manny wasn't going to call security yet, Copy was already imagining the worst case scenario.

“And I j-just wanted to explore...I hadn’t seen this place before. I’m a Wilybot, but I don’t really live with d- my creator. I like to wander a bit and see places when I’m not needed...I’m not needed v-very often.”

He inhaled sharply. “Your sister caught me pretty much the moment I came through the doors. She’s been showing me around. That’s all.”

What an intriguing child. Where on earth had this one come from? Manny couldn’t help but observe how much he resembled a certain very well-known robot, and yet his sharp eyes picked up on many differences. Those red eyes hadn’t been seen on television, nor that scarf. And unless he was mistaken, even the child’s armour was a shade or two different. Plus he had outright stated that his name was Copy.

“Yes, I can see that. It’s quite unusual to see one of your size with so much power.” Noticing that the humans were still watching in awe, Manny waved one hand toward the targets. They soon returned their attention to working on their aim as their teacher turned his back to them and focused on the other robot.

“Son, may I ask who your creator is? There is only one man I can think of who would build copybots, yet you don’t act at all like one of his creations.”

“It is?” Copy tilted his head. “Hm. I have brothers that are around my size, and I’m pretty sure most of them are stronger than me.” Was he being humble, or was he simply trying to play innocent in order to avoid suspicion?

Not that it really seemed to work. He tried to make himself look smaller as Manny asked who his creator was. Shoulders hunched, knees slightly bent, looking at the ground instead of meeting the other robots gaze.

“It’s...Um...” If his body language hadn’t given it away, his hesitation almost certainly would.

What a focused expression. Either Copy was used to target practice or he had been in quite a few fights. By the look of his steady arm and the power of his shot, he had to have done some decent damage too.

Manny watched as the shot not only struck the target but knocked it completely over. Either he had not set up it properly that morning or there was definitely some force behind the attack. It must have hit closer to an edge to knock the object over like that, but it was still an excellent shot. “Impressive. You must have a strong arm to handle that kind of power. A decently strong energy source as well. I suppose then it’s my turn.”

As Manny stepped up beside Copy, a panel of his chest slid open. Within moments a crossbow had unfolded from within his body and a bolt slid into place, ready to be fired. He took careful aim and, with a sharp snap, sent the bolt flying. It plunged straight into the centre of a distant target.

“Not quite as much force as you, but I was built for accuracy rather than pure power. Of course that doesn’t mean an accurate shot can’t still do quite a bit of damage to whatever it strikes. I try not to shoot the targets too often. I’ve destroyed too many.”

Copy stepped back as he was done, pulling his scarf over his mouth to hide his chesire-like grin. It hadn’t gone exactly as planned; he’d been aiming for the middle. But hey, knocking it over had been pretty cool, too!

He watched Manny, wondering what kind of weapon he had. He’d mentioned a crossbow, hadn’t he? Copy wondered where the weapon was going to come from-

Oh. The chest? That was a new one. Copy watched, curious, only to flinch back slightly when the crossbow actually fired. He hadn’t been expecting it to be so fast? So accurate? Or maybe the noise it had made had startled him. Either way, he tried to pretend that he hadn’t made the action when Manny started speaking. Him? Flinch? Why, he’d never do that.

“Accuracy is good, too!” Copy replied as he pulled his scarf back down. “I guess my creator was more focused on power...” And the advanced copy chip, but he wasn’t sure if he should actually show that off or not.

The humans had stopped and were paying attention to Copy now. For such a small robot he seemed very confident in his abilities. Manny had to admit that concerned him slightly, although mostly because one could never be too careful where weapons were involved. Although it wasn’t aimed at anything irreplaceable…

“Go ahead, son. I’d like to see your skills for myself. Perhaps afterward I’ll show you mine, hmm?” His smile was not visible behind his mask, but a hint of it could be heard in his voice. He had never exactly had fun at work, what with the constant feeling of being judged by his siblings, but maybe a contest of skill between the two robots could be a step in the right direction.

“Hm? Oh! That’d be cool!”

He nodded, before turning his attention back to the target. Okay. He had to focus. Completely and utterly focus. His eyes narrowed, his tongue sticking out slightly as he blocked out everything except the target.

3...

2...

1...

He took aim, charging about half-way, before letting the shot go. It was bigger than the average shot, but no where near as powerful as when it was fully charged.

Stop showing off, kid.

The robot raised an eyebrow at Copy’s enthusiasm. It even sounded like he had a weapon of his own. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to give him a little time here and see what he could do. “Welcome, Copy. Call me Manny. I’m responsible for weaponry and everything related to it here.”

He shot another look at his sister before turning his back on her. “The choice of weapon is frequently a matter of preference. These three requested guns. Myself, on the other hand… Nothing can top a good crossbow. So long as it’s not too dangerous and you can handle it safely, almost anything is acceptable. Well, Copy, why don’t you step up here and let me see how good a shot you are?” He indicated the space beside the humans.

“You’re quite a small one. If you need to be closer to the target just let me know.”

“Oh, it’s perfectly safe!” Why was he so enthusiastic about this? Maybe it was because he was getting to show off his weapon in a non-combat situation. And possibly because he just got to show off.

He stepped into position, holding his left arm up as it switched into his buster. He looked over at Manny, unable to keep the grin off of his face. “Will this be okay? It won’t really damage anything if the shots aren’t charged, and I promise I won’t charge them!”

He was going to try and show up these humans. Even with the fact that he looked like a child, he was still made for combat. This sort of thing should come naturally to him.

Once Copy had moved ahead, Remedy gave herself a few seconds to gather her courage before following at a distance. Her eyes were upon the weapons in the humans’ hands the whole time. If one of those people were to turn around and shoot her… then their teacher would have to intervene, but it was still terrifying to think about.

The robot in charge of the shooting range passed his last student and turned to stroll past again. As he did so his gaze fell upon the new arrival. “And who’s this? You look rather young to be handling a weapon, son. They’re not toys. Despite what some irresponsible people might believe.”

Silver eyes flickered over toward the storage shed, where Remedy had stopped. She continued to ignore her brother completely as she kept her gaze on the guns. Had she brought him a child to test his morals? Well, he wasn’t falling for it.

“I’m Copy, sir!” He replied with a wide grin, not seeming too worry much about the ‘they’re not toys’ comment. He knew that, he did have a weapon attached to his arms, after all.

“What kind of weapons do you use? Oh, are robot weapons allowed, or just human ones? Are busters okay?” Well, it looked like someone was excited about the shooting range. He’d started fiddling with his arm again, debating whether or not turning his buster on would be a good idea.