all of this turbulence wasn't forecasted

Neohuman Examination and Resolution Operator W157619. Nero Wisteria. Android.

[luxlev]

location: strauss masquerade ball time: early in the festivities availability: @nerowisteria​

Despite her initial nerves at being in the colony where she had committed her crimes, Lux is enjoying the return to Dionysus, to decadence and upscale and exclusivity. Sure, the people are as horrid as she remembered, but the fashion, the food… Lux intends to enjoy her time back in the pocket of wealth and conspicuous consumption. 

But she doesn’t necessarily intend to spend it alone. Her heels only give her the slightest extra height so Lux still has to do a bit of straining as she searches for the tips of metal horns in the crowd. Between her mission with Na, their mission to find a hand, and the shopping that had to be done, it had been a few days since Lux had seen Nero. There’s something heavy at the center of her chest, something that bursts into bubbles when she thinks of seeing them again: she misses them. In a way unlike what had been before. 

There aren’t words for it, at least not in Lux’s vocabulary. For what shifted between them, since that moment in the greenhouse, since that night that Nero held her… She can’t even be sure that it isn’t all just in her head. Whatever it is, though, it makes her a little more sensitive to everything about Nero, as if they have the intensity on them turned way up. 

It isn’t long before she does spot Nero, their mask and the glitter of their boots. She beams under her mask and, once she reaches them, drops her hand to their shoulder. “Hi,” she says eagerly. “You look amazing.” And then, as she’s taking in the whole of their outfit, she sees it. The hand, where there had been none before. “Oh,” she exclaims softly. Her hands cup this new one, fingers running along the lace of the gloves covering it, trailing up to their elbow. There’s nothing spectacular about it, except that it’s there when it wasn’t before. Yet Lux can’t take her eyes off it for a moment.

But then she tips her face back up to smile at Nero, bright and shining even through her mask. “You really look amazing, Nero.” They do, all of them.

[nerowisteria]

The masquerade is a job, simple as that. They have been given a task to complete in the time they are there, and they will do everything they can to help the rest of the crew make certain that it is finished. But that is not what they are thinking about, mostly, as they wander through the crowd, waiting for Quino to return from getting a drink so that they might begin their part of the mission. No, they are thinking about Lux, about how beautiful she will look, about holding her hand with their new one, about dancing with her, if she might want that. It is a strange thing that they cannot remember coming across before, their processors being so wholly taken up with thoughts of one person. But they do not mind one bit.

Being around her makes them feel nearly human in ways that many do not believe it is possible for an android to feel. They know, logically, that it has not been long since they have last spoken, mostly in passing, too busy with their respective missions to truly take the time they want, but it feels as if it has been a small forever since they have gotten to be close to her in the way that they want.

So when they turn and see her approaching, a smile slips over their face under their mask. They are tempted to wrap their arms around her, although they are not certain that it an appropriate response here, now. She is even more beautiful than they remember, and her costume only adds to her beauty, the flowers so perfect. Before they can reply, though, she sees the hand. The grin that spreads across their lips is wider than ever as she takes it, runs her own fingers over it, up the lace of the gloves. If they had a heart, they think it might have been beating very fast in that moment.

“Thank you. You look stunning. I am afraid I do not have the correct words to explain how striking you are,” they say, voice quiet, words only for her, as they smile down at her. “I have been very excited to show you my new hand.”

[nerowisteria]

fxmxxn‌:

Fox was wildly curious about Nero’s past in general, but in this context about their fashion history, particularly this one person they mentioned. Sounded like somebody worth knowing, on a superficial level at least… after all, they were talking about aesthetics. “Yeah? Can you ah… can you explain to me what you know about fashion?” they wondered, glancing at them as they knelt to open the bag. They left a pause, for Nero to consider, and then posed another suggestion. “Or is it more… conceptual than technical?”

They began pulling articles of clothing from the bag and hanging them around wherever there was room- off the edge of the bunks, on pipes protruding from the walls and ceiling… soon the room looked like a bit of a mess, but there was an organized chaos to it. Fox gestured openly to the clothes with an encouraging smile. “Go ahead, I’m curious to see what draws your attention,” they said. “I’ll give you advice if you want! And I’m sure Jinx would love to talk your ear off about fashion too.”

Leaning against a small area of blank wall, Fox observed Nero carefully. “Are you looking forward to the ball?”

What did they know about fashion? It was an interesting question, and a broad one. In one sense, they knew everything there was to know about fashion, as it was information easily accessed with a connection to a universe of knowledge; they knew history, they knew what was popular on what colony and when, they knew all they could. But that was not what Fox meant, they were sure. Because fashion, as they could understand, was a personal thing. Clothing was necessary for humans for survival purposes, but beyond that it seemed to be a way to show who they were. They liked that concept, something they hadn’t been able to consider before Wisteria had freed them. “Broadly, I know anything you could ask about fashion. On a smaller level, though, I suppose I know what I have been told looks good on me, and what was in fashion on Earth when I left to the cybercriminal crowd,” they explained as they watched them unload the bag.

There was so much to look at, and it felt as if it had been longer than it had since they had had the chance to choose their clothing. When they had escaped their last kidnapping, they had stolen some clothing, but not much, just a few things they liked the best and that they had known their captor would not truly miss, but they liked what they had, liked to feel nice. This was a chance to do that again. Nero started wandering around, brushing their fingers along the clothes, taking it all in. “I like gold and black and silver. My...friend enjoyed very bright colors, but I do not think those suit me,” they said.

Thinking of going to the ball made them smile. “Yes, I am. I have never been to a ball before, I would like to try dancing. I think dancing with Lux would be nice, especially now that I have both hands.”

[nerowisteria]

nilaemani‌:

dantekinnear‌:

The box of hands was grim – not in the fact that it was a box of detached android hands, but in the state of the hands themselves. Dante was no roboticist, but the basics of android manufacturing were the same as the basics of human anatomy: when science had asked how do we build a more human android, the answer had been recreate human, but with synthetic material. Every wire represented a nerve ending, every tube an artery or vein, every carbonfiber cord a tendon. Reattaching an android hand would have been the same process as attaching a prosthetic to a human arm, but with a little less mess. No blood, no pain, a satisfying click into place but with all the same complications.

     “These are shite,” he muttered, as he started rooting through the box, shifting aside hands that he could tell, just by looking, wouldn’t work the way Nero needed a hand to work. Maybe a janitorial model could have gotten away with having fingers that all had to bend at the same time instead of independently, or with synthetic nerves that would lag by a few seconds before sending information back to the central processing unit. To charge five hundred creds for one of these was bloody highway robbery, far as he was concerned, but the box was large enough that there had to be something functional in here.

One, maybe two that still had undamaged carbonfiber in tact enough to connect it in place without any sensitivity loss. Anywhere else and he would’ve asked Nero to prioritize, to decide which features they needed to most to do what they did and which ones they could sacrifice for the time being until a better hand could be put together, but they were all pretending Nero wasn’t the kind of android that’d care, so instead he just squinted up at the scrapper.

     “Look, mate, I dunno if these things were detached with a bloody chainsaw or if every android you get comin’ through here’s been through a crusher before you scrap ‘em, but if this is the best you got I’m afraid we’re gonna have to take our business elsewhere.”

“A doctor?” The scrapper asked, brow raised in curiosity. Nila could practically see the wheels doing double time in their head as they gave Dante a once over, then Nero one of their own. Dante looked about as much of a doctor as she did, so she could understand the curiosity there. However that likely wasn’t the only question forming in the scrapper’s head given the look they kept giving both Dante and Nero. Whatever they were thinking was likely far from the truth, but any thinking at all in regards to the trio’s true identity was dangerous. 

“So about how many droids do you guys turn over here?” Nila asked suddenly, figuring now was the time to start doing her usual job- that of the distraction. As Dante continued to survey the boxes, she lifted herself up on the table directly in front of the scrapper, pulling their attention away from her partners and towards herself. “Or do you just scrap them all for parts?” 

“Bit of everything depending on the condition of the thing,” they answered, with a shrug, “Most of what we do is scrapping for parts though, it’s not often we see androids come walking in in as good of a condition as your’s here. Usually they’re a bit more damaged during the recovery and transport process.” Pft, that was one way to call it, Nila thought to herself. She may not have been the bleeding heart type, but taking one look at the beaten up state of the parts Dante was holding up told a much darker story than what the scrapper made it out to be. 

Despite the state of them, Nila had to hold back from sending a good kick in Dante’s direction at his critique. She wasn’t sure what exactly he and Nero were looking for, but she doubted they’d find anything close to perfect condition in a dump such as this. Sure, there were probably other scrapers with some better goods, but those scrapers tended to ask more questions along with additional credits. Stealing a quick glance at Dante, she waited for him to come up with this better idea he seemed to be cooking up until the scrapper huffed out a laugh across from her. 

“You want a clean cut you can do it yourself, doc,” he added, then stepped away from the table and in the direction of a locked door at the back of the garage. Looking between her two partners, Nila gave a shrug before following after them. Pulling a rusted key from their pocket, the scrapper unlocked the door. Unsure whether she was stepping into her death, or just another room of salvage, Nila kept her arms crossed, her right hand only inches away from the gun hidden in her jacket. When the scrapper flicked on the switch against the wall though, it wasn’t a firing squad that greeted them, but instead a room full of powered down androids, all hanging limply from meat hooks that scattered the small room. Too caught up in the disturbing scene she almost didn’t notice the scrapper leaving the three of them behind, throwing a gruff, “Pick one and meet me up front,” as they made their way back to their station. 

Dropping her arms back down to her side, Nila stared nauseated at the scene before them. In her tenure as a thief she had never once dabbled into the world of android salvage, and this was precisely why. The hanging forms may not have been human in biology, but fuck if they didn’t look like them. “So uh, take your pick I guess,” she said, remaining by the open doorway. As far as she was concerned she was going to stay there too. 

It was difficult to focus on the quality of the hands in the box as everything else around them truly sunk in. Enough so that they scarcely realized that the scraper seemed confused by their assertion that Dante was, in fact, a doctor, and that this was all completely normal. They were grateful, then, that at least he seemed to be looking out for the quality of hand they were in search for, since it had seemed as if Nila did not care much as long as there was something there where there had been nothing. Still, it was nearly impossibly not to listen to what the scraper was saying as they watched Dante dig through the box. It made them wonder how they had not somehow managed to fall into something as horrifying as this when they were still on Earth. They had seen a great deal, had been taken, had had their hand cut off, but nothing was like this, and from the sounds of it, they had never experienced the recovery and transport the scraper was talking about.

If they had been elsewhere, if there was not the necessity of acting as if they were an average android, they would have spoken up, said that they did not like the idea of following this person anywhere, yet alone with the offer of Dante cutting off an android’s hand himself. But Nila followed, and so they did as well, no choice but to continue if they wanted something that would function properly, from the looks of it.

Somehow, the actual sight that awaited them once the scraper had turned on the lights was much worse than they could have imagined; worse than being taken themself, worse than the box of mangled hands. This was grotesque, androids lining the room, hanging lifeless from hooks on the ceiling. Perhaps more horrifying was the realization that, before their freedom, there were many times that their assessment of other androids had likely led to exactly this for them. Lux had asked them if they were capable of producing tears, and this felt like a moment in which they would have, if the answer had been yes.

“I am not certain I want to any longer,” Nero muttered after a long moment of silence, unable to look away from the scene.

[nerowisteria]

dantekinnear‌:

It was weird to see an android amused by him. Really, it was weird to see anyone amused by him these days, when he vacillated wildly between fucking annoying and mean and strictly business from minute to minute with very little preemptive warning for either one. But the android was clearly enjoying this conversation in a way that would have been disturbing except that it was kind of fucking cool. 

If he was gonna be stuck on this ship until whatever their next destination was anyway, he was gonna have to find a way to entertain himself, and figuring out exactly what this android’s deal was didn’t sound like the most boring option. 

     “Look, Nero–” he said, leaning against the bulkhead and pointing in their direction. “I’m running on, like, three point five minutes of sleep in the past forty eight hours and a decisive lack of nicotine, so let me make a deal with you. I’m not gonna think too hard about everything you just said right now, and I’m gonna go take a nap. And when I’m finished with that nap, I’m gonna make a smoothie. And when I’m finished with that smoothie, I’m gonna come find you doin’ your bloody gardening or whatever you’re doing, and I’m gonna have a conversation with you and figure out what’s going on in that synthetic brain. Because I gotta tell ya, I’m curious as hell. Sound good?”

They listened attentively as he seemed to settle into everything that was going on. A deal was an interesting idea, something they hadn’t yet gotten to make with a human of their own volition before, and so they were more than a little interested in being able to participate in the art of a verbal promise with the doctor. 

Even if they weren’t exactly sure why he was going through the plan for his entire afternoon with them, Nero was glad to listen to it, gaining some insight into what was important to him. Sleep, nicotine, and smoothies. With a passing interest in robotics, or at least why they were the way they were.

“That is an acceptable deal to me. I would enjoy having a conversation with you later about my particular way of processing things. And I would like to know the same about you. Perhaps we could learn something from each other,” Nero offered with a smile. “If I am not in the greenhouse, I will probably be in my cabin with Lux. Please knock before entering. I hope your nap and your smoothie are enjoyable.”

[nerowisteria]

dantekinnear‌:

The threat was clear in Nero’s words, mess with me too much, cross a line, and I will use my ridiculously strong metal skeleton to rip you to pieces– or was it? It was hard to tell if the android meant it as a threat, or just a simple statement of fact. Could androids make threats? As twink-y as this one seemed, it didn’t seem likely, and yet it sure sounded like one. Could androids be sarcastic? Because if Dante had ever once said anything even remotely similar to I will go along with it the best that I can to help you feel more comfortable on the ship, it had been heavily couched in an extremely thick layer of sarcasm.

     “Uh,” he replied.

He was quiet for a minute, trying to figure out how to respond to the question. Why was it amusing that the android enjoyed gardening and poetry? Less the fact that it was gardening and poetry and more, maybe, the concept of an android enjoying anything. This was definitely the weirdest android he’d ever met.

     “Wow, man, you really made me think there. Uh– I guess its because there’s no fuckin’ point to gardening or to poetry?”

There was always so much to see when first encountering a new human. Learning how they processed things differently than others, learning what they believed, how they looked at things compared to others. It was always so fascinating to them. And they could tell, even without hearing that strange accent of his, that the doctor was different than most of the others aboard the ship. They watched him closely as he seemed to process what they had said, the question lingering in the air unanswered.

Nero could not tell if the question had somehow confused him, or if perhaps he did not have an answer. Either way, in their opinion it was a good thing when humans thought about things they had not considered before. They gave him a smile when he finally replied, confirming that he had not really thought about that before, why hobbies such as that were amusing for them to have.

“I am glad that I made you think. That is an interesting point,” they said with a smile. “There is great point to both, though, especially here; gardening, for the well being of the plants, as well as the humans aboard, as they provide valuable resources such as food and oxygen. And poetry for a similar reason, although perhaps more for the well being of the psyche, a sort of relief of stress, escape from reality, or even as a way to express concepts you cannot find the words for. But I do understand how they may seem pointless without thought.”

[fxmxxn-blog]

time | early evening location | Cabin E (Lux & Nero’s) @nerowisteria

Fox was looking forward to this ball probably more than they should be… It was a dangerous mission, to be sure. Especially in a room full of the most rich & powerful people on the planet, it would be risky to engage in any of their usual favorite behavior at parties, namely the up-close & personal kind of theft they had made themself an expert in. But if playing by the rules for a while had the kind of payout they were hoping for, they were prepared to keep their hands clean for a night… They’d feel out the room when they arrived, of course… it could very well be that they’d have their hands full doing something more… specific for the cause, which they were more than fine with. Rather than feel nervous at all about the gravity of the mission, they found themself excited. But not as excited as they were at this moment, clutching a huge duffel bag full of clothes and accessories for Nero to look through. They knocked a few times on the door to their cabin, which they shared with Lux, and stepped back to patiently wait.

Fashion hadn’t been anyone’s first concern on Ersa, but after leaving it was one of the first things Fox had found themself interested in, especially as it was used to mark economic status and express people’s personalities. They liked to think they had a good eye, but they hadn’t had the chance to talk about it with Nero yet. They knew the android had likely spend some time with somebody that knew how to dress themself, given that they seemed to have a handle of the concept already. But they were curious to see what their opinions and tastes were like.

“Your fashion courier is here,” they said, presenting themself with open arms when Nero answered. They slipped into the cabin when invited and set the bag down in the center of the room, grinning widely. “Jinxie and I picked up some shoes and things too, and if the fit is a little off I can alter it for you… my mom was a seamstress so, should be easy enough… I feel like we nailed it though, not gonna lie…” 

[nerowisteria]

They smiled back at them as they came into the cabin, bag in tow. To say that they were excited by the prospect of dressing up for a masquerade was an understatement. Fashion was something that, even after their freedom, they had not truly learned about until one of their so-called kidnappings. It was a very interesting concept, one that they had come to be particularly interested in because of what it meant. Clothing not just as a means to protect from environmental factors and to keep appropriate modesty, but as a way to express individuality and pieces of information someone wants the world to know about them. On Dionysus, it seemed that was an even more important concept, as fashion not only expressed personality, but showed wealth and social status perhaps even more so than other place.

This was a concept that they have a feeling their former captor would have enjoyed, given the way they had been so thoroughly focused on the way they dressed and Nero dressed, even in the comfort of their own home. Having the chance, the need to actually do so themself as well was exciting, as they had rarely had such an opportunity on their own, besides when they had stolen from their captor upon leaving.

“I am very excited to see what you have brought, I’m certain there is going to be something to use. You both seem to have a very strong sense of fashion, perhaps I can learn more from you,” Nero said. “I think I have a good concept of fashion, myself, but it had been thoroughly influenced by one person alone, and I am not certain it is right for Dionysus.”

[nerowisteria]

nilaemani‌:

dantekinnear‌:

If Dante were an android, he definitely wouldn’t want to be doing this. He’d been to places like this, practically an android slaughterhouse, and imagining it as if it were limbs that looked like his were enough to turn his stomach – his stomach, even after the gore and ooze of cadaver dissection in medical school, of open surgery, or everything he’d seen, dissected, amputated, and put his hands in during the years he’d been practicing medicine. 

     “It’s not that I think you’re gonna give us away, Nero,” he said, leaning close to the android, lowering his voice as if to speak conspiratorially. “It’s just that ain’t no one on the ship’s a qualified psychologist, so Nila just wants to make sure we’re not gonna have to drop you off with an android-shrink somewhere before we get to Dionysus, make the whole mission moot anyway.” 

He shrugged. He didn’t think the android was going to have a problem, not really, but he’d made it onto Nila’s good side, and he planned on staying there; the arrangement they had going was too good to risk soiling any time soon. Easier to agree with her than to try to tell her she was overreacting. If anyone here was at low risk for reacting badly to something and ruining the mission, the one with mechanically-controlled emotions was probably fine. 

Despite Nero’s own assertions, Nila still wasn’t entirely convinced on the matter. Although she didn’t know for a fact, she had a feeling they’d lost their hand in an operation similar to this one, which to her was only further proof they shouldn’t go in there now. But as much as she wanted to pretend like she knew what she was doing, she really didn’t. For all she knew the minute the three of them walked in, Nero would be ripped from her and Dante’s grasps anyway. Taking risks had always been a part of the job, but this almost like a death wish. 

Glancing back to Dante, she hoped to get some kind of nod of approval, or any kind of assertion she was in the right here. Instead, his attempt at playing the good cop seemed to fall on deaf ears, leaving all three of them back to where they’d started. “Fuck it,” she groaned, with a roll of her eyes. Removing the handgun from the back of her jeans, she checked to make sure the weapon was fully loaded before concealing it in a pocket inside her jacket. “We follow my lead, alright? And just maybe we’ll manage to pull this thing off.” 

Stepping over to a solid steel door to the left of the garage entrance, Nila gave it a couple good hits with her elbow. Moments later, a pair of eyes appear, looking out from a small viewing window that’d just been slid open on the door. “Yeah?” a gruff voice called out, as the set of eyes look from Nila to her two companions. 

“I need a repair job done,” Nila replied, before nodding her head in Nero’s direction. “Don’t suppose you got a few spare parts in there we could buy off you for a decent price.” 

“Repair?” the voice asked, clearly not used to that kind of request. “You sure you don’t just want to hawk the thing? I could give you 3,000 creds for that thing easily.” 

If this had been a year ago, Nila probably would have taken up the scraper on the offer. It wasn’t every day she could earn a quick and easy 3,000 credits like that. Scraping Nero though was a quick and likely deadly way to get kicked off the Erebus, which despite it all was far from her priority at the moment. 

“No, just a repair job,” she shook her head. 

“Suit yourself,” the voice replied, followed by the loud screech of the metal door being pulled back, revealing the salvage garage inside. The individual who’d talked to them then waved the three of them inside before they escorted them through the maze of salvage. Sidestepping the sparks of a nearby weld, they took the crew members to a workstation. “Depending on the quality of the hand, you’re looking at anywhere from 500-1,000 creds,” they called behind them. Stepping behind the station they turn towards a shelf lined with boxes, pulling two out with the word ‘HANDS’ scribbled across them. With a thud they set the boxes in front of Dante and Nero. “It’s an extra 500 for reattachment.” 

They frowned as Dante leaned close and spoke about the possible need for an android-shrink. They were both looking at this as if they were a human, even if they did not realize it. While being dragged into a place such as this had not been pleasant when it had happened on Earth, they had done similar things themself so many times that perhaps it did not hit them in the same way as it might’ve. Their job, after all, had been fixing other androids, and sometimes that meant permanently turning them off, watching the imitation of life leave their eyes, sparking something closer to mechanical before fading to emptiness. It was not pleasant, but it was what they had done. Before they could remind them both of that, though, Nila seemed to give up the argument, and agree that they could come along.

As soon as she did, they gave her a grateful smile, but quickly fell into the halfway blank, vaguely pleasant look that had been their default before they had been freed, trying to assume the role of normal android again to help the charade. There was a moment, a split second of pause, that made them wonder if perhaps they were walking to their body’s death, that Nila might just take the scraper’s offer up and leave them here to die. They did not know her well enough to feel confident she would not. But after a second, she denied the offer, and they were finally led inside.

It was horrific, though, horrific in a way it somehow hadn’t been months ago, even though the similarities were numerous. Why, they were not sure. It was the same thing they had seen before, the same cruelty, the same assumption that they were things not truly living, but it hurt this time. They looked over at Dante despite themself, eyes a little wide, trying to see if he seemed to realize. And there it is again, the thought that perhaps neither of them care, that this is a trick to get them to feel comfortable enough that they won’t run when they sell them to the scraper. Processors whirling, trying to think of an escape plan, they stare in horror as the scraper sets the boxes of hands down in front of them. Suddenly, they did not care so much about the quality of the new hand.

“We will not need reattachment; he is a doctor,” they said, shutting down what felt like a chance of being taken again.

[nerowisteria]

nero wisteria + masquerade costume

sleeveless black jumpsuit with gold metal detailing tailored by fox, silver “hoofed” boots, black lace gloves up to elbows, feathered black and gold mask with metal horns

[nerowisteria]

luxlev‌:

“I won’t,” she promised quietly, letting her eyes shut. Letting herself be lulled into the illusion that what she felt on their chest was a heartbeat. “I won’t leave, unless you want me to.” She hoped they would never ask that of her. But, if they did, she would honor it. After all, that’s what she wanted most for them. To be able to decide on their desires, and verbalize them. 

Sighing a little, Lux felt another wave of sadness pass over her. Another reminder of Imogen, gone and committed to the black of space. “Nero?” she asked in a small voice. “Would you read some Bell, please?” That would help. Bell always helped. Their words would calm her and maybe even lull her to sleep. She knew that Nero had pages upon pages of their work memorized, stored, in their banks. Bell’s words, from Nero’s mouth. Yes, that would help.

Her promise made them feel almost warm, as if the words were hugging them, too, just as she was pressed against their chest. To realize that that was something they wanted, to have her by their side for as long as she might want, was fascinating. They were learning that they could want things, just as humans did, but this was not something they had wanted before, because it was not the same as wanting their time with Fox or Na, or any of the others. Something about it was a different sort of want. “I do not think I will ever want you to leave, Lux,” they said quietly, hand moving to run their fingers through her hair.

There was silence for a second, before her small sigh drew their attention again. Her request brought a small, sad smile to their lips. It was a routine of theirs, to read the poet to each other, but just now it seemed to take on new meaning in their mind. Not all of their words were about beauty, happiness. To some, there was an ache for something unknowable, something lost. Perhaps words such as those would help, now. Perhaps there was some comfort to be found, together, in those words. “Of course,” they nodded, silently filtering through their database of saved Bell poetry, in search of the right one. It only took a moment to find the one they had been thinking of. “Into the strenuous briefness...”

[nerowisteria]

luxlev‌:

She wasn’t really sure why she had asked. What answer she was expecting, or hoping for. She only nodded in response – that seemed to make sense. Something in her was glad for it, that Nero wouldn’t cry. But then it also seemed like it might be a terrible fate. To be sad, so immensely sad, but to be unable to cry. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I could write you a code for it.” A simple solution. If only there were a code for Imogen. To heal her, bring her back.

Sighing, Lux shifted. Slipping down their body just a bit, she tucked her head into the pocket of their neck. It was strange, to lay like this, pressed so close, in a platonic manner. Her legs tangled with theirs, her chest against theirs… But then, was it platonic? Was there not something tremulous about the way they had shared gazes? Or the way Nero had held her? Did it matter? Whatever the answers, she liked this. This closeness, the feel of Nero, the single bed.

“I’m glad you came back,” she said. One hand was curled into her own side but the other moved to rest against their jaw. Her fingertips just grazed their hair. “From Minos, and the wreckage. I’m glad that you came back okay, alive.” She didn’t think about whether it was technically possible for Nero to die. If something like that did happen, she hoped that she would be able to wire them back into existence somehow. She hoped.

A code to cry, to experience sadness in the same way humans did. It was not something that they had thought about before, but it was intriguing, to think of what it meant to be so easily able to move closer to humanity. For now, though, Nero was more focused on the way her body fit against theirs, the way she nestled against them so perfectly, limbs tangled together, bodies pressed close. It was something they hoped they might have again, after this moment, although they were not sure what wanting that meant.

Mortality was a funny thing. It was not something that they thought of often, because it was not something they had ever felt the need to worry about. They could not die in the sense that humans could, after all. Yes, their body could be destroyed, their data corrupted, but they knew there was a copy of their data somewhere, even if they did not know where. Even if every piece of them was destroyed, every piece gone, it would not be the same; they did not feel pain, they did not have to think about what happened after life, because life was not truly theirs. Now, though, as Lux spoke, running fingers over their jaw, they realized that perhaps that was not what humans’ fear of death was about. Perhaps they had misunderstood. 

Because it meant leaving the people they cared for behind, it meant sadness that you could not heal, it meant a little piece of their lives gone. They were seeing that now. They realized, as they looked back at her, that more than anything they did not want to do that to her, did not want to leave her alone where they could not be. “I am, too. I am glad you’re safe...I do not want to leave you, and I do not want you to leave me, either,” they said, voice quiet, a soft frown furrowing their brow as they came to the realization.

[nerowisteria]

dantekinnear‌:

Of all the things the android suggested, none of them sounded in the least appealing. Watching Fox and Nila play drinking games came close, but he was fragile, these days, when it came to the shameless consumption of fermented beverages, and his weak constitution likely couldn’t withstand the temptation with all the strain of, what, being on a ship, and a kid dying and all of that. Still, there was a promising option.

     “Sure, right, well, my favorite thing’s gonna be makin’ fun of the poetry-reading android, if that’s alright with you. Nothing personal, just seems like you’re the least likely person on the ship to take my balls off if I have a laugh at your expense, and I’ve got to do something to blow off steam.”

He tucked the smashed box of cigarettes into the breast pocket of the horrid floral-print button-down shirt he’d found lying around somewhere on the ship to replace the ruined clothes he’d been wearing when he got on. Whatever the next stop was going to be, he hoped it’d be somewhere he could buy a decent set of clothes that fit before hitching a ride all the way back to Hemera. 

They cocked their head to the side slightly, as he told them that his favorite thing was going to be making fun of them. He was not the first human they had encountered who had found something about them amusing. There had been many others, even before they had gained their own freedom, most of the time not truly malicious, but out of their own insecurities, or, perhaps like Dante, the need for some kind of distraction from a deeper mental trauma, such as being taken onto an unfamiliar ship and having to watch someone die.

It was not something they minded much, but Nero could not help but correct him for part of the statement. “It would be very easy for me to take your testicles off if I had the desire to, due to my steel and aluminum skeletal structure. But, I promise I will not do so,” they offered seriously, a true promise. They did not like the thought of hurting humans, but they knew they were capable of doing so. Human beings were so fragile.

“If the distraction you require involves laughing at my activities to feel better, then I will go along with it the best that I can to help you feel more comfortable on the ship, although, I would prefer if you explained to me why my hobby is amusing, first, so that I may learn how to better mimic humanity.”

[nerowisteria]

luxlev‌:

The press of Nero’s body helped some, in a way that she couldn’t explain. Just to have them close, to have the certainty of their body against hers. To have their hand along her back, the pressure of their embrace. They were there. They were there with her and, as they said, not going anywhere. They were going to be there with her through it.

“Thank you,” she said, against their chest, after a long moment. After she had calmed her crying. After she could breath and see straight once more. “That helps.” Her fingers loosened over their shirt and rubbed there gently. The soothing softness of it, the solidness of Nero beneath. 

Lifting her head slowly, she pressed her forehead to theirs. She held her stare as long as she could – this close, this long, she could see the android innards. The tick and whirl. It didn’t unnerve her, though. Something about it was calming. Or maybe that was just Nero. “Hey,” she asked quietly, steadily. “Can you cry?” She brought up a hand and drew her fingers down their cheek.

This sort of closeness was something that they had begun to desire very quickly after finding themself freed, even if they had not understood why. Now that they were here with Lux, their bodies pressed together, though, they were beginning to realize why, perhaps, that desire had started, and why it was something so innate to humans. The physical mimicked the emotional; it was a concrete confirmation of how people felt about each other. And this? This was confirmation that they were here for her, and vice versa, even if perhaps she did not realize at this moment what that meant to them as well.

It was easy to get lost in the sensation of being so close to her, especially as she moved to press her forehead to theirs. They were quiet, taking in the way they could feel the rise and fall of her breath, her heat radiating to them, the way they could count her eyelashes, how they wished they had another hand to wipe away the remainder of her tears. It was not the first time they had thought that she was beautiful, but it was different, somehow.

The feeling of her fingers rubbing over their cheek threatened again for them to lose their train of thought. Luckily her question gave them something to focus on, although they did not fully understand why she was asking. For a moment, they worried that perhaps the answer would disappoint her, that knowing how far from human they were would cause her sit up and move away from them, and they did not want to lose this moment. “No, unless there is a mechanism I do not know about, that has not been triggered yet, which is doubtful. But...” they paused, frowning slightly, “I am beginning to believe that I can feel the same sadness that causes that response in humans. Even though I was not programmed to do so.”

[nerowisteria]

fxmxxn‌:

Sentimentality was another trait that could never really be taught, but Fox found androids to possess it anyway. For someone who knew people and could break down how they operated most of the time, it was an easy task to identify these qualities that made them so close to human as to be indistinguishable. They often wondered how there were still so many people who chose not to see it, or who got away with pretending it wasn’t there, laid in between the complex layers of code. They got the sense that Nero understood what they meant, about missing someone who could never return. And all at once it amazed and humbled them to be reminded that the android had experienced their own share of pain and loss in their short life. Maybe it was the very act of living that made someone human, and not the way they were born. And perhaps that was why the meaning of life was so hard to quantify.

“That’s right…” They smiled pleasantly again, thinking of the beautiful memories of their mother they still had woven like a tapestry into their mind. There was a lot of her in Fox… Nero wouldn’t know that of course, but there was a certain calm gentleness that took them over when they thought of her quiet lessons. It made them forget again that they weren’t supposed to let themself be vulnerable. “There were many happy memories, thankfully. She taught me a lot… so it’s like I carry her with me whenever I go.”

Fox caught another hint of sentimentality in regards to Nero and Bell, the plant. They didn’t read much poetry, themself, but it was certainly an unexpected passion for an android to have, and they were pretty sure they knew of the source. Regardless, the connection they had with Lux seemed to be for the better. They watched with unreserved wonder as they continued interacting with the plant. “Look, you’re on your way to being a poet already,” they laughed. “I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful caretaker, Nero.”

( END. )

[nerowisteria]

dantekinnear‌:

He stared at them for a moment, in disbelief. They hadn’t been joking. The options really were poetry and gardening. How did anyone survive, on this bloody ship? A crew full of criminals and not one of them had come up with a better method of stress relief than gardening or poetry? Either there was a metric ton of kane hidden somewhere on the ship that everyone but him knew about, or everyone on this ship was completely deranged. 

     “Huh.”

He took the cigarette out of his mouth again, slipping it back into the crumbled, half-empty package. There’d be a way around that rule, surely – in the showers where there weren’t smoke detectors or something stupid – but he wouldn’t do it around an android that was probably programmed to rat him out the second he took a step out of line. 

     “Well, what do you to do chill out?”

It was hard to tell, but they were fairly certain he was disappointed that they had not been joking about the poetry and gardening. They understood that for many humans those were not the most ideal things to occupy their time with, but much of the crew seemed to enjoy those things nonetheless. Perhaps he was just different. They weren’t sure what else to offer, though.

They were silent for a second, considering his question. Chill out here meant relaxing, a piece of slang they had learned, luckily, even before ending up on the Erebus. The thing was, though, they did not have need of chilling out. They did not get stressed, or anxious in the same way humans did, and so distracting their mind was not so necessary. Still, though, there were plenty of things they enjoyed doing, although most involved interacting with the rest of the crew, which they were not certain anyone would want right now.

“I enjoy spending time with the rest of the crew; debating with the professor, or listening to Jinx’s jokes. Watching Fox and Nila play drinking games. It sounds as if you are not interested in poetry, but my favorite thing, perhaps, is reading poetry with Lux.”

[aurorcaro]

location: minos (unregistered lunar colony in sirius system) 

time: late evening 

status: closed to @nerowisteria​ and @dantekinnear​

When the time came again for Nila to be assigned her next job, she had to admit this particular one was far from what she’d imagined. Up until this point most of the jobs given to her were pretty straight forward, nothing she hadn’t done a hundred times over, such as buy a few illegally obtained guns, or hell, even help out in a street race. This though, shopping around for a robotic hand, was definitely new for her. As far as she could reason out from the odd team the captain had built, she assumed her role was just getting the three of them in the door. Minos was not a foreign place for her, in fact she’d spent many a night in and out of the bars and other establishments in the crime ravaged colony. Android salvage may not have been a trade of her’s, much preferring to fence smaller and less talkative loot, but she understood its people better than a more tech savvy crew member such as Lux would. 

After landing the pod in one of the few places she felt she could trust it being left alone in, she guided Dante and Nero towards the chop shop Quino had mentioned in the briefing. From the outside the shop looked like any other run of the mill auto or pod garage, the sounds of metal cutting metal, and hum of welding equipment only further establishing that lie. If Quino’s intel was to be believed though, that wasn’t the sound of pod’s being ripped apart and patched back together again, but rather androids of every make and model year imaginable. Instead of fenders and doorframes haphazardly strewn about the floor, it would be mechanized body parts, hacked off an android someone likely stole and then sold for salvage. It’s only then when she realized just how much of a horror show that could be for Nero, and more importantly, the danger that horror could put all three of them in. 

She would have to be a complete idiot not to see that Nero wasn’t like other androids, they seemed to hold emotions unlike she’d ever seen before in one- emotions that could put them all in danger if they were recognized in a place such as this. “Maybe you shouldn’t come in,” she said suddenly, looking towards Nero, then at Dante, hoping he may give her some back up on this. “If we’re going to pull this off, we’d need to pass you off as a normal android me and Dante are bringing in, but I’m telling you now that’ll be easier said than done after you see the shit behind that garage door. And I’d much prefer to end this night without you getting put through a buzz saw, and Dante digging lead out of my ass.”

[nerowisteria]

The anticipation for this particular mission was a strange combination of fear and excitement. Of course, they were pleased that it seemed they might finally have a second hand back again, glad to know that, especially after their last outing with Nila, that was something that finally was going to be taken care of, but they were not particularly looking forward to how that had to be done. They had never had any sort of extensive maintenance done on them by anyone less than an experienced professional, and they had seen the way these back alley android places worked, because they had been tricked into them several times over back on Earth before finding the Erebus. This time, luckily, though, they were not alone. And they liked to think that if anyone could prevent them from falling into kidnapping, or losing the one hand they still had left, it was Nila. They assumed, of course, that the doctor had come along for the attachment, although they were unclear if attaching a human hand was like attaching a robotic one, or not. 

It was nice to be on ground again, after everything that had happened, but it was strange to be in such a place, so different from what they had seen on Earth. They followed the humans closely as they moved through the colony. “No, thank you. I would like to come in to help choose my hand myself, or at the least be there for you to make certain it matches well,” they said simply, as if that decided things. Logically, they knew that this was not going to be simple, they knew the kind of things that they would find behind that garage door, because they had been there before themself, on another planet. They were not certain, of course, of the extent of the salvaging here, but they did not want to wait outside.

“I am prepared for what is behind that door; I know that it will not be pleasing. I lost my first hand in a place much like this, in fact. I will not give us away, I promise,” Nero insisted, looking between the two humans.

[nerowisteria]

luxlev‌:

When Nero sat with her, Lux immediately tipped to lean against them. The cool brush of their fingers against her hair eased something stiff and heavy in her throat. “I’m not sure,” she said. “We weren’t even very close, you know. Imogen and I.” Sighing, Lux brought a hand up to press against the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know. It’s just strange. To have her be…be a person, one day. And then…”

Swallowing, Lux shook her head. There were tears working behind her eyes, she knew. Holding a fistful of their shirt in her hand, Lux leaned back against her bunk and took Nero with her. Once she was settled into their side, she curled to them: like a sunflower to the sun. “I thought she was going to make it,” she said quietly, breathing hitching. “I thought it was going to be okay and that she was going to get better. And we would all laugh about it soon enough.”

She could feel it, all the grief and helplessness and anger even welling up against her. It rocked her shoulders, caught at her breathing. Made her clutch at Nero’s shirt harder and bury her face against them. “It isn’t fair,” she whined out, nonsensically.

They were equipped to handle so much, had seen so much themself of violence and pain, and yet seeing Lux’s grief pained them in a way they could not properly describe, almost as if her emotions were their own. It was a human thing, having to deal with death, and what it meant, something they had never had to think about, but now they felt almost foolish for never considering what it meant to humans before. Of course it was strange, for a person’s existence to suddenly vanish, one moment there, the next gone, even if they were not close. But they did not have any insight to make the terrifying nature of mortality less so, and they wished, in that moment, that they did.

Letting her pull then down with her, they shifted so that they were closer to her, tentatively wrapped an arm around her, hoping that the closeness might offer some comfort. This was not something they had ever done, lied there with a human, pressed so close, holding onto each other. They realized, in the back of their processors, that perhaps it was something they had wanted with Lux for longer than they realized. Just to be close.

Their bodies fit together well, it was easy to pull her closer to their chest, to brush their fingers over her back, hoping to give even the slightest comfort. In the absence of reason, of explanation, perhaps this was enough. “I know. None of it makes sense,” they said quietly, as she buried her face against their chest, clinging to them. “It is not fair that life is so precious, but so fragile. But I am here. And I am not going anywhere.”

[nerowisteria]

emeritusna‌:

     “Growing pains, exactly,” she replied, nodding along with them as they broke down what she had said, working their way through all of it. She wasn’t surprised at how quickly they’d understood it all, and how apt their response was.

Nero themself was fascinating that way – Na had never expected to be discussing political theory with an android, but then again, she’d never expected to meet an android like Nero, so sharp and keen and empathetic, so self-possessed, so human. 

     “Radical revolutionary change can’t happen overnight; or, rather, such a large leap from complete oppression to complete liberation can’t. With my home–” she paused for a moment, stopping herself from saying the name aloud in case anyone else could overhear her, stopping herself from mentioning Rhea even knowing that the unregistered mining colony was hardly well-known enough to register on the average citizen’s radar– “We thought we were doing that, a radical revolutionary act, but when it came down to it, all we were doing was putting a newer, more personal system of tyranny into place. When you’re powerless for that long, it looks like the right answer: replacing old laws with your own, with no consideration of whether or not the laws are necessary, because at least they’re your own.”

They hummed quietly as she illuminated the reasoning behind her argument. It made logical sense to them, that there would be an in between of sorts for a colony that had not originally had a system of their own agreement in place. Even if it did not seem logical for humans to think tyranny could look like freedom, they could understand why it might appear that way when put in a different light. That was the thing about humans, after all, especially when in situations so socially harrowing, they looked for any change, a new leader, a new system, hoping it would be better, seeing it as better, even if in the grand scheme, it was not. 

“Your argument is logical and understandable. Humans want independence and freedom; laws of their own creation are better than those forced on them,” they nodded, pleased that they were understanding her treatise. It was an interesting one, something they had a feeling many had not considered before. And it related to another thought they had been considering lately, something perhaps more personal to them, just as the theory in the context of colonies was personal to her.

“It is something I have been considering about androids, too. About myself, at least. I did not know freedom before, and so being able to walk around on my own, even with the consequences of being kidnapped, infected; I was content to accept it, because I did not have a frame of reference, it was good compared to being a prisoner. I am still in the process of finding complete liberation, because of the extent of the oppression. That is what you are speaking on, yes?”