a collage of memories

isola affiliated Pewter (Futa Amanoma) from AI: The Somnium Files

[pyuupyuu]

PEWTER | A.I. THE SOMNIUM FILES | [APPLICATION] | [STATS]

okay yes he’s absolutely dressed like a pokemon villain apparently he buys all of his clothes online and it really obviously shows especially since the green parts glow

erhem, anyway, did anyone ask for an engineer dressed like a pokemon villain who holds a passion for A.I. and BL novels? no? too bad

actually genuinely a genius when it comes to robotics, A.I., and engineering. while he can be socially awkward with most people, bringing up any of these topics will get him talking at length (and he’s actually really good at explaining them on more basic levels)

he’s strange. there’s really no other way to put it. he’s got a strange sense of humor and strange interests and not even in the “he’s a quirky nerd” way, more in the “one of his talents is imitating a vuvuzela” way

extremely loyal. to a fault. absolutely serious about his job and his relationships. like, extremely ride or die but i’m not gonna get into any spoilers on this intro post

SPOILERS WILL BE TAGGED AS #aini spoilers or #aitsf spoilers respectively, since people are getting into the first game because of the second game.

[pyuupyuu]

reversedpsync​:

“Hah, true there. I guess you and Date certainly have different tastes.”

“Of course. I am quite refined.”

“...I see Ryuki knows better than to get involved.”

[pyuupyuu]

reversedpsync​:

“God, you sound like Date now! Kyahahahahaha!”

“It’s not even a close competition, in reality.”

“There’s the trash, utter garbage, really, that Date reads. May as well be picture books. The lowest bars imaginable. Likely for the best, I doubt Date can read.”

[pyuupyuu]

reversedpsync​:

“Says the guy who keeps his ‘reading material’ in his work locker~”

“One is a silly prank! The other is art!”

[pyuupyuu]

“How juvenile - surely you can all do better than that.”

[reversedpsync]

"Hey Ryukiiiii, do you know what day it is?"

"Uh.... Sunday?"

"No, you idiot- it's my birthday! Geez, you sure know how to treat a lady. You can't go around forgetting a woman's birthday- at least you have me around to remind you."

"Grk- sorry, Tama..."

[pyuupyuu]

“Goodness Ryuki, have some tact. Birthdays only come once a year, you know.” He reaches into the bag he’s holding, not at all decorated like a bag for celebrating birthdays.

Finally, he holds a small box in his hands, holding it out to Ryuki and Tama. “Not cake exactly, but something that would be like cake for Tama. The closest approximation. Of course, simulating taste is complicated, so I made some samples instead.” He then starts listing out cake flavors - pretty much everything you can imagine, including some you maybe didn’t, “...Red chili pepper chocolate, oh, and the vanilla variety as well, although that one is a bit more of a specific taste...”

Finally, the never-ending list does end, and he adds. “Oh, and I bought something small for you too, Ryuki - rum cake. No actual alcohol in it, but I thought it may be to your taste.”

[pyuupyuu]

reversedpsync​:

“I do. I know… enough. I’ve read the case files- and I mean, it’d be impossible to not know some stuff.” It wasn’t like cases like that happened every day. One of his coworkers in jail, another with a completely new face… of course he’d read up on it. “And I… saw a bit about Mr. Date, too.”

Honestly, he knew he was a hypocrite. He hated criminals. He could never forgive killers, the evils of the world. But even with all of that said… there was at least one person he couldn’t really judge. He could come up with as many excuses as he needed to if it could let him make sense of it all.

“I have to keep going. If I can’t, then…” Then what was even the point? He couldn’t let it have all been for nothing. It didn’t matter if this wasn’t the world he knew anymore- he had to live up to his brother’s dreams. “It’s just not an option for me. I can’t give up. No matter what, I can’t.”

“I would think so, and yet by the cadence and nature of your question, I still had to ask.” He wasn’t actually too surprised that Ryuki had asked. At the end of the day, Ryuki was, as he so exemplified here and now, someone with a psyche abnormally devoted to his ideals, whatever they may be. It was, honestly, why he had absolutely encouraged the pairing with Tama - she could keep him even-keeled with her more...Outgoing attitude.

A shame she wasn’t here now. Genuinely.

But he would have to ask. Ryuki would, eventually, need a reason, and now these flowers would compel him to seek out that reason. He would need a reason to view Pewter himself favorably under these conditions - so he wouldn’t have to exact his own justice on Pewter.

“Regardless, if you intend to continue, you’ll need support. Luckily for you, I hardly need the help of anybody else to function with a small selection of agents.”

“We’ll really just need a place and some funding. This place is more than advanced enough to build another Psync machine, although programming it from scratch will take some time...”

At the end of the day, Ryuki would need support.

“That is, if you feel you can trust me without Boss here.”

[lycorisanew-deactivated20230621]

🡆 "Uh... Pewter? You good?" Of all of the people to be reunited with in this city, Pewter hadn't been one of the ones Mizuki had expected to find. Ryuki had been a nice surprise, and while she wouldn't admit it she had hoped Date might be around somewhere. But now she knew she had to grapple with a different issue.

Times weren't lining up here. She wasn't even from the same year as Ryuki and Tama. So of course she had to ask Pewter too. Because she looked so similar to, well... It didn't matter, but it made things confusing if everyone was from six years ago.

"If I told you the HB case was just solved, what would you say?"

@pyuupyuu

[pyuupyuu]

Her question evoked a few questions. Her appearance evoked a few questions. That, and of course she looked just like...

“Oh, this is going to be a bit of a headache, isn’t it?” Honestly - so much was able to happen here, the idea that a Mizuki from the future who had apparently gone through enough to join ABIS and apparently was dressed like that and probably because of Boss, or whatever else is going on wasn’t entirely farfetched.

Of course, she deserved answers, even if he was moderately concerned that he had no idea what was going on with her.

“I’d say that given both the nature of the mystery of the HB case, and the fact that this place exists outside of both space and time, that I’m not that surprised to hear that. If anything, I’m surprised that I don’t remember anything about it. And I’m fairly certain Ryuki doesn’t, either. This place seems to pick and choose who remembers what.”

[pyuupyuu]

reversedpsync​:

Part of Ryuki didn’t want to hear what Pewter had to say, despite having been the one to ask. He would be lying to himself if he tried to claim that he couldn’t understand, at least a little- and lying wasn’t an easy thing to do at the moment.

“I…see.” That was all he could get out for the moment, a million thoughts swirling through his mind. What would he do for someone he loved? No… the answer was simple, really. He’d lost too many people to risk losing anyone else, so if it was for someone he loved… “I think I… understand.”

Pewter’s question made him look aside, eyes getting dull as flowers bloomed before he’d even spoken a word. Even with how hard he tried to avoid it, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

“I have to do this. I have to do what he wanted, because he can’t. I can’t let him down…” He’d tossed aside everything he’d been before so he could chase after his brother’s dream, keeping it alive because if he couldn’t then nobody could. “My brother wanted to… to stop the ‘evils’ of the world. The same types of people as the person who killed him. So I need to bring them all to justice. I need to.”

“Do you?” The question came to his lips unbidden. There was...Some measure of spite there, he could admit. There was some measure of not having wanted to speak on the subject - so much of it wasn’t made public. So much of it couldn’t be known. “Do you even know the full scope of the truth of that case? Surely you know what they say about Renju Okiura now.” Closing his eyes, he sighed, shrugging, before looking at Ryuki again.

“I’m certain you know enough, given your level of clearance, but that doesn’t make answering questions I can only give half-truths to people about any easier.” His time in jail had been abbreviated, but it now simply meant he was owned by his superiors. A dog on a different chain. At least he liked his coworkers and was passionate about his job, otherwise it would be unbearable.

But when Ryuki answered, he couldn’t help the pity that crossed his features. “Well, now. Maybe you do understand in some capacity. Sometimes we don’t fully choose the paths that we take in life. Quite often, actually, we’re lead one way or another. It’s a rare few people who understand why they made those choices.” ‘People like us’, he wanted to say, but thought it unfair to group Ryuki in with himself.

“And here, now? Will you continue your own pursuits?”

[pyuupyuu]

The moment that he wishes not to answer he can feel a flower sprouting. Foolishly, he had believed he could escape this cursed happening by simply…Not speaking to anyone.

But he had discounted Ryuki, and so he could feel the flowers bloom with every lie that he thought of. But…

Was there even reason to lie, here and now?

“I’d ask if you really wanted to know, but since you can’t lie…” A sigh. This one encounter had completely destroyed all of his efforts in avoiding this all together.

“I was allowed out shortly after. Surely you understand that it wasn’t anything malicious, even if it was a crime.” Even though it…Was more of a necessity than anything. Make yourself useful enough to the police, there’s not really anyone inclined toward making it difficult to stop you.

“I suppose I can answer one question with something definite: I didn’t think anything bad would happen. And honestly, if I was wrong, I didn’t really care. Because I didn’t think I was helping a killer.”

[reversedpsync]

Well, he’d already put his foot in his mouth. Might as well go all the way, considering Pewter was answering him- try as he might to ignore it, he couldn’t push the curiosity away. 

“You really didn’t think anything bad would happen?” 

It was hard to believe, and yet the flowers meant he had no choice but to take it as the truth. “Number 89″ had been a criminal, of course something would go wrong, but… he had to admit that there was a part of him that could understand. It wasn’t something he wanted to think about, so he bit his lip to resist blurting out the first thing that came to mind, instead taking a moment to figure out a reply.

“It was Renju Okiura, right? But even still… he was asking you to let a convicted criminal escape. Why would you do that for someone?”

[pyuupyuu]

Well, apparently Ryuki intended to continue putting his whole foot in his mouth, up to his knee. "It was Renju Okiura. And yes - although even thinking 'nothing bad would happen', as I said, I didn't particularly care if something bad did happen, because whatever would happen at the end couldn't be terrible." A shrug. This part, at least, seemed to be nonchalant. It was once he had to answer Ryuki's question a flower bloomed near his visor. He sighed, taking off his visor and pinching his brow.

It took a moment, but if Ryuki didn't know, it didn't matter if he found out, did he?

"I loved him-" Another flower. "Love him, rather. He was my partner - my romantic partner, and I would do anything for him if he asked me. If he appeared here and now, I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing over again. I imagine that answer may not be satisfactory, but it's the truth."

A sigh, as he shook his head. "Since you're interrogating me - why are you doing what you're doing. Why do you pursue justice with such vigor? Are you even certain it's your own justice you want - frankly you concern me a bit, Ryuki."

[pyuupyuu]

bulletrein​:

PERHAPS HE SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED A genuine response to his quiet outburst. after all, he didn't even THINK to keep his mouth shut. a puff of air exhales from his lips in a cloud when he sighs. ❝NEVER been a pro at keepin' my mouth shut,❞ he responds, in lieu of an apology, as though his sadness has somehow RUINED the sanctity of the holiday.

but he doesn't hide the SHEEPISH smile that touches his lips. it is what it is. 

❝oh yeah? so where ya come from, its this festive ... we didn' have a christmas.❞ and yet, he's caught the buzz, like an infection. the world isn't just big, it is MASSIVE, far larger than any world he could have IMAGINED. and yet … ❝yeah, ya ain't wrong … these holidays ain't gonna walk 'way from us. but sometimes i think - am i SELFISH for wantin' company? is it bad to hope? we humans … think too much.❞

‘Genuine’ was perhaps only half-correct, but neither of them should or could remark upon that unspoken sentiment at this point. No apologies needed, either, for the man in the neon green glasses clearly didn’t need nor expect one.

Nor would he give one for butting into the other man’s business.

“I wasn’t really one for holidays for a long time. Any of them - and there are many.” That had changed, and then changed again.

“Humans do think too much, but it’s not just humans. Anything with the capability to think at all thinks too much. It’s almost inevitable. Consider, here, and now. We could simply be programs uploaded into a simulation, and yet here we are - having conversations about how humans are naturally dispositioned toward wanting company during times of year that we invented.”

[reversedpsync]

@pyuupyuu​

Ryuki thought he had more or less escaped the influence of those weird flowers, time spent in his apartment seeming to do enough to offer him some peace of mind. So he’d thought it’d be fine to wander back out again, unaware that the pollen was still in the air- or at least, he didn’t realize it until he ran into Pewter, stopping to speak with the engineer for a couple moments.

“Why did you do it? Help the killer, I mean- you had to know something bad would happen, right?” As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes flew wide and he clamped his hand down over his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say that. He hadn’t meant to say that! Yes, it was something he was curious about, but he’d been fine with reading the case files. “I- I didn’t mean to ask that, uh…”

[pyuupyuu]

The moment that he wishes not to answer he can feel a flower sprouting. Foolishly, he had believed he could escape this cursed happening by simply...Not speaking to anyone.

But he had discounted Ryuki, and so he could feel the flowers bloom with every lie that he thought of. But...

Was there even reason to lie, here and now?

"I'd ask if you really wanted to know, but since you can't lie..." A sigh. This one encounter had completely destroyed all of his efforts in avoiding this all together.

"I was allowed out shortly after. Surely you understand that it wasn't anything malicious, even if it was a crime." Even though it...Was more of a necessity than anything. Make yourself useful enough to the police, there's not really anyone inclined toward making it difficult to stop you.

"I suppose I can answer one question with something definite: I didn't think anything bad would happen. And honestly, if I was wrong, I didn't really care. Because I didn't think I was helping a killer."

[bulletrein]

IT REALLY ISN'T SOMETHING HE'S GROWN used to. any of it. the cold, long nights and constant snowfall is one thing, the overwhelming loneliness is ANOTHER. no matter how long time has passed, it doesn't get any EASIER. 

eyes watch a STRANGER, busy hanging up their fairy lights and decorations. a frozen chill strikes him, digging claws deep into the muscles of his shoulders and VICIOUSLY tugging. it isn't even near as cold as it will get by the end of december. -- and isn't even near as festive. but just one sign of the holiday season can leave him REELING. a punch to the gut.

he sighs. ❝she woulda LOVED this.❞

[pyuupyuu]

Hands deep in his pockets, he couldn't help but let out a sign as the larger man did. Holidays were nostalgic for many, and he wasn't...Quite so different. It wasn't the festivities or even any celebration in particular, but there was something that was so decidedly lonely about this time of year regardless of how one celebrated.

He could relate, he supposed, regardless of the who of whomever would have loved this.

"You know, my boss had a Christmas tree in her office year round, along with any other decoration you could imagine,"

"Even if whomever 'she' is were to come later, you could simply celebrate every missed holiday or occasion. The 'when' of it doesn't matter quite so much as the 'who', although I can understand feeling depressingly nostalgic this time of year."

[pyuupyuu]

kleinstar​:

“ Oh I know how that feels - though it’s been a long time. “

“ I guess that’s how it rolls… I use stuff so casually I probably don’t even notice hehe. But it must be different for a guy working on the field. “

“I am actually part of a highly specialized investigative team and have invented several new types of AI technology, not the engineer for a dating application.”

“Which, I suppose my schedule was another deterrent to dating. Regardless, ‘getting back out there’ has been a bit of a hassle.”

[pyuupyuu]

reversedpsync​:

“Oh, come on! I’m sure you’ve misheard names before!” 

“Well, I’m certainly not immune from psychological phenomena, Ryuki. My, I didn’t know you held me in such high esteem.”

[pyuupyuu]

kleinstar​:

“ Haha. Ah well, yeah I get that point - are you speaking from experience? “

“  I think effort and time can fix a lot of that though – unless they’ve gotten worse while I’ve been off. “

“The very concept of dating continues to be more of an annoyance than anything.”

“Particularly when programmers can’t be trusted to put technical integrity over profit margins.”

[reversedpsync]

@pyuupyuu replied to your post ““Huh? Oh, dates.” He’s never been on one, too…”:

“Yes. Dates. Not Date.”

“It’s not my fault they sound similar…”

[pyuupyuu]

“Or you’re simply experiencing the psychological phenomenon called ‘selective hearing’.”