#.. ask answered

[sercphs]

@boomania asked:

Basil vc: Lady Cradle, I'm sorry for the crude language but- get the fuck out of my M.I.N.D.

"Let me think about that."

⠀⠀⠀⠀A hand to her chin, caught in idle thought for a few moments. Ah, oh well! A smile crosses her face as she looks at the Construct before her.

"No."

[sercphs]

@abyssmalice asked:

hugs seth hugs seth hugs seth. hugs him at random. hugs him at unexpected times.

hugs him while he's busy staring into a fire (and distracting him). hugs him while he's busy doing his maintenance (thereby interrupting him with her sudden weight). hugs him while he's leaning over to look at something (therefore putting all her weight on him like an annoying brat). hugs him in the middle of a fight (and ruining his center of balance—)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Tonia has no sense of when is an appropriate time.

⠀⠀⠀⠀There are times she gets it right, times when she guesses right or just accidentally stumbles in to the correct moment. When she provides comfort to his wandering thoughts, a grounding reminder of reality and what it is that he fights for now.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Then, much more often than not, there are the times she doesn't get it right at all. In the middle of a delicate adjustment? Surprise Tonia weight from the side. Inspecting an area carefully to look for dangers or useful supplies? Bodied by Tonia jumping on him for a hug, knocking him to the ground like a petulant child.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Or right now.

⠀⠀⠀⠀In the middle of striking down the corrupted horde that is definitely not attacking because of an exceptionally loud exclamation from Tonia that definitely didn't happen. The weight of her sudden embrace is noted, addressed as a headache, and responded to.

"Could you- I- Ugh, fine, you asked for this."

⠀⠀⠀⠀He can fight one-handed against this lot. A quick crushing cleave with his weapon to buy space, and his other arm reaches down and just handedly scoops Tonia off the ground. How quickly his Guide/Daughter goes from a sudden embrace to being carried like a sack of potatoes under his arm while he rights.

"Comfortable?"

[sercphs]

@abyssmalice asked:

There is no good way to broach this topic with Seth, as far as Tonia knows. During the quiet moments on this journey, she contemplates the best way to bring it up, her mouth sometimes opening to discuss - before she clamps it shut, or otherwise changes topic. But the desire to say something remains and, well.

At some point, she'll be too frustrated to find a better way to word things. Like right now.

"—Do you want me to turn your M.I.N.D. off?" Tonia sits on a large piece of rubble, elevating her to a height where her feet don't touch the ground. "Like, I'm not talking about killing you or that Construct thing where you go into hibernation for routine system maintenance or whatever that is. I mean like, actually turn you off, for a little bit."

As a childish sort of distraction, she starts to restlessly swing her legs. "Like, normally I wouldn't be able to do that, but with the virus technically infecting your frame, I could probably bypass your programming and force a temporary shutdown if I wanted to. Maybe. I think. A-Anyway, the point is - if you want to literally turn your head off for a little bit like, super-completely, I can probably do that!"

A pause, as she glances off to the side. Her voice is a much more quiet mutter when she speaks again, "...It might help with the nightmares... if you want..."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Unusual questions posed in unusual circumstances has long become expected of interacting with Tonia. Be it about his sword or about what they're doing next - she has a knack for asking questions straight out of nowhere with no relevance to anything.

⠀⠀⠀⠀So it is that her question - one that could be construed as something very hostile - is given ample pause while he pulls apart a deceased construct. His sword rests comfortably at his side as careful and diligent efforts to precisely deconstruct the mostly in-tact but decidedly deceased construct are carried out.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The question is greeted with a calm silence, her companion continuing the work at hand for a few moments as she speaks, proposes her idea. Solitude for a bit, perhaps. To be devoid of self - to be truly turned off for a bit before being reactivated. Something that could, in theory, be nice.

"That will not be needed."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A simple response.

"For me, it would be little more than a blink between deactivation and reactivation. It might resolve some underlying issues within my M.I.N.D.'s structure from continuous runtime, but the issues I face are... Beyond just hardware or software issues."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Pop. The panel comes off, and he carefully starts pulling some components out. Good to keep replacements and spares on hands - as well as things that might be useful for upgrading himself. Babylonia keeps making better and better constructs after all.

"I... Appreciate the thoughts. The concern. But... This is not something that can be so easily amended. In time, perhaps, there will be solace. An answer at the end of that long dark. But it will not come from the lie of silence."

⠀⠀⠀⠀He pauses again, turning his gaze on Tonia.

"The cure for nightmares is resolution. It is something I hope to find in our travels."

[sercphs]

@abyssmalice asked:

"...A laser sword would be cool, y'know."

Tonia is once again on this topic with Seth. Which may be bothersome, but on the other hand, they'd been traveling for ages now and there's only so much apocalyptic wasteland that Tonia can take in pure silence.

"Apparently in the Golden Age, there was a bunch of movies of guys with laser swords, you know! And in all the fights, the swords went ching ching ping ping pewwww—and all that, while being super flashy and bright! Don't you think that sounds fun? Cool even?"

The tidal entity bats her eyelashes wide and endearingly. "Pleaaase, dad? You can try dual-wielding it? Two swords would mean you're two-times as powerful even!"

⠀⠀⠀⠀After traveling with Tonia for so long, there's a certain expectation of her behaviors you develop. You can expect her to fill any idle time with dialogue, you can expect her to give away your position and blame you, and you can expect her to try and find any way at all to get you to crack for even a moment.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The sword - this gift he's held on to for almost longer than he can remember - has become a frequented topic of discussion for Tonia. Something about it's age, or lack of cool functions. She offered to put a whipped cream dispenser in it at one point.

"It sounds like you're describing-"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Dad.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The word hits like a Babylonian Construct laying him out with top-of-the-line equipment. Some might call it dramatic, the way he just full-stops and stares blankly at her for a moment to register the word. Surely he misheard her, right? Then again, the only other word he can think of that sounds similar is "rad" - and Tonia would probably rather explode him than call him that.

"-I. You."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Words sputter out, and there's a clear effort on his face to try and rationalize the word. Everything after it might as well have been TV static with how that single word hit.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Ah, he just takes a moment to sit down and stare at the wall.

"I must be getting old. I'm hearing things."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀That explanation works. Surely.

[sercphs]

@boomania asked:

ZZZ Dev: come on miss fischl, join us.

"How about you fuck off, turnip-for-brains."

[sercphs]

@infatuua asked:

gives seth one (1) smooch on the cheek .

⠀⠀⠀⠀Returns one pat atop her head.

[sercphs]

@hxkerwxlf asked:

"When did you get this?" She's checking on you Fischl, cause she cares bout you < 3

⠀⠀⠀⠀Trace my muse's scars... [Open]

⠀⠀⠀⠀Ever since coming aboard the Astral Express, Fischl has kept her more private moments far from anyone else. It's perhaps strange then that one of the few people she lets her guard down around is - technically - a sworn foe.

⠀⠀⠀⠀It isn't something she ever thinks about, and it's only when she feels Wolf's hand on her back that it even comes to mind. How rarely she lets anyone see her bare back - how much she's been through. But that scar, that one in particular. Long and thin, but it still feels as fresh as the day she got it. The only scar she has with a mirror on the other side.

⠀⠀⠀⠀She almost instinctively uses one of her hands to take Wolf's other hand while the hacker traces the scar, putting together the words... How does she even begin to explain it? She can't just say it was the price for attempting to destroy the world, even if Wolf is probably one of the only people who wouldn't bat an eye at that...

"I once... Got in to a nasty fight with someone, back home. It was bad - and... I was in the wrong, I see that now."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A squeeze of the hand she holds.

"I was... Doing a lot of things that I regret now. And this person was... Like family to me, in a way. She was one of the only people who thought I was too far gone to save, and..."

⠀⠀⠀⠀The rest is history, marked forever on to her body.

"...I hope she was wrong."