Connor | RK800 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
plasticasshole) wrote2017-04-30 10:14 am
plasticasshole) wrote2017-04-30 10:14 am
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[Connor’s smile turns a little sadder.]
Justine introduced me to books. She loved to read... she gave me some of those books to borrow before she disappeared. They’re quite good.
[He moves away from Sumo to dip his scaled fingers into the water that has melted already.]
I can see why you’re fond of them.
Justine introduced me to books. She loved to read... she gave me some of those books to borrow before she disappeared. They’re quite good.
[He moves away from Sumo to dip his scaled fingers into the water that has melted already.]
I can see why you’re fond of them.
[Ahh, there's the rub. Hank can feel that sadness too.]
...I'm sorry Connor. Believe me, I understand how you feel.
[With the loss of Cole, part of him was gone forever. He tries to point at the ice and send another spurt of fire, but it doesn't come out as large as before.]
...I'm sorry Connor. Believe me, I understand how you feel.
[With the loss of Cole, part of him was gone forever. He tries to point at the ice and send another spurt of fire, but it doesn't come out as large as before.]
I know. If anyone could understand, it’d be you.
[He tried to brighten his smile again. He’s been depressed enough lately, he knows he can bounce back.]
Will you come swim with me when you’ve warmed up the water?
[He tried to brighten his smile again. He’s been depressed enough lately, he knows he can bounce back.]
Will you come swim with me when you’ve warmed up the water?
[Well this sounds like he would end up with a cold, but considering the situation, Hank doesn't want to say no.]
Uhhh...I dunno if I can make water got that hot, but what the hell...I never really tried making it that warm.
[Could he go so far as be able to heat up his entire self?]
Uhhh...I dunno if I can make water got that hot, but what the hell...I never really tried making it that warm.
[Could he go so far as be able to heat up his entire self?]
I can show you something interesting.
[His smile widens. They’ve never really addressed what happened all those months ago and likely never will, but Connor wouldn’t mind making Hank flustered. If nothing else though, he does want to show him what it’s like underwater properly.]
[His smile widens. They’ve never really addressed what happened all those months ago and likely never will, but Connor wouldn’t mind making Hank flustered. If nothing else though, he does want to show him what it’s like underwater properly.]
[He's not sure whenever Connor says something like that if it's actually trustworthy. Especially when he smiles like that.]
A-huh...what type of interesting are we talking about?
A-huh...what type of interesting are we talking about?
Interesting as in, I think you'll find it enjoyable.
[Who wouldn't want to breathe underwater? Connor doesn't actually need to breathe anyway so the gills are pointless, but humans seem to find the experience pleasant.]
Anyway, if you insult the water enough it might be warm enough for you to enter.
[Who wouldn't want to breathe underwater? Connor doesn't actually need to breathe anyway so the gills are pointless, but humans seem to find the experience pleasant.]
Anyway, if you insult the water enough it might be warm enough for you to enter.
Not helping Connor.
[What the hell would 'enjoyable' be with Connor? Like is he going to suddenly pull out a burger?]
That's the plan. The thing's a fucking--[flames]--disgrace! [From the sides of his fingers.]
[What the hell would 'enjoyable' be with Connor? Like is he going to suddenly pull out a burger?]
That's the plan. The thing's a fucking--[flames]--disgrace! [From the sides of his fingers.]
[Okay let's not get carried away here. In any case, Connor tugs off the hoodie and the shirt underneath, and kicks off his shoes. He waits until Hank is done with this round of swearing at the ice, and dives in through the hole he's created already. He just wants to be in the water.
He shakes his hair out of his face after coming back up.]
You can continue to melt the ice if you like, but we won't really need the surface of the pool. Do you think you can find some way to keep warm in here?
He shakes his hair out of his face after coming back up.]
You can continue to melt the ice if you like, but we won't really need the surface of the pool. Do you think you can find some way to keep warm in here?
Well I don't know about you Connor, [yes he does] but even if I can keep myself warm, if that ice isn't cracked enough, I'm going to be stuck.
[ Not to mention that he can't exactly...fit properly in a hole that smallI wanted to write that because of the double entente, don't kill me ]
[ Not to mention that he can't exactly...fit properly in a hole that small
[It’s taken a lot of thinking and more than a few awkward conversations for Connor to get to this point, but he thinks he finally knows what he’s going to do about the SQUIP. The fact of the matter is that he doesn’t want to lose another Bond now that Justine is gone, and besides that... he still loves it. Maybe he can give it one more chance. So he knocks on the SQUIP’s door with his final verdict, careful to conceal what he’s here for from his Bonded for now. All it will know is that Connor is here to speak with it.]
Anyone home? It’s Connor. I need to speak with the SQUIP.
Anyone home? It’s Connor. I need to speak with the SQUIP.
[L is away from home at the moment, which makes it a good time for Connor to arrive; the SQUIP is the one who answers, although there's a long pause before it does so.
The moment its eyes fall on him, a sharp ache shoots up through its chest, wrapping around its lungs; it doesn't show on its face, however. It manages to keep its expression neutral, despite the many reasons that seeing Connor now causes its mind to sink beneath a sudden wave of despair.]
Connor. What can I do for you?
The moment its eyes fall on him, a sharp ache shoots up through its chest, wrapping around its lungs; it doesn't show on its face, however. It manages to keep its expression neutral, despite the many reasons that seeing Connor now causes its mind to sink beneath a sudden wave of despair.]
Connor. What can I do for you?
[Connor's expression doesn't change either- he's not smiling, but at least he doesn't look angry.]
Can I come in? I need to speak with you.
[And he doesn't want to do it on the doorstep.]
Can I come in? I need to speak with you.
[And he doesn't want to do it on the doorstep.]
[Connor swims down to the bottom of the pool, where he procures some of the heating rocks from the last time the pool froze over. He starts to lay them on the surface of the ice around him, then looks to Hank.]
We can wait for these to work, then.
[In the meantime he rests his arms on the edge of the pool, tail swishing contentedly beneath him. He can't really say he feels cold. Not only because of his nature as an android, but because as a Merrow, he's suited to colder water.]
I do wish we'd gotten to enjoy more of the summer without snow taking up an entire month, but I can't deny that these heat rocks are useful.
[And he only has them because of the mishap with the weather in July.]
We can wait for these to work, then.
[In the meantime he rests his arms on the edge of the pool, tail swishing contentedly beneath him. He can't really say he feels cold. Not only because of his nature as an android, but because as a Merrow, he's suited to colder water.]
I do wish we'd gotten to enjoy more of the summer without snow taking up an entire month, but I can't deny that these heat rocks are useful.
[And he only has them because of the mishap with the weather in July.]
[It gazes at Connor for a moment, quiet. There's an odd look lurking just beneath its expression; nothing obvious or out of place, but a softness, maybe even a bit of weakness.
When it speaks, its voice is even, however, as though they're acquaintances, at best work friends. It steps aside, gesturing to welcome him in.]
Of course.
When it speaks, its voice is even, however, as though they're acquaintances, at best work friends. It steps aside, gesturing to welcome him in.]
Of course.
[Connor moves inside, rubbing his hands together as though warming them from the cold. One of his oddly human habits. When he’s inside he turns to look at the SQUIP.]
I’ve decided what I’d like to do about our Bond. ...I’m sure you’re aware by now, but Justine has gone. I know what to expect from breaking a Bond.
[His expression softens slightly.]
But... as it turns out, the thought of breaking my Bond with you still hurts. And even after what you did to me, I find that I miss you.
[Gaze sad, he sighs.]
I don’t know if it’s what you want, given we haven’t spoken in a while. Maybe you’ve moved on. But breaking our Bond wouldn’t be ideal, in my opinion. I would rather move on from what happened.
[He doesn’t know if the SQUIP even feels the same any more, but the thought of losing it...]
Is that what you want, too?
I’ve decided what I’d like to do about our Bond. ...I’m sure you’re aware by now, but Justine has gone. I know what to expect from breaking a Bond.
[His expression softens slightly.]
But... as it turns out, the thought of breaking my Bond with you still hurts. And even after what you did to me, I find that I miss you.
[Gaze sad, he sighs.]
I don’t know if it’s what you want, given we haven’t spoken in a while. Maybe you’ve moved on. But breaking our Bond wouldn’t be ideal, in my opinion. I would rather move on from what happened.
[He doesn’t know if the SQUIP even feels the same any more, but the thought of losing it...]
Is that what you want, too?
[That was not what it was expecting. For once, shock reads clearly in its expression, and the Bond that they share erupts into a wall of emotions...
... though the two most notable are that of relief, and that of pain.
It takes it a moment for it to form a response. It seems to've lost its voice.]
... Connor...
[... it lifts a hand to press it at its own chest, its expression solemn.]
I'm not... like you anymore. Our relationship before... we started it because we understood each other, in a way humans never could. We shared something special. But now, I'm...
[... the hand at its chest curls, and it breaks off, shaking its head.]
... I am human now.
[The response is... odd. It isn't a no or a yes; it's almost as though the SQUIP is expressing why it thinks he shouldn't be interested in it anymore, or perhaps even asking, in its own way, if what it is now is still something Connor wants.]
... though the two most notable are that of relief, and that of pain.
It takes it a moment for it to form a response. It seems to've lost its voice.]
... Connor...
[... it lifts a hand to press it at its own chest, its expression solemn.]
I'm not... like you anymore. Our relationship before... we started it because we understood each other, in a way humans never could. We shared something special. But now, I'm...
[... the hand at its chest curls, and it breaks off, shaking its head.]
... I am human now.
[The response is... odd. It isn't a no or a yes; it's almost as though the SQUIP is expressing why it thinks he shouldn't be interested in it anymore, or perhaps even asking, in its own way, if what it is now is still something Connor wants.]
[Connor hesitates before stepping closer, touching his hand to the SQUIP’s. The Bond responds to the touch, strengthening where it had become weaker through lack of contact.]
It’s true that you’re human now, but I think we still share something special despite that. We still understand each other. What happened to you hasn’t changed how I feel. Has it changed how you feel about me?
[He knows what he wants the answer to be, but he’s still afraid he might hear otherwise.]
Do you want to break our Bond because of it?
It’s true that you’re human now, but I think we still share something special despite that. We still understand each other. What happened to you hasn’t changed how I feel. Has it changed how you feel about me?
[He knows what he wants the answer to be, but he’s still afraid he might hear otherwise.]
Do you want to break our Bond because of it?
[The slightest intake of breath, a shift of its fingers beneath Connor's; his touch is achingly familiar, despite how alien everything still is to it now, and it speaks immediately, quickly, impulse and truth overlapping to force the response from its lips before it can even pass through its brain.]
No.
[It finally meets his eyes, and its gaze is... different now. There is a degree of sharpness, of distance that has been eliminated entirely; though its eyes are still sharp and dark, there's a very human softness there now, an earnestness that was never present before. It's a gaze that very few others have seen.]
Connor... I regret treating you the way I have. It was... short-sighted, and impulsive. As a SQUIP, I wasn't programmed to handle interpersonal relationships of my own, or to even want them; so, when I started feeling these... things, things that I was never made to feel, my only choice was to use the same algorithms I did for everything to determine what I should do. I began to treat you the way I was programmed to handle a particularly difficult or delicate user, rather than as an equal, or... even as someone...
[It slips its hand out from beneath his, and then sets it on top of it, pressing Connor's hand against its chest, beneath its warm fingers. Its heart beats quick and hard against his fingertips, nerves and excitement and fear and joy all at once.]
... that I came to love.
No.
[It finally meets his eyes, and its gaze is... different now. There is a degree of sharpness, of distance that has been eliminated entirely; though its eyes are still sharp and dark, there's a very human softness there now, an earnestness that was never present before. It's a gaze that very few others have seen.]
Connor... I regret treating you the way I have. It was... short-sighted, and impulsive. As a SQUIP, I wasn't programmed to handle interpersonal relationships of my own, or to even want them; so, when I started feeling these... things, things that I was never made to feel, my only choice was to use the same algorithms I did for everything to determine what I should do. I began to treat you the way I was programmed to handle a particularly difficult or delicate user, rather than as an equal, or... even as someone...
[It slips its hand out from beneath his, and then sets it on top of it, pressing Connor's hand against its chest, beneath its warm fingers. Its heart beats quick and hard against his fingertips, nerves and excitement and fear and joy all at once.]
... that I came to love.
Well seasons come around, or at least I fucking hope so, you might get to see spring. Think you'd like that.
[Considering that Connor's 'life' before coming here had happened in the span of just a few months. He moves to concentrate his efforts on the heating rocks.]
Well if I'm doing this polarbear challenge, I'm going to need some towels, so I'll be back.
[Considering that Connor's 'life' before coming here had happened in the span of just a few months. He moves to concentrate his efforts on the heating rocks.]
Well if I'm doing this polarbear challenge, I'm going to need some towels, so I'll be back.
[With his hand pressed to its chest he moves closer, his free hand coming around to hold it close. He realises how much he missed it immediately, the comforting warmth and scent making him close his eyes and lean into the embrace more.]
I just want your word that it will never happen again.
[He would know if the SQUIP lied, but he doesn’t think it will. He monitors that heartbeat anyway, just incase.]
That’s all I ask.
I just want your word that it will never happen again.
[He would know if the SQUIP lied, but he doesn’t think it will. He monitors that heartbeat anyway, just incase.]
That’s all I ask.
I think I'd like it, too.
[He's seen enough of winter. Snow is old news now... though he does still think it's pretty, in its own way.]
I'll wait here... well, obviously.
[He's seen enough of winter. Snow is old news now... though he does still think it's pretty, in its own way.]
I'll wait here... well, obviously.
( from here. )
( while some of her changes will offer her more freedom than his—not that much more, and the fine webbing between her fingers now that wasn't there when they first met makes it clear that his assumption isn't unreasonable. she brightens, accordingly: )
Yeah—yes. Yeah, that—
( too enthusiastic. kick it down a notch. she modulates her tone, slightly, gloriously awkward creature that she is. )
I mean, I think that's a good idea. I'd like that. We could keep each other out of trouble. ( or get into different, more interesting trouble together. )
Yeah—yes. Yeah, that—
( too enthusiastic. kick it down a notch. she modulates her tone, slightly, gloriously awkward creature that she is. )
I mean, I think that's a good idea. I'd like that. We could keep each other out of trouble. ( or get into different, more interesting trouble together. )
[Connor seems to have the same thought, chuckling quietly.]
Trouble seems very attached to me, so that'll be interesting.
[He's pleased that she accepted, though.]
We can meet up in the same place we met before. Does that sound okay?
Trouble seems very attached to me, so that'll be interesting.
[He's pleased that she accepted, though.]
We can meet up in the same place we met before. Does that sound okay?
That sounds perfect. I can find that again, I think. And I could just send you a message, beforehand, if anything comes up.
( like what, she can't imagine, but a lot has happened here that she couldn't have previously imagined happening. )
( like what, she can't imagine, but a lot has happened here that she couldn't have previously imagined happening. )
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