ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ

[formidable]

Androids, psychics, magic, investigations, and finding out how to human. ➢ Cool Mood Music No. 1 ➤ Cool Mood Music No. 2

Comments

[determinare]

[She may be surprised at his response.]

I… yes.

[He frowns, pausing. Examining her face, tossing the question back.]

Wouldn’t you be afraid, if you were suddenly about to die?

[psychometer]

... Yeah. [She's satisfied with his answer at any rate. She looks at her cup of orange juice.]

I've felt that sensation over, and over, and over again.

[Dead bodies come with the job of an investigator after all.]

We'll get you back. But maybe we should think how we could do it so you don't get hurt like that when you cross over again.

[determinare]

[That’s… Well, he hardly knows what to say to that. He felt what it was like to die, once, and it was not a pleasant sensation. He can’t imagine what it would be like, to feel it again and again — does it lose its edge, he wonders? Does the fear start to abate?

But the last part of her statement has him derailed.]

Has this happened before? Someone crossing from one reality to another? And if so, what causes it? Why me?

[psychometer]

It's partially why she has such uneven and crude humor, why she feels the need to interject with asides and unrelated quips. When you see so much through a psychic touch, you also feel too much.

But she answers his question, actually staying on topic.]

A lot of weird things happen in this world of ours Connor. That's an understatement, but sometimes there isn't a logical answer to the "why." Sometimes, we can only answer the "what" and "how."

Which is why, with your permission, I'm going to have to dig into your database to see what you can recall about the event.

[determinare]

So you basically want to—

[Ah, he pauses again. There’s a terrible amount of irony in this.]

...probe my memory?

1/2

[psychometer]

Yuuuup! It probably won't feel like what you're thinking about though. I'd imagine a psychic probing is different from a crime-fighting android's probing.

...

Heh. Probe.

[emotive]

[Here comes Ai with the swerve before things go off the rails!]

What she means to say is that it doesn't hurt. It might even feel similar to when I gave you those pulses.

[determinare]

[He shifts in his seat, fingers flexing in his lap. Quiet at first, Connor then nods at the both of them.]

It's fine. If it'll help you, then I give you my permission; but I can't tell you what to expect, if you've never done this with an android before.

[psychometer]

Well... I mean, I've extrapolated information from computers and other devices with hefty databanks. You're probably just... 100x more complex? Probably?

So like a human, but more processing power.

[Lien sounds uncertain, but let her finish her breakfast as she thinks this over.]

[determinare]

A fair assumption, but that's all it is. I can't say how easy or difficult it will be, since I've never had a human rifle through my mind before.

[He'll wait patiently, his hand going into his pocket again to take the coin out and glide it across his knuckles idly as she eats.]

Hopefully you'll find what you're looking for.

[psychometer]

What I'm looking for specifically is the moment you crossed over. Even if your memory isn't clear about it, I can still take what I find and interpret it as best as I can with some of your input too.

Hopefully, that's all there is to it. You never know.

[determinare]

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[He clenches the coin in his palm, sighing.]

Is there anything I need to do during the process? Just close my eyes? [If even that?]

[psychometer]

Just sit still! Hard to do my thing if my target is wriggly. Gotta say I've knocked out more than my fair share of unwilling participants.

[She sounds so chipper.]

But to be fair, they were criminals.

[determinare]

[She really is a very excitable young woman. He wonders how her and Ai had deviated so much in their personalities — upbringing, or simply an ingrained difference of who they were?]

In that case, I’d expect nothing less. Thankfully for you, I can sit very still when it’s required of me.

1/2

[psychometer]

Are we talking like, a long sleep mode or something?

[Lien munches on her breakfast making quick work it. ]

... Weird. Talking with you really does feel natural.

[She squints at him. ]

Not only that, and I'd hate to admit it, but whoever made you had good taste. Right, Ai?

[emotive]

[CUE SPUTTERING and Ai almost chokes on her tea.]

How am I supposed to answer that!?

[determinare]

[???]

'Good taste'?

[Good tastes in android building?]

1/2

[psychometer]

Yeah! Like, if you were just... I dunno... Built a little...!

[She creates an upside-down triangle by making her elbows touch and hands pointed upwards.]

Cause right now you're just a bean--...

[emotive]

[Ai's eyes glow for a split second and a pillow from the living sofa flies over Connor's head in an arc and then into a straight line into Lien's face, who yelps.]

Stop harassing the android!

[Congrats Connor, you're seeing the regular comedy routine between the twins.]

[determinare]

[The pillow surprises him, arcing just over his head to land squarely in Lien's face. It's a little startling, and Connor blinks -- but this must be how siblings act around each other all the time.

Regardless, he puts two and two together. They were talking about his appearance.]

Ah- if that was a compliment, Lien, then thank you. My friend once called my face "goofy", though, so opinions must differ.

[He doesn't seem to care if she still is recovering from the pillow attack.]

[emotive]

Connor, I'm so sorry... When she's actually doing work, she isn't so...!

[Lien just huffily puts down the pillow and stuffs her mouth with toast.]

We'll get down to business once we're done eating.

[determinare]

[Connor smiles, looking amused.]

You don't have to apologize for her. I can see she just likes to speak her mind.

[To say the least.]

Take your time eating.

[He'll just sit and wait.]

timeskip

[psychometer]

[The quaint if off-kilter breakfast is finished and Ai leads them all to the living room. Lien takes off her glasses and cracks her fingers, not taking a seat like Ai Thao is.]

Okay. So how this works is that, well, I basically touch you. Hand to hand really. It doesn't really matter where unless I'm searching for a very specific something.

[She turns to face Connor, hands on her hips.]

I'll be frozen while I read your database and most likely be uttering a lot of nonsense. That's just me vocalizing the stuff I see. Sound simple enough?

[determinare]

[He takes a seat, listening, craning his head up slightly to look at her. Connor straightens in his seat, attentive. ]

Simple enough, yes. Will you need help finding the right memory?

[psychometer]

It kind of helps if you do a recall yourself. So that it can be the most recent memory for me to see instead of me digging through the last 12 hours or so of you sleeping.

I'm not too worried about anything else since you're forthright by design. Hope I don't throw up though.