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

[emotive]

That's why you don't use your fingers, silly.

[Her voice is teasing him, somewhat unlike her, but it's also kind of natural that it's reached this point between them.]

Speaking of raw eggs though, if you get good fresh ones, you can definitely eat it like that.

[determinare]

With my fingers?

[And now Connor will follow suit, with eating it normally as Ai is. No fingers unless necessary.]

You mean a hard-boiled egg?

[emotive]

No, I mean, actually raw. Raw egg.

[After most of her yolk is eaten, she uses her utensil to scoop the rest of the egg onto what's left of her toast, kind of like a makeshift sandwich.]

If you think about it, it's kind of crazy how many things humans can consume and digest with the right preparations.

[Crazy and sort of horrifying if you thought about it too deeply.]

[determinare]

[Connor pauses, with the slightest lift of the brow.]

There are health risks to eating raw eggs, Ai. It isn’t recommended.

[emotive]

Probably not for American eggs.

[Munch, munch. She's finished with her food and seems to contemplate whether she'll make something else to eat or not...]

In Japan, they have very high-quality eggs you can eat raw and it's one of their traditional breakfasts; a raw egg on top of hot rice and fermented beans. I haven't been there for a while, but I really enjoyed that when I was there.

[Now that's a small fact that Ai hasn't mentioned yet; her work does bring her around the world when needed.]

[determinare]

[Connor quietly assumes to himself that she will eat more, even as he steadily finishes up his own. Taste is such a... strange experience. But biologically speaking, it’s pleasant when the food is good, considering how important it is too keep the body functioning.]

Have you been to Japan often?

[emotive]

Every now and then! I have some connections there and when I lived in Vietnam, the proximity made the trips more frequent.

[She's eating the potato chips from the bag left on the table instead, wanting to keep conversing with Connor. It was just... The first time she's been able to see him eat considering he was just all android before.]

How's your stomach feeling? Are you getting full or...?

[determinare]

[He shakes his head, oddly enough not even close to it. Or at least, he assumes as much — he can only pull from assumption.

He trusts his body to tell him when he’s full.]

No. Not yet. I don’t think so.

...you know, until I met you, I never had been outside of Detroit.

[emotive]

Really?

[That hadn't even occurred to her even though she knew that Connor was only a few months old as an android. Of course, he couldn't have been anywhere else in the world at the time. Her brows furrow, thinking.]

We've been spending a lot of time together... California is bigger than Michigan by far.

[Could she take him anywhere else? She opens her mouth to say something...]

...I—

[But finds herself at a loss for a few seconds.]

... What I wanted to say was... I'd like to bring you to other places if... Ah, but just asking that makes me...

[Ai's wringing a paper napkin in her hands, nervous, embarrassed at her selfish notions.]

[determinare]

[At this rate, he’s finished his food. Relatively quick for a first time eater!

But there’s something odd about her hesitations, something that Connor can’t quite figure out. Nervousness has sunk in; he’s not sure why.]

Makes you what?

[emotive]

[Maybe it's because he's a human right now, but she's finding it harder to be straightforward. But she gathers her courage, reminds herself it's still Connor and continues.]

This is... Childish of me but I think I feel selfish with you sometimes.

[determinare]

Selfish? How?

[That’s not a descriptor he would apply to Ai; not when she’s been nothing but kind, not when he can only remember her smiling face when he thinks of her. Perhaps because of this, he misinterprets her meaning.]

[emotive]

I guess it sounds silly, doesn't it?

[She's prone to self-depreciation even after she's been away from the control of her superiors. The time she's spent with Connor was truly precious and she's loved every moment of it. But there's so much happiness derived from it, it's making her suspicious and doubtful of herself.]

... I'm used to not being able to keep anything or anyone close to myself. Early on, I realized I was lacking so much as a human but I didn't have any confidence in trying to explore it. My humanity, I mean.

[The isolation wasn't self-inflicted of course. The factors of her life just made it so. She was born an esper and an archetype of the highest caliber possible. She only knew fear, disappointment, or indifference as the most prominent emotions expressed towards her. It had taken so long for her to break away from those bruising bonds and to find the courage to seek out what she wanted and even then it was a slow and agonizing process.

And by some fortune, she was able to meet him. An android who in some ways, was more human than her because he wanted to seek out something more to himself and his being. As the days went on, Ai was thriving on these interactions, the newness and unpredictability of each visit, and wanting more, and more, and more...

I'm a little scared.

She gives Connor a reassuring smile, relaxing her fingers so that they sit on her lap instead.]

When I say I'm selfish, it's like I only want to spend time with you compared to anyone else. Maybe it's because you're someone I can really call a friend after being without a real one for so long... And whether you're an android or human, I just want it to be you.

[She inhales and exhales deeply, realizing that perhaps she's said a bit too much of what's on her mind. Too much emotion and it's muddled and confusing even for herself.]

Does that sound like too much? Like a burden?

[determinare]

[He's quiet as he listens, and something about what she says causes him to set down his silverware, so that he can focus solely upon her words. His brow creases when she's done, thinking of something, and he replies quietly at first, a subtle sort of... understanding.]

Of course not, Ai. Don't be silly.

[A burden? Why would that be so? He feels the same way, after all -- someone he can call a friend, only his second, and even so, it's different with her than it is with Hank. He tries to put words together the best he can, his human mind stringing them along in different ways than what he's used to.]

You know that I was built to effectively interact with humans. To read their emotions, and at first, to even emulate them so that they would show something akin to empathy towards me; to work better in tandem with me, during investigations, or to react better during negotiations. Ironic, I think, given that I was supposed to only view myself as a machine at the time.

[That he was only supposed to focus on the mission at hand, nothing more. Emotion was not something machines felt, only hollowly replicated; he had believed it unerringly at the time.]

After becoming deviant, I knew that I had that potential to be something more... human. To feel the way humans do, and to experience life in the same manner. But I had only been under a set of... guidelines of how to act and interpret emotions. I needed to learn... no, I still need to learn how to interpret them for myself, how they define me as a person. My own individuality, carved by thought and human experience.

[Exciting but terrifying at the same time. He was not the only android by far that was having to go through it, either.]

So of course I don't consider you a burden; it sounds to me like we're going through the same thing. Instead, I think of us as friends trying to help each other learn who we are. It's easier that way, isn't it?

[emotive]

[The weight is lifted, if only a little bit, off of her heart. And for now, it's enough. Connor gave her the reminder that was needed; they were both trying to become human or even something more than that and they weren't doing it on their own.]

... You're right.

[We're not alone anymore.]

Thank you, Connor. I really needed to hear that.

[There's nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to prevent her from wanting to spend time with him. So she stands up, hands on the table and her eyes bright, brimming with an idea.]

You know what? Let's go out to eat and drink, what do say to that? I think that'll be a lot of fun and you need the SoCal experience of iced coffees and teas!

[bleps]

[He smiles at her, happy to see relief spread through her features. But at the sudden suggestion, all energy, he blinks in surprise.]

Well, how can I say no to that? Especially when I'm certain you know of all the best places around. We should 'paint the town red', as the saying goes.

[emotive]

[Before she goes to her room to change into better clothes for an outing, Ai glances at him grinning.]

That makes it sound like we should stay out all night.

[In that case, she may have to bring along some documentation just in case... ]

If you're going to stay over, you'll definitely need to have a proper place to sleep too.