exsilium | 01

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01 | video

[There's a bit of rustling at first once the feed clicks on. The screen is filled with a small snout and tiny paws and it seems almost like it was turned on by mistake by the pet in question on screen. After a moment or two though, a voice speaks up, mechanical and deep.]

My GPS program appears to be malfunctioning, as I am unable to download a map of the island wirelessly. [There's a pause and a mechanical hum before the voice speaks again.]

Please instruct me on a place where I may find a USB connector to transfer information from my tablet. Thank you for your assistance.

[One paw stretches forward to tap the tablet and shuts the feed off.]

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Mm, I was thinking the same thing, but I'm going to look around and see if I can at least find anything similar.

[ Though... ]

What are you apologizing for now? It's not an inconvenience for me at all.

Another Transport sent me directions to a shop that sells tools. They may have something of use.

[There's a hum that might be a sigh. Aoba says it a lot, but Ren's still not totally convinced that he isn't an inconvenience in some way when his All Mate body has problems.]

It's a problem if I can't function properly.

[ Well it is a problem, but not because it's an inconvenience for Aoba. He's feeling kind of nervous just thinking about what would happen if something happened to Ren and he couldn't fix him. ]

We can check that out in a little bit then and see what they've got. If not maybe we can talk to someone from the Initiative. If anyone was going to have the right parts it'd be them.

[No he is definitely an inconvenience!! It's sad the different ways they view him. Probably more sad because Ren's idea of his self-worth is pretty much non-existent. It's hard going against what his duty was supposed to be in the first place.

Ren finally disappears from view on the tablet, and a few moments later he's trotting into Aoba's room and hopping up next to him.]

Roger. A different transport also has a USB connector. She is willing to let me borrow it to connect directly to the tablet. Would you like to accompany me upstairs? If the files are incompatible, another transport suggested we speak to Billy Cranston about altering the file types to work with mine. Everyone is very helpful.

[ Stop that, Ren. Believe in yourself, dammit!! If they were in a shonen manga Ren would get such a talking to about believing in himself right now.

Aoba's leaning over towards Ren now that he's in the room with him. ]

Billy Cranston?

[ Never heard of him. ]

Sure, just let me get my shoes on.

[ Moving to get off the bed now, because he's assuming Ren wants to go sooner rather than later. ]

[He can't, it's just too hard. Maybe one day when he's convinced he's actually independent!! But when he's always relying on Aoba to take care of his robotic problems, it's hard to truly be independent. He just ends up feeling like a hassle.

Ren sits and waits for Aoba to get ready, since he would prefer to go now. The sooner his problems are fixed, the sooner he can stop being an inconvenience.]

Yes, Charlie Cutter provided me with a way to contact him once I have procured a USB connector.

[ No one takes care of their own problems fully! Aoba doesn't take care of himself when sick, that's silly. One day they really need to have an actual conversation about this.

Aoba's trying to hop into his shoes in the meantime while listening to Ren. ]

But we're not sure we're going to need him in the first place, right?

[They really do need to, but it's debatable if they ever actually will.]

Correct. It may transfer without a problem. However, it is likely I'm too outdated to be compatible.

[ One day... one day. IF THEY'RE HERE LONG ENOUGH it's gonna all come out eventually. ]

Ah, that's true. Lets just see how it goes first before we get more people involved though.

[ He doesn't like the idea of people messing around with Ren too much... Especially people that might not have worked with Allmates before. ]

[Eventually........ /stares off into the sunset. Eventually they won't be dumb boys that don't talk about their problems.]

Roger. [Ren... is reconsidering this, though. Aoba doesn't seem all that thrilled about the idea. He puts his paws on Aoba's shoe, tilting his head to look up at him.]

Aoba. Would you prefer waiting until you are able to find the tools? If you're uncomfortable with this, please let me know.

[ We just have to keep hoping for them.

Aoba stops messing with his shoes and looks down at Ren, forcing a small smile. ]

If you don't mind. I know you want the map, but it might be better if we wait to make sure that it won't damage you if we install it.

...

[Ultimately, it's actually Ren's decision. He's not just an All Mate with a master or a partner anymore. He's able to make his own decisions now, even if he's still hesitant to.

He really did want to fix everything that seemed to have stop working on him when he arrived, because he feels like more of a nuisance now. There's pretty much nothing he can do for Aoba since he got there. He can't take calls, or shop, or provide directions anymore. In the end he's just a conscience residing in a robot frame that needs too much maintenance due to age. And there's the fact that he feels bad that he asked so many people for help on his own only to end up turning them down. He should have asked Aoba first before he went and did this on his own.

He's quiet for a while before he finally responds.]

Understood. I will decline Ally's offer. I'm uncertain if there is any data on All Mates here aside from what I possess. There is a high likelihood that fixing the current problems will be impossible. Is that okay?

Edited 2013-08-04 10:07 (UTC)

[ Aoba looks noticeably relieved at that news, and nods his head. Even if it is Ren's choice and Aoba is toing to have to start to learn to respect that fact, any decision Ren makes about himself will probably affect Aoba to some degree. He doesn't want to lose Ren, especially over something as silly as Ren not having GPS here. ]

Yeah, thanks. We'll try looking around for any tools we can use for maintenance work in the meantime.

[Seeing Aoba relieved puts Ren more at ease. For the most part, at least. He still really doesn't want to be useless in any capacity. What good is he if he can't perform any of his primary functions? He takes his paws off Aoba's foot and sits back.]

Would it be alright to begin looking for those tools soon?

[ He's a lot of good still! Even if he doesn't think it, just having him here puts Aoba at a lot of ease. He doesn't feel like he's alone tossed into this weird world with Ren by his side. Of course he's still pretty lost and confused, but being lost and confused with someone else is a lot better than being lost and confused on your own.

Aoba hops off the bed now and holds out his arms for Ren and hums in agreement. ]

Since I'm already up and dressed we might as well go now.

[Ren hops into his arms, curling up. He'll preemptively hide in Aoba's jacket to keep from getting wet.]

Okay. We may leave at your earliest convenience, Aoba.

[ Good boy! Aoba's making sure that he's got a secure grip on Ren and stomps a foot on the ground to make sure the boot is on nice and snug, before moving across the room to get an umbrella. ]

It's convenient now. Though we might not find much today since I don't really know where the shops are.

I know of at least one shop that we can check. If we do not find anything today, it's not a problem. We can look again another time.

Mm, time is probably the only thing we have plenty of here.

It's better soon than later though, isn't it? It's not wise to waste time simply because it is there.

[ A small, awkward chuckle. ]

That doesn't mean we have to rush it either though.

Mm... I want to be back in working order as soon as possible.

Eh? You're already in working order though...

Aside from basic functions, I'm unable to perform any other kinds of functions without the ability to connect to the network here. As an All Mate, I am unable to do my duty.

[ A small sigh from Aoba. ]

It's fine. As long as you're still working the way you are right now, that's what really matters.

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