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I wouldn't have opened the door if the answer was no.
[He steps aside to let her in, favoring his left leg. That is definitely a limp.]
Things all right at the office?
[He steps aside to let her in, favoring his left leg. That is definitely a limp.]
Things all right at the office?
[It's a good thing that his lightly disapproving tone can't be heard, though it might come through regardless.]
Facts or not, it's still intimidation, and it isn't how I do things. It isn't how you should do things either if you have any respect for Rey.
Facts or not, it's still intimidation, and it isn't how I do things. It isn't how you should do things either if you have any respect for Rey.
Edited 2016-08-07 19:35 (UTC)
[He'll admit from time to time that it does bother him a little, but he's gotten used to the questions over the years. He's asked plenty himself about his own, artificial nature.]
Oh? And how's that?
Oh? And how's that?
[Shadow can't see his smile through text, but it's there.]
We have those kinds of machines in my world, too. Ones like me aren't common.
[Certainly not in his case, given he might be the only prototype of his kind.]
We have those kinds of machines in my world, too. Ones like me aren't common.
[Certainly not in his case, given he might be the only prototype of his kind.]
That's a question I've asked myself a few times. My best guess is I'm a prototype for the models that came later.
They're made for a lot of reasons, none of them good.
[It's okay, Shadow -- at least you didn't call him an abomination or try to kill him upon meeting him. That earns points in his book.]
The newer synths look human enough to pass for the real McCoy. Most of them seem to be used for infiltrating the rest of the Commonwealth, replacing people with synthetic versions so they can keep an eye on what's left of the world and the people who live there.
The newer synths look human enough to pass for the real McCoy. Most of them seem to be used for infiltrating the rest of the Commonwealth, replacing people with synthetic versions so they can keep an eye on what's left of the world and the people who live there.
After the bombs fell. Let's just say the world I come from has had better days.
[Better months. Years. Centuries.]
[Better months. Years. Centuries.]
No. Just people who thought violence was the answer to all their problems.
That's one reason I try to make sure no one on the Guard gets too heavy-handed. You have to put up a fight sometimes, but if you can avoid it, you should.
[Maketh steps in, holding out a mug.] Better than expected, given--well.
[Circumstances are what they are.]
Is Rey here? I haven't seen her lately.
[Circumstances are what they are.]
Is Rey here? I haven't seen her lately.
Not at the moment.
[He takes the mug with a word of gratitude.]
She's been taking longer patrols lately. Isn't around as much these days.
[He takes the mug with a word of gratitude.]
She's been taking longer patrols lately. Isn't around as much these days.
And they never will if we ruin what trust they have in us. Some folks respect what we do, but we have to treat them right in return.
[And he knows the folks who don't respect them are the sort who probably never would anyway, just because of the kind of desire for order they represent.]
[And he knows the folks who don't respect them are the sort who probably never would anyway, just because of the kind of desire for order they represent.]
We just keep doing what's needed, and maybe we'll earn their respect along the way. Not everyone will agree with how we try to run things, but we're all in this together whether we like it or not.
Bad things don't have to happen, kid. And it's not our place to make them happen if they do. Saying that makes you sound like a goon.
I've been around a long time, Shadow. Met a lot of people. You're always going to have those who don't respect us and never will. Maybe they come from a place where that kind of goodness just doesn't exist. Maybe they figure we can't make a difference and would rather take matters into their own hands. Or maybe they just like to watch things burn.
[It's okay, Shadow. He kind of suspects that.]
Longer than a lot of the folks here have been alive. It comes with the territory of being a synth.
[Which means he'll probably outlive them all, too. The downsides of being ageless.]
Longer than a lot of the folks here have been alive. It comes with the territory of being a synth.
[Which means he'll probably outlive them all, too. The downsides of being ageless.]
Enough that it gets hard to remember it all. And on top of that, some of my memories come from a fella who's been dead for two hundred years.
[So at least that many.]
[So at least that many.]
Yeah. The newer synths can pass so well that some of them don't even know they're machines underneath the skin, but most older models like me only do what they're programmed to do. The entire reason I'm as independent as I am is because of the man my mind comes from.
[He doesn't go into details like that for just anyone, Shadow.]
[He doesn't go into details like that for just anyone, Shadow.]
No. He was human, had a life of his own. I'm something else.
[And he's still trying to figure out where he fits in.]
[And he's still trying to figure out where he fits in.]
It's the only name I've ever had. It grew on me, even after I figured out it wasn't mine.
So I've been told. It's still his though, as are a lot of other things.
[He'll figure it out one day, Shadow. You can't teach an old bot new tricks overnight.]
[He'll figure it out one day, Shadow. You can't teach an old bot new tricks overnight.]
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