153 » it's you and me in this world

[ironwind]

[ Life's become the sort of thing that Aether oozes through. Not stopping, not slowing, inexorable as sand moving between the bulbs or an hourglass — yes, he's moved, dispassionate, through life just like that, without direction or a plan for himself. He loves his sister and their younger cousin Paimon and their distant uncle Dainsleif, and he's made plenty of friends for himself, but when he really stops to think about what he feels passionate about, he doesn't have any answers.

In his youth, he'd entertained fantasies about being an android engineer, but somehow it hadn't happened — he didn't have the right connections to break into such a demanding industry, and in the end, he'd settled for a perfectly normal desk job working in the billing department of a travel agency, advising clients on vacations he'll never be able to take. Such is life in Sumeru City these days. Sometimes he wishes he were born just the barest bit richer.

But it is what it is, and things are what they are, and on the salary he's earning, Aether can't even afford a hobbyist android of his own to customize and exercise his elementary programming skills on —

— or at least, that's what he thinks until, one day, on his way home from work, he spots what appears to be a grown man collapsed in a pile of refuse.

At first, in all honesty, he thinks it's a drunk or a drug addict or an unhoused man before it even occurs to him that it might be an android. After all, androids are expensive. People would sooner kidnap them, steal them, before they left one out on the street like this. Any possibility of the "man" being some inebriated bohemian goes out the window, however, when Aether steps closer and realizes that he's dressed in office attire. They're almost mirrors of each other in that regard: white shirt, black shoes, pressed pants. The one difference is that Aether isn't wearing a tie, and also, the man in the trash pile is still wearing an ID card.

Aether steps closer, holding his breath. Then he realizes, mercifully, that the trash bags don't smell. It's more likely office refuse than discarded lunches. ]

Um... are you alright?

[ Is he responsive? If not, it won't deter Aether; he'll still draw closer, searching for the cause of the man's discomfort. ]

Comments

[perusing]

[ The android, resting on his bed of trash bags, doesn't stir. Closer inspection will reveal that he looks outwardly intact, merely tangled in a few cables and shredded paper spilling from a hole in one of the bags. His ID card, on the other hand, bears a stamp across the standard text printed on its front: defective. Some of the letters and numbers remain legible — and the Akasha company logo is visible, too.

As Aether approaches, the earpieces framing the sides of the android's head light up, flickering back and forth between red and green. A crackle of static is the only sound that emerges from the motionless stranger for some moments until his eyes snap open, glowing the same red as his earpieces just then. He stares past Aether, unseeing.

Even so, the android speaks at last, albeit not to answer the question with anything to reassure a concerned passerby: ]

System scan error. Override?

[ After repeating his alert message two more times, the android goes silent again, and the light fades from his eyes, turning them dull. His earpieces flash green, red, green, only to lose their glow as well. ]

[ironwind]

[ For a moment, Aether simply stares, as still as if he is the one with the catastrophic system failure, and the android is the thing that might fix him.

System scan error. There are a number of potential causes for an error like that, but the one Aether suspects is most likely is that this android needs his core operating system files replaced. It's not a simple issue to encounter, but a large search engine like Akasha surely would have had the engineers needed to fix something like that. Why, then, did they throw him out like so much trash?

Maybe his issues run deeper than the software level; maybe it's as simple as them having so many androids, and so many other things to work on, that fixing errors on one or two of them just isn't worth the time. Maybe this one has an unpleasant personality or some other major defect. Maybe they just didn't like this one.

But Aether decides that he likes him. He likes the android's handsome face, his broad build. (He's unusually big. What did they have him do, physically move servers around?) he likes the green color of the android's eyes when they aren't being overtaken by dysfunctional red. His earpieces are cute.

After a moment, the blond crouches down and takes a closer look at the android's defective ID card.

Beneath the red ink, he can faintly make out that the android's name is — or was — Alhaitham. ]

...Alright, Alhaitham. Let's see if I can't get you home and fix that error.

[ It takes some work — Alhaitham weighs the same as an extremely drunk man of the same height and build — but Aether manages to slip one arm beneath the android's arm and heft him onto one shoulder. He's quite heavy. The blond feels as though he's engaging core muscles he hasn't engaged in years. Still, this will all be worth it if, at the end of the day, he finally has an android he can call his own. ]

Upsy-daisy... you're a big boy, huh...?

[perusing]

[ The android is dead weight, and his frame is much larger than Aether's, bearing down upon the young man once Aether has hauled Alhaitham out of the pile of refuse to prop him against his shoulder. Though the sound of Aether's voice appears to trigger some response, it's no more than another feeble flicker of red-green-red, as if Alhaitham's malfunctioning system is nonetheless straining to act according to its programming. Once more, bursts of static issue from him.

And then, the android's eyes focus on Aether, and this time, they maintain their green color for a while. ]

It's difficult to eat soup-like dishes while reading.

[ The android recites the remark like a piece of advice that Aether should keep in mind and follow. The arm not draped across Aether's shoulders jerks into motion, hand raised with an upturned palm. ]

It's fine if you can't fall asleep. Tomorrow will come regardless. Good night. You're off the clock.

[ With that, Alhaitham slumps against Aether, not only incapable of performing the functions expected of him in an office, but in no shape even to assist his new owner in getting him home, either. A stray lock of hair at the crown of his head sways gently into Aether's direction. ]

[ironwind]

[ Aether can't help but laugh. The statements are flatly delivered, something almost patronizing to the tone, but the words themselves — they're actually rather gentle, aren't they? There's something very sweet and reassuring about the way that the android speaks them with complete conviction, as though he knows his advice to be both self-evident and unshakably true. Perhaps this is a way for his broken system to express concern for the stranger trying to help him? ]

You're a really nice guy.

[ The blond is strong enough, given his slight frame, but even he needs to take a short break after dragging Alhaitham down about one city block. This is going to be a long trip, he realizes, as he pauses to catch his breath and let his heart rate settle for a bit. He gazes at Alhaitham as he continues holding the android up, even as they've got their backs pressed to a nearby fence. He smiles. ]

Don't worry, Alhaitham. Just rest. You're off the clock, too.

[ Affectionately, he pets the android's head, caressing that stray lock of hair back into some semblance of place (it bounces back into its original position after a moment of fussing, at which point Aether decides to leave it because it suits him to have untidy hair). They've only just met, and maybe it's because he feels strangely fond of the android's fractured responses, but the blond feels a sudden desire to lean his head on the android's shoulder.

He does so, letting himself feel strangely reassured by his weight. It occurs to Aether briefly that perhaps he's been lonely for a long while. ]

...Once we get home, I'll be on the clock. Once we get home, I'll fix you.



[ Aether's apartment is a simple but well-made thing — homey and cozy, with hardwood floors and evenly-painted walls. What it boasts in relative comfort, it lacks in space: he really only has a bedroom, a kitchenette, and a bathroom to speak of. All of the rooms are sparsely furnished.

Still, that's comfortable living, for a bachelor, and it means he can set Alhaitham up on his bed while the young man hooks the android up to his laptop to run some simple diagnostic checks. He looks anxiously at Alhaitham, who has thus far been docile, even when Aether opened up his chest compartment to gain access to his inner circuitry and wiring. So far so good, though it isn't unheard of for some malfunctioning androids to become belligerent once someone attempts to fix them... ]

It might be kind of weird that I'm keeping you awake through open-heart surgery, but this way I'll know if what I'm doing is working, okay?

[ Not that androids work in the same way that flesh-and-blood patients do; Alhaitham should not actually be in any pain during this "procedure." Still, Aether continues to address Alhaitham with the same sense of respect that he would afford a human. ]

Just try to talk to me while I'm reloading everything on you.

[perusing]

[ Aether's soothing reassurances, spoken aloud and offered in the form of his touch, seem to act as a switch that finally turns Alhaitham's system quiet. Unlike the android's jolts of short-lived activity and abrupt stillness, it's as if Alhaitham has drifted off with his head pillowed against Aether, the two of them able to rest together, off the clock. As Aether rests his head on Alhaitham's shoulder, the android's head tips towards him a little more. The leaf-like lock of hair refusing to be smoothed flat brushes against Aether's matching sprout one.

And Alhaitham wakes from his "nap" only when Aether has him arranged on the bed, connected to his new owner's laptop. The components housed in his chest compartment may be exposed, but he looks perfectly at ease now, like a man simply reclining at home, not a patient of sorts likely facing extensive repairs before he can resume his normal functions. His expression is even, his eyes a steady green; Aether's intervention so far has already stabilized that much. ]

Sure. Keep it up. It doesn't feel weird to me.

[ The static is gone, too, and the diagnostic checks are doing their part. Alhaitham sounds less like a defective machine then and more like a person, a human being, closer to exemplifying the advanced technology associated with Akasha instead. ]

[ironwind]

[ Aether smiles down at his "patient," looking so human in his bed aside from the way his artificial skin and casing have been lifted away to reveal the inner workings of his body. He settled at some point during their walk; he seems serene and calm now, thoroughly accepting of the new circumstance where Aether has brought him home to repair his faults. ]

You have a nice voice.

[ Reassuringly, Aether pets some of Alhaitham's hair away from his face again, and then returns to typing away at different snippets of broken code on his laptop. ]

Okay... diagnostic for vocals is coming back clear... but you have a compilation error on motion data. I wonder why... oh, I know, what if I...?

[ It's slow-going. It takes a lot of work, and it wouldn't work at all if Aether were not, in fact, a somewhat accomplished hobbyist programmer and android enthusiast. There's no telling why Akasha's programmers chose to dump Alhaitham rather than repair him themselves — perhaps the simple reality of corporate excesses is the only real explanation here.

Gradually, by increments, Alhaitham will likely "feel" his various issues being cleared up, as if a healing hand is working its way through his system, weeding out the problems that have plagued his system and his frame for so long. ]

Hmm... Did that clear everything up?

[ Aether has gotten so engrossed in his work that he's only looking at his screen and not at the android in his bed. ]

[perusing]

[ Despite the company disposing of Alhaitham as defective, the android makes a well-behaved patient. That is, he's content to sit back and let Aether work in peace; he has no complaints for the amount of time that the entire process takes. Throughout, his gaze rests on Aether, whether or not Aether's attention is directly on him or on the information displayed on the screen. When Aether's fingers touch him, he holds still for them, and when they return to the laptop, he watches their movements.

Finally, while Aether is peering at the screen once more, Alhaitham leans out of the bed, one hand outstretched. His index finger curls around the lock of hair at the top of Aether's head in a light tug that makes it spring back up upon being released. ]

It looks like you've fixed me. Well done.

[ He may have been asleep on the way home, resting as Aether encouraged, but his system wasn't completely switched off — it picked up Aether's promise. With that promise fulfilled, they're both off the clock, unless Aether has more in mind for his newly-acquired android. ]

What are you planning to do now?

[ironwind]

[ ...?

...Why did he... pull on Aether's hair????

Aether does not respond immediately. He stares at the android in utter incomprehension for a long moment, trying and failing to understand the rationale between pulling on his cowlick. He... it... androids shouldn't... What?

Is this why the employees at Akasha didn't want to fix him? Because he has an odd personality?

There wasn't really anything in his operating system files that would explain... this.

Cautiously, though he still feels faintly embarrassed, Aether decides that he doesn't really... mind... having his hair pulled... and, well, it's hard to resist the android's inquisitive gaze, which is somehow cute despite his somber, handsome face. Faintly flustered, the blond nods, and then realizes that the question he was asked was not a yes-or-no question. Er, well... ]

I... I'm not sure. [ A brief laugh. ] I've always wanted an android to be my personal home assistant. But to be honest, I'm so used to living alone that I don't really need one...

[ He pauses, briefly glancing at the clock in the corner of his laptop screen. ]

It's really late. I guess, before anything else, I should have dinner and then shower and then sleep.

[perusing]

[ Aether looks and sounds perturbed now, taken aback rather than upset, Alhaitham observes. Evenly, he holds his owner's gaze until Aether checks the time — by relying on himself. Other people might have decided to make use of an android assistant to keep track of their schedule. The same people wouldn't bother to repair something thrown out as trash by a company like Akasha.

Aether doesn't need a personal home assistant, but he must have had his reasons for wanting one, and for going to the trouble of taking tonight's find home with him.

Sitting up on the bed, Alhaitham places his feet on the floor. Or rather, he places one foot's sole there, resting his other leg's ankle across his knee, in one more display of highly unusual behavior for an android. ]

So you just wanted to fix me. You could tell me to make you dinner and do the dishes, or even to help you get undressed for your shower and dressed for bed later.

[ Aether could — as much of a change from his routine as it would be, the option is there. But if that isn't what motivated him, is it the prospect of having a companion to live in this apartment with him? ]

[ironwind]

Do you know how to do all of that? I thought maybe you'd only know how to do office work.

[ With a light laugh for his new android's utter audacity, Aether leans back in his seat, mimicking Alhaitham's relaxed posture, at least from the waist up. He's still trying to wrap his brain around the hair-pulling that just happened, but it occurs to the young man now that Alhaitham has a magnificent cowlick of his own. It sticks straight up out of his head, like a beautiful, exotic plant. Very tempting... ]

Well, would you like to help me get undressed, and make dinner, and do the dishes, and help me undress later? Because I'd enjoy all of that a lot.

[ Grinning, Aether gives in to temptation and leans forward, tugging on Alhaitham's beautiful hair-sprout with equal parts relish and lack of shame. Much like Aether's, it springs back up, but Aether finds the motion irresistibly charming. ]

But I didn't fix you to claim mastership over you... Unless that's what you want me to do?

[perusing]

[ Alhaitham continues to sit still, letting Aether pull on his "sprout" in return. Fair is fair. Once the lock of hair bounces back into place as before, it flicks to and fro a little as Alhaitham shakes his head. ]

That's not what I mean, but it's good to clarify our expectations. We both know that android assistants can't refuse to obey their owners, and you could modify my system any way you like. You're right, by the way — I was programmed to handle office work, so you'd have to install new modules, if you want me to cook for you and consistently guarantee a good job.

[ Now, too, Alhaitham watches Aether steadily, taking in Aether's grin, the young man's posture. Then he stirs again, lowering his raised leg, and rises from the bed. A step takes him closer to Aether, where he holds out his right hand.

It's late, after all, and Aether should have dinner, take a shower, and go to sleep. ]

Or I could give it all a shot anyway. I wanted to know more about you, someone who seems to be a nice guy himself.

[ironwind]

[ The sprout moves... it bounces... it wiggles. It's so captivating...

Utterly transfixed by his new "assistant's" more bizarre and fascinating qualities, Aether is still smiling as he slips his hand into his android's. Is Alhaitham going to guide him to his own bathroom, or the kitchen? He's so excited to find out. This new robot he's taken home is so very, very strange in the best of ways. ]

You remember me calling you a nice guy?

[ He did do that earlier on the street, didn't he? There's something touching about the thought that Alhaitham remembered and has been holding on to it... ]

Sure, I'll let you give dinner a shot. Just try not to burn the house down. I can install real modules on you tomorrow.

[ But an android of his apparent intelligence and problem-solving capacities can probably make something simple at least... right? ]