maskormenace

Entry tags:

video

Is this really it?

[The half-incredulous tone of a guy who is obviously gearing up for an impassioned speech of some sort, but still valiantly fighting the urge.]

A handful of paperwork, [and here he holds up his own file folder,] a mark on the wrist, and an assignment to placate us?

[Someone's vlogging, because as he walks past a nearby burn barrel he tosses his file into it and doesn't even watch the sparks fly up as he continues on his way. Something about symbolically burning the whole damn thing down to the ground comforts Markus enough that he moves on from suggesting outright revolt. For now.]

I'm not moving into a stranger's home, so no one living in De Chima #004 has to worry about a new roommate. And if anyone would like to be a dating app developer, the position is currently up for grabs.

Anyone of a like mind, I'd appreciate your perspective.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That does open up the schedule somewhat.

I'll be by in the evening. Thank you again for the hospitality.

Of course. I'll see you then.

I'm Green, by the way.

[A brief second-] Nice to meet you, Green. I'm Markus.

-

[A person of his word, Markus shows up exactly at the most polite time to show up at someone's house; not too late to disturb anyone, but not so early as to interrupt dinner (though Green had told him he doesn't eat, it's just the principle of the thing). Also waits outside the door for someone to answer his knock, even though he technically lives here.

What?]

[ Green opens the door quickly, as he'd been sitting in the living room all evening, basically waiting for Markus to arrive, like you do. He's dressed simply, in a pair of threadbare sweatpants and a navy jumper. He used to dress better, when he thought Hux was his friend, but recently he discovered Hux was only using him so he's gone back to his old ways.

But, that's an unpleasant memory, so we'll move on from that for now. He greets Markus with a smile. ]

Hello, Markus. Come in, please. [ He stands aside for Markus to enter. ]

[Silently calculates the amount of time it would take to reach the door upon hearing his knock and concludes that yes, Green must've been waiting nearby to hear it. Feels kinda bad for not making his way over sooner.]

Thanks. Shoes at the door? [There aren't any incredible automatic unpaid cleaning services to sweep up after them, after all.]

[ That's alright Markus. Green just doesn't have much of a life. ]

If you like. [ Green himself is wearing slippers, but he doesn't really mind if Markus wants to keep his shoes on. He'll just clean up later at like 3am or something. ]

Thank you for coming.

[ Green. This is his house. ]

Thank you for inviting me. [Markus. This is your house.

He leaves his shoes at the door because it would be a novel experience, and it is, so oddly domestic and old-fashioned that he looks at them a little too long before following Green into the rest of the house.] They're quite large. How many people are typically housed in one unit?

[ Green waits, endlessly patient, for Markus to be done taking off his shoes, before bringing him through the foyer into the living room. There's a wide archway connecting it to the kitchen, but the room is dark as no one is using it at present. The living room is well lit and comfortably furnished, though there are sparse decorations. The place doesn't exactly look lived-in, more like a model show room for a time share house someone is trying to sell. ]

Each house has five bedrooms. Only three are being used, so you have two to choose from, if you decide to stay.

There aren't many differences in the rooms, are there? [Yeah, there's a difference between a home well-maintained and a home devoid of personality, and the latter is very much the case. Maybe because it's shared living space, nobody wanted to put any permanent marks out here?]

Not really. I think Will's decorated his, though I haven't been in to check.

[ The implication being that neither Green nor 622 have decorated their rooms. ]

Is everyone here newly arrived? [Because like...that's kind of sad.]

No. I've been here since January. 622 has been here several months, too.

[ He gives a self deprecating smile and a shrug. ]

I'm not very good at having a place that's my own. And 622 is in the military, so I think he likes to keep things Spartan.

I see. [No surprise with 622, after that conversation Markus had with him earlier.] No matter. I'm hardly one to judge about personalizing your space. [What with the declaration of voluntary homelessness]

[ Green doesn't really have anything to say to that, so he just. Moves on. ]

D'you want to see the open rooms? See if you like either of them?

Sure. [Wasn't going to about five minutes ago, but now he feels sort of obligated. Not in a bad way...just in the usual way.

He follows Green over to the bedroom and asks, apropos of seemingly nothing,] How long have you been awake?

[ Green takes him upstairs to the first unoccupied bedroom, on the East facing side of the house. He turns on the light to show it's stock furnishings, bed perfectly made and untouched. ]

Hm? I told you, I don't sleep.

[ Does Markus somehow know that he was recently deactivated and brought back online? ]

[Takes a moment to look over the room, though he's not really that interested. Scanned it already.] I mean your self-awareness. Unless you weren't built with directives?

[ He isn't 100% sure what Markus means by "directives," but he thinks he can get the gist of it from context.

A somewhat guilty look crosses his face that perhaps wouldn't have preceding his encounter with Hux. ]

I've... since I came here, I've decided to stop being the man I was programmed to be. I changed my name, and have started writing new behavioral protocols.

[That explains the moniker on the network.

Markus nods to himself, noting the halting tone indicating discomfort. It might be better not to press if he's newly deviant, or whatever the equivalent is for Green; here, with no one to hunt them down, they can take their time to figure things out and they should.]

That's impressive.

[He turns around.] May I see the other room?

Yes, of course.

[ He leads the way to the South facing room down the hall. This next room looks much the same, except maybe it's a little smaller due to the angle of the roof. ]

This room has more closet space, I think. I don't know how much you have that would need storing in a closet...

I try to be minimalist, though it doesn't always end up that way, [Markus provides absently as he takes in the room. Furthest from the stairs, but furthest from the other rooms as well.] Which room was yours?

[ Green smiles. ] I know what you mean.

It's just down here, on the right. [ He leads the way out of the empty bedroom and down two doors to his room. Like he mentioned, there's not much decoration. The main features of the room are a computer desk by the window, and a murphy bed surrounded by bookshelves, on which are various knickknacks Green has picked up during his time here. Some are sentimental, like pictures of his friends Red and Blue. Others seem random. A glass bowl full of bottlecaps and pull tabs from soda cans, for example. A child's toy.

Green stands by the foot of the bed, giving a small gesture to the room. He looks proud of what little he's accumulated, at least. ]

[Functional, for the most part...but there is personality. Pure machines have no need for items lacking practicality, and if there is a use to a bowl of recyclables, Markus has no idea what it could be. The beginning stretches of someone trying to find their own likes.

Markus can't help but feel proud and a little envious, at once.] I like it. [He points.] You have pictures. [Novel, really; androids have no use for photographs.]

[ Ash turns to follow the direction of Markus' pointing. ] My friends. [ He smiles, moving to pick up one of the picture frames. It's of Red and Blue, with the tops of Pikachu's and Eevee's heads poking their way into the shot. ]

That's Red and Blue. They're the ones I named myself after. [ He laughs, a simple, recorded laugh, but it sounds almost genuine. ] And their pets wanted to get in the picture, too.

[Their pets looks a little bizarre, but by far not the strangest thing Markus has experience today. He tilts his head to look at the photos; Red and Blue. Hm.] Are they androids?

video

video;

video;

video; -> action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

Re: action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

Re: action;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)