[So where she comes from, synths are straight-up entertainment. The Commonwealth hasn't gone quite that far yet-- probably because the Institute is too underground and people hate them too much to ever give a thing like that a chance. But it sounds degrading as hell, especially recalling that she works in a brothel.

Nick's expression is as gentle and sympathetic as he can get it, given its limited range of... well. Expression.]

I don't know that I am free-thinking, really. I'm a man's memories encoded into a machine. Everything I am started with somebody else.

So who can really say what "free-thinking" is, when it comes to people like us?

Who's to say what it means at all? I've met plenty of people I wouldn't call "free-thinkers," even if their brains are organic.

[He offers her the slightest of sighs.]

It's a lot bigger a concept than just being mechanical or not, Miss. I've been around a long time like this, and I still don't know how I feel about a lot of it.