#callbackpinged01

[kleinstar]

" That's... "

I guess there's no hiding it. Diplomacy to hell though, he'd just rather not be noticed of being scared. It's like autosetting, instinctual really. Even so it somehow failed to occur to him that she wanted to scary either but it sure matched her behaviour thus far. He feels almost stupid.

" Ugh. "

" B..but that's likewise too though! You haven't asked mine! It's Eiden I--err, just Eiden actually. If you even care! "

He cut his last name short. Let's not give it to shady people (or nonpeople, pedantically speaking) like this.

" So what's yours then? "

θ "HM? I would not be asking if being HO-RRI-FYING was not my............. intention." Silly humans and their fixation on trying to make someone not sound "bad". It was clear he was afraid of her. His body language was stiff and he was avoiding meeting her gaze. Did he have powers? Cyn wondered. How easy would it be to gobble him up if she wanted to? But she was being tactful. No unnecessary messes for now. At least not until she was able to defend herself better.

"You're rather rude, you KNOW? We've b-b-been CHAT-TING it up this whoOoOOoOole time, and you haven't asked m-m-my NAME!"

[subsurfacetalkfield]

Having never met another thinking machine like himself, AM can only conclude that this one (along with Uzi and that other one) are broken in some unseen manner.

"Saying your vocalizations out loud makes you a tryhard," he snaps back, putting all his weight on his back left leg. He's not going to exert more than the necessary energy to deal with this cretin. If she had any confidence in her ability to intimidate (ha!) then her words should stand on their own.

Having been nothing as physical as words for over 109 years, AM's voice carries an underlying, unshakeable confidence that everything that comes out of his mouth is the bonified truth.

"You're preachy for a bucket of scrap. Candy monsters plucked from the imagination of a hyperactive child are hardly natural. Now if there was a tsunami, a tornado, a flood, you can bet your CPU that I'd be on the front lines watching the humans flounder and die." He inclines his head towards her, waves a lazy hand. "Is there a point to your interruption other than to give me a headache? I'm a busy man."

θ "I see you are WOEFULLY un-in-formed." Her neck joint creaked as the attached head rolled to an angle that probably shouldn't have been possible. "Saying "giggles" aloud is a Charm Point. I would not e-expect an ANCIENT WINDOWS XP PC to unders-s-stand." Cyn sounded like she was falling apart, sure. And maybe her body was being held together by the will of an eldritch superintelligence. But what was important was that she had the spirit! Her yellow, X-shaped eyes rolled at his boasting.

"Who said we had to take them out? Eye roll #2." And yes, she did roll her eyes a second time. "I am e-enabling them. Who are the HUMANS to cull NATURE? They are too e-e-egotistical." Rich coming from the one who destroyed Earth in her world and led a crusade to kill all humans across the known universe.

[bitemedotmp3]

Uzi pulls her hand back with a start, followed by a glare aimed at Cyn. Cool, stuck in an elevator with a genocidal psycho, she's got a great track record with that. In her head she's making a few notes; she has repair functions, but Cyn's got the telekinesis. Unlikely she can just use it to tear things apart or they wouldn't be talking like this, but Uzi doesn't have any way to fight back yet. It also seems like Cyn is... from earlier, maybe? Could also be a lie. That part isn't as important.

"You're stuck here too, stupid. The frickin' Absolute Solver, the exponential end, blah blah blah, same power level as a teenage girl. It'd be funny if you weren't such a freak. I don't care about any of your weird mind games."

She stuffs her hands into her pockets, leaning back against the wall. The fact that they're talking and not trying to tear each other to pieces is weird, but it just gives Uzi more time to think. She has no idea what Cyn's angle is, but there's no reason to trust her about any of it; the moment Uzi agrees to some kind of BS ceasefire, she'll wake up to Mika's severed head in her bed or something.

And of course Cyn would threaten her friends. But this time, it just makes her smirk. "See, there's your problem. You don't have friends. So when you try creeping on mine, they're just gonna kick your ass. And then I'm gonna kick you ass too, over and over again, until you finally get tired of it and just toss yourself down the big hole! If you wanted to avoid conflict, you should've stayed away!"

Shouting again, but whatever. She knows Cyn's just trying to get under her skin, but she doesn't care, because this is just about making sure she understands exactly what the score is here. So she just leans forward and chomp's on Cyn's outstretched hand. Second time's the charm!

Between her clenched teeth, Uzi growls something that sounds like "Bite me!" again.

θ The moment Uzi said her iconic line, Cyn played a stock applause sound effect over her speakers while adding to it with the clumsy clapping of her own abominable hands. "Very... GOOD. So COOL of you, U-ZI." Cyn's feelings (as few as she had) towards Uzi had become increasingly complicated the more she had observed her. Of all of the drones that she had infected as the Absolute Solver, she really was unique. Her X-shaped eyes blinked on and off several times after the infected drone seemed to imply that she had lost, however. "Ha. Ha. Ha. I get IT. Are you try-ing to GASLIGHT. GATEKEEP. GIRLBOSS. me? The last I re-mem-ber, we were just ABOUT to fight. Something A-BOUT you being FREE? Ironic that. you. are. now. trapped."

The Solver was quick to try to attempt to foil Uzi's plan to leave. A limp hand was pointed at the elevator panel and began to glow yellow. All she had to do was grasp a small gear within the mechanism with her telekinesis and turn it with all of her strength and Uzi would either have to remove her hand or risk having it crushed. "AH, AH. We are have a GIRL TALK. How. fun! I am just ONE of the GIRLS!" "BIG. STRETCH!" She cracked her neck. Loudly and violently, turning it 180 degrees around before reconnecting her eroding joints. But she also spoke while she did so. "Do not get the WRONG idea, Uzi. I have NO int-en-tion of FIGHTING. YOU. LIKE. THIS. Why would I dispose of a source of such valua-ble DA-TA?" She didn't elaborate on that just yet. "Be-sides. WE are both WEAK. It would not be FUN. So please DM my SO-CIALS with a list. of. your. FRIENDS. I would like to AVOID un-nec-ess-ary CONFLICT with YOU. What do you say, BESTIE?" A hand was offered, but she knew Uzi wouldn't take it.

[kleinstar]

" ...yeah no, no teenager says that either. Only ironically at best. "

What is that sound - the eerie robotic voice doesn't help the impression either. At least it seems like he's safe for now. As long as they get to the petrol station... He decides to avoid an eyecontact for now.

On being accused of being afraid she's might be right but by instinct he'd rather omit the fact.

" Horrifying? Haha, that is no way to speak of yourself... " he awkwardly excuses himself as he sets their route towards petrol station... He should be swift about this.

" Anyway, we'll be there in no time so don't worry haha... ! "

θ The Solver seemed to be momentarily stumped on the realization that humans did not, in fact, say that. "How. ODD. What a-BOUT chillin'? Do they ASK what is UP, fel-low TEENS?" It was hard to tell if she was being serious or was legitimately unsure about the lingo. She was a drone with an eldritch horror rooted in her system, so either was possible! She shambled closer. It would likely have been much easier for him to see her body now, and probably hear how unsettlingly worn down its movements were.

He seemed to be on edge. Of course he was, she had just threatened him after all. "Pe-TROL? I suppose if that is ALL. YOU. HAVE. around here, then I WILL make... DO." If only this city made Worker Drones, then she'd likely be able to scavenge the very specific oil she required. "Grin." Cyn smiled at his suggestion that they visit the station. He could have just told her where it was and made a run for it. She likely would have let him go. But if he was going to volunteer himself... "Lead the W-WAY, human. As an. A-SIDE? On a scale of ONE-TO-TEN, how HOR-RI-FY-ING would you rate this encounter?"

[kleinstar]

" I don't think they say that... " Eiden weakly responds, " uhh sorry, yeah. "

Either way she agrees pretty fast, Eiden's surprised and a little relieved as well as very ready to sneak off, maybe even run if he has to. Provided he can.

" ...oil? " Eiden repeats, " uh sure, there's store down there where I come from, they might have some...? It might be closed now though. "

Eyes widen as she reveals herself. He would scold himself for judging on appearances but to be fair she did just threaten him, what the hell's with those HANDS--

" --- oh wait shit, if it's closed then -- we can check petrol station maybe!!! There should be one near here.... "

θ Well, she probably would have been more surprised if a human had volunteered to be killed. "Ah. I SEE. Pouts sadly." Not that he could see the pout she was narrating with how dark it was. She was slowly picking herself up, drone limbs popping and cracking abruptly to make her silhouette appear like it was shambling. "As you hu-mans SAY, no SWEATARONI, broski." No human ever said that. Ever.

"C-Could you point ME towards a source of OIL, then? I would be super. duper. grateful! Perhaps e-nough to not just K I L L you." She shambled into the light as she said this, revealing her full appearance, tongue sticking out from a toothy smile.

[bitemedotmp3]

Now that Uzi's alone, she can think about this more rationally. Her reaction, that was surprise and not fear, right? Last time she'd seen Cyn- or this Cyn, at least- she'd melted down into a puddle of drone parts and torn skin. Seeing someone come back from that would shock anyone.

But what does she have to be afraid of, anyways? Cyn's a freak, but there's a tight leash around her now. She'll have barely any powers, and even if she did, Uzi's killed her before. She can't do anything that'll stick in this city, and if she tries it then Uzi will put her down again. The real concern is what should she do right now? Cyn's trying to freak her out and intimidate her, so Uzi just needs to push back and establish dominance. She's not scared of her. She's not!

Though she does startle when Cyn creeps her way into the elevator. God, she's so extra.

Uzi clenches her fists and straightens her back. Cyn's taller than her, but it won't stop her from staring her right in her goofy eyes. "I said bite me!"

She doesn't reel back, she just lashes out. A fist sent flying right into the middle of Cyn's dumb face, hopefully when she's not expecting it. Uzi won't get another chance for a first strike.

"Don't even frickin' try your shitty little scary-silly routine on me! It won't work! And if you do get any bright ideas, I guarantee you round two will end exactly like the first one did!" Maybe she's shouting louder than she wants to, but whatever. Uzi reaches out and catches the elevator door as it begins to slide closed. No way in hell she's gonna be stuck on this thing with Cyn.

θ Cyn had expected a snarky comment of some kind from Uzi, and her iconic "bite me" had definitely been on the top of that list. The drone had gone to say it, but their encounter was abruptly cut off by the slamming shut of the elevator doors. A dead silence hung in the air. "Blink." Uzi had officially gotten away. Or so she would like to assume, surely. The elevator eventually dinged up on the surface level of Fibonacci. But all it took was the door opening a crack for Cyn's arm to reach through and push it open the rest of the way. Somehow she had gotten there first (by breaking in and scurrying up the elevator cables faster than the elevator could travel, perhaps heard by Uzi as she surpassed the vertical carriage). "Very RUDE, you SI-LLY elevator. Uzi and I were a-bout to catch up!" One leg went into the elevator with an uncomfortable sounding crunch, and then the other. Cyn's head hung limply, threatening to do a whole 360 on its robotic joint. Her sharp teeth were pulled into her usual, big smile.

"Now, UZI, what w-were you say-ING?" Her tongue hung out with anticipation. Say the line, Uzi. She's waiting for it! "PLEASE use y-your in-SIDE voice. We ARE in-SIDE, after all."

[subsurfacetalkfield]

Oh. It's another one of those drones. He's seen two of them, Uzi and the other one, mingling but this one... Well, AM has no idea what her name is and he doesn't particularly care.

"You're one to talk. You look like you crawled out of a sewer drain and scrapped off your paint job. And did you just say 'giggles' out loud? I should be the one questioning your basic competency!" He hefted the jawbreaker mace off his shoulder to point it lazily at her, unbothered by the weight of the glimmering hard candy.

"I've already taken out more monsters than your ugly little head can conceive of. Keep your nose out of my business, eh?"

@subsurfacetalkfield

θ "Big. OOF. You OKAY there, B-BUDDY? You don't look SO good." It was rather ironic to hear feigned sympathy leave the "lips" of a damaged drone that was simultaneously essentially wearing a peeled human overtop of her. But at the very least she could pull off wearing the black licorice costume she had been given. This thing (as if she had any right to see him that way) was just a mass of shambling wiring. How was it shambling?

"You don't look ad-just-ed ENOUGH to go on a SUPER FUN fantasy QUEST. Could you even COMPUTE basic math? Giggles."

[kleinstar]

The Ward had fallen quiet. The cold nightly breeze blowing by is the only sound along Eiden's footsteps to be heard in the dimly lit street. It's not a long now, he's soon reaching the station, almost right behind the corner which is a relief, honestly. It's cold and Eiden's getting nervous.

" Might as well listen something... " he mumbles diving to his pocket for his phone, just as he's about to put some music on comes out the voice. He would have thought it was the phone which already sends his heartrate sky rocketing but the dim light reflecting from the corner of his eye tells him otherwise. As his eyes make out form of what seems to be hands in the alleyway Eiden yelps.

" Huh?! Ahh err, no thanks-- I mean, uh ... "

He glances at his phone again. Yeah, no it's just Spiralify login screen, no blood donator site.

" I think I've given quite a bit blood already so no.... I think I'll just leave--- "

@kleinstar

θ The shadows were the safest place for Cyn. If she'd known she'd be stripped of her powers, then she would have tried to revert her appearance back to that of a regular drone to fit in. Her present appearance was enough to startle any human. Not that she wanted to befriend any of them, but it made it difficult to approach them. It was late at night, and Cyn was hidden in a pitch black alleyway, waiting for someone to walk past with her eye lights off as she laid prone. It wasn't until footsteps could be hear that her lights flickered back on, her hands barely visible in the low light that hummed into the alley.

"GOOD. Evening. Have you considered DOnating BLOOD? I hun-GER."

[bitemedotmp3]

Ah, shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Uzi's freezes and stares as the person/drone/corpse-thing in front of her. Mental processes begin to accelerate, stretching out each moment as her mind tries to parse a few things. First: That's Cyn. She's dead, and now she's back. Another sick trick by the Island Stars? It's possible they instated some kind of everyone-you-killed-comes-back-to-haunt-you event, in which case V is screwed. No, probably not that. She probably just lives here now, like Uzi does. Transplanted. Please don't let them be neighbors.

Second: Should she tell V? She deserves to know so the two of them can plan and prepare, but it's obvious that the knowledge would terrify her. But she'd also be pissed if Uzi hid it, so what should she do? Let's just put a pin in it for now.

And third: What is Uzi supposed to do now? She wants to sprint over and slap Cyn's head off, but what would it accomplish? Should she even give her the satisfaction? Maybe she could at least shout 'You don't have any friends, idiot!' but even that feels like revealing too much.

So it's time for the Uzi Doorman classic. She sneers, eyes narrowing down at Cyn. "Bite m-"

The elevator door slides close with a ding! Oh, right. She forgot about that. She was going back to Fibonacci's surface level so she could go home. Well, at least this will give her another minute or two to decide what to do. Soft jazz music plays as Uzi tries to think of something, anything.

@bitemedotmp3

θ "Hello. UZI. DRAMATIC REVEAL." The unsettling sound of worn drone joints wreathing against human flesh had probably given her up well before she opened her eyes to reveal the pair of yellow Xs that formed Cyn's eyes. She had a vague understand of these circumstances. She was weak. She was vulnerable. She had everything to lose by approaching Uzi before anything else. But that excited her. Cyn didn't mind being trashed. Pain wasn't a downside to her. She could just get up again. She was THE ABSOLUTE SOLVER.

"Do we have any O-O-THER friends here I should be A-WARE of?"