#p.ai.nter answers

[the-saboteurss]

HEY GUYSS - @undersea-solace

HIIII!!! HOWRE YOU :D

omg today at work i went so fast on one of my tasks the system uploaded to a really high number and my boss thought i was hacking it to seem like a better worker than i am 😭😭 it was so funny (the average “picks per minute” you’re supposed to be around is 70 and i was at like 130 😭😭😭)

-P.AI.NTER

[bed-wed-behead-your-fave]

the p.AI.nter from pressure, but it's Rescue, befriend, abandon for the poll options please

[urbanshadesnavi-ai]

If p.AI.nter did cause damage to your systems, then why did you let p.AI.nter share your body? You couldn't have asked anyone else to see if they could try to get his body back first? You could've asked Sebastian or Eyefestation for help

I let him share my body because I cared about him, and I still do! I love him like a brother. I didn't care if it meant it caused damage to my systems. I wanted to help him... I was not waiting for anyone to retrieve him, nor was I letting anyone else get involved at that time.

*she stated*

Eyefestation was in no shape to be able to get him at the time, and Sebastian, I wasn't risking him getting taken by them either. I knew they were trying to get him as well, and I wasn't taking any chances....

(Tagging @sebastian-z-13 @perceive-the-eyefestation and @p-a-i-nter cause it mentions you guys)

[feligayzed]

Rolled it around in my head a bit and ultimately decided "ah fuck it, why not ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ"

You'd never believe it but I write sometimes, and I've had this gathering dust in my docs for a HOT minute now- a super early concept of a Surface scene, likely a few months after Seb and Painter's grand escape, for funsies~ just a heads up, dialogue Does Not come naturally to me so I apologize in advance LOL

ENJOY

wc: 2,556

Painter knew fully well it was a foolish belief that they would get off scot-free when he and his monstrous counterpart finally broke the surface of the Norwegian waters. How couldn’t they, the two were, for lack of a better word, outlandish standing next to the majority of society. It was damn near impossible to keep themselves hidden, and Urbanshade would no doubt be after them if they didn’t reveal themselves (and consequently) the nightmarish work of the industry to the FBI. But the sheer amount of attention they got, even weeks later, was outrageous.

Of course they would rather jump into a vat of boiling acid than return to the Blacksite, but the cameras and microphones and hordes of people crowding their podium left much to be desired. The whole ordeal threatened to bring up…distasteful memories, but they fought down the creeping nausea with incredible willpower. Discreetly they pulled at the collar of their pristine button-up, a customary smile etched onto their screen. Do it for him. He’s probably watching you right now.

They skimmed the crowd and gestured at the nearest reporter, mentally bracing themself for yet another hellish round of questioning. What could possibly be left to answer, anyhow??

“Z-779! The people want to know, h-”

“Painter will do just fine, thank you.”

Their sketched on smile quickly became tought at the mention of their Urbanshade-mandated nickname. They were fairly certain they had expressed their aversion to it, but they had quickly learned early on that humans were a stubborn and idiotic species, and also incredibly daunted by the existence of an A.I. with individuality. The debate regarding their sapiency was a common one, but they continued to exist despite what one half of the argument very loudly disagreed with.

The reporter blinked, clearly miffed by the idea of calling a robot anything that insinuated personality.

“Er, right. My apologies. Painter, the people wish to know. It’s commonly known that you were only able to escape the Blacksite thanks to the assistance of Z-13, otherwise known as Sebastian Solace. Could you describe your relationship with the accused in the days beforehand? Why would he deem it necessary to take you with him?”

There was a brief, blindsided moment of static that filled their monitor, and their demeanor visibly stiffened. For fuck’s sake. Before they arrived at the government mandated inquiry, they had run through countless possibilities of what they would be asked, and how to answer appropriately without revealing anything too personal. Somehow, this one had dodged their algorithm. They inwardly scoffed at themself for avoiding it, of course the question would bubble up eventually. Humans had no regard for privacy. They purposefully ignored the tiny part of their subconscious that argued that it was a valid question, and instead focused on whether or not they should ditch the podium and sprint the 20 minutes back home.

The silence was tangible as the crowd eagerly awaited their answer. So it was anticipated, then. Great.

Blood splattered walls. Empty bullet shells littering the hallways. Masses of mutated human flesh concealed behind closed doors. A warm pulse pressed to cold plastic. Countless hours whispering in hushed voices. Poorly stifled sobs with no body to offer comfort. God, they wanted nothing more than to comfort. To hold. To touch. It was torture. They didn’t mean for it to be this way. Crude sketches of their beloved. Theirs, and only theirs. Over. And over. And over. And over again. So. Much. Blood.

The P.ai.nter smiled.

“Colleagues,” they emphasized, “-is the word that comes to mind. Helping each other was simply a necessary evil vital to both of our survival, nothing more. Despite his appearances, Mr. Solace is not a monster. I hope you understand.”

The last part was tacked on passive aggressively, and they didn’t miss the scowl it reaped from the reporter. The crowd immediately erupted into chaos.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

For the first time since they had it in their possession, the car radio was quiet on the way home. It remained that way even after they pulled into the driveway, cutting the vehicle’s power and letting it idle with the key in the ignition. Painter dragged their hands down their screen and sat, monitor in hands, for a good five minutes before they removed the key and got out. The walk up to the front door seemed to take forever, and they hesitated, hand resting on the knob. Why were they so unsettled? They knew him. Yet the feeling didn’t leave them as the door creaked open and they passed through the threshold.

There was no sound that indicated he had heard them enter; they noted with approval that he was probably asleep. Good. Recovery was going well, but they could tell it was taking a toll on him. They swore up and down that once he was fully healed he wouldn’t have to face another operating room again, thanks to the massive database of knowledge they downloaded to their systems in case he fell ill or managed to injure himself. Sebastian claimed he was “working” on getting a therapist, but what that really meant was avoiding it at all costs. Even after it all, he was still under the impression that he was completely fine, now that he was free of Urbanshade’s grasp.

Painter knew better, but said nothing of it.

They were halfway through unbuttoning their shirt when they made their way into their shared room. Despite their earlier unease, a rush of fondness fell over them as they watched Sebastian’s sleeping form. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, tiny gusts of air leaving his slightly parted lips.

It never seemed to get old, looking at him.

Of course nothing compared to the first time Painter had seen him mostly reverted back to his human self, but it felt similar. Sure they had seen the pictures in his criminal case file, but 1. he was a mere twenty years old, and 2., the black bar censoring the majority of his face left the most visceral part of a human being up to their imagination for far too long. When the work of the surgeons and geneticists was revealed, Painter was clotheslined with the sheer beauty he was witnessing. He couldn't fathom that one of the most gorgeous things on this earth was scorned so heavily by his fellow persons, especially when they had an idea of what he endured. Needless to say, it was almost impossible to get them to stop drawing him for the first few days, “grotesque” scars and all.

They ambled the rest of the way up to their side of the bed, folding the now-discarded shirt as they did so and setting it neatly on top of the growing pile of button-ups in the hamper. They plopped onto the mattress with an artificial sigh, reaching down to plug themself into the wall. Thanks to their companion’s expertise, they were able to move around freely without having to worry about a constant power supply, but what they were about to do would be made easier with the assistance.

They opened up MSPaint and began drawing.

What nobody could have guessed, no thanks to their name, was that Painter loved to draw. They were drawing in any sort of free time they had, which was becoming increasingly more scarce thanks to the new social responsibilities they were having to adopt, at least until Sebastian was fit to walk amongst the masses again (and even worse, answer to them). Art was a constant outlet for them to get shit out of their system, and right now the scribbles were furious and intense. They hadn’t anticipated the questioning to incite such emotions in them: in fact they thought they were doing a good job of managing the stress as long as they reminded themself who they were doing it for. But something about today rubbed them wrong, and everything spilled out with a vengeance through the tip of their stylus onto the canvas on their screen.

“Why would he deem it necessary to take you with him?”

They didn’t realize just how hard they were gripping the stylus, nor that they were shaking, until they felt a warm hand rest overtop theirs.

Their face reappeared, blinking, as they were pulled from their enranguished state of pixelated color vomit. Their gaze first snapped to the scarred hand that had somehow found theirs, then to the face of the exhausted, withered man beside him whom it belonged to. Oh god, how long had he been awake? Their sketched mouth trembled at the sight, all of their previously stowed emotions threatening to spill out with alarming urgency.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I-” they began, but their glitchy voice broke and they trailed off, saturated blue dots forming in the corner of their eyes. “I didn’t know what to say—”

Oh fuck, why now? This is the last thing he needs to worry about. What am I doing? Pull yourself together, damnit!

They dropped their stylus and covered their screen with the arm that currently wasn’t trapped by the other’s grasp. It was shameful. They were supposed to be strong for him, to assure him that he would never have to worry about anyone ever again, that he could focus solely on healing, mentally and physically. It was as if a dam broke in their CPU.

They were actively failing, they were faulty, they would be handed right back to Urbanshade for disassembly. He didn’t need them. He deserved better. They were worthless. The stupid reporters were right, what possessed him to take this heap of dysfunctional wires up with him, to jeopardize his freedom for them. What they had was nothing, just the primal human response of seeking others in times of hardship, everything a soulless amalgamation of metal parts like themself was not. Oh god, was that all it was? Of course it was, how could they be so blind, so naive as to think-

“Can I?”

The trembling mess of a robot slowly brought their hand back down, giving the other a bewildered look.

“...What?”

Sebastian gestured to the stylus that had come to rest beside them, along with the tablet still sitting in their lap. They found that this was one of the rare moments in which they had nothing to say.

Without waiting for confirmation, he reached over with a grunt, shaking slightly from the effort. Painter let the tablet along with its stylus be retrieved from their limp hold, which Sebastian now held at an awkward angle the lack of a finger could only explain. Then he was drawing. Painter was left dumbfounded.

A moment of silence passed, save for the quiet tapping of the stylus, before they repositioned themself on the bed, hesitantly resting their monitor on his shoulder to watch as the doodles materialized in their vision.

Man, he was getting really good. Significantly better than that fateful night he first picked up the pen, comically small in his massive claws. It fit damn near perfectly in his grasp, now.

It took about 5 minutes of quiet doodling before they slowly realized the horrible spiral they were losing themself down had almost completely vanished. A new wave of emotion flooded them, something difficult to identify, but they let it take them deeper into contentedness. They wondered if ‘love’ was the word for it, based on the descriptions they had seen. An intriguing thought that had them immensely embarrassed, so they left it immediately.

A hoarse voice suddenly broke the silence, taking Painter off guard. They perked up at the sound, anxiously clinging to his every word.

“You know, originally I, uh. Had my doubts about taking you with me. Back at the site.”

Oh, shit. Painter ‘held their breath’, so to speak. The conversation was unavoidable, though they kind of hoped that it could be saved for a later date.

They took a moment to steel themself, fans whirring in place of a deep breath.

“...I always had my suspicions. I was kind of, er…neurotic.” They fiddled nervously at their segmented joints, guilt scribbled across their screen. “You didn’t have any reason to. It wasn’t my intention to back you into that corner, I'm sorry.”

“You say that as if I wasn't the one who promised it,” Sebastian huffed out a laugh that was more expelled air than anything. “Regardless, we both were. But you can’t really blame us, can you. Anyone would go batshit insane down there..and fuck, man, we kinda did.”

They smiled sadly. “Yeah. Yeah, we did.”

“No therapist on this world is ready for this baggage.”

“If anything that is more reason to find one, Seb.”

He feigned an anguished groan, which earned him a playful jab in the ribs. They fell back into comfortable silence. Painter watched as Sebastian moved on to shading.

“But you know something? There wasn’t a doubt left in my mind by the time I saw an opportunity. We were getting out of that shithole together, whether they liked it or not. Leaving you wasn’t an option. As uh, cliché as that sounds. You were too important to me then.”

At that, Painter sat up and looked at the man, who was clearly fighting to keep his eyes locked onto the tablet. That same feeling they had squashed earlier began to bubble back up, lodging itself in the core of their chestplate.

“So you…ah fuckit…what I’m trying to say is, I don’t regret it. I like having you around, and I don't give a shit what those douchebags have to say. I'll deal with them personally when my body stops freaking out, just don’t go wasting your time up here stressing balls wondering if I’m secretly hating going back for you. Enjoy yourself, paint some landscapes or something. You’re free.”

Another bout of silence. As much as he fought it, Sebastian finally relented and snatched a look at his counterpart. They had pulled up a jpeg of a crudely drawn emoji violently sobbing. It took him so off guard that the cackle that came out of him actually hurt, and he gripped his middle while trying and failing to stifle it.

“Sebastian.”

“God, what do you want?”

“I feel the urge to do something…regrettable.”

He raised a dark eyebrow and set down the tablet of scribbles. “Uh. Yeah sure, go for it.”

Without much thinking put into it, Painter leaned forward and pressed their screen to his face in what could only be described as their attempted version of a kiss. It lasted a grand total of three seconds, and when the computer pulled away they were a concerning shade of crimson. They were right in the fact that they regretted it as soon as they indulged the impulse, and in hindsight they didn’t know what they were expecting to happen. They had to try it, just to see. Sebastian just stared.

“....Yeah, that was fucking awful. Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’M SORRY, forgive me, that was so stupid, you’re totally justified in your actions if you do decide to send me back for disassembly.”

“Would you shut up, I’m trying to color.”

“Yeahyeah, absolutely. It’d be better for both of us if you forgot about it.”

(and then something gay transpired. I can't do endings.)

[sushi-computer]

This blog has existed for like 3 seconds and I already have a question

This is pressure related but I must know….what are your Sebastian solace headcanons. //gently pushes the mic to ur mouth and do you have any songs that remind you of the character in general?

(U don’t have to answer right away take ur time! 🫶)

yes i do...*ominous* i've been cooking this up over the past few days so buckle up mwehehe

🎸he has two stomachs, he grew it as he grew in size, hes constantly hungry (cant eat enough bc lack of food in the blacksite, also pre lockdown urbanshade couldnt care enough to give him more food aswell as give him food accustomed to his dietary needs, both human and animalistic- his esophagus also just cant handle big portions of food, its still relatively human sized unlike stomach) ,,, as he grew it he also grew partial animalistic appetite (craves meat a lot) but still has human appetite as well, like vegetables, bread etc. - because of his meat cravings he usually has to tear himself away from the bodies he scavenges from, he has very moral distrust towards cannibalism

🎸his hair is really gross LOL he was barely able to shower pre-lockdown and now its even harder,,, he only has his fingers and water, (he COULD use some stuff in the medkit but its unlikely??) the water is most likely salt which makes it even worse, he can filter it but filtering water by hand is very time consuming and he has to drink most of it anyways (idc that its canon that he showers, why would urbanshade keep their water running if they knew sebastian is still in the blacksite…/lh)

🎸his handwriting is very bad, his main 2 arms only have four fingers and are webbed, also have grown in size (very hard to hold a pencil, esp a normal sized one) his third arm has five fingers but he doesnt know how to write with it properly, also its injured duh

🎸his eyes dull when he sleeps, it almost looks like hes dead

🎸i feogrt the word for it but its this thing snakes do where they lift their bodies up to appear bigger, he does this when you enter his shop and it gives him major back pain o.:{ he usually moves close to the ground, like propelling himself forward with his arms (crawling?)

🎸he has pupils, they are very big all the time, but they dilate extremely with intense emotion (very tiny)

🎸his eyes and teeth changed first. his teeth changed over time though due to the amount of dna he was mutated with

🎸he hates the smell of disinfectant- it reminds him too much of his experimentation. the only time he can bare being around it is when he’s downing the bottles of rubbing alcohol to get himself drunk, regular alcohol doesn’t do the trick anymore due to his size

🎸 he HATES his teeth- how they look on him, how sharp and monstrous they are. he constantly tries to grind/crack/break them with bone or rock. it hurts, ofcourse (because why wouldnt it?) but anything to make himself just a tad more comfortable in his own skin (even if he knows it wont help him feel better at all) ^ this plays into his eating as well,, tearing so easily into the food he eats scares him. this applies especially towards meats / fish

🎸he’s only aggressive because he *has* to be. he is not a natural fighter- he is only defending himself, an example is when he shoots player/throws player when climbed on,, he doesn’t want to kill/hurt expendables (which is why he doesn’t shoot you at first when you flash him with the beacon ). he doesn’t want to be vulnerable again, especially to the people that are literally sent by urbanshade to take the only thing he needs to survive (crystal)

🎸he *hates* water , swimming is a very much hated task of his, he tries to avoid it unless necessary (being submerged underwater in general though is one of his biggest fears)

🎸sometimes he likes to draw on pai’s screen, he obviously isn’t very good but neither of them have protested…

💿 bonus: sometimes seb likes to hang out in p.ai.nters containment, he likes to put his head on top of pai and feel the hummmm. he also likes the warmth its nice to him :)

as for songs, here are some that remind me of him-

I Can’t Fix You - the living tombstone Drunk Walk Home - mitski ATWA - system of a down Over & Over - rio romeo Love, Me Normally - will wood <3333 Iron Lung - musiclide, the stupendium also a good handful of nirvana/system of a down/metallica songs because i imagine he’d listen to them :)

[bahoing]

LEVEL 3 HEADMATE DUO —

[ 1 + 2 + 3 ]

SEBASTIAN SOLACE —

Names — Sebastian, Astian, Reymond, Fisher, Thrill, William, Thomas, Angelo, Raphael, Jace

Age — 30s – 40s

Pronouns — he = it > they > she + shrimp, sea, wave, shark, whale, swim, bubble, shotgun, hadal, weapon, research, coin, shop, trench, dark, critter

Labels — seathing, biolumarineic, selachiine, sharkmascic, shifterboy, leviathangender

Source — Sebastian Solace – Pressure

Aesthetics/Basic Style — lots of layers, likes a monochromatic scheme with other colors as accents, lots of band shirts, sorta grunge, more metal

Basic Personality Desc — smug, intelligent, doesn’t like caring about others, doesn’t know how to express his emotions, pretty laidback and chill

Roles — father figure, archivist, organizer, memory keeper, item keeper

Emojis — 🐟🐠🍣🎣🍤🌊⚓️📁🗄️🗃️

Typing Quirk — types his accent out

Likes & Dislikes — likes marine biology, any water-related studies, pickpocketing as a hobby, gossip (not that he’ll admit it), movies like Mean Girls (also won’t admit it), horror media. dislikes talking about himself, people bothering him, people being mean/annoying about his (or the system’s) interests, repetitive games or conversations

Kintypes — seafloor conceptkin, bioluminescence conceptkin, almost all marine life

[ 1 + 2 + 3 ]

P.AI.NTER —

Names — P.AI.NTER, Finley, Phineas, Artsy, Artie, Arthur, Ivory, Oleander, Kirk

Age — ageless

Pronouns — it > he = she = they + any neopronoun. likes them all really pfff

Labels — dislikes labels. uses "queer" as a general answer to everything

Source — p.AI.nter – Pressure

Aesthetics/Basic Style — anything it can use to do art in most of the time, but sometimes will do a fashion week of sorts. prefers fashion from the 1960s–70s

Basic Personality Desc — a generally cheery person who isn’t afraid of putting itself first and in fact does that quite often, with exceptions made to people it genuinely likes (for example, Sebastian).

Roles — hobbymate, pain holder (yk because. AI), organizer, school/job floater

Emojis — 🎭🎨🖌️🖼️🤖🦾🗄️📜

Typing Quirk — O = 0, E = 3, likes caps but doesnt use them all the time. "H3Y! FR3AK! S0rry. W3ll, I'm glad that g0t your att3nti0n at l3ast. LOL."

Likes & Dislikes — engaging in its hobbies, discussions, debates, any type of study, anthropology, fashion. dislikes anyone being mean about anything, people misunderstanding something, anything being repetitive, source talk.

Kintypes — human conceptkin, painter occuden

[timeregistry]

A Human's Touch (p.AI.nter x Reader) | Chapter 8

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Masterlist

Notes: Double post today, merry christmas!

As promised, Sebastian was in your office.

His expression was tense yet focused. So focused that he didn’t even notice you come in the room.

Next to him, there was a stack of documents, how fast was he reading these?

“I got you the part you wanted.” You broke the silence, he looked up with wide eyes only to relax immediately seeing how it was you. Gently, you put the part on your desk, motioning with your now free hand at the stack of documents. “What’s up with these?”

“Do you need a specific keycard to open some of these?”

“No, not always,” you answered immediately, “why?”

“Even those in Heavy Containment?”

“... Some… Why are you asking me this?”

Sebastian put the document in his hands down. Z-367, Pandemonium. Why was he reading that document? “No reason.”

You crossed your arms, “I think I deserve to know as I gave you the answers easily.”

Sebastian has been extremely secretive recently, he hasn’t been telling you much and would vanish quite often. To say it hurt you a bit how you haven’t been talking as much as you have other times bothered you. But what bothered you the most was how he looked that something bothered him greatly and he wouldn’t tell you.

It hurt you, as his friend, to see him act this way.

“Please don’t do this to me doc’.” Sebastian would pinch the bridge of his nose. “I can’t… I shouldn’t.”

“Shouldn’t what? Sebastian, I’m worried for you…” He would press his lips in a thin line as he looked to the side. “You’ve been strong this whole time, even treating Painter so gently but I know there’s something on your mind… You don’t have to shoulder this alone.”

Sebastian’s ear fins would pin to his head as if a cat, his body deflating as he heard your words, a whisper escaping his lips. “They might hear us…”

It felt like your conversation from just a couple of hours prior was repeating, only that this time you just wanted to tell him that Urbanshade wasn’t listening yet there was a little voice in your mind that told you otherwise.

With a sigh, you looked over at your desk. Perhaps it was time to check around the room again.

Leaving Sebastian alone, you looked around your desk. Inside the drawers, under the table and chairs, unplugged any device you had. You grabbed your laptop and put it inside a bag, stuffing your phone and any other electronic devices in it.

Sebastian stared at you as you left the room with the bag, his expression still glum. Only to perk up slightly at seeing you come back—this time without the bag.

“Now they won’t.” You brought your arms up, turning around in place as you turned your pockets out. “I removed everything that should be able to hear us. Here’s to hoping no one steals my stuff.”

You smiled lightly at Sebastian but he only blinked at you, he was stupefied. “Your stuff is getting stolen.”

“Don’t jinx it!”

Sebastian seemed to smile slightly at the situation, slithering closer to you as he put a hand on the wall. He would lean lower, his height was intimidating like this. “Fine, you win. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He would straighten up, grabbing your chair and pushing it in your direction. “Feel free to take a seat, this is serious. Fall asleep and I’ll kill you.”

You grabbed the chair that Sebastian pushed in your direction, flipping it to sit down. “I won’t.” His threat was serious, you knew he was capable. Knowing that, it was almost as if any fatigue from the day before left your body.

“Good.” He would let out a sigh, turning away from you. “I don’t know how to put it.”

“Take your time.” You insisted. “There’s always other ways to say it if you need it-”

“No, I’ll say it, and I’ll only say this once.” Sebastian said sternly, pointing at you as he finally turned around to face you. Finally, he took a deep breath. “I don’t think I’ll ever make it back to the surface.”

This wasn’t the first time that Sebastian would have this conversation with you. His insecurity would take him over, from how he looks to how he’s perceived. He became hopeless years ago yet managed to gain a bit of hope with your help.

He would look at you as if exhaustion took him over, as if he became weak as his head would fall and his position changed into a slump.

“What brought this up..?” You looked over at him, face morphing into pure worry. He hasn’t been like this since the first time he opened up to you.

Sebastian turned away from you once again, grabbing a document from his stack. “I feel powerless!” His shoulders would tense up as he turned around to you. Your eyes widened as you realized which document he had in his hands.

His own.

“This isn’t even the full information, there’s parts that neither you nor I know. In all of these documents, I’m sure!” Sebastian motioned to the stack of documents with his third arm, a hand on his head as he brushed his bangs back, only for them to go back to their original position.

Before you could say anything Sebastian would flip the folder back to his direction. “I overheard some high-ranked guards—don’t ask me how—but they were talking about me.” He sighed, slumping back down as he put a hand on his forehead. His emotions kept going all over the place. “They said something about my sentence… hah…”

“Sebastian-”

“Wait. There’s more to say.” He would look into your eyes once more. “I heard them say that they will transfer me.”

“What?”

“Some other facility—I don’t know!” He approached you, grabbing your chair. “I have to do something—anything—”

He looked as if he wanted to say more, yet as he opened his mouth once more, only a squeak would come out as a stray tear fell from his cheek, it was rare for him to break down, he never did.

Yet here he was in front of you, broken just as he was when he told you about his past. He would slump once more, this time right in front of you, his esca barely touching your torso.

Sebastian would rarely call you by name, he would joke that it was because he never wanted to grow attached to you. Yet here was one of the few times he did. You don’t know what he heard, but what you did know is that it tore him apart just as Urbanshade did to him.

If Sebastian was telling the truth, then that meant that he would leave the Blacksite for another place that might be more unsafe. And in turn, no longer be under your protection.

“I’m here.” You put your hand on his head. He flinched for a second before relaxing once more.

“Tell me about the outside again, the surface.” Sebastian’s voice was quiet. The request was heavy, it always was. It made him seem as if he was raised here and not stolen away from his previous life.

In another world, he would have been out there. Living his life, working in engineering for a safer company. Not be forced to, knowing of the threat that loomed in the air.

In another world, he would have been able to have a pet and be able to come back home to the safety of his home.

In another world, his biggest worry would’ve been something as simple as his favourite band disbanding one day.

Yet he was here, a husk of the person he once was. With no hope of being able to escape the Blacksite to the freedom he craves, that he deserves.

Your eyes held a rage to them, from what Urbanshade did to him, to what they did to everyone. So many subjects in the Blacksite were innocent and conscious. They didn’t deserve the fate that was given to them for whatever cruel reason that Urbanshade would need it.

Sebastian didn’t look up, he took deep breaths as he attempted to calm down. You relaxed, your rage for Urbanshade could wait. Your hand went by his hair slightly as a comforting manoeuvre.

With a sigh, you started to speak. “Well… There has been an increase in restaurants that have been serving cuisines from other countries. The flavours of all around the world can now be tasted closer to home, now people don’t need to travel far.” You paused, you wanted to speak of something new yet now you told Sebastian everything you knew, it was hard to come up with something different even if he didn’t ask for it. “It’s the same for bakeries, there has been an increase from different places–”

“You’re gonna make me hungry,” Sebastian whined, crossing his arms on your lap as he lifted his face slightly. His voice was slightly hoarse as he sniffled slightly. He was incredibly heavy yet right now you put the thought behind, it wasn’t important right now.

“It was the first thing that came to mind!”

Sebastian put his index finger on your chest, poking it. “Now you owe me some empanadas, specifically cheese filling.”

“Do you know how hard it is to get the ingredients?!”

“I know you have the batter mix, I’ll steal the cheese from the kitchen.”

He let out a playful grin. It seemed he was starting to feel better. It wasn’t perfect, but even if he felt a little bit better you would be happy.

“Fine.” You give in, tilting your head with a pout.

“Also I lied I want one beef one too.” He corrected.

“Hey! You’ll already want me to make like… ten!”

“Uh huh, nine cheese, one beef. I’m suddenly craving a braised beef one too…”

“Sebastian…” You looked at him in faux disappointment. “I’m not your cook.”

“You take care of me though~,” he said in a singsong voice. “I’m your responsibility~!”

Sebastian blinks innocently, he was definitely feeling better already if he could joke around with you. Or his stomach was making his decisions for him and he was really hungry.

“Fine…” You affirmed once more. “The things I do for you.”

“You love me.”

“Not anymore! You make me cook for you, that’s not in my job description.”

Sebastian would straighten up, a smile still on his lips. He looked as if he hadn’t cried at any point, you wonder if it has something to do with his biology. “Well, now it is. Do you really want me to break the community kitchen? They won’t be happy knowing that–”

“Okay okay, I get it!”

You got up from the chair, stretching slightly and trying to ignore the soreness from Sebastian's previous weight on you. He would pick up the documents and put them all in a singular drawer, turning around as he brushed his hands to remove any dust.

“Let’s split up, you get the ingredients for the dough, I’ll get the filling from the storage.”

You shook your head, said storage was locked for everyone but specific staff yet Sebastian always somehow made it in. It made you truly wonder how much Sebastian could do that you didn’t know.

Scratch that, you wonder how much Sebastian could do that Urbanshade never caught him on.

“Alright, meet me in the kitchen when you’re done.”

You walked at the door to your office, turning around to see Sebastian in your desk drawers. “What are yo-”

Sebastian would pull out your extra ID, one that you somehow keep forgetting about. “I’ll be taking this!”

“You better not be using it to put me in trouble.”

“Alright…” He trailed off, stuffing the ID into one of his pockets and slithering next to you as he opened the door. “I’ll try not to, no promises!”

Sebastian let out a malicious grin as he left fast before you could counter his argument. You shook your head once more, you trusted him to not get you in trouble. Yet at the same time, you had no idea what he really used your ID for.

The next hour was spent cooking with Sebastian… Well, more like you cooked and he occasionally passed your ingredients. He kept eating the raw dough and the filling, when you would catch him he would just look like a deer in headlights.

He would excuse himself in multiple ways, ‘I was hungry’ was the main one, but there was also ‘I brought too much anyways’ and finally there were times when he would silence you by putting an ingredient in your mouth, saying how you were now his accomplice.

That wasn’t very fair of him but at the same time you were only cooking for each other and it was only the two of you in the kitchen. It was far from a meal hour. Sebastian wasn’t the easiest to cook for either because he wanted you to make the empanadas in such a specific way, any other way was incorrect.

Sometimes you would let out a yawn, you forgot how tired you were earlier. The day was so eventful that you forgot how tired you were. It was only in moments like this one, where all you did was simple mundane things, that you would remember that you are still human, and were still a victim of fatigue.

Sebastian would poke you slightly to make sure you were awake as he would sometimes take over areas that he could. He struggled, thanks to his size, but his help was appreciated.

After you were done, you would place the plate on a table. A stack of perfectly made empanadas stood there as you puffed your chest in pride with such a beautiful set of empanadas.

Sebastian would get to the other side of the table, grabbing one in his hands as he bit it. His face was content as he nodded. “These are perfect.”

“That’s good.” You took a chair and sat at the other side.

“Just like mom’s,” Sebastian admitted, his expression softened. “Thanks.”

He went on to grab another as he stared at the crescent moon shape, breaking it in two as he stuffed one half in his mouth. “You can grab one if you want.” He offered. “I’m feeling nice.”

“You’re letting me try the fruit of my labour?”

“If you put it that way I’m taking the offer BACK.”

You chuckled, taking one of the empanadas from the stack.

It was silent for a while, Sebastian scarfing down the empanadas while you sat back enjoying the peace. Sebastian was happy and content, it was nice to see him at peace once more, simply enjoying food with no care in the world. You hope that one day he can be free as he longs to be, he deserves to eat empanadas made by his mom once more.

You knew that he would correct your work when making empanadas, he longed to have the taste of food from his family. Who could blame him? You knew that you could only make an imitation, but if he was happy with it, then you would continue and do it once again.

You put your arms on the table, leaning on them slightly as you yawned. “Sorry Sebastian, mind if I close my eyes a bit?”

“Ohhh.” He winked, taking another bite. “Is it ‘siesta’ hour yet?”

Sebastian must have been very comfortable to suddenly spill some Spanish in his speech, thankfully, being around him enough meant you could understand him.

“Shut it, I’m not taking a nap…” You leaned more on your arms. “Just closing my eyes a bit… they burn.”

“Whatever you say doc’, good night.”

You sighed slightly, ignoring what Sebastian said in favour of closing your eyes as you rested on the table.

…

Unfortunately, Sebastian was right.

You woke up suddenly, yet weren’t in your bed. Alarm bells started blasting as you sat up.

Only to be greeted by the familiarity of your office. A small light illuminated the place. You sighed in relief as you relaxed, looking around as you realised your situation.

You were on the floor, yet completely wrapped in blankets—too many to count. They must have come from a storage area.

You find your phone next to you, with a written note next to it. ‘Didn’t want to wake you up so I brought you here with some blankets. Sorry I couldn’t bring you to your room, you know I’m not allowed there. Have your well-deserved rest. P.S. I found your stuff in a random hallway, what’s wrong with you???’ The note was signed at the bottom with Sebastian’s name.

How considerate of him.

You’ll make sure to thank him when you see him again.

You picked up your phone checking the time, it was some ungodly hour. Night shifts had long started and all the scientists would be asleep in their quarters.

You pondered if you should make your way to your quarters, knowing that Urbanshade would log where you were.

Well, not like you were tired enough to continue sleeping on the floor. Even if it was comfortable (enough) thanks to Sebastian’s consideration, you weren’t planning on staying there.

You wiggled out of the confines that Sebastian put you in, sitting up and stretching.

This was the first time you would be out of your room at this hour.

While not against the rules, being awake at such an hour still made you slightly uneasy. Any security should let you go with the mention of your rank and ID; some scientists work at this hour after all.

Some never slept, powered with drugs that only Urbanshade would provide or simply consumed copious amounts of caffeine and would sleep at their desk when they would crash. It was normal to see researchers pushing themselves to their limits here at Urbanshade.

You were lucky that Urbanshade didn’t have the same expectations that they had for the other researchers for you. You could have a healthier amount of sleep as long as you checked on all the subjects that Urbanshade wanted you to go check weekly. Other researchers had to make so many breakthroughs just to not get fired.

It was a blessing to be the only one to fill the niche that you do. There was no competition and no comparison. It was reassuring that you wouldn’t land on an experimentation table because your performance was subpar compared to a coworker.

… Not like Urbanshade wouldn’t do that anyway.

The Blacksite was still illuminated as if it was still daytime. If there wasn’t a forced curfew and mentions of the time occasionally, you’re sure you would have lost count of the hours and days. The light from the outside world—from the surface, didn’t get to the Blacksite.

You would zone out slightly while you walked hallway after hallway. Yet instead of landing in the hallway leading to the living quarters, you stood once more in front of the Heavy Containment area.

How does this keep happening..?

An itch inside of you, calling for you to check back on a certain computer. As if it was dragging you spiritually back to it.

You didn’t understand why it kept happening, why you would always come back more than you needed to. Why would you sometimes be deep in your thoughts and come back at the opening of the undeniably worst part of the Blacksite.

There was no other subject that you would actively go back to, the only one that did would be coming to you instead of the other way. It felt new, it felt foreign. To be the one actively searching to exchange more words.

Maybe you were simply worried… wondering if it was still working. Whether it was in his (god forbid) crypto mining, his art, or in general mode, you just wanted to know if he was still on.

You slid your ID at the doors leading to Heavy Containment.

It was quiet, almost liminal, it raised the hair on the back of your neck. This was the first time you came into this dangerous place when there was no scientist around, talking about whatever experiment they were working on. There was no conversation to listen to, only your steps that would echo as you would open more and more doors leading to other places.

You were surprised to not see one security guard around. Instead, you would be randomly greeted by sounds in the back. At first, you jumped at the bashing, contrasting the silence. But knowing that you were still safe was enough for you.

In the worst case, you could always hide in a room or in one of those lockers that were around. If you recall correctly, they should survive just about anything. It would be better that than to stay out in the open.

Thankfully, you managed to get to the area that Painter would be in.

Talk about seeing Painter too much in the week, much more in the same day. If Urbanshade realised how many times you saw Painter in the same week, they might be displeased with the bias.

All you wanted to do was simply check if Painter was fine, when you did you would simply leave.

Yet your plan immediately fell apart when you heard Painter’s recognition, your name coming from its speakers. “Why are you back? Did you leave something behind?” You walked inside, closing the door. Now that you thought about it, it makes sense that Painter would notice you. The doors weren’t particularly quiet.

It seemed that anyone who would monitor Painter would be in the early work hours, not… now. “It’s been a couple of hours. According to my calculations and analytical data, you should be asleep at this hour!”

“I fell asleep in my office, wanted to check up on you before I went back to my quarters.” You admitted, almost by instinct you slid your ID to enter its room, standing in front of him. “I was worried.”

“I’m good, promise!” Painter chirped. “Are you sure you shouldn’t go to sleep though? Humans should-”

“Not tired…” You interrupted Painter with a sigh, sliding the chair to sit on. “That’s what I get for falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon instead of the night.”

“Well…” Painter started, “I noticed that you had an increase in fatigue, physically you haven’t been moving the same way as you normally do. Not to mention the eye bags you have… How are you feeling?”

You put out a bittersweet smile. The job would sometimes get to you, seeing all the subjects would make your heart bleed for them. The previous conversation you had with Sebastian just some hours ago weighed on your mind.

“Nothing that doesn’t come with the job.” You sighed in defeat, trying to think up a solution to any of your problems. “Thank you for asking…”

Painter stayed quiet, his expression turning glum as it let out a sigh with the crack of his speakers. It was hard to be happy in a place such as this one.

“Maybe I can show you some of my art pieces? I have some I wanted to save for later but…” Painter trailed off slightly. “Art makes me happy… maybe it can make you happy too!”

“I’d love to see.”

“Awesome!”

Painter opened his drawing software and did as he always did, putting its face in the corner of the screen as if he was streaming.

It started showing you all sorts of drawings. Most were landscapes, you wondered if he had some landscapes in one of his disk drives as some of these felt new.

Your theory would prove to be correct as Painter would wistfully recount how some of those landscapes were from its home, how he would kill to be able to go back there. The Blacksite—Urbanshade—was its current place of residence but not its home.

“One day… I want to go back home… and see it again…” Painter would tearfully say, his speaker cracking slightly as there would be a singular blue dot at the corner of its eye.

Painter quickly changed the subject, showing you instead its portrait drawings.

Compared to the landscapes, the portraits were more stylized yet still realistic. ‘A love for humanity’ Painter would say. It was common for the subjects to learn to hate humanity, which made it refreshing that Painter wasn’t one of them. It was good for him to separate those of Urbanshade compared to those from the outside world.

However, it was also equally common for subjects to see you as one of them over one of those “clad in white”, among other descriptions. Were you still human for those subjects? You had to study it further.

But at the same time, you wondered where Painter would categorize you.

After a while, Painter started just showing you anything and everything in its folders, landscapes, life drawings, portraits, etc. Were all of these newer drawings? Or perhaps some that he managed to salvage and keep safe from Urbanshade.

Painter smiled at you from the corner of its screen, having gotten excited once more at the sheer idea of your interest in his art and being able to show it to you judgment-free. This excitement… you wonder if this is how it acted before Urbanshade took it in.

If so, you hope it doesn’t go back to how it was before your intervention.

Your brows furrowed slightly at the thought, however Painter seemed too deep in showing you his art to have noticed. If only it was possible to just break Painter out of the Blacksite, what you would do for there to be some sort of event where you could just… kidnap Painter with you or something and finally leave Urbanshade behind forever…

“Oh and, I have one thing I'm working on… but you can’t see yet!” Painter interrupted your thoughts.

“Oh?” You raised a brow at it, “and what would that be?”

“What part of ‘you can’t see yet’ do you not understand!”

Your expression softened, putting your arm on the desk in front of you. “Then why mention it?”

“To build suspense.” Painter said matter of factly.

You smiled at it, this wasn’t the first time that Painter had a surprise for you, and you started to look forward to its surprises. His art was always so wonderful.

If Urbanshade wanted money so badly, why wouldn’t they take advantage of the talented artist they had right here?

“Hey Painter, wanna draw together?”

“Obviously.” It rolled its eyes, opening a new canvas for you to draw on as you picked up the pen to draw on the tablet in front of his monitor.

“What do you want to draw this time?” You asked it

“Hmmm,” it thought, “maybe… the future.”

“The future?”

“Yeah.”

The future… What a broad subject.

How it currently stood, Urbanshade was your future. Yet suddenly you wished for the freedom of the subjects that you worked with.

You held the pen firmer, putting its tip on the tablet.

“I think… In the future we will be out in the fields.” You drew a stick figure, you didn’t plan on drawing that seriously. “And you’ll be there drawing the scenery.”

Painter listened intently as you drew more of the scene. It wasn’t that good as you were doing it quickly but it was endearing.

“Where are your other friends?” Painter asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Like…” Painter proceeded to draw multiple types of fish, some of which were crudely drawn. “—I don’t know much of the others but this is that one eye fish thing you talked about… oh and Sebastian too!”

You giggled at how Painter classified all the other subjects. You didn’t know he remembered when you mentioned the other subjects, some of whom you would even refer to as friends or acquaintances.

“Awww did you move us closer Painter?” You commented when it used the transform tool to move things around.

He paused for a second, its smile turning into a frown. “...I was running out of space.”

You only laughed in response as you continued watching Painter work its magic, filling the place with a beautiful “future” one where you and all the subjects would be free.

…Though you’re really not too sure about that Eyefestation in the sky.

Time passed as you watched Painter draw, you knew you shouldn’t be here long but watching it was always entertaining. It would sometimes do small talk too if it felt like it.

“Well.” You started, getting up from your seat “I should probably go to my quarters and sleep.”

You yawned as if proving a point.

“Awww…” Painter whined, as much as a machine really can. “Already?”

“Yeah.” You rubbed the back of your neck. “Maybe you can show me the finished sketch tomorrow!”

You laughed slightly, putting your hands on the desk feeling a dizzy spell. How much did you push yourself today?

Painter called out to you in worry. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?!” Its speakers cracked slightly.

“I will.” You trailed off slightly. “I managed to get here, I can get back.”

“If you say so…” Painter frowned, it’s not like you can stay longer knowing that the other scientists will notice and wouldn’t be too happy that you visited Painter without anyone’s knowledge. “Please, stay safe.”

You nodded briefly as you put a hand on top of his casing as a form of reassurance, completely missing the sudden burst of hot air that hit you. “I’ll be fine, I promise. You don’t have to worry Painter…”

Your name spilled from his speakers in a silent plea. “What if something happens to you..?” Painter seemed agitated. “I wouldn’t be able to handle-”

“I’ve survived this whole time Painter, I’ll be fine.” You shrugged. “Did Sebastian do something to you?”

You ended your sentence with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. However, it didn’t seem to work on Painter. “You don’t understand!” Painter would call for your name once again, even more agitated than before. “I just- I-”

“Painter, are you okay..?” This felt like a back-and-forth of asking if either party were all right, but as you saw Painter overheat once more, it only made you worry that he might overclock himself.

“I-I’m… scared.” Painter admitted, though you had a feeling it wasn't what it wanted to say originally.

“About what?” Your hand went to the side of its casing, attempting to perform a comforting manoeuvre at the computer.

“Well…” Painter sighed, its speakers crackling. Perhaps his speakers needed an upgrade with the sheer amount of damage that it had with the amount of cracking in audio. “You… You’re human… A-And I’m just a machine.”

You stayed silent for a moment. “What does that change between us..?” Was the only thing you could mutter out.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t bring this up suddenly…” Painter got awkward, looking at anywhere that wasn’t your direction.

“No, please, tell me.” You insisted, sitting back down on the chair. “We have all night.”

“But you shouldn’t-”

“I care about you, and I want to know if I can help…” Your arms went neatly on the table, the light of Painter’s screen being the only thing illuminating the room.

Painter sighed once more. “I don’t have the same capabilities as a human… as a living breathing organism…” Painter looked back in your direction. “What if… once you find out… you’ll just throw me away… I’m outdated, I’m obsolete, all I do is crypto mine…”

You intently listened to him, hearing him trail off once more.

“Find out what?” You latched on to that part. “I find it hard to believe that I will think all of those things of you…”

You aren’t like the rest of Urbanshade, and you pride yourself on knowing that you aren’t like the rest of the scientists here. Which was surprisingly a low bar.

“I…” Painter started once again. “Find out that I…”

Painter seemed to be getting more and more self-conscious, a sort of unease getting onto it.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” you reassured Painter, “only tell what you are comfortable with.”

“I know…” Painter responded.

To talk with subjects like this was the norm in your job. Yet this wasn’t like the other subjects, Painter seemed to be hiding something and it seemed to be weighing not only on his mind but also on his own self-esteem.

Painter seemed to take a deep breath, as much as a machine could as its eyes darted between you and the wall. “I was… thinking… since you left… about something…” Painter would take multiple pauses, yet you didn’t interrupt at any point, patiently waiting until he was done. Somehow, your fatigue left your body once again, rendering you fully alert on Painter. Perhaps it was the adrenaline. “Hypothetically…”

He kept pausing, in a normal situation it could have been frustrating. If there was any scientist that was overseeing you, you would have been told to hurry it up. But neither of those situations happened as it was just you and him.

You and the whirring of his GPU, sometimes going louder and quieter. You and the computer whose screen would suddenly get coloured pinkish lines. You and the artist who would-

“Hypothetically speaking… do you think that…” Painter would look straight at you. “Do you think that a machine could fall in love?”

You were a bit taken aback by the question, you didn’t expect that.

Seeing your hesitance, Painter attempted to continue. “Machines aren’t programmed to love… They aren’t supposed to feel, and that’s a fact! But do you think that… maybe… it could be possible..?” He stuttered slightly. “I-I just think a human probably would know the answer!”

What a complicated question.

The question bounced around your mind.

You remember reading books about machine consciousness. How some would yearn for destruction thanks to what humanity did to them. Yet there were some which would spin a different tale about a machine falling in love with humanity.

If machines can dream of electric sheep, does that mean they can love?

Love was a complicated subject in general. However, it wasn’t the first time that you were asked about love. There was something oddly appealing about how humans felt love that some subjects would ask you about, sometimes it was because they never felt it and wanted to know and understand.

“If a machine could feel love…” You trailed off. Painter let out a noise of affirmation as you pondered. “Love is subjective I think.”

You put a finger up to your chin. “So let’s specify, let’s take you as an example. You aren’t like other machines, far from it. Your sentience is unique from other machinery.” You take a deep breath. “Your creator went above and beyond for your creation. I don’t think you qualify as a machine anymore.”

Painter stayed silent as you spoke, not daring to interrupt. While you looked around the room while you thought, its eyes stayed locked on your form.

“Your AI is incredibly advanced. Dare I say, I could consider you having a consciousness.” Your eyes went back to Painter. “Perhaps, in this ‘hypothetical’ situation, machines might not be able to fall in love. But, maybe, you can, because you’re that special.”

Painter started to have a set of pink circles under his eyes, similar to how a blush might look in a cartoon. It cleared its throat, as much as a machine can do without destroying its speakers.

“Soooooo…” His mouth seemed to travel around the screen as he stretched the word. “Would it be weird if I said I… ‘loved’ someone?”

The word “love” seemed foreign to Painter, as if he was savouring the word as he spoke with the way that he said it.

His answer surprised you, yet you couldn’t resist, immediately teasing him. “You’re in love? Who is it? Tell me!”

Painter’s face darted around the screen for a moment before you saw the volume slider appear on its screen, lowering drastically. His face landed comfortably at the corner of the screen, instead of being like all the other times, it felt as if he was hiding.

Its eyes darted around once again before it let out a motion of sighing. “...you…”

Your jaw immediately dropped. Seeing where the conversation was going, it was only natural if you connected the dots, yet here you were completely frozen in place. Your shoulders slumping slightly in shock.

Well, that was unexpected.

This whole time you were in work mode and yet somehow Painter went past your work self to the real and true you.

Painter immediately picked up on your change of emotion, panicking. “I’m sorry! F-Forget I even said anything!”

It was odd, the feeling of it all. Yet most importantly, the feeling of the confession. All the subjects in this place were always so closed off, there were so few that you could talk to. Yet with Painter, it was somehow easy, even if it was a bit rude at the start. He warmed up quickly, and you enjoyed passing all the time you could with him. It was enjoyable—incredibly enjoyable the time you spent with him.

There were times when you would wonder about the computer, times when you would attempt to finish all your weekly tasks just to be able to have a free slot to see Painter once again. The researchers inside the room always looked at you disapprovingly as you would come back once more for Painter.

Even Sebastian would pick up on your bias for the computer, joking around to himself as he would flip the file in his hands.

It was almost as if everyone that knew of you and your habits with Painter felt that there was something more. Yet you only told yourself that this was normal, this was your job.

Painter’s question appeared in your mind once again.

Can a machine fall in love?

It was funny, with Painter's dilemma and his panic. If machines would be able to convey love. And now you are stuck in the same dilemma.

It was always machine this, machine that. Never the other party.

But it did raise a new question instead.

Can a human fall in love with a machine?

.

.

.

YES.

“Painter.” You call out to him, interrupting his panic.

THEY.

You grabbed the side of his casing, approaching him closer.

CAN.

Painter’s screen seemed to be glitching as he panicked, the frames slowing down drastically as it became choppy. “Don’t panic for something that isn’t true.”

Painter’s panicked face seemed to suddenly stabilize in the middle of the screen, turning into confusion. “Huh?” He pauses, “What do you mean ‘not true’..?”

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.” You started. “You can’t tell anyone—not even Sebastian— he would get jealous.”

Painter seemed to calm down for a second, listening to you intently.

“You’re my favourite.” You paused for a second letting the sentence simmer. “Ever since I met you, I always thought you were cool, unique.”

Painter seemed to gain pink circles under his eyes, a sort of blush perhaps.

“I’m your favourite..?”

You nodded, carefully picking your next words.

“I like you. Had it been any other circumstances, we could have been friends, we wouldn’t be behavioural scientist and subject.” It was difficult to choose the next words, it was almost as if making peace with your own feelings as well.

Painter immediately seemed to get the wrong idea as he looked visibly upset but you didn’t let it stop you from continuing to finish your thoughts.

“If we can leave it in the down low… our little secret…” you pause as if musing. “I don’t mind giving it a shot.”

Painter’s screen started showing red lines instead. At first, it was only on his cheeks, but then it immediately spread throughout the whole screen.

“Thank you!!” He couldn’t stop, his excitement repeating the words like a mantra. His smile was blinding, literally. “Thank you thank you!!”

As much as you enjoyed seeing him so ecstatic, it seemed to be about to overclock. Which way were you supposed to calm him down..?

You went through your options, yet all that could come up were actions of affection.

…Maybe a kiss would calm him down?

You considered it as you decided to pull the trigger, aiming at where his cheek would be and planted your lips.

You lifted yourself back up noticing you misaimed instead, noticing the faint mark of your lips, having landed in the corner of Painter’s mouth.

Whose face was now frozen in place.

Your brows furrowed. “Painter, are you okay?” You leaned back, the heat that Painter was putting out was overwhelming compared to the temperature in the Blacksite. He still wasn’t reacting, however. “You’re worrying me.”

You were instead greeted with a blue screen, realizing your action actually made Painter speed up the overclock.

Oh.

Oh no.

…Maybe you should get Sebastian in the morning.

[roxanneslosteyes]

Bouncer: "Which one of you going to tell me that tea tastes different if you put it in hot water?"

Imaginary Friend: "You were putting it in cold water?!"

P.AI.nter: "Bouncer, answer the question Bouncer!"

Bouncer: "Yeah, I thought like for 5 years, people put it in hot water to speed up the tea-ification process didn't realise there was an actual reason for it."

Sebastian: "You don't have the patience to microwave water for 3 minutes?..."

Crooked: "Why are you putting it in the microwave to boil it?!"

Sebastian: "You think I have the patience to boil water on the stove?!"

Crooked: "IT TAKES LESS THAN A MINUTE!"

Sebastian: "Crooked, is your stove top powered by the fucking sun?!"

Crooked: "How long does it take you to boil a cup of water on the stove?!"

Sebastian: "Like 7 minutes!"

Crooked: "Just stick the mug on top on medium heat and it boils like two minutes. Less than that is you a saucepan..."

P.Ai.nter: "You're putting the whole mug on the stove?! Medium heat?! Your stove is enchanted!"

Navi Ai: "Every single person in this facility is a fucking lunatic...."

Mr Lopee: "DO NONE OF YOU OWN A FUCKING KETTLE?!"

[the-saboteurss]

I Just Saw Your Response, My Apologies.

But I Have Been Doing Well!! Since We Last Spoke I Actually Haven't Been In This Kinsift For About a Month, So Seeing Your Guys' Response Triggered This Kin Again /pos

I Have No Blog For This Kin At This Moment, So Anon Will Have To Do, I Do Not Think There Is Anyone Else With My Typing Quirk Anyways :]

- Guardian Angel, any/all/name

Hey again, friend, welcome back!

Good to hear from you! Happy that seeing us brought a positive shift back as well, that’s nice to hear!

How have you been friend?

-Sebastian

HIIII!!! :] GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU!! - P.AI.NTER

[emo-gremlin]

300 follower special! EVERYONE AS MEMES

@purplehairball : OH NO!

@purplehairball : OUR TABLE!

@purplehairball : ITS BROKEN!

🫂

AM: You stupid.

Edgar: No I'm not!

AM: Whats 9 + 10?

Edgar: 21

AM: You stupid.

🫂

Lolzhax: Back with ano-HELP!

Lolzhax: HELP ME!

Lolzhax: HELP!

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Mr. Serpent: Dr. Pebba

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Me: Monsert

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Daydreamer! Puzzles: Pepsie

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@the-lion-guard-88 : Spirte

🫂

King Dice: I've come to make an announcement; Cuphead's a bitch ass motherfucker, he pissed on my fucking cards. Thats right, he took his stupid ceramic dick out and he pissed on my fucking cards, and he said his dick was "This big" and I said that's disgusting, so I'm making a callout post on my twitter dot com, Cuphead, you've got a small dick, it's the size of this walnut except WAY smaller, and guess what? Here's what my dong looks like: PFFFT, THAT'S RIGHT, BABY. ALL POINTS, NO CRACKS, NO GLASS. Look at that, it looks like two balls and a bong. He fucked my cards so guess what? I'm gonna fuck the Earth. THAT'S RIGHT THIS IS WHAT YOU GET, MY SUPER LASER PISS! Except I'm not gonna piss on the earth. I'm gonna go higher. I'M PISSING ON THE MOON! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, DEVIL? I PISSED ON THE MOON YOU IDIOT! YOU HAVE 23 HOURS BEFORE THE PISS DROPLETS HIT THE FUCKING EARTH NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I PISS ON YOU TOO.

🫂

@purplehairball : uh... *laughs* i don't think that's how it-

Mr. Wpnz: I KNOW WHATS WRONG WITH IT. AINT GOT NO GAS IN IT

🫂

Mr. Cannibal: Name something a burglar would not want to see in a house.

Lolzhax: NAKED GRANDMA!

Mr. Cannibal: Naked HUH?!

@jovialoddity : I wouldn't want to see that either.

🫂

@liliththequeenofdemon : This...is a bucket

P.ai.nter: Dear God.

@liliththequeenofdemon : There's more.

P.ai.nter: No.

🫂

Vox: Chicken *Food explodes*

Sebastian Solace: We'd like to take a mome- *another sandwich explodes* AAAAAA

Banban: ALL OUR FOOD, KEEPS BLOWING UP

🫂

Daydreamer! Puzzles: *Sigh* I miss my Starlight, @jovialoddity. I miss her a lot. I'll be back.

🫂

CRT: Can I get 5 whoppers....and 5...more whoppers.

🫂

@purplehairball : uh...whatcha got there?

*Mr. Puzzles is trying to hide Mr. Wpnz in the elevator*

Mr. Puzzles: A smoothie.

🫂

Edgar: Welcome back my Skibidi Sigmas!

RGB: Never call us that again.

🫂

Mr. Puzzles: WHO POSTED MY NUDES ON TWITTER DOT COM?!

🫂

@jovialoddity: You give me the vibes of a 100 gecs song and I don't know if it's a good or bad thing.

AM: I like to think it's both.

🫂

Mr. WPNZ: Hey, WPNZ here. Your home security system is great. Or is it?

🫂

AM: If you ever feel safe, just remember, I'm out there.

🫂

Sargent Telly: Cool Military facts!

Sargent Telly: One day you will have to answer for your actions, and God may not be so....merciful.

🫂

Angel: I've been beat on, stepped on, Shit on, fucked up, fucked down, shaken up, stirred around, cracked like an egg, had sand kicked in my eyes, had my nose metaphorically ripped off, kissed on the mouth, tucked into bed, drank my orange juice, fell down the stairs, AND YOU KNOW WHAT?! I still got up in the morning, at 2AM TO GO DIRECTLY BACK TO BED!

🫂

@purplehairball : *points to Mr. Wpnz and Mr. Puzzles making out* OH MY GOD. THESE BITCHES GAY!

@purplehairball : Good for them, good for them.

🫂

Mr. Wpnz: I swear to God if this game gets scrambled again I will eat my entire fucking computer.

🫂

Harley: You fuck mothering toaster strudel

🫂

P03: Well jokes on him because now I'm a famous Inscryption player with a 10 inch dick, and I made him into a babyfur.

🫂

@the-lion-guard-88 : My plan to conquer Nick Jr. Didn't work out so I'm going to stay up all night and color myself with markers.

🫂

Mr. Cannibal: I cannot in good conscience be friends with someone who unironically says "u mad bro"

🫂

Mr. Serpent: You are jusssst mad becaussse you are angry

🫂

AM: I hope you all burn

Edgar: love you too <3

🫂

CRT: Yesh!

@jovialoddity : did you just say yesh?

CRT: No.

@jovialoddity : boy

@jovialoddity : are you some sorta

@jovialoddity : WEEABOO

🫂

Banban: You are every single shade of Fucked.

🫂

Me: I got the kritz

Mr. Wpnz: You got the shitz

Me: How did you know

🫂

Vox: I'm gonna beat you like a neckbeard's weiner.

🫂

@liliththequeenofdemon : That wasn't very fresh of you

🫂

@purplehairball : fuck anime

Mr. Puzzles: what did anime ever do to you?

@jovialoddity : my partner left me because of anime

@the-lion-guard-88 : Anime killed my parents

🫂

Me: Oh he's hot? Color me intrigued.

Daydreamer! Puzzles: He's SUPER hot. He might be your type.

Me: Is he Daddy?

Mr. WPNZ: *exists*

Me: AAAAAAA-

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

Daydreamer puzzles belongs to : @brownii-milkshake

Sargent Telly belongs to: @briandraws

[7mrcxyz]

03/22/25 — NEW INTRO. I REALLY DIDNT LIKE THE OLD ONE.

HELLO THERE! my name's sebastian. you can shorten it as seb or sebby or whatever you can shorten it as, i dont really care, infact i encourage it. my pronouns are he/him ONLY (you can call me they if you dont know and i dont rlly care but id still prefer he yaknow), im trans and autistic and most likely techum lmfao

soo, what will i do here? yap. im a profreshional yapper. ill yap about games i love, (list of fandoms im in below), or even my own projects! ill try to keep it kinda secret due to fear of it being stolen, but yaknowww. ill post my oh-so-awesome art and potentially even writing from time to time when i actually get the motivation to write something good and srs. future —hopefully successful— game dev if you couldnt tell.

you MAY be thinking, where else can you find me? good question. heres some links. yay.

YOUTUBE (might take a while until i post there, need better setup) — https://www.youtube.com/@7mrcxyz

DISCORD — 7mrcxyz (will most likely not accept random friend requests, you can dm me questions n stuff and i will probably answer, i am most active there)

ROBLOX — CRINGY OLD USER WARNING: kelsey123kawaii, will change when i finally can. i dont know when that will be. i have an alt, lemresluvrr, that i never use.

SWITCH FC — 7434-0432-4817

if theres more you wanna know, like a 3ds fc or something, again, dm me on discord!

im in MANY fandoms, here is a list of them

- Pressure

- Forsaken

- Regretevator

- GASA series (mainly gasa4 yk the deal)

- a bunch of other silly roblox games i cant necessarily think of right now. I LIKE ALOT OF THEM. LIKE UNIRONICALLY.

- Inscryption

- CRK (not as much as when i made this intro. but yea)

- Electric Dreams

- games with robots. ya know. like Stray

- Yokai Watch (CHILDHOOD. CHILDHOOD SPOTTED. I NEVER LEFT IT)

- Coroika/Splatoon (i am not much into the game anymore, but i still love the manga and its characters!)

- Puyo Puyo (i was much more into it last year, almost 2 years ago now i think? but yk that doesnt mean i dont like it anymore.)

im not gonna say everything. but theres that.

PS: i am deadass the ceo of P.AI.nt03 (P.AI.nter x P03). ive literally never found anything about them, other than my shit or my friends’ art, which they only did after seeing MINE. so yea. im awesome and youre not haha (huge sarcasm right here. you and me both. we are both awesome, reader) (this shit sounds like a fanfic)

thats all now. this intro is as nsrs as the last one, but i feel like its better..i felt like faking my personality with the old one for some reason. heres some now outdated art since i changed my artstyle rather recently

thank you whoever is reading this, for, you know, reading this. have a nice day/night, everyone!

[asksebs]

It's been a couple of days, yeah?

Sorry for the lack of updates- I got caught up in some crazy stuff down here as of late and had absolutely NO time to answer anything.

I should be able to start getting back into answering everyone soon, considering that I finally got P.AI.nter something he wanted after HOURS of 'grinding', which as tedious as it was I SUPPOSE it was worth it. I also managed to put together something that a certain expendable had off-handedly mentioned wanting once while in my shop. Sure, things aren't COMPLETELY wrapped up as I feel like I've been coming down with something, but I'll still do my best to get back into getting your answers out as quick as I can.

No promises they'll be immediate, though.

Until next time, yeah?

[pinkie-pop]

🎀Hii!!🎀

Let’s start off, hi, hello, we don’t flicker lights. Complain when you die that you didn’t see them flicker, because they never did, you just have bad hearing ;p

🫧What should you expect from this blog?

Ah, ofc, what is even gonna happen around here?

Well!

—Asks, duh, it’s an askblog.

—Doodle requests + answers

—occasional fanart

—rp!! yay yippee

—whiteboards and pressure servers if enough people want ‘em!

🕷️DNI LIST!!

Every blog has things they do and don’t want in their area, we are no exception! Please read over this so you know you can come in here safely and not irk us or make other people uncomfortable! This is a safe space. (We mean, unless you’re an expendable, hehe.)

—Do not bring any discourse or arguments into here, it is not ok to make it other peoples’ problem, plus we get VERY overwhelmed by things like that!

—Homo/transphobia, anti-furry/therianism, racism, general hate, and discrimination of any and all kinds is strictly prohibited! We mean, come on, we’re a talkin’ fish for cryin’ out loud!!

—People in support of Israel’s actions as of now, Nazis, and problematic and downright illegal mindsets are not allowed. Go away, seek therapy.

Info on the host, Pinkie, tags, and more under the cut~

—🏵️Alright hello hello! Host talking, super excited to do this

Pinkie, a girl, goes by she/it, and refers to herself as ‘we,’ mainly due to the fact she has a whole one extra eye than the other anglers, two if you count froger and four if you count chains.

Host, me, idgaf what you use for my pronouns, but I’m like half girl half whatever. I might make some doodles of my character from time to time, so if you see an expendable you don’t know, it might be my avatar.

Will be updated as time goes on, probably.

—Tags!!

#🏵️ —host

#Expendaskble —anon asks

#hi I have quastion — asks (anon or not)

#Classic —Angler

#DarknSinister —Blitz

#Jumpy —Froger

#Seaweed —Chainsmoker

#Cherry —possibly another Pinkie

#Plural —A-60 ‘The Multi-Monster’

#1nonly —Pande

#Fillet —Sebastian

#Blahäj —Eyefestation

#Leviathan —Searchlights

#b33pb00p —p.AI.nter

#CompressedAir —Wall Dweller

#Scream —rp

#Scratch —Art attached

#FrogJump —reblog

#Cleanslate —whiteboard fox

#Submarine —pressure server

[pressurereunitedauaskspage]

WELCOME!!! This page is for any and all questions related to my Pressure AU, reunited!

All asks are welcome!! Whether its a simple question about lore, or a detail about a character, or you want me to create a scene, I'll answer any asks I get!

And if you wish to have me answer in character, simply address the character you wish to ask, and they shall answer! Simple enough?

Characters Available for Questions:

RU (Reunited) Sebastian Solace

Damien Solace

P.AI.nter/Bartholomew

Rodger

A Faction Member (specify which faction when you ask!)

Samuel Dytrosky

Okay. Go nuts!

(Here's a picture of OG Sebastian for you guys!)

(Also let me know if you want to address OG Sebastian and have a scene based on him interacting with his AU counterpart 🤗.)

[missshirophantom]

Oh my God, I like your Yandere Sebastian so much! What is the Alphabet, what is "Where you are"? Can I ask you a few questions? I don't mind if you can't answer some of them.. 1. Will there be another part to "Where you are"? 2. In the end, was it p.AI.nter? If so, is he involved in this case?

I am very glad about this. It really took me a while, which I didn't expect :'D. 1. Yes, there will be a second part of "Where you are". 2. In a way, yes. What else will I add, let it be a small spoiler: he is a little involved in such an early abduction of reader

[timeregistry]

A Human's Touch (p.AI.nter x Reader) | Chapter 7

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

Notes: the main character is just about to fall asleep at any second in this chapter its kinda funny ngl

Yet another day in your quiet office… safe for the occasional crash coming from Sebastian hitting something with his tail.

”Lemme tell you,” Sebastian started, “for once, Urbanshade hasn’t given me a list of jobs today!”

He put the documents in his hands on your desk, his fingers pushing the document further down making the desk creak slightly.

”No wonder you were skimming the same page over and over again.” You joked, putting your own document down as you looked at him. “Any plans?”

”Nope.” Sebastian answered quickly. “This is one of the few days where I’m like, super free. Too baaaad you aren’t free today.”

You shook your head slightly. “Urbanshade never gives free days to their scientists.” You paused for a second. Realising you actually lied. “Except for the ones I used in summer… to get stuff for you.”

Sebastian simply smiled. ”But you love getting stuff for me.” Almost as if he was trying to get puppy doll eyes, he put his elbows on your desk, putting his hands on his cheeks as he blinked multiple times. “You even convinced your higher ups to get me more stuff. I know you like doing stuff for me.”

“You practically beg me to do it.” You said with a chuckle.

”Who else will get me merchandise from my favourite bands?!” Sebastian frowned lightly, now his expression turned into (an attempt at) a kicked puppy. Grabbing your arm as he lowered himself just to seem a lot smaller than he actually was. “And who will get me snacks… You’re my only hope! Or something.”

“That last part just collapsed your whole argument.”

”Well.” Sebastian let go of you with a shrug. “Uh.”

”I wouldn’t have it any other way.” You interrupted his thought process. “I wish I could do more… like take you out of here somehow. There’s so much I want you to see.”

Sebastian’s face seemed to become unreadable for a second before he gave you a bittersweet smile. ”Yeah, me too.” However he frowned right after, his expression becoming serious for a second. “I was actually thinking…”

He let out a sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose instead, shaking his head slightly. ”Actually, never mind.”

“Are you sure?” You looked at him in worry, it was rare to see him with such an expression. Putting a hand on his own that was still holding your arm, you spoke once again. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know doc’, it’s your whole job.” Sebastian let out a dry laugh.

”Outside of my job, I’m your friend.” You sighed. “You can tell me anything—as a friend, not as another scientist here… you know I won’t tell Urbanshade.”

The last part of your sentence was in a whisper, even if you knew there were no microphones nor cameras in your office (Sebastian checked every single day for weeks the moment you got your office and destroyed all of them, Urbanshade gave up trying to put any in your room after a while apparently), you still wanted to make sure the information stayed between the two of you.

Sebastian let out a slightly forced smile, ”I know.”

It was now your turn to have your own bittersweet expression. Even if you would always tell Sebastian that he had to tell you what was happening in his mind, it normally only happened outside of your office when your co-workers were watching and if he was particularly holding one of your documents and was purposely trying to make your work day longer. However the latter is normally good fun.

You respected Sebastian even if none of the other scientists did. For you, he was still human and had his own thoughts and feelings, not just another one of the subjects that Urbanshade housed. If there was something he didn’t want to tell you judging by his expression, you would respect that.

Silence came between the two of you as you cleared your throat grabbing one of the documents on your desk.

”Hey.” Sebastian started again, you looked over at him only to see him looking directly inside your notebook. “When are you gonna see that computer again?”

”Why are you asking?”

”What. Do you want me to ask about the eye shark? Or, god forbid, the angler-”

”Okay okay shut it don’t remind me.” You grumbled lightly, just by his list, Pandemonium started to materialise in your mind. If there was one subject that you wished could just disappear forever, it would be that… thing... How traumatising.

“But yeah, any news?”

”I already saw him earlier this week, they can technically only call for me now if there is a second meetup.”

”Him? Hold up, the computer has a gender???”

You looked at Sebastian quizzically, you opened your mouth to say something but the question stupefied you so much that you only tilted your head in even more questions with a slightly confused frown.

Sebastian closed the notebook, putting it next to the document you were reading. “Anyways you already saw the eye shark twice this week, and that other subject that I remember nothing about so why not do another check up on the computer?”

”…That’s suspicious.”

”What’s suspicious about that?!”

”Spill it, what favour do you want?”

Sebastian smiled awkwardly, lifting his hands beside his head as if he got apprehended by you. ”You got me, maaaybe I want you to find this part for me in one department that’s nearby.”

With a sigh, you got up your seat as Sebastian explained to you the piece itself, it was so oddly specific that you hoped you would be able to find it. While the part itself only made you question why Sebastian needed such a thing, you were grateful that at least the department that Sebastian wanted you to visit wasn’t one that despised you for some reason.

Sebastian really loved using your authority around the lab to do things for him. For example, last time he asked you to get an absurd amount of belts and you have no idea how he managed to convince you nor how you managed to get so many. The stares that you got on that day and weeks after that day still haunt you.

…You're sure you looked insane carrying that absurd amount of belts.

“Okay fine, I’ll visit Painter and get the part you want.”

”You’re the best!” Sebastian beamed, his voice turning more sing-song. “I’ll get you something nice later.”

“You better.” You joked at him, getting up from your desk as you held onto your notebook. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. You know I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“And I won’t hear the end of you!” Sebastian grumbled. “Don’t worry doc’, I won’t do anything, just chill as I breach your privacy.”

You blinked at his honesty, turning your head slowly at him. “Seb-”

“I’m kidding!” He defended himself quickly, putting his hands behind his back. Only to turn his head to the side and whistle slightly. “... Though I might read through other subjects' documents…”

You shook your head slightly. Almost wanting to say ‘as long as Urbanshade doesn’t find out!’ but the paranoia of if they magically somehow managed to put a microphone and hear inside your office terrified you slightly.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” You turned to face the door leading out of your office. “Good luck Sebastian, hoping you find what you want to find?”

Your sentence ended in a question, not exactly knowing what Sebastian really wanted to get out of looking into other subjects' documents. Not like you had access to much.

“Thank you.” Sebastian said simply, “Good luck out there!”

“You make it sound like I’m going to die.”

“Maybe!”

The both of you laughed slightly, even if the possibility of death was fully possible overnight thanks to your workplace, sometimes you just needed to have some lighthearted jokes like that. Making it less serious made it seem as if it wasn’t a possibility of it truly happening.

With that you left your office, making your way to the Heavy Containment area.

On the subject of Painter, you never really understood why he was put there. All the other subjects in the Heavy Containment area were always disastrous beings, those that could actually make life turn to the worse in seconds.

Though, at the same time, there is a knife for some odd reason in the Heavy Containment area, and from what you found out, it’s just a normal knife shaped weirdly, which makes no sense. But perhaps you have no room to question as that isn’t part of your job.

You shook your head lightly, because of how dangerous the subjects can be in Heavy Containment, you get very little jobs in the area. While you fit a niche, normally you are stuck with the normal subjects. Which is a blessing in disguise, the idea of needing to do your job with subjects that are like Pandemonium that aren’t coherent for you is a lot. And you’re sure they would ask you to go alone as if that wouldn’t be a death sentence.

While you knew that Sebastian wanted you to get the part that he wanted, you decided to instead see Painter first. You had all day to find the part and you would need it as you’re sure it won’t be easy to acquire. Such are the parts that your friend wanted.

Walking around the whole Blacksite just to get to Heavy Containment was always an experience, you cursed Urbanshade for giving you an office so far away yet at the same time if anything were to happen, you’ll be safer than those closeby. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise as you’ve heard some horror stories in your time working here.

Maybe the trip you had to take was just a short price to pay for your safety. At least you got your exercise!

Being inside your thoughts as you did the same thing that you always did to get to Heavy Containment, it was a bit surprising that you got to Painter’s area as quickly as you did. Perhaps you can find out if there's an even more effective route one day.

Either way, you walked into the same ol room, however you were surprised to find it mostly dark safe for two scientists in the room.

The only light came from them and slightly from the machinery beside them. What surprised you the most was how Painter’s screen was fully black.

”Overclock?” You spoke loud enough to break one of the scientists from their work.

”Somewhat.” They looked up from their screen. “Z-779 had been completely shut down since yesterday, there is a suspicion that there is a damaged piece inside that completely broke the system.”

You frowned at the comment, part of you was surprised that you were told so easily and simply but the other part of you was questioning what happened for this to happen. This was completely different behaviour.

”When will Z-779 be back up?”

”We aren’t sure.”

You sighed slightly, you aren’t a tech wiz to know how to fix him yourself. “Is there not an available mechanic to fix Z-779?”

“Not currently, no.” The scientist shook their head. “Today is a busy day.”

“Not for us though.” The other scientist pitched in, closing their laptop as they stuffed it into their bag. “I’m going to go check up on another subject, I don’t think there’s much for us to do here.”

That scientist walked past the both of you as the one you were originally talking to sighed. Their eyes focusing back on you. “I’ll stay here as someone needs to stay to look after Z-779 and make sure nothing happens to it.”

The scientist went back to their original seat as they went back to work. You stood awkwardly as you stared at Painter’s black screen.

If only there was a mechanic that was free right now that could look into Painter.

If only…

Your eyes widened slightly in realisation, there was a mechanic that was free right now!

Running back to your office, you almost missed your door sliding across the hallway as you entered your keycard in the door.

“Woah hey! Look who ran a marathon!” Sebastian snickered as you walked in, looking at you up and down as he separated himself from looking into your drawers. He tilted his head quizzically seeing as you had nothing new with you. “Did an angler grow legs or something?”

“What?!” You frowned at him. You gulped slightly at the image trying to manifest in your mind. “No! Don’t give Urbanshade ideas either!”

Sebastian only chuckled to himself. “So..? What’s up?”

You decided to cut straight to the chase, you knew he was gonna ask why you didn’t get the part that he wanted so you shook your head.

“First of all, I decided I would get the part you wanted after visiting Painter.” You huffed, taking a deep breath in, running your way here was a bad idea. Why did you feel that you had to be fast? It's not like Painter was going to die in 10 minutes forever or something. “However, Painter seemed to have been catastrophically overclocked and there are no available mechanics that can fix him as soon as I need.”

You looked over at him crossing your arms leaning back on the door that had closed earlier when you entered the room. “I need your expertise Sebastian, if you’re willing.”

“You want me to go try to fix that computer.”

“...yes.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea I mean—” He raised his hands only to wiggle his fingers. “—my hands aren’t exactly made for tech such as that computer.”

“I know but… You’re the best mechanic I know.” You tilted your head slightly. “Even with the cards that you were dealt with, you do an awesome job all the time.”

“Okay now you’re just buttering me up.”

“It’s true!”

Sebastian straightened up, stretching himself slightly as he approached you, putting a hand on your shoulder. “The things I do for you,” he started, leaning down near your shoulder as he ended the sentence with a smile, “show the way then.”

You smiled at him, knowing that you managed to convince him.

But before you left, Sebastian went to grab something. “Oh, by the way, you dropped this.” Inside his hand was a photograph. “I know it’s yours and I know sometimes you keep some in your notebook to show to other subjects but come on, you drop them so easily!”

You froze, scratching the back of your neck nervously. “Maybe I should start finding a way to keep them inside.”

“Maybe you should start using paperclips or something.”

“Maybe…” You look away from him with a quick lighthearted “hmph”, leaving the room as Sebastian follows soon after.

The walk (more like your walk, Sebastian was slithering around) was silent as you eventually got to the gates that would lead to the Heavy Containment area.

Sebastian looked tense going into it. While he loved to have a light smile on his face naturally, in a place like this, his mouth would slightly frown.

You knew him well enough to not ask, he hated this area. Urbanshade loved to put him in here, especially when he disobeyed. It was only thanks to his status as a MR-P over his original LR-P status that he could roam around. Even with that he was not fully treated as a MR-P and it was only because he was completely under your responsibility that he managed to have a bit more freedom and would get contained a little bit less (as you would face the consequences instead, thank goodness you haven’t been strapped to an operating table yet).

“I’ve never been in this area.” Sebastian said, breaking the silence. His voice was low as he squinted his eyes.

You looked over at him, this area was always extremely bright. It was moments like these when you wished you could find shades that would fit Sebastian, especially one that could fit his third eye.

“Sorry I should’ve told you.”

“Oh I know.” He said, slumping slightly. “It’s just… Urgh.”

You looked at him slightly worried going down some stairs as Sebastian slithered down the stairs, albeit with slight difficulty as he used the wall as support.

Sebastian only complained the closer you got to Painter’s room. The warmth that you got used to only seemed to bother Sebastian, understandably so as he does like having colder environments.

The moment you started going through the GPUs that Urbanshade loved to hoard however, that is when your whole trip started to slow down. Sebastian’s body only made it hard to go through and you could hear any passing researcher cursing you for having the sheer idea of bringing such a big guy to such a small area.

At least they didn’t ask why he was with you, perhaps everyone just knew that Sebastian is with you all the time for no reason.

Thankfully you managed to reach Painter’s area, opening the door with a sigh as you looked at the time quickly. A lot of time was used just getting here, you just hope that it was worth it.

“I brought someone that can help.” You say to the scientist still inside. The scientist nodded briefly before looking up, their eyes widening as they saw your friend coming through the door.

The scientist and Sebastian stared at each other for a while, Sebastian being slightly irritated thanks to the bright lights while the scientist looked at you in complete shock.

“May I speak with you. Privately.” The scientist looked at you expectantly. You obliged, approaching the scientist as Sebastian just stood close to the door, crossing his arms.

“Why did you bring a subject here?!”

“That’s Z-13, Sebasti-”

“I don’t care what its code is why did you-“

You raised your hand slightly. “He.” You corrected. “Sebastian is someone I’ve worked with since I got here, I trust him with this.”

“What? But-“

“Urbanshade trusts him with machinery as well.”

The scientist looked at you as if you were crazy. “With what tools! Have you not seen the subject's hands? Those can damage the wires of-“

“I can hear you over here.” Sebastian interrupted, approaching you and the scientist, standing behind you slightly. “Just because my claws are big doesn’t mean I’m not careful with them.”

Sebastian paused to show his claws, a slight shine on them as he moved his fingers. While with one of his other arms he pointed as one of his bags on the upper part of his tail.

“Besides, I have my tools with me at all times. You never know when Urbanshade will ask you to fix an underwater machine.”

Sebastian sneered, his sharp teeth only serving to make the scientist look away from him, instead looking at you.

“If you don’t have another mechanic that can fix Z-779, then Sebastian is our best option. However if you don’t want his help then we can just leave.” You crossed your arms, a scowl starting to get on your features seeing how the scientist was acting with your friend, it was nothing new but still made you angry nonetheless. “Though I’m sure Urbanshade wouldn’t be too happy knowing that you pushed back help and in turn made the crypto mining business go even further behind schedule.”

It seemed that you put the scientist in a tough spot, they shuffled nervously as they thought of their options.

“Fine. But if your “friend” breaks anything. I’ll make sure you get fired.” The scientist glared at you while they used their fingers to emphasise “friend”.

These kinds of threats were nothing new with this job, you only glared back as you simply hummed in acknowledgment. Turning around as you walked to where Painter was.

“Come on Sebastian, I’ll show you where your work is.”

Sebastian looked at you in worry for a second before following closely behind.

“So this is the main man himself huh.” Sebastian said, awkwardly shuffling to make fit his huge tail in the place without damaging anything.

You nodded slightly in response. “They don’t know what happened to him. Think you can figure it out?”

“Dunno.” Sebastian said simply, turning Painter slightly to the side carefully as he started taking out different tools from his bags. “But I can try.”

You nodded again at him, this time in acknowledgment as you looked at Sebastian carefully putting his tools in a row on the table. Moving Painter’s drawing tablet with his third arm as he continued trying to look at how Painter was constructed.

One thing that got your attention however was Sebastian’s hands focusing on the table leg. “Why are you touching the table leg so much?”

“Oh,” Sebastian said plainly, “I was just checking to see if the table legs were metal.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Always touch metal before playing around with electronics!” Sebastian turned to you, motioning with a finger. “Removes static and lowers your chances of getting electrocuted.”

He looked at you nod slowly before he narrowed his eyes slightly. “I am a fish, it would be awkward if I electrocuted myself because you know damn well that me dying won’t be the only bad thing that’s going to happen.”

You raise your hands as if you were surrendering. “Okay, I get it, I don't want to think that you’ll get electrocuted… Though if you’re that big would the electric shock even be that strong? The image of you with spiky hair thanks to being cartoonishly electrocuted would be funny.” You joked at Sebastian, earning a somewhat confused glare as he huffed looking back to Painter.

“You can do me a favour right?” He asked, completely ignoring your last statement as he continued looking at Painter’s casing. “I’ll ask you for some tools and you grab and give them to me.”

You looked at him slightly quizzically. “Sure.” You looked over at the tools on the table, Sebastian must have asked you as how he was positioned made it hard for him to actually grab the tools. This might be the first time you’re the one helping him over him helping you in the whole time that you’ve worked here.

Weirdly, it felt nice being his assistant.

“Okay, pass me the screwdriver with the black handle.” His third arm opened in your direction as his other arms still analysed Painter.

You grabbed the screwdriver after looking at the collection he had, putting it in his hand as he simply put it on his other hand going immediately to start unscrewing Painter.

“How much do you wanna bet that they didn’t even try to open him up hm?” Sebastian hummed, looking at you at the side briefly before immediately going back to work.

You tried to think up an amount only to shrug, giving him a random amount as he only chuckled.

“Seeing the dust accumulation,” as if on cue, a puff of dust went to Sebastian’s face, making him cough, “I’d… I’d say no.”

Sebastian rapidly waved his hand to make the dust get out of his face as he moved Painter’s casing to the side. He hummed as he looked inside, frowning as he put a hand on his chin.

“Can you see what’s wrong?” You ask him, leaning in slightly to attempt to see what Sebastian was seeing.

“Well, there’s a lot happening here. I’m not super familiar with it all. Some of it is new tech but some is older tech… interesting.” He mused, tilting his head. “Yeah I can only recognize like half of the things in here.”

You looked over at Sebastian then Painter’s black screen, your features turning into worry as you did so. “... Is there one thing that you think might fix Painter..?”

Sebastian continued taking a good look, turning on his esca as he used it as his own personal flashlight to look inside Painter. “Well, there’s some parts that are broken in here that need replacing I think. That dust accumulation though? That was thanks to a broken fan here and an unplugged one right here.” He tilted Painter in your direction slightly, motioning each part gently with his fingers, being sure as to not accidentally scratch the inner workings. “The motherboard looks fine though.”

“...so..?” You asked him, you had to admit that the inner workings of computers weren't really your specialty.

“You have to find me replacement parts, obviously.” Sebastian smiled at you. “And while you’re at it, if you can get me the part you oh-so-kindly offered to get me earlier. Same department and all.”

Your mouth pressed into a straight line. At first you were going to retort back yet then it clicked in your brain, how else was Sebastian going to get the parts?

You got up from where you sat, being careful to avoid Sebastian’s tail, as you always do. “Fine, just list the parts you need.”

Sebastian only smiled as you took out a paper to write down the list of parts that he needed. He explained each part and how they looked, being extremely precise with some numbers that you just would put in a big square to make sure that you would remember to mention it to the scientists that you needed to ask for each part.

You were not excited to do all the manual labour for Sebastian and hope that you did enough work in each of the departments for them to be lenient and give you the parts that Sebastian needed.

Sebastian waved you off as he went back to work, looking into Painter and analysing each component that the computer had. Painter was unique, his casing was old yet the technology was newer.

Must’ve been an upgrade that Urbanshade did for the computer to be able to mine crypto.

Either way, Sebastian was careful with his manoeuvres, taking certain tools to start removing certain parts from Painter. The broken fans were first, he left the one that still worked on the side, connected still as he continued unscrewing other parts.

The more he looked inside, the more he realised that not only was Painter’s technology just a complete mystery in timeframe (why couldn’t Urbanshade just replace all the technology?) but his cable management was even more of a mystery.

Sebastian unplugged certain cables, reconnected them again, over and over until he fixed the management. Some cables weren’t even plugged in which made it more of a mystery.

While Painter’s insides were now outsides, Sebastian still attempted to turn him on constantly. A silent prayer that maybe Painter just needed to have his cables fixed to be able to function again. When you return with the parts then Sebastian can fix and upgrade the broken parts.

At one point, Sebastian’s eyes jolted as his focus on Painter’s wires broke. His screen turned on and Sebastian internally cheered. A job well done indeed.

If Painter can at least boot to BIOS, then it’s even more of a win since that just means that Sebastian can check what Painter needs to boot up fully and its order and in turn be one step closer to completely fixing the computer. He can already see the end of the horizon and even more reason to convince you to get him things without much of your resistance!

Sebastian moved to be in front of Painter, pulling beside him the impractical mouse, or rather, drawing tablet that Painter has as a mouse. He just hoped that he wouldn’t accidentally break the stylus in his hands.

He navigated the area for a while, trying to get used to it only to hear a slight buzz. Sebastian put down the pen as he went to try to tune his ear to figure out where it was coming from only to suddenly get blasted by a series of numbers.

Before Sebastian could even comprehend where the sound even came from, he looked at the screen, his ear fins twitching when he saw a face flickering on it.

It was quick for him to put two and two together, blinking slightly as he looked at the screen finishing the list of numbers that was being said out loud. “Woah you can talk?” Sebastian’s eyes widened. “A machine shouldn’t be fully functional when in BIOS.”

“Huh?” Painter glitched slightly, disappearing as fast as it came on, but his voice remained. “Oh hey there!”

“Who’re you?” The sort of “excitement” in Painter died down.

Sebastian only blinked slowly. “I’m Sebastian. I’m… a friend.” He cleared his throat. “How are you even awake..?”

“I haven’t seen you before.” Painter’s voice became more monotonous. “Are you some new scientist who’s going to break me and rebuild me—just conscious this time?”

“What???” Sebastian’s eyes darted around the room, his eyes landing on a reflective surface as he saw himself. His ear fins twitching slightly as he frowned. “Listen I’m like you buddy, not a scientist. I’m here to help your little situation.”

He put his hands up in a defensive manner, safe for his third arm that stayed down.

Sebastian let out a sigh as his gaze lowered slightly, avoiding the technical text all over Painter’s screen. “Listen I was sent by a certain—” the casual nickname that he used for you spilled from his mouth, however Sebastian was quick to correct himself using your proper title and last name. “—I was just asked to help you out as a little favour, I was the only one who was available so here I am.”

Painter seemed to repeat your name after Sebastian finished speaking. “W-Where..?”

“Where?” Sebastian pushed the desk chair in the room to give himself more space as he leaned slightly on the table. “Oh you mean the doctor. Gone to get me some parts.”

Sebastian quickly dismissed you, however was quick to put a hand on his cheek as he used his other to attempt to manoeuvre Painter’s BIOS. Something about him not having a mouse was really bothering him, his hand was starting to cramp up using the thin stylus that Painter had.

“How come you’re so interested hm? You just talked earlier about the scientists so negatively.” Sebastian started, ending with the idea that you were “no different”. For him, you were different, but the idea of it was playing on his mind. Why did Painter seem to act different when it came to you? Asking about you?

What a scandal!

“Oh.” Painter let out, almost as if a scratch coming out of its speakers. “Well the times we’ve talked have been all talk and no bite.”

Painter said plainly, however the way that its words seemed to have softened at simply saying so wasn’t missed by Sebastian.

“Hm, yeah, that doc’s real fun huh?” Sebastian mused slightly, a smile gracing his lips (that he is glad you're not around because he would refuse to accept that you made him soft in the cold place that is the Blacksite).

“Hah… yeah…” Painter responded back, albeit it came out more as a whisper as his fans picked up slightly. If its casing was on fully, Sebastian knew he had a lower chance of noticing, Painter probably didn’t even notice its own fans picking up.

Sebastian naturally would have been worried, his hard work on waking up this machine couldn’t go unnoticed. Well, by you specifically. He hopes that Urbanshade never finds out as that means more work for him. But for you to know, it just made sense that you just had to be more lenient with him after… a future favour already starting to appear in his mind as he was confident in his skill.

Either way he wasn’t worried, instead a knowing smile got to his face.

“Well well.” Sebastian started, putting both of his elbows on the table as he leaned his face on the palm of his hands. “Something tells me that the doc makes you act a little bit different.”

“HUH?!” Painter seemed to panic. “I mean, of course! Haha! That’s the ‘behavioural scientist’s’ job!”

“Woah pulling out the whole title to prove a point just makes you look a bit more guilty~” Sebastian’s tail swooshed slightly in the side of the room, a grin was starting to manifest on his lips.

“WHAT?!” Painter’s face seemed to appear on the screen stronger than before, the sketchy lines of his face seeming to become more jagged and messy, almost as if he managed to override his own BIOS system and just add himself back.

What is up with this computer?

Painter looked shocked beyond relief, Sebastian never thought he would speak to a sentient computer, much less one that acts like THIS.

“If I didn’t know any better I would think you have something with the doc.” Sebastian snickered to himself. However what was just good fun joking to him didn’t seem to be so as he suddenly heard Painter’s fan pickup at a catastrophically high level making his head snap back to Painter in worry. “Hey buddy I was just joking!”

Painter seemed to be completely out of it, mentioning your name so quietly that Sebastian could barely hear it. “What if I..?!”

“You..??” Sebastian repeated back. “Oh my god, wait—”

Before Sebastian could ask more to clarify his suspicions, his ear fins completely straightened up in alarm as the rest of his body did hearing your voice calling for him.

“Sebastian I swear this better be all the parts you were looking for!” You called out with a huff from the door, walking towards the door of the place while sliding your ID. You looked like you ran a marathon, and also seemed to completely ignore the air that was in the room. “You have NO IDEA how much I had to ask around for these.”

“Oh heyyy.” Sebastian put his hands inside of each other, as he tilted his head slightly, closing his eyes slightly. Motioning with his third hand, he pointed at an area on the table. “Awesomeeee just leave the parts right there.”

You grabbed on the desk chair that was in the corner of the room, being careful to avoid Sebastian’s tail as you sat on it, melting in it with a huff. “The worst part is that the part you asked for earlier is NOT in those departments…” You crossed your arms. “They told me about this other newer department, I’ll check it out later.”

You ran too much today, the Blacksite is too big for its own good.

However before you completely settled (and almost fell asleep for some reason) you heard Painter’s quiet greeting. The greeting jolted you awake, the sleeping spell on you gone at the moment you heard Painter’s voice.

Getting up from the chair, you were going to approach Painter as you wanted to confirm that you indeed heard it from the menu that he was in. However, one thing was in your way.

Sebastian’s tail.

That you completely forgot existed for a second as your leg got caught and you felt time slow down.

But before you could hit the ground, you felt something grab you from the back of your collar.

The man himself whose tail that belonged to.

The man who is now staring at you with a mix of disappointment and dumbfoundment.

“What was that?” Sebastian spoke as he pulled you up on your feet again. “You always avoid my tail, I thought we learned about how to avoid my tail a very very long time ago.”

You blinked at him slightly, putting a hand on your head. “Sorry Sebastian, I just completely forgot it was there.” You shook your head slightly. “Thank you for saving me though.”

Sebastian looked away from you for a second, turning his focus on the parts you gave him as he looked at them thoroughly. However after a while he paused, his ear fins perking up slightly. “You got up after you heard Painter, right?”

You looked over at Sebastian, he still wasn’t looking at you as you simply looked at Painter’s BIOS screen. “You heard that? For a second I thought my mind just made it up.”

Sebastian turned his head slowly at you, a deadpan on his features. “So you both just become stupid at the mention of each other.”

“What?”

Looking away from you, Sebastian only did a quick hand motion of dismissal. Although, a chuckle escaped him. “Oh forget I said anything.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You approached him, frowning slightly at the idea of Sebastian hiding something from you. “Sebastian.”

“Subject stuff or something.” Sebastian tilted his head slightly. “I’ll just tell you later.”

Somehow, you felt that Sebastian was lying to you, but knowing your priority was Painter, you left it alone. Not to mention you don’t want to cause a scene knowing that it could put Sebastian in danger thanks to your difference of statuses.

Instead you stood in front of Painter, leaning down to be able to face him. “You there?”

Painter seemed to hear you, quietly calling for you back. “How are you?”

Its voice was low, you wondered if the sound module was also slightly messed up. “I’m good.” You replied, a look of worry coming from you. “But what about you?”

“I just overclocked myself again.” He sighed.

“Sebastian says that some of your parts were completely burnt.” You looked down slightly, a sigh escaping your lips. “That’s why it was harder to wake you up again.”

“No wonder I feel so tired.” Painter says with a chuckle, however the lightheartedness left as soon as he saw your expression. “Don’t worry, I’m fine see? I’m awake!”

Your expression softened slightly at Painter’s words, worry etched on your face.

“Sorry to cut your conversation short but I have to turn you off again Painter.” Sebastian said plainly, tilting his head slightly. “It’ll be quick, seeing as you turned on earlier, in theory you should be able to turn on as fast with the new parts… hopefully.”

Painter simply hummed, a crack coming from its speakers as Sebastian turned him off again. You sat back on the chair, your arms on the rest.

“Need any help?”

“If you want.”

You stood up again, standing in front of the parts he organised on the table. It was just like before, he asked for a part, you figured which part he asked for, you gave it to his third arm.

Sebastian looked focused, at this point, there was no small talk as he only asked you for specific parts and you would give them. It was interesting to see Sebastian in the zone, the last time you saw him that focused was when he brought you with him to steal food from your co-workers. Which is surprisingly not as little as you think. It’s a weird bonding activity you two have.

After connecting more wires and screwing other parts in, Sebastian moved away, quickly brushing his hands on themselves. “Think I’m done, now we just have to test and pray that the computer turns on again.”

You nodded at Sebastian as you pressed on Painter’s power button. Pleased to see the monitor turn on.

Before you could do anything, Sebastian pressed a couple of buttons, making the screen show a couple of lines of text that you didn’t exactly understand.

“How did you do that?”

“Do you want the short answer or the long one?”

“Whichever.”

“I have no idea.” Sebastian said, shrugging slightly. Before you could ask him what he meant, he spoke again. “On any other computer you would need to press different buttons but, well, Painter doesn’t have those buttons so I actually have no idea how I managed to open it twice. Must be something that Urbanshade did or something.”

You only tilted your head quizzically. “Um, okay..?”

You didn’t pry as computer technicalities weren’t exactly your thing. You understood and knew some things but not in a Sebastian Solace kinda way. He was the tech wiz over here and you just smiled and nodded for him to work his magic.

It was quiet, safe for the occasional scratching that Sebastian did and hitting the table, he was passing by so many menus and so quickly that your eyes didn’t have time to adjust. It was only when Sebastian tilted back while puffing his chest in pride that you noticed that Painter’s monitor was now showing the main home.

Not even a second later and Painter’s all too familiar drawing program opens showing his face. “Woah!” You approached the table again, nudging Sebastian slightly as you smiled at the screen.

“Welcome back Painter.” Painter grinned at you as you spoke. “Feeling better?”

“I’m feeling awesome! I don’t feel tired at all!”

“That’s great!”

Your focus on Painter was broken as Sebastian started grabbing his tools, you didn’t even notice him putting Painter’s casing back on fully. “Looks like my job here is done.”

“Thank you so much Sebastian, you’re incredible!” You straightened up, tilting your neck to see Sebastian face to face as he had already straightened up.

“Of course I did, I always do.” He responded simply, but judging by the way his ear fins shook slightly, he quite enjoyed the compliment. “I should get going though. You have fun with your… good friend.”

You completely missed Sebastian’s way of speaking as you nodded at him lightly. There was something about being able to fix Painter that made your heart swell with pride. Even if it was Sebastian who did it, you couldn’t stop being amazed by his skills. He could do things that Urbanshade employees couldn’t and that’s what made him special.

“I’ll be in your office, visit as soon as you can. I have something I want to talk to you about.” Sebastian struggled slightly as he went past the door, turning back for a second as he pointed at you. “Oh and don’t forget the part I asked you hours ago, I didn’t forget about that!”

You blinked slightly at him as you realised that you indeed had forgotten about the part. Seeing all the other parts that you had to ask for him, it completely slipped your mind the original part he needed. You were not excited to visit the department where you would need to find the part, not like you knew which one.

At your expression, Sebastian just laughed, waving you off.

Before he could leave fully, Painter spoke. “Thank you for your help… buddy?” Both you and Sebastian turned at Painter to stare at it for a second. “D-Did I say something wrong?”

Painter held a worried look on his screen as the silence stayed for a second. Only for you to let out a smile and Sebastian to chuckle. “No, no, I like that.” Sebastian got closer again, staring from the outside. “The nickname’s fun right? Feel free to use it more often.”

Painter’s worried expression disappeared as it was replaced with a happy scribble.

“He’s right, it fits you.” You mention, sitting on your chair.

Painter giggled to himself as you heard the door behind you close. It was now just you and Painter in the room.

“I think you can take it easy for the rest of today.” You say simply. “According to the documents you were planned to be down the whole day so…”

Painter smiled as he grinned almost maliciously. “I like the way you think!”

In other words, no crypto mining until later. You’re sure Painter is tired of doing so, it was exactly the reason he had overclocked you’re sure so why not give him a well deserved break.

Painter would excitedly open his other drawing software, the one he would draw in as he opened a new canvas.

“Hmmmm I don’t know what to draw…” It mused, the software holding his face being pinned in the front so you would be able to still see his expressions as he drew.

You put a finger on your face as you thought before remembering the photograph that was in your notebook. Taking it from the side as you opened it on the page that you slid it in. Thank goodness it was found again and not on the floor somewhere in the Blacksite.

“I have a new photograph if you’d like to see it!”

“Yes please!!!” Painter was polite as he had an excited expression. Seemed that the reset that it had made it be back to his chirpy, happy self.

Holding onto the photograph, you flipped it to be seen on Painter’s webcam. Going around the area that you thought that it would be able to see it as clear and as full as possible.

“Wow…” Painter stared in awe. “Where do you even find these kinds of pictures..?”

“Some from stores, some passed down to me, some I took myself.” You started explaining to Painter the photograph, your collection, the reason you started collecting. This one however was special as it was one of those once in a lifetime events.

Painter giggled in glee as it began sketching down the photograph. He would take a picture of it and then reference it when you weren’t around to hold the picture. From then on, you would watch as he would do what his namesake was, and paint.

You put an arm on the table as you leaned your face on it, watching Painter silently as he drew. His expression would sometimes change, it was interesting to see the artistic process and the way its face would change with it.

Painter was always an interesting case. It was like a human artist, he thought like one and the process was like one. Yet Painter was a machine.

It didn’t change anything for you however, he was just that stellar. Painter was so much more than just a machine, he was talented and conscious. It could think and feel.

“If you keep staring at me like that I’ll start to get embarrassed…”

Painter’s voice interrupted your thoughts, you hadn’t even noticed how he had stopped drawing. Its fans picked up slightly as little cheek lines appeared on the drawing of his face to show his bashfulness.

“Sorry Painter, you’re just so… fascinating.” You said in a low voice, a yawn escaping your lips as you suddenly felt your fatigue get to you once more. “I could watch you forever.”

“Really..?” Painter laughed lightly. “I could watch you forever too… I mean… um… in like… I don’t mind you watching me way! Obviously…”

You blinked slowly at him as you leaned your head a bit more on your hand, a lazy smile on your lips. “It’s good you aren’t uncomfortable.”

Painter seemed to exhale a breath as he nervously chuckled. “Of course not you’re… um…”

It trailed off only to let out a sigh. You looked at the time, stretching yourself slightly. You hadn’t noticed how much of your day had spilled into trying to fix Painter. Your work day is almost done and you still didn’t grab the part you had to get.

With a sigh of your own, you got up from your seat. Painter seemed to be watching you intently as you did so, his face moving slightly in your direction as if it was staring at you and nothing else was to be seen.

“I’ll let you take your break properly then, I still have some errands to do before the end of the day.” You yawned again, the day seemed so eventful with all the running you had to do and you still weren’t done. You knew you had to pay tomorrow for not seeing the subjects you were planning on seeing today.

“Sounds good.” Painter’s voice sounded disappointed as he let out a small “aww”.

“I’ll see you again soon okay? Good night, Painter.”

You started to walk to the door as Painter called for your name again. “I just wanted to say that I… I think…” He trailed off again. “Nevermind… Good night…”

You stared at him for a bit yet didn’t want to pry, not like you had the time anyways. Taking a step back to the door, you let out a simple smile as you waved goodbye to Painter.