trans_9 | That melt into spring [Open]

Zouchi stood by the blue-green waters of Faron Spring, eyes tracing the old, intricate patterns that covered the surfaces of the rocks nearby. The weather in this part of the City was a little cooler than usual, but he felt no discomfort; it was still well within his operational tolerances.

As he waited there, almost entirely still, a light rain began to fall from the sky. Artificial rain, of course, for an artificial city, but it was cool against his face and good for the plants. Zouichi closed his eyes for a moment; when he reopened them, the rain was still there... but it was accompanied by something else. Silvery numeric annotations swam through his vision, attached to each drop of water, too fast and too numerous for an untrained observer to make sense of. Speed calculations, trajectory and force projections. Each droplet of rain was a variable, a world of controlled chaos.

Some disappeared into the soft grass; others dropped onto the surface of the spring, sending up a cascade of secondary equations as it cast ripples across the surface of the water.

When it was time for battle, these same quicksilver calculations would help guide him in action: they'd show him the best way to destroy, the swiftest way to kill. But for now, there was no need to bend them to that purpose. Instead, he watched as they fell like phantoms through the sky.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The way Zouichi said that ... it made Jr. laugh, too. "When you put it that way ... I guess it sounds like mine, too." Citrine was so not a people person. Unless it came to daddy douchest. "KOS-MOS is a little more talkative than she was a year ago, at any rate." When Jr. wasn't thinking too hard on it, he tended to slip into speaking like his universe still existed. "So I guess you can say she's working on it."

Hr crossed his arms. Though it was ... interesting, talking about the rain like they were, it still didn't do much for his personal opinion of it. "I think I get what you're saying ... so if you don't make yourself focus on wanting to read the data on them, you just more or less see them like we do?"

Jr. probably wasn't the only one who talked like their world was still around. "I see... it would be nice to meet her, if she ever wakes up. I'm working on the whole interpersonal relations thing, too. Perhaps we can give each other pointers."

Zouichi paused; it was difficult to explain to Jr. after all. "Hmm... maybe the best way to describe it is as an overlay. I see the world just like you do: trees, grass, birds. But there are data displays and projections that are superimposed over them. I can turn them off, but if I don't, it's like seeing two worlds at the same time."

That made Jr. look a little nervous. Mainly because Zouichi's meeting with Jr. was a nice polite one with no fighting. Even though Jr. wondered sometimes. Citrine's words always stuck with him, after he had felt bad for her, accepting her role as nothing more than a tool and a weapon, that she was the one who pitied him. Still, he laughed. "That'd be ... interesting."

"Hmm..." He nodded. "Maybe you can show me how it looks in the Sensoriums sometime. Stacy's always been pretty good at projecting exactly what a person wants to have around them."

Zouichi nodded. "Certainly. It's much easier to show you than explain in words."

He glanced at Jr. "If you're ever around podpop when I'm not, just look for people who look like me. Sort of pale, dark hair and eyes, with itchy trigger fingers. That pretty much describes most of my family. The Synthetic Human side, anyway."

"Pale, dark hair and eyes?" Really Zouichi. "There are tons of people like that in the universe! But if they look like they're ready to point a weapon at someone at a moment's notice, I'll make sure to double check."

"Yeah, but..." Synthetic Humans have that savoir faire, Jr. You know.

"Come to think of it, what does your family look like? I'll keep a look out for them, too."

A light, playful smirk. "Like uh. Like me, only bigger."

Did you expect something different from a clone? "You can probably see the resemblance for my sister straight away, too." He would have mentioned the production numbers. But no screw that constant reminder. Also Albedo and Citrine wore outfits that covered their own, anyway.

He raised an eyebrow. "I guess that makes sense." The clones on Galilee had basically looked like blonde copies of Jr., after all.

~~You never know. Maybe U.R.T.V.s worked like in Metal Gear Solid, and there was an Old Jr. somewhere.~~

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. How are you getting along with Howard?"

"Huh?" That was a random question. But they did square away the whole friends and family thing. "Oh. We're getting along okay."

Zouichi hesitated for a moment. "I was just a little worried, since he doesn't... have a lot of friends on board. I thought he might get a little territorial."

"Ha! Nah, I get what you mean." Howard could be a little ... Howardy. But Jr. was used to people who could be like that. It wasn't as if Howard seemed bad to him as much as he seemed ... troubled. There was a big difference between the two. "But I think things are mostly cool. What can I say! I'm a charmer sometimes."

Zouichi raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? A holdover from your Foundation days? I imagine that talent might come in quite handy."

"But I'm glad you've been getting along. Maybe we can all go out and play cards or something."

"Hey, I don't have all of Gaignun's special charm methods," especially because part of Gaignun's was a special power of his. "But I've always done things my own way, just as endearing!"

He smirked. "He seemed to like the idea of the Game Room! You still remember those poker lessons I gave you, right?"

Zouichi smiled in response. "Of course. Though if you don't mind losing at your own giant robot game, we can play that, too."

That melt into spring [Open]

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