4330/Twilight Explains Social Stuff to a Robot

Twilight Explains Social Stuff to a Robot
Date of Scene:	17 July 2016
Location:	Equestria
Synopsis:	Staren goes to Twilight for advice after Yet Another Radio Blowup. Valentha comes along to help too.
Thanks to:	Twilight, for scening so late.
Cast of Characters:	Staren, 411, 834

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Staren has posed:
    Staren's been making his way back during all this, eventually coming through the warpgate and beaming up immediately. During the conversation, he's making preparations for the transfer back to his own body, but... Things go poorly. Again. WHEN WILL HE LEARN.

    He ends up changing clothes and beaming down just outside the library, concentrating to retain humanoid form. Fortunately, the restorative powers of the Round Drops have also patched up the damage to his synthetic skin and stuff, so he's not a bloody mess.

    He knocks, quietly. "Twilight? It's me, I'm here." He says, somewhat softly and glumly.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight was waiting at the door for Staren, and when she hears the knock she opens immediately. She smiles softly to Staren, then gives him a firm hug. "Hey. That sounded pretty rough. Are you going to be alright?" she says as she hugs him, then pulls him inside the library gently before closing the door. "What was all that about, anyway? I mean, I got much of it, but...who was the priest you kept talking about?"

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
Space ripples and shimmers behind Staren about two seconds seconds after he's walked through the library's door and Twilight Sparkle closed. Well. Actually it's rippling and shimmering a telltale blue right in front of the door. The energies peacefully expand and coaelsce within a few seconds into the form of a... oh hey, it's Valentha Summers, and she's not a pony.

    But she glances over her shoulder first thing and frowns at the open door. ".... ooops. That was open two seconds ago. So much for a dramatic entrance that isn't rude."

    Giving twilight Sparkle a faintly chagrined - if lighthearted - look, the blonde in the aviator's garb bows deeply.

Staren has posed:
    Staren hugs Twilight back gently, as if afraid he might break her, nuzzling her cheek. "I'll be alright after I talk to you." he replies softly.

    Valentha teleports into the room. Staren looks at her, with...

    Fear?

    She's a dragon, but that's irrelevant. The social situation they're in... it is a conflict he's completely unprepared for, and all the technology in the world, all the armor, all the computers, can't protect him from emotional harm. He steps around Twilight as if instinctively hiding behind her, which probably looks silly as she's smaller than him, and when she drops back to all fours after the hug she's over a foot shorter.

    Staren stares at her for a moment, then looks back to Twilight.

    He explains: "After losing her family and being joined by Fairy, Lise was traveling to Wendel to seek advice from the high priest of the mana goddess there. Then she unified, and was unable to continue her quest for weeks. By randomly searching warpgates, she lucked out and finally found her home. Luna and Fiora and I... that is, an alternate version of Queen Luna... escorted her in case of monster attacks. When we finally met this priest, though... He just kept going on and on about how this couldn't be and his goddess wouldn't let such a thing happen. He didn't stop and get a hold of himself until we talked more. It wasn't like 'This can't be! But I guess it is. What you must do in this grave situation is blank' or anything like that. S-so I told him off, because Lise lost so much, and was clearly pinning all her hopes on, on getting useful advice, and, and instead we get this..."

    He slumps and looks away. Looking like he kind of wants to say more, but can't decide on what, so he just glumly waits for someone else to speak.

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight lets out a surprised 'eep!' as Valentha appears so suddenly. "Huh. So, that is what others think when I teleport in." she says, then giggles a bit before she listens to Staren. She knows something is wrong when he hugs her so carefully and hides behind her from Valentha. And not the usual wrong, but the he is actually worried wrong.

     She listens to Staren's story, her ears splaying back at the sadness in it. She rears up and hugs Staren around the neck again, and gives him a little nuzzle, then lowers back down to all fours again before looking to Valentha. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we have met. I am Twilight Sparkle, and this is the Books and Branches Library. I take it from Staren's expression that he knows you. Are you another friend of his?" she asks, then pauses. "Wait...your voice...were you one of the one's..um...debating strongly with Staren on the radio?"

Staren has posed:
    Staren leans into the hug. At the question he nods, "She's a friend."

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
"And I spoke harshly and without full knowledge." Valentha Summers admits. "Friend and neighbor. Valentha Summers... you needn't look at me like THAT, Staren..." This Valentha Summers isn't the perky and chipper mechanist she usually appears to be. There's something far too serious and somber in her eyes tonight. "Hoped to hear what really happened..."

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks... guilty. Worried that he's offended again.

    "...However..." he adds, "I misjudged him, perhaps. Despite my rudeness, he was afterwards forthcoming with somewhat helpful information about the legends of Lise's world. And a denizen of the holy land, Fairy I mean, says the mana goddess really /is/ that powerful. Honestly, I'm hopeful but still skeptical, but... at this point, I'll play along and not publicly doubt the mana goddess, because I don't want to offend people /more/." He slumps again. "It didn't work."

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight smiles as she hears that. "Good. Understanding is a very important part of friendship. Without understanding, friendship falls apart." she says, then she looks to Staren again. "I think it might help if we saw your recording of the incident in question. It is hard to tell from just a recounting if your reaction was justified. But, there's another issue that came up."

     Twilight's expression turns to one of slight worry. "You said that she did not have to worry because she wouldn't have to look for her brother if she found the sword, didn't you? It seems like you didn't realize why that might have upset Lise." She smiles just a bit after that. "I will use myself as a model, since that seems effective for you. If I had been captured by bandits that had seriously harmed my friends or family, was being held by them, and for some reason you couldn't get to me or even confirm that I was alright...would it relieve your worries to be told that if you completed a difficult quest, one that could take a very long time and during which you could not get an update on my condition at all, that I might be alright when you finally found me?"

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
"... I see... somehow I thought..." Valentha smiles kindly to Twilight, but it's the smile of someone who's been outdone and is examiing themselves. She gestures a bit, channels a few fragments of magical power... and seats herself on a glowing, semi-solid lump suspended in the air... vaguely chair-shaped.

    If she wanted to say something before, she's definitely not sure about it now.

Staren has posed:
    Staren nods at the comment about the recording. He has it ready, of course... But Twilight has a question for him. He winces a bit at the described scenario, but remains resolute. "If this quest would free a goddess with more than enough power to free you and heal your family, a goddess I honestly and truly believed had such power, as much as I trust you? Of course."

    Then his expression softens and he looks a bit sad. "...The possibility did occur to me, that her reaction is because she doesn't really believe either. But after everything that was said, I did not think anything good would result from voicing this concern on the radio."

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight's ears perk at Valentha's incomplete words, but as the dragon in human form takes a magical seat, Twilight turns back to Staren. "It isn't just that. Even if she believes with all her heart that her goddess can and will undo all the harm that has been done, something we know is very unlikely and she likely knows the same, it still means that either her brother is trapped and suffering right now...or is already dead. I know I would not want you suffering or dead for any amount of time, even if we had a god or goddess that could bring you back."

     Twilight heads over to take a seat on the couch after that. "And, there is another possibility. That she has been so worried for so long that she doesn't want to get her hopes up. Or, as you mentioned, that she doesn't believe she is up to the task of saving her entire world." She pats the seat beside her for Staren, and motions for Valentha to move closer if she wishes. "And through her already tinted vision toward you, it may have sounded as though you were discounting her worries as trivial."

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
"On the assumption there's no missing details there... the best thing to do may have been to show respect to the priest and be gentle in coaxing him from his... mania.... and reassure the girl you'll help with however she wants to proceed... leave debating the details until everyone has settled down... a light touch would have worked well, I'd have bet...."

    Valentha sighs from her seat. "Well. I'm not going to barge in and lecture. This one... needs thinking."

Staren has posed:
    Staren watches Twilight walk over to the couch. "Perhaps... but if she doesn't believe it, and is pretending, and everyone else on the radio is too, and I'm supposed to pretend too... except I'm also supposed to not really because it might hurt someone's feelings?" He shakes his head, then walks over to sit next to her. "How does anyone manage to navigate a social /minefield/ like that? ...Saving a world isn't /impossible/, I mean, it's quite doable actually, it's by no means /easy/ but I've actually lost count of how many I've helped save these past ten years."

    He rubs his head, looking at Valentha, then back to Twilight. "I just want to know... how I could figure out what to do if a similar situation comes up again, and what to do /now/, to... to mitigate the damage of everyone on the radio seeing me this way, and most importantly, how to help her... i-if getting involved would even be constructive at all." He hangs his head and closes his eyes. "If navigating this situation is so beyond my ability that talking to Lise risks another explosive screwup, then maybe the best thing /I/ can do is stay out of it. The Union has ample heroes who seem to handle the situation naturally and who are quite able of helping her in whatever course of action she chooses."

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight watches Staren's recording of the meeting, then blinks at the end of it. "Um...Staren, I have to say, I think that your reaction stems from a misunderstanding. He said he did not believe it, true. But, he then immediately said it was terrible and that only the goddess herself could reverse such a tragedy. This implies that he -did- believe it, and was merely expressing his shock at hearing the news. Also, while it would be reasonable to assume he meant that the goddess may fix everything, I wouldn't say he thinks she will fix it. Only that she has the power, or that at least legends tell of her having such power. If she did create their world, then it would be possible, but we don't really have enough information to make any sort of judgement."

     And...she facehoofs when Staren says to the priest 'Is all you do complain?' "Staren...this is probably what they were talking about. You have spoken to this man, a priest who is presumably highly respected in his country and someone that Lise believes can help her, a total of...what, a minute? And yet you ask if all he does is complain? I would say that is both very rude and very presumptuous. It seems as though you heard two things you did not like, and decided that this man would be of no help and did not deserve any kind of respect, and further you seem to assume he will be of no help without actually talking to him."

     Twilight looks over at Staren, and offers a warm smile. "I think your difficulties in the Multiverse might be getting to you. The Staren I know gets all the facts he can before he makes a judgement rather than taking such a small sample of data before coming to a conclusion."

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
"Yes, I am most DEFINITELY outmatched here." Valentha executes a strange little bow towards Twilight. Which isn't an easy feat to do in any kind of dignified fashion when you're sitting. She must have practice. "Did not need to come at all."

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks interested and particularly attentive when Twilight identifies a misunderstanding. He looks thoughtful, then flinches slightly at her facehoofing.

    Valentha just gets a curious, puzzled look before he looks back to Twilight. "I suppose I was impatient... and I considered his faith and outrageous statement of his goddess's abilities marks against him. It seemed likely that Lise had been misled... I guess, maybe I just need to wait more before speaking. Especially in such matters. I just... I just couldn't stand the thought that she'd put all her hopes on a charletan..." He rubs his head. "I guess learning a little more patience is just part of growing up, though. Elephants in rooms aren't usually going anywhere... I mean, if they did, it'd be good... and people can always be called out later. I just fear that in the heat of future moments, this lesson won't be remembered, like so many others. I'm not sure how to make sure it comes to mind when I'm about to lose my head... boy, if I could solve /that/ problem, most of my social difficulties would disappear, huh?"

Twilight Sparkle (411) has posed:
     Twilight giggles softly and nods, giving Staren a little hug again. "Yes. Patience is important in any situation. And not losing your head is even more important. I just hope that she will see that you were actually trying to look out for her. Maybe if you explain that you have met many charletans in your life and have seen good people hurt because of them, and sincerely apologize for discounting her priest and her beliefs, she will forgive you. But, you will have to be careful. Any more outbursts like that, or perceived belittling of her situation, and I doubt you will get another chance. I don't know much about the situation, but from her reactions I'd say she is in a fragile state. Support her as a new friend should. Offer advice, but unless she is doing something that will directly harm someone, just support her and let her know you just want to help."

     She pats Staren on the shoulder gently. "And remember, shouting actually makes your message harder to understand. It puts people on the defensive and your intent is quickly lost in their perceptions and interpretations. A calm, rational tone and method will get you much farther in a discussion."

     As it seems the matter is fairly well dealt with and it is rather late, Twilight nuzzles Staren gently. "I must get to bed. You are of course welcome to stay the night. And you, Valentha. There is plenty of space here. Goodnight to you both!" With that, Twilight heads upstairs to her bedroom.

Staren has posed:
    Staren leans into the hug and listens. Twilight's frank that he could screw up irreperably on this one, and he looks concerned but accepting. He nods, flinching slightly at the comment about shouting. "R-right..." he nods again, and rubs his head.

    At the nuzzle, he hugs her, patting her back. "Sleep well, Twilight. And thank you again."

    He smiles. "I appreciate the offer, but this body doesn't sleep. I was about to get back to one that does, before all this..." he gestures vaguely, "...happened."

    He nods to Valentha, "Goodnight." on his way out the door, then shuts it behind him, beaming up in a pillar of red-and-white light.

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
"... Came here looking to try and instill some wisdom in Staren... think I had some instilled into me instead. What a turn of events!" Valentha again bows to Twilight... but her whole body flickers with blue energy. In a matter of moments... *BLIP!* She's gone.