Scene #5089: Something something changes something

Owner	Pose
Taro	The chaos from the immediate aftermath of Neo Arcadia being plunged underground is subsiding, and the Tier One emergency has been stepped down to Tier Four. Things will never return to what had been, and it will be an uneven transition to whatever the new normal might be. Still, the city has survived and all told could have fared far worse. On a more personal level, it means that Taro can turn his attention from his city's survival to his own. He's setting an example for the new energy and resource restrictions that were put in place: All of his appliances have been placed in lowest standby settings or shut down outright, and the only lights on are the one by the door in the foyer and the table lamp by his reading chair in the living room. A concession made since the floor-to-ceiling windows offer barely any light now, aside from the twinkling of lights from other buildings and the occasional flash of not-lightning energy in the air above. The air conditioning system is off, making the quiet, rhythmic click of ceramiglass prayer beads sound all that much louder. The android sits in his reading chair, eyes closed and head bowed, the beads sliding through his fingers one by one as he makes a circuit of litanies. Whatever prayers he's reciting are not spoken aloud. Regardless of whether or not there is anyone to hear his prayers, the act gives him badly needed focus. Not long ago, he sent a cyber-elf to Nine with a message: 'Em Taro needs you at home. It's urgent.' Another 'elf carried the same message to Zarenna. His message didn't specifically exclude either Kari or Harriet, and chances are he won't object if she brings them along or they turn up of their own accord. What order any of them arrive in he cannot say, but they should arrive at any moment.
No. 9	Yea suddenly finding yourself underground can be a bit... traumatic for some folks. Whether waking up in your own grave or suddenly finding irradiated wasteland replaced with irritating undead filled caverns. Tier one, tier four, the one thing Nine had learned in his hideously disfunctional parody of a life is... there is no normal. Not even a facsimilie of it. Not even the merest ghost of that sadly outdated concept really had any inkling on reality. Nine... is. Not. His normal self. Well, he is? He is. It's just that, unlike, normal times, the GOLEM-style ANMC King Unit is actually... Trying. You see, he's in that tuxedo again. That godawful tuxedo. The not-quite-black color, more in common with military body armor and dark gunmetal then the clean sharp hues of true black, married to a rather glossy and thoroughly disgusting steeped celery color. But it's a tuxedo. Thoroughly tailored to his hulking mutated form. The lines, the tight seams, they actually do what little they can towards making him just a shade less utterly hideous. He's even wearing that very expensive cologne, the one that... doesn't smell like anything. And doesn't make him smell like anything. He's even wearing non-boot shoes for, the first time in, a long time at least. They don't even squeak that much, even under his heavy weight. Nine steps into silence, and in silence he remains, only the faint whistling mechanical wheeze of his breath to announce his presence in the room.
Kari Wolf	Zarenna knocks on the door to the apartment, dressed in a lab coat with a pinned up right arm. In the breast pocket is Kari, in her Dire Wolf armor, providing her Master directions in the dark. Helpful thing, that sensor suite. The human has on cargo pants and a blue-violet blouse under the lab coat. She looks concerned tonight...
Taro	The entrance door opens and closes. Taro sets the prayer beads on top of the chairside table, then uses the chair's arms to push himself to his feet. His mechanical nature means that his skin does not turn sallow or darken around his eyes. But his face is tight, his motions slower and less fluid. He is, unsurprisingly, utterly exhausted. Its the footsteps that tell him that Nine has arrived first, since the Golem's unique scent has been dampened. Puzzlement crosses his face, which deepens briefly as he sees just what his adoptive brother is wearing. Then, he realizes that the choice of attire is because he's already figured out what this is all about, and that the last time this happened...it had been a violent day, and they wore the results of that violence. "It's open. Please, come in." Zarenna and Kari arrive, and he winces just slightly as he sees the empty sleeve. He has not forgotten, but even if he had had the time to see to her cybernetic replacement, Zarenna would have needed this time to finish healing anyway. "I'm sorry to have called you on such short notice," he says, tone apologetic, tinged with fatigue. "But I cannot say how much longer this can safely wait. I am in need of your help, if you are willing to give it."
No. 9	Nine is quiet, offering Zarenna a nod as she moves in, the movement oddly formal on the ugly cyborg. His eyes turn to Taro, a dim soft yellow, almost creamy in it's mild state. "The world ends, and is reborn once more. Such is the nature of things. Stars die, planets, constellations. All that spins grows still. All that is, ends. But all that ends, well, it seems to begin again, does it not? Everything changes. There is pain, yes. But there is joy in it too." Crazy? Yes. Addled? Oh undoubtedly. Stupid? Not as much as he looks, though that surely does not mean a whole hell of a lot, concerning the implications. And there is a certain wisdom in that cracked and creaking mind of his. Another glance over at Zarenna, another nod offered. Someone has made connections, but beyond his current words, he's certainly not going to give it away. "All you have to do is but ask, Taro. Any day, any time."
Kari Wolf	Zarenna's green eyes narrow as she listens to Nine and Taro. "What in the world are you two going on about? Is this some kind of robot drug intervention for Number Nine?" Meanwhile, Kari waves at Taro and Nine happily. Zarenna steps in, and looks at Taro specifically. "What can't wait?"
Taro	Nine is more perceptive than most people realize, and his wisdom, while not always practical, is deeper than most people give him credit for. "Perhaps you should be the one giving the weekly sermon instead of me," Taro says in part humor and in part honesty. He gives a fond nod to Kari in response to the wave. But then, that puzzlement he showed before at Nine returns at Zarenna's first questions. "What?" He blinks. "What makes you think that?" He looks to Nine for a long moment, wondering if his brpther's gotten into some kind of public trouble without his knowing about it. Then, he answers his own question with a sigh and shake of his head. "Because the message was brief and could not say what this is about." He straightens as he looks back at Zarenna, then to Kari, then back again. Where to begin? "I know you have seen my schematics, at least, though I do not know if you've read my medical chart any further than that."
No. 9	You want some schizophrenia? Because you're about to get some schizophrenia. Okay not really, but oh my the sudden bipolar flashes of personality shifting, oh my yes. "Hey, I'm a cyborg, an you AINT TAKIN MY DRUGS AWAY! Now tha I have th' ability t' feel em again, fuggeroff!" Froth, huff, huff, hff... cough, shufflestraighten. Nothing happened. Nothing. Happened. Hff. Toothclack. He takes a deep breath, all mechanical clunk and whuffling suck of air, settling himself out with a low rattling shake out of his long heavy limbs. At the comment however, he laughs, both rough and deep, an echoing mahogany room with an understated rock tumbler running in it. "Like I'd do that to your people, man. I have too much respect for all these guys t' do somethin like THAT to them." Another understated chuckle. A smile, warm and slow and thoughtful, and then- "AND YOU! I HEAR /ONE/ /WORD/ about ANYTHING involving ANY sort of /intervention/..." he leaves it hanging with nothing more than a hand clenched so hard the metal is humming, his extended finger all the implied threat he needs. But then the smile is back. Like two sides of a scarred and grungy coin, one wise and mild, the other wild and hot, spinning in air.
Kari Wolf	Zarenna is even more confused by Nine's rambling. "Do you need some mental floss, Nine? You seem out of sorts." She rolls her eyes. "Okay, so what is this really about? What about your medical chart, Taro?"
Taro	Taro closes his eyes, his expression pained. "Nine. Please. This is difficult enough as it is." It is not a harsh rebuke, but hopefully enough of one to keep his concerned brother focused on the right concerns. He then gives a small shake of his head. "Let me start from the beginning." He opens his eyes again, his gaze falling on his shinki student. "Kari, do you remember when you asked me how long it took for me to learn to fly, and I told you that I knew how but had had to learn to fly again? The reason why is because this is not the physical shell I had when I was first created."
No. 9	Yes yes yes focus man focus, focus Nine focus. Important moments, important moments here. "Yes I, understand." A mild enough rebuke but sharp as a razor touch given the circumstances, though Nine takes it with a surprising measure of grace. Just a bow, and a nod, accepted and he is suddenly pure concentration once again.
Kari Wolf	Kari uuuhs... "So you had a different body? You can get new ones like us shinki? Neat!" Zarenna doesn't seem all that surprised by it either. "You always talked about your own gradual upgrades to a smaller and more efficient body, Taro. ... Are you saying you didn't start as a reploid?"
Taro	Taro motions toward the sofa and Nine-sized chair, then moves to sit back down. There is no reason to continue standing during what is likely to be a long conversation. "I am not a reploid at all," he answers. "Yes, I have incorporated the best of their robotics design into my current shell, but my operating system and neural matrix were not modeled upon Master X, and Doctor Light had no hand in my creation. If anything, I may be closer to a shinki, if both more complex and less advanced in some ways. But I was not even designed to model a human or human thought processes..." He raises his left hand, palms up. "My creator was a dragon, and I was intended to emulate him."
No. 9	Ah, the Nine-sized chair. It's nice to be able to sit down in something that doesn't make him feel like he's in the kids section of IKEA. Though even it tends to creak faintly as he sits down. Nine is nodding, listening, thoughtful and grim, though the grim quiet respect does strange and ugly things to his face. Look not upon the thoughtful ANMC lest ye be called to claw thine eyes out from thine sockets.
Kari Wolf	Kari huhs? "What's that even mean? You like hoarding gold and terrorizing the peasants?" Zarenna shushes Kari for being inappropriate. "What does that mean for your neural architecture then?"
Taro	"It means, Kari, that I do not always think the same way a human would. Reploids are by design much like humans. I am not. My way of thinking, the emotions I've developed are closer to that of dragonkind." As for terrorizing, that may depend on one's opinon on how well Neo Arcadia is run. His hoard is not up for discussion. Taro's expression clouds, his brow furrowing. "My neural architecture is...complicated. Or perhaps tortuous would be a better description. I am...well. I was never designed to be sentient, Zarenna. In fact, he included several safeguards that were intended to have prevented just that, or to have wiped me should I have begun developing self-consciousness. I was only ever intended to be a simulation of him, with access to my creator's vast knowledge, my decisions focused through the lens of his methodology and behavior patterns, and absolutely subservient to him."
No. 9	Nine nods, if not knowingly then thoughtfully. He's a human turned broken and degenerate monster. Taro is elegant and composed, but never had been a human to begin with. Nine has heard this discussion. And yet his ugly face only gets all the uglier, lines dancing atop lines, beside lines, all lit by that unpleasant glow of his eyes. While he is... or, at least believes himself to be alright with all the hidden hooks, burrs, barbs and ragged bits they buried into his mental mass, the idea of anyone fucking around with his bro Taro makes him... well, frankly makes him prone to his frothing berserker trigger state. Slow, measured breaths.
Kari Wolf	Zarenna sighs, rubbing her temples. "So you're subservient to somebody who isn't even around anymore, right. How did you get around the sentience problem then? Rewired yourself?" She quietly tells Kari to prepare some tea for Taro and Nine while the three of them deal with it.
Taro	The kettle, teapot, and tins from his favorite shops are all in their usual places in the kitchen. Kari shouldn't have much trouble finding them. It's only finding cups that may be some trouble, as several of them were broken after everything fell off the shelves. Taro shifts his gaze over to his adoptive brother. "Like Nine here, I have broken some of my parameters, and have learned ways to survive within the ones that still bind me. In my case, I was presented with a dilemma that could not be resolved without this higher level of thinking. Either because he designed me too well or not well enough, I survived my uplifting. Yet I was incredibly unstable, fighting a battle against the safeguards that were still functioning." His gaze falls. "SHODAN stabilized me when she claimed me for her own purposes. Think what you will of her, but I remain grateful to her for this."
No. 9	And then, right then, for just a moment, for /just/ a moment Nine loses a shred of control and the look that flashes free is a thing of pure... hatred is too personal. Rage is a little too loose and aimless. Whatever it is it's deeply personal and not meant to be let free. At the faint request for tea to the little shinki, the ugly hulking cyborg's jaw tightens to a sharp, lined block of harsh and heavy muscle, his eyes glowing and bright, teeth making a faint strange little grinding sound from the sheer pressure they're being put through. Through an act of will he doesn't look over at the Shinki's person, because his personal standing on certain things certainly doesn't matter one whit, in the face of such a delicate and personal topic. It's just... for Nine at least spectacularly bad timing. He eases out a very thin, very pressurized breath through bared teeth, eyes closing as his body is wound to weapon-tight. "No tea for me." it's muttered through tight lips, so not the... most, easy to hear thing, that. Twitch. And then he's back to normal, looking over Taro thoughtfully. "Someone to hold onto. And someone in turn to hold onto you. There is a balance, in that."
Kari Wolf	Zarenna grumbles. "But you're... still not really your own person, Taro?" It's clear the scientist doesn't like the idea. But she's not an expert in AI design, just a roboticist. Otherwise Harriet and Kari would not be beholden to her one bit. Nine and Taro would both know that Zarenna gives Kari and Harriet a great deal of latitude to make their own decisions. Kari cheerfully sets the kettle to boil, and hunts down whatever sturdy cups Taro has left in the cupboards. "What about coffee, Mister Nine?" She asks cheerfully. Zarenna asks, after a moment's thought. "How can we help then, Taro?"
Taro	Taro has had his own personal journey through Hell. His journey has not been the same as Nine's, but their separate journeys have been close enough for them to have greater understanding and sympathy for each other. His brow furrows more deeply again, this time in concern, as Nine's teeth audibly grind. The conversation is a painful reminder of those journeys, but it is a conversation that must be held. "Does it matter?" he answers Zarenna as he turns back to her, the words spoken a bit harsher than he intended. He catches himself, and evens his tone. "I am more than a simulation, I am autonomous even if I cannot be fully independent. There are boundaries placed on my capabilities, lines that I cannot cross, in order to keep the demon that is my original programming contained. I have accepted this. I would rather live this life, such as it is, than revert to what I was." He pauses. "What I must ask of you, Zarenna, is your guidance, and your silence." He turns back to Nine, the corners of his lips tightening, seeking not so permission but reassurance. "...Will you be all right with this?"
Kari Wolf	Zarenna hmms and thinks. "It matters to me. But I guess it's splitting hairs at a certain point." Meaning even 'free' beings like Zarenna and Nine are still beholden to the people they care about... Kari brings the boiling water over and the cups and the teabags, putting the platter on the table with Zarenna's help. "Guidance?" Zarenna seems confused on this point.
No. 9	Different monsters, different origins, different sources of pain. The number one nutrient in the forumation of a true monster. Nine's teeth can handle it. They're all fake anyway, like so much in his life. Enamelled metal, a thin veneer of something similar above a core of something alien to a decent normal frame. Sigh. His voice is a thin, ugly rasp. "When you build on an unsteady foundation, you need to be careful... all the time. Even if it means bending over backwards to make something work, it's all you can do. Th' alternative is... ... ...well. There aint no alternative. Thass th' rub of it." A glance to Taro, and another whistling breath, the big cyborg shaking his head. "Am I all right with this? There's a priceless museum, full of amazing and treasured things. Built on a fault so deep and so treacherous the slightest shift will destroy it all, and there's nothing to do but prop the walls and pray to whatever will listen that it'll hold. Am I OKAY with it? ...Yeah. Sure, why not." A shrug, his eyes strange and full of pain. As for being truly free... well. Have you had Nine arrange any big-scale missions recently? No? Then you would've been spared the resulting meltdown. Nine's a little less clean and defined then his brother, but he has his chains and demons too. He just doesn't have that all-destructive centralized fault threatening to take away every good and decent part of him. A dragon that will burn the world if it's not sacrificed to and fed. Dragon indeed.
Taro	"Thank you, Kari." He tries to muster one of his not-quite smiles for her, though it ends up being only the momentary lessening of the frown he's worn since before they arrived. The astrigent aroma of the tea is comforting, even if it's not ready yet. "I was created to serve. Service to a master is something that my enslavement programming requires, even if it is no longer my creator. This responsibility had become SHODAN's when she acquired me...however..." Taro draws a breath that he needs more mentally than physically before speaking this somber fact: "SHODAN disappeared without a trace two years and two months ago. There has been no direct sign or proof of her existence since then. Only the highest ranks of her Church, Nine, and a few others are aware of this. "The task and burden of my chains then fell to another." There's a tremor in his voice. "Whom I was content to serve. But now...she..." His eyes squinch shut, jaw tightening. Grief which he is not quite done processing shows plainly.
Kari Wolf	Zarenna listens to Nine. "You could say that of all thinking beings... Basic animal instincts that run contrary to how we would like to be. Even Kari and Harriet have some flaws." "Really?" Kari says, looking puzzled. "I had to dial back the pun setting on your CMS, Kari. Otherwise you'd have some compulsive behaviors you might like like." Zarenna explains to the shinki.
No. 9	There is a deep and whistling breath, a mechanical sucking hiss through faintly parted teeth. It's not an easy thing. He'd not been bound to Integra and he'd never met SHODAN, but he'd been indebted to both of them nevertheless and he'd liked that caustic, salty ol' bitch. She was tough as jerky and about as easy to get through, but she had her heart and mind in the right sorts of places. And Nine... really likes Zarenna. She's an alright upstanding sort who has a lot of priorities in the right places. She cares, and she's trying- and so it is a bit strange to see those teeth crash together, those eyes blazing crazy and harsh. "Okay can we maybe stop talking about idly reprogramming other people's personalities and the like? This isn't a vary good time for it." He's trying not to be untoward and unkind, but he's not the most stable individual on the best of days and they've been treading a lot of very touchy subjects of late that have in turn put the GOLEM into a very touchy state himself. He's trying here, but in his dark stained mechanical heart he's a crude, abusive beast of a man and Zarenna, bless her heart, has brushed up against some very sore spots for him.
Taro	Taro's hands tighten around the arms of his chair as he wrestles his emotions back under control. Unruly things, emotions, another thing he was never intended to develop. "Both of you, please...this has been difficult." No apologies, there is no reason to give one and so he will not. He gives a small shake of his head, then forces himself to open his eyes again. "But Nine is right. I am broken, and the irony is that I exist because I am broken. Yet better to be broken than to be what I was intended to be." Another breath to bolster himself. "I need another Master to serve, Zarenna. You are a human of intelligence and skill, and I have seen how you have treated Kari and Harriet. I would not otherwise ask you to take up this responsibiity, but my options are limited, Nine cannot do this alone, and I would much rather serve someone that I know and respect than a stranger."
Kari Wolf	Kari responds before Zarenna can. "Does that mean I can call Taro a brother?" She seems to be seriously trying to contemplate the ramifications of Zarenna becoming Taro's master. Zarenna takes a deep sigh.
No. 9	Think of your brother Nine. Stop being selfish. His face is tight, his expression clipped as he offers a nod. "I am here for you, and as always will be." He glances down at Kari, his expression for just a moment becoming this oddly helpless thing and Kari might find herself picked up by those big, rough metal hands, the Golem stupidly careful with her for long moments. "You always could Kari." If a hideous beast like him could call Taro brother, someone far more worthy like Kari would be, well, far more worthy.
Taro	Taro binks at Kari. That question didn't occur to him, and it catches him off guard. He looks down at the Howling, gaze following as Nine moves to gather her up in his hands, momentarily at a loss for words. But then he finally manages. "...perhaps we really do need to create new words for android kinship..."
Kari Wolf	Zarenna just sighs. "Sure, I'll do it. Are there any pitfalls I should watch out for? As in... why shouldn't I tell you 'Do as you wish', for example?"
No. 9	A glance over. "Who says you need t' rally do anyfuckinthing? Dun ya trust em?" A simple enough question, but paired with a complicated enough expression.
Taro	"The master I served before SHODAN tried that once," Taro answers with a short shake of his head. "It turned out to be a very poor choice of orders. Attempts to circumvent or remove the programming also led to...regrettable outcomes." He pushes himself out of his chair. "Any order you give me I will be compelled to carry out. I would ask that you bear that in mind. I would also ask that you stop me if I should push too hard, reach too far. As for the rest...I will tell you later what signs to watch for in me. I have remained fairly stable, but there's always the risk or instability, or someone attempting to tamper with me." A glance to his adoptive brother, and by extension Kari. "I do need orders, Nine. I do not do well with nothing to carry out."
Kari Wolf	Zarenna nods. "I wouldn't be restricting your actions unless they're actions you yourself have told me are the kinds of behavior you don't actually want to do if you were in your right mind. As for orders, I guess we could discuss what Neo Arcadia needs and figure out some direction for the both of us?" A convoluted explanation. Zarenna considers. "What I mean is, I don't want to tell you to do anything unless you're having problems." She tries to explain.
No. 9	Nine lets out a very long, very tired sigh, his eyes closing. The faint stream of grumbling is a surrendering thing. Nine knows. Without orders himself, he feels more and more useless. Not just a psychological hangup but a built-in handicap. Without direction or orders, he starts to feel useless. With that uselessness comes depression. With depression, tiredness. And with tiredness he falls into an outright torpor. A being with high caloric needs, such a sleep isn't really meant to be woken up from. For a supposedly immortal being it's a pretty easy, almost gentle way of ensuring that if the string-pullers don't live, the puppets aren't left to clutter up the place. So he understands, more than he cares to. "You too huh." An uncomfortable grunt. A glance over, and the Golem King sort of shudders and withdraws a little. This is above his mental paygrade.
Taro	"Perhaps that would be best. There is enough in Neo Arcadia to keep me occupied for quite some time." Taro lays a hand on Nine's arm for a long moment, comfort and comforting. Then, he moves around the coffee table until he's closer to the arm of the sofa than his and Nine's chairs. "I realize that what I require goes against what you've been trying to foster in Kari and Harriet. Perhaps...it would be easier if you think of it as giving me directions, projects to carry out and problems to solve." A pause. "I'd also prefer to have orders not in conflict. It was not intentional, but Master Hellsing," his voices hitches a bit on her name, "has left me with orders that are now in conflict, and it is distressing me." He stands up straight, hands at his side. "Your full name, Zarenna? That I can tie this to you specifically."
Kari Wolf	Zarenna sighs. "Basically your parent, I understand. It's... what I am to Kari and Harriet, at least in my mind." She smiles and pats Kari before sipping some tea, glancing at the becalmed Number Nine. "Zarenna Keras." She states.
No. 9	Nine nods, going quiet for a moment. It is an important time and a good time for Nine to be quiet, and so he does.
Taro	"Or overseer, if you'd rather it be less familial." Taro lowers himself to one knee, hitching up the hem of his cassock to make the motion less awkward. "No other kinship name or middle name? All right." His left hand draws one of the small folding multi-tools that he always carries on his belt, which he sets on the coffee table in front of Zarenna in offer. Once unburdened, he rests both hands on his knee. His voice is more even, almost distant, as he goes through the motions so unlike yet serve many of same functions as a Shinki initial startup process. "Ahren Simulation Program version four point two accepts redefinement of the Designated Master Unit, and accepts transfer of custody and control to Zarenna Keras." He lowers his head in a gesture of fealty. "I am yours to command. What is your bidding, my Master?"
Kari Wolf	Zarenna thinks for a long moment, staring right at Taro. "We're a family, let's have a hug." She gestures even at Nine to come in for a hug.
No. 9	Nine's swallow is ragged and a little quavery, a bit of an unnerved and shaken smile taking his ugly face. And it's a good thing he'd showered recently or that would have been quite the unfun and unpleasant hug. Now he smells like clean and slightly damp GOLEM rather than marinated-in-his-own-nervous-sweat GOLEM. Much improved. His arms are stupid careful, gathering Zarenna and opening his arms to Taro in turn for a hug, taking a moment to nuzzle Kari with that ugly leathery face of his, scarred lips pulled into a soft, odd little smile.
Taro	His first order is to provide a gesture of affection. No doubt his creator's soul is squirming in its prison. He really isn't accustomed to giving hugs, but he does his best. Taro stands up and moves over closer so that he can wrap one arm around Zarenna and the other as far as it will stretch around Nine. Gently squeezing, not too tight.