Hello Darkness (Vice)

[Crux]

This was the first time that he had ever visited the cemetery. He was afraid of disturbing those at rest by being present. If one was dead, would they be able to hear everything that occurred around them? The dead usually have their eyes and mouths closed, so the only other receptor would be the ears. What if their hearing has become so clear that they would notice the nearly silent whirs of his servos? They might be annoyed by the noisiness.

Scientifically speaking, the dead are nothing but bodies; they are unable to hear anything. They're just there to occupy space until they've been broken down into the dirt. Crux stepped closer to a single grave, kneeling down in front of it to read the name, date, and epitaph. The gravestone was the substitute of having an actual body out in the open; not only did it tell a little bit about the deceased, but it also did not decay. Was it merely created to mark graves to protect the health of the visitors, or are they meant to represent them to give others a hint as to what they were like in life?

The date on this tombstone was marked for a long, long time ago. How old was this cemetery? He rose from the ground and adjusted his bandages. The breeze brushed against his hair and his clothing, as if the wind was answering his question. When he looked back, Crux noticed the leaves shift slightly to reveal the remains of a path to the resting area. It was forgotten, perhaps the knowledge of this place discarded by humans who think of them as irrelevant to the current generation. It was a guess that stemmed from the amount of time that has passed between their deaths and today.

[Vice Ysal]

It was quiet, though why someone would expect otherwise well that was on them. There were a lot of things to be expected from a cemetery, most of them revolving around the more negative aspects a person could delve around during the normal course of events but for Vice, that wasn't the most important aspect of his personal errand here.

The dead required respect, but only those who left a mark were cared for. Everyone here, some way or another, made their mark on the world. No matter how big or how small, their existence would never be considered stagnant. To the biker though, they didn't matter. There were very few people that laid down within this cemetery that mattered to him...but at least he remembered enough to visit them once in a while.

Every visit was because of something, a reason as to why he was there. Tonight, Vice had post poned any sort of exploration of the outside world, knowing that he'd be staying here for quite a while. Dressed in the same outfit he wore during that battle, mostly for sentimentality and symbolism's sake, the red eyed male cradled a bouquet of white flowers in his hands. Practiced steps, a memorized route, just a bit more and the young man finally arrived at her gravemark.

Gently he placed the flowers down as he sat down on the floor In front of it. He was looking the part of a damn drunkard but the taste of alcohol down his throat helped ease the guilt a bit. He knew that wasn't true either...but another swig won't hurt.

"I'm sorry." The same words that accompanied him, for his mistake of not being strong enough to prevent anything from happening. This was then followed with a different story. "A lot had happened you know? Wish you could see it. Been getting quite a lot of new bloods since you've left and I dunno, I just couldn't help but try to guide them to becoming stronger." Another swig. "I'm probably running away too, still telling myself that I could have done more that night. But at least, this way, I can rest easy knowing that I did what I could for them...and if they were left in my position, well, I'm sure they would have tried harder than I ever did."

The young man continued to regale the tombstone with more stories, his voice raising and dropping in volume whenever something happened. He knew he was alone tonight, but it didn't mean he couldn't share anything.

[Crux]

This place was beginning to evoke a little bit of fear into him. Its silence, solemness, and the property of the graveyard being a location where the dead and memories were stored contributed to the growing dread. It was different from the fear that the humans would feel in locations like this. Graveyards were often used in horror films. Their existence was meant to create an overhanging fear that the dead would burst out from their graves. This was physically impossible, but it permeated throughout the average human's mind that the impossible is not impossible, but improbable.

Crux thought he was alone too. A side of him preferred to be alone than to be with others. He needed this time to reflect on his mission here, and to contemplate the tendencies of humans only to compare them to his own. The machine realized that it had never felt something so 'powerful' as loss. Within a human's lifespan, they were guaranteed to lose many things that were important to them. During these periods, they would feel something that was described by William Shakespeare as 'the grief that does not speak'. 

It 'knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break'. 

What did a broken heart feel like? Recalling his past and the circumstances of the present, Crux knew that he was familiar with the concept of a broken mind. He placed a hand over his chest, trying to feel for a heartbeat. There was none. As it turns out, machines don't have hearts. How cruel of fate and his creators to not give him a heart. The heart was most likely just the thing that made the Homines Sapientes different from their artificial creations. How cruel of the humans.

Crux's auditory receptors detected the voice of a man nearby. It sounded like he was talking to somebody, but there was only one voice that could be heard. Curious, he stepped closer to Vice. He recognized him from the battle with the Sun and Moon Shadows. He was the one who was giving the orders on their side of the fight. The power that emanated from him during that event was something that stood out from the power that came from others. 

The bottle of alcoholic beverage in his company and his talking to himself suggested that he was sad or depressed. It was pathetic, but the ASW took pity on the human. He didn't want to startle the man, so he looked over to read the gravemark that he was sitting in front of. He had no right to pry about the 'person' he was talking to. Instead, Crux would let the conversation occur if and when the man wanted one. Graciously, the machine would be open to his sadness as if it were his own. What does this one have to say about loss?

[Vice Ysal]

"The first time we met, the first impression I had of you was something akin to uselessness. You weren't able to do much to the point that even a normal like me could do better. Of course, I was wrong and I doubt by now you would care. Turns out that you were the strongest one out of us during that fight; Pyxis and I would have fallen if it wasn't for you." The biker continued, somewhat feeling better now that he was able to get a few things off of his chest. He would have also taken another sip when a presence began to tingle over at the edge of his awareness. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or he was just beginning to lose it to his own little ailment, but something prompted Vice to call out to the surroundings.

"It's rude, you know, to eavesdrop. If you wanted to hold a conversation, or anything for that matter, then I'm sure that you I can accommodate you if you show yourself." To emphasise this, Vice even raised one of the extra bottles of alcohol he had with him and gave it a good shake. "I even have some if you feel like drinking too." The figure soon came forward though, and for a moment Vice tried to place the face to a name but nothing came. He knew who the person was, another one of those robots like Pyxis that were meant to fight the Shadows or something. There was no evidence contrary to this either so Vice was assured in his guess of the profile that looked over to the tombstone of the person he had been talking to. "Good to see you, though I don't think I ever caught your name in the chaos of that battle."

Another sip from his slowly draining bottle, Vice then grinned up to the form that looked to be so melancholic before patting the concrete next to him as a way of suggesting that Crux sit next to him. He didn't want to crane his neck if he wanted to look at the person.

"You're curious, I'm sure. Though about what exactly, there's a lot of guess work to go about. Now go, ask a question or something and I'll answer it to what I can. Might as well not make your trip here a fruitless one."

[Crux]

Certainly, his stories were interesting to listen to. Yet, it was rude to eavesdrop as noted by the man in question. There was no surprise in Crux's face, only the never-ending abyss within his eyes that marked total and utter despair, pain, and agony. Contradictory to this was his manner of speaking and noticeable lack of tears. He was perpetually composed despite the hidden desires, wants, sidenotes, utterances, and quotes from Plato that circulated throughout his mind.

When Crux was offered some alcohol, he politely refused. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll pass." He should have recognized that he was unable to consume items designed for human consumption. The lack of cloth around his body at the time made it very apparent that he was artificial. So, it was difficult, to say the least, to understand Vice... until he realized that he was drinking what appeared to be alcoholic beverages. Was he drunk? Probably. 

Drunk people, according to society, tended to be very open with their true emotions and feelings. However, it was also said to be bad for a person's mental and physical health if consumed regularly. He was prompted to take the bottle away from him, but the complication of this was attributed to the unpredictability of humans. This was especially true to an intoxicated human.

Before he was completely immersed in his own thoughts, a question was delivered from Vice. What was his name? "I am Anti-Shadow Suppression Unit #011 Cr- Erm..." The name was too long. Including the whole title made him shift to the side slightly. "I am called Crux." ...from the Latin feminine third-declension word for 'cross', 'Crux, Crucis'. This was the first time he had introduced himself with such freedom; he hadn't thought about how to give someone his name at all within the time he has spent here.

Reluctantly, Crux stepped up closer so that he stood next to Vice. Then, he bent over and sat himself upon his knees. He was curious, but about the man. Down the line, there may be one or two outside of that subject. For now...

"...I do have questions. However, I never came here with the intent of reward. I wish you no discomfort...


"...with these standard formalities out of the way, I would like to ask you: why do you fight the Shadows? What is it that you wish to gain? Does anger or negativity drive you, or are there people you wish to protect?"

[Vice Ysal]

"Too bad. Always wondered what would happen if a machine took some alcohol in their system. Would they break, or would it matter at all? Ah well, I'll find out eventually, one way or another or something." The organic of the two replied, still keeping up with the rather happy tone. There was no need to try and push himself down farther, no reason to lose himself in a sea of self pity and disappointing agony. Besides that, there was someone watching and that made a bigger difference than what most people would think of. Appearances, after all, mattered quite a bit and he'd rather not have the people he fought along side with double think about his judgment because they knew that he liked to drink while talking to a dead person. People get the wrong idea all the time too which would just push himself down to a more precarious situation if word of it ever got out.

"You can continue with your entire 'name' and 'title', Crux. It'll give me a better background of just what you really are and what's inside that metal shell of yours." The young man once more offered towards the android words of encouragement and took another sip from his beverage as his conversation partner for the night decided to kneel beside him. Honestly that looked quite uncomfortable, having to scrape your knees on the pavement for no reason other than doing it. Then again, the guy wasn't exactly organic and he doubted having a sensor for pain would be helpful for things meant to battle those monsters. "Maa,maa, don't worry about the discomfort. I asked it out of you and you're simple complying. No need to be so formal nor apologetic about it." Another sip from his alcoholic drink and the questions came.

"Before I answer that, I'd like for you to know that I am not intoxicated. It'd be better to know that you can take these words with honesty rather than have you go through the trivialities of digging underneath the underneath. To answer your question though…"

"I stand to gain nothing important to society from killing these shadows. There is no reward, no monetary exchange, no sense of praise or anything that would matter to society. And that's fine with me. It's a somewhat convoluted kind of reasoning, an explanation for myself than anything else, but I fight them to prove something to myself. Whatever that is though, I'm not quite so sure as of yet. I've proven quite a few things in my stint as a User, more before I became one, but it all amounts to something I still can't seem to figure out. Protecting people, training them, making life easier for those who do not know, these are just things that so happened to intersect with my own interests. So no, to whatever that drives me, it's more selfish than selfless and for what I wish to gain, that I cannot answer."

Another swig.

"I could ask the same of you, and I'll even add a question as to why you seem so curious about others."

[Crux]

"You won't, because robots cannot naturally digest food or drinks. Even if we were inclined to consume alcohol, they would possibly cause shorts within our internals. Consider the effects of pouring water into a computer. Would that suffice as an explanation?" Talking about Crux, the machine, brought out Crux, the machine. His emotion disappeared instantaneously as the subject was brought up. It would bring up the conflict between the man and the machine that constantly fought against one another in his mind. Which was he more of?

Continuing with his 'heartless mode', he replied in a disciplined manner. "Very well. I am Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon: Unit#011. The designation that I received from my creators is 'Crux'. In the lab, the Persona that I developed was Tsukuyomi, the Shinto god of the moon. My main objective is to exterminate Shadows and assist with the dispelling of the barricade surrounding Mosaic City. I entered the city perimeter with a small team of Users, all of them killed within the first hour of proceeding through the Outskirts."

There was no change in his voice and he showed not a hint of emotion. But, Crux's facial expression shifted when the man moved on to the answer of the android's own question. There was little that he gained from sharing his cause other than to 'prove' something to himself. What was there to prove when one clashed with something that could very well kill them? Perhaps this was merely human logic. Most of it did not make sense to him anyway. Apparently, even he did not know. "I see."

He was not caught off-guard as the man sent back the question that he had originally asked. "Obviously, I fight Shadows because it is the reason I was made. There's nothing else to it. And my curiosity? Well... I'm... 'fascinated' by human psychology and why they do what they do. From my findings, I have observed that there is nearly endless variety. I wish not to judge, only to learn.

"'There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colors, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever be seen. There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet the combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.'"

Crux's perpetually pained eyes closed and a single hand placed itself upon his forehead as he spoke a quote from Sun Tzu. While there were many 'static' ideals, no human combines them in the same manner, unlike copy-pasting from one document to the other. His eyes opened when all he needed to say was said. There was another question:

"Tell me all that you know about the situation in Mosaic. I don't want to be left in the dark anymore. After all, it is part of my mission."

[Vice Ysal]

"To not have a reason aside from one you were born with. I don't see what's more excruciating, to not know your reason in this world or to only have a single impossible one. And to have such a curiosity, that is a rather admirable trait. To want to know things around you, it's a pleasure not everyone can experience. And I may be of help to this fascination of yours. Desperation, pain, and difficulties are the things that truly allow people's true natures to shine. Of course, doing that now with the limited resources available would just be counter productive." Vice gave a small laugh to himself, darkened thoughts seeping through his jovial tone in the conversation. Even if his partner were to be as monotonous as possible, the biker could probably offer enough in terms of variety for the two of them and even some for his thoughts were running right now.

"A lot of the new users are weak still, but everyone has to start somewhere. I'm willing to gamble that becoming stronger, in order to eliminate the shadows, would also be part of the requirements for victory yes? It is in battle that you can figure out something deeper about the people you fight with." Vice leaned back on his hands, shoulders drooping as his rough and calloused palms made contact on the cold flat surface of the floor behind him. "The situation in Mosaic…it's still as convoluted as ever. We've been doing this for months now and all we have still are simple conjectures and no concrete answers. As to what I know though, I'll give you the gist of it since I can trust myself to explain everything in clear detail to you." Shaking his head before glancing at the tombstone that marked her name on it, Vice tried to articulate what he knew of the events that had transpired.

"The blockade wasn't made by human means, and those responsible for it are the supposed culprits of these mess. Which means that the military are probably in cahoots with the shadows outside, or some stronger force. Said stronger force could also be the Full Moon Shadows themselves or what could be seen as their leader. The purpose of locking us all up in here? It could range from turning us into guinea pigs or as a source of sustenance." Pushing forward and placing his elbows unto his knees this time, Vice tried to come up with something more but the details were slightly blurring away with the things he had been theorising about.

"If you want to learn more, here." Pulling out his phone, punching in a few numbers, Vice then handed it over to the Android next to him. "This here is the number to an Ayakura, Alisa. She's a private investigator, and the one who filled me up on things way back when. Surely she's got more information than I do on the overall situation of the city." Once Crux could somehow memorise or keep the number secured, Vice would then retract his gizmo and pocketed it once more. "If, however, you want maps of the outside place. Details on nests, usual weaknesses, and even the occasional 'safe zones' for when you exploring, then I can hand you those things if ever."

[Crux]

A human could never understand what it meant to be stuck in his position, unable to be free to have some semblance of a social life. Not like anyone would want to get out of their way to talk to him. It was painful for him to hear those commending words from the man, managing to make him look away from Vice for long enough to know that he was uncomfortable with the compliments. "I don't need anyone's help to fulfill my fixation on the human ego. It will come to me, as do birds branch upon an outstretched hand filled with seeds. But... yes. It is very excruciating. Many times, I have considered 'offing myself' so to speak. 75% of the time, I actually attempt to do so. However, there is programming within me that may or may not have been installed after Shadow combat trials restricting me from performing any action to cause self-destruction."

He returned his gaze to the grave itself, pausing where he would sigh audibly. "'This is slavery, not to speak one's thought.
' If there was a way to become human, I would immediately take it. Our kind has been developed with egos, but only for the purpose of developing Personas. We were never meant to be interacting extensively with humans. Though we may have the capacity, not only are we chained to our assigned missions, but we are also unable to comprehend the feelings that we may sometimes feel."

Crux shook his head. Even through his openness, there was still no way that he could understand the inner turmoil within him. "To experience love, to easily make friends, to make an effort to live normal lives: these are impossible for an Anti-Shadow Weapon." 

On to another, more uplifting topic. He took note of Vice's information. Most of it was already known to him or they were obvious to tell. There had to be more, he thought, which was when he was referred to the phone number of an 'Ayakura, Alisa'. The robot took the phone number into him. "I don't require anything else regarding the outskirts. I can detect large concentrations of Shadows. Everything I wish to know may be with this 'Ayakura'. Anything else can be determined by experience."

"By the way, I do not think I've asked for your name yet."