Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 31, 2014 1:58:08 GMT -5
I remembered Pyxis giving me her address the other day. So, I guess I will go see how she is doing. Lots of things have happened and I was also quite curious as to see how she kept and managed herself, given... Her nature. As, you know, a robotic maid with finger guns. And stuff. It all seemed comical in my head, but when you saw it in person, yeah, that was just a bit disconcerting. I went over to her flat, remembering her number, and... Rapped on the door. I wasn't a fan of doorbells for this sort of thing. Hopefully she would respond.
Today I was wearing the pleated long dress with blouse and sweater that Ran bought for me. Because I totally needed to look more casual and more outgoing this time. I figured I always had this serious image about me and I guess with those I was on better terms with it wouldn't help to perpetuate a more positive image of me. I would have a lot of things to report to Pyxis as well so it's not like this visit wouldn't be completely unproductive. Things to confirm as well.
Anyway, after a while of knocking I made it clear it was me waiting outside of the door by asking if anybody was home.
Today...was a lazy day. Pyxis had deliberately set it aside to relax, because her coworkers had insisted that she needed it. So, she'd planned on just spending the whole day playing video games, but ended up just lounging around for the last hour instead. She hadn't even bothered to get 'dressed' so to speak, and while she was wearing what amounted to clothes in some sense, it was hardly something that she could wear out and about. In fact it was little more than an extra protective layer over her artificial skin that, while it could pass as decent for a human, left her shoulder and hip joints exposed. Not something she'd settle for around anyone who didn't already know that her body was mechanical.
And that presented a problem, when someone came knocking at her door. Who was it? A coworker? A neighbor? Some door to door salesman? Whatever the case, she was only presentable in the first of those cases. She ran for her room, looking for something to wear over what she had. Maid outfit? The one sitting out was the torn up one. School uniform? It was a day off, so that would just look tacky. Anything else? She didn't actually own all that many clothes to begin with.
But, after awhile, a familiar voice called out from the other side of the front door. That was right, she had told Alisa where she lived. After hearing that, Pyxis abandoned her search and went to the front door. She pulled it open. "Hey," she said, smiling. "How're you doing?"
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 31, 2014 3:37:50 GMT -5
I nodded and requested to step inside. Pyxis was wearing some layer of some substance over her artificial skin which seemed to expose her shoulder and hip joints. "I'm doing fine, I just wanted to see how you were doing. On top of that, I have some preliminary data to report to you regarding the Shadows, that I think you will like and may help you get a headstart on finding out what's going on," I said to her, smiling softly. She could pass as a human with that layer if not for the fact her joints were exposed so it would be pretty obvious that she was a robot of some sort. I hoped that the fact she had neglected to wear actual clothes over it suggested that she was too lazy to find something or some other reason.
Data on shadows that she wanted to report. That wasn't exactly what Pyxis wanted to be dealing with on her day off. But, since Alisa was here, she could at least save all of it and deal with it later. She stepped out of the door frame to allow Alisa to enter and see the...rather unusual apartment that she kept. All of the usual furnishings that came with the place were there, although the kitchen area was completely unused and had no signs of any food. Or at least, none laying out. Pyxis did keep a few things, for the rare instances when she had visitors, but all of it was stored away. Meanwhile, behind that in the living room, it was impossible to miss the game wall or the weapon wall.
"Well, thanks for coming," Pyxis said. "It's my day off, but I'd be happy to hear what you have for me. In the meantime, if there's anything I can do for you, please let me know."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 31, 2014 5:00:22 GMT -5
I scratched my head as I stepped inside and looked around. The apartment that Pyxis kept was mostly ordinary except for the fact that there was a wall of games. And around there also was a wall of weapons. Possibly countless amounts of ammo. "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you," I said, bowing slightly. "But I won't overload you; I'll just give you the important bits I found out." I decided to find a seat and when I did I placed myself on it, looking at Pyxis.
"So it looks like we're looking at at least... five sentient Shadows. Possibly more. I couldn't give an upper limit, but I definitely know there are five," I said. I put down the business card of 'Isaac Strazos' on the table. "The man on this business card is one of them. Money lender guy. All of them have some distinctive human form and attempt to try and do regular human things in the city. So it's hard to pinpoint them directly as Shadows unless we see them in their dark form. Like the two we saw at the battle with the Shadow dancers."
I yawned. "I'm mounting a proper investigation on them but that's basically the executive summary, leaving out the Shadows' battle capabilities I learned from a colleague. That said, I'm quite curious to see what you do on your off duty."
"No, you're not disturbing me," Pyxis said, shrugging. Really, Alisa had better timing than her coworkers, who were prone to showing up either when she was out or when she was at a part in a game where she really couldn't be interrupted. She took a seat opposite Alisa, listening to her summary. Four sentient shadows, then. Unless the spear-wielding shadow from the fight in the hospital was one of those four, it was a possible fifth, as well. Maybe even six if BrideKnight was also a shadow. And apparently she'd managed to find the contact information of one of them, going by the name 'Isaac Strazos.'
"So they do have human forms...that would explain why we've only started running into them recently," Pyxis said. "I have still yet to investigate the one I told you about last time, but if she was also a sentient shadow, that would explain a lot about the things she said." Now that the possibility of such a thing existing had been concerned, it was a much easier idea to believe. "Keep me informed, and I'll let you know what I find."
Strangely, Alisa had also asked about what she did while off duty. "It's not that interesting," she said. "I usually just play video games. One of my coworkers has been trying to get me into anime as well. Other than that, sometimes I go out and people-watch. I know it probably sounds messed up for me to say this, but humans can be fun to watch."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 31, 2014 6:03:30 GMT -5
I nodded in acknowledgement as the robot maid explained that she would basically also be doing her part on this. "I'll be sure to keep you informed on any new details I find. The more we know, the better equipped we'll be to deal with them if we must. After all, neither Shadows last battle displayed any hostility towards us. Perhaps we were lucky," I said.
People-watching? Ah, right - she's a robot. Of course, a robot with a highly developed AI made to match other humans would be 'curious' about how actual humans act. A long time ago, machine learning was a big field of study by computer scientists. Looks like mankind has gone a long way since then; or the big boys were keeping all the secrets to themselves. Regardless, I could understand the sentiment. I must be reading too much nowadays. Asimov comes to mind. Looks like she enjoys the same things kids do too, video games... She also mentioned one of her coworkers had been trying to get her into anime.
"So you like to play video games... I don't play video games. Much. I usually just go to the arcade for that kind of stuff," I responded to that. "Interesting, though. As for people-watching, do you like learning about human behavior, then? I mean, in practice. I don't mean the academic crap."
Lucky? Maybe. But if they really were sentient, then they probably had their own reasons for fighting. Or not fighting, as the case may be. Pyxis didn't pretend to understand them. In fact, quite the opposite, they were even harder to understand than the strangest humans. And she couldn't claim it wasn't a part of her mission, either. Understanding them could well be the key to destroying them.
But that was a matter for another time.
She looked back down at the business card Alisa had laid out, memorizing the contact details written on it. That, too, would be a matter for another time, but she wanted to at least make sure she had everything she needed to look into it later. As for her pastimes, Alisa mentioned going to the arcade and asked about learning about human behavior.
"I'm a little scared to do anything in an arcade, actually," she said. "I mean, not of the arcade itself, but I'm worried I'll end up breaking something. How would I even explain that? 'Oh, I snapped off the joystick because...um...I'm really strong?'" She laughed. "And yes, I do. I'd like to think I know enough to play the part, but humans always manage to surprise me. So learning more is fun."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 31, 2014 18:20:34 GMT -5
That made sense. After all, Pyxis was a robot with... uh, exceptional amounts of strength. I wouldn't put it past her if she accidentally broke something from sheer concentration or frustration, to be honest. "I see, that does make sense to me," I responded with a nod. "As for people... Yeah, humans can be surprising. They're complicated beings. They can either be complicated in a stupid way, or complicated in an interesting way. Unfortunately the former is a greater occurrence than the latter." I said sadly, looking around. The weapon wall really caught my fancy.
"And you sure do keep a lot of weaponry in here. Just how much ammo's even in here? Doesn't it get tough to take care of everything? I mean... ignoring the fact you probably have facilities for that."
"Yes, I've seen plenty of the former," Pyxis said, taking something approaching an exasperated tone. Humans could be...complete and utter idiots when allowed to be. And the worst part of that was that tendency was not something Pyxis was immune to. She just...tried to avoid it whenever she could. "And while that can be interesting in its own way...it mostly only serves for entertainment." And while watching people do stupid things did provide for some momentary amusement...Pyxis tried to keep a better impression of the people she so often tried to emulate than that.
Soon after, the wall of weapons and ammunition caught Alisa's attention. Well...it was mostly ammunition. Most of the 'weapons' there were actually non-functioning or in multiple pieces, either because she cannibalized them when upgrading her built-in guns or because that was the only way they could be brought in. Pyxis usually kept that wall covered when she had guests but, again, she had very little to hide from Alisa by this point.
"I don't even know," Pyxis said. She could probably make estimates, but there wasn't much point. It was a lot. "Only half of those cans are still full, actually. And yes, I have means for taking care of everything, so I manage."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 1, 2014 3:35:44 GMT -5
I nodded as Pyxis explained some things, mostly it could be summarized in two points. Firstly, that it could be said I was right in some way, humans did tend to display an alarming amount of stupidity and incompetence at times, though it did somewhat provide some amount of entertainment. I'm glad, however, that Pyxis didn't seem to display openly whether she had a low opinion of human beings, as depressing as they can get sometimes. I can attest to it; I've been guilty of it myself. After I pointed out the weapons, Pyxis mentioned she wasn't sure - judging by how she battled, it was probably pointless to count in terms of clips or magazines - she probably had to count in terms of ammo canisters.
Spray and pray was effective in battles against shadows but quite wasteful in terms of ammo. I wasn't a firearms sort of person but my mother was, and educated me regarding those. From some of the weapons I saw from the wall, I wasn't sure if they were used or if they were functional. I wasn't about to ask, because I could guess that it was likely not working seeing as some of those weapons were dismantled... Did she modify herself using those parts?
"Interesting. It looks like just like human beings, robots, androids and gynoids also have their advantages and disadvantages. It's really like a video game, if you think about it," I yawned. "I'm curious about something. If you had the choice, would you stay as you are or become an actual human?"
"If you had the choice, would you stay as you are or become an actual human?"
That...that was a hell of a question. It was one Pyxis veered back and forth on from day to day. She had never even considered it until she heard that Chidori was dying, at which point she suddenly came to realize that her orders presented a contradiction with what she should have done. Since then, she had started to find a way around those absolute orders in order to do what was necessary. But at the same time, she started to learn more and more things that humans had over her. And, that she had over humans. The question of which she would have preferred was not one with a simple answer.
"On the one hand...my highest mission is to fight shadows, and I'm built perfectly for that. I can fight without worry of physical exhaustion, I can't be disarmed, my physical capabilities are greater than any human's, and my body can take much more punishment. I can be rebuilt, almost from scratch if need be, so long as my personality module isn't destroyed." She left out the fact that the organization probably wouldn't have the resources to do so in Mosaic. True, she wouldn't 'die', but she'd be taken out of the fight and effectively put into stasis until everything was over, at which point she may well never see anyone in the city again.
She wasn't going to think about that at the moment, though.
"On the other hand, as human as my heart may be, my body is still that of a machine. I can't eat or drink. My sense of touch isn't as advanced as yours. I have a natural inclination to follow orders and have only recently started finding ways around the stricter ones. Most of the human behavior I exhibit is learned; it didn't come naturally. I can still make stupid decisions, so I don't have that advantage over them. I wasn't made to be human, just to think like one and pass for one when I had to blend in. But the closer I am to that, the more I realize what I'm missing."
Pyxis closed her eyes, thinking more about the question posed. But, she soon realized that she was not going to come to an adequate answer during this meeting. "That's not a question I can answer yet. I really don't know which I'd prefer." Then she opened her eyes and smiled. "Why, would you prefer me as a human?"
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 2, 2014 19:38:32 GMT -5
A fair analysis. Was really the only conclusion I could come to from Pyxis' answer. She discussed the advantages of both 'races,' so to speak - why it was good to be who she was, a machine built specifically to combat the Shadow threat, and why it was good to potentially be a human. I didn't mean to put her on the spot, either, but soon I realized I may have done so, especially with how complex the answer actually was. Soon, she asked me if I would prefer her as a human. Tough question. I think, just think, I actually might.
"That is an equally hard question for me to answer as well," I simply said. "Under normal circumstances, anyway. But as I see it, it feels to me that perhaps I really would prefer you as a human. I don't exactly know why, but... It's just a feeling I have." I awkwardly smiled, now looking around the apartment again from my vantage point. Yes, it was very clear she was robotic. But I wonder, would life be the same for her if she really /was/ human? She wouldn't last longer than us like she would if she was still a robot, and she would become subject to the same limitations.
"But I understand this much - unlike us regular folk, you're naturally stronger than us as you are, and in theory, have much less to worry about. And I think many of us would appreciate that of you more."
Interesting. Pyxis hadn't actually expected Alisa to give her a serious answer to her response question. She hadn't entirely been serious in asking it. It felt like one of those questions that, when humans asked them, had no right answer. But, perhaps precisely because she wasn't human that Alisa felt safe in answering. Or perhaps...there was something else that prompted the answer Pyxis got. If there was, though, she wasn't sure what it was either. "I guess that wasn't a fair question, either," Pyxis said when she was done. "I think I can understand where you're coming from. Mostly."
But at the same time, something nagged at her. Apart from her answer that yes, maybe Alisa would prefer her as a human, Alisa had also accepted the merits of the reality of it. And that presented its own problems. A machine that fought shadows was useful as long as there were shadows to fight. What about when they were gone. "But..." she said, "That still leaves the question of what happens when the fighting is over." Despite the less positive turn her words suddenly took, she cracked another smile. "And don't act like it won't. Sooner or later, somehow or other, we'll win. But once that happens, I won't have much use around here anymore."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 2, 2014 23:39:56 GMT -5
I sighed. It was true; Pyxis was built to combat the Shadow threat. When this was all over, there would be no more threat to combat. What would happen to Pyxis, then? She had a purpose, a role to fulfill. When her role was fulfilled, would she be discarded or put away like a used weapon? Just the mere thought coming up in my mind was very sad. I guess, deep down inside, I didn't want that to happen. I might have been selfish in thinking so, but at the same time... It was sad. It was something that didn't necessarily have to happen. I sighed. "Yes, we will win. Sooner or later. But I don't know what will happen after that," I said. "You make it sound like there's a built in procedure to stop doing anything after this is all over. Would they force you to return and be kept away? I can't accept that, even if it is a possibility. I don't want that to be an inevitability. It's... sad."