[WORLD ONE | POST-UVI CELEBRATION]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members and Palai
Where: In and around the Aimintas marketplace
When: Day 39
Open/Closed: Open to All

After an appropriate amount of time for mourning, the Palai have shifted into a more positive mood -- they're a very resilient species, though there is a bit of a muted tone to their celebration. The whole event is a little hodge-podge, mostly because they aren't used to having to celebrate with the coven members added to the guest list. The Palai have gathered together all of their people and have invited the coven members to a small, intimate gathering -- the purpose of the event is to thank them for their service in fighting the Uvi, and the success of freezing the Uvi in their home. While no one knows how long the Uvi will stay gone, any amount of time without the Uvi being a concern is fine by them. The event takes place in the very center of the marketplace, with the Palai interacting on the fringes of the party throughout the rest of the large building. The coven members have time to spend by themselves, but there's room for moving around on their own and also spending time with the Palai if they so choose. A ▢ One of the more noticeable editions to the food the Palai have provided is a large pile of sweet, sugar dusted pastries. You may notice that something about them seems...odd, to say the least. It looks as if the pastries are vibrating slightly, but they smell divine. If you're so inclined to ask what the deal is, these pastries are magically infused by Eltos, which somehow gives them a sweeter flavor and enhances the sensation of tastebuds. The Palai sometimes eat these before meals in order to better the flavor of their entire spread -- though adding this energized magic to an already magical being means magic powers may be a little off kilter. Don't be surprised if suddenly your abilities go a little crazy. B ▢ The Palai aren't participating the party for two big reasons. One, the purpose is to celebrate the victory of coven members. The other reason, however, is one that may be more interesting to outsiders. While previously the Palai were peaceful people, happy to exist submitting to the Uvi, the coven's show of strength and valor has inspired them to be more aggressive in their approaches. Grown Palai can be seen working on makeshift weapons, but the idea of smaller tools like slingshots have already been constructed and almost perfected. The Palai youth have discovered these tools and are playing with them gleefully, though occasionally hitting each other -- and potentially you -- with energized, paralyzing rocks fueled with Elto energy. Watch out or you might get zapped! C ▢ Other Palai youth aren't as fortunate to be so distracted and happy. While fewer Palai died during this attack, the casualty number wasn't zero. Most Palai children still have at least one family member to care for them, but they're still a little disconnected from their people by means of grief. Some are milling about with the coven members, trying to eat or pester them for attention. If you're good with kids this may be more your speed, but those bad with children can find this irritating. Some Palai youth are more muted, however, content to just sit and listen to stories or eavesdrop on conversations. D ▢ For some people, rain isn't that big an issue -- but it certainly puts a damper (get it?) on a party. The Palai seem a bit confused by the sudden shower that comes in heavy as the evening dies down. The Palai have never experienced rain before, using irrigation systems and existing ground water as their means of hydration (both for themselves and for plants). Because the rain is coming from the ocean, the drops are large and salty, and the marketplace quickly begins to flood. The Palai move the party indoors for the most part, but that doesn't mean you or the food aren't already soaked. It's much warming underneath the roofs in the marketplace, but that doesn't provide much relief since the ocean rain is warm and humid. E ▢ Wildcard! How will your character handle this violent and volatile situation.

Comments

[deem]

[There are no small number of buttons on 9S' uniform coat, and it's a heavy garment to boot. It takes him some time to undo them all, and then shrug his way out of it]

Since it's the only major change that occurred, it's a distinct possibility.

[And if they have caused that kind of chance to the ecosystem, it begs the question of just how heavily they impacted the environment. Stopping the Uvi is one thing, but if their surroundings become unpredictable, that's disadvantageous at best and a significant problem at the worst.

Whatever the case is, he's holding out his coat for Flynn to take]

[thatdamnknight]

[any further commentary on the rain doesn't get made thanks to 9s offering flynn the garment. the coat receives a confused stare and then a smile. flynn also tries to stop himself from continuing to shiver, but fails.]

Thank you, but I'll be f-- achoo!

[so much for playing up the tough guy act.]

...Maybe I will borrow your jacket for a little while as long as you don't mind.

[deem]

I can't get sick, so go ahead.

[9S lifts it just a little higher, demonstratively. Flynn is more than welcome to it. If he were entirely frank, it's an honor to be able to look out for a human in this way.

But when is he ever entirely frank about what he feels?

...Unless there's sand in his boots. He will openly complain about that without hesitation]

[thatdamnknight]

Thank you.

[thus he takes it without any further argument. heavy but also not as heavy as his own armor. it will more than suffice in warming him up.

as soon as he's done putting the garment on, flynn turns back toward 9s.]

So androids are incapable of falling ill?

[deem]

[9S stiffens with a given discomfort, because the answer springs to mind immediately.

He's experienced the sort of ailment that can befall an android, and thus, he's far too familiar with it. As such that cautious rigidity seeps even into his tone as he looks elsewhere, for all that his eyes are still covered, rendering his emotions difficult to read]

Not exactly... But I don't think there's any risk of what we are susceptible to in this place.

[thatdamnknight]

[the stiffening gives 9s' discomfort away just as well as any expression would. whatever illness they can fall prey to must be severe in order to warrant this sort of reaction.

as curious as flynn is, he won't press further.]

...If you do fall ill to that or to anything else, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll do everything within my power to help.

[surely even a human like him could still somehow speed up the recovery or improve the survival rate.]

[deem]

If I were infected, and I couldn't repair myself, I would need to be destroyed.

[There's a hard finality about those words. 9S is stating simple fact, for logic virus infection in its worst stages is a fate worse than death for any android. As a Scanner, he's capable of suppressing and fending it off for quite a long time, but even so...

He knows the eventuality would come. And he knows he wouldn't sacrifice his memories to purge himself of the virus, not if he has a choice. It's not a trade-off he's willing to entertain.

No matter which option, he knows it would hurt 2B, and he doesn't know which would be worse...only that if he needed to be destroyed, he doesn't want it falling to her again. She's endured too much. Perhaps mercifully, it doesn't seem to be a factor here]

[thatdamnknight]

[the tone of the words doesn't get lost on flynn. as optimistic as he tends to be, that optimism falls into the category of realistic optimism. arguing with 9s about somehow saving him won't happen. he lacks any knowledge of androids or of the illness in questions so speaking such fluff would be pointless. if 9s says only destruction remains an option then it likely is the only option.

he frowns, his gaze gaining a somberness to it. flynn regards 9s silently for a moment before speaking again.]

What does this illness do to make it necessitate such a drastic action?

[how horrific is it that it means destroying someone? that also means the mortality rate has to be extraordinarily high.]

[deem]

In its final stages, I wouldn't have control over my motor functions anymore.

[9S speaks with the grim, weighted authority of firsthand knowledge. Whether that's because he's seen it before or experienced it before, he doesn't choose to clarify. Instead he keeps the explanation as clinical as he can]

It would make no difference if anyone I crossed paths with were friend or foe, I would attack them all. I'd see and know it was happening, and be unable to do anything about it. To an android, that's a fate worse than death.

[The warning he issues after this explanation is one that might sound strange, bearing in mind that 9S' goggles cover his eyes. Nevertheless, it's the most assured and immediate sign that something is wrong]

If an android's eyes ever glow red...stay clear.

[thatdamnknight]

So you would, in essence, be a prisoner within your own body.

[what a cruel illness. flynn can't even begin to fathom how that feels. the closest humans have is paralysis but even that doesn't involve attacking friend and foe alike.

red eyes... so if 9s ever begins attacking people for no reason, rip off the blindfold and check his eyes.]

I appreciate the warning, but I know I wouldn't be able to do that. If you ever fall prey to this and if the level of threat is as severe as you say, it would go against all I stand for to stay away.

[in other words, flynn would fight him. whether or not he'd win would be entirely irrelevant, but risking others getting hurt instead is something not permissible. he is a knight. knights protect people. fighting 9s wouldn't be at all enjoyable, but neither would watching him potentially cut down defenseless others.

then comes a sneeze and a weak smile follows.]

Which is why I truly hope that you never get sick.

[deem]

[Sick. It's a strange way of putting it, and yet 9S doesn't know how else to better define it for a human who doesn't have exposure to technology such as him. For all intents and purposes, he supposes it's close enough. The logic virus was a debilitating disease of a sort, damaging their functions, their cognition, and eventually overtaking them entirely.

Most prefer that death come for them first]

I suspect there are very few who could stop me here.

[As heavily as those words weigh on him, he has to speak them. The fact is that he could well kill humans if he were in such a state, and the thought fills him with a deep and abiding dread mixed with equal parts revulsion. To turn against his own creators, no matter his condition, would be unforgivable.

It's something he couldn't allow... Neither does he want 2B to be forced into stopping him if the worst were ever to transpire. Perhaps Pod 042 could dispatch him, capable of accessing his systems. It might be possible to shut him down that way]

While I don't imagine it's likely we'd encounter that in places like this... I'll have to take precautionary measures.

[Said perhaps too easily when he's essentially talking about his own prospective destruction]

[thatdamnknight]

[flynn would still try. regardless of how futile, regardless of his own death, he still would. between innocents suffering and 9s himself suffering, how could he not? as a knight... no, as who flynn himself is, he has to help no matter the poor odds or he wouldn't be able to live with himself. that's how he is and how he always will be.

these thoughts end up unspoken. with how much 9s likes humans, one decreeing that out loud probably would make him uncomfortable. this topic is already unpleasant enough so no need to make it worse.

that follow-up statement can only be called foreboding. flynn has to ask, though.]

What precautionary measures can you take?

[is it something akin to taking vitamin c to boost immunity against ailments or something different? likely the latter and likely not as simple nor as pleasant.]

[deem]

I'll find someone who can easily stop me.

[The answer comes perhaps too easily, for all that 9S hardly wants to die. Above anything else, his programming demands that he protect mankind. It doesn't matter what the details are, nor what it costs him. Even in a world where mankind was long beyond his reach, that part of him remained, eating away at him.

He'll do everything he can, but it ever it becomes necessary, he can't risk humans dying, and he doesn't want to harm 2B. That means he'll need to find someone powerful enough to disable him at the least if he becomes a threat to others]

That way, I can minimize potential damage.

[Ideally, keep it to zero]

[thatdamnknight]

Understandably so.

[flynn can't fault him for taking precautions like that. if flynn were in that position, he'd wish for the same. innocent people getting harmed weighs on a person like nothing else. all those who suffered because of flynn's mindless actions still burden him. blindly following orders led to horrible consequences (for which he can't blame alexei, as easy as it would be. he chose to carry out those orders so the fault rests with him and him alone).

even if he can't stop 9s in that situation, he can at least keep the android from suffering more than need be.]

For what it's worth, you have my word that, should this ever happen, I will do my best to see to it that no one is harmed.

[this, of course, fails to take into consideration flynn himself, but 9s doesn't need to know that.]

[deem]

...Make sure that includes you. If you don't look after yourself, you can't protect anyone else.

[This from the guy who makes a profession of getting himself damn near destroyed on a routine basis, but it's not like anyone here knows how bad he is except for 2B. It's pretty typical for androids, though especially true of 9S, drawing from a number of factors, including his own recklessness and interest in studying machine combat tactics. He was never meant for melee, and that hasn't stopped him.

Androids of course are different from humans. So long as their personality data and memories can be preserved, they can be transferred to another body. The same cannot be said for the race that created them, and so he's far more concerned about Flynn than he is for himself.

Not that he's forgotten that replacement bodies aren't an option anymore]

So you need to remain safe too.

[thatdamnknight]

[somehow he expected 9s to say as much. the comment ends up enough to get flynn to smile lightly. it's a good point if one flynn himself would say were their roles reversed.]

I'll do my best.

[which is about the best flynn can promise. he won't swear to remain safe but he won't say otherwise, either. what the situation needs most is what course of action he'll take. as a knight, risking his life is what he does. he's often said yuri can't turn a blind eye to other people suffering; the truth is, flynn is just as bad. no matter what at what cost to himself, he will protect those who need it. if that ends with his death then... well, then it happens.]

[deem]

...Anyhow, I'd appreciate if we can keep this conversation between us.

[Mostly, 9S doesn't want it reaching people who would worry far too much. Like 2B. Like Jude. He thinks it would be a hardship for them to know that he's thought about this, and he fears that 2B would surmise that he must be speaking from experience, knowing what it was to be infected, herself.

That's knowledge he doesn't want to burden her with]

I'll make sure to take proper precautions.

[thatdamnknight]

[flynn nods. even had 9s not said that, sharing this with other people wouldn’t have happened. it’s a personal, unpleasant topic. sharing the details of it is not up to him. he can also understand how most people wouldn’t take well to hearing this sort of plan. best and only thing to do is to keep his lips sealed.]

Of course.

[now why not go back to something slightly more pleasant to chat about.]

Thank you again for your jacket. I’ll return it to you as soon as it’s dry.

[and, you know, after he’s fully dry himself.]

[deem]

[He nods]

Alright. Be sure to stay warm, until then.

[As much as 9S is comfortable in and accustomed to his uniform, he far prefers that Flynn doesn't become ill. Sickness could be debilitating for humans or even prove lethal, and the last thing he wants to do is run the risk of anything happening when he could do something about it.

Besides, Flynn is a man with a kind nature and a desire to protect others... And perhaps far less drive to protect himself. He might need a little looking out for, with that fact in mind]