Private Down The Rabbithole

[Arekk]

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Smoke curls emanated from his nostrils and his lit cigarette was quickly discarded by being thrown into nothingness, as he absorved Ethos City's morning skyline. When Arekk sighed, the smoke that drifted in a cloud from his mouth, dissipated quickly in the open air.

H4L remained in the comfort of his bed 'powering up' or whatever it was that she had to do, Arekk didn't feel like interrupting her resting. How long had it been since she was able to say that she had slept in a bed? To close her eyes and finally rest against a pillow?

It was something that the slicer would never be able to comprehend.

Resting against the comfortable pillow in his chair, Arekk absorved the entirety of Ethos City's skyline until the grey menacing clouds began to take over the sky and the everyday thunderstorm began to take place.

Before him, the balcony window shut as he walked towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Even if H4L wasn't required to eat he was still going to cook something delicious for the occasion, nobody in his household was allowed to wake up hungry.

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// RABBITS_DEN_ETHOS_CITY

Machines did not dream; yet this all felt far too much like one.

Halcyon rested beside him through the night, opting to close her humming eyes and resign to the sounds of his breath and the gentle drum of his heart against her ear. That was plenty, really. It was all she needed to remain assured that she was not under the influence of some complex bug in her flawed code, nor was she caught in some virtual reality detached far from the real one. No, this was real. She was here. He was here. It was hard for her to process, and even harder for her to understand. Isolation had not done her interactions with organics any favors, and for the first she had encountered in quite some time to do all of these things for her... it was unbelievable.

And yet, with the rhythm in his chest comforting her, she felt it.

This was real.

All of it was real.

Twilight came and the city stirred below, and soon after, the slicer did too. Hal drew away from him, keeping her eyes closed as he moved about to tend to his morning ritual, and instead of joining him, she remained withdrawn to her scattered thoughts and the monumental task of organizing them. Sorting them. Searching for irregularities and triple-checking her code to ensure nothing had been tampered with or hindered. Nothing had been, of course, but she found something niggling the concern in the back of her mind all the same in perpetual, irritating notion. What was the meaning of it?

What was the meaning of any of this?

"There is always a first time to everything. It's not the fact that you don't have the need to do it but you should keep the illusion alive. Let yourself go and do things even if they don't make sense to you."

His words trickled through the cracks of her racing processes, resounding and lingering there to stir that strange feeling within her core once more. How could she be puzzled over something like this?

By the time he had returned inside, the replica was sitting upright with her knees drawn to her chest and her back to the headboard of his bed, resting her cheek against the jointed span of synthflesh left bare by her shorts. Pale brows were knit together, creasing her forehead in troubled thought, though her glowing eyes tracked his motion all the same- watching as he crossed the space and moved to the kitchen to sort away his breakfast.

"It'll be for the better from now on. I just know. I can feel it."

Would it?

Slowly, her arms uncurled from their embrace around her legs and she slid for the edge of the bed, placing the bare soles of her feet against the cold floor. A pause.

Could it?

Halcyon brushed her hair forward, gathering it over her right shoulder as she rose, moving with the softest echo of mechanized whirr to her stride, and joined him in the kitchen. She paused behind him for a moment, simply watching as he went about his business in silence. And then... she stepped forward further, curling her arms beneath his from behind and pressed her cheek to his bare shoulder, saying nothing as she embraced him.

Maybe.

Maybe it could be.

"Good morning," the replica murmured softly, giving him a gentle squeeze.

 

[Arekk]

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The soft touch of her arms as they wrapped under his body made his morning a much more warm one as he continued to put butter on his toast. Two warm cups of stimcaf were ready by the counter, Arekk didn't know if H4L's replica allowed her to drink or eat like a human being but still thought to provide her with options.

"Good morning." He said while giving her a warm smile through a side-glance. "How'd you sleep?"

How long had it been since he felt like this? Too long to know and too painful to remember, memories of old echoing in his mind as he gave it a thought. No. No more. Let it go. He sipped from his hot steaming stimcaf cup carefully as to not burn his lips, pointing at H4L's right after.

"I made you coffee. Not sure what kind you like or if you like it at all but I assume you want something to power up your morning."

The thunderstorm outside didn't seem to give in but that wasn't enough to deter them from their plan of shopping. H4L was in the dire need of obtaining new attires, including something to cover up her cybernetic appearance from others, vital for her survival in Ethos City.

"Do you have anything in mind for today?" He inquired innocently. "Apparel, I mean. What do you like?"

A question that could have a thousand answers. She could finally respond. At last.

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// RABBITS_DEN_ETHOS_CITY

Halcyon blinked at the question, furrowing her brows together as he asked of her tastes. How was she supposed to know the answer to that question? Shimmering eyes flicked up to peer at the side of his face she could see from where she was and she shrugged, shaking her head slightly after. "I am not sure I understand completely what it is you ask of me." Rather than be exposed for the blush across her face, she quickly gave him another squeeze and slipped away, reaching once she had settled at his side to collect the cup. Both metal hands curled around it, cupping it close as she just... studied it for a few moments.​

"It's warm..." She remarked, stating what was obvious for him, but a whole new experience for her. Hal pulled the mug to her nose, taking a shallow whiff of the contents with something of a puzzled expression forming on her face. "It smells good... I think..." She chuckled, unsure of herself on that one. Bitter and sweet? What a foreign concept to her processes. But she didn't drink from the mug, no, she simply held onto it, appreciating the warmth it offered her cybernetic palms and fingers.​

"I did not sleep, as I do not sleep... But I did enjoy resting beside you." The replica flashed a pearly smile towards him, nodding faintly as she did, "You are... Cute when you sleep." She teased, shifting her weight into her right leg to bump her hip into his, "How is your shoulder feeling? I need to clean it after you have your food."​

Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

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"Glad you like it."

Arekk said happily as he munched on his buttery toast, followed by a sip from his coffee mug. His spirit that morning was upbeat and harmonious which was rare for him at all, specially if you take into account the last five years' occurances.

A story for another time, perhaps.

"You could give it a try. You might not actually sleep like we organics do but there's low-power mode, right?" He returned the gesture with a toothy smile. "It's slightly sore but I'll make it."

The silence that overtook their conversation was comfortable, amenable. It didn't feel wrong as they seemingly didn't need to rely on words to be comfy in each other's presence. He sipped from his mug and ate away the last pieces of toast before getting up, ready to get patched up again.

"Free will, Hal. You'll get to pick whatever clothes you want, something that you like. You have choices now unlike before. Does that make sense?"

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// RABBITS_DEN_ETHOS_CITY

"Free will, Hal. You'll get to pick whatever clothes you want, something that you like. You have choices now unlike before. Does that make sense?"

The replica furrowed her pale brows at his words towards her, tilting her head slightly as she dissected them. Of course, she knew what free will was, as she had lived by it for years now. But the concept of liking something, well, that was more of a recent development. She had things she preferred, such as the rain, and the company of music, and spending time with this crackshot of a slicer was more ideal than spending time alone. But aesthetics? That was what lay in question, right?​

"Ah... aesthetic choices..." Halcyon trailed off, reaching a hand to brush the platinum strands from her eyes, "I was not programmed for that. I do not really know what I would like to wear, but maybe I can figure this out once we are out shopping." She shrugged her shoulders, pushing off the counter and abandoning her mug to retrieve the medical kit from the bathroom once again. A quiet sigh slipped from her as she paused in the bathroom, staring at herself in the partial dark with the mirror over the sink. Slowly, her eyes swiveled and whirred in adjustment, taking in the reality of her form.​

And she just stood there, paralyzed it seemed, by the sudden grasp of the situation and the weight it carried. The realization of self struck her violently, giving all of these strange sensations and processes deeper meaning than just data. The first-aid kit she clutched to her chest popped quietly beneath the unrealized strength put into her grip around it.​

Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

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"It's no longer programming or what you were designed to do. It's about what you want to do. Easy as that."

She had to let go of comparisons and gibberish techy talk, Halcyon was no longer 'trapped' into the net but instead was among the living common. It wasn't about ones and zeroes anymore let alone what her programming was as the choices she'd take from now on were of her own volition.

"Stop looking at yourself like a droid would. You're now flesh and bones." Arekk tried to explain from across the room. "Aesthetics is a way of putting it. The most insignificant thing now could mean a lot. In this case? Clothes."

Arekk sat at the edge of the bed as he waited for H4L to return from the bathroom, his upper body already undiscovered and ready for her to clean up his wound. It had healed as expected, ached slightly but he would survive. A lot more scars adorned his body, he liked to call himself a walking war canvas of sorts.

"It's difficult to wrap your head around it, I know, but you'll get the hang of it."

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

​

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// RABBITS_DEN_ETHOS_CITY

"It's no longer programming or what you were designed to do. It's about what you want to do. Easy as that. Stop looking at yourself like a droid would. You're now flesh and bones." Arekk tried to explain from across the room. "Aesthetics is a way of putting it. The most insignificant thing now could mean a lot. In this case? Clothes. It's difficult to wrap your head around it, I know, but you'll get the hang of it."

But it wasn't so easy. I would never be so easy. As much as Arekk may have looked at her differently, Halcyon was still more than aware of what she was and precisely what it was she was capable of, and none of it included these concepts he spoke of. His words served enough to draw her from the bathroom regardless, and she padded quietly back into the living room, peering at him searchingly with an expression that suggested he had only made her more confused. Something in the back of her mind told her trying to explain it to him again would not get her anywhere, and so she refrained from speaking on it further.​

"You're right," she conceded with a feigned sigh, before placing the kit down on the bed next to him. A quick look over his shoulder revealed the worst of the wound had passed, surprisingly, and that much raised her brows in surprise. "You heal quickly." The replica remarked as she flicked open the lid of the dented medical kit and sorted its slimming contents for more bacta spray and clean gauze. "I'm just going to patch over it, given how much it's healed- save you the supplies." And really, that's all she had to offer before she set to work dabbing at the edges of the mangled flesh and spritzing it with the spray. ​

When as much had been completed and the replica had gently pressed the gauze pad over the wound, she stepped back and gathered up the kit, packing the remaining contents back within. "I processed a lay of the city while you were sleeping. There are a few peculiar locations I would like to go that may have things I would like to purchase." Hal offered him over her shoulder with the carry of the medical kit to the kitchen island this time, rather than all the way back into the bathroom. Given his track record, the A.I. suspected they may be using it again sooner rather than later. "There is just a matter of concealing what needs to be hidden, now."​

There was always a catch, wasn't there?​

Arekk ​

 

[Arekk]

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"It's all mumbo-jumbo in your ears but that's fine. You don't have to agree with me."

There was more than enough reason for Halcyon to not follow along with Arekk's words, after all he was only human and couldn't comprehend the complexity of the replica's existance and what it means to be what she was. It'd take time to adapt to the organic life but she'd get there eventually.

Time to time.

"My body has adjusted to being mangled and shot at, apparently." The slicer said in jest. "Which parts interest you the most? I assume you've assessed the danger levels of each location."

Ethos City could be a rough place to live and walk around as crime ran rampant throughout each district, regardless of people's socio-economic circumstances. The richest neighbourhoods had considerable amounts of illegal activity from certain gang disputes but most people were relatively sheltered from being in harm's way.

The southern side, though? You had a bunch of criminal organizations killing each other every day for a piece of the action and a piece of turf. Girls, spice, illegal weapons trade. A criminal's haven. Police? Non-existant or on the payroll.

"I'm ready to go when you are."

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// RABBITS_DEN_ETHOS_CITY

Halcyon didn't have much to wear, at all really but what she had borrowed from his wardrobe the night prior. And that much would have to do in the meantime, until she was able to purchase expansions to her meager collection. Of course, she wandered back over to his closet, rifling through without permission in a quest to find a hooded jacket with depths excessive enough for her to hide her features by a shroud. Her eyes were going to be the most troubling, to say the least- their glowing lenses were insufferable. "Mmm... this is going to be a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated..." She remarked in his direction as she withdrew a hooded coat and pulled it on, gathering up her platinum locks and tucking them down the back of the collar soon after.​

The hood was drawn up, and it served its purpose to shade her face well enough, however, the beaming electric blue of her eyes was ever-present.​

"Do you have any sunglasses? Oh- and..." The replica turned her head down, gazing at the tops of her bare feet, toes wiggled against the floor at the mention, "shoes I can borrow, too? Boots? Even if they're too big, I can just tie them tightly enough to stay on." Both arms took to motion then, raising to push her shoulders into a gentle, graceful shrug which was soon followed by a teasing grin, "I know I'm terribly needy, you'll get used to it, don't worry." More of that humor, it seemed like. She was adjusting quickly.​

Arekk ​

 

[Arekk]

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"I have some things you might want to keep. Wait here."

It didn't take a minute before Arekk stormed off to the nearby closet to rummage through heaps of boxes, most of them containing discarded tech gadgets from failed projects and some clothes that he kept away due to lack of usage.

He placed two medium sized boxes on top of the bed for H4L to go through where she'd be able to find accesories such as eye lens that mimicked human corneas of all kinds of colours as well as piercings for your nose, lip, etcetera. In the other box were clothes perfectly fit for a lithe female figure.

"These were my ex's. I guess you won't mind." The slicer casually mentioned. "Feel free to pick your poison. That's... a saying. Don't take it too literally."

And as such, the wait for Halcyon to pick an outfit had begun. Arekk vanished for a few minutes to do some routine stuff around the house while she took her sweet time with the clothes and accessories, after all she didn't really do this stuff before.

"Don't rush, though. Needy or not I am happy still."

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// RABBITS_DEN_ETHOS_CITY

The replica tilted her head at the boxes, moving over to grasp the flaps curiously, and pulled them open. Of course, she didn't really understand the context or the meaning of the words Arekk spoke. What was an 'ex'? She didn't know, other than variable. The unknown. Perhaps it was fitting. But why would a variable have clothes? Her eyes narrowed with the processing behind these attempts to logic. Whatever the conclusion she came to, she kept it to herself amidst her rifling through, sorting through a plethora of shirts and jackets to find a pair of black boots tucked at the bottom of the box. These would do just fine.​

If there was anything else in the box she liked, she didn't touch it, save for the contacts and for those, she just grabbed a random pair and tossed her head back, popping them in with inhuman ease. Hal blinked after, looking at him. The glow was mostly concealed, and now, her eyes just looked brown. It was strange how much more human she looked after that small addition. "Is this better?" She asked of him as she sat down on the bed to slip her feet into the boots claimed previously.​

They were just a bit too small... just slightly, but she would manage for a few hours. "Gah... these are just a little too small..." The replica sighed as she tied them loosely, giving her ankles plenty of room in order to compensate for the smushing of her toes. It wasn't like she could feel much of the pain from this anyway. "It is okay, though. I can manage until I purchase some of my own." Hal rose, pacing around in a small circle to get a feel for the shoes, even going as far as to bounce up onto her toes to better break the shape to suit her needs. When she found it was close enough, she tucked her blackened titanium hands into the pockets of the jacket of his she wore, hood still up. "Let's go, then. I am excited to see the city." ​

Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

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"You look great. Sorry about the size, I'll get you something much better."

The city's evening was vibrant and when things began to get slightly spicier, tons of people roamed throughout the streets in search for their next purchase, vice or sin. Lithios was the land of opportunity for some and sin for others so their chances to encounter both at the same time were high.

Arekk had already dressed up while H4L did the same as he donned his iconic black leather jacket with a thin white shirt underneath. His shoes were worn out and old just like his clothes but that made him look just right in a certain fashion sense.

The five o'clock shadow he sported was just the 'icing on the cake' too.

"We're walking to the merchant's district. I'm sure you'll appreciate the beautiful side of town." Not only that but the rain was calming and welcoming, in a way. "We will see some stores along the way too, anything that catches your eye you can go to. Yeah?"

Before leaving, Arekk walked to the nightstand next to his bed to grab his K-16 Blaster Pistol to promptly conceal it underneath his jacket's holster.

"After you."

H4LCY0N
​

 

[H4LCY0N]

status :// IN_THE_FLESH
locale :// THE_STREETS_ETHOS_CITY

The A.I. paused at the door as she watched him arm himself, and for a moment, she almost asked if she could carry one too. She knew how to use one well enough. Something innate in the back of her mind told her as much. But, she trusted him more than she trusted anyone else at the current moment, to watch her back well enough. Once he was ready, she nodded a single time and flashed a smile, pulling open the door and stepping out into the rainy afternoon.​

​

A gentle sigh came after she took a breath of the petrichor, allowing it to soak into her processors through her servos and artificial senses, and she found herself as mesmerized by it as always. Yet, she was alert to their environment and surroundings despite her wish to simply relax and enjoy reality for the first time in years. Halcyon cast her gaze down one side of the street, then flicked it up the other, eyes going wide as she fixated on the towering skyscrapers and the giant, holographic displays cascading down nearly every one of them. Her expression changed in an instant, and she paused in her stride, stunned as the beaming neon light bathed her.​

​

Judging by her reaction to a single look, there was going to be a lot of this. ​

​

"Oh... wow..." the words left her as a murmured sigh.​

Arekk​

 

[Arekk]

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"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Words could not describe what Halcyon was experiencing once they set foot outside the apartment complex. The sheer scale of Ethos City would be too much for anyone to handle with its sky-high skyscrapers, the neon billboards adorning every corner and the people romaing around with outfits you'd think were too extravagant anywhere else.

Arekk could relate in a way to the girl, experiencing the 'real' for the first time after years of being secluded to a temple in his early Jedi training days.

Setting foot inside a ship for the first time, travelling all over the galaxy with a set mission and then landing in places you never thought you'd ever see in your life time.

Breathtaking.

"There's so much you will be able to see, Hal. And I'll be glad to show you."

The slicker tucked her jacket and prompted her to move side-to-side with him in a specific direction.

"Come on. You can take a look everywhere as we walk. Don't want to bump into a noodle car while we stand, huh?"

H4LCY0N
​