Private Welcome to my Wonderland

[NPC Treasury]

Pathfinder


The benefit of having one's teashoppe at the edge of the forest, was the fact that when she needed to resupply some of her ingredients, all that she had to do was walk outside and roam through the forest to pick out what she needed.

It was perfect.

Today was a perfect day too. The sun was bright and filtered through the many leaves of the trees. There was even a cool breeze, which helped to draw away most of the heat. However Kay wasn't one to go looking for the proper herbs and mushrooms during mid day. She was always busy in her shoppe at that time. So instead her choice of time was right after sunrise.

With light sandles on and a flowy cloak, she carried a basket in hand like some sort of fair maiden in a fairy tale. But really she wasn't. She was far from that, and this certainly wasn't a fairytale.

Something seemed different in the air today, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on the cause. The birds were still singing, yet their songs seemed to be off to another side of the forest. Hmm...

Her eyes scanned the area as she walked down her usual path, looking for anything that wasn't...well...usual.

 

[Pathfinder]

Pathfinder's treks through the forest were, as always, incredibly eventful. From the leaves that flutter from the towering trees, the birds nesting on their branches, to the fish that swim and jump from water to water with a satisfying splash, it seems that the world around him is ever changing, ever living, ever being. To grow and change- such foreign concepts to him, a droid that was fated to remain the same throughout his years. Never a natural change in height or weight, a growth spurt is never to hit him, and the passage of time only effects him with mere inconvenient rusting, not the threat of old age.

He has all the time in the world to think about it. To follow the generations of birds as they flutter through the air in search for food and materials. Nature is the antithesis to machinery, and it is what interests him the most. To witness the planet breathing beneath his feet. Pathfinder spots a ring of curious looking mushrooms- a brand new kind he'd never seen. Such an interesting oddity, he can't help but crouch down and brush them with a cold, metallic digit. The grass around them dances in the air, and the droid decides to march on, pursuing the distant sound of tweets and singing.

It isn't until much later that he stumbles upon a path. Pathfinder stops in his tracks, opting to study it. It's man-made. A mild discomfort bubbles inside him, and he goes to turn away, before hearing the sound of footsteps. Curious, the droid turns his body, and his single photoreceptor detects what appeared to be a human woman come into frame. Still inexperienced with such encounters, the droid takes a few steps back, deciding to avoid raising his gun at her- and to instead whistle and chirp, mimicking the birds, in hopes the woman would recognize his peace.

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And there it was. Pathfinder .

She raised a brow at the droid that seemed rather timid at bring spotted. And was it mimicking the birds?

Her approach stopped. She set the basket down slowly and held out her hands, keeping them visible and empty. "Hello there..." Her voice remained calm and quiet as she spoke, almost as though she was talking to a wild animal. "...Do you speak Basic?" Given that it copied the birds, she wasn't so sure. And from the looks of things it's as though it had been in the woods for a while.

 

[Pathfinder]

The droid instinctively distances himself even more, the sound of leaves and twigs crunching and snapping easily beneath his heavy feet. He is surprised, however, at the reaction he's gotten. Whether his attempt at signalling his peace had worked, or if this specific human was just naturally kind at heart, Pathfinder hadn't ever encountered an organic that had responded to him well. Any sightings of him would entail the usual - screaming in fear, shouting obscenities at him before running away as fast as their legs could carry them, perhaps with the occasional gunshot directed at him.

Those last ones he hated the most.

Still, he's amazed. Intrigued, even, that this woman is... speaking to him. Pathfinder was expecting any minute for her to drop the act and try to hurt him, but that moment never came. Absentmindedly, his arms relax, and though the droid's subtle jittering from his inner core never ceased. He eyed the basket she lowered, unsure of what it even was, before returning his gaze to her hands. Fascinated by the gesture, Pathfinder mimics it, opening his left palm.

He chirps something back in timid binary. A solid 'no' to her question, whether she understood him or not. Pathfinder tilts his head, fixated on the woman. The flowers that cling to his body dance in the wind, the grass formed on his chassis from years of dormancy waving silently. It's apparent that he's harmless, and ever so curious.

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[NPC Treasury]

Never had she seen a droid so scared before. Kay had friends that were droids, his favourite being Ultimatum . They had gone on many adventures together, back in the day...

And now she had come across Pathfinder . How long he had been here, she didn't know. But the greenery that grew on him had suggested at least over a decade. Kay hadn't been here that long though. Only half that, which included the time that she was dead in the Netherworld.

"You don't? Well....can you understand me, at least?" As she spoke, Kay sat herself down in the grass, cross-legged. The droid was afraid, yet not too afraid to just run away. So she put in the effort to make herself as small and least scary as possible.

 

[Pathfinder]

Pathfinder's curiosity never wavered. It still baffled him that such a creature was attempting to communicate with it... but she had earned his trust. Her voice was soft, hands empty, and as he watched her slowly get to the floor, he finally determined that she was of no threat to him. To address the human's question, Pathfinder nods, accompanied by a low chirp of binary.

He observes her sitting position. Cross-legged, something his joints just would not allow him to do. The droid attempts to mimic her, crouching down ever so slightly, before falling onto the floor with a loud thud. Nearby birds screech in alarm, flying away from the branches they were perched on, and there's a subtle rumble across the ground, but Pathfinder seems relatively unfazed. He sits with his large, bulky legs sprawled out, his arms at either side of him.

There is a brief moment of silence, something that would have otherwise made him feel comfortable. Curiously, in this instance, it did not. The lack of noise makes him uneasy, as if he wants to learn more about this fascinating human. Pathfinder beeps for her name, if she had one. Whether she answered or not, the droid's baby blue optic seems entirely focused on her.

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Well Pathfinder could understand her at least. That much was certain. She gave a small smile of amusement as he sat himself down, although she steadied herself with her hands on either side of her when the ground shook. He seemed to be copying her.

At least he seemed a little less afraid.

"Ah! Right! Introductions. My name is Kay and I live nearby in a tea shoppe. I work there as well and mostly take care of everything by myself. It's nice and peaceful here for that, isn't it?" She left out a great many details and that was on purpose. One doesn't stay hidden from the Galaxy by blurting out their life story to everyone they met.

 

[Pathfinder]

Pathfinder seemed entirely entranced by the woman's words, listening attentively, not to miss a single syllable. They were soft and well-spoken, and although lacking in details, the droid never felt the urge to pester her for more. Not necessarily because he respected her privacy - truthfully, he hadn't entirely grasped the concept of such a thing. No, rather because he enjoyed filling out the blanks in his head, those tiny little mental images bringing him such joy to create. An odd thing for a droid to take pleasure in, but Pathfinder's programming has long since been glitching out. To say he isn't normal is an understatement.

He thinks of the pretty lady who lives on her own, like a forest warden patrolling the trees in search for magical items for her little parlor, much like that of a fairy tale. The droid had always pondered the reason for his existence. The remaining data in his files suggest that he is a machine bred for war, but the desire to harm has been nearly forgotten, unearthed only in unfortunate circumstances against his will.

He nods his head to her words, agreeing with her. Kay. Kay's words. The droid chirps back his own name - Pathfinder - something he had settled on entirely on his own. Prior to his reawakening, he had no name. He was simply a serial number among thousands of duplicates who were cast into the frontlines of battle as cannon fodder. But he thinks now, of the freedom and independence he's gained. How he's capable of finding his own path in life now.

As if a 'thank you' reward for paying so much attention to him, Pathfinder trails his left arm to gently pluck a flower from its stem, a colorful daisy. Tilting his head, the droid slowly leans forward to reach his arm out, and soon, he carefully places the daisy in Kay's hair.

He lets out a very happy sounding beep.

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[NPC Treasury]

Kay's grasp of binary wasn't the greatest. She wasn't fluent. However Pathfinder seemed to make it easy for him in the sense of body language and short sentences.

The mere gesture of him placing the flower into her hair brought tears to her eyes, however happy tears that they were. Such kindness and care towards her was extremely rare and she was honestly touched deeply by it. "It's lovely to meet you, Path Finder. I hope that I got that right. Are you lost? You remind me of an old friend of mine. Him and I used to travel the Galaxy on adventures of discovery. Are you...on an adventure of discovery of your own?"

Kay hoped that there were no bad people after him. Although this was probably as good a place as any to hide. Yet it seemed as though he had been hiding for quite some time. So there was a good chance that he was forgotten like she was.