2021-03-11: Mutual Complications
- Log: Mutual Complications
- Cast: Azoth, Seraph Ragnell
- Where: Celesti Wastelands
- Date: March 18, 2021
- Summary: In which Azoth needs to yell at Ragnell, but maybe not over what anyone expected.
===========================<* Celesti Wastelands *>=========================== Decades ago, the nation of Celesti ripped itself apart in a vicious civil war. Outside of a handful of settlements, its former territories are lifeless. The remains of trenches, bunkers, and barbed wire lines serve as lingering reminders of the conflict--scars that have yet to heal. The earth is dry and barren, and much of the groundwater has been contaminated by biological or chemical weapons. Travel through the Wastelands is treacherous. The roads are pockmarked with shell craters, and Reapers have been known to haunt its blasted plains. A handful of functional rail lines cross the wastes, but these travel directly to their final destinations. The shattered remains of ghost towns dot the landscape. Some may yet hold things of value, but experienced travelers know better than to go treasure-hunting on a whim. The war-dead of Celesti do not rest. Ghosts aren't even the strangest things one can find here. As the war dragged on, both the Congressional Knights and Aquvy Union dug up ancient weapons to aid their efforts--including, it's rumored, ARMs from Zeboim. These rumors draw both the daring and desperate into the wastes, and more often than not, to their end. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92HwM11d2FQ
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
The drake had presented a number of problems. Boudicca had gone missing and needed to be found, the drake itself needed to be tracked down, and there was the issue of its Purification, which involved a time limit and the power enough to perform it. Azoth was not yet sure he was capable of helping in this regard, and his calculations still worked with data and possibilities as background noise during his searching.
Picking up on energy, at least, was something he could do right now. But Azoth's teeth itch with a familiar signature.
...Let's just put a pause on everything for a moment, shall we?
Azoth deviates from his path, making sure he's alone and unfollowed, to march to Ragnell's location.
He greets her with his usual brightness and broad smile. "Ragnell! I learned a thing!" But the light of his face dims. His smile is still there, but his eyes are suddenly less friendly.
"We need to have words."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
A number of problems indeed. If it were a human Hellion, Ragnell would be content to let someone else deal with it at their leisure. But humans don't become Fell Dragons--and Ragnell is significantly softer towards her own kind than towards humans anyway. She doesn't know if the untested Oracles and Seers of Filgaia will be able to purify the drake before it reaches the point of no return, but she'd rather ensure that was because they were too weak, not because they couldn't find it in time.
And so she's been scouring the wastelands, chasing after signs of the creature's passage, with or without assistance. Right now it's without; at the moment she's atop an abandoned home on a dusty homestead, its fields still dead with withered, failed crops, poring over the skies with a pair of binoculars. Azoth approaches, and she senses his presence, but doesn't react to it until he speaks.
Naturally, it starts out friendly-- "Oh yeah?" she calls down, not removing her attention from the air-- but then there is a distinct shift in his tone. When she looks down, his smile has taken some darker, angrier overtones. She assesses this with a calm expression; then she goes back to searching the skies. "Well, c'mon up here an' say 'em, then."
She has a pretty good guess what kind of words he feels they need to have. This is the sort of thing she's constantly emotionally prepared for.
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
Azoth has enough experience climbing rooftops that, once invited, he pops up beside Ragnell not but a moment later. Right in the personal space close, but not otherwise demanding she put her binoculars down.
There is that anger lying under his gaze, yes, but it just as quickly turns uncomfortably tense.
"When you said Drifters were soft, you failed to mention they were 'will overlook injecting Malevolence into the world and partner to someone who considers themselves an adversary of all mankind' sort of soft!"
He gestures with vague frustration, then follows her gaze skyward to run his own quick scan for the drake before focusing back on Ragnell with his intensified gaze when he doesn't pickup anything.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell keeps watching the skies as Azoth climbs up to join her on the roof. She's already braced herself for what he has to say--but what he actually *does* say gets a chuckle out of her as she lowers her binoculars again and raises an eyebrow at him.
"So are you mad that I did all that, or are you mad that Drifters are even softer than you were led to believe?" she wonders, regarding him calmly. "If it's the first, you really oughtta pick a a different way o' framin' your complaint. If it's the second--what're you complainin' to *me* about it? You woulda found out eventually, an' in point o' fact, you did."
She doesn't point out that this softness makes his mission easier, since it's a mission he doesn't want to be working out, but... there is that awareness, and Azoth no doubt shares it. It's not like it's something he can avoid.
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
Azoth pinches the bridge of his nose as he lifts his head back. "Someone's going to die, and their cause of death is going to be exploitable softness."
The second one, then.
It does make it easier. He's already calculated a number of possibilities while compiling relevant data of others. Who is most likely to reach out in the worst possible moment? And how far does it go? To what degree can they be pushed, and what variables do they use to determine it's worth making themselves vulnerable a second, third, or forth time?
He can't do anything to stop all of that, but there's a point where they'll learn. And this softness of theirs can have other consequences -- consequences that will persist even after Azoth's gone.
"I'm complaining to you because you're the only person I can complain to about this! You wouldn't happen to have any data on them being... less... that?!" Another frustrated gesture. "Who is it they don't forgive?"
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
The second one, then.
"Yeah, probably," Ragnell says amiably, returning to her watch of the skies. She does at least keep the binoculars down for the time being. She chuckles again when he points out she's the only one he *can* complain to, nodding once as if to say, 'yeah okay.'
"Hmmm, well. Harmaus is one unpopular kitty--even people who like me can't stand him, an' he's arguably done way less reprehensible shit than I have. Even if he is himself, in fact, a reprehensible shit." Looks like even present company doesn't like Harmaus. "Let's see--I'd *like* to say Loren Voss, but he's got some pretty loyal friends despite bein' a dour, loveless turd? So I assume he has his good points. Somewhere. Deep, deep... deep down."
A beat. "On the other side o' that coin, Catenna wants to kill me pretty bad. Cyre also wants to kill me, but significantly less bad? He's willin' to hold a conversation, at least. So those two at least keep their eyes on the ball." She runs a hand through the side of her hair, which she tosses (and never mind that it's a short cut), then drawls, "Otherwise, people are just too taken by my looks an' charm to think I oughtta be taken out for good."
That's a joke--mostly--but Azoth might not be in a mood for jokes.
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
It's the truth of it. Azoth can't complain to anyone in Solaris about his position, and he certainly can't complain to any of the Drifters who don't know the truth. Ragnell holds a unique place in his overrides, and she's found ways to carve out even more individuality. But more than that, Ragnell's also handy at providing prospective.
"...Thank you," he says, relief taking over the tension in his synthetic voice. The data is all valuable -- names to follow, and new observations to make about them. Already, that it's not the gravity of the action that may be the key component is useful. Azoth can work with this.
He catches the joke, but shakes his head. "No, that's probably a factor." He looks to Ragnell. "You do realize you carry yourself in a way that makes it seem like you care about people, don't you?" Pause. He glances Ragnell up and down, furrowing his brow with his hand to his chin. He's not quite as skilled with the nuance of aesthetics, but... "I'll go ahead and file your appearance and aesthetics positively, too."
If appearance has something to do with it, then he may already have that covered later.
Something about his general emotional expression subdues. It's not quite gone in an uncanny manikin way, which may be disturbing in itself. Azoth knows the difference between a blank face and a blank face. "...That's why. People believe you have your reasons, and they haven't been convinced those reasons are cruel."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
And the fun thing about having a unique position in relation to someone is the more they make use of it, the more they come to rely on the person in that position. Ragnell does genuinely like Azoth, but she's also aware of how useful he can be to her--and how to cultivate that for the future. Another potential perspective, perhaps.
"Sure," she replies. "That's jus' off the top o' my head, o' course. I s'pect K.K.'s not nearly so popular as I am, bein' as they're a scary faceless suit of armor, but I've had some folks indicate they think they might be a good person after all."
And while she might be joking, Azoth points out there's some truth to it. Ragnell blinks when he points out how she carries herself. "Damn, really? That *would* explain a lot," she muses. "I guess my constant nosin' into other people's business *could* be seen as carin' about their wellbeing, huh." As for his filing her aesthetics positively, she just crooks a grin.
But then Azoth's expression... not quite calms, but settles, perhaps. Ragnell tilts her head, then chuckles at his conclusion. "Bingo," she drawls, hooking her hands behind her neck. "You got it, Az. People like to think they didn't severely misjudge someone they liked and trusted, so they'll keep on givin' the benefit of the doubt, even when they've been shown clear evidence they really shouldn't. Now, I haven't tried to destroy the *whole* world since that one time, so I don't know how many times I could get away with that with the current Drifter crowd, but..." She shrugs. "Does that really matter? I'm gonna outlive almost all o' them, anyway."
She pauses. Then she gives Azoth a thoughtful look. "Out o' curiosity--what do *you* think about my reasons?"
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
That Azoth has the potential to be useful and Ragnell may be attempting to cultivate it would only make Azoth feel even less awkward about considering her a friend. The question he'd have is whether or not she'd be able to navigate the nature of his programming well enough.
Azoth gives a small nod. "Yes, precisely. That 'nosiness' comes with advice and support from you. And your use of humor and teasing lightens the impact any of your harsher statements would have." He smiles at her, finally getting some of his brightness back. Or at least, the brightness he fakes(?). "It doesn't come off as trying to keep people on your good side. You don't act like you'd be bothered if anyone wasn't. But... that would be a pretty good persona, too."
Trust and judgment. The picture's become so much clearer, and calculations begin to piece together new plans and possibilities.
"Me?" he asks. "Given you're working with the trial knight, and assuming your reasons are the same... I would hypothesize you're both trying to build an arsenal, with people as your weapons. Mm, or perhaps Miss Ida's wording is more accurate? Testing them in preparation for something greater."
Azoth smiles faintly. "Sorry, that's an objective, not a reason for it. But if it were something like that, it would stand to reason it's because you care about protecting something very much. Or you care about the trial knight very much, at least."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Maybe, maybe not--but Ragnell loves a good challenge. At the least, she'd give navigating his programming her best shot.
Azoth gives his assessment of the root of Ragnell's popularity. Whether he's faking that brightness or not (isn't technically all of it fake?), she gives him a thoughtful look as she folds her arms. "Hmmm... yeah, that all sounds right. Ivan's even said he respects me? An' wants me to respect him back?? Like, what's up with that?" she jokes. "But no, this ain't a persona; this is how I actually am. Hm." She rubs her chin. "It's not like I didn't know I was doin' that shit, but, hmm... so that's how people have been seein' it... It really does make sense." She claps his shoulder and crooks a smile at him. "Thanks for the insight, Az! I knew you'd be useful."
...whether *that's* a joke or not really depends on where you're standing. Regardless, when he gives his take on her reasons, the hand on her chin stills as she looks at him thoughtfully. So Ida was the one who filled him in, huh--and that's *her* take, huh. Well, neither of those are surprising. Either way, when he finishes, she chuckles and hooks her thumbs in the loops of her belt. (Wait, where did her binoculars go? At some point, she must have tucked them back into the infinite item pouch in her poncho.)
"So that's how you see it, huh? Well, I'm not gonna tell ya if you're right or wrong." She winks. "The air o' mystery makes it more intriguing, right?" She shifts her weight to one foot and adds, "So let's get down to the heart o' things. What's this mean for you an' me? You still gonna 'not be able to stop me' from poppin' into your circuits from time to time?"
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
Azoth grins back at Ragnell with the praise, giving a delighted chirp-beep sequence. "I try!" Apparently where Azoth is standing is Praise is Good, thanks for the positive feedback.
But then he smiles more weakly, scratching at his cheek. "I couldn't put my own mask together if I couldn't grasp at least some of this." She's right to think it's all technically fake. Azoth assumes Ragnell would know that better than most too, what with her having been in his circuits. But that's not necessarily the place she might have confirmed that truth.
"I figured you wouldn't," Azoth says. "There's a lot I don't tell you because of my objectives, and I understand there's a lot you won't tell me because of yours."
Azoth rubs the back of his neck. "Honestly, I really can't stop you. But I won't ask you not to, either. Your partner said I was an enemy, but... no offense, I haven't determined either one of you as a threat to my internal operation. So protecting my data isn't a high priority. Besides, you've been beneficial to my functions in a number of ways. That is to say, I like you, Ragnell."
He smiles. "We'll just have to deal with the conflicts in our respective objectives as they come up."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
He *does* take well to praise, doesn't he? It makes sense that a robot would be happy about being useful, though--after all, robots are made to fulfill a use. Some robots seem to be more than that, but... well, even mortals like to think that there's something they were born to do. Maybe it's better for some to have been created for a purpose, rather than being created for no purpose at all.
"True. S'pose you need to do research on emotion an' expression before you can mimic it believably yourself," Ragnell muses. "You're pretty good at it as you are now, but you definitely could stand some improvement." She tilts her head. "But it's not like you don't care about those Drifters, either, right? Or else you wouldn't be so miserable about your overrides."
As for their objectives, she chuckles. "That's right. You're o' course free to try nosin' about, jus' like I've been nosin' into your business. In the end, though, you'll have to make your own conclusions--though that shouldn't be hard, since you've been doin' that already."
She nods once as he continues, unoffended when he says he hasn't determined either her or K.K. to be a threat. She's not surprised to hear that K.K. deemed him an enemy, either. She does smile, though, when he says he likes her. "Awwww," she drawls, reaching out to tousle his hair if he lets her. "I like you too, Azzy. I don't usually take a vessel, you know. Haven't had one in centuries." She shrugs with one shoulder. "So yeah. I'm fine with dealin' with things as they come. No point in either of us worryin' about it before anything happens, right?"
Which of course doesn't mean they can't keep their guards at least partially up. But Ragnell keeps that thought to herself.
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.
If you boil it down enough, Azoth's a bunch of math that adjusts its operation entirely based on whether things go 'ding' or things go 'bzzt'. Trick is, someone had to decide what would do which.
Azoth winces. Speaking of 'bzzt'... "I'm always open to suggestion. Although... since it's nearly impossible to hide what I am completely, I've been thinking it's better to reveal a bit here and there. It makes people uncomfortable if a robot knows too much, right? And people seem to like it when they think they have something to teach me about humanity."
She uses the word 'care' in regards to him so easily. Maybe it can be. "It's what I call caring. I can't speak for anyone else -- they might not like the way it fits into code. But it's important code."
Azoth leans just a bit into the tousle. Physical praise accepted! (Did you learn that from a dog, Azoth.) "I'd ask you why not, but that's another one of those mystery things, isn't it?" He mock pouts before going back to smiling. "Right."
With, as they both know, a bit of guard and a bit of nosing about. But that's more honest than most of Azoth's relationships.