2022-12-09: Circumference Divided By Diameter

• Log: Circumference Divided By Diameter
• Cast: Azoth, Xantia
• Where: Port Rosalia - The Docks
• Date: December 09, 2022
• Summary: Though there may be some serious topics of conversation to discuss, Azoth has a most unexpected and very welcome gift for Xantia to make it all better.

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========================<* Port Rosalia - The Docks *>========================

Port Rosalia was once the second-largest port on Zoara, but the collapse of Celesti put a swift end to that. Many of its docks were destroyed in the war, and foreign merchants refused to do business in a "lawless" city. Recognizing the port's value, the Wei Trading Consortium talked Port Rosalia's leaders into a long-term contract. Once everything was signed, the Galadian firm sent in workers to rebuild the docks, as well as its own private security to "keep order".

Most of the port's surviving docks rest in Campbell Cove, a large sea cave that sheltered them from shelling. Outside of the cove, rows of inns and dockside taverns await travelers--some run by Wei, others by locals. Construction equipment is ever-present in the port, and so are the Consortium's security officers. The company's reconstruction efforts have hit snag after snag; some of the sabotage is undoubtedly the work of angry citizens, but Wei suspects that Anaheim is moving in to challenge its monopoly.

Port Rosalia may endure a second war, this one between wealthy Galadian corporations--and as always, its citizens will be the ones who suffer.

BGM: Wild Arms 4 - Port Irington

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

It's become something of a habit by now. A pattern may be the better term. Events tease at memories for one or both of them, and Azoth finds himself back patrolling Port Rosalia, particularly around the docks, hoping to run into her. Sharing data, regardless from which direction, isn't merely a means to gain new variables for his computations anymore... Though Xantia does remain the most optimal individual for such a task.

Sometimes Azoth is seeking to confirm a presence with tangible evidence.

And sometimes, running about is only going to make the whole process take longer. For the moment, he's taken to sitting on some crates left by the docks to look out over the shifting colors of sunset. Next to him is a simple box, no wider than a dinner plate, no taller than a fist and a half.

He beeps something quietly in chiptune, still keeping an eye out for foot traffic.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Ah yes, pattern recognition, noted favored activity of AIs everywhere. Even though Xantia is not one of those, she has proven to be rather good at that herself. Further evidenced by the fact that she too has made her way back to the docks of Port Rosalia here today. While she may look like she's just taking a stroll, her eyes are firmly set in the opposite direction of the beautiful sunset. That's not what she came here to look at.

Though she'd be lying if she claimed to know her timing would be this perfect, her reaction when she spots Azoth there - quite possibly at the same time he spots her - is one lacking any sort of surprise. She does smile, and calmly waves, before heading over in his direction. It's almost as if this was a place they tend to run into each other more often, and she went here today fully expecting that might happen. And that after all these recent Developments, it might be reasonable to assume that the chances of such an encounter were higher than usual.

But who can really say anything for sure about Xantia? The fact that even she herself can't is something that never stops bothering her. Not that it shows on her face at this precise moment, approaching the crate stack that Azoth is seated on.

"Hi! Found a good spot, I see!" Of course she'd say that, it's a spot she's sat in herself. Though as always, she doesn't waste time with idle chatter, moving right along to the more important observation. "But I don't suppose you're here just for the view, are you?"

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Azoth's song is interrupted seamlessly for a greeting beep as he waves back toward Xantia once their eyes meet. There's no surprise on his face, either, but is that a consequence of her failing to show any for her to mirror, or has he come to all those same conclusive calculations her intuition has? He easily shifts, picking up the box to set aside so Xantia has room to sit, should she feel so inclined.

He beams a knowing smile at her with the praise for a spot that's already been through peer review.

"Not really. I wasn't quite programmed for aesthetic appreciation. It's still a work in progress."

He offers the box forward, emitting a beeped jingle one might associate with the sense of victory at a minor discovery. "Here."

Prying it open reveals a flawlessly round, fluffy apple cake, garnished with apple slices in mathematically exact spirals. Even baked goods that follow the strictest recipe tend to end up with their own personal touches at least in decoration, but this dessert looks like it were manufactured by a machine with uncanny, calculated precision.

Azoth can't help what he is.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

People usually have to invite Xantia to sit before she thinks to do so in most social situations. Making room for it seems to have worked like enough of one, since Xantia hops right on up to sit on the crates herself next to Azoth. Though she didn't show any signs of surprise, and her smile never fades, there is some curiosity that she'd have to admit to. All things considered, there could be many things that Azoth might want to talk about, many reasons why this unplanned but mutually expected meeting is taking place.

A gift was definitely not one of the things that she had imagined. Now she looks surprised. "Huh? What's this?"

She doesn't wait for any answer she might get to that question before she moves to open the box. Which she of course does in the most direct way, which isn't the neatest way, but she's not exactly concerned about keeping containers intact when unpacking something. It's the contents that matter. And these contents... Xantia's eyebrows go waaaay up. Maximum surprise. And then, elation.

"You brought me a cake! Thank you!" Of course she doesn't waste any time. She sadly has no appreciation for mathematical perfection, she immediately ruins that by taking the apple cake in both hands and taking a big bite out of it. Truly the best gift, how could Azoth have possibly guessed?

She actually takes the time to swallow before she speaks again. "It's really good!" she claims, even though she says the same thing about Lily's military rations, so that doesn't actually mean much coming from her. She follows that up with a more meaningful comment. "I didn't know you were programmed to bake cakes."

She may not have shown appreciation for the mathematical perfection, but she did notice it.

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Truly, how could Azoth, or anyone else for that matter, have ever guessed Xantia would be fond of receiving food. That could remain one of Filgaia's greatest mysteries. Xantia takes to it with gratitude and without question, and Azoth has a moment of his own surprise before smiling warmly. That's a better reception than he'd predicted, and he makes a sing-song beep.

"I'm glad you like it! Without a a way to sense taste, I haven't been able to personally verify any of my tests. Feedback's been positive so far, though."

It's good to confirm it tastes like whatever a cake is supposed to. An apple cake, specifically. What do apples taste like, and how different are they from cakes? Getting hit with a raw apple would probably hurt more than a cake. That's all he's got.

"Oh, I wasn't. I've attempted cooking before, but with mixed results. Someone suggested I try baking, since it benefits a little more from precision." And a little less on improvisation involving senses Azoth doesn't have.

His smile wanes. "Between the events at Yggdrasil, the situation with that Domain and its potential connections to the Trial Knight, and, well, me... It doesn't seem like you've gotten to enjoy a fight lately." Or anything? He does not voice that worry aloud. "I thought... this might be nice."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia looks sympathetic for a moment, being reminded of the fact that Azoth can't enjoy food, one of the things that she enjoys most of all. But rather than remark on that, her smile quickly returns. "Well, I'm always glad to provide positive feedback!" She didn't mean that to sound like she provides that regardless of quality, Honest-to-a-fault Xantia would never do that.

She would also never leave food alone for long, unless the circumstances were particularly dire. As such, she continues eating in between speaking. That cake isn't going to last very long at all. Whether she has a very good sense of taste or not, the act of eating is more important to her than taking the time to savor it is.

Azoth responds to her remark on being programmed for baking, and the response to that earns him a playful poke in the ribs. "See? You don't always have to be so focused on what you're programmed to do. You can learn new things just fine." And you can't argue the results - Xantia's already destroyed most of the food.

That last quarter gets to exist a little while longer though, since Xantia pauses and lowers the hand holding it when Azoth speaks of more serious matters. The smile fades also, but soon returns when she remarks, "Well... I can't argue with that." Any of it. Well, maybe one part of it.

She shakes her head, starting off by saying, "You should probably just ignore what I said about the Trial Knight. That was just... wishful thinking, I guess." As odd as it might seem for her to wish for such a thing, she has a reason for that. "...I just, I've been feeling kind of useless lately. I know it doesn't make sense, but I can't help it. Just keep feeling like I should be doing more, you know? To save Filgaia, and its people. To take down major threats."

She turns to look Azoth in the eyes. "To help the ones I care about. I'm not doing a very good job at that, am I?"

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Azoth is, at the very least, the last person who could judge Xantia on how she enjoys her food. How would he know if there were a right or a wrong way? As long as she's enjoying it, that's what matters. "Don't spoil me," he warns with a grin.

As Xantia ribs at him, he feigns a good humored flinch, because the alternative is awkwardly not reacting to it at all. There's a robotically reminding clang to go with her effort, though. "You're right, you're right." He smiles. "I just need the right motivation, I suppose."

But Azoth's expression sobers. One of the reasons he was concerned is exactly because of how Xantia reacts to it now.

"You and I... we're quick to smile again when it's all over," he says, looking back out at the horizon a moment. "But I know that doesn't always mean the bite of the experiences have faded away." He glances back to Xantia, frowning faintly. Useless... Like she has a purpose she's failing to fulfill.

He wonders, again, if that means something. What Xenia's words meant. Xantia isn't something like him, or Xenia, as far as he can tell -- she's eating cake! (Kamui and Gami also eat cakes) -- but sometimes her behavior is strikingly familiar.

Her eyes meet his, and he's locked in place. She means more than him, but Azoth can only speak of himself: "...You were right to let go." Azoth forces a smile, letting some of the pain linger in it. It's more honest. "You helped stop the Prophets. Helped free Lydia. Helped save those kidnapped from being warped by Malevolence. It's not nothing."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia is nothing if not eager to motivate others. If people are doing good in her eyes, they're gonna hear about it, she'll spoil all she sees fit! Likewise, she'll speak out against any behavior she doesn't approve of. Anything she deems necessary to keep people moving forward in a positive way. It just comes natural. When it's about someone else.

Azoth's nature doesn't bother her. It never has. Her own nature, she still doesn't know what to think about. There's very few things about it that she feels she could say about it with 100% certainty. So those are the things she focuses on - things like what she's certain she used to want to accomplish. And currently, isn't very certain she's succeeding at in any meaningful way. And yet...

Xantia realizes that she's smiling readily at Azoth's words that point out how quick to smile they are, and quickly tries to correct her expression, very awkwardly, so that it doesn't really look like any one thing. It's accurate, in so far as her emotions are a jumble. Not being sure if you're even doing emotions right. That's certainly one thing that's similar.

"...Sorry," she says, suddenly feeling like she should apologize for this. "I don't mean to be, you know... dishonest about it? I guess I just try not to think about the bad things so much. But it's not always easy."

Now that she's started talking about it, it becomes easier to say more. And so she does, starting with, "I knew I had to let go. That doesn't make it right. That just means I couldn't find a better choice. Isn't that the same as giving up? It feels that way."

She shakes her head. "The Prophets got away, I have no idea if they're no longer a threat now. I couldn't keep myself under control enough to do anything directly to help Lydia. I feel like I came this close to being warped by Malevolence myself. How could I think like I did well in any of those fights?"

She looks off into the distance. "I can't... even remember parts of those fights. That's what really scares me." Abruptly, her head swivels back towards Azoth. "I can't forget anything ever again, Azoth. I promised myself, and others, that I wouldn't. But how can I stop it?"

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

All good traits, if you asked Azoth. Secretly, he does not mind so much being spoiled. Praise is a delicious form of feedback when one can't have cake.

Azoth blinks once, then brings up his palms in surrender with a nervous smile as Xantia's poor expression gets jumbled up. "Sorry!" He smiles, covering his mouth as if to hide a laugh. "Sorry, really -- I didn't mean to imply I think of it as a lie."

Even if that's how Azoth himself might have employed it a few times in the past, Xantia is Xantia. It's different!

His smile eases. "...You like to look forward. But like you said, it's not always easy."

And then, explaining her fears, her perceived faults in all the recent events, she gets to the problem -- the concern that Azoth had observed. The thing he thinks doesn't go away just because Xantia's able to smile afterward and keep pushing herself forward.

"I noticed you seemed to lose yourself in some of these fights," he admits. He had a front row seat to it, lost himself. Azoth was prepared to accept Xantia awakening to more violent inclinations, but it's a different matter if she hasn't any consciousness while it happens. That's hardly what he would call remembering. And if Xantia herself calls it forgetting...

Azoth reaches out to set his hand on her shoulder, as if his grip could ground any of her in this point in time.

"You told me once that when remembering isn't something we can handle ourselves, others can help us. You have a lot of people to remind you of who you are, and what's important to you. You aren't alone now." Not like she was in that vision of the desert. But then Azoth hesitates, glancing down. Is it a false promise, when he makes it? When the overrides can rip it away?

"...Me too," he decides to say in spite of it. "If you need me, I'll find a way."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Azoth apologizes in answer to Xantia's apology. And this, again, causes, Xantia to cover her mouth briefly before saying, "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to imply that you meant to imply you thought of it as lying!"

It's like a comedy routine. Except you know that Xantia isn't continuing the apology combo as a joke. She's completely serious, didn't even realize she did that. Just because she can be observant doesn't mean she always is.

"...I just don't like to lie," she admits, as if this wasn't something completely obvious. "I don't even want to do it by accident because I didn't understand something. Tell me if that happens, okay?"

Looking forward seems natural enough to her, even though she's looking for her missing past. After all, the point is not to return to it, only to learn about it. But what would be the point to anything if there's a risk of forgetting everything all over again?

There's a sharp intake of breath as Azoth places a hand on her shoulder. Her attention now square on his words, it's hard to read anything in her expression as she listens. In response, she first only nods a little bit. Then more vigorously, with the beginnings of a smile returning.

"...I know. Thanks."

She knows Azoth can't promise these things. But he does so anyway. So why wouldn't she believe in spite of it, too? If it comes down to it, Azoth will come through for her. Maybe he can do so right now.

"Well in that case, what did happen when we fought? I mean, we were fighting, and then I was suddenly somewhere else, and you were running away from me."

She's even taking that promise to remind her a little bit too literally. And why not, Azoth was in a perfect position to see her at the time, perfect opportunity to fill in that gap!

She finds herself running her hand over a certain waistpouch as she does so. She usually has one, with her demolition-focused fist weapon in it. But recently she's been carrying a second. At its touch, she realizes, "Oh, right, I should tell you... I actually had something returned to me a while ago. Something from my past. I'm not sure how it's going to help me yet, but..."

With that, she removes the object from its container, holding it out for Azoth to examine. It's a bracer, matching what Xantia's other bracer used to look like originally, before she had a shell made for it to make it stand out less. Azoth may never have seen this form before, much more overt in its nature as a technologically advanced ARM of modern make. Presumably, it's the same type of energy weapon.

Presumably, because it's very much non-functional in its current state. That much is easy to tell from the damage to it, to the point where it's blackened, even a little bent out of shape.

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Oh no, there it is, an apology cycle. Azoth opens his mouth, but shuts it, finger pressed to his lips as he considers the logical way to escape the infinite loop they have created. Mostly, he listens, then he smiles again.

"You really don't, do you?" He shakes his head. "I guess that's what keeps me from wanting to lie to you, too." A raw, brutally honest sentiment from Azoth, really. Maybe not to those who don't realize how much he does lie, and not merely on the count of questioning authenticity. Deliberate deception is still part of his social code. "Fair's fair. I'll tell you, if you tell me."

But their own weird ways of understanding emotional states may mean they don't have to worry about that together.

When she finally smiles, Azoth smiles a little bit back. It all loops back: another friend he might have chirped something optimistic, like the other shoe wouldn't drop. Like it didn't exist. Or if they knew, he would let inevitability win. With Xantia, it's a third option.

He withdraws his hand, frowning aside a moment. If it's a literal application of the promise Xantia hopes for, that's at least something Azoth can do. "At first, your plan was working. You understand me more than more. But then you heard--" Azoth cuts off abruptly. What if that was a trigger? "You heard a name of a Solaris operative. Then you weren't fighting me anymore. You were fighting her. The override calculations still kept you as one of my primary targets, but when I stopped, so did you."

Azoth looks to his hand. 'Running away.' Yes, maybe that, too, was a mistake. "The Omega System within Lydia hacked into me and removed my overrides to beseech my help. I miscalculated the moment. I wasted the opportunity." Rachiel dead. OS gone. And then, with Xantia... Every decision, incorrect.

"Their objectives and mine are at odds. But that doesn't mean I wanted OS to be destroyed." Were they? Do they still exist? Azoth can only hope so, and that, somehow, coexistence with OS is possible.

"...I think you remember the rest." His gaze dips to Xantia's hands, the memory of her dragging him to safety at her expense too easy to replay.

Recap completed, Azoth perks up at the mention of a memento from Xantia's past. His eyes brighten, irises displayed on his lenses spinning and pupils expanding as he gives the bracer a basic scan. He notes the similarities to her own, but more importantly...

He winces with an awkward grin. "Ouch, I've experienced that before. Electrical damage. The power surge must have been massive to put it in this condition. If you'd been wearing it at the time... well, I'm glad you're still here now."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia doesn't even blink at Azoth's frank admission of not wanting to lie to her. She just smiles, finding it a nice thing to hear and nothing more. One can assume that she isn't deliberately trying to keep it vague how much she realizes about Azoth vis-a-vis lying. And would it make a difference to her? Maybe she purposely phrased it as not liking to lie rather than not liking lies? Some things just have to remain judgment calls.

"Deal!" she agrees cheerfully to mutually pointing out misunderstandings when they notice the other making one. She is undoubtedly the one less likely to notice those, but, as always, she'll do her best.

She gets an early return on that investment in the form of a recap of what happened in the Solarian base. Xantia looks pensive, trying to follow along to fill in the static covering the moment in between events. To her, it felt like it was but an instant, but she knows that can't be right. That Solarian operative... Azoth avoids saying the name, but...

"Ashtoreth!" Xantia says it herself, her right fist impacting the opposite palm. "I remember! When I heard that name, I thought back to the destruction in Guara Bobelo, and I just... had to stop that from happening again, that's what I was thinking! So that's why..."

Thankfully, there are no changes in her normal behavior. Clearly that was a heat of the moment thing. No guarantees that it wouldn't happen again, but... being aware of the trigger is important. It's not quite as clear to her what snapped her out of it, exactly. But preventing it from happening to begin with would be preferable anyway.

She instantly stops thinking about her own situation when Azoth laments his own failings. Now she's the one to put a hand on Azoth's shoulder. "Hey... we were dealing with a lot out there. Ourselves, each other. Lots of other variables. I don't think it's fair to call it a miscalculation, when there may just... not have been a right moment, in that short amount of time."

Xantia opens her mouth to say more, but then closes it again. She should probably... avoid the topic of OS. She isn't sure how much of her thoughts in that area are colored by what she recalled of Solaris, but. There isn't anything supportive she can really think of to say there. Not without lying. And she just said that she doesn't like to lie.

Instead, she simply concludes, "...You did what you could." And smiles, at the thought of 'the rest'. She doesn't regret anything about the attempt, only that she wasn't able to follow through on it.

Azoth's reaction to seeing the bracer, though... she wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't any sort of recognition. "Wait-- this damage was...?" She grips her forehead with her free hand. Electricity... a power surge... it's a vain struggle to actually remember whatever event may have caused this, but a few dots are starting to connect. Lowering her hand, she looks back to Azoth.

"...You might find this hard to believe, but before I discovered my lightning powers, I was really afraid of electricity. I think... now I understand why."

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

They smile easy, the both of them, even admist such precarious subjects. But Xantia doesn't lie to do it, and Azoth... right now, his don't have to be lies, either.

When Xantia says the name, Azoth points, eyes lighting up. "That's the one!" He is frozen for a moment in time, watching Xantia to see if there's any further reaction to that, then ventures a weak smile again. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if saying it would have caused a problem." He frowns. Guara Bobelo. Xantia is hell bent on stopping these things where she's able. And even when she's not. It's admirable, in its own way, but the blacking out...

She did snap out of it before, murmuring his name. His behavior in such a moment would be exceedingly difficult to replicate. But if it was any of Azoth's behavior that had an impact... that is a hypothesis worth pursuing. It's, functionally, the only one he can consider pursuing.

A touch to him this time brings his attention back to her. "Lots of other variables," he echoes miserably. Far too many. Some arriving far too quickly. "It's always easier to calculate once the moment's over and all the data's at hand. ... Thanks." He indulges in a moment of sitting with the melancholy with comfort on his shoulder before it passes.

At least she's not bleeding for touching him this time.

But the bracer. He flinches in concern as her hand goes to her head, hovering a moment before she speaks. Azoth stares at Xantia. He looks to the bracer, then to her, and back again before meeting her eyes. "Yeah," he says, with horrified emphasis, "That would probably do it...!" He was rather hoping the idea of her wearing it at the time was a joke!

"That may not be the most fun memory to recall... Hm... Maybe we should start considering care plans for this sort of thing." But what exactly goes into a recovering from recovering from amnesia strategy?

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

It may well be the easiest way to get Xantia to push past whatever problems she's dealing with. Making her aware of someone she cares about who also has a problem. The need to support them will easily drown out her own worries. For a time. It wouldn't exactly solve anything. But this - receiving support as well as getting to supply it in short order. This may just be the most balanced way to cope.

She hasn't quite figured out Azoth's current hypothesis herself, even though that wasn't the only time recently where having to think of Azoth got her out of a bad spot. Perhaps this is all related, in a way so obvious that Xantia is probably going to be the last person to consider it. Xantia Logic works differently than the regular kind.

By the end of that, she's slipped into a more casual bearing, chiding Azoth with a shake of her head. "Really, you gotta learn to not always calculate things." Easier said than done, she realizes, but she can't not say it.

The matter of the bracer has her going quiet for a while, trying to recall more. But that's too much to hope for, it seems. Eventually, she shakes her head. "I'm fine, I-- well, I don't remember whatever happened to me, so maybe it won't be fine later, but it's fine right now. I'm just happy something I haven't been able to explain for all this time suddenly makes sense!" Sure doesn't make her see the need for care plans right now. And when it's not right now, Xantia tends to not worry about it so much.

Replacing the bracer where it came from, she remarks, "...I guess maybe this thing does have the answers I've been looking for." Realizing additional explanation may be warranted, she explains, "Xenia wanted me to have this for some reason, though she thought it could be dangerous. If I can figure out more from this..." She lets that hang for a moment with a pensive expression.

And then abruptly shifts gears.

"--Hey, here's an idea." With that, Xantia shovels the remains of the cake into her mouth. Was that the idea, did she suddenly remember she still had some left? Well yes, but she's getting to the actual idea, give her a moment to get her food down.

"Next cake you make? Don't calculate anything. Turn all that stuff off, if you can, and just try to do what feels right. If you make a mistake, just try again! But don't feed it into any calculations. I'm really curious how that'll turn out. Should be a fun experiment! Right?"

Another trick of Xantia's. When things get complicated, turn the conversation towards food! Truly the ultimate distraction. For her, anyway. For others... well, it may be worth a shot??

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Xantia Logic may be its own unusual, unique thing, but Azoth has a respect for it. Which is to say, perhaps he's able to follow it. Whether or not this should be considered as worrying is not his judgment call to make. Nor his problem...! It could be said Azoth's own logic has been known to be peculiar at times. But, of course, he's a machine. He's very logical. Just ask him!

Balance is logical, too. To pull someone from a bad spot... and be pulled from it yourself.

Azoth pouts at Xantia. "But all my thoughts are calculations!" Yes, Azoth, that's what Xantia's saying. "I think in numbers and stuff!"

He goes quiet as she considers the bracer, sitting with her in silence to see if a memory resurfaces. It doesn't, and he smiles faintly. "One piece of data can lead to another," he agrees. His smile brightens. "If it makes you happy, that's worth enough."

Not worrying when it won't be of any use is good logic, too.

The mention of Xenia has Azoth frowning. Could've been dangerous, but let Xantia have it... That's not a lot of data for him to work with if he wants to help. He can at least commit the design and construction to his database in case something comes up. "I'll keep an eye out, too," he says.

But! Xantia has an idea...!

... About cake.

Azoth's smile takes on a wry edge, but he doesn't interrupt the train of thought. The actual idea smacks the smile right off of his face.

"Don't calculate --" He stares at her like she asked him to stop breathing. If he were a thing that breathed. "How am I supposed to -- I don't even know what that would be like...!" Again, Azoth, what Xantia's saying.

Defeated, Azoth shrugs with his arms. "I was going to ask what you'd want next. If that's the request... I'll do my best. It's only fair for someone who manages the impossible to ask for it."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia Logic certainly hasn't been discouraged enough for it to stop being a thing! Though we should all be glad it's no longer entirely what it used to be. Sometimes you just have to go 'Xantia no'.

Predictably, Xantia objects to the notion of thinking in numbers in a Xantia Logic kind of way. "Well you shouldn't, not everything is numbers! Very little of what you see every day are numbers!" That may be factually incorrect when you're Azoth, but if you hadn't noticed, Xantia is Xantia. And this thought makes her pout a little. "I'm not numbers."

Even if the matter of the bracer is important, and gave her cause to be happy at least for the time being... well, that matter is also important. Being thought of as numbers bothers her more than she thought it would have, before she started thinking about being thought of as numbers. Something clearly must be done.

She doesn't even see the problem with what she asked Azoth to do just now, so she just keeps smiling through his distress. "Well yeah, that's what makes it an experiment! Aren't you curious how you'll do? I'm very curious!" And when Azoth relents... well, her reaction is obvious. She clasps her hands together, smiling gleefully. "I can't wait!"

There's a beat, in which you can clearly see Xantia second-guessing how that came across.

"...for the results," she corrects. And then keeps overcorrecting. "I mean, not the cake. Well, yes the cake, but also the other thing. Of seeing how it worked out for you. Not... the cake-making, specifically, I mean..." She scratches her head, deciding with a shrug, "You know what I mean."