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Yes, passive resistance only. Dodge and deflect while calmly engaging her verbally; if that proves unsustainable then leave the room and call for medical assistance.
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May 5, 2024 03:44
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AJ_Impy posted:Agatha. I wish to give you feedback on your performance. BraveLittleToaster posted:Seconded. McSpanky posted:Yes, passive resistance only. Dodge and deflect while calmly engaging her verbally; if that proves unsustainable then leave the room and call for medical assistance.  TEXN: Agatha. I wish to give you feedback on your performance.COMBAT ROLL: 17 +4 PERK BONUS (COMBAT) = 21 VS DC 16. SUCCESS! She snarls, and attempts to claw at you again, which you dodge with ease. You decide to move to the opposite side of the room while remaining on topic. TEXN: First: excellent work. You scored 88 points out of 100 on your last run through of the course, much higher than this run.Agatha doesn't seem to register your words yet, but you continue on. TEXN: Your only flaw is letting the situation get to you. You need to maintain a calm, objective mindset rather than allowing yourself to get wrapped up in your emotions. It appears that-COMBAT ROLL: 12 +4 PERK BONUS (COMBAT) = 16 VS DC 16. SUCCESS! This time she kicks at you, which you block easily by grabbing her foot. She doesn't seem to know how to respond to this, so you use it as an opportunity to maintain eye contact with her. You're relieved to see that she appears to be calming down a bit and is looking less like a wild animal.  AGATHA: gently caress you!She yanks her foot free and backs up, regaining her balance. AGATHA: I tried that already! Multiple times!You hold up your hands, still keeping your distance. TEXN: I was not yet finished speaking. I was trying to say that it appears that you are triggered by stimuli, Agatha. Especially auditory stimuli, but possibly visual ones as well. This isn't your fault, but it is something you need help compensating for. Have you considered meditation?DIPLOMACY ROLL: 18 -2 FLAW PENALTY (DIPLOMACY) = 16 VS DC 12. SUCCESS! She takes a deep breath, and exhales, obviously struggling to regain her composure. AGATHA: I guess... that makes sense.She tries to smooth her hair, which is still incredibly frizzy. At this point she starts to notice her appearance, and it makes her gasp and bolt out of the room. TEXN: Wait!You duck out of the room, and see her rushing for a nearby restroom. It appears to be a single-occupant restroom, because she slams the door shut and locks it. TEXN: Do you need any assistance? AGATHA: N-no! Leave me alone! I'm fine!You stand there, once again unsure what to do. All the pop culture research you've performed didn't have much guidance on handling someone who has a condition that turns them into a beast-person. Character Sheet & Inventory
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May 5, 2024 04:09
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I think you should try taking a martial arts as a hobby so you can try and focuses you're condition into something more contrastive. I preferer Pankration my self, but that's beside the point.
Ghost Armor 1337 fucked around with this message at 05:47 on May 5, 2024 |
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May 5, 2024 04:21
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Ghost Armor 1337 posted:I think you should try taking a martial arts as a hobby so you can try and focuses you're condition into something more contrastive. I preferer Pankration my self, but that's beside the point. Wait until she emerges, but this is the approach.
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May 5, 2024 16:42
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Wait until she comes out on her own, suggest focusing energy and aggression into a martial arts hobby.
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May 5, 2024 16:49
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Research her symptoms while we wait.
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May 5, 2024 22:23
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McSpanky posted:Research her symptoms while we wait. BraveLittleToaster posted:Wait until she comes out on her own, suggest focusing energy and aggression into a martial arts hobby. AJ_Impy posted:Wait until she emerges, but this is the approach. Ghost Armor 1337 posted:I think you should try taking a martial arts as a hobby so you can try and focuses you're condition into something more contrastive. I preferer Pankration my self, but that's beside the point. You decide to wait until she feels comfortable speaking or coming out, and wait patiently by the door. While you do so, you access the Internet and begin searching for hints on what is going on with Agatha. It only takes a couple searches of things like "human transformations" and "people transforming into animals" to find some information on werewolves and lycanthropy. That seems to fit the bill pretty well with what's going on with Agatha. Of course... you can't make assumptions, maybe something else is going on with her. But you figure clarification can come when she's ready. When Agatha finally emerges, she looks considerably more sheepish and human than before. She keeps her eyes averted from you. AGATHA: Sorry about... whatever just happened there. I don't want to talk about it right now. TEXN: That's fine. I was thinking though, it might help if you could redirect your aggression into something constructive, like martial arts. Maybe if you could work that out of your system, it would help you feel calmer when doing things like the firearms simulation. I'm somewhat familiar with-You pause, almost using the old term of pankration, and decide to settle on something more neutral and modern to avoid either dating you, or identifying your home culture. TEXN: With mixed martial arts, so I could assist?Agatha pauses, staring at you. AGATHA: Wait... you could teach me martial arts? TEXN: Yes, and wrestling. AGATHA: Pfft- what like, Hulk Hogan?You pause, confused by the reference, and do a quick search. TEXN: Oh. Well. It won't be partially staged with a set end-goal, I meant wrestling as in- grappling, and so on and so forth. AGATHA: Huh... I mean. Sure? Do you want to do that today?You contemplate the time. It would be most productive to practice martial arts with Agatha in a larger time block. From what you've seen, she has a LOT of endurance mixed with latent aggression that would need to be worked out in a patient, caring manner. If you decide to focus on this, it will probably take most of your day. You doubt you will be able to complete a certification today, but on the other hand... you may make a solid friend. Character Sheet & Inventory
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May 5, 2024 23:27
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Can do, if today is convenient.
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May 6, 2024 01:38
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Say yes, practice together today.
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May 6, 2024 01:56
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Say yes, practice together today. AJ_Impy posted:Can do, if today is convenient. TEXN: Yes, if you're available. I think this will be critical for you to successfully pass either of the combat related certifications. Have you also considered starting on the other certifications while you prepare for those ones? AGATHA: That... makes a lot of sense. I know I should be pretty good at the covert ops one. Anyway - there's a boxing ring and martial arts practice area around here. Let's go.Agatha leads you to a larger section of the training facility, that appears to have an enclosed boxing ring and also several training mats for different forms of martial arts practice. She chooses a martial arts area and begins doing some basic stretches and warmups. You feel a bit bemused... technically, you don't really need to worry about warming up your muscles, the closest equivalent you have is performing maintainance. However, keeping that in mind, you do decide to bring something up. TEXN: Agatha, do you want me to handicap myself? I'm not made of flesh and blood. It doesn't seem fair otherwise.Agatha pauses, and thinks. AGATHA: Yeah, it'd also probably help if we were pacing ourselves so, um, I can keep an even keel. What did you have in mind? TEXN: Lock away combat protocols and any superhuman abilities that would give me an advantage over a human?She blinks at that. AGATHA: poo poo - is that a thing you have? Combat protocols? TEXN: Yes. This body used to be a combat mech, so...You trail off and gesture vaguely. AGATHA: Right. Yes, please handicap yourself. I don't want this to uh, go too far.You nod, and begin accessing your own code to ensure that you are operating at as baseline a level as possible. AGATHA: All right - let's start with some basic moves.You do as she instructs, and begin the training session. You keep it simple, just basic grappling, some punches... stuff that you recall from those long ago days when you were a bandit, waylaying people in the countryside of ancient Greece. You can tell that while Agatha has a lot of dexterity, speed, and strength, she isn't quite as trained in hand-to-hand fighting as she is with guns or batons. After going back and forth for a bit, Agatha suggests moving to the boxing ring, and it's there that you up the difficulty a bit, since you both have boxing gloves that prevent landing an actually dangerous hit. As you both practice blocking and evasion, the pair of you begin talking casually. AGATHA: So what's your deal anyway? Like, how'd you end up being recruited for the Illuminati? TEXN: Ah...You aren't sure how much to share. Character Sheet & Inventory
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May 6, 2024 02:25
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It's a long story. Effectively, ancient being got combined with a damaged combat robot, they fight crime!
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May 6, 2024 02:30
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Give her the basic deets, we're a moping ancient magic spirit accidently freed from our prison that cobbled together a body from a combat mech and interviewed for an Illuminati position out of necessity for our continued existence.
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May 6, 2024 02:31
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Give her the basic deets, we're a moping ancient magic spirit accidently freed from our prison that cobbled together a body from a combat mech and interviewed for an Illuminati position out of necessity for our continued existence. +1, we should get used to this if we want to make friends, people are curious.
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May 6, 2024 04:11
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AJ_Impy posted:It's a long story. Effectively, ancient being got combined with a damaged combat robot, they fight crime! BraveLittleToaster posted:Give her the basic deets, we're a moping ancient magic spirit accidently freed from our prison that cobbled together a body from a combat mech and interviewed for an Illuminati position out of necessity for our continued existence. McSpanky posted:+1, we should get used to this if we want to make friends, people are curious. TEXN: It's a long story, I'm an ancient magic spirit that got accidentally freed from my prison who cobbled together a body from a combat mech and interviewed for an Illuminati position out of necessity for my continued existence.You try to inject a bit of humor. TEXN: So basically, ancient being got combined with a damaged combat robot, we fight crime!You strike a pose for a moment, and Agatha actually pauses and laughs for a moment before catching herself. AGATHA: Hang on a second - 'ancient magic spirit?' So like a ghost? TEXN: Yes. Back home, I might be called something like an eidolon. AGATHA: ...do you miss having a normal body?You pause. There are some things you don't miss, like your deformity. But... eating, sleeping, breathing... all of those are things you wish you could do. A tiny part of you is even terribly aware of how long it's been you've felt any kind of intimacy of any kind, even something like a hug. TEXN: Yes. But that's true for many people with physical impairments of any kind - they just have to be creative.You can tell Agatha senses that this is a sensitive subject for you. She backs off for now. AGATHA: Hey, I'm thinking I'm done for now, also. I uh...She pauses. AGATHA: I actually feel a lot better. The training did help make me feel calmer. I feel less tense after a bit of exercise and like I can think better now.You hesitate, and decide to risk a question. TEXN: May I ask - and I don't mean this as any kind of slight, so please understand this - are you a werewolf?She stiffens, looking nervous. AGATHA: I, er, is that - is it that obvious? TEXN: Not all the time, but I was putting together context clues. Don't stress. I'm the last person to judge you for what you are, believe me.There's a long, quiet moment as she turns bright red and looks down. In a quiet voice, she speaks. AGATHA: Thank you.Agatha's trust has increased. She pauses, and clears her throat. AGATHA: Anyway, I need to take a shower. You take care! Thanks for the help! I'll... see you tomorrow?You nod. TEXN: We should keep training. It appears to benefit us both.Agatha looks pleased and relieved by this. WIth that, the two of you part ways. You check the time and note you are entering the evening... you need to figure out how to invest the rest of your night. > How do we spend our evening? We can pick about two of these, we could MAYBE do three. A) Texn still thinks he could modify himself to allow an equivalent to sleeping, and even dreaming. This thought has resurfaced due to the earlier conversation with Agatha. B) We can balance things out by spending time with Samantha, now. She did invite us over, after all. C) We can visit Krystal again. She feels like a kindred spirit, and you want to continue building a bond with her. D) We can continue studying to try to reduce our diplomacy penalty further. This will be difficult, we've done a lot of research already. E) Other things, feel free to make suggestions. Character Sheet & Inventory
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May 6, 2024 21:15
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Go with C and A, try to build our rapport with the local AI, and emulation of the capacity to sleep and dream may help us fit in among our peers.
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May 6, 2024 21:22
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B and C, but when we talk with Krystal do ask about emulating sleep and dreaming as an AI. Get her perspective before we take a crack at it.
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May 6, 2024 21:29
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Lemniscate Blue posted:B and C, but when we talk with Krystal do ask about emulating sleep and dreaming as an AI. Get her perspective before we take a crack at it. +1
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May 7, 2024 01:35
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DE
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May 7, 2024 04:31
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Two votes for B, three votes for C. A is sort of being folded into C since we will ask her for advice. D doesn't get enough support, it's mutually exclusive since the other options will take up the night. You decide to first off, ring up Samantha to ask to visit her place. She did invite you to try out her firing range, after all, and since she's nocturnal and you don't need to sleep, it works out. She answers quickly.  SAMANTHA: Hey, Texn. What's up? TEXN: I was wanting to take advantage of the proposal you gave me. SAMANTHA: Well, that was a bit short on pleasantries.You pause, unsure if you offended her, but then you realize there's a note of amusement in her voice. TEXN: I'm still getting a hand on the social back-and-forth. SAMANTHA: Yeah. I can tell. Anyway - I can pick you up. Can you meet out front or do we need to do the underground garage? TEXN: My disguise should work well enough to go out to the street level at this hour. SAMANTHA: Alright. Thirty minutes good? TEXN: Yes. I can be ready in thirty minutes.You wrap up the call, and go near the entrance of the Leland Vault and wait. You don't have anything better to do, after all. A part of you badly wishes you could do things like eating, or even just... washing clothes, or something. You have lots of field functionality, but not much... normal functionality. After some thought, you decide to spend at least a little time purchasing some clothes from the commissary. You don't fully trust your hologram projector yet. You're roused from your thoughts by Samantha rolling up in a massive black SUV. It somehow fits her in a way you can't put your finger on, although you suppose it's the intimidation factor. You climb in, and Samantha raises an eyebrow at your ensemble of a tan trenchcoat with a fedora tucked over your head. SAMANTHA: Strange nightwear. TEXN: Look closer.You turn your head so she can eye up the hologram projection. SAMANTHA: ...eugh. You don't have any... pores. And you're not blinking. Do you not have nostrils, too? TEXN: It's a low fidelity projection. Thus, additional precautions.She snorts, and gets her car into gear. SAMANTHA: Yeah, but that getup makes you look like a 1940s detective.Luckily, you have enough pop culture knowledge to instantly get the reference. You do your best impression of a hardboiled private eye. TEXN: Look kid, do you want my help or not? This is a dangerous city, and we gotta stick together.You tip the fedora down over your face as Samantha bursts out laughing. It's a deep, hearty sound, one that puts a smile on your face, despite not being able to literally do so. SAMANTHA: Not bad. It's kind of a relief that even if you're a slightly scary robot, you're still... you know, a person. TEXN: Thanks, and it's nice to know that even if you're a slightly scary vampire, you're still a person too.For a moment you wonder if you went too far, but then she smirks and glances at you for a moment before putting her eyes back on the road. SAMANTHA: True enough, true enough.With that, the two of you drive through the mostly empty streets of Palo Alto at night. You recognize she's heading for a rural community in the hills around the campus. Eventually she turns up a long driveway and stops in front of a fairly large home with a sprawling back yard. It's decorated in a 'warm, cozy, and rustic' motif. There's even a fire pit out on the back patio with some chairs around it. At first it's like something out of a catalogue, but there's something endearingly real about it too, the touches of someone with eclectic tastes who enjoys making a space feel welcoming. As you walk up to the front door, you make an observation. TEXN: These are nice decorations. SAMANTHA: Thanks. It's my family's house, actually. TEXN: Ah. Do they share it with you?Samantha pauses before putting her key in the lock and sighs, opening the door. SAMANTHA: No.You wait for her to elaborate, but she doesn't. Instead she steps in and waves for you to follow. She shrugs off her coat and throws it onto the coat rack, then ditches her boots next to the entrance mat and heads deeper inside, pushing the sliding glass doors open and stepping out onto the back patio. You follow her, taking a moment to glance at the pictures hanging on the wall. They show what you presume to be Samantha, her father, and her mother. Judging by the timestamps, she's roughly twenty years older than when these were taken. Strangely, there are no photos that show her as an adult along with her family. The back patio is made up of wooden planks, and has a large stone fire pit. A bit further afield from the patio is a simple shooting range, consisting of a fenced-in area with some sandbags. Samantha walks up to the edge of the patio, and stares out into the distance, where you can see a city skyline in the distance, shining brightly under the darkness of the night sky. SAMANTHA: Nice view, isn't it? We're far out enough that we can enjoy the view, but the light pollution isn't as bad. TEXN: Yes... it is. I admit to feeling jealous.She quirks an eyebrow up. SAMANTHA: Why?You ponder, and give a simple answer. TEXN: I shared a home with my parents, but I never had a home that I... owned, and lived in, and could... dictate things to. I had a camp at one point, but not a home.Samantha seems surprised at that. SAMANTHA: What, like, you were a nomad? TEXN: No. It's more that I left home after getting frustrated with my family. Then I... well, I suppose I fell into a life of crime, you could say.The vampire gives you an incredulous look. SAMANTHA: Life of crime? You're a bit square for that, tincan.You shrug, ignoring the jibe. You can tell there's a hint of affection behind it. TEXN: It was not a proud moment. SAMANTHA: Huh. Well, anyway, come on. Let's do some target practice. Don't kick my rear end too hard, Texn. I'm just a weak human. TEXN: Do you mean a weak vampire?She smirks at you and brushes past you to lead the way to her range. You both start out with some small caliber .22 rifles. To your surprise, you have a little trouble firing them accurately. You're calibrated to handle heavy weaponry, not a little pop gun like this... on the other hand, Samantha's accuracy is flawless. She puts down 25 rounds and gets 25 bullseyes. When the two of you wrap up practicing with rifles, Samantha switches to using a semi-automatic handgun, while you take a bolt-action rifle she keeps on hand. You find the mechanism strangely soothing to work. A companionable silence descends, and you are not sure if you should break it. > We can try talking to Samantha. If you want to do that, select a topic. Otherwise, we could just focus on target practice with her. Character Sheet & Inventory
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May 16, 2024 01:47
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Ask for her advice with the .22s
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May 16, 2024 02:07
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Ask her what things she likes to do in her free time.
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May 16, 2024 02:07
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Ask her what things she likes to do in her free time. +1
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May 16, 2024 03:08
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AJ_Impy posted:Ask for her advice with the .22s BraveLittleToaster posted:Ask her what things she likes to do in her free time. After a short while, you decide that you would like to at least attempt a conversation, even if you still are a bit bad at them. You set down the bolt-action rifle and pick up the .22 once more. TEXN: ...do you have any tips for firing a light rifle? I was struggling with this .22.Samantha pauses mid-fire and looks up at you for a moment. She then places the handgun on a sandbag in front of her and nods. SAMANTHA: True. Sorry, guess I was too wrapped up in practicing myself to think of saying anything.She steps over to you, and adjusts your form slightly. SAMANTHA: Treat it less like a gun, more like... a tool you're using to direct your will through your arms to your hands and out to the target. Manhandling a .22 is like gripping a pencil in a clenched fist...The way Samantha walks you through gun handling is similar to Agatha, but Samantha approaches it with clipped precision, with an assumption of prior experience. It's strange, Agatha is more slow paced and patient when instructing, despite having a hot temper. Meanwhile, Samantha seems to stay cool under fire, but teaches in a blunt and short manner. Samantha steps back to let you try again. She picks up her handgun while you try and practice aiming at a target. When you fire another round, it does indeed help your accuracy with the tiny thing. TEXN: Thanks, Samantha. I have to ask... you're very good with guns. I can tell you practice. But what else do you do with your spare time?Samantha pauses, and wipes her face with a shirt sleeve for a moment. It's an odd gesture, because she isn't sweating. In fact, you don't think you've ever seen her sweat. SAMANTHA: Honestly? I used to be an outdoors kind of girl. Hunting, fishing... my father and I would go camping and fishing every other week, at least during the summers. And that's something I still do on weekends I'm not working. It's... different now, though. I used to be able to do day OR night, no problem. SAMANTHA: Now... well. Everything's nocturnal. And for some stuff... like, there's some fishing that goes better at night, sure. But I can't eat my catches anymore. SAMANTHA: And with hunting, it's best to do it at the morning or evening. But with this complexion?She gestures at her deathly pale skin, and laughs. SAMANTHA: I start burning even if the sun is just peeking over the horizon. It's rough. TEXN: Does it make you feel like an outsider?The veteran pauses, obviously digesting this question. She nods slightly, and gives you a sidelong look. SAMANTHA: Yeah, it does. Bet that sounds familiar, huh?You look down, thinking, and nod. TEXN: I am starting to think the Illuminati was made for outsiders. What did you think of Sariel? SAMANTHA: Ha... he reminds me of an old NCO I once served with. Served since forever, and wouldn't leave the army unless they made him. TEXN: Because he loved it?She shakes her head, her auburn ponytail whipping back and forth. SAMANTHA: More like he wouldn't be able to handle civilian life. He was forged in the fires of war and there's no other purpose for him... he'd be directionless, and would either succumb to depression or rage at his uselessness, if he got out of the army.She sighs. SAMANTHA: Sariel seems like a good person, but he's jaded as hell. And I'm wondering what it was that got him that way.You contemplate Samantha. She looks back at you and raises an eyebrow. SAMANTHA: What? TEXN: You are a very insightful person. SAMANTHA: Ha. I try my best, buddy.The pair of you wrap up your time together, and you head back to the facility. It's scarcely even midnight, so the night is still young. You decide to go ahead and spend some time with Krystal again. A part of you is a bit amused, you seem to have made friends with three different women. Then again, maybe that's not so surprising? Your experience with men was generally them belittling you for being crippled. You contact Krystal and ask her if she'd be okay with you dropping in to visit her. She agrees quickly enough, and you briskly head down to the section of the Archives where her broken starship is stored. As before, she intercepts you and guides you to the bridge, where you wire in once again to network with her. She seems amused at how you stick with the same artificial chassis that you wear out in the real world.  KRYSTAL: Still not wanting to switch things up? You can have any avatar you want, you know.You shrug. TEXN: And this is all I want for now, Krystal.She pauses, and shrugs back. KRYSTAL: Suit yourself. It'd just be nice to see you like... emote. Or just have body language that isn't just gestures and staring with your creepy single eye.You contemplate this. Should you switch up your avatar? At least while you're spending time with Krystal. > Do we want to choose a new default avatar yet? It would help guide us to what we want our body to eventually be, whenever we get something that isn't "slightly terrifying automaton."
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May 16, 2024 03:36
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"Krystal, would you like to see me as I was? It's been a very long time, and this is probably the only way anyone will ever again be able to perceive what I was like before I... died."
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May 16, 2024 04:18
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