Blackjack Gabbiani
Merely a collector
- Pronouns
- Them
- Partners
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"Sooooooo, mom..."
Lydia had to laugh at Juliana's tone. "Oh boy, am I in for it now?"
"Well...you know how you said that if any of my friends needed anything you'd be happy to help?"
Lydia set the bristle brush and potato she was scrubbing down on the counter. "Of course. Honey, you know I will! What do you need?"
"Uhh..." Juliana was going to have to approach this carefully. They had only recently gotten permission to discuss the subject with their mom, and had run over from the lighthouse to discuss it. But the AI and Arven were outside, so Juliana had better think fast. "So...you know how I told you about what happened in Zero Lab? The robot and everything?"
"Oh..." Her tone changed entirely as she approached her child. In truth she was never certain how much of Juliana's adventures had actually happened, especially given that the most extensive book ever written on Area Zero had a full chapter devoted to the author's hallucinations, but Juliana at least believed them. "Is this what you were so upset over the other day?"
"Y-yeah..." Truthfully, Juliana had almost forgotten about that. Being upset over the events of Zero Lab had been part of the background noise of their lives for nearly three years now, even if the details had to be sparse. And hey, things were looking up now that the AI had come back. He was visible through the window even, a sight that gave the teenager a relief that could never quite be put into words. "I need to talk to you about that. See...the robot found his way back to the present, and he wants some advice, and I thought you'd be the perfect person to--"
But Lydia's gaze had caught as she passed the window. "...Sweetie, can you hold that thought? Some weirdo is standing in the vegetable garden."
Oh no. Oh crap. As Lydia stormed past, Juliana winced. Sure enough, the AI was standing directly in the pumpkin patch, rubbing soil between his fingers.
Lydia yanked the door open. "Hey! Weirdo! Get out of the--" Only to slam the door shut a moment later, throwing herself against it as if it would somehow slam it a second time and staring back at Juliana with eyes wide. "When you said 'robot'..." Her voice was peaking, shaking, and trying desperately to force a sense of calm. "You should have led with 'he looks exactly like Professor Turo' because that's not something I was prepared for!"
"Ahhhh..." Lydia sighed, sitting back in her chair. "I'm sorry for yelling. You caught me by surprise."
"Not at all." The AI sat across from her, his intense gaze softened by an inquisitive tilt of his head. "Your garden is so well-tended that I couldn't help but take a soil sample."
The sudden, albeit strange, compliment caught her off guard, and she giggled nervously. "Oh really? Is that something you uh...you can run back at the lighthouse?"
"No, I did so right away. This body serves as a mobile test station for many possible occurrences," he told her, bringing a hand to his chest as if to signify the importance of his physical form. "I am equipped to run fifty six different forms of tests simply on my person, and I can store data for anything else the lab would need. Of course," and here he set his arm back down, "I cannot go into detail about the environs of the Zero Lab or anything related."
"Of course. Um..." Lydia shifted a bit, and when Chippy hopped up on her lap, she pet the back of his head with some relief at the soft texture of his fur. "I don't suppose you would want some tea. Are you able to drink?"
The AI smiled faintly. "I am able to consume small amounts of materials as a chemical analysis, but I cannot truly drink anything. However, I understand that this is done as a hospitality gesture, in which case I will accept."
"Oh yeah?" Arven asked. He was next to the AI on the couch. "You never told me that."
"There are many things that I have not told you."
It was said so plainly that Arven wrinkled his nose in response. "Geez. Just...maybe I'd want to have you try my cooking is all."
"Arven is an excellent cook!" Lydia interjected. "He's been taking cooking lessons from me. I've been teaching him about a lot of world cuisine, but he's going to go to cooking school too."
"Mom writes cookbooks and garden books for a living." This came from Juliana, who was in the kitchen fetching a lemonade from the fridge. "Also, if you want to drink some tea, would serving it in a teaspoon be something you could have?"
The AI nodded. "Not a full one. But that would be an excellent compromise."
The trainer's face lit up, happy to have come up with something that helped him. "Ok! I'll put some on! Any flavors you like? You...probably don't have much experience with that, do you?"
He couldn't taste specific flavors, only determine chemical analysis and surmise from there, but decided against launching into an explanation. "Whatever you like best."
"Arven, come help me out!"
"Gotcha, little buddy!" Arven was up like a bolt.
Lydia chuckled. "He's so high energy. A few years ago, when I first met him, he was so eager to please, but when he opened up about his father, he was..." She mused for a moment on how to phrase it. "The subject always brought a downturn, no matter what else we were doing. So I try not to bring up anything that would remind him of his father. But sometimes that can be hard." She shook her head with a sigh, the faint exhalation blowing some of Chippy's fur. "One time I had a magazine out on the counter and he picked it up, stared at it for a bit, and said that his father was once on the cover."
The AI's direct gaze was past her, watching Arven and Juliana in the kitchen, but it was close enough. "In honesty, that does not narrow it down. Turo was a very popular man, sought after for his scientific genius, and that he was widely considered to be very handsome added to his fame." The AI frowned. "He did not like the attention, finding it invasive, but knew it was important to continue his funding."
"That must have been very hard. But..." She glanced behind her at the two in the kitchen, knowing from first-hand knowledge that their conversation could easily be heard in there. "What about YOU? I'd like to know more about my new neighbor." The question came with a smile that she hoped was easy looking and not nearly as forced as it felt.
His expression shifted, eyes widening just enough to be noticed, before dropping back to neutrality. "I confess I am still not accustomed to being the center of attention. I do not know what to do with myself, nor how to truly answer."
"Oh?"
"Yes."
They sat in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say, before Lydia offered "Um...so when you came in, they didn't introduce you. We've talked for so long already but I don't know what your name is."
Again, he was taken off guard. "I do not have one. My designation is AI Turo, but I have no name of my own."
Lydia's jaw dropped, and she set Chippy to the side and stood up. "That just won't do," she murmured. More directly, she continued, hands on her hips. "We can't have you going around without a name."
He looked up at her with that vague confusion once again. "There was no need for one until my return. And even then, that is how I think of myself. Although..." He looked away, at Chippy, though the Skwovet wasn't really the subject. "I suppose I must alter that now that I am preparing to live in a civilization of others who would require a name. And I cannot rely on a name bestowed to show myself as a duplicate to a man who no longer exists..."
"Give it some time." Lydia smiled. "Getting to pick a name is a big deal. Don't decide right away."
"Understood."
"Hey!" Arven called out, "maybe we can help you with that!"
Juliana had stopped work, though there was nothing much to do as the kettle boiled. "I can text Nemona and Penny if you want!" They had their phone at the ready, but didn't unlock it yet.
The AI, with Lydia still looming over him, gripped the arm of the chair a little tighter and turned his attention towards the back window. Though he was built to analyze thousands of inputs at once, those inputs were rarely so personal. A memory played in his mind, an encounter with an entire herd of creatures he had taken to referring to as Iron Clef, chattering away in raucous cacophony. The little avians with their elaborate headdresses had very detailed metallic-seeming but fully organic feathers, and he had wished he could have studied their methods of noisemaking, but they had taken poorly to this newcomer and bitten him soundly when he attempted to engage.
Lydia grinned and held her arm out. When he took her hand, she pulled him up. "Speaking of friends. Juliana, there's someone who's eager to meet our nameless friend here, isn't there?"
"Of course!" They set a spoon aside. "Arven, if you want to come outside with us."
He removed the boiling kettle from the base and set it on the counter. "Of course!"
Juliana bolted for the door, leaving it open as they dashed to the nearby cliffside. "Hey Miraiiiiiiiiiiiiidon!"
The others couldn't see it, but below in the water, the legendary Iron Serpent scrambled through the water and up the cliff at its trainers' call.
The AI smiled, but what could he possibly say? Would Miraidon understand his return? What had Juliana told it already? Oh, but that he could simply ask. "What have you explained so far?"
Without turning around, Juliana replied "What you told us. That you met Terapagos in the future and it was able to send you back."
Miradon lept over the top of the cliff, clearing the fence and garden plot and landing neatly on the pathway. Its eyes shone brightly as it excitedly sniffed the air and approached the AI and nudged his chest with its snout.
He nodded, and rested a hand on the dragon's forehead. "I am...back now. I will not leave again."
The dragon's expression grew serious, and it nodded before nudging into the AI's hand, demanding affection that the AI was happy to oblige.
To pet Miraidon felt right, relaxing, simply a correct state of being. It nuzzled against his hand and cooed out a happy sound the AI hadn't heard in centuries, and he drew his other hand up to hold its head. "I am here now," he reiterated, knowing fully that it was to tell himself as much as to tell Miraidon.
Arven clapped Juliana on the back. "Looks like it worked," he grinned.
But Juliana had grown tense, and took a moment to react. "Yeah..." Their voice was distant, and they stared out over the ocean instead of the scene before them. "...hey, can you take care of the tea for me? You know where they are. Just..." Instead of finishing the thought, they turned around and headed back inside.
Lydia let them pass without interfering, only to remind them "we're here if you need us."
"What was that about?" Arven asked with some alarm.
She waited until Juliana was fully inside before answering, leaning to his ear and whispering. "I don't really know. I know things about our friend here really upset them, but they've never really told me everything. Plus, you know how they are. Doesn't want anyone to see 'em cry."
The AI was well aware of the change in Juliana's demeanor, noticing the change in the trainer's heart rate and respiration being consistent with signs of panic. As much as he wanted to pursue, Miraidon needed him, so he would let the other humans take the lead.
Arven went back inside, heading to the kitchen to finish preparing the tea, and Lydia followed a minute later. Miraidon nudged the AI again, growling softly in a manner he could recognize as a friendly sound, before pulling back on its haunches and sitting to fully take in the sight. It let out a little "Agias!" and stood again, only walking to the front of the house before laying down in the sun.
He smiled at it. It was happy, but he also wasn't the person that it truly missed. That was fine.
Headed back inside, he was met with Arven's call of "What sort of tea did you want? I should have asked earlier."
"Whatever you like." Juliana had asked the question before, but that was not Arven. The AI's attention was on Lydia anyway, who was looking up the staircase and gestured to him. "Yes?" He could sense Juliana upstairs.
"Could you go...check on Juli?" She shifted uncomfortably, posture heavy from concern. "Truthfully I've always felt a little in over my head with everything that happened in that crater. They--none of them--were going to tell me anything until they realized they all needed someone to talk to. And..." She paused, sighed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't really think some of these things were even true for a while. I read that book by that explorer and there's a part that's just flat out a hallucination, so I guess I've taken things with a grain of salt. They're all upset, especially Arven and Juli, and that's all that matters." She laughed under her breath, a nervous sound heavy with disbelief. "I imagined this robot they kept talking about to be all...you know--" She waved her hands around the AI as if demonstrating shape, "--something boxy and sci-fi or something. So *this* is a lot to take in."
"I understand." He wasn't sure if he really did, but he started up the steps anyway.
In their room, Juliana was seated at the desk under the window, holding something to their chest. The AI could make out that it was a book but nothing else.
"Your mother asked that I check on you."
Juliana didn't react at first, but at his words their heart rate increased. After nearly a minute, they let out a long staggered breath. "...This is yours. It's more yours than mine." Though again, they didn't move right away, taking a moment to loosen their hold from the book and offer it with a shaking arm.
That cover, that familiar purple binding, the exact shade of which the AI could never forget. "The Violet Book."
"Just take it! Just take it! It's done enough damage!" They thrust the book at him with a sharp insistence, face turned away but voice indicating the presence of sudden tears.
He accepted the book and ran a hand down the familiar cover. His own, the one inherited from his creator, had long ago disintegrated, the pages growing too damaged from frequent use. But a book was only paper; it was the story told within that had been the valuable part, and he had memorized every corner of it, every word, every illustration, every crease and dent in the much-loved volume. The copy in his hands was so similar, newer of course, as any copy in the present era would be, and he recognized the texture of the cover illustration as being from the same reprint edition that Turo had owned. It even bore the same dent in the corner.
But...that had been from when Turo was thirteen and knocked it from a table. And that faint scratch there, that was from when another student tried to take it from him. He opened it up--the bend in the corner on page 185, the little stain from a colleague's carelessly toppled coffee, the...
The shaky signature, in Turo's own hand, his youth apparent from the clumsy nature of it. This was unmistakable. The AI stared at Juliana. "How did you get this...?"
"The white book. He wanted it."
Memories of a distant land, a dream made real, haze and crystals and sulfur. "You have Terapagos then."
"Yeah." It was sniffled, almost sobbed. "So you remember that."
"I do." He tried to convey a kind expression, though Juliana still wouldn't face him. "It was how I knew you were the ideal person to care for Miraidon. And Miraidon seems to agree." He rested his free hand on Juliana's shoulder. "But Professor Turo did not give his own copy of the Violet Book in exchange for the white one."
"It wasn't..." the trainer choked out. "not the same Turo. I don't think. He didn't know what Miraidon was other than the picture in the book, even though Arven was already born." They beat a fist against the desk, jolting a few pens. "And he acted like it was inevitable that Arven was going to be alone forever! He was so stupid! He could stop any time he wanted and just--he didn't! And he knew this would be bad!" Another fist slam. "He acted like he didn't want to leave Arven alone and he did it anyway! So when he asked for my book, I thought..." The arm tensed and drew in just in time for Juliana to ram their head down onto it. "...If he was going to be like that, if he was going to act like his son was *optional*, then maybe I could just...let him get whatever he was going to get."
The AI remained where he was, unsure what to do among such overwhelming emotions, but mentally sent a text to Arven to please go outside, through the kitchen door if possible.
"When he took it, when he handed his book over, he told me he was going to go home and read it." Juliana sniffled and reached for a tissue on the corner of the desk. "So I thought maybe he learned something. Maybe he stayed home. Maybe he loosened up, maybe he was a real father to his Arven." Another sniff before the sound of nose blowing. "Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he went home, read his book, gave his Arven a pat on the head, and went right back to what he was doing." A head shake, bearing much frustration. "Maybe he didn't go home at all. Maybe he ditched Arven even earlier. Maybe he went straight to his *fucking* Paradise plan," they added with a white-knuckled fist balled over the side of the desk. "Maybe he got mauled by a rampaging Tauros on his way home; who knows. And I *can't* know, and it's eating me up inside."
"To never be able to know for certain..." He sighed, that simulated voice of his long gone creator, that lingering memento of the man that continued to fill their thoughts. And he again rested a hand on the trainer's shoulder, the same silent reassurance he had given that long gone creator in moments of doubt and darkness.
After a dull moment, the overarching pain lingering in the air, the early evening light outside starting to dim the room around the corners, Juliana sat back up and rested a hand over the AI's. "It's stupid to worry over a different universe, isn't it?" Their voice was distant, suddenly hushed.
He had no idea how to answer that. Nothing in his databanks, not his human memories, not his own self in either the past or future, could provide a sufficient answer. But he was, if nothing else, built to learn, and in that moment he wanted nothing but to learn how to be a comfort to someone in need. "It..." he hesitantly began. But Juliana's kindness and willingness to help strangers had been the salvation of Paldea. The salvation of the AI himself. "...It shows your compassionate nature. Your instinct is to care deeply, and that is something that fuels your strength. And whatever Turo did--any Turo--was his own decision. Many people in his life had influenced him, and ultimately your voice would be one of dozens, hundreds. It would be incorrect to attribute his actions or fate to any of them. He was his own man, and a very driven and dedicated one at that."
They turned their head towards him, but not enough to reveal their face.
To continue talking would be best, he reasoned. "You were the correct choice to care for Miraidon. Your love and care for it, for your friends, for Paldea as a whole, is evident through your actions and your perception of the world. And that is why you have these concerns."
He debated adding onto that, reminding them that a world with a Juliana that did not care would be much poorer for it, but knew a potential response to such a thing could be a rejection of the notion, as if he was somehow suggesting martyrdom. It was not a certain prediction, as he was dealing with an incomplete data set, but it would still be best, he reasoned, to find another tactic.
"When you realized that I had returned, that I was waiting in the lighthouse, I confess that your sudden outpouring of emotion took me by surprise. But I thought of it, and it was entirely logical." His hand curled reassuringly, a gesture he noted prompted the trainer to begin to relax. "It is only natural that you feel strongly, because that is who you are."
Finally, they looked up at him through blurry, reddened eyes. The corners of their mouth continued to tug downwards involuntarily, a sign the AI recognized that this was not yet over even with their heightened vitals returning to normal.
But that was what he had invited, wasn't it? To so desperately rely on a complete stranger, a child, to shoulder this burden had weighed heavily on him. Even if the inheritor of Miraidon had not been a face familiar though Turo's memories (the memories of a man not yet cold), he would have been forced to place them in the role of unwitting hero regardless. He was forbidden from contacting Arven, and the limitations of what he could say to others remotely had restricted him from beseeching Clavell. He had to maintain his creator's crisp manner in all communications, not to even show surprise when he saw the bearer of a book that had not yet been written.
Through every scrap of time, through the weeks and months and years he had to reminisce on what had happened, he had never considered simply *how much* his decision would do to Juliana.
"...To shutter the time machine was a necessity, and you did so--" Not without hesitation, as Juliana had stayed their hand when it had become apparent that they would have to fight the AI. Not without regret, as they had spoken before of their fear of his fate. "--without question. You understood the gravity of the situation and knew what had to be done."
"I had a lot of questions," Juliana corrected with a sniffle to their still-distant voice. "The whole elevator down, I had nothing but questions."
His predictive analysis was not always accurate. "But you know my intention. That you knew that Paldea was on the line, and did what had to be done to save it."
They looked away again, towards the side of the room. "I didn't want to think about what would happen if I didn't. But when you..." Their hand tightened around his. "When you were telling us that as long as you existed, the machine would start again...and you got so close to the edge of the platform..."
He remembered how their expressions, all of them, had changed as he spoke. Juliana's relief had given way to fear, Penny's curiosity to an odd intensity, Nemona's determination to confusion, Miraidon's confidence into acceptance. And Arven's distrust into...grief. That was what he had carried with him the most. "You thought I would destroy myself."
"If it was to save Paldea, you would." Their hand slipped away from his and onto the desk.
"That much..." He shook his head. "I cannot deny. But because of you and your kindness, I was able to live. And moreover, I *wanted* to live, because I had experienced your adventures and desired an adventure of my own."
Juliana slumped again, resting their head back down onto the desk with a deep sigh. "And like the book, I couldn't know. So unless Other Turo shows up here somehow and tells me this himself, then I'm always going to be wondering."
He patted their shoulder again, the only comforting gesture he found suited the situation.
"I tried again, you know. I took Terapagos back up there, and Miraidon of course. And Arven. But nothing happened. Terapagos just crawled around and played in the water. Miraidon seemed like it was tense, a-and it was sad when nothing happened. But I couldn't tell Arven what I had dragged him up there for! I couldn't dare tell him."
"I understand. Do you intend to tell him someday?"
They sniffled. "I hope I never have to. And I hope he's stayed in the kitchen this whole time because if he learns all of this by overhearing it, I don't know that I can deal with that..."
The AI pondered for a moment, finding both of the other humans in the garden. "He has returned outside. Your mother and he are fetching some herbs. I do not know if that is a preventive measure or if she genuinely requires them."
"Knowing her, probably both," Juliana admitted with a slight laugh.
"She is concerned about you. They both are."
Juliana pushed the chair back slightly, enough to alert the AI of further action. "I'm sorry. I've been keeping things so pent up because I flat out can't tell them about anything..." Pushing it back a little further let them stand up, and they turned to face the AI for the first time. "So I'm taking it out on you. Seeing you reunite with Miraidon just hit me harder than I thought it would." But they were smiling, wincing and still crying, but smiling as broadly as they could. "I hate keeping things locked up, but I had to..."
He examined their vitals and was pleased that they were within a range indicative of calm. "I will hear you out at any time," he assured.
"I'm glad. I'm just..." Another sniff. "So glad you're back. Not just because I finally have someone to talk to, but for *you*. You must be relieved to be back."
How to approach this? He considered his answer carefully. "I am. Although I do wish to remind you that I was, for the most part, very happy in the future. In that regard, there was nothing worth worrying about." But it wasn't easy for humans to give up on those fears, was it? Even he had repeated notions, his predictive analysis catching on many old scenarios, including those leading into what in organic life would be termed nightmares. "Although I know that you will worry regardless. That is the way of things. I simply hope that you can release that fear enough to be happy in your life."
After a wipe at their eyes with the back of their hand, Juliana smiled, a lot more naturally this time. "I'm mostly happy. Friends, a lot of pokémon that love me and I love them, I get to travel...Actually yesterday, me and Clara went to a cafe in Artazon and hung out at the playground there for a few hours...She got a picture of her Salandit sunning himself on one of the Sunflora statues. It was super cute! But..." That smile dropped. "...The whole time, I kept thinking, I can't tell her anything. I can't tell her about you, or about Area Zero..." They flailed a hand to the side. "And that's almost everyone in my life! I couldn't even tell my mom everything!"
He nodded. "That much is understandable. It is still classified, after all. Although I understand why you have told your mother what you have."
"Yeah...I had to or I was gonna fall apart. And it's hard to get Arven to open up without a little honesty." They laughed a little under their breath. "Nemona wanted to tell her about all the cool monsters down there and we put a stop to that. At least to the specifics. She did tell her 'there's Glimmora down there' and that's about it."
"A reasonable statement. Glimmet exist elsewhere in Paldea so it is not necessarily classified information. Although..." he mused, "On that subject, what does the champion know? And moreover, what has she stated publicly?"
Juliana flopped back into the chair. "She hasn't said anything public yet. We told her about the time machine, but she can't get into the lab to begin with so it's not like she could do anything with it. She didn't even know what to do with the indigo disk when she had it."
Of course. If Juliana had access to the Underdepths, they would have to have gotten that lost disk at some point to change the destination of the lab's elevator. "So that is who possessed it. It was taken by a former assistant, although Turo was never able to determine who."
"Geeta didn't say. But I think their heart was in the right place. They wanted to show off what he was working on in the hopes of getting more funding." The trainer looked up at him before looking away again. "But that just made things worse. The theft of a vital piece like that just made Turo more paranoid, didn't it?"
The AI sighed again, eyes closing for a moment. "It was one of many things that contributed to his mental state, yes. And that he never did know who it was that had taken it only furthered that. He suspected that it may have even been Clavell, but he was not certain."
"Could ask him. Now that you're on good terms with him and all."
"Perhaps. Although I would have difficulty approaching the subject."
Juliana exhaled sharply through their nostrils, a steadying sound. "You're not supposed to have any limiters on your conversation now."
"Yes. But I would not know how to approach something so uncomfortable."
After a beat of silence, Juliana laughed. "Well, that's very human of you." At that point, they fully looked up to see him. "Do you want to be seen that way? As a human? You're a *person* for sure. But if anyone outside our little circle knows you're a robot, bad things could happen."
"I know..." The AI smiled weakly, nothing like the broad, toothy expression from before. "Do not misunderstand. I love humans. They are fascinating. But I am not one, and thus do not want to be seen as one, and yet I know that I must."
"Mm..." They sighed before gesturing for him to take a step back, which he did. "I kinda understand. Like..." They stood up and brought both hands to their close cropped hair. "I kinda want to grow this out again. I miss having longer hair. But then I'd be getting a lot of 'miss' again. But at least that's the same species!" With a nervous laugh, they seemed to settle down, posture relaxing. "I'll help you out any way I can, but having to keep so many secrets is tough." They looked up at him, just a few inches difference now. "And having you back has brought some things back that I tried to put away." A distant sniffle as they looked away for a moment, only to end up smiling at him, lower lip quivering. "I guess I took a cue from Arven then. I'd get on his case for not working on his issues but like...how do I tackle my own when I can't talk to anyone?" They leaned forward ever so slightly, paused, and sucked in a breath before hugging him. It wasn't as tight as they had at the lighthouse, lacking the desperation or heightened vital signs of that event, a more cathartic action than before. "...I hope this is ok. If you don't want to be hugged, let me know."
He paused. Humans needed that sort of pressure, didn't they? The physical contact, the gentle squeeze, the reassurance that another living thing was *present* and willing to provide needed comfort, they were all things that humans craved. And he had to admit that, even if he didn't require such things for his own well-being, it felt nice to have that reassurance as well. He returned the hug just as he had at the lighthouse. "It is perfectly all right. I understand. I understand." Repetition was also something humans found reassuring, and other organic life forms as well. And the gesture itself was soothing, picking at the human parts of his programming. He was three hundred years removed from his creator, but the very fact that he had returned to that era proved to him that he was never that far from his core. And while Turo had resisted much emotional expression that didn't apply to his research, the AI could indulge in manifestations of friendship and fondness without the man's mindset protesting within him.
That was part of the issue, he knew. Turo's hesitation to show outward affection had driven a wedge between many of his relationships. Arven had suffered from it, Sada, Turo's own mother...only Clavell seemed to be forgiving of such standoffishness. The AI knew the man had felt deep fondness for all of them, but his inability to show it was alienating.
But he didn't need to continue to be bound by the restrictions of his creator's mind. He could show affection for his friends.
After a moment, Juliana pulled away. "...Thank you."
"You're welcome."
It was said so neutrally that Juliana giggled. "If you want, we can help you work on your delivery. But there's a charm to how you talk too. It's all in what you want."
He smiled, the smaller, more subtle version that he typically used around Arven. "I will consider the offer. Thank you."
They wiped the last of the tears out of their eyes and started for the stairs, turning around to make sure he was following. "They're probably really worried about us. Let's go outside and see if they need any help."
"Naturally."
In all the hubbub, Arven hadn't forgotten what the AI had promised, and when they returned inside, he headed immediately for the kitchen. "All right, now, it's all steeped. A little too much, but people like it that way sometimes. It's a pretty light taste, so I can see this still working out." He held up the box the tea had come from, showing a picture of a yellow flower. "This is a really nice flavor that isn't very common around here." He paused and shook his head, smirking slightly. "I guess that wouldn't really mean much to you. I hope you like it though."
He poured a cup of tea before producing a fancy spoon with a flourish and measuring out a small amount of the lightly steaming liquid and setting it on an even fancier plate.
"Your tea, sir."
The AI smiled, the same gentle way he had a few minutes before, and accepted the offering. It was about twice as much as he could consume, but an initial sip was all he needed.
The usual traits were lost on him. None of the delicate taste, none of the floral scent, nor the lingering sweetness could be caught by his sensors. But the gentle warmth, the care put into preparation, those were fully noticed alongside the chemical components.
And around him, the others as well. Juliana's nerves were not entirely gone, but seemed to settle once the group had formed around the tea, and the sip from their own cup was accompanied by a deep sigh. Lydia, her arm around her child's shoulder, gave them a soft squeeze as she cooled her tea with a relaxed exhale over the liquid's surface. Arven was refraining from pouring his own cup as he eagerly watched the AI's face.
He set the spoon aside, careful to preserve the remainder of the tea. "Entirely wonderful."
Lydia had to laugh at Juliana's tone. "Oh boy, am I in for it now?"
"Well...you know how you said that if any of my friends needed anything you'd be happy to help?"
Lydia set the bristle brush and potato she was scrubbing down on the counter. "Of course. Honey, you know I will! What do you need?"
"Uhh..." Juliana was going to have to approach this carefully. They had only recently gotten permission to discuss the subject with their mom, and had run over from the lighthouse to discuss it. But the AI and Arven were outside, so Juliana had better think fast. "So...you know how I told you about what happened in Zero Lab? The robot and everything?"
"Oh..." Her tone changed entirely as she approached her child. In truth she was never certain how much of Juliana's adventures had actually happened, especially given that the most extensive book ever written on Area Zero had a full chapter devoted to the author's hallucinations, but Juliana at least believed them. "Is this what you were so upset over the other day?"
"Y-yeah..." Truthfully, Juliana had almost forgotten about that. Being upset over the events of Zero Lab had been part of the background noise of their lives for nearly three years now, even if the details had to be sparse. And hey, things were looking up now that the AI had come back. He was visible through the window even, a sight that gave the teenager a relief that could never quite be put into words. "I need to talk to you about that. See...the robot found his way back to the present, and he wants some advice, and I thought you'd be the perfect person to--"
But Lydia's gaze had caught as she passed the window. "...Sweetie, can you hold that thought? Some weirdo is standing in the vegetable garden."
Oh no. Oh crap. As Lydia stormed past, Juliana winced. Sure enough, the AI was standing directly in the pumpkin patch, rubbing soil between his fingers.
Lydia yanked the door open. "Hey! Weirdo! Get out of the--" Only to slam the door shut a moment later, throwing herself against it as if it would somehow slam it a second time and staring back at Juliana with eyes wide. "When you said 'robot'..." Her voice was peaking, shaking, and trying desperately to force a sense of calm. "You should have led with 'he looks exactly like Professor Turo' because that's not something I was prepared for!"
"Ahhhh..." Lydia sighed, sitting back in her chair. "I'm sorry for yelling. You caught me by surprise."
"Not at all." The AI sat across from her, his intense gaze softened by an inquisitive tilt of his head. "Your garden is so well-tended that I couldn't help but take a soil sample."
The sudden, albeit strange, compliment caught her off guard, and she giggled nervously. "Oh really? Is that something you uh...you can run back at the lighthouse?"
"No, I did so right away. This body serves as a mobile test station for many possible occurrences," he told her, bringing a hand to his chest as if to signify the importance of his physical form. "I am equipped to run fifty six different forms of tests simply on my person, and I can store data for anything else the lab would need. Of course," and here he set his arm back down, "I cannot go into detail about the environs of the Zero Lab or anything related."
"Of course. Um..." Lydia shifted a bit, and when Chippy hopped up on her lap, she pet the back of his head with some relief at the soft texture of his fur. "I don't suppose you would want some tea. Are you able to drink?"
The AI smiled faintly. "I am able to consume small amounts of materials as a chemical analysis, but I cannot truly drink anything. However, I understand that this is done as a hospitality gesture, in which case I will accept."
"Oh yeah?" Arven asked. He was next to the AI on the couch. "You never told me that."
"There are many things that I have not told you."
It was said so plainly that Arven wrinkled his nose in response. "Geez. Just...maybe I'd want to have you try my cooking is all."
"Arven is an excellent cook!" Lydia interjected. "He's been taking cooking lessons from me. I've been teaching him about a lot of world cuisine, but he's going to go to cooking school too."
"Mom writes cookbooks and garden books for a living." This came from Juliana, who was in the kitchen fetching a lemonade from the fridge. "Also, if you want to drink some tea, would serving it in a teaspoon be something you could have?"
The AI nodded. "Not a full one. But that would be an excellent compromise."
The trainer's face lit up, happy to have come up with something that helped him. "Ok! I'll put some on! Any flavors you like? You...probably don't have much experience with that, do you?"
He couldn't taste specific flavors, only determine chemical analysis and surmise from there, but decided against launching into an explanation. "Whatever you like best."
"Arven, come help me out!"
"Gotcha, little buddy!" Arven was up like a bolt.
Lydia chuckled. "He's so high energy. A few years ago, when I first met him, he was so eager to please, but when he opened up about his father, he was..." She mused for a moment on how to phrase it. "The subject always brought a downturn, no matter what else we were doing. So I try not to bring up anything that would remind him of his father. But sometimes that can be hard." She shook her head with a sigh, the faint exhalation blowing some of Chippy's fur. "One time I had a magazine out on the counter and he picked it up, stared at it for a bit, and said that his father was once on the cover."
The AI's direct gaze was past her, watching Arven and Juliana in the kitchen, but it was close enough. "In honesty, that does not narrow it down. Turo was a very popular man, sought after for his scientific genius, and that he was widely considered to be very handsome added to his fame." The AI frowned. "He did not like the attention, finding it invasive, but knew it was important to continue his funding."
"That must have been very hard. But..." She glanced behind her at the two in the kitchen, knowing from first-hand knowledge that their conversation could easily be heard in there. "What about YOU? I'd like to know more about my new neighbor." The question came with a smile that she hoped was easy looking and not nearly as forced as it felt.
His expression shifted, eyes widening just enough to be noticed, before dropping back to neutrality. "I confess I am still not accustomed to being the center of attention. I do not know what to do with myself, nor how to truly answer."
"Oh?"
"Yes."
They sat in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say, before Lydia offered "Um...so when you came in, they didn't introduce you. We've talked for so long already but I don't know what your name is."
Again, he was taken off guard. "I do not have one. My designation is AI Turo, but I have no name of my own."
Lydia's jaw dropped, and she set Chippy to the side and stood up. "That just won't do," she murmured. More directly, she continued, hands on her hips. "We can't have you going around without a name."
He looked up at her with that vague confusion once again. "There was no need for one until my return. And even then, that is how I think of myself. Although..." He looked away, at Chippy, though the Skwovet wasn't really the subject. "I suppose I must alter that now that I am preparing to live in a civilization of others who would require a name. And I cannot rely on a name bestowed to show myself as a duplicate to a man who no longer exists..."
"Give it some time." Lydia smiled. "Getting to pick a name is a big deal. Don't decide right away."
"Understood."
"Hey!" Arven called out, "maybe we can help you with that!"
Juliana had stopped work, though there was nothing much to do as the kettle boiled. "I can text Nemona and Penny if you want!" They had their phone at the ready, but didn't unlock it yet.
The AI, with Lydia still looming over him, gripped the arm of the chair a little tighter and turned his attention towards the back window. Though he was built to analyze thousands of inputs at once, those inputs were rarely so personal. A memory played in his mind, an encounter with an entire herd of creatures he had taken to referring to as Iron Clef, chattering away in raucous cacophony. The little avians with their elaborate headdresses had very detailed metallic-seeming but fully organic feathers, and he had wished he could have studied their methods of noisemaking, but they had taken poorly to this newcomer and bitten him soundly when he attempted to engage.
Lydia grinned and held her arm out. When he took her hand, she pulled him up. "Speaking of friends. Juliana, there's someone who's eager to meet our nameless friend here, isn't there?"
"Of course!" They set a spoon aside. "Arven, if you want to come outside with us."
He removed the boiling kettle from the base and set it on the counter. "Of course!"
Juliana bolted for the door, leaving it open as they dashed to the nearby cliffside. "Hey Miraiiiiiiiiiiiiidon!"
The others couldn't see it, but below in the water, the legendary Iron Serpent scrambled through the water and up the cliff at its trainers' call.
The AI smiled, but what could he possibly say? Would Miraidon understand his return? What had Juliana told it already? Oh, but that he could simply ask. "What have you explained so far?"
Without turning around, Juliana replied "What you told us. That you met Terapagos in the future and it was able to send you back."
Miradon lept over the top of the cliff, clearing the fence and garden plot and landing neatly on the pathway. Its eyes shone brightly as it excitedly sniffed the air and approached the AI and nudged his chest with its snout.
He nodded, and rested a hand on the dragon's forehead. "I am...back now. I will not leave again."
The dragon's expression grew serious, and it nodded before nudging into the AI's hand, demanding affection that the AI was happy to oblige.
To pet Miraidon felt right, relaxing, simply a correct state of being. It nuzzled against his hand and cooed out a happy sound the AI hadn't heard in centuries, and he drew his other hand up to hold its head. "I am here now," he reiterated, knowing fully that it was to tell himself as much as to tell Miraidon.
Arven clapped Juliana on the back. "Looks like it worked," he grinned.
But Juliana had grown tense, and took a moment to react. "Yeah..." Their voice was distant, and they stared out over the ocean instead of the scene before them. "...hey, can you take care of the tea for me? You know where they are. Just..." Instead of finishing the thought, they turned around and headed back inside.
Lydia let them pass without interfering, only to remind them "we're here if you need us."
"What was that about?" Arven asked with some alarm.
She waited until Juliana was fully inside before answering, leaning to his ear and whispering. "I don't really know. I know things about our friend here really upset them, but they've never really told me everything. Plus, you know how they are. Doesn't want anyone to see 'em cry."
The AI was well aware of the change in Juliana's demeanor, noticing the change in the trainer's heart rate and respiration being consistent with signs of panic. As much as he wanted to pursue, Miraidon needed him, so he would let the other humans take the lead.
Arven went back inside, heading to the kitchen to finish preparing the tea, and Lydia followed a minute later. Miraidon nudged the AI again, growling softly in a manner he could recognize as a friendly sound, before pulling back on its haunches and sitting to fully take in the sight. It let out a little "Agias!" and stood again, only walking to the front of the house before laying down in the sun.
He smiled at it. It was happy, but he also wasn't the person that it truly missed. That was fine.
Headed back inside, he was met with Arven's call of "What sort of tea did you want? I should have asked earlier."
"Whatever you like." Juliana had asked the question before, but that was not Arven. The AI's attention was on Lydia anyway, who was looking up the staircase and gestured to him. "Yes?" He could sense Juliana upstairs.
"Could you go...check on Juli?" She shifted uncomfortably, posture heavy from concern. "Truthfully I've always felt a little in over my head with everything that happened in that crater. They--none of them--were going to tell me anything until they realized they all needed someone to talk to. And..." She paused, sighed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't really think some of these things were even true for a while. I read that book by that explorer and there's a part that's just flat out a hallucination, so I guess I've taken things with a grain of salt. They're all upset, especially Arven and Juli, and that's all that matters." She laughed under her breath, a nervous sound heavy with disbelief. "I imagined this robot they kept talking about to be all...you know--" She waved her hands around the AI as if demonstrating shape, "--something boxy and sci-fi or something. So *this* is a lot to take in."
"I understand." He wasn't sure if he really did, but he started up the steps anyway.
In their room, Juliana was seated at the desk under the window, holding something to their chest. The AI could make out that it was a book but nothing else.
"Your mother asked that I check on you."
Juliana didn't react at first, but at his words their heart rate increased. After nearly a minute, they let out a long staggered breath. "...This is yours. It's more yours than mine." Though again, they didn't move right away, taking a moment to loosen their hold from the book and offer it with a shaking arm.
That cover, that familiar purple binding, the exact shade of which the AI could never forget. "The Violet Book."
"Just take it! Just take it! It's done enough damage!" They thrust the book at him with a sharp insistence, face turned away but voice indicating the presence of sudden tears.
He accepted the book and ran a hand down the familiar cover. His own, the one inherited from his creator, had long ago disintegrated, the pages growing too damaged from frequent use. But a book was only paper; it was the story told within that had been the valuable part, and he had memorized every corner of it, every word, every illustration, every crease and dent in the much-loved volume. The copy in his hands was so similar, newer of course, as any copy in the present era would be, and he recognized the texture of the cover illustration as being from the same reprint edition that Turo had owned. It even bore the same dent in the corner.
But...that had been from when Turo was thirteen and knocked it from a table. And that faint scratch there, that was from when another student tried to take it from him. He opened it up--the bend in the corner on page 185, the little stain from a colleague's carelessly toppled coffee, the...
The shaky signature, in Turo's own hand, his youth apparent from the clumsy nature of it. This was unmistakable. The AI stared at Juliana. "How did you get this...?"
"The white book. He wanted it."
Memories of a distant land, a dream made real, haze and crystals and sulfur. "You have Terapagos then."
"Yeah." It was sniffled, almost sobbed. "So you remember that."
"I do." He tried to convey a kind expression, though Juliana still wouldn't face him. "It was how I knew you were the ideal person to care for Miraidon. And Miraidon seems to agree." He rested his free hand on Juliana's shoulder. "But Professor Turo did not give his own copy of the Violet Book in exchange for the white one."
"It wasn't..." the trainer choked out. "not the same Turo. I don't think. He didn't know what Miraidon was other than the picture in the book, even though Arven was already born." They beat a fist against the desk, jolting a few pens. "And he acted like it was inevitable that Arven was going to be alone forever! He was so stupid! He could stop any time he wanted and just--he didn't! And he knew this would be bad!" Another fist slam. "He acted like he didn't want to leave Arven alone and he did it anyway! So when he asked for my book, I thought..." The arm tensed and drew in just in time for Juliana to ram their head down onto it. "...If he was going to be like that, if he was going to act like his son was *optional*, then maybe I could just...let him get whatever he was going to get."
The AI remained where he was, unsure what to do among such overwhelming emotions, but mentally sent a text to Arven to please go outside, through the kitchen door if possible.
"When he took it, when he handed his book over, he told me he was going to go home and read it." Juliana sniffled and reached for a tissue on the corner of the desk. "So I thought maybe he learned something. Maybe he stayed home. Maybe he loosened up, maybe he was a real father to his Arven." Another sniff before the sound of nose blowing. "Or maybe he didn't. Maybe he went home, read his book, gave his Arven a pat on the head, and went right back to what he was doing." A head shake, bearing much frustration. "Maybe he didn't go home at all. Maybe he ditched Arven even earlier. Maybe he went straight to his *fucking* Paradise plan," they added with a white-knuckled fist balled over the side of the desk. "Maybe he got mauled by a rampaging Tauros on his way home; who knows. And I *can't* know, and it's eating me up inside."
"To never be able to know for certain..." He sighed, that simulated voice of his long gone creator, that lingering memento of the man that continued to fill their thoughts. And he again rested a hand on the trainer's shoulder, the same silent reassurance he had given that long gone creator in moments of doubt and darkness.
After a dull moment, the overarching pain lingering in the air, the early evening light outside starting to dim the room around the corners, Juliana sat back up and rested a hand over the AI's. "It's stupid to worry over a different universe, isn't it?" Their voice was distant, suddenly hushed.
He had no idea how to answer that. Nothing in his databanks, not his human memories, not his own self in either the past or future, could provide a sufficient answer. But he was, if nothing else, built to learn, and in that moment he wanted nothing but to learn how to be a comfort to someone in need. "It..." he hesitantly began. But Juliana's kindness and willingness to help strangers had been the salvation of Paldea. The salvation of the AI himself. "...It shows your compassionate nature. Your instinct is to care deeply, and that is something that fuels your strength. And whatever Turo did--any Turo--was his own decision. Many people in his life had influenced him, and ultimately your voice would be one of dozens, hundreds. It would be incorrect to attribute his actions or fate to any of them. He was his own man, and a very driven and dedicated one at that."
They turned their head towards him, but not enough to reveal their face.
To continue talking would be best, he reasoned. "You were the correct choice to care for Miraidon. Your love and care for it, for your friends, for Paldea as a whole, is evident through your actions and your perception of the world. And that is why you have these concerns."
He debated adding onto that, reminding them that a world with a Juliana that did not care would be much poorer for it, but knew a potential response to such a thing could be a rejection of the notion, as if he was somehow suggesting martyrdom. It was not a certain prediction, as he was dealing with an incomplete data set, but it would still be best, he reasoned, to find another tactic.
"When you realized that I had returned, that I was waiting in the lighthouse, I confess that your sudden outpouring of emotion took me by surprise. But I thought of it, and it was entirely logical." His hand curled reassuringly, a gesture he noted prompted the trainer to begin to relax. "It is only natural that you feel strongly, because that is who you are."
Finally, they looked up at him through blurry, reddened eyes. The corners of their mouth continued to tug downwards involuntarily, a sign the AI recognized that this was not yet over even with their heightened vitals returning to normal.
But that was what he had invited, wasn't it? To so desperately rely on a complete stranger, a child, to shoulder this burden had weighed heavily on him. Even if the inheritor of Miraidon had not been a face familiar though Turo's memories (the memories of a man not yet cold), he would have been forced to place them in the role of unwitting hero regardless. He was forbidden from contacting Arven, and the limitations of what he could say to others remotely had restricted him from beseeching Clavell. He had to maintain his creator's crisp manner in all communications, not to even show surprise when he saw the bearer of a book that had not yet been written.
Through every scrap of time, through the weeks and months and years he had to reminisce on what had happened, he had never considered simply *how much* his decision would do to Juliana.
"...To shutter the time machine was a necessity, and you did so--" Not without hesitation, as Juliana had stayed their hand when it had become apparent that they would have to fight the AI. Not without regret, as they had spoken before of their fear of his fate. "--without question. You understood the gravity of the situation and knew what had to be done."
"I had a lot of questions," Juliana corrected with a sniffle to their still-distant voice. "The whole elevator down, I had nothing but questions."
His predictive analysis was not always accurate. "But you know my intention. That you knew that Paldea was on the line, and did what had to be done to save it."
They looked away again, towards the side of the room. "I didn't want to think about what would happen if I didn't. But when you..." Their hand tightened around his. "When you were telling us that as long as you existed, the machine would start again...and you got so close to the edge of the platform..."
He remembered how their expressions, all of them, had changed as he spoke. Juliana's relief had given way to fear, Penny's curiosity to an odd intensity, Nemona's determination to confusion, Miraidon's confidence into acceptance. And Arven's distrust into...grief. That was what he had carried with him the most. "You thought I would destroy myself."
"If it was to save Paldea, you would." Their hand slipped away from his and onto the desk.
"That much..." He shook his head. "I cannot deny. But because of you and your kindness, I was able to live. And moreover, I *wanted* to live, because I had experienced your adventures and desired an adventure of my own."
Juliana slumped again, resting their head back down onto the desk with a deep sigh. "And like the book, I couldn't know. So unless Other Turo shows up here somehow and tells me this himself, then I'm always going to be wondering."
He patted their shoulder again, the only comforting gesture he found suited the situation.
"I tried again, you know. I took Terapagos back up there, and Miraidon of course. And Arven. But nothing happened. Terapagos just crawled around and played in the water. Miraidon seemed like it was tense, a-and it was sad when nothing happened. But I couldn't tell Arven what I had dragged him up there for! I couldn't dare tell him."
"I understand. Do you intend to tell him someday?"
They sniffled. "I hope I never have to. And I hope he's stayed in the kitchen this whole time because if he learns all of this by overhearing it, I don't know that I can deal with that..."
The AI pondered for a moment, finding both of the other humans in the garden. "He has returned outside. Your mother and he are fetching some herbs. I do not know if that is a preventive measure or if she genuinely requires them."
"Knowing her, probably both," Juliana admitted with a slight laugh.
"She is concerned about you. They both are."
Juliana pushed the chair back slightly, enough to alert the AI of further action. "I'm sorry. I've been keeping things so pent up because I flat out can't tell them about anything..." Pushing it back a little further let them stand up, and they turned to face the AI for the first time. "So I'm taking it out on you. Seeing you reunite with Miraidon just hit me harder than I thought it would." But they were smiling, wincing and still crying, but smiling as broadly as they could. "I hate keeping things locked up, but I had to..."
He examined their vitals and was pleased that they were within a range indicative of calm. "I will hear you out at any time," he assured.
"I'm glad. I'm just..." Another sniff. "So glad you're back. Not just because I finally have someone to talk to, but for *you*. You must be relieved to be back."
How to approach this? He considered his answer carefully. "I am. Although I do wish to remind you that I was, for the most part, very happy in the future. In that regard, there was nothing worth worrying about." But it wasn't easy for humans to give up on those fears, was it? Even he had repeated notions, his predictive analysis catching on many old scenarios, including those leading into what in organic life would be termed nightmares. "Although I know that you will worry regardless. That is the way of things. I simply hope that you can release that fear enough to be happy in your life."
After a wipe at their eyes with the back of their hand, Juliana smiled, a lot more naturally this time. "I'm mostly happy. Friends, a lot of pokémon that love me and I love them, I get to travel...Actually yesterday, me and Clara went to a cafe in Artazon and hung out at the playground there for a few hours...She got a picture of her Salandit sunning himself on one of the Sunflora statues. It was super cute! But..." That smile dropped. "...The whole time, I kept thinking, I can't tell her anything. I can't tell her about you, or about Area Zero..." They flailed a hand to the side. "And that's almost everyone in my life! I couldn't even tell my mom everything!"
He nodded. "That much is understandable. It is still classified, after all. Although I understand why you have told your mother what you have."
"Yeah...I had to or I was gonna fall apart. And it's hard to get Arven to open up without a little honesty." They laughed a little under their breath. "Nemona wanted to tell her about all the cool monsters down there and we put a stop to that. At least to the specifics. She did tell her 'there's Glimmora down there' and that's about it."
"A reasonable statement. Glimmet exist elsewhere in Paldea so it is not necessarily classified information. Although..." he mused, "On that subject, what does the champion know? And moreover, what has she stated publicly?"
Juliana flopped back into the chair. "She hasn't said anything public yet. We told her about the time machine, but she can't get into the lab to begin with so it's not like she could do anything with it. She didn't even know what to do with the indigo disk when she had it."
Of course. If Juliana had access to the Underdepths, they would have to have gotten that lost disk at some point to change the destination of the lab's elevator. "So that is who possessed it. It was taken by a former assistant, although Turo was never able to determine who."
"Geeta didn't say. But I think their heart was in the right place. They wanted to show off what he was working on in the hopes of getting more funding." The trainer looked up at him before looking away again. "But that just made things worse. The theft of a vital piece like that just made Turo more paranoid, didn't it?"
The AI sighed again, eyes closing for a moment. "It was one of many things that contributed to his mental state, yes. And that he never did know who it was that had taken it only furthered that. He suspected that it may have even been Clavell, but he was not certain."
"Could ask him. Now that you're on good terms with him and all."
"Perhaps. Although I would have difficulty approaching the subject."
Juliana exhaled sharply through their nostrils, a steadying sound. "You're not supposed to have any limiters on your conversation now."
"Yes. But I would not know how to approach something so uncomfortable."
After a beat of silence, Juliana laughed. "Well, that's very human of you." At that point, they fully looked up to see him. "Do you want to be seen that way? As a human? You're a *person* for sure. But if anyone outside our little circle knows you're a robot, bad things could happen."
"I know..." The AI smiled weakly, nothing like the broad, toothy expression from before. "Do not misunderstand. I love humans. They are fascinating. But I am not one, and thus do not want to be seen as one, and yet I know that I must."
"Mm..." They sighed before gesturing for him to take a step back, which he did. "I kinda understand. Like..." They stood up and brought both hands to their close cropped hair. "I kinda want to grow this out again. I miss having longer hair. But then I'd be getting a lot of 'miss' again. But at least that's the same species!" With a nervous laugh, they seemed to settle down, posture relaxing. "I'll help you out any way I can, but having to keep so many secrets is tough." They looked up at him, just a few inches difference now. "And having you back has brought some things back that I tried to put away." A distant sniffle as they looked away for a moment, only to end up smiling at him, lower lip quivering. "I guess I took a cue from Arven then. I'd get on his case for not working on his issues but like...how do I tackle my own when I can't talk to anyone?" They leaned forward ever so slightly, paused, and sucked in a breath before hugging him. It wasn't as tight as they had at the lighthouse, lacking the desperation or heightened vital signs of that event, a more cathartic action than before. "...I hope this is ok. If you don't want to be hugged, let me know."
He paused. Humans needed that sort of pressure, didn't they? The physical contact, the gentle squeeze, the reassurance that another living thing was *present* and willing to provide needed comfort, they were all things that humans craved. And he had to admit that, even if he didn't require such things for his own well-being, it felt nice to have that reassurance as well. He returned the hug just as he had at the lighthouse. "It is perfectly all right. I understand. I understand." Repetition was also something humans found reassuring, and other organic life forms as well. And the gesture itself was soothing, picking at the human parts of his programming. He was three hundred years removed from his creator, but the very fact that he had returned to that era proved to him that he was never that far from his core. And while Turo had resisted much emotional expression that didn't apply to his research, the AI could indulge in manifestations of friendship and fondness without the man's mindset protesting within him.
That was part of the issue, he knew. Turo's hesitation to show outward affection had driven a wedge between many of his relationships. Arven had suffered from it, Sada, Turo's own mother...only Clavell seemed to be forgiving of such standoffishness. The AI knew the man had felt deep fondness for all of them, but his inability to show it was alienating.
But he didn't need to continue to be bound by the restrictions of his creator's mind. He could show affection for his friends.
After a moment, Juliana pulled away. "...Thank you."
"You're welcome."
It was said so neutrally that Juliana giggled. "If you want, we can help you work on your delivery. But there's a charm to how you talk too. It's all in what you want."
He smiled, the smaller, more subtle version that he typically used around Arven. "I will consider the offer. Thank you."
They wiped the last of the tears out of their eyes and started for the stairs, turning around to make sure he was following. "They're probably really worried about us. Let's go outside and see if they need any help."
"Naturally."
In all the hubbub, Arven hadn't forgotten what the AI had promised, and when they returned inside, he headed immediately for the kitchen. "All right, now, it's all steeped. A little too much, but people like it that way sometimes. It's a pretty light taste, so I can see this still working out." He held up the box the tea had come from, showing a picture of a yellow flower. "This is a really nice flavor that isn't very common around here." He paused and shook his head, smirking slightly. "I guess that wouldn't really mean much to you. I hope you like it though."
He poured a cup of tea before producing a fancy spoon with a flourish and measuring out a small amount of the lightly steaming liquid and setting it on an even fancier plate.
"Your tea, sir."
The AI smiled, the same gentle way he had a few minutes before, and accepted the offering. It was about twice as much as he could consume, but an initial sip was all he needed.
The usual traits were lost on him. None of the delicate taste, none of the floral scent, nor the lingering sweetness could be caught by his sensors. But the gentle warmth, the care put into preparation, those were fully noticed alongside the chemical components.
And around him, the others as well. Juliana's nerves were not entirely gone, but seemed to settle once the group had formed around the tea, and the sip from their own cup was accompanied by a deep sigh. Lydia, her arm around her child's shoulder, gave them a soft squeeze as she cooled her tea with a relaxed exhale over the liquid's surface. Arven was refraining from pouring his own cup as he eagerly watched the AI's face.
He set the spoon aside, careful to preserve the remainder of the tea. "Entirely wonderful."