Blackjack Gabbiani
Merely a collector
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/I want...to go back. You can help me with that, can't you?/
/I want to see him again. To tell him what I couldn't say before. Please, grant me that!/
/I know that I cannot return here. That does not matter to me. This era holds nothing else for me. Please.../
/...Thank you...Beyond anything, thank you!/
The crystalline glow faded, and the cavern was left silent. Only a whispered "thank you" to disrupt it, and it was inaudible to any but its speaker.
"Arven, please meet me at the lighthouse. A friend." The young man read the message again, still as clueless as ever as to who could have sent it. He laughed and patted the Mabosstiff at his side as they walked up the hill from Los Platos. "Do you know who this is? Haha, maybe it's Penny trying to be clandestine again."
The dog barked as if agreeing with Arven, smelling the air a moment later but coming up with no solutions.
"Though if it's at the lighthouse, it's gotta be someone trying to get information about dad..." Arven's step slowed a bit. "...I'll just tell 'em to get bent, right?" he added with a smile. "Yeah, and if they push, you'll just growl at 'em. That should be more than enough to scare off any nosy reporters or whatever."
With the lighthouse in view, Arven looked around for anyone, but nothing stood out. A few Hoppip drifted by. A Lechonk snuffled around the side of the building. The tree next to the door bore a few Tarountula. Everything seemed typical. Maybe the person wasn't there yet.
"Hello?" he called out, gripping Garganacl's ball just in case.
His phone beeped, the Rotom inside it bringing it up to eye level. /Arven,/ a new message read, /I am glad you came. I have wanted to speak with you for a very long time. You are free to dismiss me after this, but I ask only that you hear me out for a few minutes./
His grip tightened, and he gestured for Mabosstiff to remain on guard. "Where are you? What do you want?"
"I..." It was nearly inaudible, but it came from the southern side of the building, overlooking the cliff. "Arven. I am glad you came. I have wanted to speak with you for a very long time."
The voice was familiar, but nothing he could put his finger on just yet. It was so stiff, so deliberate, only repeating what the message had said, and made him think more of a machine.
"I am...aware that my appearance will upset you. That is why I am not approaching you just yet."
"Why wou--" The voice had finally said something new, but it was so oddly familiar, like a voice from an old answering machine. And that was all he needed. The unnatural manner, the low, smooth voice, imitating a long-gone man. Arven felt his knees buckle, and he reached out for Mabosstiff to steady himself. "It's not..."
"I must know that you will be all right with seeing my face before I emerge." Everything was so familiar, yet through a filter of the utterly unnatural. His father's voice, that machine that had taken on his guise...
Arven stammered, and fully fell to his knees. Mabosstiff nuzzled against him, prioritizing his safety above confronting the stranger. But Arven knew exactly who waited for him around the corner. "You're gone...you went through the machine! You're gone!" A dizziness spun around in his head, as if he was stuck on a wild roller coaster though he sat in place.
A hand clutched the corner of the building, just a bit tightly. "Arven. After this, after we speak here today, you are free to dismiss me. I will leave and never bother you again if you wish it. But I beg you, please let me speak to you now."
The young man sighed deeply, as much to center himself as to take his time and think. That thing, that damn machine that his egomaniac father had made in his image, that had tricked them into believing that Professor Turo was still...
With a glance up, he saw the hand hadn't moved, but still displayed tension in the gesture.
"...Yeah, sure. Just don't make me look at you."
The hand relaxed, and a moment later, the AI peeked around the corner with a gentle smile across the familiar features. "Arven..."
Arven was working his way to a standing position, the weakness in his knees still present, and at the sight of the AI he turned his head away sharply. Even the brief glimpse he had caught was more than enough.
And yet, there was a sudden grasp around his arm. The AI was pulling him to his feet with a firm but gentle touch.
"Get away from me," Arven murmured, aware that it would come out angrier than he actually was. "I'm fine on my own. I don't need..."
The AI took a step back, and Arven could see out of the corner of his eye that the robot had assumed a neutral posture.
Fully on his feet, the young man dusted himself off. "Has anyone else seen you?"
"That is impossible for me to tell. From Zero Gate to here, it is very likely that I was observed in some manner." The voice was still distinctly Turo's, but the delivery was stiff enough that Arven was able to maintain a mental distance. "You must have many questions. I believe we should go inside to talk."
"Yeah, sure, before someone sees you." Still averting his gaze, this time staring at the ground, Arven headed to the door. "Oh it's..."
"I unlocked it earlier, before I realized that it would be best to wait for you outside."
Of course his father's exact double would know the damn pass code. Of course he would. Arven pushed the heavy door open, pushing it full and hoping the AI would follow so he wouldn't have to hold it open.
The AI did follow, but paused in the entryway, looking around with a slow, stuttered turn of his head. "...It looks just as I remember it."
"You've never been here before," Arven reminded him. "For that matter, Juliana said that you couldn't leave. Uh..." He faltered for a moment, trying to remember what his friend had said. "I don't remember if it was the lab or Area Zero, but you couldn't leave the area because of the tera crystals."
"You wish to ask how I have returned, then? It ties in with how I am able to explore Paldea freely." The AI stepped into the main room, down the single step that divided the lab from the kitchen area, and continued to look around. Even a glance at the back of his head told Arven that the AI was likely smiling.
"Uh, sure. But first I'm going to ask you to wait here. You can take a seat if you want."
"Of course. I do not wish for you to be uncomfortable."
"Gotcha..." Arven murmured before heading off to the back hallway, pushing one of the bookshelves slightly out of the way to access it. He returned a minute later with a dusty old pillowcase, from a bedroom that hadn't been slept in in years. Eyes focused on the floor, he held it out. "Put this over your head."
The AI accepted it, running the fabric over his fingers for a moment before doing as instructed. "Is this sufficient?"
Arven looked up, taking in everything before him. The AI had decided to sit in the chair before the massive computer, the one where Turo had spent most of his time. Working, eating, sleeping there.
It was a good thing the lab coat was gone, but that weird body suit was still present. Such a distinctive garment that Arven couldn't imagine anyone else in it, so he still looked away. Plus, even though the pillowcase, he could see the AI's eyes for a moment. Sure, his father's eyes hadn't been blue, and they hadn't *glowed*, but a marked difference wasn't a comfort in this case.
"Yeah sure," Arven rushed as he flopped down on the couch. Mabosstiff climbed up beside him and rested his head in the young man's lap, and Arven in turn threaded his hand in the thick fur. "So you're...you're back, you're here outside the crater...just tell me all in one go."
The AI sat back as if he was taking a deep breath, though Arven doubted he was capable of such a thing. "...All right. I will begin from the beginning."
"No just...just give me the highlights."
"Oh..." The pillowcase tilted forward in a show of disappointment. "All right. Although I ask that you do not repeat what I speak of to you."
"Anything around Area Zero, I've kept to myself." Arven's hand knotted up in Mabosstiff's fur. "It's uh...it's not even public knowledge that dad's...gone. That's part of the reason I didn't want anyone to see you." He realized he was still breathing a bit heavier than usual, as if he was carrying something heavy, and tried to slow things down.
"All right. First, have you heard of a being known as Terapagos?"
Arven knew about it, all right. The weird glowing turtle that Juliana had taken with them to Kitakami. The younger trainer had been insistent on dragging Arven to the top of Oni Mountain, to a pond that smelled like rotten eggs, claiming that Terapagos was going to show him something amazing. Even after an hour, they had continued to prod the turtle with their foot, offering bribes and trying desperately to get it to do something very specific that they never elaborated on. By the time Arven told them to pack it in, Juliana had been on the verge of tears. "But it did it before..." they had insisted with a sniffle.
He never did figure out what his friend was talking about.
So he wouldn't mention any of that. "Yeah, it's a tiny turtle thing. Got something to do with terastalization."
The bag moved up and down with the AI's nods. "In this era, I believe there would be only one present in Area Zero, and it would be very young. In the future, however..." He shifted slightly and rested his hands on his legs. "More have navigated to that place, and their power is stronger. Even at this point in time, the tera energy in the depths of Area Zero is enough that prolonged exposure may rid a tera orb of the need to be recharged. I was not certain that it would work, but I suspected that it would do the same for me. It..." He shifted again, hands moving to the chair armrests.
Arven hadn't known that a robot could be *nervous*.
"...it granted me untold freedom. I was able to leave for the first time, able to truly be the free adventurer I desired to be..." His voice, though still as stilted as ever, was suddenly choked up.
Arven hadn't known that a robot could be *emotional*.
"I have been able to live my dream, *my* dream, and not that of my creator...for over three hundred years..." The AI paused, but Arven gave no reaction. "And after all that time, after existing for so long in a bold world as a free being," His voice wavered a bit more at that, and he brought a hand to his forehead, a familiar gesture to Arven. "I realized something. I was...lonely."
The young man drew back a breath. The robot's tone, his posturing, the fact that he was sitting in *that* chair, and then saying things like that. Even without seeing his face, or maybe amplified by that fact, Arven had the creeping sensation of a ghost before him, some lingering spirit of a man over three years dead. "T-take that thing off," he blurted out. "This is ridiculous."
"Oh? Very well." Though the AI's hand hesitated at first, he pulled away the pillowcase and set it aside. The dim room, lit only by the computer monitors, obscured his face, but even that was a familiar enough sight to Arven, who jolted uncomfortably before looking away. "Do you wish for me to continue?"
"...Yeah." Mabosstiff was pressed against Arven's chest, grounding and distracting him. "Yeah, go ahead."
The AI paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "As I am not an organic creature, I do not require company for my well-being. It would, theoretically, be possible for me to exist without others and continue to run at full capacity, with no ill effects to my functionality. However," he shook his head, a gesture Arven saw from the corner of his eye and turned a little further away to avoid, "I was unhappy. I was free, but solitude had taken its toll."
"I guess I...kinda figured that you'd end up in some sort of future megacity with a bunch of other robots or something," Arven muttered. He had also thought it highly possible that the AI would shut down immediately, but figured it best to keep that to himself.
Another pause, and when the AI spoke again, his voice seemed to carry a deep regret. "The future was...not what I had envisioned. But then, I could not envision freedom either."
Arven hugged Mabosstiff a little closer, prompting the dog to lick his cheek. "So, you got lonely and found a way to come back." He couldn't help but look towards the AI as he asked, and looked away immediately.
"Yes. I, again, did not know that it would work. But Terapagos has within it the ability to shift beings through time. A young one can do so for a few minutes, so I thought perhaps a much older one would be able to send me back permanently. It was not anything that I could test, so I am grateful that it worked."
"...You're staying then." Arven's hug got a little tighter. Mabosstiff stayed where he was.
"I am. Staying in this era, anyway. If you wish for me to leave this area, I will do so. Arven, I--"
Arven scoffed. "Look, it's great you're back. I'm...I'm even happy for you. I'm not gonna make you leave. But..." He shook his head. "I have to think about things. I don't come to the lighthouse much any more, so you can stay here. It's probably more yours than mine anyway."
The AI was silent for longer than Arven was comfortable with, but he didn't dare turn back around. Finally, after what seemed like forever but was closer to a single minute, he spoke. "Thank you. Thank you, deeply." And he paused again before adding "There is much I have wanted to say to you. I have...thought of this day for a very long time, although it was always as a hypothetical. I never believed that it could be possible for me to return until fairly recently, and even now I am in awe that it worked."
There was something in the robot's voice, something other than the stiffness or how much he sounded like the professor, that drew a sigh from Arven. For a machine, he sounded so genuine, so heartfelt, if the term could apply to an entity without an actual heart. And that was something that already set him apart from Turo. Turo had been passionate, and could speak intently for hours about whatever scientific endeavor was dominating his thoughts, but that never applied to matters like his own family. When he would speak to Arven, there was almost nothing there, nothing but the sensation that he would rather get back to whatever he had been doing before.
"Arven..." It was said so gently that Arven almost didn't register that it was directed at him. "If you decide that you want nothing to do with me, I understand. So I must tell you now that I will answer any questions you may have."
"Don't rush me!" the young man snapped out, but it was harsher than he wanted. "I'm sorry," he sighed. Rather than keep his head turned fully away, he drooped down to rest against Mabosstiff's thick fur. "This is just a lot to happen out of the blue, y'know? I just need some time to think. I don't know what I'll decide yet. So I can't do that right now and I don't know when I'll be able to give you an answer."
"I understand."
He sighed heavily before gently pushing Mabosstiff back and standing, stretching and shaking his head. "It must have been a hell of a day for you. I'll leave you alone for right now. So you know, sometimes some Scatterbugs get in here. I think there's a loose window or something. Also you'll want to lock the door. Juliana comes in here sometimes to read Dad's old magazines."
"Oh! How is she?" The AI's tone brightened at the mention of the young trainer.
"They. I guess that wouldn't have been in their school file back then, huh?" Arven smiled just a bit as he thought of his friend. "They're doing all right. Still have Miraidon."
"Ah, my apologies. I will update my databanks accordingly. I assume, then, that Miraidon is also doing well."
"Yeah, I guess. Likes to sleep in the garden a lot. Uh..." He turned towards the AI but kept his gaze averted. "The other Miraidon, the one that...the violent one. It's in the custody of Director Clavell right now."
He could see that the AI nodded in confirmation. "It did not mean to harm him."
"Yeah, that's what Juliana figured. You'd said it was an accident, that dad got in between them...I don't want to talk about that either, but that's what's what."
The AI stood as well, but stayed where he was. "How long has it been since I left?"
Arven groaned, thinking. "I don't know exactly. About two, two and a half years maybe. You said it was three *hundred* for you?"
"Yes. So you are now--"
"I'll be twenty this year. Uh...still at Uva. Got held back a bit for missing so much, so it's a good thing it's an all ages school. Nemona's already graduated; she's training to be the new Top Champion..." Arven counted off on his fingers though there wasn't a need to do so. "Juliana is seventeen, doing a whole lot of stuff. They'll be glad to see you. Penny's sixteen, she's still working with the league...oh wait, that happened after you left."
The AI chuckled, a warm sound. "It seems I have a lot to catch up on. If they all wish to speak with me as well."
"...yeah. They don't have the hesitation I do, so you'll probably be able to talk to them right away. Actually..." He took out his Rotom phone. "You'll probably need some sort of a disguise if you want to go outside. I can have them bring some stuff over."
"Oh! That would be wonderful!" Even with Arven's limited view, he could see that the AI had stood a little straighter and brought his hands together. "Yes, your father's celebrity would hamper my ability to move freely. Although it is much heavier here in this era..." He brought his left hand to his forehead, a familiar gesture of frustration. "The cities contain too much information for me to take in at once. It is difficult to deal with, and I will have to seek out someone to aid me in adjusting my programming to limit the scope of my analysis."
Arven had no idea what that meant. "If it's programming you need, Penny can probably help out with that. But uh...I'm...I'm gonna go. I've got a lot to think about."
A nod from the robot. "Thank you. Arven..." He took a step forward but seemed to remember to give the young man his distance. "If this is the last I see you, please know that I--"
But Arven raised a hand to silence him. "It won't be. If I decide not to have any further contact, I'll come here and tell you in person. You can talk to me then, when I'm better prepared for it."
"Yes, I suppose I did approach you suddenly..." That gesture again. "I am still limited in what I can do. My ability to contact you directly is hampered. That is why I could not do so before."
"But you can now?"
"In a...limited context." The AI seemed to take in a deep breath, an entirely artificial gesture. "I was only able to do so because of the uncertainty that it was still your contact number. If I had known for certain that it was, I would not have been able to send my message due to that barrier in my programming."
Arven sighed, unconsciously mirroring the AI's gesture. "Which is why you could only talk to me through Juliana."
"Yes."
"Mm..." The young man shook his head. "I really need to go. This is too much for me to think about." At his side, Mabosstiff barked, a protective sound without hostility. Or at least that was how Arven knew it to be. "You can probably just contact Juliana if you need anything. They live right nearby."
The AI didn't react to the harsh sound, staying where he was. "I understand. I have much to think of as well. But I would not want to meet with your friends without you present. I had expected that you would enter the lab at the same time."
But Arven was already headed to the door. "I'll make a list of things you'll probably need and I'll ask them to get stuff together. I'll send a message to the computer here to tell you when I'm coming by. Though I guess you can't respond to me if you know it's me..."
"Thank you." There was a warmth in the AI's voice that contrasted greatly with the mechanical tone. "Once you leave, I believe I will enter sleep mode for a while. I have to process what has happened, everything I have experienced even simply today! And especially meeting with you."
This time, Arven faced him. Fully, without looking away, and took in the sight of him. The exact image of his father, the piercing gaze, the body language from his stance to how he had brought a hand to his chin, the weird garment that looked like something from a television spaceship crew, the well-defined features that had landed the professor on so many magazine covers. But he was smiling, and gently so, something Turo rarely did.
The AI watched him, that smile not wavering, and said nothing.
So Arven smiled back. It was small, hesitant, accompanied with tight eyes and a puff of air that strongly resembled a scoff, but it was the biggest and brightest smile that he was capable of displaying at the time. "I'll talk to you later. I'm glad you're ok." Part of him was surprised that he meant it.
/I want to see him again. To tell him what I couldn't say before. Please, grant me that!/
/I know that I cannot return here. That does not matter to me. This era holds nothing else for me. Please.../
/...Thank you...Beyond anything, thank you!/
The crystalline glow faded, and the cavern was left silent. Only a whispered "thank you" to disrupt it, and it was inaudible to any but its speaker.
"Arven, please meet me at the lighthouse. A friend." The young man read the message again, still as clueless as ever as to who could have sent it. He laughed and patted the Mabosstiff at his side as they walked up the hill from Los Platos. "Do you know who this is? Haha, maybe it's Penny trying to be clandestine again."
The dog barked as if agreeing with Arven, smelling the air a moment later but coming up with no solutions.
"Though if it's at the lighthouse, it's gotta be someone trying to get information about dad..." Arven's step slowed a bit. "...I'll just tell 'em to get bent, right?" he added with a smile. "Yeah, and if they push, you'll just growl at 'em. That should be more than enough to scare off any nosy reporters or whatever."
With the lighthouse in view, Arven looked around for anyone, but nothing stood out. A few Hoppip drifted by. A Lechonk snuffled around the side of the building. The tree next to the door bore a few Tarountula. Everything seemed typical. Maybe the person wasn't there yet.
"Hello?" he called out, gripping Garganacl's ball just in case.
His phone beeped, the Rotom inside it bringing it up to eye level. /Arven,/ a new message read, /I am glad you came. I have wanted to speak with you for a very long time. You are free to dismiss me after this, but I ask only that you hear me out for a few minutes./
His grip tightened, and he gestured for Mabosstiff to remain on guard. "Where are you? What do you want?"
"I..." It was nearly inaudible, but it came from the southern side of the building, overlooking the cliff. "Arven. I am glad you came. I have wanted to speak with you for a very long time."
The voice was familiar, but nothing he could put his finger on just yet. It was so stiff, so deliberate, only repeating what the message had said, and made him think more of a machine.
"I am...aware that my appearance will upset you. That is why I am not approaching you just yet."
"Why wou--" The voice had finally said something new, but it was so oddly familiar, like a voice from an old answering machine. And that was all he needed. The unnatural manner, the low, smooth voice, imitating a long-gone man. Arven felt his knees buckle, and he reached out for Mabosstiff to steady himself. "It's not..."
"I must know that you will be all right with seeing my face before I emerge." Everything was so familiar, yet through a filter of the utterly unnatural. His father's voice, that machine that had taken on his guise...
Arven stammered, and fully fell to his knees. Mabosstiff nuzzled against him, prioritizing his safety above confronting the stranger. But Arven knew exactly who waited for him around the corner. "You're gone...you went through the machine! You're gone!" A dizziness spun around in his head, as if he was stuck on a wild roller coaster though he sat in place.
A hand clutched the corner of the building, just a bit tightly. "Arven. After this, after we speak here today, you are free to dismiss me. I will leave and never bother you again if you wish it. But I beg you, please let me speak to you now."
The young man sighed deeply, as much to center himself as to take his time and think. That thing, that damn machine that his egomaniac father had made in his image, that had tricked them into believing that Professor Turo was still...
With a glance up, he saw the hand hadn't moved, but still displayed tension in the gesture.
"...Yeah, sure. Just don't make me look at you."
The hand relaxed, and a moment later, the AI peeked around the corner with a gentle smile across the familiar features. "Arven..."
Arven was working his way to a standing position, the weakness in his knees still present, and at the sight of the AI he turned his head away sharply. Even the brief glimpse he had caught was more than enough.
And yet, there was a sudden grasp around his arm. The AI was pulling him to his feet with a firm but gentle touch.
"Get away from me," Arven murmured, aware that it would come out angrier than he actually was. "I'm fine on my own. I don't need..."
The AI took a step back, and Arven could see out of the corner of his eye that the robot had assumed a neutral posture.
Fully on his feet, the young man dusted himself off. "Has anyone else seen you?"
"That is impossible for me to tell. From Zero Gate to here, it is very likely that I was observed in some manner." The voice was still distinctly Turo's, but the delivery was stiff enough that Arven was able to maintain a mental distance. "You must have many questions. I believe we should go inside to talk."
"Yeah, sure, before someone sees you." Still averting his gaze, this time staring at the ground, Arven headed to the door. "Oh it's..."
"I unlocked it earlier, before I realized that it would be best to wait for you outside."
Of course his father's exact double would know the damn pass code. Of course he would. Arven pushed the heavy door open, pushing it full and hoping the AI would follow so he wouldn't have to hold it open.
The AI did follow, but paused in the entryway, looking around with a slow, stuttered turn of his head. "...It looks just as I remember it."
"You've never been here before," Arven reminded him. "For that matter, Juliana said that you couldn't leave. Uh..." He faltered for a moment, trying to remember what his friend had said. "I don't remember if it was the lab or Area Zero, but you couldn't leave the area because of the tera crystals."
"You wish to ask how I have returned, then? It ties in with how I am able to explore Paldea freely." The AI stepped into the main room, down the single step that divided the lab from the kitchen area, and continued to look around. Even a glance at the back of his head told Arven that the AI was likely smiling.
"Uh, sure. But first I'm going to ask you to wait here. You can take a seat if you want."
"Of course. I do not wish for you to be uncomfortable."
"Gotcha..." Arven murmured before heading off to the back hallway, pushing one of the bookshelves slightly out of the way to access it. He returned a minute later with a dusty old pillowcase, from a bedroom that hadn't been slept in in years. Eyes focused on the floor, he held it out. "Put this over your head."
The AI accepted it, running the fabric over his fingers for a moment before doing as instructed. "Is this sufficient?"
Arven looked up, taking in everything before him. The AI had decided to sit in the chair before the massive computer, the one where Turo had spent most of his time. Working, eating, sleeping there.
It was a good thing the lab coat was gone, but that weird body suit was still present. Such a distinctive garment that Arven couldn't imagine anyone else in it, so he still looked away. Plus, even though the pillowcase, he could see the AI's eyes for a moment. Sure, his father's eyes hadn't been blue, and they hadn't *glowed*, but a marked difference wasn't a comfort in this case.
"Yeah sure," Arven rushed as he flopped down on the couch. Mabosstiff climbed up beside him and rested his head in the young man's lap, and Arven in turn threaded his hand in the thick fur. "So you're...you're back, you're here outside the crater...just tell me all in one go."
The AI sat back as if he was taking a deep breath, though Arven doubted he was capable of such a thing. "...All right. I will begin from the beginning."
"No just...just give me the highlights."
"Oh..." The pillowcase tilted forward in a show of disappointment. "All right. Although I ask that you do not repeat what I speak of to you."
"Anything around Area Zero, I've kept to myself." Arven's hand knotted up in Mabosstiff's fur. "It's uh...it's not even public knowledge that dad's...gone. That's part of the reason I didn't want anyone to see you." He realized he was still breathing a bit heavier than usual, as if he was carrying something heavy, and tried to slow things down.
"All right. First, have you heard of a being known as Terapagos?"
Arven knew about it, all right. The weird glowing turtle that Juliana had taken with them to Kitakami. The younger trainer had been insistent on dragging Arven to the top of Oni Mountain, to a pond that smelled like rotten eggs, claiming that Terapagos was going to show him something amazing. Even after an hour, they had continued to prod the turtle with their foot, offering bribes and trying desperately to get it to do something very specific that they never elaborated on. By the time Arven told them to pack it in, Juliana had been on the verge of tears. "But it did it before..." they had insisted with a sniffle.
He never did figure out what his friend was talking about.
So he wouldn't mention any of that. "Yeah, it's a tiny turtle thing. Got something to do with terastalization."
The bag moved up and down with the AI's nods. "In this era, I believe there would be only one present in Area Zero, and it would be very young. In the future, however..." He shifted slightly and rested his hands on his legs. "More have navigated to that place, and their power is stronger. Even at this point in time, the tera energy in the depths of Area Zero is enough that prolonged exposure may rid a tera orb of the need to be recharged. I was not certain that it would work, but I suspected that it would do the same for me. It..." He shifted again, hands moving to the chair armrests.
Arven hadn't known that a robot could be *nervous*.
"...it granted me untold freedom. I was able to leave for the first time, able to truly be the free adventurer I desired to be..." His voice, though still as stilted as ever, was suddenly choked up.
Arven hadn't known that a robot could be *emotional*.
"I have been able to live my dream, *my* dream, and not that of my creator...for over three hundred years..." The AI paused, but Arven gave no reaction. "And after all that time, after existing for so long in a bold world as a free being," His voice wavered a bit more at that, and he brought a hand to his forehead, a familiar gesture to Arven. "I realized something. I was...lonely."
The young man drew back a breath. The robot's tone, his posturing, the fact that he was sitting in *that* chair, and then saying things like that. Even without seeing his face, or maybe amplified by that fact, Arven had the creeping sensation of a ghost before him, some lingering spirit of a man over three years dead. "T-take that thing off," he blurted out. "This is ridiculous."
"Oh? Very well." Though the AI's hand hesitated at first, he pulled away the pillowcase and set it aside. The dim room, lit only by the computer monitors, obscured his face, but even that was a familiar enough sight to Arven, who jolted uncomfortably before looking away. "Do you wish for me to continue?"
"...Yeah." Mabosstiff was pressed against Arven's chest, grounding and distracting him. "Yeah, go ahead."
The AI paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "As I am not an organic creature, I do not require company for my well-being. It would, theoretically, be possible for me to exist without others and continue to run at full capacity, with no ill effects to my functionality. However," he shook his head, a gesture Arven saw from the corner of his eye and turned a little further away to avoid, "I was unhappy. I was free, but solitude had taken its toll."
"I guess I...kinda figured that you'd end up in some sort of future megacity with a bunch of other robots or something," Arven muttered. He had also thought it highly possible that the AI would shut down immediately, but figured it best to keep that to himself.
Another pause, and when the AI spoke again, his voice seemed to carry a deep regret. "The future was...not what I had envisioned. But then, I could not envision freedom either."
Arven hugged Mabosstiff a little closer, prompting the dog to lick his cheek. "So, you got lonely and found a way to come back." He couldn't help but look towards the AI as he asked, and looked away immediately.
"Yes. I, again, did not know that it would work. But Terapagos has within it the ability to shift beings through time. A young one can do so for a few minutes, so I thought perhaps a much older one would be able to send me back permanently. It was not anything that I could test, so I am grateful that it worked."
"...You're staying then." Arven's hug got a little tighter. Mabosstiff stayed where he was.
"I am. Staying in this era, anyway. If you wish for me to leave this area, I will do so. Arven, I--"
Arven scoffed. "Look, it's great you're back. I'm...I'm even happy for you. I'm not gonna make you leave. But..." He shook his head. "I have to think about things. I don't come to the lighthouse much any more, so you can stay here. It's probably more yours than mine anyway."
The AI was silent for longer than Arven was comfortable with, but he didn't dare turn back around. Finally, after what seemed like forever but was closer to a single minute, he spoke. "Thank you. Thank you, deeply." And he paused again before adding "There is much I have wanted to say to you. I have...thought of this day for a very long time, although it was always as a hypothetical. I never believed that it could be possible for me to return until fairly recently, and even now I am in awe that it worked."
There was something in the robot's voice, something other than the stiffness or how much he sounded like the professor, that drew a sigh from Arven. For a machine, he sounded so genuine, so heartfelt, if the term could apply to an entity without an actual heart. And that was something that already set him apart from Turo. Turo had been passionate, and could speak intently for hours about whatever scientific endeavor was dominating his thoughts, but that never applied to matters like his own family. When he would speak to Arven, there was almost nothing there, nothing but the sensation that he would rather get back to whatever he had been doing before.
"Arven..." It was said so gently that Arven almost didn't register that it was directed at him. "If you decide that you want nothing to do with me, I understand. So I must tell you now that I will answer any questions you may have."
"Don't rush me!" the young man snapped out, but it was harsher than he wanted. "I'm sorry," he sighed. Rather than keep his head turned fully away, he drooped down to rest against Mabosstiff's thick fur. "This is just a lot to happen out of the blue, y'know? I just need some time to think. I don't know what I'll decide yet. So I can't do that right now and I don't know when I'll be able to give you an answer."
"I understand."
He sighed heavily before gently pushing Mabosstiff back and standing, stretching and shaking his head. "It must have been a hell of a day for you. I'll leave you alone for right now. So you know, sometimes some Scatterbugs get in here. I think there's a loose window or something. Also you'll want to lock the door. Juliana comes in here sometimes to read Dad's old magazines."
"Oh! How is she?" The AI's tone brightened at the mention of the young trainer.
"They. I guess that wouldn't have been in their school file back then, huh?" Arven smiled just a bit as he thought of his friend. "They're doing all right. Still have Miraidon."
"Ah, my apologies. I will update my databanks accordingly. I assume, then, that Miraidon is also doing well."
"Yeah, I guess. Likes to sleep in the garden a lot. Uh..." He turned towards the AI but kept his gaze averted. "The other Miraidon, the one that...the violent one. It's in the custody of Director Clavell right now."
He could see that the AI nodded in confirmation. "It did not mean to harm him."
"Yeah, that's what Juliana figured. You'd said it was an accident, that dad got in between them...I don't want to talk about that either, but that's what's what."
The AI stood as well, but stayed where he was. "How long has it been since I left?"
Arven groaned, thinking. "I don't know exactly. About two, two and a half years maybe. You said it was three *hundred* for you?"
"Yes. So you are now--"
"I'll be twenty this year. Uh...still at Uva. Got held back a bit for missing so much, so it's a good thing it's an all ages school. Nemona's already graduated; she's training to be the new Top Champion..." Arven counted off on his fingers though there wasn't a need to do so. "Juliana is seventeen, doing a whole lot of stuff. They'll be glad to see you. Penny's sixteen, she's still working with the league...oh wait, that happened after you left."
The AI chuckled, a warm sound. "It seems I have a lot to catch up on. If they all wish to speak with me as well."
"...yeah. They don't have the hesitation I do, so you'll probably be able to talk to them right away. Actually..." He took out his Rotom phone. "You'll probably need some sort of a disguise if you want to go outside. I can have them bring some stuff over."
"Oh! That would be wonderful!" Even with Arven's limited view, he could see that the AI had stood a little straighter and brought his hands together. "Yes, your father's celebrity would hamper my ability to move freely. Although it is much heavier here in this era..." He brought his left hand to his forehead, a familiar gesture of frustration. "The cities contain too much information for me to take in at once. It is difficult to deal with, and I will have to seek out someone to aid me in adjusting my programming to limit the scope of my analysis."
Arven had no idea what that meant. "If it's programming you need, Penny can probably help out with that. But uh...I'm...I'm gonna go. I've got a lot to think about."
A nod from the robot. "Thank you. Arven..." He took a step forward but seemed to remember to give the young man his distance. "If this is the last I see you, please know that I--"
But Arven raised a hand to silence him. "It won't be. If I decide not to have any further contact, I'll come here and tell you in person. You can talk to me then, when I'm better prepared for it."
"Yes, I suppose I did approach you suddenly..." That gesture again. "I am still limited in what I can do. My ability to contact you directly is hampered. That is why I could not do so before."
"But you can now?"
"In a...limited context." The AI seemed to take in a deep breath, an entirely artificial gesture. "I was only able to do so because of the uncertainty that it was still your contact number. If I had known for certain that it was, I would not have been able to send my message due to that barrier in my programming."
Arven sighed, unconsciously mirroring the AI's gesture. "Which is why you could only talk to me through Juliana."
"Yes."
"Mm..." The young man shook his head. "I really need to go. This is too much for me to think about." At his side, Mabosstiff barked, a protective sound without hostility. Or at least that was how Arven knew it to be. "You can probably just contact Juliana if you need anything. They live right nearby."
The AI didn't react to the harsh sound, staying where he was. "I understand. I have much to think of as well. But I would not want to meet with your friends without you present. I had expected that you would enter the lab at the same time."
But Arven was already headed to the door. "I'll make a list of things you'll probably need and I'll ask them to get stuff together. I'll send a message to the computer here to tell you when I'm coming by. Though I guess you can't respond to me if you know it's me..."
"Thank you." There was a warmth in the AI's voice that contrasted greatly with the mechanical tone. "Once you leave, I believe I will enter sleep mode for a while. I have to process what has happened, everything I have experienced even simply today! And especially meeting with you."
This time, Arven faced him. Fully, without looking away, and took in the sight of him. The exact image of his father, the piercing gaze, the body language from his stance to how he had brought a hand to his chin, the weird garment that looked like something from a television spaceship crew, the well-defined features that had landed the professor on so many magazine covers. But he was smiling, and gently so, something Turo rarely did.
The AI watched him, that smile not wavering, and said nothing.
So Arven smiled back. It was small, hesitant, accompanied with tight eyes and a puff of air that strongly resembled a scoff, but it was the biggest and brightest smile that he was capable of displaying at the time. "I'll talk to you later. I'm glad you're ok." Part of him was surprised that he meant it.
Next part-All Together Now
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