anothercontinuity | Red vs Blue Voicetesting Thread

In time he hopes that I will earn the same from you.

[ A beat. A joke of sorts, voice wry. ]

Though I would not engage in same exercises you undergo to prove it.

Fine by me. You're not really my type.

[ Equally as dry.

Well. Looks like Taylor wasn't wrong. They might just get along after all. ]

[ There's a tone, low and tinny and warm- laughter. ]

Aside from a purely aesthetic appreciation of the symmetry of your features, I am likewise unmoved by your appearance. Though the consideration you show Taylor is compelling.

[ One hand waves dismissively. ]

The flattery is unnecessary.

[ Again, he glances towards the dozing Freelancer, a quiet hitch at the corner of his mouth tugging upwards. ]

I...care for him. A great deal.

[ And it's a good thing he's asleep right now. ]

Symmetry and order are appealing to me. You can imagine how unappealing I might have found York's mind when I was assigned to him.

[ Intuitive would be the word, going on instinct as much as logical progression, making leaps, warping patterns- it took far too long to come to appreciate him. ]

He is...concerned, though I do not think he would say so. In the past he has equated physical intimacy for emotional intimacy and it ended poorly. Clarification of where that line lies may be in order.

He delights in puzzles. Patterns. There must have been some part of that you found agreeable.

[ And then his eyes stray away again, fingers curling inward towards his palm. He's still got the gloves on, but it's hard enough to be felt just the same. ]

I won't be of much help, there.

He takes leaps of intuition that I find baffling. At first it was a distraction and seemed a waste of our time and resources. Now I have learned to accept them as simply another part of how his mind works.

[ There is a method to the madness, as York would say. One that takes some time to learn but it has been gratifying to crack that particular code. ]

...Because you yourself does not know?

It's not something I'm familiar with.

[ He's a solider, and it's been easy to look at things as necessary. Then, when they weren't necessary, they were at least beneficial in some way. Learning to anticipate one another's needs and wants could have applications on the field. Having a way to unwind after a mission certainly helped.

The more emotional aspect of it? He's at a loss. ]

I suppose this is what he meant when he said 'you two have a lot in common'. I am familiar from observation but do not quite experience them in the same way.

[ He does feel, after a fashion. But the nuances of human emotional needs, of what York needs? They are things he cannot fulfill. ]

Discussion is unlikely. But...you said he was concerned.

[ That's news to him. He's gotten no notion of Taylor being concerned, though perhaps that's not so surprising. How would he know what to look for? ]

As you mentioned, he delights in patterns and puzzles. Equations with constants and variables. He prefers to know with certainty where it is that he stands. There was...a particular ambiguity in his relationship with Agent Carolina that did not sit well with him. That said ambiguity was encouraged and exacerbated by both the Director and their working relationship did not help matters.

Given his past it is 92.43% likely Taylor would rather he be a constant, not a variable.

And he still sees this as variable.

[ One hand lifts, rubs thoughtfully over his chin. 'Constant' is a difficult thing to define. Nothing lasts forever, after all. There's no telling what waits for them in the future, and if this turns toxic for one reason or another, he won't make false promises of staying through that again.

But this is not 'variable', he thinks. They are partners. That term isn't used lightly, not by him. ]

Your mission and goals are constant in the larger equation that is your professional relationship. Your support in the field, likewise a constant. It is only when stepping back into the parenthetical portion of the equation that is your personal relationship that things become, to him, uncertain. Portions of it are set: preferences, words to avoid, the 'if then' algorithms in response to your mood or your observed behaviors in response to his. These things are certain.

Currently your personal relationship beyond 'partners' and 'friends' is variable in so much that it is undefined. I proposed the usual human label for your arrangement: 'friends with benefits' or more colloquially 'fuckbuddies' but he seemed dissatisfied with both. Perhaps what you have defies definition.

...he wants a name for what we are.

[ Locus's brow furrows. This level of nuance is a little beyond him, but he might have been dissatisfied if someone tried to tell him Taylor was his 'fuckbuddy'. There was more to it than that. The culmination of everything they are, carefully avoiding words that might cast the wrong meaning, the wrong sentiment.

That's the only reason they're not using those terms, surely. ]

We're partners. Isn't that enough?

...To my understanding applying 'partner' to someone in a more personal area of one's life implies a legal and emotional- as well as occasionally spiritual- commitment.

[ Words mean things. Unfortunately they can mean a great many things that are as helpful as they are harmful depending upon the context. When the context itself is confused? 'Shit gets baffling', to quote York. ]

[ Locus grunts in response, obviously displeased. Taylor is concerned that they don't have a name for whatever this is, and 'partner' isn't going to do. So what, then?

He doesn't know. He's flying blind here. All he knows for certain is what they aren't, what words won't work. Maybe Delta's right. Maybe what they are defies definition.

Which means nothing he does is going to fix it. ]

It is likely that his preoccupation will fade when his focus turns to work or he is once again distracted by a larger puzzle.

[ Given time York will forget that he was concerned at all and settle back into the usual 'take it as it comes' mentality that has served him well. ]

[ That will have to do for now. Locus lets out a quiet breath. ]

...how is he otherwise? He was shaking, earlier.

[ It might be easier to deal with things that can be helped, if possible. ]

Adrenaline and anxiety. He was uncertain which AI was truly stored- and even then which version of me he might find. That he did not know how badly the neural lace had been damaged, likewise, was cause for concern. Sleep and a proper meal ought to assist with both.

And are you functioning properly? Beyond the issues you mentioned before.

[ Time for both of them to adjust being together again would likely help, but they're already setting their sights on a lot of Hargrove's gear.

Might as well see if there's anything else they should acquire. ]

I am operating at optimal efficiency. The lace, however- it was damaged in my alleged burnout and has degraded due to time and disuse. Part of it will be...plowing snow covered streets. The paths are there, I merely need to clear them. Some roads are, however, damaged and will require either a surgeon or a robotic surgery suite to replace some of the degraded wiring. Finding a trustworthy surgeon would be highly unlikely. Our best option would be securing a surgical suite and allowing me to handle the repairs myself.

Convincing York of that...may take some time.

[ It would be difficult to say the least. ]

Edited (phrasing) 2016-08-19 05:42 (UTC)

It's something we can look for in the meanwhile. We're attacking targets of great enough value that what we're looking for may be in their records, if not in the facilities themselves.

[ If they happen across it, convincing him might be easier. If he didn't want to trust someone else to tampering with the back of his head, Locus could hardly blame him for that. ]

I know at least a portion of Hargrove's research is in the implementation of AI into the battle armor he's producing.

That would be a great deal less complicated and dangerous than direct AI to brain implantation.

[ He will do what he can from where he is- but some things? Will require intervention. ]

I will keep you informed of our progress.

It would. Though I suspect he'll still want to learn as much as he can. With so many files missing after the dismantlement of Project Freelancer, what information he has is scattered, piecemeal at best.

[ Luckily for them. Locus sinks back slightly into the seat he's taken. ]

...thank you, Delta.

It is possible that should the black box from the Mother of Invention be recovered from wherever it is stored- you may find something of use.

[ A long shot, but one worth taking. ]

You are welcome, Locus. Taylor is entering REM sleep- I am going to retire so he may do so unimpeded.

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