{VOICE OTA}

[rootandbranch]

[Today you feel a few strange pulses in your signets before you hear anything over Qri's network. It's fairly pleasant, exactly as the signet communications tend to be, and fortunately doesn't at all resemble the strange fluctuations that plagued everyone back on days 103-105. It's more like someone poking at the network to be sure it's stable and not going to do any more of that before they speak. They seem to conclude it's safe after all.]

Hello? Oh, hi-- hi, everybody. It's Geir. If you don't know me, I'm the dragon.

[He's very matter of fact about it. He's the dragon. You're probably aware, his tone seems to say.]

Listen, I don't actually care if you know me, you should just help me and Nines out! He knows all kinds of technology things, so I asked him what we could find out about the Hub with them. But the question is really, what does everyone want to find out? There's been a lot of weird to chew on!

Chew...on? [9S echoes this thought quizzically, for an instant quite distracted. But right, right, the matter at hand—] Er, anyway, like Geir said we’re lacking data on our surroundings. And to know what we’re dealing with, gathering more would be best, so I was thinking I can probably scrape enough parts together to build a pod for that job, once we know what kind of information it should collect. I mean, unless we want everything...

[Geir's tone is still bright and interested. he loves hearing about this, even if part of him is still skeptical.]

Nines isn't even the only person who knows how to build... robots. I know a bunch of you build stuff. Who wants to help?

[9S clears his throat, quietly tacking a little disclaimer on:]

...Not that pods should be mistaken for machines or anything.

[When your kind’s fought machines for millennia certain lines get drawn. Thin, confusing grey lines. (Geir doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just lets it stand.)]


((both 9S and Geir may reply to your toplevels, and also feel free to jump each other! this is the start of a player plot to get a little more technology on the island. ♥ more details here!))

Comments

[drizzle]

I had no idea! What do they look like? Are they a friend? Another partner? Can you sent me a mental image of them? I'd love to meet them!

[She really does! It was the reason behind her excitement in wanting to learn more about the new model to keep an eye out for. She wanted to meet as many of the beautiful dolls and their worlds as she can.

His uncertain reaction won't go unnoticed. She understood his confusion because it was the same one she once felt about the true meaning behind her grandmother's deep but vague explanation concerning her powers.]

Was gut feeling too complex of a thought? I guess intuition would be a better word to use, huh? It's the same though. Gut feeling is an idiom for instinct, just so you know!

[deem]

A2 was deployed before 2B or me, during an initial testing phase. A lot changed between her generation and ours, despite the short time between.

[Like Scanner models being male, when all prototypes are female, and Gunner and Attacker models being replaced by Battlers. 9S sends an image of her just as Nike asked, current and photo-accurate.

By all appearances A2 closely resembles 2B, but for a more athletic build and something different behind her expression. Even the beauty mark is the same...

But A2 lacks the uniform her fellow units wear, instead covered with black patches, which if one looked at her closely in-person are areas where her synthetic skin has worn away from lack of maintenance]

Guess a lot of things are that way. Just a feeling someone has.

[drizzle]

Oh, right! You did mention the significance of your names. A2 is one of those older models, huh?

[And a really good looking one to boot! Nike will be caught off guard by the resemblance to 2B except she looked rougher. A feeling of concern may be unintentionally being sent to 9S once the surprise and excited admiration wore off.]

Why do all of your kind enjoy wearing so little in clothes? Isn't she cold? Then again, she looks more like an actual doll than you two do. I guess you and 2B are glass dolls while A2 is an actual one! She's gorgeous though! She definitely screams talented and gorgeous older sister figure!

[As always, Nike was being too frank over the way she looks at them and their older sister now. Gorgeous was a term she would use for 2B, but now...]

Yup! Life can be just as simple as it can be complicated.

[deem]

[In turn, 9S can't help but transmit some puzzlement. He doesn't quite know if he and Nike understand things in the same ways, in several respects, but it's not something he thinks more discussion would necessarily address.

After all, his level of technology isn't something that's even feasible for more than just her]

I never thought we wear "little"... But A2's uniform sustained some pretty heavy damage, so that's...not all of what she wore to start with.

[9S can't deny that humans seem far more body-conscious than they do, but he doesn't think they aren't covered appropriately. Sure, A2 could use a uniform in good repair, but on the whole, YoRHa uniforms cover far more than they expose.

He'll be pondering this later.

As for the rest, well...what's said and remains unsaid seems to be a complicated matter just as he thought]

[drizzle]

You don't wear little! Actually, your way of dressing is very normal for someone in the aristocrat level in my world.

[Nines has always reminded her a little of Livius except with rare hair color and less of a brat-like behavior. Between the two, she got along best with Nines than the one she was actually expected to marry in the future. With some sadness, she will point out.]

2B, on the other hand, has a beautiful dress, but it almost feels like it was given to her before they could even finish it! [Admitted with some embarrassment because she tries her best to avoid staring at her hips and chest for too long. It was very uncalled for! Considering she was used to the stares from the male members of the court too.] ...if I had any skills in tailoring, I would fix it for her....I really hate the idea of anyone wanting to take advantage of her or do something uncalled for. I know she can't hurt humans and all...

[More like she'll hit whoever even attempts it, she has no issue in harming others with her first and feet, and had plenty of confidence over it too. All of it highlighted as her current imagination may have sparked it.]

But, what happened to her though? What kind of heavy damage could she have sustained? I assumed her clothes were like that because of overuse...

[deem]

I wouldn't ever let someone hurt 2B.

[There's something even harder than the materials he's made from that carries in his voice, something almost coldly adamant. 9S hasn't been able to protect 2B in the past, and it's a regret that he will always carry with him. But given a second chance, he'll do everything in his power to protect her, whatever the personal cost to himself.

Because he never wants to see her come to harm ever again. Combat may be unavoidable, but even so, he won't tolerate someone hurting her on a personal level.

But the moment passes, and with it, the darkness that had settled over his demeanor in that moment dissipates]

A2 had been on the surface for years without proper maintenance. The enemy's numbers never seem to dwindle, so I imagine that it was damage sustained over time. She must not have had access to a dress module.

[Which only makes sense, since he and A2 had purchased theirs from Emil]