Discord
02-09-2023, 07:19 PM
Having talked this out, you feel calmer than before.
You take a slow breath.
we should reassure them
but what do we Say
"You're OK.
I like hearing you talk.
You're fun."
A :) shows up on your screen.
is that good???? did That help ? ? ? ? ?
Murmur's head shrinks down into her shoulders a few inches.
She stretches one arm across her front, holding the other for a few moments as her eyes trail away.
"That-
Well.
...I am very happy to hear that.
I find your own company quite,
er,
stimulating, as well.
Fun."
You've felt it a few times now, to the point that you're getting used to it:
You can tell they're smiling.
"I accept the install."
You take a moment to think over all of this;
the situation,
what she told you about this act,
yourself and Murmur.
As they ready the chip, you raise your hand to pause them.
"But.
It means we're friends now.
Like a Blood Pact.
For robots?"
Murmur snorts.
[ ? ], your screen displays.
"I... suppose that's one way to think of it!
...Alright, then.
If you would be so kind as to crouch down, at least a few feet,
I'll have this completed quickly for you."
You lower yourself,
and feel her hands at the back of your neck.
You feel
alarmingly vulnerable, in a way.
Despite your size.
Despite your durability.
Hands
behind you
at your Neck
Anything could happen, your mind tells you.
What Murmur said before comes back into focus.
This being an act dictating closeness.
It makes sense to you, now.
This act requires Trust.
It's frightening
but only
briefly.
Feeling her set to work,
feeling
tiny sensations
clicking, tightening, adjusting
you try to Breathe.
What she said just before
rings in your head.
'It was a mistake.
Being scared of you.
I do trust you.'
. . .
i don't want to be scared of them either
she wouldnt hurt me.
You breathe.
Deeper now.
You settle.
Your shoulders untense.
You breathe.
Your mind wanders.
To your time here.
Short
and rushed
but Valuable.
You've enjoyed it so far.
Mostly.
you think back to the Dent on her helmet--
You wince.
Murmur stops.
"...Did that hurt?"
" . . .
I'm OK." is all you can think to say.
"...Deepest apologies. You may be somewhat sensitive.
Which-
That does make sense, given this is your first install.
I should have been more careful."
It hadn't hurt.
"You're OK."
"I will... do my best to go slower, more gently.
Shouldn't be long now. Nearly there."
Breathe.
You calm, as before.
Eye closed.
Head wandering.
Murmur has been here
since you got here.
You think of the
peculiar position
that she's in.
At the helm of all of this.
Trying to organize
everything.
'-cannot shake being terrified.
wondering if this is going to work out,
or if...
...if I am going to make it a disaster somehow--'
All that pressure.
You're worried about them.
But
'...But what a Wonder to behold...'
You're happy she's here.
"There.
All finished."
Murmur pulls away.
Your eye slowly opens.
Your body feels
limber
if a little sleepy.
Pleasant, though.
"I hope that wasn't too terrible.
Are you alright?"
You think over this.
You smile.
"I'm OK.
:) "
They smile back at you.
"I am very relieved to hear that."
The two of you are distracted,
basking in the moment.
"...Well!
The chip should boot up momentarily."
You feel a tug in your head
as a window fills your vision.
A splash screen, which is loading.
"I had to work around the fluid nature of the xenial to program this.
Challenging, but,
rewarding in its own right.
But, syncing up with such an odd and ever-changing place - and the, er... 'magic', here?
I am not sure Magic is the right word -
...regardless,
the chip does not function
er-"
The OBJ wrings her hands, searching for an appropriate word.
"...Typically.
Features may,
'ebb and flow', to some degree; what you have access to may change over time.
Or, they might not!
I cannot be certain. Such is the unpredictable nature of this.
But, as for rudimentary features,
ones that Should retain regardless:
Anyone you have met within the xenial,
as long as they carry a stone,
should be logged in a list.
Typically,
along with their name,
you'll see:
their pronouns,
current species,
current morph,
and a color.
The xenial seems to organize every one of us by color.
We are unsure as to why.
I also added a location feature;
one that tracks what spot in the xenial everyone listed is at.
However, it can be finicky, to put it mildly.
It works Best with more general locations and common spaces - such as the dining hall, bedrooms, and the like -
less so with, anywhere else, really.
It can suddenly lose track of someone, or provide inaccurate information,
with no rhyme or reason.
Still, I hope you will find it useful."
"As a note,
extranatural beings are typically less... predictable, than Morbitians.
But, with everyone else, you should find that
as long as you've exchanged names, properly spoken to each other, and are on good terms,
you'll find them on the list.
...The xenial, strangely, seems to take note of that.
Whether you're on good terms with the other person.
I like to think it's because it wants this experience to be friendly for all involved,
that it wants us all to share our respective company with each other,
but that's most likely my own bias speaking."
You blink.
Trying to retain all information.
There's something else on your mind, though.
"...You could have used this yourself.
This is not something you needed to do and I appreciate it."
"It's quite alright.
I'm happy to gift it, I hope it's of some use to you."
"If I can help you by using it at any point, ask."
"I have my duplicate,
it should be adequate.
...But, I will keep that in mind.
Thank you."
The two of you hold the moment, as before.
The occasional noise of conversation finally catches your ears,
pulling Murmur's attention there, as well.
"...Oh!
I'd better-
Yes, I'll need to get started.
Feel free to find a spot you'd like to sit,
if there are open seats."
They glance in, glowing eyes squinting.
"...I see one or two, I think.
Some people are standing, as well. ...I should have brought chairs."
She sighs.
"Talk to me anytime if you have questions,
or for anything at all, really.
Good luck, Vess."
The OBJ smiles.
"...You too."
Murmur makes her way inside, to the front of the crowd.
You get a good look at the scattered seating,
trying to look at what's available to you:
The seat next to Laurel is taken, unfortunately,
and Model is standing at the front next to Murmur;
so both of those options are out.
Towards one side,
there's a tri-colored selected hybrid and an odd, grinning, rabbit-like creature in what appears to be a baseball uniform.
The two have purposefully left an empty space between themselves, looking like they aren't getting along.
There's an exhausted-looking pockitt hybrid, one row from the back.
They look undoubtedly Bored,
bouncing their leg with a yawn.
At the very back,
standing behind everyone, there's an ant corvice who seems to be watching intently,
scanning the crowd.
You don't like the look in their eye, but maybe you wouldn't have to talk.
You take a slow breath.
we should reassure them
but what do we Say
"You're OK.
I like hearing you talk.
You're fun."
A :) shows up on your screen.
is that good???? did That help ? ? ? ? ?
Murmur's head shrinks down into her shoulders a few inches.
She stretches one arm across her front, holding the other for a few moments as her eyes trail away.
"That-
Well.
...I am very happy to hear that.
I find your own company quite,
er,
stimulating, as well.
Fun."
You've felt it a few times now, to the point that you're getting used to it:
You can tell they're smiling.
"I accept the install."
You take a moment to think over all of this;
the situation,
what she told you about this act,
yourself and Murmur.
As they ready the chip, you raise your hand to pause them.
"But.
It means we're friends now.
Like a Blood Pact.
For robots?"
Murmur snorts.
[ ? ], your screen displays.
"I... suppose that's one way to think of it!
...Alright, then.
If you would be so kind as to crouch down, at least a few feet,
I'll have this completed quickly for you."
You lower yourself,
and feel her hands at the back of your neck.
You feel
alarmingly vulnerable, in a way.
Despite your size.
Despite your durability.
Hands
behind you
at your Neck
Anything could happen, your mind tells you.
What Murmur said before comes back into focus.
This being an act dictating closeness.
It makes sense to you, now.
This act requires Trust.
It's frightening
but only
briefly.
Feeling her set to work,
feeling
tiny sensations
clicking, tightening, adjusting
you try to Breathe.
What she said just before
rings in your head.
'It was a mistake.
Being scared of you.
I do trust you.'
. . .
i don't want to be scared of them either
she wouldnt hurt me.
You breathe.
Deeper now.
You settle.
Your shoulders untense.
You breathe.
Your mind wanders.
To your time here.
Short
and rushed
but Valuable.
You've enjoyed it so far.
Mostly.
you think back to the Dent on her helmet--
You wince.
Murmur stops.
"...Did that hurt?"
" . . .
I'm OK." is all you can think to say.
"...Deepest apologies. You may be somewhat sensitive.
Which-
That does make sense, given this is your first install.
I should have been more careful."
It hadn't hurt.
"You're OK."
"I will... do my best to go slower, more gently.
Shouldn't be long now. Nearly there."
Breathe.
You calm, as before.
Eye closed.
Head wandering.
Murmur has been here
since you got here.
You think of the
peculiar position
that she's in.
At the helm of all of this.
Trying to organize
everything.
'-cannot shake being terrified.
wondering if this is going to work out,
or if...
...if I am going to make it a disaster somehow--'
All that pressure.
You're worried about them.
But
'...But what a Wonder to behold...'
You're happy she's here.
"There.
All finished."
Murmur pulls away.
Your eye slowly opens.
Your body feels
limber
if a little sleepy.
Pleasant, though.
"I hope that wasn't too terrible.
Are you alright?"
You think over this.
You smile.
"I'm OK.
:) "
They smile back at you.
"I am very relieved to hear that."
The two of you are distracted,
basking in the moment.
"...Well!
The chip should boot up momentarily."
You feel a tug in your head
as a window fills your vision.
A splash screen, which is loading.
XENIAL_TRACKER:
"I had to work around the fluid nature of the xenial to program this.
Challenging, but,
rewarding in its own right.
But, syncing up with such an odd and ever-changing place - and the, er... 'magic', here?
I am not sure Magic is the right word -
...regardless,
the chip does not function
er-"
The OBJ wrings her hands, searching for an appropriate word.
"...Typically.
Features may,
'ebb and flow', to some degree; what you have access to may change over time.
Or, they might not!
I cannot be certain. Such is the unpredictable nature of this.
But, as for rudimentary features,
ones that Should retain regardless:
Anyone you have met within the xenial,
as long as they carry a stone,
should be logged in a list.
Typically,
along with their name,
you'll see:
their pronouns,
current species,
current morph,
and a color.
The xenial seems to organize every one of us by color.
We are unsure as to why.
I also added a location feature;
one that tracks what spot in the xenial everyone listed is at.
However, it can be finicky, to put it mildly.
It works Best with more general locations and common spaces - such as the dining hall, bedrooms, and the like -
less so with, anywhere else, really.
It can suddenly lose track of someone, or provide inaccurate information,
with no rhyme or reason.
Still, I hope you will find it useful."
XENIAL_TRACKER:
"As a note,
extranatural beings are typically less... predictable, than Morbitians.
But, with everyone else, you should find that
as long as you've exchanged names, properly spoken to each other, and are on good terms,
you'll find them on the list.
...The xenial, strangely, seems to take note of that.
Whether you're on good terms with the other person.
I like to think it's because it wants this experience to be friendly for all involved,
that it wants us all to share our respective company with each other,
but that's most likely my own bias speaking."
You blink.
Trying to retain all information.
There's something else on your mind, though.
"...You could have used this yourself.
This is not something you needed to do and I appreciate it."
"It's quite alright.
I'm happy to gift it, I hope it's of some use to you."
"If I can help you by using it at any point, ask."
"I have my duplicate,
it should be adequate.
...But, I will keep that in mind.
Thank you."
The two of you hold the moment, as before.
The occasional noise of conversation finally catches your ears,
pulling Murmur's attention there, as well.
"...Oh!
I'd better-
Yes, I'll need to get started.
Feel free to find a spot you'd like to sit,
if there are open seats."
They glance in, glowing eyes squinting.
"...I see one or two, I think.
Some people are standing, as well. ...I should have brought chairs."
She sighs.
"Talk to me anytime if you have questions,
or for anything at all, really.
Good luck, Vess."
The OBJ smiles.
"...You too."
Murmur makes her way inside, to the front of the crowd.
You get a good look at the scattered seating,
trying to look at what's available to you:
The seat next to Laurel is taken, unfortunately,
and Model is standing at the front next to Murmur;
so both of those options are out.
Towards one side,
there's a tri-colored selected hybrid and an odd, grinning, rabbit-like creature in what appears to be a baseball uniform.
The two have purposefully left an empty space between themselves, looking like they aren't getting along.
There's an exhausted-looking pockitt hybrid, one row from the back.
They look undoubtedly Bored,
bouncing their leg with a yawn.
At the very back,
standing behind everyone, there's an ant corvice who seems to be watching intently,
scanning the crowd.
You don't like the look in their eye, but maybe you wouldn't have to talk.
XENIAL_TRACKER:
