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Entry tags:
August 2022 Test Drive Meme
AUGUST 2022 TDM
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.
All TDMs are game canon. You can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Each TDM will provide a scenario for how characters arrive in-game that particular month.
Playing TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.
Current players are allowed to have in-game characters react to TDMs via the Network or make a log with the prompts. Current players are always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!
TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.
Content Warnings: snakes, cultists, optional violence.
FALLING DOWN LIKE PIECES INTO PLACE
FALLING DOWN LIKE PIECES INTO PLACE
A breeze with the crisp smell of dying leaves caresses you awake. You sit up to find yourself in the middle of an apple orchard, rows spreading out in all directions. Mouth watering apples hang from the branches, and nobody will stop you from taking one. You can wander the orchard as long as you like, but eventually you will find yourself emerging into the front yard of a little farm. There’s a red barn with perfect white trim set far back, and to one side of the yard is a kiosk modeled to match the barn. This is staffed by a woman who sure looks a lot like the fox that brought you here.
On the side of the kiosk are advertised a few different items: pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple cider, cold alcoholic apple cider, and hot chocolate. The cider, you will be informed, is made on site. (But you have to be of legal age to be given that hard cider!)
There are two other things advertised: APPLE PICKING and a SCAVENGER HUNT.
“You need a buddy for those, though,” the woman running the kiosk will tell you. “Lucky for you there’s plenty of people you can pair up with.”
If you elect to try the scavenger hunt, you and your partner will be handed a piece of paper. On it reads the following:
TAKE A PICTURE OF THE FOLLOWING ON YOUR RELIC! :)
- YOU HOLDING HANDS WHILE YOU GO DOWN A PATH
- FEET WITH AUTUMN LEAVES
- SOMETHING YOU THINK IS TRULY BEAUTIFUL
- A GENUINE SMILE
“When you’re done, bring it back here and show me,” the woman instructs you. “You’ll get a prize if you do.”
It’s an easy enough list, right? Although you have to follow the instructions - you really DO have to find something you genuinely think is beautiful, and that smile can’t be forced! Those might require opening up to your partner a little bit!
If you succeed in the scavenger hunt, you will be gifted with an item from home.
Now, what if you decided to go apple picking?
You will be given a bucket. “Be careful to only pick apples from the trees in the rows,” the kiosk woman tells you with a secret smile. “You don’t want to bother the old trees off the path.”
Yeah. That sure sounds like a challenge, doesn’t it?
If you do stick to the orchard proper, you will be able to pick your fill of apples. All of them are crisp and sweet and delicious. But at some point you will see the other trees.
They’re both huge and old, standing on two sloping hills just past the orchard rows. One of them has apples red as blood, and the other apples gold as the sun. In the shade of these trees are weapons sticking half out of the earth, as if they were carelessly buried many years ago.
If you pick one of the red apples, you will find that you are suddenly besieged with huge snakes. They are as big as anacondas and an inky black that absorbs the light, with eyes the same red as the apples. They aren’t poisonous, but they bite and they crush, so you’ll have to fight them off at least long enough to run like hell!
If you pick the golden apples, a crowd of people will silently begin appearing from the orchard. They are all wearing animal masks… and they are all holding hand scythes. Uh oh. You’ll have to fight them off in order to escape! If you don’t manage that, well, in some places it’s traditional to have a big ol’ sacrificial bonfire…
All the weapons below the trees are non-enchanted items, but you may keep them.
Content Warnings: Optional themes of identity and school trauma.
IMAKEOVER MAKEOVER
SAVED BY THE BELL
IMAKEOVER MAKEOVER
Thirteen believes passionately in education. There are, after all, five academies in Folkmore all catering to different types of learning. While these academies are open year round, it becomes apparent if you walk through any of the districts housing shops that back to school is definitely a thing.
A new school year represents a chance to learn more about the world, and about yourself.
Also? It’s a great time for a makeover!
Yes, step into any of the shops selling clothing and accessories anywhere in Folkmore and you will find yourself passionately invested in helping another person discover who it is they want to look like! Do they want to look cool and aloof? Warm and approachable? Are they an e-boy or a cottagcore witch? Punk or prep? You two can figure it out together!
As you shop together you will find it easier and easier to open up to one another, sharing who it is you want to be.
You’ll also be able to score a sweet outfit. Nice.
SAVED BY THE BELL
Wander into any school in Folkmore and you will find a handmade poster instructing all new students and faculty to report to the auditorium. Normal enough, one supposes… but the moment you enter the room you will find reality swims all around you and all of a sudden you’re stuck in a school nightmare!
You know the kind. You’re late for class, no matter how fast you run. You’re in gym class, trying to climb that goddamn rope. You’re getting your books dumped. You’re naked and giving a book report.
These could be memories, but it’s just as likely that they aren’t - you and another person are just trapped in this cliche together. Whichever one of you is in the audience role could maybe help the other one out? Get them some pants or something? Yeah.
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"You can be yourself," he assures her. "You're free here. Free to eat and sleep as much as you want, free to decide whether you're a morning person or a night owl. Stars are visible at night here, you know. You can see when the sun rises and sets... And you can still have a wardrobe, choose your own clothes. The process will just be a little different now." Or at least he dearly hopes she's this free. Because her physical form was granted by Thirteen, not manufactured by the Wallace Corporation. And he will certainly never give her orders or treat her like property, nor tolerate anyone else treating her in such a manner. Though his smile fades as he leaves the rest of that thought unvoiced: she's free, but he isn't.
He already knows it's different for him, has tested and confirmed as much, that he's still subject to the programming that keeps him enslaved to humans, that forces him to act in their best interests even at his own expense. Being removed from their home universe hasn't changed that. If his handler ever appears, he would continue to obey her without question; he has no choice... it's simply a fact of life for him. But he isn't going to trouble her with this.
"I suppose we'll see," he agrees. And that applies to so many things, for both of them. He's immensely grateful that she has the opportunity to actually explore her identity now and experience life outside of a network, and even independent of him. Real freedom. That will also make her choice all the more meaningful if she still chooses to remain with him in the end.
"You might discover you have new abilities related to being a Legend. I believe that's what your wings and halo signify."
Retrieving his relic from his pocket, he remembers to take a picture of their joined hands for the scavenger hunt list. Then, raising it higher and with the camera facing them, he leans closer to her and also takes a picture of the two of them together. The first of what he hopes will be many to come.
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"...stars. Sunrises and sunsets. I never dreamed I'd get to see anything like those. Not in the city." She considers a moment, thinking about clothes. "I'm fairly sure my taste hasn't changed. I like soft, pretty things. Dresses. Cozy sweaters now that I can feel the chill in the air. And all I have to do to earn them is say hello to people?" She feels free. Granted, she remembers the illusion of freedom, but this feels something solid, real, like she could reach her hand out and touch it. And she sees his smile fade and gives him a concerned look. "All of a sudden, you look so sad."
If she knew, she'd be prepared to defend him. Assuming she can, she wouldn't know for sure unless she tried, something she's reluctant to do. She can feel the strength in this new body, knows she needs to train herself to be gentle, to control herself.
She's free, yes, but if he broached the subject, she'd make it clear that she chooses him of her own free will. That even as a hologram, she loved him. Not because it was her programming, at least not entirely. What else would have made her try to intervene when Luv was beating K, knowing there was nothing she could physically do to help and also that she was running the risk of incurring Luv's wrath. But he's worth the risk. It was true then and it is true now.
Joi giggles. "A Legend! I'm not sure I feel very legendary, but I suppose time will tell. But...what of you? Your own additions?"
After he takes the pictures, Joi smiles. "There are two. Joined hands and something beautiful." And she leans more into his side as she walks, visibly enthralled by everything around her. Especially K.
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And he's thinking he already knows what song he'd like to play for her first, inspired by their conversation. (While she can rest assured he'll absolutely never be playing Peter and the Wolf; neither of them need such reminders.)
He gives a thoughtful hum in response to her comment about him looking sad. "Don't worry about me."
Reluctant as he may be to discuss these matters, he knows it might be good to eventually, even if he wouldn't really know where to begin. Back in their homeworld, he'd rarely if ever expressed his feelings about his lot in life or the reality of what he dealt with as a blade runner. 'It was a day' was usually the extent of his complaints, because he'd preferred the illusion where he didn't have to be a blade runner equally despised by humans and his own kind, he could put all of that away and just be with Joi. Someone who actually cared about him. But that was then, and this is now, and here — here, he wants something more real. Even if that means sharing unpleasant truths with Joi. She deserves honesty.
"Me? I'm nothing so elegant. A Familiar. I can take the form of different animals... even mythological ones, it seems." Which had been incredibly surprising to him the first few times he'd managed it. "And occasionally without meaning to. Sometimes I wake up in a different form." He has an amusing thought, and between it and her comment about 'something beautiful', he's smiling again. "If you ever wanted a pet, guess you've got one now."
Others have referred to Familiars as the sidekicks of Legends and Myths, but he isn't sure it's quite so simple. He'd certainly not felt like any kind of sidekick while in the form of a dragon, at any rate. It's a very curious ability, and one that he's been experimenting with.
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She doesn't know that yet, but she'd be happy to know that they'd both inspired it.
Joi's smile turns a bit sad itself. "An old habit. One I'd rather not break. As long as you don't mind it?"
And her programming had allowed her to pick up on nuance, but be unable to discuss it without the subject being raised. Which K had never seemed to want to, but she imagined his job was one which weighed heavily. A foot in two worlds, yet belonging to neither. Or at least neither were willing to accept him. She seemed to be his only friend and that was rather sad in itself as she was simply a hologram.
Had he chosen to share what he went through every day, she knew she had a set of programmed responses, but she wanted to think maybe she could have come up with something better on her own. He'd always treated her like a woman, even though back then she was made up of ones and zeros. She wanted him to feel he could trust her with anything.
And Joi's eyes turn fascinated. "So the magic of this world even works on us? What mythological creatures can you turn into? It seems like that would be fascinating, to be able to choose what you want to be, regardless of how real the animal is or isn't." And she smiles back at his joke. "I guess so! Though, you know you're far more than what you can become, you are to me."
She wouldn't want him to be anyone's sidekick. She wanted him to feel free to become whatever he wanted to, when he wanted to. Besides, if she wanted a pet, it seemed as though she'd have options. Not counting the local animal people, of course, they were their own selves no matter how cute or charming they could be. And considering everything, she wouldn't want it any other way.
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In many ways, a hologram companion was ideal for him. They could share an emotional connection and companionship, while the physical aspects of traditional friendships, relationships have never mattered all that much to him. After all, he is not a pleasure model; the only intimacy he's ever been interested in is emotional. (And being surrounded by extremely amorous humans and having to clean up their bodily fluids at camp has definitely not made the concept of sexual intimacy any more appealing...)
Though he can't deny physical affection such as holding hands and kissing are a very nice bonus now. It will take some getting used to being touched without violence, which had been the extent of his physical interaction with others in their home universe and what he's come to expect. Something that he will probably have to explain to Joi whenever he inevitably flinches from being touched without warning.
"A unicorn, qilin, griffon, different kinds of dragons..." He hasn't been idle here, channeling his loneliness into experimenting and academic pursuits at every opportunity. "But like you said. I think I like the way I am now." He has always been forced to be what others want him to be. There's a certain bitter irony in the fact that appears to be the role Familiars are expected to serve here as well.
Patches of fallen leaves are scattered across the path they're on, so he doesn't miss the opportunity to get a picture of Joi walking through them for the scavenger hunt. He can't help having a fairly single-minded approach to tasks, with it being a facet of his fundamental programming.
"Did you try any of the drinks at the kiosk?" he wonders. "If not, we should double back and get you something. Though the alcohol probably won't affect you, if you're like me in that regard." Immunity to intoxication aside, he thinks the sweet, season appropriate drinks would be a good place for her to start cultivating her taste preferences.
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Before, she'd been satisfied with only providing emotional support. That was the only thing she thought she'd be able to provide. But now there's a whole world opened up for them and all they had to do was reach out and take it. She felt as though she was ready, but she wanted to make sure K was as well. Because even beyond his programming, she wanted him to feel safe and secure with her. And she can't help but fret over the time he'd been without her.
And she wanted him to feel safe in his affections for her. This wasn't their old home, this was almost its opposite. Nature in the place of concrete, beauty in the place of urban squalor. All of the nature surrounding them was a bit overwhelming, and that wasn't even counting the sweet cat and bird people who'd been there to greet her. Cats. Birds. Only owned by the terribly rich. But here, they live their own lives. She can't help but feel that it's a metaphor of sorts.
And she gasps in surprise and fascination. "Amazing! I--I remember the notion of such beings, but I'd imagine it would pale in comparison to the real beings you can become." And she leans in a bit closer. "I want you to be happy as you are. If you're not, you can become whatever you wish." She doesn't know the supposed rules of how certain beings are expected to serve others and would object to having that explained to her. After all, this was a chance for K to be free. She wanted him for that. Even if she hoped that in the end, he'd find his way back to her.
And she can't get over the myriad of beauty surrounding them. K looks like he belongs here and she can only hope that she appears the same way to him..
"No, I hadn't. I was too busy exploring," she says. And she was glad that she had explored. "All right. What kinds of drinks do they have? And I can't imagine being 'drunk.' There seemed to be far too many where we used to live." She'd barely imagined being able to try the drinks, let alone be able to form her own preferences.
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"This place... maybe it isn't quite what you think it is," he says, choosing his words. Because thus far, Joi seems to consider it a paradise, and he can't blame her for having that impression. It is a paradise, especially compared to where they're from. But what paradise comes without a cost? What might be the cost of her new form, of their new life together?
"And maybe Thirteen isn't as benevolent as you believe her to be. It isn't unusual for her so-called trials to involve fear, pain, the loss of autonomy, and apparently even impermanent death. I think it's best to be cautious. Even," maybe especially, "with other residents who were brought here like us." Because he already suspects Joi will be too trusting, too open, and there are always going to be beings who will take advantage of that, no matter what universe they're in. Happy as he is to be reunited with her, her being here has multiplied his worries as well. Her new form makes her vulnerable in so many ways that she wasn't, before.
Once they've doubled back to the drink kiosk where the scavenger hunt begins, he gestures to the sign listing everything that's offered: pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple cider, cold alcoholic apple cider, and hot chocolate.
"What do you think sounds good?" Thinking for a moment, he's smiling again as he suggests, "Maybe try one of each?" Despite his prior warning to approach everything here with more caution, he thinks this is one thing they should be indulgent with — he's excited for her to have this completely new experience.
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And Joi looks at him with surprise. "It's not?" Because everything so far has been wonderful. She can feel worry stirring in her, K looks so serious. Even more serious than usual. "What's wrong? I want to know. I don't want to be surprised by what I didn't see coming." She can be brave. She's been brave. And it's better to know about unpleasant things than pretend they don't exist.
Her eyes widen at the mention of death. She'd "died" before. The notion of dying again is truly frightening. And, the warning about the other residents also surprises her. "What? Have they done something to you? Hurt you in any way? Or--or dismissing you for being a Replicant?" All of it would be awful. She'd thought maybe she'd found somewhere she could truly discover herself, learn to live, not just exist. She didn't want to believe this rose had thorns, so she's deeply shaken at what K has told her.
The list of things to drink on offer is truly something amazing. She's been programmed to know all of them, of course, and have a general idea of how they're supposed to taste, but the prospect of actually tasting for real makes her rally from the alarm she'd felt at finding out that not all was perfect a bit.
When K mentions trying all of them, she can't help it. Her eyes light up and her lips curve in a delighted grin. "Yes, I think we should. One of everything for both of us!"
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"Most here have kept their distance. Maybe because of what I am." To be fair, outside of a few exceptions, he hasn't exactly been inviting social overtures from others. It isn't as though he's blaming anyone for not reaching out to him, though he also doesn't really know how to reach out to others himself. "I don't think humans know how to relate to AI. And I've found it hard to relate to humans. Their experiences, their — let's call them biological urges..." Because he doesn't want to be obscene. He shakes his head. Some things are beyond his understanding, and moreover, he doesn't think his curiosity would be welcome if he attempted to gain a better understanding.
"I don't want you to live in fear," he continues after a moment, lightly running his thumb over her knuckles. "Just be mindful that the danger won't always take obvious forms here. People might try to manipulate you, and it might not even be of their own volition if one of Thirteen's trials causes it. The trials themselves could influence your emotions or change you in ways you don't like. They might force you to share things you'd rather not. Or put your worst memories on display for others to see."
His general avoidance of people has perhaps been a blessing in disguise in that regard. It has thus far kept him relatively safe from some of these circumstances that he only learns of after the fact, through others who have unfortunately experienced them.
"But know that I'll always help you in any way I can. You won't have to face these things alone."
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"That seems terribly cruel. You could no more choose to be different than any of them can. And I wouldn't change what I've become for anything, not for the world. They will...simply have to get used to us." And it's in her programming to reach out. But if anyone isn't willing to accept K as an equal, she can't feel good about them. If she had to choose, it would be K first. "Their...biological urgings," she says in a tone of confusion. But thinking it over, only one remains both prevalent and potentially embarrassing. "Do you mean...sex?" For it did seem like something humans were occupied with. But she couldn't blame them, she was supposed to be occupied with it, too, being meant to be a man's companion, the object of his fantasies.
The feeling of his thumb stroking her skin is almost too much to bear, too soothing, too distracting from the matter at hand. "...oh. Oh. I do know that there are things I--I don't want to share." Her decision to go to Mariette first, last, and always. And her terror at the thought that Luv might kill K, the despair in the moment before the other crushed her emulator. Just because she knew it was likely to happen, it didn't make it any easier to live with.
She leans into him while they wait for their drinks, taking comfort in the fact that they're both solid and "real," for a lack of a better word. She knows K would never lie to her, never lead her astray.
And his words make her smile brilliantly. "I know you will. You've always taken care of me. And I hope that now, I can help you, too."
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Her question is met with a look of wry amusement despite how distasteful the topic is. He's hardly a prude, considering it wasn't unusual for him to have lunch outside of a public sex bar without batting an eye, but he does think other residents could stand to practise better discretion. Those poor defiled picnic tables at camp...
"Yes. Some of them seem quite fixated on it and have poor boundaries." But at least they're all so preoccupied with each other that they hopefully won't direct any unwanted attention toward Joi.
He can't help wondering about the things she doesn't want to share — do they have to do with the future he's yet to experience? It seems the most likely explanation. But she's allowed her secrets, and he'll respect her feelings. Instead of prying, he watches her for a long moment before lifting her hand and brushing a light kiss to each of her fingers in turn. Something he's long wanted to do, and now he can.
"You've always taken care of me too, sweetheart. Better than I deserve." And he's always wished he could do more for her, could be more for her.
The woman running the kiosk wordlessly sets a couple of their finished drinks within their reach, clearly not wanting to interrupt their moment. But K is too aware of others for the gesture to go unnoticed, and he makes a point of thanking her before offering one of the steaming cups to Joi with an expectant smile.
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She could hardly be a prude, too, given what she'd been programmed to be. But that makes her think of the other hers out there, wondering how they're doing. If they're being treated nicely. She fears that the answer is no.
"Poor boundaries...as in they discuss it all the time," she asks, an expression of mild confusion on her face. She'd learned from K what his boundaries were and she can't imagine him wanting all the details from others, despite his tendency to eat outside the sex bar.
Joi's afraid to discuss the future because when she ceased to be a part of it, K was in a terribly dangerous situation. She can't in good conscience bring that up because she doesn't want him to worry. She loves him far too much to leave him hanging that way. But her thoughts are immediately centered back on K, of the delightful feeling of him kissing each of her fingers so lightly, so tenderly that it's like being kissed by a butterfly.
"Then I'll have to continue," she says with a smile. "And perhaps I'll be the one to decide that. With your input, of course." After all, it's him. She knows he didn't appreciate overbearing.
Joi thanks hers, too, and takes the steaming cup from him. She brought it up to her nose to sniff at curiously and can smell chocolate, a luxury. So she took a sip, eyes widening with approval and in a most unladylike way, drank the entire thing. "So this is why humans are so obsessed with chocolate. It's delicious! I knew that it should be, but the should be isn't near as wonderful as the reality."
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A part of him privately wonders if this unprecedented opportunity for Joi to grow as a person will also mean growing apart from him. Perhaps that will be the ultimate cost of this paradise. And if that ends up being what's best for her, then he knows he wouldn't stand in her way. Of the two of them, he's already thinking only she has what it takes to actually be a real person, the capacity for it, and it feels all too likely that he might hold her back from reaching her full potential... But he also keeps these worries to himself, watching her with a fond expression as she thoroughly enjoys the hot chocolate.
He also gets another picture with his relic, just because. Between all the pictures taken thus far, he's pretty sure they may have completed the scavenger hunt list, too.
"I'm glad you like it that much," he says inbetween sipping his own. "Hot chocolate isn't seasonal like the others, if I understand correctly. So you'll be able to find it anytime, I think." If she'd like more, and he's assuming she will — he'll be happy to keep the kitchen stocked.
And the woman running the kiosk has already caught on to this possibly being their first time getting to have such drinks, and she's made the executive decision to set out the pumpkin spice lattes for them next, thinking those would be best to follow the hot chocolate with.
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"I imagine that I'll make friends, but looking around...everyone seems so young. Maybe that's why they're so talkative about sex, they're discovering it and of course they're fascinated by it."
And if she could read his thoughts, she'd tell him that she never wanted to grow apart from him. She loved him. She felt that even beyond her programming when she was just a hologram, she truly loved him. She'd sacrificed herself for him, trying to buy him just a little more time to get the upper hand. Now that they were together again and could truly be together on their own terms, the very last thing she wanted was to leave him. She wants to be with him in as many ways as he'll allow.
She glances up just as the picture is taken, looking both demure and coy.
"It's incredible! I'd known that chocolate was supposed to be delicious, but it's even better than I'd imagined. I wonder if it will always be like this? Sensations better than anyone could possibly program in," and she beams.
The scent of the pumpkin spice is enticing. Cloves, ginger, cinnamon, all mingling and sweetening the coffee without any sugar being necessary. She takes a sip and the flavors intermingle perfectly and she looks delighted again.
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And he can't fathom ever wanting to impose any of that on someone else. It's why he's done his best to give Joi the freedom of choice that he's never had, something that he'll continue to do here.
"I'm less than two years old, you know," he points out with raised eyebrows while still savouring his hot chocolate. Regardless of how he was manufactured to look and what he was pre-programmed to know. And yet he doesn't have difficulty maintaining boundaries, so why should humans be held to lower standards and always given a free pass when their behaviour negatively impacts others? But he does actually understand her point, so doesn't argue it — because he's also teasing her a little, though there's still something a bit distant and solemn in his expression.
"That's a good way to describe it. Sensations better than what can be programmed," he says thoughtfully as he lowers his eyes to the ground. "I think you may like hot baths even more than these drinks." Distracted as he is by his thoughts, it's more of a pragmatic observation than an attempt at flirtation, which he's admittedly never been very good at to begin with.
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If he wanted to stay chaste, that would be fine. But she'd still want to sleep next to him, if only because it would feel like a comfort.
She giggles. "I know! It's just that we're both supposed to be mature adults and not be quite so silly about matters of sex. Not too coy, not too obvious, and unashamed. It's something which happens between two people who love one another, or at least are attracted to one another. But love and attraction...one would hope that they'd go hand in hand." Because she loves him. And she finds him very attractive. She may want to toss herself headlong into socializing, but she's always going to be his.
"Hot baths? With real water and perhaps bubbles or a bath bomb or body oil? Not those awful two second long....I don't know how to put it. Power washes?" Those were likely efficient, but nothing to be enjoyed. She wants to enjoy at least a little.
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He looks toward the many-hued fall trees, frowning to himself in thought as he warms his hands around the still-hot cup. He isn't sure what to say to that — is that how she prefers him to behave? Is it an impersonal observation about love and attraction, or is it how she feels? It's unclear. The whole line of conversation is making him feel strangely isolated, an all too familiar feeling.
"With all of that," he confirms about bathing. At least that's easy to answer. "Anything you could want, you'll likely be able to have here."
Once he's finally finished with the hot chocolate, he collects the next drink to try. He isn't so distracted by unpleasant thoughts that he can't appreciate the interesting blend of spices, so many different flavours that he doesn't know the names for. And drinking it at least provides an excuse for his quietness.
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Joi does notice him going quiet and worries that he's started brooding. She wishes she could do to help him, really help him with it and through it. Taking a stab in the dark, she murmurs "But it's not that way for me. I don't care who is here as long as you are here." She hopes that helps him understand. Even if she didn't belong to him before, she wants to belong with him now.
"Hmm...I think I'll have to try everything, then see which one I like the best. Pantomiming taking care of my body is very different from learning how to actually do it."
And Joi tries reaching for the hand which isn't holding the cup with her own spare hand, wanting to squeeze it and thank him. Thank him for all of the drinks, thank him for finding her, thank him for loving her.
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"You don't have to say that," he replies quietly, in case she is just saying it for his benefit and it isn't how she actually feels. "And I can help you, if you ever want me to." Which is somehow even more intimate than a romantic overture would be. Helping her learn how to care for her new form, how to live as a being with a physical body now. But if that ever happens to result in shared baths, it isn't as though he'd complain... He lightly leans into her again before glancing away for a moment, thinking on how to articulate his feelings.
"You talk about how we're supposed to be... That's how we've been programmed, to make humans more comfortable around us." And he knows some part of her must be aware of that, because he is, and they're not so different in that regard; both self-aware AI. It's a truth of their reality that he wouldn't have spoken so bluntly about with her before, but he knows if they're ever to truly understand each other, this is the kind of honesty that needs to exist between them now. No more illusions or pretending.
"But the behaviour you described," he continues, "is that how you want to be? Is it how you want me to be?" They're not quite rhetorical questions. He's curious if she has ever considered how unfair it is that they're expected to behave in certain predetermined ways solely for the sake of humans — since Joi, as a product, hadn't actually been intended to be a replicant's companion; humans have always been the intended consumers for both of them. Humans who would never spare them even a sliver of the same consideration or leniency or respect that they expect their AI to show them.
He's gently running his thumb along her knuckles in a soothing gesture again as he asks a final question. "And is that what love and attraction are like for you?" Or had she taken a more romantic and emotional approach to the subject of sex just for his sake?
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And she melts. "Of course I want you to. I--I want you to take me everywhere we can go, see everything we can see, do anything we want. Together." She's relieved when he leans into her and she leans forward enough to rest her forehead against his. "And I'll need all of the help you can give." Him. Him. Always him. She didn't have to be programmed to love him to love him.
That notion reminds her starkly of who and what they are, and she looks troubled. "I...yes. That is how they wanted us to be. But can't we have a say in it? At least now, when we're away from those who used you?" She desperately wants to believe that they're free. That they're away from people who would use them as products, not people with their own thoughts and feelings and boundaries.
"I want...romance. Now that we can have it for real and not just me pretending to tend to you. Of course I want it with you. Not because you're what I'm used to, but because you're who I want. In my life, in every possible way." She smiles a little ruefully, still taking comfort in his touch even though what she's about to say may sound silly. "What can I say? I don't want romance and all of the...intimacy surrounding it because it's expected of me. I want it because I want it with only you.
Please, believe me." She finds herself holding her breath, waiting for his answer.
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Sapper Morton's final words echo in his mind. Maybe this is his miracle.
"I believe you." How could he not? Here she is explicitly telling him she wants these things because she wants them, not because they're dictated by her programming. He might doubt his own capacity for autonomy — which is in itself an inescapable facet of his own programming, that doubt — but he'll always encourage it in her. And what's more— "I want to give that to you," he says with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "I want you to be able to have the life you want. And everything that entails."
He wants to try, at least. It's an indescribably good feeling to be wanted, needed — far beyond the programming-based satisfaction of feeling useful to someone. And just maybe, through her, he might get to experience something like freedom too, inasmuch as something like him can.
Realising that if he can smell the hot cider, she'll be able to as well, he takes a moment to just appreciate that before remarking, "Your drink's ready." A pause. "Smell's good."
And speaking of romance... he goes ahead and shows the woman at the kiosk their scavenger hunt photos thus far, who repeats the list as she looks them over:
-You holding hands while you go down a path
-Feet with autumn leaves
-A genuine smile
And there she pauses, peering at the pair of them with a knowing look as she inquires, "Something you think is truly beautiful?"
She's holding up the portrait K had taken of both of them together, looking happy, then scrolls to the one he'd taken of Joi afterward. It causes K to duck his head a little, still smiling as he offers a quiet 'yes' of confirmation. Someone, rather than something, but it counts. The woman delightedly informs them that their respective prizes will be awaiting them at home! In addition and possibly related to the prizes, Joi will also later find she already has a full wardrobe to get her started, much like the trunk of clothes and items from home K had been granted shortly after arriving in Folkmore. Perhaps intended as a housewarming gift.
(CW: sexual desire implied)
Maybe? But she'd count him as hers.
"I'm glad. I'm sure there are terrible things about where we are. But are those terrible things worse than where we came from? An autumn like this would have been unthinkable." And she leans forward enough so she can give him a relatively chaste, yet heartfelt kiss. "Being together like this would be impossible. I can't help wanting to explore our new possible, yours and mine together." Because the thought of doing it on her own, without him is unpleasant, to put it mildly. "And, I can't help wanting us to be together, in every possible way. Now that it's possible."
And he is wanted, he is needed. She feels like she felt that way even without the programming.
The drink takes her by surprise, almost. She was lost in the moment with K, feeling contented and peaceful. Once it's mentioned, though, the scents of apples and spice tickle her senses. After Joi takes the drink and has a sip, the taste is almost overwhelming as she tries to compartmentalize everything before choosing to let it go and simply enjoy it.
She smiles warmly, but a little shyly at the woman at the Scavenger Hunt kiosk. She's sure she looks giddy as a schoolgirl with love and happiness, but she can't feel embarrassed, far from it. She's proud to be with K and wants to tell all of Folkmore how much she loves him.
Joi grins at the woman when she mentions the something beautiful. She thinks that K is the most beautiful being she can see, can even imagine.
And at K's confirmation that the photo of her is the something beautiful, she feels a delightful thrill down her spine and pooling deep inside her. She gives him a kiss on the cheek and leans into him, remembering her fear the moment before she'd been...taken offline. She'd do whatever she had to to keep K safe.
And she'll be pleased to not have to go shopping. Shopping in time could be fun, but Joi worries that there would be so many possibilities, they might be too much.
Joi would consider a nice queen-sized bed another housewarming gift.
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Exploring the possibilities. That could mean so many things, and he can only hope he won't disappoint her. There's still the nagging thought that she deserves better than him, deserves to be with a real person, at the very least. A real person with authentic emotions and memories and a past, better able to provide her with the life she wants... Her kiss helps to draw him out of those heavy thoughts, though some worry lingers. What if he isn't good enough?
Their conversation has his mind eventually turning to more simple domestic matters. Things that are within his control. And given the direction their conversation had seemed to be taking, it's probably best continued in private, anyway. He requests a drink carrier for their final two drinks, the cold ciders, explaining, "These could go with dinner." Their first 'real' dinner together, it ought to be special. "Anything in particular you'd like me to make for you?" he asks as he links their arms together so they can walk arm-in-arm. To the market first, maybe, depending on her answer. Despite the roles they'd played before, he has no intention of leaving the cooking to her.
Being provided with the means and opportunity here has allowed K to discover that he quite enjoys cooking. Proper cooking — selecting and preparing the ingredients himself, rather than the prefab dehydrated fare that was common in their home universe. Prefab meals were more convenient and much quicker to prepare, but they couldn't compare to the taste of something freshly made. He's even been learning how to make his own noodles from scratch. His cooking adventures will be all the more fun now, having someone to actually share his efforts with and who might want to learn with him.
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And, nonsense. She only has eyes for K. She's met several men during her time here already and while many of them seemed nice enough, they didn't stir her as K did. Even if she hadn't already been bonded to him, she feels as though she would have become so anyway. His thoughtfulness, his compassion, his willingness to follow clues where they led instead of where he thought they should lead. And that he was handsome. Yes, very handsome. All of those things alone were powerful allures, but all combined they made a sweet confection of a Replicant man and she'd rapidly found that she loved sweets.
And Joi nods at his statement. She's already had so many things surprise her new taste buds, she assumed that cider would do the same. And the thought of dinner, of him asking her what she wanted! "I suppose I should ask for a salad with grilled salmon. But what I really want is a strawberry milkshake! Are there strawberries here?" Because there weren't back home. Despite that, she'd always wanted to try one. And she'd cook by his side, they were equals, true equals now.
Joi would be overjoyed to help him cook in the here and now. She'd had things like Chinese noodles programmed in, she'd love to make them with K, take them from being dough to tossing them and tossing them until they became fully fledged noodles on their own. And she wondered what other thrills of cooking could be found. Real, homemade bread? French Onion Soup? Things considered decadent and only available to the very rich? Here?
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His choice of almond milk has nothing to do with the purported health benefits, which don't affect him (or probably her) anyway, and everything to do with how unsettling the notion of using animal products is. Even the mammary secretions from another species — some of whom happen to be sapient in Folkmore, he's definitely seen cowfolk around. Not even the wealthy could enjoy such things in their home universe, when there were simply no animals left to take them from; everything is synthetic, artificial. It's hard to break from that mindset, though the likelihood of everything being provided by Thirteen without harming any actual animals may make him eventually broaden his culinary horizons. Until then, the almond milk is a perfectly fine substitute for the 'real' stuff, so he isn't worried — he's too busy entertaining the many different flavour possibilities for ice cream.
And he does steer them toward the market, because obviously they'll need the full fixings to go with their milkshakes. Cherries, sprinkles, chocolate and caramel syrups, some cute little animal cookies... He's now determined to make her the best milkshake possible.
"I do need to get a few things from the market, though. Is there anything you want to pick up while we're out? I think I have all of the essentials you might need," though he spares a thought for whether Joi's new body is fully like his own or if Thirteen may have sneaked anything in that will need accommodating, "but — you can have more than the essentials. Like those bath products you mentioned. You could get those and try them out tonight."