before i break

[immortalia]

Characters: Sertoria Cani and OPEN.
Setting: Dormitories to start, then going to Floors 25, 39, and 81.
Format: Action.
Summary: Before everything goes to hell in a handbasket, Sertoria decides to try to relieve some of her frustrations in ways she knows how.
Warnings: None yet. Will edit if there are any.

[ DORMITORIES ]

[ Anyone who's looking for Sertoria this morning won't find her in her room. In fact, she seems to be focused on something. Thankfully, however, Sertoria's diagnostic program will fill people in, much to her own chagrin. ]

CXEV5001's emotional state is compromised. Recommended course of action: Suppressing all emotions so CXEV5001 can perform at 100% efficiency. Command?

[ Sertoria sighs irritably, wondering why her diagnostic program is so insistent on calling her by her designation. ]

Do nothing. I am operating at one-hundred percent.

CXEV5001 is acting illogical. Recommended course of action: Suppressing any outside interferences.

I said nothing! Please, do not make any recommendations that involve erasing, suppressing or any other methods that relate to returning me back to who I was!

CXEV5001 is still acting illogical.

[ It's then that she realizes that she's still in the hallways and will quietly sink away in to a corner, clearly embarrassed over her diagnostic program of all things. ]

[ FLOOR 25 ]

[ After her diagnostic program decided to painfully remind her of how mechanical she was still, Sertoria decided to hide away in the meadow. Quaeda was mostly a desert anyway, so seeing a lush area like this was always nice. Those who watch can see that she's meditating to try to calm herself down or is just relaxing on the grass itself. ]

I am human, right...?

[ It's a concept she's struggled with for years on end, so now isn't any different. ]

[ FLOOR 39 ]

[ chaos said that people exercise to cope, so Sertoria is here in the gymnasium. She doesn't look dressed for the gym, though, as she's just in her robe and tunic. A quick study at the library came up with how humans usually exercise in gyms.

It seemed simple enough: lift weights, stretch, do a few laps - that sort of thing. But, what use was all that when you weren't physically human? She does give it an honest try with the tasks in front of her, finding nothing too interesting beyond running around the track at a nice brisk pace. Although, for her, a brisk pace is easily twenty miles per hour.

She'll get it eventually. ]

[ FLOOR 81 ]

[ After today's events, Sertoria's found herself in the lounge area. She's noticed that she's above the tower's troposphere here and has taken to looking out at the stars for a while. She sighs calmly and stretches her arms out with her eyes closed. Stargazing was always a favorite activity of her's, even if it did remind her of the time she spent with Joshua. She truly did miss that man, and while she wouldn't dare wish the tower upon him, it would be nice to see him again. ]

...I wonder if I could find our star. What do you think?

[ Wonder who's she talking about. ]

Comments

floor 39

[fuhgeddaboudit]

[There was an odd humming noise coming up behind Sertoria, getting closer and closer as seconds passed.]

[There was a feature of Labrys' giant axe that she wasn't often seen making much use of; it was loaded with thrusters. While they were pretty useful in swinging the oversized weapon, folding it and attaching it to her back made them function much like the wings they resembled.]

[So she came up beside Sertoria in a flash, slowing enough to keep pace in the air beside her fellow android.]

Hey there--you ain't lookin' for a race, are ya?

floor 39

[immortalia]

[ Sertoria's systems detect Labrys nearby and this causes her to raise her hand to wave at her. She's smiling warmly, even if inwardly she is kind of threatening to break - it's a way she's learned to cope with things for years. ]

Oh, me? Negative. I am just here for a nice run. Are you looking to race me, though?

[fuhgeddaboudit]

It'd be somethin' t' do, if you're interested.

[Labrys was bright and cheerful as ever, so far showing no sign she noticed that Sertoria was upset.]

[immortalia]

Very well. Will you be able to keep up though, Labrys?

[ Sertoria noticed her bright disposition and will only smile at it. Even if she was hurting, she could appreciate someone's cheerfulness. ]

[fuhgeddaboudit]

I betcha I can! Wanna see?

Floor 25

[risingshepard]

[She would have just gone on her way without another sound, and towards the floors she said she'd help Diarmuid with, but the sight of an android in the meadow gives her a moment of pause. With things as they are, she shouldn't be dilly-dallying when there's things to be done, but there's something that just doesn't sit well with her when she gives Sertoria a glance from the staircase.

And then there's that question she overhears as she gets closer...

If there's anything that reminds her of, it's the Geth, and that 'funny' tale Tali told her back on the Normandy SR-1. It also reminds her of a certain unit that's still in the ruins of her homeworld, likely lost forever with how long it's been since its disappearance...and either is still holding onto that question in its databanks, or has already found the answer to them.

Either way, she's not about to leave that unanswered.

Shepard approaches and sits down a fair distance away.]

And you're asking this, why?

[...Hope she didn't startle her or anything.]

Floor 25

[immortalia]

[ In Sertoria's mind, she knows that doing this sort of thing is illogical. There's so much stuff to do in the tower, such as resistance movements and checking on the collar fluid. But, she feels like being selfish for once. Is that so much to ask?

She can't cry to express her building frustration, nor can she eat her feelings away like she's seen others do. So, what was there for an android to do to cope, especially when one lived as long as she did? Instinctively, Sertoria curls up and rests her head on her knees, sighing slightly.

She does, however, straighten when she sees Shepard and offers the woman a friendly wave. ]

...I have been painfully reminded how mechanical I really am in the tower. It is beginning to make me doubt my humanity, even though I have demonstrated such qualities.

Floor 25

[risingshepard]

[It never was, to her, anyway -- even if they'd only just met through the network. ...Or did they have a chance encounter before? She can't remember. Either way, it's not something Shepard is the type to complain about. More work keeps her busy, lets her focus on what's here and now, puts the time she could spend elsewhere into something productive.

But I digress.

She waves in return, listening intently as she talks. She feels like she's missing plenty of details, but...perhaps prodding into her reasoning will help.]

I don't think I quite follow why you're letting this get to you. If you're a machine with a mind of your own, does that really make you any less sentient, any less like a human?

Floor 25

[immortalia]

[ Work is never a bad thing to do and Sertoria honestly never minded doing it. It got her mind off of what was to come, especially with next month seeming more and more chaotic.

She chuckles sadly and only shrugs when Shepard asks her her questions. Even being as old as she did, she couldn't find a straight answer here. ]

Sometimes I wonder why I act so irrational, especially now. I am sorry, I cannot give you a straight answer right now.

Floor 25

[wrigurun]

I dunno, I thought you said you were a robot or something like that.

[Wriggle wonders over and flops face down in the grass besides her. She didn't seem as chipper as she did the day they first met but considering the bandages on her hands it looks like she's been dealing with some frustration as well. After a while she just needed somewhere to relax and Sertoria had been so nice to her before]

Floor 25

[immortalia]

[ Oh, Wriggle. Wriggle, Wriggle, Wriggle...

Sertoria would have answered with a curt reply, but her response is just so innocent. It's enough to make the android giggle and lightly pat her fellow roommate on the head. She does catch the bandages on her hand, but will ask about that later. ]

I suppose I should make up my mind, correct?

[wrigurun]

I guess if you want...

[Having come from a society much more low-tech than the tower she's never encountered anything close to an android. Sertoria seems humanoid enough to Wriggle that she can't fathom the idea of her being a machine and the word 'robot' just ends up sounding like another type of youkai]

So does that mean you're really a half robot then?

[immortalia]

[ Sertoria could honestly hug Wriggle right now. Being around innocence like this warmed her "heart" and made her appreciate the denizens of the tower that much more. ]

If I act more human than most robots do, I suppose I am.

Dormitories

[bashfulshifter]

[If Sertoria made a habit of roaming the first floor dorms this time of morning, she may recognize the large, orange tabby cat with a blue tower collar that scuttles out of the dark corner she's attempting to occupy. What she probably doesn't know is that said cat has been hiding there and attentively listening in on the conversation with herself since it began, as soon as he heard her coming around the corner and recognized her voice.]

[And she definitely doesn't know--at least not that he's aware, not yet--that this cat is actually the always-awkward Patrick Dawn, accountant, shapeshifter, and temporary teammate during collar-fluid tomfoolery. He knows (rather, he suspects) that Sertoria would recognize his human form from at least their last meeting, and while eavesdropping he did briefly ponder shifting back and greeting her more formally; but the whole thing seemed so uncomfortable a situation to put himself into, so he waited instead.]

[As usual, Rick waited too long. Now she knew he'd been there the entire time and would probably assume he was up to something sinister, he thought. As a cat he could feign ignorance--or silence, at any rate. Not to mention, most people he didn't know too well were happier to come across a small, fuzzy animal rather than a strange man with a speech impediment. Maybe he could comfort her better this way.]

[The cat gauged her with wide eyes, frozen a foot or so away from where he escaped from the alcove, and patiently waited to see if he was welcomed in this part of his territory or if he was going to be chased halfway across it (or something equally as ridiculous).]

Dormitories

[immortalia]

[ Sertoria's first thought was that there was another pet in the tower, similar to Doc's dog Einstein. She's gotten along great with Einstein, so why shouldn't this cat be any different today? While her diagnostic program thoroughly embarrassed her beyond belief, she was still willing to be sociable to those who came around.

She's curled up in a corner, her head on her knees while she sighed slightly. How many times was she going to have to endure being called her designation and not the name Joshua gave her? She shakes her head, knowing she's acting irrational and overemotional right now. ]

Maybe it would be better...

[ She lifts her head up when she sees the cat again and smiles lightly. Her hand is outstretched for it to sniff while she still wears that smile. ]

I am sorry, I must be acting silly in your eyes.

[bashfulshifter]

[Oh, a hand! Rusty the cat graciously accepts the formal greeting he's given with a quiet trill and vertical tail, trotting to Sertoria's side with no further hesitation. He sniffs the offered hand out of habit rather than to affirm her identity; she doesn't carry much of a scent anyways, save that of synthetics and metal and her residual environment, and Rick reassures the cat that she's been very nice while he's known her, so veiled intentions are out of the question.]

[Rusty decides all of this is acceptable and gives Sertoria's hand a friendly head-bump to invite pets. His eyes are nearly closed, slowly blinking; the cat will judge her not in terms of species, emotional state or apparent ridiculousness, but only in how well and how willingly pets are given, because pets are nice and he likes pets and people who give pets are okay no matter who they are.]

[Rick probably would not have phrased his response that way, but he has similar thoughts. What does it matter who or what you are physically so long as you're a good person? He hopes the purring and rubbing get his message across.]

[immortalia]

[ Sertoria watches the cat do as he pleases with her hand, knowing she doesn't have much of a scent due to being a synthetic creature. She can't help but grin ear-to-ear at his antics, seeing as it's very calming.

When the cat bumps her hand, she'll start to lightly pet his head before moving down to the rest of his body. She stopped at his ears and gave a playful little scratch to them, unable to help her giggling. ]

Thank you, little one. You know what to do to make an old bucket of bolts smile and laugh again.

Floor 81

[ajealouswind]

[Sertoria was not the only one who had taken to gazing at the stars from up high. He was a capable man. The lounge was easy enough for him to reach. There wasn't usually anyone there... but when he had entered, he gave a vague nod in Sertoria's direction and sat on a couch opposite to her.

When she speaks, it can't help but catch his attention.]

I'm not sure that those stars are even real.

[His own head is tilted back, staring off at them. Fake stars or real stars, they were pleasant to look at.]

Floor 81

[immortalia]

[ Sertoria's hands move down to her sides when Kain addresses her, a calm smile crossing her lips. ]

They may not be, but they are nice to look at. It reminds me of how I spend my nights at home.

[ The android moves to sit down, moving her legs up to her chest. ]

[ajealouswind]

[A calm answer to a none-too-optimistic statement. That was refreshing. That was welcome. Kain's posture relaxed subtly, head lowering so he could look to Sertoria.]

Reminders of home are welcome. Although the stars are not the same if there's no moon to accompany them, I feel.

[immortalia]

[ As Sertoria was more realistic than idealistic, she never did seem to mind offering some form of cheer in her statements. ]

I can show you a moon if it would help. It would not take much out of me.

Floor 81

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos often came up to the eighty-first floor to watch the stars, even if they were artificial in this place. While he wasn't expecting to sense, see, and hear Sertoria here, he smiled as he calmly walked into the room.]

..I do not imagine that you could. The stars here are not those of your world..and they are artificial. But they are still wonderful to look upon.

Floor 81

[immortalia]

[ Sertoria opens her eyes to glance at chaos for a moment, waving at him. She takes down her hood and shakes her hair free. ]

My apologies, I normally do not talk to myself. I do, however, agree that they are nice to gaze at. Do you think there are any constellations we can form?

Floor 81

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos waved back as he walked towards her, smiling a little.]

It is alright. There is no harm with conversing with yourself or people who are not here. As for constellations..it is possible that we could form a few, if we looked hard enough.

Floor 81

[immortalia]

[ She smiles slightly back and gazes back out to the stars. ]

You do have a fair point. I have a few pieces of blueprint paper and a pen if you would like to use them.