That gets him to look up, startled when she shouts — and then horrified when he realizes she's crying. He sure as heck has no idea what to do in this situation, which becomes quickly apparent when he just. Kind of. Haltingly reaches for her. The fuck did he do.]
Please, Zoe— [So, so alarmed.] Don't be upset. It's okay.
[He doesn't know what to do with this. For all of CyberLife's wealth and vast resources, no single programmer could have prepared Connor to deal with a crying teenage girl. Much less, one that's upset for him. He ends touching her wrist, trying (and probably failing) to calm her down.]
But I'm not alive. I'm not a real person. [Quietly. Imploringly. As if reassuring her of how normal this is will help.] There's nothing for them to "take." It's common for androids to be reset and reformatted as necessary.
[He allows her to take his hand, squeezing once she has a proper grip. He hates that she still sounds upset, and he hates that there's no suggestion in his social relations program to make this better. He's quiet for a moment, simply staring at their hands, before he slowly shakes his head.]
I'm sorry. I can't... [Can't be human. Can't be real. Can't avoid the inevitable?] I never meant to cause you grief.
[With one holding his, her free hand comes up to rub away the tears that keep falling. She pauses for a few moments to try to blink them away, and it half works - it's enough that she can take once those seconds tick by.]
You can. I don't want to go home knowing you're just going to... [A pause, a few more blinks.] You're one of my best friends here. I love you.
He's tensing up the moment those last three words leave her mouth, going still in the way only an android can. Maybe it's a good thing his LED is gone, because it would surely be spinning a mile a minute if he still had it. His jaw tightens, and when he begins to talk, it's slowly and quietly.]
You're one of my best friends, too. But I don't... [Trailing off, before shaking his head.] I can't be what you want me to be. I'm sorry.
[Looking a little like she's been slapped, she lets go of his hand to rub at her eyes for a moment.]
Please. I don't want to... let you down.
[It might not be clear to him why she's chosen that specific plea. It feels more distant since coming here, but it's all too fresh. All my hope is pinned on Zoe. She's starting to feel like that's true of certain people here, too, and she'd thought - hoped - maybe things would turn out differently this time.
The loss of contact makes him feel... odd. He doesn't want to say that it hurts. He doesn't want to analyze the possibility having feelings of hurt right now, when he knows for a fact that he can never be anything more than a machine. He can't afford to be anything more than a machine. So he allows his hand to return to his side, avoiding her gaze.]
You would never let me down.
[It's the truth. He spent a week connected to her, after all. He knows that she's a good person, with good intentions. That's more than he can say for himself.]
Anyway— He won't respond to the second point. He can't make any promises, after all. He can't say he'll think about something he desperately wants to avoid.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Well.
That gets him to look up, startled when she shouts — and then horrified when he realizes she's crying. He sure as heck has no idea what to do in this situation, which becomes quickly apparent when he just. Kind of. Haltingly reaches for her. The fuck did he do.]
Please, Zoe— [So, so alarmed.] Don't be upset. It's okay.
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It’s not okay! You have memories and people you care about, things you want... That isn’t any different from being alive! They can’t take that away!
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But I'm not alive. I'm not a real person. [Quietly. Imploringly. As if reassuring her of how normal this is will help.] There's nothing for them to "take." It's common for androids to be reset and reformatted as necessary.
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I know you think that, but that’s not... [Tight, caught between a handful of tears:] You’re real to me, Connor, even if you don’t think so.
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I'm sorry. I can't... [Can't be human. Can't be real. Can't avoid the inevitable?] I never meant to cause you grief.
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You can. I don't want to go home knowing you're just going to... [A pause, a few more blinks.] You're one of my best friends here. I love you.
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He's tensing up the moment those last three words leave her mouth, going still in the way only an android can. Maybe it's a good thing his LED is gone, because it would surely be spinning a mile a minute if he still had it. His jaw tightens, and when he begins to talk, it's slowly and quietly.]
You're one of my best friends, too. But I don't... [Trailing off, before shaking his head.] I can't be what you want me to be. I'm sorry.
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Please. I don't want to... let you down.
[It might not be clear to him why she's chosen that specific plea. It feels more distant since coming here, but it's all too fresh. All my hope is pinned on Zoe. She's starting to feel like that's true of certain people here, too, and she'd thought - hoped - maybe things would turn out differently this time.
But maybe not.]
Please just think about it.
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The loss of contact makes him feel... odd. He doesn't want to say that it hurts. He doesn't want to analyze the possibility having feelings of hurt right now, when he knows for a fact that he can never be anything more than a machine. He can't afford to be anything more than a machine. So he allows his hand to return to his side, avoiding her gaze.]
You would never let me down.
[It's the truth. He spent a week connected to her, after all. He knows that she's a good person, with good intentions. That's more than he can say for himself.]
But you know I can't make any promises.
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[But to the second point... She nods, blinking a few more times.]
As long as you think about it.
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[He will 1v1 her on this subject. Kind of.
Anyway— He won't respond to the second point. He can't make any promises, after all. He can't say he'll think about something he desperately wants to avoid.]
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How?
[It's simple and searching.]
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[She hesitates, but—]
You know what the last thing he ever said was?
I HATE YOU SO MUCH
Your brother?
you love me, also, cw suicide
[...]
The first thing he wrote was that all his hope was pinned on me, and then he did what he did anyways.
britt voice: closes eyes
...]
That doesn't make you a disappointment. [So, so quietly.] I stand by what I said.