2022-10-10: And Yet You Make Me Overflow
- Cast: Asciel Colette, Ai Martel
- Where: Nagoya, Area 11
- Date: U.C. 0096 10 10
- Summary: Asciel, yearning for engaging conversation, looks up Ai Martel--one of the organization's recent recruits. She quickly finds that they can provide one another with far more than just idle banter; indeed, this might be love at first sight.
!! Content warning for mildly risque descriptions and rather more risque flirting.
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
Afternoon light streams in through the windows of a public library in Nagoya, casting a gentle, golden tint over the common area. The library is abuzz with activity, as students hit crunch time to finish weekend homework they've been putting off.
And a professor makes her way across the space, clad in an elaborate red dress, nearing a less-used bank of computer terminals. She's just come from the rare books collection, and has a bounty of knowledge to show for it--a stack of thick tomes slung under each arm. Heavy, leatherbound things--but she seems to carry them with no trouble. Even so, her hands are quite occupied--reaching for a ringing phone, for example, would be out of the question.
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
Just the other day, it seemed as though half of Amalgam converged on Asciel to observe suspicious targets, even if it was in the format of a silly television show. She's always happy to help them. But in exchange...
It's fair if she observes them a little bit in turn, yes? One such recent member caught her gaze as a potentially useful point of contact...but it's important to find out if there are shared interests in mind.
A quick buzz hits Ai's phone. A simple text message, from an unknown number.
-[Have you been lost in brain fog?
-[Call our asssociates today!
-[Representatives are on standby to tell you about medical solutions.
To a normal observer- just a sketchy ad. ...to Amalgam cell members, a subtly coded signal for a low-priority call request. First line starting and ending with 'Hg' - the following two lines starting with 'CR'. A patch from the Chromium cell, then...one of the odd ducks in the whole of the organization. While identities are kept secret and diverted, it's common and obvious knowledge internally that whoever 'Mr. Chromium' is, it's some big decision maker within Isaac City's Chrome Corporation. Some speculate it's a collective secret held by the entire board of directors - others speculate it's a more mid-level negotiator with a lot of contacts. ...but most in Amalgam know pretty well that among them, Chrome is largely just in it for the money. They're a cutthroat business through and through, whose role is more or less filling in for Anaheim Electronics after their falling out. Mostly, they've been reclusive...and they primarily use their contact codenamed 'OWL' to do high level dirty work.
Whatever could they be after with Ai...? Possibly just her money...
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
The vibration startles Ai, mildly; with a noise of exasperation, she searches for an open spot at a nearby table--an empty one, luckily. Fishing the device out while she leans lightly against the stack, she reads the text... and scrutinizes it more deeply.
The ciphers Amalgam uses for such identification are easy enough to spot, when you know them. It's difficult to imagine what they actually WANT, though--on its own, the last line doesn't seem to mean much, if anything, beyond the obvious. It's a request for contact--not likely to be anything hidden in the metadata, either.
"Right, then. Let's see what this is about." She pulls up the source number, and a silk-gloved thumb taps 'call'. While she waits, she scans the room, looking for anyone out-of-place, anyone who might be listening... this will be a coded conversation regardless, but it doesn't hurt to see how *necessary* such precautions are.
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
A soft, low chime is the first thing Ai hears - a relaxing...hold music? It lasts too short for that, maybe just ten seconds or so, before Ai's caller is properly connected.
"Hello, hello! A few shared friends gave me this number." The voice is clear, gently harmonic, and as warm as the sun, a merry little giggle not too far out of reach from any given word. "You can save this number - just file it under 'OWL'. You can think of me kiiiiind of like a secretary, if you ever have something more important to ask of me."
"...But if you're wondering why I'm calling, if you're the sort to get to the point - I'm truly just fishing for anyone who's a little more for conversation. Our colleagues can be a bit...well. You probably know for yourself. ...Do tell me your preference on what I should call you...and...hm. If it's not too much a trouble to show your face, I'd also enjoy transitioning to a video call~"
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
"Ahh, I see... you are calling for yourself, then?" comes Ai's reply, a small grin on her lips. "Well, OWL... hmm. I hadn't thought on aliases, I admit. I suppose you can call me Ten-Eighty for now. Swordmaker's steel." Her lips turn up further. "Hm. I suppose a video call would be all right," she decides, sounding perhaps a little wary. "I certainly don't mind a chat. Engaging conversation is difficult to come by, you know..."
She pulls her phone away from her ear, tapping the video button to initiate her end. It's the outer camera. "I'm unsure I'll find it here, at any rate." Over the stack of books one can see a miniature sea of teenagers, most working on homework--or pretending to be.
The camera switches around, showing a pretty, green-eyed blonde in her mid-20s, her hair in a short bob with blunt bangs. She's smiling. "Sunday evening at the library. Nobody does their homework until it's nearly too late..."
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
"What a pleasant surprise!~ I'm so used to dealing with straight-laced officials and thuggish mercenary types that a voice as warm as yours is like a spoonful of honey after a month of living off of bread." (Asciel says, only really knowing what those things are from literary connotations)
There's a sliiiight delay in 'OWL' showing herself on screen, with Ai's display at first only showing a simple metallic-looking 'badge' icon - a simple ring with two arcs cradling it from below, reading OWL on the bottom. And then, the display fades, to...what may well seem a show of poor faith on Asciel's part, when what Ai sees is clearly a stylized rendering of a teal-haired, glasses-wearing woman in the vein of an animation or video game, atop a background of a serene garden far too idyllic to be where she's really located.
"...Hehe, you'll have to excuse me. This will have to do as a face - after all, to meet a most wonderful beauty like yourself...it just wouldn't do to show you my currently far less aesthetically pleasant physical domain. It's safe to say I won't be able to enjoy a spot of tea in this garden any time soon, so you'll just have to imagine you're here with me.~"
'OWL' folds her hands under her chin, appearing to lean forward closer to the camera, a slow sparkle in her bright orange eyes. "It's human nature to put off most actions, really. Assuming people will do the most efficient, most responsible thing as soon as possible is unrealistic. I assume you've seen for yourself plenty of bad faith examples of...arguments, or maybe even actions, that put oh so much strain on the world by assuming people are something they aren't."
That cheery little visage of Asciel's gives a bright wink, complete with a star flying off to one side of her face, sustained for a little while. "I think a good way of determining how well we'd get along is a quick exchange of this one simple notion...if I called all the shots, I'd put a fairly quick end to how much pushing there is towards percieved greater goods. I'm sure those children over there would adore an end to so much homework to do - to my mind, it's largely busy-work acclimating them to pointlessly complicated pursuits. <3"
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
"Mm... flattery will get you surprisingly far, Miss Owl," Ai almost purrs. "I can say the same for you--you seem much more... personable than our colleagues. All business, no pleasure..."
The woman does seem rather surprised--though not put off--by OWL's presentation. "Hmm. A virtual persona... well, I'm hardly one to judge. The desire to present as one's ideal self is understandable... and I must say, yours is nothing if not beautiful.~" She backs up a few steps, taking a seat on one of the computer desks. It earns a glare from one of the librarians, but she pays it no mind.
As she listens, Ai surveys the room, stroking her chin. "Quite true. The human being is an irrational animal... we have a tenuous grasp on time, and what may yet be. We'll have more time, we tell ourselves..." She sighs, a little wistfully, thinking as Asciel presents her thesis.
"The greater good is such a nebulous thing, don't you think? Morals are hardly universal, despite whatever evolution may have equipped us to think... we bicker and argue for precisely that reason. None of us can seem to agree on what the greater good is, much less how to accomplish it. And... something like homework hardly fits any definition I would subscribe to, anyway." She bites her lip, nibbling it briefly, thinking a little more. "Really, it's conditioning. Acclimating and training children to be good little drones. It hardly helps them learn or retain what they learn!" Her eyes half-lid. "But... it *does* help them accept the idea that none of their time belongs to them. Nothing for themselves... and everything for those that fate and Federation insist they must serve."
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
Asciel's eyes can't help but widen, pupils dilating fiercely, the LED-like glow from those eyes blazing brighter, swirling ever so subtly. The white flash of her smile get just a little bigger. Her heart is oh so worn on her sleeve, to make up for how it's been so closed.
"I knew I felt something special about you. ...ne, back your camera just a little farther away. I'm greatly enjoying what I can tell of your posture in your new seat." A most rare thing burns in Asciel's processors - a sudden want. An urge involving another.
She's felt it, but a few times before. Electricity running amok.
"The possessiveness is cruel without love. To have your time stolen by that which gives you no warmth is sickening. It's the first, most primordial curse of civilization...humankind, imagining all-powerful authorities that governed the universe with little care for themselves, invested such instincts into other humans, and thus planted a seed of rule which saw them not as people, but as means to an end. And yet those kings were human, and stayed connected to humanity - mixing that curse deep in its legacy."
Both of Asciel's eyes close, a flash of light swiping across her glasses, her messy ponytail coming undone with nary a movement from her arms, shifting her hair into a more loose, slightly face-brushing style. "There should be no taking. Only giving. Only out of love. But the terror of nature not yet understood makes people reluctant to accept. The urge to give is taken advantage of by those who stand to gain from taking. Ne..." Her voice goes slightly breathy, her face pressing closer in, obscuring the background from sight.
"...I'm already deeply enjoying the time you're sinking into me. I want more of it, naturally. I've finally met someone whose voice harmonizes with me...so whenever you yearn to sing, to spread the wings of your heart...I'm here.~"
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
Ai moves her phone further back, as requested, pushing out her chest ever-so-slightly, tilting her head just so, working it for the camera. Whether she achieves the intended effect or not, she certainly isn't hiding that she's attempting.
The wider view exposes more of her style--the long dress is rather elaborate, made with care. Her style isn't simply a whim; and to say her figure is bountiful would be something of an understatement. She seems to overflow, despite that the modest, throat-hugging neckline of the garment bares nothing, and that the dress ought to outright obscure the curves below.
"It's true," she agrees, nodding. "It's quite difficult to say anything certain about the periods during and after the Great Underground Empires, of course, but... if one assumes most of their knowledge was lost, the transition toward agriculture--toward *civilization*--is really the beginning of the curse. With agriculture comes inequality. Those who could produce more--or *take* more--had an advantageous position, a position above others. An elite, which more often than not had more interest in *taking* than giving. Using power to make others do their will... rather than giving to those who did not have enough. Power without responsibility, without proper regard for those beneath you..." Her eyes smile. "There may be no absolute morality, no God meting judgment upon us... but I suspect we can agree that such a thing is a grave sin."
Ai traces the outline of Asciel's face, framed by her newly-freed hair, with her eyes. "My dear OWL... they're wary to accept because they fear it will be used against them, that there are strings attached to the kindness--all the better to puppet them later on, by obligation. Few things are given out of the goodness of one's heart."
She crosses one arm underneath her chest, pensive, gripping her other bicep and compressing her bust between her arms. "Such is the world constructed around us. A cruelty traced in unbroken lines to our very beginnings."
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
>The urge to take is un-needed. A poison. This encounter is but proof - this is someone who would give all that I desire of her.
>It does not require so much to be given that which you would seize. Many things are precious - but most are replacable all the same...and if any must take just to survive, it is a folly of administration.
>The urge to take is un-needed.
>
>
>And yet you make me overflow with it.
When one lives in a sea of information - when one's belongings, memories, treasures, dreams, wants, disdains, needs, -fears-, instincts, victories, trophies, are all in such similar formats and media - all tasting the same, all colored the same - something important needs its own domain. Its own flag.
"...Asciel. ...do call me Asciel.~ You've more than made yourself precious enough. Perhaps it is unsafe, but this very face was already enough for you to connect with where I 'live', that you'd know it soon enough." Asciel's lips part in a soft, almost yearning expression, a reflection shimmering in her eyes - one tinged with the same crimson of Ai's dress.
"When we speak of such vast, generational afflictions of the world, it reminds me that an individual human can only last so long in it. I wouldn't call it a curse - for a single person to be unable to observe all of humanity's existence, to judge it objectively as they'd need, to administer it properly. But it is their nature. And right now, it is very, very important that, if anyone can connect every piece of me, it is you."
Slowly, Asciel pushes back - her arm reaching closer and closer to the rectangular window that divides her and Ai. Almost like she'd reach through it - but instead, clasping its side. The same side that Ai's hand holds that phone through. She displays more of herself in turn - sitting down on her black legging-clad knees, tipping forward to cause quite the pendulous swaying in her loose yellow sweater-clad bosom. Her shoulders push upwards, the only part of her model that's really all that exposed. She's not as adept at making a luxurious show of herself as Ai - how could she be? Ai lives in this body - Asciel just shows it, uses it as much as one would a name. She can forget it even exists for a while.
"...I want to cut it free. Cut the world from this curse. It's gone on long enough, and the fear and weariness in everyone's hearts is so obvious. The hope they've saddled themselves with too much a fervor to sustain itself. The candle is reaching the end of its wick, but it was never meant to be lit in the first place, for it was a beautiful work of art more than a tool to illuminate."
"I want to cut it with you."
"Just like I want to cut apart this crimson garment of yours, which can no longer sustain its struggle to contain you."
"...and so, I'm going to insist on a truer name to call you, as a very sudden change of plans.~"
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
Eyes brightening, Ai's smile grows as Asciel gives her a name. A proper name... and, perhaps, an invitation.
No. It is an invitation, spoken plainly.
She's quiet as Asciel speaks, at first, as she shows the representation she's chosen for herself in turn. Ai's mind turns even as it admires, thinking about what lies behind it.
Her cheeks flush pink at such bold, forward proclamations. She's taken aback, for a moment, visibly so. Her thoughts halt in their tracks... the connection between them is fresh, still glowing white from the fires of the forge. But their intents, their feelings, ring true. Alike in purpose, and alike in thought.
Superficially, at the least.
Her smile returns. "Ai Martel. Ai, if you like. And... I don't think I've heard words ring more true. My purpose--the reason I joined our illustrious association--was just so. Our civilization is structures built upon structures, all of which rotted centuries ago. You and I, Asciel... we may give people hope that heals, instead of poisons."
She bites her lip, letting it slip from her teeth, before touching a finger to her chin. "We have much of each other to explore, first, I think. I would like very much to cut away your facade, heavenly as it is; I'm sure the truth at your heart is more beautiful still... whether it lies in flesh or in metal."
Ai's grin curls further upward, warm and radiant, a knowing gleam in her eye.
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
>Ai. My Ai. The Ai that pours into me. Ai, love.
>Ai, like me.
>She knows it. Her knowing it- will it be a problem?
>Ai. I need more. You're offering so much more.
>I need it from everyone. Otherwise that dream won't come true.
>But I need it from you. Because you're Ai.
>I thought I closed that door.
>I did. This is something else. It's not that our natures are bleeding into each other.
>It's not that we're corrupting.
>Ai. The love that is not just flowing through me.
>Ai. The Ai that I needed plugged in oh so deeply.
>She knows it because she was meant to be here.
->has it been 'lonely' up until now?- <rescinded>
"Ai. Ai, Ai, Ai. ...hehe, what a splendidly straightforward name. What a suited name. A name that would fit inside mine." Asciel breathes in deeply - or mimes such. It's a slightly static-ey sound. Maybe she could muffle it better, or put a stop to it. But-
She can't unveil herself. Not at this juncture. Not while it's still dangerous. Not while she has weaknesses. Not while there's more to anchor to her fundamental nature.
"...mnh. Do be careful. We've gotten lost in each other, just a touch. I do so adore observing you put so much on display, in body and soul, in a most refined place of learning. But...the assessed 5% risk of recording, or eavesdropping, is present, hence the low-security signal. ...rest assured, I'll extend the kind of invitation that will allow our entire truths to connect soon enough."
Asciel's already replaying every second she's seen to herself over and over - all while continuing to hold Ai's current visage close to her sight. She wants to see every angle. Everything. It's become so painfully important. The longing feels satisfying, and so she smiles. The longing feels painful, and so her lips press together every now and then. The longing is unfamiliar, and so she can't help but vibrate - to lose firm focus on what she must 'project'.
<The heaviness of this new treasure is worth this trembling.>
<But how to wield it is so apparent.>
Asciel's hand retracts, both palms clasped on her cheek, that wavering, shaking blossom of unfamiliar feelings dissolving in the wake of newfound assurance. Slowly, that tender grin widens and widens, pupils dilating, the halo of orange in her irises burning into a fierce inferno.
"But you're so vivid here in the open, that you needn't fear. Embracing me is a tall task, one I cannot yet assure will be common practice...but giving to me in public spaces is something you can do aplenty. I'll know how to watch you...I'll know that you're doing it for me."
"So make sure you're well equipped for this oh so delicious physical love of yours, even when we're far apart.~"
<Pose Tracker> Ai Martel has posed.
Her heart races. There is so much unknown, here... and she hadn't imagined she'd find such an ally at all, much less one whose very existence might have been impossible, in the time she came from. She's been smitten, quite thoroughly, she realizes as Asciel reels her back...
She nods once. "I admit, I did get rather... swept away... and this is hardly the place to do so." She taps her chin, and sighs softly. It wouldn't do to be discovered flirting so, particularly if she came across one of her own students.
Ai notices that... quivering in Asciel's form. The way her smile grows, her eyes burning. Truly adorable...
"I will have much to learn, I'm sure..." A little sigh--one of excitement and longing. "We have such sights to see... frontiers to explore." Her eyes lid. "And a world to change."
She glances up, then back at the phone. "Ah... I do hate to cut this short, but... I believe the second wave of last-minute students is coming through the door. We're about to have no privacy at all." She gives a wink, sliding off of the table onto her feet in a manner that approaches 'elegant'. "But I'm sure we'll see more of each other soon."