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wrapped-in-shadows:

sincerest-flattery:

Sit down. The offer itself has her staring at Jack wide-eyed. So he was still allowing her to stay. That was certainly unexpected.

Veda finally nods, surprise still on her face. “That would… yes, that would be easiest.” Easier to do than having to explain she didn’t need to, wouldn’t get tired standing, at least for now. Still nervous, she stays put, waiting for the go-ahead.

Jack waited expectantly for a moment, before he realized that Veda didn’t seem to have grasped the concept. “Well, okay, sit down then.” He took a seat in the armchair himself, and gestured to the couch again. “If you p-please?” He hated how much he was stuttering in his nervousness, but at least Veda hadn’t said anything about it. 

With Jack’s permission, she finally smiles, walking over in order to seat herself on the couch. “Thank you.” Sitting perfectly straight, her hands on her knees, Veda looks to Jack nervously.

“Uh, you’re welcome.” He hesitated for a moment to see if she would begin, realized she wasn’t going to, and went on, “So, will you tell me about yourself? You said you w-weren’t normal – what do you mean by that?" 

sincerest-flattery:

wrapped-in-shadows:

sincerest-flattery:

Eyes wide, she looks in up genuine surprise, taking careful note of the way Jack asked. Slowly beginning to actually smile, Veda looks less nervous, shoulders relaxing. “I… yes, that is one term for it.”

Even if many people she’d spoken to over the past few months had repeatedly chosen to not use it when it came to her, at one point it had been true. “In… in some ways, not in others.” she hurries to explain, words somewhat rushed. “I have not been ‘normal’,” In any sense that she could be, “for several months.”

Jack’s eyes widened more and more as he listened. So, she was a robot – or automaton, or android, or whatever the proper term was. But apparently she was completely self-aware? And yet not ‘normal’? Clearly, there was a long story behind all of this. 

“W-would you like to sit down?” He beckoned toward the sofa. “You could tell me more about it.” 

Sit down. The offer itself has her staring at Jack wide-eyed. So he was still allowing her to stay. That was certainly unexpected.

Veda finally nods, surprise still on her face. “That would… yes, that would be easiest.” Easier to do than having to explain she didn’t need to, wouldn’t get tired standing, at least for now. Still nervous, she stays put, waiting for the go-ahead.

Jack waited expectantly for a moment, before he realized that Veda didn’t seem to have grasped the concept. “Well, okay, sit down then.” He took a seat in the armchair himself, and gestured to the couch again. “If you p-please?” He hated how much he was stuttering in his nervousness, but at least Veda hadn’t said anything about it. 

sincerest-flattery:

wrapped-in-shadows:

sincerest-flattery:

Staring at her feet now, with him watching her like that, Veda keeps quiet, having several false starts at explaining before she finally speaks up. “I am… I suppose ‘artificial’ may be a good term, although…” Rubbing at one wrist, she forces a faint smile. “Are you… are you familiar with robotics?”

… Well, that certainly explained a lot. Jack remembered back to the first time he’d met Veda, and how vague she’d been about her past and what she did now. Suddenly, it didn’t seem nearly as strange. 

“… Y-you’re a robot?” He didn’t sound scared or upset at all. Instead, he was intensely curious. He hadn’t noticed any clues that Veda was anything but human – whoever had made her was an artist. 

Eyes wide, she looks in up genuine surprise, taking careful note of the way Jack asked. Slowly beginning to actually smile, Veda looks less nervous, shoulders relaxing. “I… yes, that is one term for it.”

Even if many people she’d spoken to over the past few months had repeatedly chosen to not use it when it came to her, at one point it had been true. “In… in some ways, not in others.” she hurries to explain, words somewhat rushed. “I have not been ‘normal’,” In any sense that she could be, “for several months.”

Jack’s eyes widened more and more as he listened. So, she was a robot – or automaton, or android, or whatever the proper term was. But apparently she was completely self-aware? And yet not ‘normal’? Clearly, there was a long story behind all of this. 

“W-would you like to sit down?” He beckoned toward the sofa. “You could tell me more about it." 

sincerest-flattery:

wrapped-in-shadows:

sincerest-flattery:

Toeing the carpet with one foot, Veda cracks a nervous smile. “Not… not quite like me, I do not think.” She lets go of her shirt’s hem, brushes one hand through her hair. It had been getting longer, lately, Mike had been right about that.

Her shoulders set, posture a touch defensive, as she gathers her courage and finally admits the truth. “I am no… I have never been… alive, in the sense you would normally think of.”

“You’re … not alive?” Jack watched her intently for a moment. Since his taste in fiction ran more toward fantasy than sci-fi, his first thoughts were of ghosts and the undead. But Veda didn’t look like a supernatural creature – and besides, “never been alive” somewhat ruled that out. 

He decided to come right out and ask it. “Then, wh-what are you? M-maybe you’d better just tell me.” 

Staring at her feet now, with him watching her like that, Veda keeps quiet, having several false starts at explaining before she finally speaks up. “I am… I suppose ‘artificial’ may be a good term, although…” Rubbing at one wrist, she forces a faint smile. “Are you… are you familiar with robotics?”

… Well, that certainly explained a lot. Jack remembered back to the first time he’d met Veda, and how vague she’d been about her past and what she did now. Suddenly, it didn’t seem nearly as strange. 

“… Y-you’re a robot?” He didn’t sound scared or upset at all. Instead, he was intensely curious. He hadn’t noticed any clues that Veda was anything but human – whoever had made her was an artist. 

sincerest-flattery:

wrapped-in-shadows:

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His try at reassuring her just makes Veda more nervous. Until now, Jack had been at least friendly. The chance that he wouldn’t be after this is nearly a certainty in her mind, and her eyes dart back and forth over the apartment, fussing with the hem of her shirt. Her hands are tight on the fabric, bunching it between her fingers. “I… I am not…” She has to close her eyes, take in a calming breath, before finally meeting his green eyes with her own. “I am not quite hu-human,” she finally manages, nearly inaudible.

Jack’s sensitive ears picked up the words easily. “W-well, neither am I,” he replied, with a nervous grin. The fact that Veda appeared shy and uneasy, instead of threatening, did a great deal to convince him that whatever she was hiding, he could handle it. “Th-there are a lot of non-humans in this city.”

The unspoken question, What are you?, hung in the air, but Jack refrained from saying it out loud. After years of being asked that himself, he knew how hurtful it could be, and how sick a person could get of hearing it. 

Toeing the carpet with one foot, Veda cracks a nervous smile. “Not… not quite like me, I do not think.” She lets go of her shirt’s hem, brushes one hand through her hair. It had been getting longer, lately, Mike had been right about that.

Her shoulders set, posture a touch defensive, as she gathers her courage and finally admits the truth. “I am no… I have never been… alive, in the sense you would normally think of.”

“You’re … not alive?” Jack watched her intently for a moment. Since his taste in fiction ran more toward fantasy than sci-fi, his first thoughts were of ghosts and the undead. But Veda didn’t look like a supernatural creature – and besides, “never been alive” somewhat ruled that out. 

He decided to come right out and ask it. “Then, wh-what are you? M-maybe you’d better just tell me." 

sincerest-flattery:

wrapped-in-shadows:

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“Yes, I… I did.” Fidgeting nervously now that she was in the apartment, Veda can’t meet his eyes. This wasn’t how she’d expected this to go, not that she ever expected to be in this situation.

With Katelynn gone, there’s not even that security that came from having another person in the room, one who didn’t look so much like she had before. Biting her lip, she finally looks up, focusing on the wall behind Jack. “I… I am not sure if you would… like hearing it.”

But Jack shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. I’d r-rather have the truth, Veda.” He tried to give her a more reassuring look, but couldn’t hide how nervous he was. He’d been under the impression that the blonde woman was one of the few normal people in the city, and he’d liked that – learning otherwise was taking some mental adjustment. “Please, you can tell me.” 

His try at reassuring her just makes Veda more nervous. Until now, Jack had been at least friendly. The chance that he wouldn’t be after this is nearly a certainty in her mind, and her eyes dart back and forth over the apartment, fussing with the hem of her shirt. Her hands are tight on the fabric, bunching it between her fingers. “I… I am not…” She has to close her eyes, take in a calming breath, before finally meeting his green eyes with her own. “I am not quite hu-human,” she finally manages, nearly inaudible.

Jack’s sensitive ears picked up the words easily. “W-well, neither am I,” he replied, with a nervous grin. The fact that Veda appeared shy and uneasy, instead of threatening, did a great deal to convince him that whatever she was hiding, he could handle it. “Th-there are a lot of non-humans in this city.”

The unspoken question, What are you?, hung in the air, but Jack refrained from saying it out loud. After years of being asked that himself, he knew how hurtful it could be, and how sick a person could get of hearing it. 

sincerest-flattery:

wrapped-in-shadows:

will-never-be-a-swan:

sincerest-flattery:

Smiling, Veda waves at the man on the other side of the now open door. “I climbed,” was her only explanation, looking up at the building’s roof. Nodding her head in Katelynn’s direction, she looks a little nervous. This had to look strange. “It was fastest…” she offers weakly.

Now that she was on solid ground, Katelynn untangled herself from Veda, having clung to her as best she could to not only not fall but also because heights tended to make her queasy. Not something she needed while on her time of the month.

She moved over to give Jack a quick kiss on the cheek. “I just need medicine..I’ll be fine..I’ll explain later…” And began to make her way to the bathroom to search for some Midol, Stella and Roxy at her heels now that she was home.

“Don’t worry Veda, Jack is a great guy. He doesn’t bite.”

“You c-climbed?!” Jack gaped at the blonde woman, not sure what to make of that. Their apartment was several stories up, and Veda had made the distance while carrying Katelynn – what was going on here?

He smiled for a brief moment as Katelynn kissed him (and was relieved to her she didn’t sound seriously hurt), but it faded as he looked at Veda again. “It’s true I d-don’t bite, but could you p-please tell me what just happened?” 

“Yes, I… I did.” Fidgeting nervously now that she was in the apartment, Veda can’t meet his eyes. This wasn’t how she’d expected this to go, not that she ever expected to be in this situation.

With Katelynn gone, there’s not even that security that came from having another person in the room, one who didn’t look so much like she had before. Biting her lip, she finally looks up, focusing on the wall behind Jack. “I… I am not sure if you would… like hearing it.”

But Jack shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. I’d r-rather have the truth, Veda.” He tried to give her a more reassuring look, but couldn’t hide how nervous he was. He’d been under the impression that the blonde woman was one of the few normal people in the city, and he’d liked that – learning otherwise was taking some mental adjustment. “Please, you can tell me."