we read the signs completely backwards

[rigging]

Who: Jesse Finch and YOU
Where: Exploring the city buildings. Anywhere!
When: Day 31
What: Jesse's decided he's done skulking around. He needs to figure out what and where he's living in now, and he doesn't mind company.

He's situated, now, and he finds it's much easier to concentrate now that he has everything settled. There are good people here, and he's watching out for Galen, and everything will be okay. So he picks through the city in search of all sorts of things. Food, weapons, cigarettes, those are important - whatever he can find and possibly use to barter for things later. He knows how it gets when supplies get low.

He checks out everywhere, from the cemetery (where he feels like he's going to spend a lot of time) to the bar (which, he decides, is going to be his secondary most-time-spent-in area) and gathers things as he goes. He's not paying much attention to any others who might be out, but throwing rocks at him and shouting should generally be good ways to get Jesse's attention, right? Right.

Comments

[rigging]

"... So your middle name's literally robot." Sorry, Daneel, Jesse finds this hilarious. It's like an action movie! "Wait, wait, okay, you... what's humaniform? Where's Aurora? I never heard of there."

[thezerothlaw]

"Humaniform. I am a robot designed to replicate the appearance of a human being as closely as possible." Daneel inclines his head politely, not in the least offended by Jesse's amusement. "Aurora was the first planet colonised by Earth settlers, though that was several hundred years ago now. I would indicate the star for you, but I'm not entirely clear on the placement of Aurora's sun in the sky from other planets."

[rigging]

Wow, that's way advanced. "... Okay, so you're a robot." Jesse's just getting it straight. "From the future, because we ain't settled nowhere where I'm from. And your name's Danielle?" No, Jesse.

[thezerothlaw]

"I do seem to be from the future when compared to most people here, yes."

Danielle was, he believed, a female name. It wasn't very accurate, but at least he wasn't offended by this, either. "My name is Daneel, to be precise."

[rigging]

"Daneel." Oops. He thinks he gets it right this time. Shrug. "Uh, alright. I'm gonna explore that building. You can come with if you want."

[thezerothlaw]

Daneel looks, and then back to Jesse. He's not sure if he's being invited along or not.

"I can certainly accompany you. Might I ask your name?"

[rigging]

"Oh, shit, right. Name's Jesse, and yeah, come on. Be my tour guide or something. Ain't ever spoken to a robot before." But he's eager enough to. He's a science fiction nerd if there ever was one.

[thezerothlaw]

Daneel moves to follow, perfectly calm and unbothered at being pulled away from what he was looking at.

"Robots are very common on Aurora. Most households include several dozen robots, although the exact number varies according to the need and desire of the owner of the estate."

[rigging]

"S'kinda cool. We don't got robots, exactly, except for the kind that do like... toothpaste and stuff. And real creepy prototypes, I guess, I seen the videos of lifelike robots, but I ain't a fan. No offense." He peers at Daneel. "The ones we got back home ain't anything like you is what m'saying."

He runs his hand along the wall as he walks, feeling his way through. "D'you... got an owner? Or is it not like that?"

[thezerothlaw]

"I take no offense. I'm certain early robotic prototypes were very crude, but innovation must start somewhere."

Daneel doesn't often use the word 'owner,' but he can't deny the accuracy of it, either.

"I did have a master, yes. Most recently, I was the property of Lady Gladia. Before that, I was with Dr. Fastolfe, who created me. At present, I seem to belong to no one."

[rigging]

Jesse doesn't like the word owner, and he thinks he'll avoid saying it again. It just feels gross, to him. Things that talk and walk and act human shouldn't have owners.

"Well, good. Y'don't have to belong to anybody, yer a person." Jesse says it firmly enough. "Maybe made of wires, but still a person. You hang out here often?"

[thezerothlaw]

"You're not the first one here to express that sentiment. I admit, it's not one I'm accustomed to, but I'm finding myself to be, perhaps inappropriately, pleased by it."

It is, after all, slightly unseemly for a robot to want any sort of freedom. Even now, it's more the way he's treated that he likes rather than his apparent change in status.

"I sometimes come here in search of information, yes."

[rigging]

"What kinda information?" Jesse asks, pleased by Daneel's response.

[thezerothlaw]

"Anything that might be potentially useful. Techniques for first aid using the materials available to us here. Primitive agricultural techniques we might be able to implement if our food supplies continue to not be replenished."

Honestly, the food situation is something that worries him greatly, even if he's not personally affected.

[rigging]

"Yeah, I heard about the food bit. We're running low?" That's terrible, because Jesse eats like a horse. "I guess we could - figure out somethin' for farming, yeah? Have y'found anything?"

[thezerothlaw]

"I've read of some techniques, but unfortunately without some appropriate equipment and seeds our success is limited." Daneel is unhappy about this result, as inevitable as it may be. "Also, we would require food supplies in the meantime while we're waiting for our crops to grow to maturity."

[rigging]

"Which we don't really have, m'guessing." Sigh. "I guess we'll figure something out. We gotta have some people who know what they're doing." He peers at the books around him. "There anything good to read for fun in here?"

[thezerothlaw]

Daneel hesitates. That's a difficult question for him to answer. There's value in fiction, to be certain, but aspects of it trouble him, and he doesn't seek it out. "There is certainly fiction here. I'm not confident that I'm a qualified judge of what might be 'good.' Much of it I'm not familiar with."

[rigging]

"Aw man, really?" He purses his lips. "I bet I could find some stuff you might like. D'you like to read? Like, I dunno that's a robot-y thing to do."

[thezerothlaw]

"I'm not accustomed to having the liberty to read," Daneel explains. "My duties precluded any leisure time I might have. I might read to gain information, but I've never done it for pleasure."