wickedchouette | (no subject)

[ It falters, again. A long pause. ]

I don't understand what you want out of me. You won't let me perform my primary function but you won't send me back, either. Do you want me to stand in a corner and do nothing? I don't understand.

No, I don't; I told you already. You did it well enough before.

That isn't what I'm programmed to do. I am not a companion model, that isn't - I don't --

[ Its speech stutters, and the yellow ring flickers between yellow and red. It almost looks distressed. It can't repeat an anomaly in its programming. It doesn't have free will. ]

[Alfie's jaw works, because he doesn't actually want this thing to blow up, but.]

Well. I'm the customer, and it's what I want. That makes it all right, surely.

[ It's like trying to force a square block through a circle hole. It wants to do what Alfie wants it to do but whatever it wants isn't defined enough. It stutters again. ]

I don't have wants. I can't do whatever I like because I don't have likes. I can't do what you are asking me to do. I can't follow your orders because they are impossible.

Think about it.

[Says Alfie. And then he turns to leave the room.]

[ Alfie leaves, and the android just stands there, for a long, long moment. And then finally it - just goes back to cleaning. This is what it wants to do. Right? It - it has to be what it wants.

That cat has got its sights on Alfie's apartment though, now that it knows where the thing that fed it lives. ]

[It sure has. Not even half an hour has gone by before it shows up again, appearing on the fire escape and looking curiously through the window at the bot. Hello, friend. She recognizes you!

Alfie, off in his bedroom, doesn't notice.]

[ Kitty!! The android actually smiles. After a moment, it drops the sponge it was using and wander over to the window. It opens the window, and without really thinking, offers its hand out. ]

[The cat sniffs his fingers delicately, and then hops through the window, looking around the small apartment. Nice digs.]

[ Oh. The android hopes Alfie isn't allergic to cats... but it doesn't try to shoo the thing out. Instead it casually just grabs more milk for the cat, and sits down in the middle of the kitchen to pet the cat. ]

[She's happy to oblige, trotting over and half-climbing up onto him, her front paws on his knee as she sniffs his shoulder. She's not going to turn down milk, either. Spoil her, pls.]

[ He's gonna. She's very sweet, and he's very still and patient, stroking her fur when she allows it. There's a sort of calmness that he feels, doing this. It's nice. ]

[She mews, rubbing her cheek against his hand. She's young - barely older than a kitten, really.]

[ Quietly, the android leans down and nuzzles the cat with his nose. She's a baby, and this is how you communicate with babies, right? By nosing at them? ]

[Aw! She purrs, leaning up into his face. New friend, favorite friend.

It's about then that Alfie walks into the room, staring open-mouthed down at the scene in front of him.]

[ He doesn't notice at first. The purring is loud enough to melt him, and the warm feeling in his chest almost feels like he's malfunctioning. Maybe he is. This isn't normal, the -- well, feeling at all.

And then he feels like someone's watching him, and he pauses in nosing at the kitten to look up at Alfie. Almost guiltily, he pauses, and then pulls his hand away from the cat.

It stares up at Alfie, unsure. ]

[The cat chases his hand, batting at it playfully with a paw, claws retracted and safe. Alfie just... keeps staring for a few long moments, and then--]

Well. At least you're doing something.

[And he continues on into the living room.]

[ ... What kind of response is that? The android frowns, not sure what to do as the programming kicks in. Do what you like, Alfie had said. It doesn't know if it likes this. It feels kind of like overheating, but maybe that's what finding something it likes to do feels like.

For a moment, it'd felt... something. Anything. It'd felt like taking care of the kitten in its lap. It'd felt like a he.

The LED against its temple stays yellow, but it scoops the kitten up and holds her to its chest, staring after Alfie. ]

I... [ It starts, and then it goes quiet. This is all very confusing. ]

[The kitten settles against him, closing her eyes and purring like a motor. She is oblivious to any existential crises.]

[ It strokes the kitten's head very, very gently. Delicate. It sits on the floor in the corner of the kitchen and just spoils the hell out of the tiny creature for a good few hours - it doesn't really get bored, and it has nothing else to do until dinner time, so kitten-sitting it is.

When it approaches around six, Alfie will hear clattering coming from his kitchen. ]

[Alfie hears, all right, and he grumbles to himself - but for once, he doesn't complain or tell him to stop. He stays at his desk, working, listening to the kitchen clatter.]

[ After a while of that clattering, the android comes down the hall quietly, and stops at the doorway to the room Alfie is sitting in. The cat is still in its arms, sleeping. ]

I made dinner. [ It announces, careful. ] If you're hungry.

And you've let a cat into the flat.

[There's some level of annoyance in his voice, but it's perfunctory; mostly, he just sounds amused.]

Is that the same one from before?

[ A beat. It holds the cat a little more defensively against its chest. ]

Yes. Do you need me to get rid of her? [ It very clearly does not want to. ]