wickedchouette | (no subject)

No, I won't. [ Probably. It scoots a bit closer to Alfie as a group of women pass by them. Maybe it's a little nervous.]

[Luckily, they don't give the bot a second glance, but Alfie notices its reaction.]

We've got a room you can be in. You don't have to be outside.

[ It glances at Alfie, and then holds the broken, cracked arm to its chest a little more tightly. Alfie can probably see where the guy who grabbed him from earlier, completely ruined the superglue job. ]

If that won't disrupt your business.

The shipping office is just a bit past mine.

[Alfie says, glancing at his arm.]

At noon, we'll head over.

[ It nods. ]

I'm not going to fall apart. I'll be fine.

Mm. All the same, I suppose it's best that you wanna sit still.

[Are people on the street always going to be like this, he wonders? He's known about anti-bot sentiments, of course, and been vaguely aware of violence and aggression against them, but two incidents in two days is a lot more than he would have expected.]

[ Maybe it's the part of town they're in, or maybe it's just a particularly bad week for androids to be out. The droid has no frame of reference, but it'll be doing research while it waits for Alfie to see what it can do to try and aggravate less people. It doesn't want to be in a constant state of alarm.

It is quiet as they walk, sticking close to Alfie with its eyes and head down. ]

[Alfie, too, isn't starting any conversations - though every so often, his eyes flick over to the bot, a curious look that might almost be concern in his eyes.

Once they reach his building, he opens the front door (three keys for three locks; the security here is serious business) and ushers the bot in.]

Try to avoid any of my workers, eh? They're gonna be giving me shit about you.

[ It nods, and then pauses. ] Didn't they give you me in the first place?

[ It lets Alfie lead it wherever, though. ]

As a joke. They were expecting me to send you straight back, I think.

[And indeed, every single person they pass (which is a lot; it's a busy place) does a double-take, and a couple break into grins and go to clap Alfie on the back. He dodges all of them, barking at them to get back to work.]

In here.

[Says Alfie, stopping at a door somewhere in the center of the building - they've gone up a couple flights to get here, and made many turns in the corridors. It's a bare, windowless room, with a couple couches, some end tables covered in old magazines, and not much else.]

Don't come out on your own.

[ It's not a terribly appealing place, but. The bot doesn't look like it minds too much. It makes its way into the room and stands against the wall, taking in the surroundings. The light at its temple flickers yellow for a moment, and then it settles back into blue. ]

I won't. [ It acknowledges, glancing at Alfie. An order that it can follow! Amazing. ]

What did the yellow mean, just there?

[Alfie asks as he hovers in the doorway, half in and half out of the room.]

What? [ A pause. It glances at Alfie, and then shakes its head. ] Oh. You gave me an order. I was adding it. I was also taking note of escape routes, should they be required.

Mmm.

You know, when I said not to leave on your own - you should disregard that, if you do need to escape.

[ It watches Alfie, head slightly tilted. ]

... Okay. [ Maybe it sounds a little grateful. ] I will be here if you require my help with anything.

Yeah.

[And with one last glance over his shoulder, he lumbers off, shutting the door quietly behind him. Time to go to work.]

[ It settles, and goes still, eyes closed. It'll stay here for an hour or so, until - in the distance, there's a gun shot. It's muffled, and clearly, whoever shot it was trying to hide the noise, but it's impossible to mistake it for anything else. The droid opens its eyes and stares at the door, shifting uncomfortably.

A gun. Does that mean it needs to get out? Or is this part of Alfie's job? It waits, trying to figure out what to do. ]

[Not thirty seconds later, another shot rings out, followed quickly by a second and a third. They're similarly muffled, but also closer, and a little clearer. From elsewhere in the building, someone yells in alarm.]

[ Yeah. That's not normal. It pushes away from the wall, orders rearranging themselves in its head. If you need to escape, you can leave on your own. And it should just leave, because that's what it was told, but... Alfie's still out there.

It straightens, and makes its way out onto the floor, searching for the source of the gunshots, quiet and in the shadows. It covers the glow of the LED with a hand, creeping towards where it thinks Alfie's office might be. ]

[Fifteen or twenty feet down the hallway ahead of it, a door suddenly flies open, and a young man stumbles out. He doesn't notice the bot, at first - his attention is rather taken up by the wound on his abdomen. He has a hand over it, trying to staunch the bleeding, but it's not going very well.]

[ It stops, uncertain, and stares. Should it help? Maybe it should keep going. It shifts like it's going to run past - and then shakes its head and moves to try and help the human stand. Carefully but firmly, it presses the human's hand harder against the wound. ]

Steady. [ It says, reassuring. ]

Who the fuck are you?

[The guy asks in alarm, weakly trying to pull away. He's young, in comparison to Alfie - late twenties, maybe, or very early thirties.]

I am an RM700 unit. [ It says, frowning slightly. ] Don't try to pull away, you're injured. I'm trying to help.

I don't fucking know you.

[He says, still stiff and resisting despite the heavy bleeding. His tone of voice makes it clear that he doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know, especially today.]

[ A pause, and then: ] Whether you know me or not, you'r bleeding heavily and need assistance. What happened?