way too kawaii for it's own good
http://forums.megatokyo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB8&Number=424411#Post424411
Fri Mar 08 01:38 AM



[!--OOC: Oy, it's time for another dark, hardcore WAFF post...  An' you thought BG could get sappy when he's writing for Yukiko...  Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

And just because I couldn't do *enough* damage on my own, Squee also gets collaboration points on this post, for the paragraph that starts with Queslin saying "It *is* scary" --]



Echo watched as Queslin sat heavily on the ground, leaning back against the bike.  This situation was familiar enough, parts of several extended modes described how humans dealt with death-defying experiences.  And Queslin made his task easy for him in that respect.  He was designed to interact believably with humans, and she was designed to think of herself as one.  But there were still enough unknowns about the situation that his Mode 00 would normally call for some trial-and-error.  This wasn't a situation where he would have more than one chance, so he figured that he had d4mn well better get it right the first time.

Queslin's mind, as it relaxed out of driving mode, became an increasing jumble.  The same scene, with occasional variations, flashed through her mind's eye.  Lying on the concrete watching an insane Moore fly away into the night.  The shock of realizing the lower half of her body was not where it should be.  She tried to beat into herself that she was a robot, and that being scared of that kind of thing was stupid because she could easily repair such damage.  But it didn't help, at least not much.

Echo dismounted a short moment after her, sitting a very small but carefully measured distance away.  He assumed a posture similar to hers, and matched the direction her stare (but not it's intensity).  Now that she wasn't in physical danger he found it impossible not to think about polite behavior.  Sure, he had a whole chunk of data detailing American social conventions, but he generally preferred his native mode.  (1)

"It's frightening, isn't it, coming that close to your own mortality?" he began softly.

Queslin looked over at him, and a small part of her began thinking quietly while the rest of her mind was still overloaded with latent stress.  Why was he keeping his distance now?  She sure as hell could use a hug...  or something, it thought.  Just having someone near her, someone who felt safe like this, was a comfort though.

Echo heard the movement and looked over to find her looking back at him.  It shocked him, how blank her face was, almost like the wall they had been staring at a moment before.  The poor girl.  His mind screamed at him, what else could he do for her?

The light from a passing car caught Echo's strong features in sharp relief, and Queslin could see in his face the reason he kept a meager distance.  He was Japanese, or rather programmed to be.  The little corner of her mind caused her face to fall as it realized that such a thing should have been expected.  What a lousy time to discover the first catch in a new relationship.

Echo watched as her disappointment, bizarrely mixed with lingering terror, swept over her face for a moment, and his heart nearly broke again.  Social conventions be damned he thought and scooted the last couple centimeters over, pulling her close to him.

She was a little surprised by his move, mostly on instinct, but quickly adjusted, pulling his arm down around her and laying her head halfway across his chest.

"Thanks," she murmured.  Echo felt a slight tremor, and then a larger one, go through her body as she settled.

"You're all right," he said, resting his cheek on the top of her head.  He smiled in spite of the situation, and so did she.

"It [i]is[/i] scary, even though I know I wouldn't really die if I was.. was.. umm killed.  All my life I thought I was a person... a [i]human[/i] person. I'm afraid to die the same way that a religious person is still afraid to die even though they 'know' they're going to heaven and that they'll be OK..."  Queslin held Echo a little more tightly and listened to the murmur of his coolant pumps - strangely rhythmical and soothing, much like her own heartbeat.

A sound of heavy breathing in the distance made Echo look up and crane his neck around the side of the bike.  Queslin whimpered quietly, she didn't want to move just yet.

"Stupid pedestrians." she mumbled.  Echo returned his cheek to the top of her head a moment later though, and Queslin could feel the impression of his smile through her hair.

"Well, we certainly have nothing to worry about," he sounded both relieved and amused.

"Just someone passing by?"

Wizard of Kitty floated over the top of the bike, panting.  She gave one spasmodic head-over-heels twirl in the air, and flopped to the ground on her back.  She lifted her head up and glared at them.

"Not very nice of you..." [pant pant pant] "to drive so fast.  Even my," [pant pant pant] "MAGIC was getting a workout, trying to catch up," she pouted.  "And after you were tossing around Skittles, too."  She held up the packet of candy that Queslin had thrown in the direction of Yukiko, which Kitty had caught before it could reach it's intended destination.  She tore open the top and popped a few.

The girl, now partially recharged, struggled to prop herself up on her elbows.  She looked the pair up and down.

"Yeesh, you silly lovebirds," at which both looked a bit embarrassed, "is that all you can do, just cuddle each other all the time?"  Echo opened his mouth to respond, but Queslin beat him to it.

"Hey, don't be mean!"  Queslin stuck out her tongue comically.  Kitty never failed to cheer her up, make her forget her troubles.  "Echo is being a perfect gentleman.  He's just... helping a lady in distress is all!"

"I'm sure Yukiko would *love* to hear about this," winked Kitty.  She sat up the rest of the way and produced a small, light-candy-blue laptop from somewhere or another.  It hovered in front of her as she typed away excitedly with both hands.

"Uhhh..." began Echo.  Queslin giggled.

"Hey you, what do you think you're doing?"  She started to get up, slowly pulling away from Echo.

The telltale ding.wav sounded in his mind.  [I thought you guys were supposed to be *running*  ^_^] the IM box read

"Too late," groaned Echo.  [Hey, there were extenuating circumstances!  :P] he fired back in 'netspace.

"WAAAAAH!" cried Kitty as Queslin pounced suddenly and began tickling her.  In 'netspace, Echo and Yukiko found themselves pulled forcefully into a three-way chat with Queslin.

[<grin> and what kind of circumstances were *those*?] Yukiko messaged before she noticed the change.

[Well... well...] stuttered Echo, not wanting to talk about something that wasn't his business to discuss with others.

[Hey now...]  Somehow, the text of Queslin's message itself seemed to laugh.  [Don't you go starting a fight, Echo!].

[But... but...]  The chatroom reverberated with the giggling of the two female "occupants".

Back in Real Life, Kitty could feel something happening in her brain as she rolled around on the ground laughing and trying to tickle Queslin in return.  Her computer whipped around in the air in a desperate attempt to keep itself under her fingers, and thanks to it's heroic efforts she just barely managing to type a distress call.

[Queslin, what're you doing to Kitty?  She just IMed me bloody murder!] Yukiko chimed.  In Real Life, Kitty managed to get herself free, only to find Queslin's arm around her waist, restraining her.

[Nothing...] Queslin IMed sweetly.

That thing in Kitty's head happened the rest of the way, and she felt something go *POP*.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she cried, now back in hyper-kawaii mode.  The arm around her waist held her firmly in place as her own arms and legs waved out in front of her in a desperately cute bid at escape.

[Oh 5h!t]  Inside of Echo's head, Yukiko's IM box was back.

[What?!]

[We're being attacked and I need to focus on Real Life.  I'll try to contact you later.  You three will be all right for now?]

[Yeah, no problem.]

[Signing off.  Ganbatte ne]  A sound effect hurriedly slammed a door.

In Real Life, Echo had, until this point, been watching and laughing to himself.  While there was something terribly and heart-wrenchingly endearing about Queslin when she was sad, he honestly liked her better as a happy girl.  He'd have to do all he could to make sure she stayed that way in the future.

"AAAAAAAA!" Kitty continued.

But for right now Queslin was ok again, and there were still important things that needed doing.  He hoisted himself up from leaning against the bike and, with a single quick movement, was behind Queslin.  He he, now she'd get a taste of her own medicine.

"YIPE!"  Queslin's reaction was so loud it could barely be considered the squeak of surprise that it started out as.  She released Kitty and spun to face her "attacker".

But she didn't get a chance to do anything more than that.

Kitty, now free, dashed madly around the street in circles until she bounced off of Echo.  Her hyper-kawaii-charged mind didn't stop to think, and her pole was out in a flash.

"Baka!  Baka!  Baka!  Baka!  Baka!  Baka!" accompanied a rhythmic clanging, until one "Baka!" was followed instead by a soft [THUMP].

Kitty looked around to find her pole immobile in the middle of it's arc, held firmly in Echo's hand.  The look he gave her was stern enough to give anyone pause, but the corner of his mouth was obstinately twitching upward.

All in all he looked a good deal like an older brother, and this triggered another *POP* inside Kitty's head.  She released the pole and resumed a normal, calm posture.

"Ummm..." she began, sweat-dropping.  "Arigato for 'saving' me, and, uh... sorry about your beating..."

"You're welcome," the 'bot's face switched readily to an eye-smile, and he had try very hard to keep from falling down laughing.  Queslin's arms appeared around his neck, and he felt the weight of her body against his.

"You..." she accused jokingly, "tickling an innocent girl like that...  But you got what you deserved all right."  She snickered, but asked, "are you ok?"  Too late, she remembered Echo's shyness about public displays of affection and tried hurriedly to disentangle herself.  She hoped she hadn't made him feel *too* awkward.

"Heh, I'm fine," he replied.  Queslin found his arm around her shoulders a moment later.  It was her turn to be a little startled.

She colored as she said "Well, urm...  we've got a job to do still, don't we?  We need to get moving."

"Heh.  You two just made a *lot* of noise," Echo commented as the two turned back to the bike, "the werewolves might just come to us."

Kitty stood in place thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.  "Y'know, Echo, you kinda remind me of my brother."

Echo took a small, sharp breath as the camera framed a head shot, a classic anime moment of surprise.  He turned his head to look at her.

"Huh.  Ping is... er, Relay is about your age, actually."  He eye-smiled again.  "You remind me of her, too..."

Queslin listened to the exchange quietly, Echo's arm still draped around her shoulder.  In the back of her mind somewhere the darkness and confusion of earlier still pricked at her, but she smiled.  This had to be happiness, not being lonely, it *had* to be.  She hoped it would last.



[!--OOC:

(1) The author does not actually know all that much about Japanese culture and social rules, and he is to be very much pitied because of Echo's preference for them (pitied, mocked because he can't even control his own character's preferences, whatever).  But from what little I *do* know, I believe that public displays of affection are generally considered impolite, or something like that...  and while the streets are fairly empty at this time of night, there are still enough passers-by to make Echo nervous, at least initially, about that sort of thing.  Dammit, I hope I don't sound like *too* much of a fool writing this...  

Sorry for more digital angst, but I at least ended on a happy note.

Echo calls Ping "Relay" because that is the name she prefers for herself.  Technically, our story-Ping is "Ping-2", a slightly younger model than Ping from the comic.  She is designed as a robotic companion for preteen to young-teen girls, as opposed to Comic-Ping's role as a ren'ai character.

--]