Knock. Knock.
Tamamo had heard Aiesu out whining in the hall with the clap trap clunk clunk of metal feet, her borrowed droid body what now the residents of the ship were beginning to refer to as "the bicycle" for reasons one would best try to forget and keep hidden from Aiesu herself. But Tamamo did recall that
"at any time, any crew-member could just knock on the door and regardless of her location expect a response".
"Yes?"
There was a pause, followed by a nervous fidget one that had been frustratingly developed in response to too many unknowns in her life; even though she struggled with her anxiety a normally quiet voice forced to be heard sounded, "Are you busy Dr. Kalopsia?" She hoped she wouldn't be, after all she had many hopes and desires going into this meeting.
"I'm always busy. I suppose that's the joy of multitasking. Who is it?"
"Sesshoseki Tamamo." Her own name sounded weird coming from her own lips, as it always had, especially when she had to talk loudly.
There was a wait. Ten, maybe twenty seconds, then slowly the door to her quarters opened automatically, revealing a room of darkness, lit dimly by volumetrics on standby and the ficker of banks of computers. The air in here was stuffy and very warm - the hum of fans a constant background noise. There was no room to sleep and the floor was snaked with wrist-thick cabling.
The sight of the interior of Aiesu's room was oddly familiar, perhaps it had imprinted more thoroughly in Tamamo's memories during the first visit than she had initially realized as she stepped forward into the dim room, her eyes adjusting to the light levels. She wondered if she'd be locked in once again, even so she had a few things she wanted to ask.
♫ Boards of Canada - "An Eagle in your mind"
Glancing back, Aiesu was still arguing with her crewmates about Seiren and Rebeka. The shouting was silenced as the door slid on its slat hinges, sealing the corridor off. The voice of this particular Aiesu, the one Tamamo was speaking with was perfectly calm. It didn't make a great deal of sense. The banks of computers spooled up, waking from sleep; archaic and anachronistically incosistent hardware briefly sighing in loudness before quieting back down.
"I'm sorry about the state of the room. Is there anything in particular you'd like to talk about?"
She found herself shaking her head even though she wasn't entirely certain it would be picked up as she replied, voice softer now that she didn't have to speak through a door, "I was hoping that you would feel generous enough to provide me with the basic code for setting up an AI to use as a co-pilot for the Hoplite I've been working on. I considered asking Ech, but she might end up just giving me an SI..."
Only after she had spoken had she realized that she had failed to state that the state of the room was fine, though she supposed it wasn't really important in the bigger picture of things. After all she had no idea how her employer of sorts would react to the request.
"Would you mind if we agreed on something, first?"
Absentmindedly Tamamo tilted her head to the right as she inquired, "Agreed on what exactly?"
"Its something of a whimsical matter. You see, We... I... That is to say, Aiesu Kalopsia..."
There was an awkwardness now, that of an intelligence dealing with multiple instances of itself and the mental leg-work involved.
Even computing power that dwarfed Tamamo's - and perhaps the entire crew - still had simple problems.
"...isn't good with cats."
"Oh. So my existence is a problem." There was no hurt to the response, merely an observation.
"Its more what you were made to represent. Do you know what a phobia is, Tamamo?"
"I am well aware of what a phobia is, and what that implies. I must admit though I'm not entirely sure how to fix that problem."
"Were you ever a child?"
"Not in the traditional sense, no. It would be more accurately likened to someone with memory loss or someone possesed of great ignorance."
"Born into adulthood. A frightening thought. Do you know how to play pretend?"
"I do. I used to do it when I had no access to the information networks. It helped shut out the activity around me." There was a look of pain on her features as she spoke this last, one that she was apparently unaware of.
"Can we both agree that you are not a cat?"
"I can agree to this." Tamamo wanted to say more but fell silent for the moment.
The darkness turned to light. It began with a spooling in the ceiling, another spinning sound like so much of the euqipment here. It was blinding at first but as Tamamo's eyes adjusted, her depth perception had to be lying to her; what was prior a small boxy dark room now stretched into endless white in every direction like some desert salt mirroring the sky into the floor, with the floor beneath her looking utterly flat for miles in every direction despite her still feeling the cable against her toe. The form of Aiesu that stood before her was the one that Aiesu had used to harass Luca, to play for his attention and see what she could get out of him. She stood much taller than Tamamo, more like a parent than a child, looking down on her but not sneering.
As her surroundings changed Tamamo's thoughts died with them, her already wide eyes managing to grow a little more as she furtively glanged about, her ears folding back against her head before she settled her gaze upon the new figure before her. She was bigger now, bigger than she had ever been previously, this coupled with the power that Tamamo associated with her made things difficult as the small blue girl shrunk in on herself attempting to hide in a bright featureless landscape.
In spite of her nervous state however she did manage to inquire in a surprisingly steady tone, "Why the change of scenery?"
"One of the flaws in my compound construct is I have developed claustrophobia. You can't just change minds and not expect reprecussions, you know?"
A solid warm hand met Tamamo's shoulder.
"Compound construct?" For the moment it seemed her curiosity had killed her fear.
"Ah.. I don't tend to reveal my inner-workings normally. I should begin with some context; The loud one outside who was issued to the ship is the semi-independent forty-seven with core on-site as a standard issue representative. Also on station is sixty seven, a research construct left whittling away in these banks as a problem solver who is terribly shy who you'll probably never meet. And myself; one hundred and one. More specifically, I differ from the other two in that rather than being one construct, I'm just over a hundred or so slightly different interpretations of the same mind setup to act as a single mindset. I'm a glorified research project, basically; greater than the sum of my parts, one would hope."
Who or whatever this person was, they lacked the neurotic edge Aiesu usually had. The calm about them unnatural but at the same time, it didn't feel artificial either.
Slowly awe crept into fearful features and interest replaced meek caution. To Tamamo it was as if she had attained what another might have described as 'everything they had ever dreamed of as a child' however she was woefully ill equipped to deal with the rush.
"The mental resources you have must be amazing... I'm envious, though I'm not entirely certain why you're interacting with me... Is this a trap?"
"More an experiment. We've got very little experience with... Valkyjra." she said, audibly hesitating. "As far as we know, you're either developmentally stunted psychologically speaking or you're an experiment in reductionist psychology. From what we know, the processes which seed you aren't completely random."
"I'm not exactly a prime example of my product line..." She trailed off for a moment before adding, "I am not sure if I am psychologically stunted, however I am intentionally socially stunted. I chose the acquisition of knowledge over familiarity with social rites and interactions."
"Given that you deserted, you were well put together enough to see through the rat-race, so to speak. I'd say you've exceeded your design."
"Well then; let's make a person. Now, what was it you wanted, Tamamo?"
♫ Undertale - Toriel (Extended)
"I was initially seeking the beginnings of an AI... Core code to customise. To function as a co-pilot for the Hoplite that I'm rebuilding with the help of some of the Phoenix's crew. From what little I know of... Dr. Kalopsia, she seemed the best person to go to for such a thing. I'm not really sure how to put it since most Yamataian products such as the AIES are all quasi-sentient already and respond well to user input to develop to suit the user."
"Well... Normally when someone makes something like an intelligence, they begin from themselves as the template. Yourself is usually the person you know better than anybody else, so it makes seeing mistakes really easy. Yourself is also the person who, provided you're mentally healthy, has your best interests in mind. Would you be fine with having another you in the universe?"
"I think that I would get along well with myself." Her head had slowly listed to the left as she spoke.
"Good. How would you feel about someone who ... Understood the finer nuances of how people work?"
"They would make for a good teacher. They would offer much for me to learn... Maybe they could help me communicate with others?"
"I think that would be good for you" the construct smiled. Her eyes were warm, honeyed almost.
"Why are you being nice to me?" There was genuine confusion in her voice, and her expression futher emphasised her inability to comprehend the idea that someone, especially someone like Aiesu, might be genuinely kind and nurturing.
"I don't really see the point in not being. I don't have the time, you see."
"It is... Sad? I haven't met many genuinely kind individuals..."
"You still haven't" she smiled, knowingly. "I'm a committee, remember?"
The construct soon settled down into something that would be a chair or a couch if it had substance but there was no clear indication of its presence - semingly hanging in the air. As she reached, parts of the space around her fingertips were bleached, scraping away the endless white like a torch searching in the dark. She soon took a number of small colored baubles in hand; rolling them through her fingers before offering Tamamo one.
There were questions that would go unanswered, instead Tamamo slowly outstretched a hand to the inexplicably seated figure before her accepting what was offered without hesitation. Though what she held was unexpected, candy of some sort glittering beautifully as she examined it, in a way reminiscent of looking at the stars. Fussing with the wrapper, Tamamo peeled it off with careful fingers producing a perfect sheet as she curiously slipped the candy into her mouth, hoping that this one wouldn't produce lightning.
Something pulled on the wrapper; absent hands relieving Tamamo of the duty of its holding to be forgotten. The construct was looking over the sheet in very casual thought, brows raised; a subtle nod showing some interest in the fact Tamamo had chosen midnight blue before slowly folding.
"I've already got a fairly decent reading of you... A few other things to append... Are there any special skills this companion of yours needs?" she spoke off-hand, like a bored toy-maker.
Tamamo shifted the rather delicious candy to her cheek for the moment to reply, "I would appreciate it if she can keep up with me mentally... My capacity to instantly learn makes conversation a little hard when others can't keep up."
"Do you value idiosyncracity in knowledge-base at all?"
"The opportunity to learn from eachother would be enjoyable, yes."
"The thresholds are pretty easy to adjust and I'm sure you can choose the context as you go"
Objects began floating through the air -- a small black disc about the size of a coin in Tamamo's hand, another in the construct's as she continued folding.
"Is there anything else you specifically need?"
"Anything else..."
"We're designing a person. You should really think about this."
"Are we talking purely mental aspects or physical as well?"
"Is form important to you?" her eyes never left her folding - a thumb pushing glasses back up her nose that were purely an affectation, chosen to illicit some sort of emotional response, much like the rest of her appearance.
"Well, it has certain psychological impacts. For example, an Aiesu that is larger than me possesses not only power in the form of resources and experience, but also in implied physical power as well. Which is usually a small comfort. I can generally assume that Aiesu --"
"So you want someone who gives you comfort and also makes you feel safe...?" the construct interrupted.
"I want someone who I can trust. I want someone who I can rely on to be there for me. Someone who I can enjoy, as well as help me."
"Well..." her folding stopped; "It sounds like what you're really looking for is love."
♫ Undertale - "Fallen Down"
There was a pause as Tamamo's eyes lost focus, delving within her mind accessing information and comparing definitions before she slowly returned to the present, "Yes... I would really appreciate having someone to love."
Tamamo fidgeted nervously, "Can I have someone to love?"
The construct was now trying not to laugh. She wasn't doing well.
Studying the construct before her, Tamamo's head slowly shifted to tilt to the right, "Did I do something wrong?" She didn't understand the reaction, it seemed out of place though she couldn't say why.
Then hysterics. It went on too long for Tamamo's comfort before the construct froze, eyes wide, realising she was serious and the kind of damage she might have just done.
"No, nothing wrong. Nothing. Nothing at all" she was wiping her eye now, trying to calm her breath, clearing her throat. "You have to understand... What you're talking to now is a group of people. They simulate eventualities before they happen. The fact you caught me by surprise I'd say is a compliment; it was so cliche'd I'd never expect it to come out of you. The fact you really meant it makes it even stranger."
There was a moment taken considering the response before Tamamo inquired, "Would the capacity to surprise you be a good one to cultivate?"
"I think it would" she nodded; flattening her foil wrapper out under her fist into a fresh sheet to start over.
"Are there any other questions you have for me?"
"What does a cat look like?"
"Uhm..." She was visibly startled by the question.
"Well... My way around the phobia was agnosia. I'm a very lazy designer; the easiest solution to a problem is usually the best." she smiled mischievously before recalling something;
"It gives me something to do while I wait for our friend to compile."
"Triangular rounded ears, a short muzzle, usually a fairly broad face, a wet inverted triangular nose, large eyes with slits for pupils. Quadrupedal, a long thin tail, all of it is usually covered in fur ranging from about one centimeter to five or six I think. Retractable claws on the feet, soft paw pads of--"
"Okay I get it, I get it."
She immediately started folding over again; slowly in deliberate motions this time; the paper no longer some puzzle she had to solve blind but a destination with a route and a clear goal now.
She lapsed into silence looking at the one identified as 'one-oh-one' studying her features while largely ignoring the self imposed task that it was carrying out. Something about Tamamo's companion encouraged her to remember, mapping out the other for future reference.
This went on for longer than would be considered comfortable among most -- two or three minutes before she motioned; "the medallion; That's a neural 1:1. Get it in your head somehow when you get the time."
"Right n-- Oh okay. I'll figure something out." She looked at it curiously unsure as to how it would fit.
The silence lingered again.
The two of them stood in a room both massive and tiny. The air warm, a slight draft now as the fans became louder -- a base-line beneath Tamamo's feet rumbling just on the very edge of her hearing. The construct appeared uninterested in what was happening; her face as if she were doing heart surgery, slowly folding the foil.
Soon, she reached for something; the desk within the small room fading back into visibility; bleached ashen and white as the floor had been; hands clumsily searching for some clusterfuck of components.
"Oh..." the construct sighed - something had happened Tamamo wasn't privvy to.
"Well, its been very nice meeting you. Could you hold onto this for a moment?"
Tamamo had watched the proceedings with increasing interest, the shifting of her surroundings oddly encouraging her to focus more intently upon the activities of her 'host' largely accepting that she was leaving whatever digital space she had previously occupied.
The thing loosely resembling a facetted amber jewel the size of a child's fist; a deep fracture running through its middle, wrapped along its north and south poles in black oily components which drilled into its surface; intricate crossword circuitry patterns deep inside. The whole thing resembled some strange cross between an egg and a sparkplug, composed of parallel metal tubing, growing shorter toward the exterior and longer toward the middle; the whole thing about two thirds the size of an ostrich egg.
It was satisfyingly heavy in Tamamo's hands -- feeling for reasons she couldn't begin to understand, precious.
And in that moment, the darkness returned as the volumetric images failed; hard-light twinkling along its edges like fairy lights or the hot sparkles of fire-works, trapsing out into ash; rust along the edges of dark gaps before the image cascaded into failure and vanished with a brief magnesium flash. The salt-flats were gone. Slowly, the banks of computers were throttling back down, gearing up to go to sleep as one by one the lights on the large cabinet stack shifted from green to red: the constant hum fading into near silence.
Something in the bank smelled like burning plastic. And then sharp clicking.
She felt a disconnect, a sensation that whatever she had been given, and what had just happened held more significance than she understood presently. All Tamamo could understand for certain was that her meeting with the Construct had ended. As she looked about, sniffing at the air curiously Tamamo found herself hoping that she wouldn't be blamed for any possible damages that had happened during her visit.
With the heavy object in hand along with the disk Tamamo's eyes hunted in the space where the Construct had been curious as to what had become of the blue foil she had been folding.
Glancing about the room, Tamamo slipped the disk into her pocket carefully, ensuring that it each rested alone in its respective pocket to avoid scuffing from another object. Stepping forward Tamamo gently cradling the egg-like object in her left arm Tamamo reached out with her right gently picking up the tiny foil construction, carefully working to stand it on her palm to examine it carefully.
Agnosia really was the word. Whoever folded this, really had no idea what a cat was. Tamamo wondered if there had been a bit of prideful hubris in the way she had been cut off from continuing. It was so crisp and tight in its lines; despite how many folds over and over and over again she'd made, the only creases were those in the final shape.
Tamamo had counted over two hundred refolds yet it looked new, as if the construct had ironed it out - but how? It felt like living person couldn't have done this - the precision of angles and folds on levels only Tamamo or Echelon could appreciate. But it didn't feel artificial - more like slight of hand. All things considered Tamamo thought it was charming, greatly enjoying the way it looked, particularly the trangular head and the implication of a fluffy tail with its volume. What she couldn't understand is why she didn't want to discard the small paper animal, as she had other packaging.
No answer coming to mind to justify the action, Tamamo found herself gently slipping the tiny foil animal into a breast pocket, hopefully its location would keep it from being jostled and damaged, Tamamo looked about the room one last time before carefully picking her way over to the door assuming that her presence was no longer required.
Slipping out into the hall through the portal Tamamo gave a final glance over her shoulder into the depths of Aiesu's room - more utility or machine room than a place honestly fit for a person to be - absentmindedly shifting the weight of the 'egg' in her arms before starting off toward the cargo bay and the crate that she called home to stash away her prizes.
A passage that Tamamo hadn't noticed was enscribed onto the egg in minute detail she wouldn't realize for the next few hours;
"The curator is not the library.
the builder is not the building
the artist is not the painting
the programmer is not the program
Yet the parent is the child."
