entrancelogs | How To Become Human ⭕️Closed & Open Prompt

Entry tags:

How To Become Human ⭕️Closed & Open Prompt

Who: Connor, Kara & You!
Where: The Kitchen
When: 03/07
Style: We'll match
Summary: Connor was curious about learning how to cook and he knows just the person to ask.
The Story:

Closed to Kara;
There was a lot that Connor knew about. His database was pretty vast and while he was designed to be able to investigate whatever he needed to do, it didn't mean that he'd actually ever done the majority of those things. He's had plenty of new experiences here where he knew about the subject, but it had never been relevant in his mission (or in his case now, his own life). Romance was never something that he thought he'd have any interest in and while he couldn't say he did even now, getting his first kiss was really a... weird sensation. Match that up with the emotions that he's been getting used to having, and it made for a confusing time where he had no idea what to do or how to feel. To feel panic in someway, even if it wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Learning how to dance was another thing he knew of, he'd just never done it before. Even though he knew the steps from his vast knowledge, even Juliet pointed out about how stiff his movements were. How exactly do you just... let loose anyway? And if some of these experiences here at Wonderland weren't enough, emotions by themselves were confusing; even now. What was more confusing is that people actually accepted him here for who he was, despite being an android and having done all of those things that he had. Burning all of those bridges and realizing it was too late to take them back. Saying sorry was nice to hear -- probably -- but it didn't change anything and it sure as hell didn't fix anything.

So this is what it was like to be human, even if it was just a small portion of what it meant to really live like one. There was plenty that he still needed to do, but with Hank here (and his bad eating habits), he started to think about what it was like to actually cook. Kara and he didn't need to eat, but Hank did. Maybe Kara could teach him how to cook? He knew the recipes and anything he needed to know, but it was more about the experience, if there was nothing else that this place taught him. He wasn't built to cook, but Kara was. Maybe she'd be willing to teach him?

'Kara? Do you mind if I ask you for a favor?' he sent her a message, actually a little anxious about her reply. Would she even want to? They had been getting better, but he didn't really think she wanted to be around him.

Open to Anyone Else;

Meanwhile after a while of their cooking session, the place is a bit messy with ingredients all over the place. He was sure that Kara would probably instinctively clean the place up, but they could both do that after they were done. She had been pretty good about cleaning up any messes as they went along and out of respect, he tried to be diligent about it himself. Anyone walking into the kitchen to get some food or whatever it may be are free to bug the both of them. Maybe give them some advice and taste test some of the food they make?

[Both Connor and Kara are available. Just let us know who you want to speak to in the subject. We can also do the both of them if you so choose.]

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While she's doing that, he'll get whatever else was needed to try to help out the best he could. Recipes.... He probably had a little bit of knowledge of some recipes, but she was bound to have more than she did. Looking to her arm and then her.. She was willing to? Not that he was going to pull any tricks. Really the only thing he'd be able to do is probe her memory, but there was little to no point to that. He'd only do it in a situation much like Ortiz's android, but it never came to that. Considering she was the one offering to give him that information made it all the more unnecessary to do something like that anyway.

Doing the same, he reached for her arm with a small nod. Skin deactivating at the touch. He knew this was a way to communicate, but he'd never actually used it before. Not like there were other androids who wanted to be near him or anything. And just like that she may or may not see his past memories. It was more than he thought would happen and after it left him letting go, stumbling back a step.

Crap. He wasn't trying to stir the pot here. He wanted a clean start and her seeing the things he'd done prior to deviating? Probably not a good way to go about it. He actually wondered if she'd just upright say, 'never mind' and leave him to his own devices. Letting out a sigh, "Sorry."

Kara gives the kitchen's entrance a few quick glances, making sure they were alone, then allowed her skin to retract. There's a hesitation, then she shuts her eyes and begins to send the data over to him.

She's nervous, of course. Everything seemed okay initially, which was good. It was just like any other time, she kept reassuring herself. No big deal!

But then...something creeps in. Kara gasps, forgetting to re-cover the exposed white shell of her hand as they separate. She stares at Connor in shock for what seems like ages. They'd only touched for a few seconds, and she'd managed to send maybe half of her thousands of recipes, but that didn't matter. What she'd seen...

Hank. Flashes of a club. Markus speaking to him at Jericho, and the ultimate turn to deviancy. This made her think of her own awakening, shooting Todd, fleeing into the rain with Alice. The highway. Nearly losing her memory again to Zlatko.

Her skin creeps back over her hand. It's a lot to process. It was hard to know what to say.

Things had changed.

She looks away, blinking rapidly. "I-It's fine," she lies, mostly because she's not sure how to feel yet. "I'm...not even sure what happened."

Kara slowly turns her gaze back to him, swallowing hard. "...You've been through a lot."

That look on his face right now... His LED flashing yellow... It was obvious that he wasn't exactly proud of what he did. Not after knowing the truth in the end. How he was just a tool that they were just going to get rid of when he achieved his mission. That they knew he was bound to become a deviant himself and use that against him to take control of him after the fact... He's done a lot of thinking while he's been here and it's been tough. There were plenty of people who told him he was being too hard on himself and that he needed to get past it. What mattered now was how he chose to live now. And still, that guilt and manipulation he felt still ate at him. Perhaps he even felt lonely after everything was said and done. After he'd deviated and realized he couldn't fix what damage he'd already caused.

In the end, he really never had anyone to turn to. Hank maybe? None of this was a problem when he was an obedient lapdog for CyberLife, but that was not something to celebrate either. He knew he messed up and honestly didn't deserve to be forgiven. Why did Markus accept him after everything? He couldn't blame her for hating him and that sort of hurt to come to a realization. Even if he wanted to make things right, maybe it was just... too late?

But beyond that, it wasn't just his own memories that slipped in there. He'd also seen all the stuff that she had to go through. She said he'd been through a lot, but he probably had it easy compared to her. It was no wonder why she didn't trust humans and she was as jumpy as she has been. Maybe it was just that thought that he knew he'd never be accepted by humans or his own kind that he never really cared to try. Not unless it was Hank. Hank was a completely different case.

"You've been through worse.... I'm sorry," he finally said. "Look I.. I can't take back what happened so I....," he let out a sigh, trying to tread carefully, "I just want to make things right to the best of my ability."

She shrugs a shoulder then shuts her eyes briefly, shaking her head. "I'm sure others have been through worse." Her lips press together into a grimace. "I was lucky enough to survive."

It was months ago by now, but the images of dead androids were still fresh in her mind. She'd spent most of her journey through Detroit on the fringes of the revolution, but she knew she'd barely scratched the surface of what had happened to their people. Jericho and the news had only given her a taste.

Mostly, though, she was uncomfortable knowing the wall she'd put up had been breached. Connor knew things she'd never intended to share with anyone else, barring Luther. For some reason, it'd been imperative for her to protect Alice from others, even in her memories.

Kara fidgets with one of the sleeves of her shirt. Her relationship with Connor had been complicated enough. Now it was at a completely different level.

"We've both been used by humans," she eventually murmurs before meeting his eyes again, "did things that we regret." It was a strange feeling, finally admitting to herself that she'd been unnecessarily hard on him. He'd been CyberLife's biggest pawn, his puppet strings tugged this way and that more so than she could've ever imagined. "I didn't want to see how much we have in common, because of who you are. And...because of Alice."

A tear runs down her cheek, but she quickly wipes it away. "I've been pushing away the one person who could understand the most. Someone who...needed someone to be there for them. I'm so sorry, Connor."

This was not quite what he was imagining when he set this up. He didn't even think she'd want to begin with. And even though this affected the both of them like this, it was probably something that had to be done eventually. Maybe not like this, but a wall that they had to take down to really understand each other. It's not like he wanted to mess with her or anything. If nothing else, upon finding out about how she'd beaten up her owner and seeing from her side what it was like... It all made sense why she did it. He didn't care about why before; that wasn't relevant to his mission. Now that he knew and he'd experienced other deviants fighting for their lives, he couldn't really blame her for how she acted. In his memory, Todd Williams was still very much alive, stomping his way in the DPD. He was already aware of the different timelines though, so there was no need to address it. That wasn't important right now.

"You know... I never thought anyone would accept me. That that was just how the world worked. We're androids. We're not made to have equal rights. I have other things to worry about....," he paused, "That's how I used to think. Even after the Jericho raid more than ever, I still wouldn't be accepted. Coming here to a place that has so many different kinds of people... No one has cared about who I am. All the same, they accepted me and had no problems with me. It was... strange. Wonderland has brought about so many new things that I never even thought could be possible." Hence his, 'not all humans are bad' comments to her in the past.

The mention of Alice delays him from saying more though. And she's crying. What do you do in this situation. He felt uncomfortable with not really knowing. Concerned really with knowing her past and now that he knew how important she was to Kara... It put Alice in a whole new light. They'd both found someone that they cared about. For him, it was the only person who'd ever really want him around. His only friend despite all of the bullshit that happened in Detroit. For him, Sumo and Hank were a sense of home that he'd never knew he'd feel. Important even. He didn't know what to do, but he didn't want to just stand there and look like an asshole.

Scanning his data, a hug seemed to the best course of action, but that was a weird thing for him to do too. Man, He'd been built to fit in with humans harmoniously, but anything that resembled real emotions and comforting were not really clear. Despite how weird it might be for him and maybe even Kara, he felt the need to do something though so now he'll just awkwardly pull her into a hug. She's free to push him away or pull away herself, but it was all he could think of.

"Don't worry about it. I used to dealing with things on my own," he said in reply, but probably not the best way to do so. Well, it was an attempt.

"I can understand why." She gives him a sad smile. "We were both alone in our own ways. You never thought anyone would accept you, and I...I never wanted anyone to try to accept me."

Kara crosses her arms lightly, an unconscious attempt at defense, even as she opened up. "Even if I got to Canada with Alice, I don't think I was ever going to attempt to let myself relax. It seemed easier to never trust anyone again, aside from Rose and her family."

It'd been the same in Wonderland. Everyone was immediately an enemy. Trust was dangerous. The humans especially would be the worst, even if they had no experience with androids. She'd created so many nonexistent problems that simply leaving her room felt impossible most days. Then there was Connor. The one she expected the absolute worst from.

He was hugging her.

Her systems feel oddly overloaded. She's frozen in place, the only sign of life coming from her rapid blinking. This was the last thing she'd imagined he'd do. Honestly, she wasn't sure he was even capable of it. She should've known better, though. Deviants were unpredictable.

Slowly, gradually, her arms unravel and she slides them around his sides. Kindness was still a foreign thing for her, even for someone who so readily and eagerly gave it. It was a comfort she didn't know she needed, no matter how awkward.

"Thank you," Kara whispers gratefully, many of her worries lessening. She then pulls back, rubbing away the remnants of her tears. "You won't be on your own anymore."

"Humans are strange. The more I investigated to find Jericho, the more I started to feel like something was wrong. I kept telling myself that that was unwarranted and what I was doing was for the best. Even then... The two deviants in the Eden Club... and then meeting Kamski.... I couldn't do it. I couldn't pull the trigger when I knew that was what I needed to do for my mission. I was... confused. Why could I not do it?" he said after she'd pulled away. Looking to his hands for a moment. "Hank asked me why I didn't shoot the RT600 model... No. Chloe... I think she was called...," He's... gotten better about that at least, "Kamski would have answered any question I asked him had I shot her like he said and yet... I couldn't do it."

"In the end... I think it was for the best," he followed up with after a short moment. And honestly? That's what really made him start to wonder if what he was doing was right. He had blind faith that it was, so he stubbornly told himself he was right. His doubts... He couldn't possibly be a deviant if he was hunting them... but maybe Kamski knew from the beginning that he'd become a deviant himself. It was something he'd tried to get answers about, but Kamski avoided the question just like he thought he would. "What I'm trying to say is.... just as deviants are unpredictable, it's hard to predict what humans say or do. Even back in Detroit, the population was starting to sympathize with Markus's cause. With the androids trying to fight for their freedom. I'm not sure if you ever saw that, but it was definitely something the humans were warming up to," just to say that not all of them were bad.

"Still, it doesn't really help that you kept getting the short end of the stick. I'm sure you two would have made it to Canada," he said, "After all... You were insane enough to go across a busy highway to escape from me.... Had Hank not pulled me away from the fence, I would have probably tried to go after you too."

'You won't be on your own anymore'... That was such a foreign thing to register for him. But... with all of this... Maybe the two of them could really become friends, rather than enemies? And if all else failed, he had Hank and the people he'd met here in Wonderland who didn't mind who he was, even knowing what he'd done. "I'm not.... really good at these things so... I just..," what to say..., "I'm here for you if you need anything. I'm.... different from before." That much was clear upon meeting the other RK800 model here who'd taken a much different turn than he had. He didn't enjoy that encounter and seeing just how bad it was... He didn't regret deviating, only the way it happened.

"Humans." She lets out a faint, thoughtful noise. So many of her formative opinions of humans had come from the worst of their kind. Not that she'd have had any before deviating, but those few days of interaction had been enough to cement the idea that they were all terrible. If she'd never met Rose, it probably would've led her down a long road of completely hating every last one.

Kara gives a small shake of her head. "They still terrify me," she admits, her expression distant. "Everything you've told me, what I've seen, it makes me want to never deal with them again. But...then I remember Rose and all she did for us. Because of her, I can't stop trying to see good in them, too."

She didn't want to. Not after the years of servitude. Not after the abuse she and so many others had faced. Kamski had thoroughly earned her hatred with his casual admittance of responsibility for that. But like Connor said, some had begun to sympathize and realize androids were more than mere machines. They were alive, too. Rose was a testament to that.

At the mention of the highway, she lets out an embarrassed laugh. "I don't know if I'd call it insane..." There's a pause, then, "Okay, maybe a little insane. Every day, I hate that it came to that, but I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her."

The gravity of that hangs in the air for a moment before she shakes it off. Kara looks up at him with a soft smile. "It's okay. We're both learning." She takes a breath, amazed at what she's about to utter. Just a few minutes ago, the idea of it seemed unfathomable. This time, unlike during their talk at New Year's when she was still hemming and hawing at the prospect, she finally, truly meant it. "I'm here for you, too. We'll grow together."

The future suddenly seemed a bit brighter. Now, she wasn't facing it alone.

Kamski was a lot of things. Kamski being his creator made things that much more of a pain at times. He had more of a connection to him than Kara would, but even so he was still a mystery to Connor. Eccentric and a little egotistical... That god complex for creating androids all together. He had more questions than answers after speaking to him during Christmas time. He had to have known androids would eventually deviate and considering how he'd asked Connor what he wanted hinted to that. Maybe he programmed androids to have the ability to do so intentionally, but as always, he didn't give him a straight answer.

In the end though? No matter how weird or philosophical he was, the fact that he hinted that there was a backdoor in all of his programs made him wonder if it was his own way of trying to help Connor out in the long run. It sure as hell saved him from being taken over and shooting Markus on stage. That would have just made matters worse; Turned out in CyberLife's favor. He was just another tool for them to use, after all. He didn't matter to them, just the results. Maybe Kamski was really trying to help them in the end? He probably would never find out for sure, but he was at least able to thank him for the tip.

"I guess we're both a little insane. You did what you had to, but even so... What would you have done had she gotten hurt going across?" he's got to remind her of real problems that could have happened. It was dangerous and reckless, but in that moment, she was panicked.

But that gravity didn't hang for long upon hearing that. They could really put this behind them, hopefully. A relieved smile appeared without him even realizing it, "I appreciate it." He didn't have to do everything alone anymore.

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How To Become Human ⭕️Closed & Open Prompt

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Why does he not smile much?? :|