the miles are way too long

[saviorexe]

WHO: Markus, Ardyn, V & various
WHERE: All around.
WHEN: The first half of IC November.
WHAT: This is basically a catch-all log for my characters.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: None, will add if any crop up.

[Closed starters below! If you want a thread, just hit me up at aurajen and we can figure something out!]

Comments

[hadtolose]

[ Though messages appearing in her vision hadn't been unfamiliar to her, Markus's is still a surprise. A welcome one, however. The thoughtfulness brings some much needed warmth to her chest. ]

Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you. I'll see you there.

[ The city indeed does threaten to swallow her when she finally sets out. Its sprawl can't compare to Detroit, even if that city had felt like an endless maze when she was trying to escape it. The bustle of people doesn't help, either, each one a hard to avoid, potential threat. She feels like a small rowboat caught in the middle of the sea.

But she thankfully makes it to him eventually, her still head constantly turning, looking for problems and invisible enemies as she comes near. Once she's by him, only then does her heart finally begin to calm. She looks better than when she first arrived, though still somewhat gaunt and in an outfit lacking finesse. Her hair has also lost some of the neatness it once held when it was synthetic, brushed together with the imprecision of someone not used to it.

Kara steps up to the railing, resting her clasped hands on it, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. ]

It's scary. But beautiful, in its own way.

[ She glances over, smiling a bit. ] It's nice to see you again. How are you?

[saviorexe]

[People mill about down below. Their conversations waft up and reach the androids' ears as echoing, intangible chatter. In moments like these, time slows itself, becomes less cruel and less constant, unlike the form it takes beneath skyscrapers and projected lights. Life appears normal, if "normal" could ever be applied to either of them.]

You could call all of New Amsterdam that. Scary but beautiful in its own way.

[He straightens, no longer leaning his weight onto his elbows, instead turning to face her with a hand kept on the railing. Vines have crawled this high and threaten to meander up and over the barrier, and Markus' fingers thread through small leaves.]

Well enough, all things considered. But I keep myself busy, so sometimes it's hard to find a moment to breathe. [Just like in Detroit. Some things never change, some parts of people never change.] But I still wanted to find time to check up on you. See if you need help with anything, how you're adjusting.

[Ever the expert in turning the subject around from himself, she'll soon learn that he does that often.]

Have you found a place to live yet?

[hadtolose]

I'd say it's better than Detroit, but... [ She laughs once, weakly. ] I'd rather be there. Almost.

[ He was one of the few people she felt comfortable enough to be truthful with, even if they hardly knew each other. No matter how little their paths had crossed, they both shared the common thread that all androids had--being slaves. It connected all of them. ]

I'm glad you're okay, though.

[ She quietly considers her answer to his question for a while, taking in the sights now that she's calm enough to do so. Now that her body wasn't racked with stress, she could enjoy it a little more, or at least as much as her swirling thoughts would allow. ]

I haven't. [ She glances at him briefly then averts her gaze, pushing down a thought of if she should be trying harder. ] Honestly, I'm--I'm kind of lost. For so long, I'd had a purpose, even before I deviated, if you can count that. But now...

[ Her head dips a bit. ] I'm not sure how to handle being my own person. I didn't have time to until now.

[saviorexe]

[There's less tension in the both of them, the lines of their bodies not as angled as when they first met. Even so, none of this is easy. Markus notes the doubt and self-consciousness creeping into her words, all of it accentuated with the dip of Kara's head.]

I know what that feels like. To be unmoored from a purpose. [Ripped straight out of the hands of a burgeoning revolution, to a future unknown, in a body that wasn't his. Markus can indeed relate.] I can't say that you'll ever forget it, knowing what you left behind.

[A shade at their backs, following all they do in this world. Markus looks out across the city block, at the green interspersed against brick and mortar.]

But it isn't all so bad, if we have to stay here for a little while. I think all of us are flirting with the idea of personhood and what to do with it, away from Detroit.

[He's silent for a moment, then-] No one will kick you out of the safehouse. You don't need to worry about that. But if you need a place, my apartment is small, but you're more than welcome to stay for as long as needed. If you don't mind sharing a space with myself and Connor.

[Though-] North's a friend of mine; she's one of us, too. [He isn't certain if she's met her or not.] Maybe you could ask what her plans are.

[hadtolose]

[ Kara lifts her head, glancing back at him with a concerned frown. Even if she was aware the greater bond they shared, she hadn't thought of the smaller things, such as his experiences. Curiosity burns in her for a brief moment, but it fades quickly. It wasn't her place to ask. She hadn't even come to terms with her own experiences, after all.

She decides to move past that subject. ]

Maybe you're right. [ She gives a wry smile. ] There's a little less to be afraid of here.

[ Just a little bit. The weak joke was a sign of progress, at least. ]

I...really appreciate that, Markus. [ Her reply comes after a silence of her own. She needed some time to recover from the rush of gratitude she felt. ] I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I feel better, knowing I have the option.

[ Even if Connor was, well, Connor.

She takes a moment to contemplate her next response. ]

I've talked to her. We never met personally in Detroit, but I remember seeing her. She's...headstrong. [ To put it nicely. ] Has she always been like that?

[saviorexe]

[He lets silence settle where it must, and smiles faintly wider at the jokes, weak or otherwise. At the mention of North, however, Markus looks back out towards the horizon, interrupted by the sharp lines of the city.]

Headstrong is one word for it. I actually haven't known her for very long; a handful of days at the most. But-

[A forefinger and thumb loosely plays with a leaf, overgrown across the railing.]

She is headstrong. Motivated and determined. Sometimes I wish I could be more successful in turning that focus towards something less... fiery. [In a manner of speaking.] Her distrust makes it hard for her to want to cooperate with humans.