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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 6, 2014 1:37:15 GMT -5
"Just tell Solaine I tripped and fell and Connor subdued me or something, make up whatever story you want, whatever will get you out of trouble."
"Have you met Solaine? Don't worry about me though, I can handle her."
Kaede thought it terribly naive of Beth to believe that she could just make up some excuse, no matter how good, and that Solaine would just let go of a prize that was owed to her. Still though, Kaede was at least thankful that Beth seemed interested in helping her with Jean. For that, she didn't feel so worried about what Solaine might do her as recompense, as likely as it would be to end quite badly.
"So, when's the fight going to begin? I'm dying to find out the results."
"Right now. I'll find out where the next rank is, and then as soon as you're ready to go, we can get this over with."
It wasn't much more complicated than that. Everything that needed to happen for Beth and Connor to switch had happened, so now it was just an issue of finding Pet Shop. Kaede wasn't sure if there was any more purpose to her being here other than serving as event organizer, but she waited to see under the unlikely circumstances, that they wanted anything else to do with her. Ideally she would like to get out of here soon though, as seeing Beth holding Meek started to make her feel bad about herself.
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Post by CJ on Apr 9, 2014 12:06:01 GMT -5
"Wait. Before we go."
Beth shuffled over to Kaede and glanced at the unopened present on the table. Inside was expensive potpourri Connor found for the small scientist. Beth had to admit to herself she was a bit jealous of Connor's constant doting, but she understood why. She was grateful for Kaede's sacrifice too, but she knew no amount of gifts would ever take the guilt away.
"I was hoping to check out a new bookstore that opened up earlier this week," she continued, looking away in embarrassment. "I was wondering if you wanted to come. I'm not exactly a book reader so I was thinking it'd be a little more fun if you came too. That is, if you don't mind Meek coming along."
The child in question drooled on Beth's shoulder, still looking at the waters outside.
"Don't worry," Hikaru pipped up with a grand smile. "Uncle Hikaru can take care of his nephew."
"No, you're watching Connor until he wakes up."
He dropped his metal hands on the cushions beside him in frustration. Rolling his eyes, he sighed and remained quiet with his leg propped up on the other.
"So," Beth continued with a forced smile, "what do you say?"
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 11, 2014 0:29:41 GMT -5
"I was wondering if you wanted to come. I'm not exactly a book reader so I was thinking it'd be a little more fun if you came too. That is, if you don't mind Meek coming along."
In truth she didn't want to spend any time at all around Meek, she just acted amiably towards him because that was the proper thing to do. Beth and Connor were both great, but as a family, she found it difficult to be around them at least to some degree. She could get over it easily enough, but that usually meant not spending more time with them than she had to. It had been her intent to simply head back to where she'd been staying and set about organizing the next fight, but in the manner that Beth asked, she couldn't just say no.
"So, what do you say?"
"Sure, that would be... nice. I don't mind at all, that is, if you don't mind Bader coming along. I'll need another dose of... medicine soon."
It seemed to be on queue, that the door to the place was conveniently opened by whatever means, and the softball-sized robot hovered into the doorway sporting a Santa beard and hat on its chassis, and dragging a bag that was moving and at least partly appeared to be filled with pizza rolls.
"Did somebody say 'destruction of property'?"
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Post by CJ on Apr 15, 2014 17:41:07 GMT -5
Beth was delighted, then horribly disappointed. She had forgotten about Kaede's constant dependency on Bader. Then again, she felt she was being unfair. Meek was dependent on her too after all. If Kaede was cool with Meek tagging along, she had to accept Bader too.
"Yes," she said with a sigh. "Bader can come too."
Just then, the robot came through the door, carrying an assortment of what appeared to be stolen items. Meek laughed and pointed at Bader's new look, but Beth remained dull and unimpressed. In a move that seemed instanteous, Hikaru darted from the couch to greet the tiny machine.
"What is this marvelous creation?" Hikaru asked approaching the tiny robot with metal hands outreached. "Did Kurai create you? Connor Anderson, I mean. Where did you come from? What were you originally?"
For once, these questions wouldn't only be baffling to Beth. They'd likely be for Kaede as well. What was Hikaru talking about? Why would he assume Connor made Bader or that it would have been anything more than a robot?
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 25, 2014 4:04:06 GMT -5
"Did Kurai create you? Connor Anderson, I mean. Where did you come from? What were you originally?"
"Originally I was busy with your mom, her house is where I came from."
Without missing a beat, the robot backed up at first simply as a reaction to being approached so suddenly, but it had not a problem responding with ease. Not a hint of sarcasm either, drifting on it's metallic voice. Feeling that the droid was reflecting badly upon her, or them as a duo rather, she stepped in to answer in Bader's stead and pulled the Santa hat down completely over the little floating orb in an attempt to shut it up. As a result the bag of stolen goods dropped to the floor, spilling some pizza rolls and allowing some orphans to scurry out and into the streets.
"Actually my friend here-" the robot started to move about furiously under the hat, and with difficulty Kaede tried to contain it with only one hand, "-is from a place called Colyne, a place where Connor... and I, got our functioning bodies. The people there made it, and as far as I can tell, they sell them on the market there-"
With the slight hum of a harmonic, a miniature glowing blade sprouted through the hat and performed a perfect little circle, cutting a hole through for the robot to escape.
"Hey hey, that's right. I've got more brothers and sisters than I can count, why, just look at this one!"
In a vindictive response, a clamping claw extended from the robot and after winding up, delivered a staggering blow directly to Kaede's side. The initial effect was that she was knocked off her leg through the door and directly out into the street, however what the robot was trying to demonstrate was the resounding clang sound that emanated when metal claw met metal endoskeleton. Unfortunately for poor Kaede, since she had not been fast enough to react or defend herself she now lay in the street, struggling to sit up and locate her crutch that had been sent flying along with her. Altogether, she was a bit stunned, but she didn't seem hurt. At least some small miracle, that she had fallen just short of the canal.
"I'm not your friend, I'm your babysitter. Babysitting is my job, let me know if you have any babies you need sitting on. Used to babysit one of the seven Warlords, now I'm stuck babysitting this robot. Not as glamorous for sure, but she needs all the help she can get after this lot ended out up a creek back where we come from."
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Post by CJ on May 4, 2014 22:51:26 GMT -5
Hikaru actually smiled at Bader's quick insult. He seemed to be more impressed than anything else. He blinked when Kaede explained the little robot.
"Colyne?" he asked. "I thought the place Connor was altered was called Eight Gates."
"Cologne, Eight Gates, something like that," Beth corrected him with a flushed face.
Her face fell when Kaede went flying out the door to the canal. Immediately, she ran to her, leaving her only to grab her crutch. She didn't go to help her up and only held her crutch within comfortable reach. She figured Kaede at least could be spared the dignity to help herself.
"Hey, babysitter," she called out to Bader. "Do your damn job! Who the hell pushes the person they're assigned to take care of? If I knew anything about robots or electronics or whatever, I'd do to you what I did to that Tomahawk and make a new you that'll actually do what you were assigned."
Not hearing Hikaru mock this statement with a chortle, she smiled sympathetically at the young scientist.
"You can't let him bully you like that. This is ridiculous. Why the hell would Eight Gates give you an abusive machine?"
She knew the answer. It was the same reason they halted progress on her to work on another who could have waited, only for her to suffer irreversible consequences. It was the same group the psychopath who used Connor's body for unethical experiments once belonged to. They didn't care. She hated that place. She vowed to never go back.
"You know what," she said, shaking her head, "let's go have some fun. You deserve it."
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