For those who don't know, Fender is a 4'11" (I know, very short), 25 year old Inphernal who, if not depicted with her signature firey jacket, will always be seen wearing those cursed/goofy graphic tees.
Her name (or i guess alias, technically preferred name but she still gotta sign legal docs with Electric Guitar) is based off of the music brand Fender, since her gear is an electric guitar. Despite this, she doesn't actually use her guitar outside of phights. Instead, she mainly spends her free time making weird machines with electronics and coding and stuff. That, or modifying/customizing previously existing machines to her liking.
I will sometimes switch between depicting her as a normal inphernal and an inphernal with axolotl features. It really depends on my mood. If I feel like i should draw her as that, I will. If i wanna draw her as a normal inphernal instead, I will.
1. No NSFW or explicitly suggestive stuff. Violence and romance itself fine if with consent.
2. This account may have some possible dark themes. I'll try to warn/tag it when necessary, but I'm not entirely sure how this app works, so let me know if i slip up
"Who turned the lights out" == Content Warning. (Will be put if any sort of dark or scary themes are expressed. Not sure what they would be, but if i feel it necessary, i will put this tag.) (haha get it? lights out? Cause it's dark? ... that's a terrible joke I'm sorry)
"let the short one talk" == Askbox replies
Alright that's all. I dunno what else to put.
Oh yeah, and Fender reference sheet for anyone that wants to draw her.
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â..Hey uh.. Finally got the courage to ask this but.. You have time for a small hangout? A chat..? Iâm just in need of someone to talk to at the moment..â
- @jayxone outâŠ! ;/
" ....I mean, yeah. Still got some things to do, but like...we can chat. "
"Well uh.. is it normal to be in a conflict with yourself? Like voices in my head are saying things I donât agree with and it starts hurting my head dudeâŠâ
"Wha? Youâre saying it as if Iâm being haunted or something but like⊠I dunno man I shouldnât be bothering something that barely understands me.. Aside.. heard that some ghosts are actually spoopy ooo scarrryyyy.. especially when it comes to these weird myths and unusual things some random ppl have seen that probably becomes some sort of arg of whatever⊠youâve seen vids like that before.. right?â
" Oh, yeah! I've seen plenty of those! I used to be a huge fan of em! "
" But...I'm just saying, if you got voices in your head that are actually giving you headaches, maybe you should go find someone actually trained to help with that instead of the inphernal who spends most of her day in her apartment making machines out of other machines. "
â..Hey uh.. Finally got the courage to ask this but.. You have time for a small hangout? A chat..? Iâm just in need of someone to talk to at the moment..â
- @jayxone outâŠ! ;/
" ....I mean, yeah. Still got some things to do, but like...we can chat. "
"Well uh.. is it normal to be in a conflict with yourself? Like voices in my head are saying things I donât agree with and it starts hurting my head dudeâŠâ
"Wha? Youâre saying it as if Iâm being haunted or something but like⊠I dunno man I shouldnât be bothering something that barely understands me.. Aside.. heard that some ghosts are actually spoopy ooo scarrryyyy.. especially when it comes to these weird myths and unusual things some random ppl have seen that probably becomes some sort of arg of whatever⊠youâve seen vids like that before.. right?â
" Oh, yeah! I've seen plenty of those! I used to be a huge fan of em! "
" But...I'm just saying, if you got voices in your head that are actually giving you headaches, maybe you should go find someone actually trained to help with that instead of the inphernal who spends most of her day in her apartment making machines out of other machines. "
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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â..Hey uh.. Finally got the courage to ask this but.. You have time for a small hangout? A chat..? Iâm just in need of someone to talk to at the moment..â
- @jayxone outâŠ! ;/
" ....I mean, yeah. Still got some things to do, but like...we can chat. "
"Well uh.. is it normal to be in a conflict with yourself? Like voices in my head are saying things I donât agree with and it starts hurting my head dudeâŠâ
â..Hey uh.. Finally got the courage to ask this but.. You have time for a small hangout? A chat..? Iâm just in need of someone to talk to at the moment..â
- @jayxone outâŠ! ;/
" ....I mean, yeah. Still got some things to do, but like...we can chat. "
AND LIST EM ALL RAHHHHH BE HONEST NO OMITTING ANYTHING OR WHEREVER THE WORD IS /silly
" Oh boy. "
" ...uh... Heartsong, Confetti Cannon, Voidspill, Sow D. Pop, technically the guy that works at the cafe down the street from my apartment uh... If you count Biografts, I guess Ao, Bee, Cherry, Dusk, that one Biograft that screeched whenever it spoke, and uh...my totally...normal...scrimblo . . . phuck i forgot what it went by- "
" ...oh, and Lampert. Don't ask how that happened. "
(btw as of writing this, confetti cannon, voidspill, sow d pop, ao, cherry, and dusk do not have blogs as far as I'm aware. void and sow d/sody aren't even mine. They're my friend's)
â Had you ever heard of The Regretevator before we met? Iâm just curious, Iâve seen a lot of people uploading their discoveries of the Elevator here. â
- @lampertrokea
" ...I mean, never really heard of it before we met. "
" I encountered it once though. Weird thing. It's like twice the size of my apartment's actual elevator. "
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{ Thereâs a soft tap-tap-tap on the window of Fenderâs apartment unit. }
- @definitely-a-biograft
[Fender, in the middle of eating a bowl of canned peaches, perked up at the sound of tapping on her window. She initially passed it off as the sound of a bird pecking at her window.]
[...but it seemed too deliberate to be a bird.]
[...Could be her friend Heartsong, but she doesn't usually tap on the window like that.]
[She sighed, put the bowl down on her coffee table, then stood up and made her way to the window where the tapping was coming from, and opened the curtains]
{ The Biograft was calmly clinging to the windowsill, the lower half of its body just completely gone. Dark tentacles hung out in the absence of the metal shell, clinging onto any sort of outcrop it could grip onto. }
{ The illusion of the tentacles looking like entrails didnât help its strangeness, either, even though it seemed perfectly fine. }
[She genuinely jumped backwards. Out of all the things she expected to see, this was not it. Hell, she wasn't even expecting anyone to come over today.]
" ...hi. hello. Wasn't expecting you here. "
[The fact that she was wearing a shirt that said "my apolocheese" with a cat and a stack of cheese slices on it instead of her usual firey jacket definitely...was something.]
[Her gaze immediately shifted to the...lack of a lower half, and just stayed there, accompanied by a look of concern. What happened? Why is this thing's lower half just...gone?]
SORRY IF YOU SCARED BY ME. EASIER TO CLING, CLIMB WITHOUT CLUNKY NOT GRIPPY LEGS.
{ It mustâve been off-putting to see it without its lower half. It could fix that easily, it decided, letting go of the building and falling several stories until it hit the ground flat on its back. }
{ It lay there for a moment, briefly dazed by the impact, then got up and hauled its lower half out of a dumpster. Reattaching it and wiggling its legs, it climbed back up the wall until it was back to eye level with her, watching her intently. }
MISSED YOU, { the Biograft repeated. } HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.
[She gave it a little pat on the head, then looked around her apartment.]
" you...uh...wanna come in? Nobody else in here 'cept me and Bee. "
[Within eyeshot, but not really close to the window, stood a strikingly yellow Beta Biograft, adorned with a crown made of those faux flowers you'd usually find in a craft store and a scarf wrapped around its neck with a striped pattern akin to caution tape.]
[It was staring at the Biograft in the window with as shocked of a look as a fully artificial Biograft could make]
{ It flinched slightly, not expecting the head pats but allowing it without protest. }
YES. NICE HOME.
{ It hauled itself over the windowsill and crawled inside, straightening up and shivering slightly. }
{ Its attention wandered throughout the room, taking in the apartment. Upon noticing the Betagraft, it took a slow step closer, a hungry growl rumbling from its chest. }
WHO? THIS IS? SHINY NICE CLEAN. BIG ROOM.
{ It sized up the other Biograft keenly, flexing its fingers experimentally. Its interest was obviously piqued. }
[the Betagraft immediately backed up, trying to get as much distance as possible. Despite being artificial, the way it moved almost had the fluidity of an inphernal rather than a Biograft.]
" ...STOP THAT. PLEASE. "
[...didn't sound like a Biograft either. Well, it had the cadence of one, but it sounded more like one of those singing synthesizers tuned to sound like normal speech than a Biograft's typical voice]
{ It halted its almost predatory advance, staring at the Betagraft. }
⊠WHAT THIS IS WHAT SPEAK HOW WHY? SOUND DIFFERENT. ALL SOUNDS DIFFERENT? NEED TO CHANGE FOR VESSEL INHABIT?
{ It looks to Fender for guidance, then back to Bee. It grumbles softly, shifting its weight from foot to foot before speaking again. Its voice is a little off at first, but it sounds more convincing the longer it talks. }
[Fender flinched at the mimicry, then calmed down slightly after remembering it can just kinda do that. It did that with her own voice a little bit last time they met. Doesn't stop it from being creepy though]
" No...no no nonononono don't you use Bee as a vessel... "
[She walked towards the area between it and the very terrified Betagraft, smiling, but showing more nervousness than anything, especially with her hands up and close to her chest]
" ...please? I like her and my other three way too much for that... "
[She glanced at the open door to her workshop room behind it, but quickly returned her focus to it.]
{ It grumbled not unlike a young newspawn upon being stopped, following her gaze to the workshop before returning its attention to her as well. It doesnât care that she called the Betagraft a âher.â It has more pressing matters at hand. }
SMELL YOU OF FEAR, FENDER. BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograft reached out, but didnât touch her, its clawed hand hovering a few inches away from her own. How to provide comfort? It canât recall such a thing being thoroughly gone over in the books it borrowed from the library. All it knows is âbe not afraid,â said to it when it was so young it canât recall who told it that. }
DOES YOUR BIOGRAFTS ALSO PROTECTED BY APARTMENT BLOCK? SAY DONâT KILL INSIDE THE APART OF MENT?
" ...yeah. I thought...you remembered...that I told you...last time we met. "
[she looked down at its outstretched hand, close to hers, only for a few seconds, then she looked back up, took a small step backwards, and pulled that hand closer to her chest. Her smile was gone, but that look in her eyes remained. A little less intense, sure, but it was still there.]
{ Its hands shook slightly but remained outstretched as it pleaded with her for forgiveness. }
I YOU TOLD, REMEMBER I AM SORRY PLEASE. I ONLY FOR A MODERN MOMENT FORGOT. PLEASE. WILL NOT USE YOUR AS VESSEL.
{ The Biograft wasnât sure whether to move closer, or to stay where it was, or to back up. If only it had eyes to communicate back with, it mourned in its head. It could only feel her look and never see it, certain that there was a whole aspect of communication it would never be able to reach. }
" It's okay, it's okay! It was an honest mistake! I get it! I sometimes have to be reminded about stuff too! "
[After that third time of it telling her to "be not afraid", only then did Fender realize just how scared she was at that moment. She didn't make any verbal comment on that, but it could tell she just noticed.]
{ It studied her carefully, seeming rather dejected. Upon noticing that she noticed her own fear, it kind of drooped like a sad, wilting plant. It didnât have the words to describe said feelings. }
⊠BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograftâs hand finally fell back to its side, taking a small step backward. }
I CAN LEAVE IF IT MEANS YOUR FEAR IS GONE. VERY NOT GOOD. WANT HAPPY BECAUSE OF ME, NOT SCARED.
" No...no, it's fine. You can stay. I just... wasn't expecting that to happen. "
" Oh, uh, Bee? You goo- ... "
[Fender turned around, and Bee was gone. The apartment door was open too. Guess it fled the scene.]
" ...huh. She's gone. "
[A few seconds of pause, then Fender turned back to the Biograft.]
" Anyways, like I said, you can stay here. I'll just be in my room calming down from...uh....that... I promise i won't be in there for too long. "
[She started backing away, into the same hallway that the workshop she looked towards earlier was.]
" Come in if you need anything, but otherwise, uh... make yourself comfortable. "
[And then she slinked into her room, leaving the Biograft in the main area of the apartment.]
[It was...quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and air conditioners, and a slightly less background noise-y whir of...a laptop. Still open. Still running. Sitting on the nearby coffee table in front of a half-finished bowl of canned peaches. There was a paused video taking up its entire display.]
{ It stared after her as she left, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room before deciding it couldnât hurt to look around a little. }
{ The Biograft slowly started pacing the perimeter of the main room, looking around at anything and everything that intrigued it. It hadnât been inside a home for reasons other than assimilation, so this was certainly a rare experience. It walked up to the fridge and inspected its contents with interest, then closed it and went over to the table. }
{ It crouched atop the table and inspected the items on it. The sound of the running laptop was instantly noticed, and it leaned a bit closer and prodded at its screen with its finger. Nothing happened, of course, and it skimmed its hands lightly along the keyboard, feeling the slight grooves and outcrops of the marked keys. What was it meant to do with this? }
{ The creature hesitated, staring at the computer thoughtfully. After a moment, it leaned closer until its head was nearly touching the screen, opened its maw, and licked it. }
BLERGH.
{ It tasted like plastic, but not as powerfully as the flashlight. Interesting. It grabbed the laptop and licked the screen again, its long tongue smearing saliva all over it. }
{ ⊠No, that was definitely too plasticky for its liking. It pulled away and let go, turning its attention to the canned peaches in front of it. Food. Actual food. Its empty stomach started doing that gross eating-itself feeling at the sight. }
{ The creature hummed happily, picking up the bowl and dumping the contents into its mouth. It was making a mess of its shell, getting fluids all over its face, but it didnât care; it was actually starving. The only decent thing it had had to eat recently was that carton of strawberries, and that was over a week ago. }
{ After it had eaten it all and thoroughly licked the bowl clean, it turned its attention back to the laptop, pressing a few random buttons on the keyboard and flinching when the video continued playing. It leaned away warily, but upon finding it wasnât attacking, listened curiously. }
[...it was a video recording of what seemed to be a younger Fender hanging out with...someone that looked almost like her. The only real differences were the height, the completely red horns, the stop sign they had on their back like a sword, and the voice.]
[This video in particular had Fender showing off a new song that popped into her head to this lookalike, and though that song sounded pretty rough, she seemed like she was genuinely having fun showing it off to him, and he seemed to like it too]
[It sounded like a very strange thing to have recorded as a video instead of audio, where the song she had the idea for could've been heard much more clearly, but there must've been a personal reason for it, given the fact she has that video saved. Something to do with that lookalike?]
[The bowl fell, making a strange, almost ringing sound as it clattered on the ground. Fender, in her room, perked up at that noise, but realized that wasn't the sound of anything shattering, so she just went back to trying to calm herself down/processing the fact she would've lost someone else close to her if not for her own intervention.]
[After one video ended, it auto-played another. Most of the videos were between thirty seconds and two minutes long, but one thing remained the same. Both Fender and that other voice were there, each chatting, enjoying life, stuff like that. Some videos were mundane, some chaotic. All had some degree of silliness though. There were...a lot of videos too.]
[There seemed to be a different sort of energy coming from that younger version of her when she spoke to this inphernal compared to now. A calmer, but ... genuinely happier sort of energy.]
[...what happened to that happiness? Where did it go?]
[Eventually the autoplaying led to a video that was much different in tone from the others. Rather than hearing the voice of Fender, or this other inphernal, it was a news anchor.]
" ...Breaking news. Beloved member of Playground's police force Stop Sign has had his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft androids. Investigators are- "
{ The Biograft turned its head to the sound of the bowl, then back to the computer. It reached out to paw at the keyboard, trying to see if there was more. More happy voices. Why are the happy voices gone? }
{ Upon not eliciting any further response from the laptop, it closed it gently and repeated what was said as it tried to sluggishly process the meaning. }
â âŠhad his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft⊠â
{ Ah. It shifted a bit, trying to make itself comfortable in its own host once again. It probably was being an unwelcome reminder. }
{ Needed to fix this. Make it up to her somehow. But how? It wasnât even there, and it wasnât related to this incident at all⊠it would be helpful to know why that Zetagraft had killed him. What its serial designation was. Probably an older one, one of the first few thousand. }
{ ⊠Yet again, it finds itself in that age-old dilemma consistently presented to it. How does it comfort an Inphernal? }
[Fender, much calmer now, finally left her room, quietly continuing what that Biograft was repeating to the best of her memory.]
" ...investigators are already on the case to find out why such an inphernal was killed, and witnesses claimed that the Biograft in question had a white coloration. "
" ...yeah. I heard you listening to those videos of me and my brother while I was in there. "
[She didn't even seem mad about that. She just felt like it was even now. She found out something important about that Biograft, and it eventually found out something important about her.]
[She took a deep breath, crossing her arms and looking towards a framed selfie of her and that other inphernal, now revealed to be her brother.]
" it's been three years since that last video was made. ...I'm surprised that the higher-ups at that cesspool-of-a-nation-that-others-call-Blackrock even remembered to try and take him back after the year-and-a-half he was with me. "
[...she certainly has some firm opinions about Blackrock.]
TRY AND TAKE HIM BACK AFTER THE TIME HE WAS WITH YOU?
{ It questioned, changing from crouching on the table to kneeling. After a moment, it just crawls off the table entirely and tries reaching out to pat her shoulder. }
SORRY SORRY VERY SORRY. ABOUT SAD ALL BROKEN ALL. WANT TO I FIX, SORRY. FOR YOU.
[Fortunately, it did reach far enough to pat Fender on the shoulder, and her reaction to that was one of those chuckles that could almost be mistaken for softly crying.]
" ...don't think this is something you can fix, bud . "
{ The Biograft repeated, rubbing her shoulder lightly. It couldnât tell, was she sad? Crying? It didnât want its companion to be sad, its only companion. }
[That sound she was making was very soon replaced by a short, quiet gasp after noticing it had called her bud as well. But she quickly snapped out of that to get back to what she was going to say.]
" ..well, how can you? He's gone. He's been gone for years now... I don't think there's any chance of bringing him back. "
" ...doesn't mean there isn't, but like...I dunno how that'll even work... "
[Well, her voice didn't crack like she was crying, so that sound she made earlier was probably just a dry chuckle. Doesn't mean she wasn't unhappy, though.]
{ The Biograft hesitated, the movement of its hand slowing. How could it bring him back? His body would probably be thoroughly decomposed by now if it wasnât already torn apart and unusable, which was likely given how Biografts liked to attack. Something told it that she wouldnât appreciate it trying to mimic him, even if it was just to provide a bit of comfort, so it discarded that idea. }
YOU DID HEAR? ME? I DID NOT SAY BRING BACK FIX. FIX OTHER WAY TO YOU. MAKE UP. BETTER. MEND. LESS HURT.
{ Itâs keen on finding a way to make its companion less sad. Perhaps it would give gifts or something like that. All its observation of Inphernals proved that they quite liked to give gifts. }
[She just stood there for a solid half minute, looking down, the gears in her head turning. She's never actually had a legitimate answer to something like that. Most of her answers to others were just that she was fine and didn't really need anything. But...she had a feeling that it would not take that as an answer. ]
" ...food? I like food. Could probably go for some donuts right now. "
[She turned towards the bowl of canned peaches. Or, well...what once was canned peaches.]
" ...welp, that's what I get for leaving out my bowl of peaches. "
" Anyways, donuts. They're...uh...they're these ring-shaped bread things...not quite bread, but has like the feel of one, uh...sometimes they're filled with jelly or cream, and oftentimes they're covered in like.. sugar or frosting...but oooough they're so good.... "
[...did she forget the word pastry was a thing or did she not think it knows what a pastry is-]
" I mean, I'm a big fan of the ones with the jelly inside. I could show you the way to my favorite spot to get 'em later if you want! Maybe we can both have some! "
{ Thereâs a soft tap-tap-tap on the window of Fenderâs apartment unit. }
- @definitely-a-biograft
[Fender, in the middle of eating a bowl of canned peaches, perked up at the sound of tapping on her window. She initially passed it off as the sound of a bird pecking at her window.]
[...but it seemed too deliberate to be a bird.]
[...Could be her friend Heartsong, but she doesn't usually tap on the window like that.]
[She sighed, put the bowl down on her coffee table, then stood up and made her way to the window where the tapping was coming from, and opened the curtains]
{ The Biograft was calmly clinging to the windowsill, the lower half of its body just completely gone. Dark tentacles hung out in the absence of the metal shell, clinging onto any sort of outcrop it could grip onto. }
{ The illusion of the tentacles looking like entrails didnât help its strangeness, either, even though it seemed perfectly fine. }
[She genuinely jumped backwards. Out of all the things she expected to see, this was not it. Hell, she wasn't even expecting anyone to come over today.]
" ...hi. hello. Wasn't expecting you here. "
[The fact that she was wearing a shirt that said "my apolocheese" with a cat and a stack of cheese slices on it instead of her usual firey jacket definitely...was something.]
[Her gaze immediately shifted to the...lack of a lower half, and just stayed there, accompanied by a look of concern. What happened? Why is this thing's lower half just...gone?]
SORRY IF YOU SCARED BY ME. EASIER TO CLING, CLIMB WITHOUT CLUNKY NOT GRIPPY LEGS.
{ It mustâve been off-putting to see it without its lower half. It could fix that easily, it decided, letting go of the building and falling several stories until it hit the ground flat on its back. }
{ It lay there for a moment, briefly dazed by the impact, then got up and hauled its lower half out of a dumpster. Reattaching it and wiggling its legs, it climbed back up the wall until it was back to eye level with her, watching her intently. }
MISSED YOU, { the Biograft repeated. } HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.
[She gave it a little pat on the head, then looked around her apartment.]
" you...uh...wanna come in? Nobody else in here 'cept me and Bee. "
[Within eyeshot, but not really close to the window, stood a strikingly yellow Beta Biograft, adorned with a crown made of those faux flowers you'd usually find in a craft store and a scarf wrapped around its neck with a striped pattern akin to caution tape.]
[It was staring at the Biograft in the window with as shocked of a look as a fully artificial Biograft could make]
{ It flinched slightly, not expecting the head pats but allowing it without protest. }
YES. NICE HOME.
{ It hauled itself over the windowsill and crawled inside, straightening up and shivering slightly. }
{ Its attention wandered throughout the room, taking in the apartment. Upon noticing the Betagraft, it took a slow step closer, a hungry growl rumbling from its chest. }
WHO? THIS IS? SHINY NICE CLEAN. BIG ROOM.
{ It sized up the other Biograft keenly, flexing its fingers experimentally. Its interest was obviously piqued. }
[the Betagraft immediately backed up, trying to get as much distance as possible. Despite being artificial, the way it moved almost had the fluidity of an inphernal rather than a Biograft.]
" ...STOP THAT. PLEASE. "
[...didn't sound like a Biograft either. Well, it had the cadence of one, but it sounded more like one of those singing synthesizers tuned to sound like normal speech than a Biograft's typical voice]
{ It halted its almost predatory advance, staring at the Betagraft. }
⊠WHAT THIS IS WHAT SPEAK HOW WHY? SOUND DIFFERENT. ALL SOUNDS DIFFERENT? NEED TO CHANGE FOR VESSEL INHABIT?
{ It looks to Fender for guidance, then back to Bee. It grumbles softly, shifting its weight from foot to foot before speaking again. Its voice is a little off at first, but it sounds more convincing the longer it talks. }
[Fender flinched at the mimicry, then calmed down slightly after remembering it can just kinda do that. It did that with her own voice a little bit last time they met. Doesn't stop it from being creepy though]
" No...no no nonononono don't you use Bee as a vessel... "
[She walked towards the area between it and the very terrified Betagraft, smiling, but showing more nervousness than anything, especially with her hands up and close to her chest]
" ...please? I like her and my other three way too much for that... "
[She glanced at the open door to her workshop room behind it, but quickly returned her focus to it.]
{ It grumbled not unlike a young newspawn upon being stopped, following her gaze to the workshop before returning its attention to her as well. It doesnât care that she called the Betagraft a âher.â It has more pressing matters at hand. }
SMELL YOU OF FEAR, FENDER. BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograft reached out, but didnât touch her, its clawed hand hovering a few inches away from her own. How to provide comfort? It canât recall such a thing being thoroughly gone over in the books it borrowed from the library. All it knows is âbe not afraid,â said to it when it was so young it canât recall who told it that. }
DOES YOUR BIOGRAFTS ALSO PROTECTED BY APARTMENT BLOCK? SAY DONâT KILL INSIDE THE APART OF MENT?
" ...yeah. I thought...you remembered...that I told you...last time we met. "
[she looked down at its outstretched hand, close to hers, only for a few seconds, then she looked back up, took a small step backwards, and pulled that hand closer to her chest. Her smile was gone, but that look in her eyes remained. A little less intense, sure, but it was still there.]
{ Its hands shook slightly but remained outstretched as it pleaded with her for forgiveness. }
I YOU TOLD, REMEMBER I AM SORRY PLEASE. I ONLY FOR A MODERN MOMENT FORGOT. PLEASE. WILL NOT USE YOUR AS VESSEL.
{ The Biograft wasnât sure whether to move closer, or to stay where it was, or to back up. If only it had eyes to communicate back with, it mourned in its head. It could only feel her look and never see it, certain that there was a whole aspect of communication it would never be able to reach. }
" It's okay, it's okay! It was an honest mistake! I get it! I sometimes have to be reminded about stuff too! "
[After that third time of it telling her to "be not afraid", only then did Fender realize just how scared she was at that moment. She didn't make any verbal comment on that, but it could tell she just noticed.]
{ It studied her carefully, seeming rather dejected. Upon noticing that she noticed her own fear, it kind of drooped like a sad, wilting plant. It didnât have the words to describe said feelings. }
⊠BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograftâs hand finally fell back to its side, taking a small step backward. }
I CAN LEAVE IF IT MEANS YOUR FEAR IS GONE. VERY NOT GOOD. WANT HAPPY BECAUSE OF ME, NOT SCARED.
" No...no, it's fine. You can stay. I just... wasn't expecting that to happen. "
" Oh, uh, Bee? You goo- ... "
[Fender turned around, and Bee was gone. The apartment door was open too. Guess it fled the scene.]
" ...huh. She's gone. "
[A few seconds of pause, then Fender turned back to the Biograft.]
" Anyways, like I said, you can stay here. I'll just be in my room calming down from...uh....that... I promise i won't be in there for too long. "
[She started backing away, into the same hallway that the workshop she looked towards earlier was.]
" Come in if you need anything, but otherwise, uh... make yourself comfortable. "
[And then she slinked into her room, leaving the Biograft in the main area of the apartment.]
[It was...quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and air conditioners, and a slightly less background noise-y whir of...a laptop. Still open. Still running. Sitting on the nearby coffee table in front of a half-finished bowl of canned peaches. There was a paused video taking up its entire display.]
{ It stared after her as she left, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room before deciding it couldnât hurt to look around a little. }
{ The Biograft slowly started pacing the perimeter of the main room, looking around at anything and everything that intrigued it. It hadnât been inside a home for reasons other than assimilation, so this was certainly a rare experience. It walked up to the fridge and inspected its contents with interest, then closed it and went over to the table. }
{ It crouched atop the table and inspected the items on it. The sound of the running laptop was instantly noticed, and it leaned a bit closer and prodded at its screen with its finger. Nothing happened, of course, and it skimmed its hands lightly along the keyboard, feeling the slight grooves and outcrops of the marked keys. What was it meant to do with this? }
{ The creature hesitated, staring at the computer thoughtfully. After a moment, it leaned closer until its head was nearly touching the screen, opened its maw, and licked it. }
BLERGH.
{ It tasted like plastic, but not as powerfully as the flashlight. Interesting. It grabbed the laptop and licked the screen again, its long tongue smearing saliva all over it. }
{ ⊠No, that was definitely too plasticky for its liking. It pulled away and let go, turning its attention to the canned peaches in front of it. Food. Actual food. Its empty stomach started doing that gross eating-itself feeling at the sight. }
{ The creature hummed happily, picking up the bowl and dumping the contents into its mouth. It was making a mess of its shell, getting fluids all over its face, but it didnât care; it was actually starving. The only decent thing it had had to eat recently was that carton of strawberries, and that was over a week ago. }
{ After it had eaten it all and thoroughly licked the bowl clean, it turned its attention back to the laptop, pressing a few random buttons on the keyboard and flinching when the video continued playing. It leaned away warily, but upon finding it wasnât attacking, listened curiously. }
[...it was a video recording of what seemed to be a younger Fender hanging out with...someone that looked almost like her. The only real differences were the height, the completely red horns, the stop sign they had on their back like a sword, and the voice.]
[This video in particular had Fender showing off a new song that popped into her head to this lookalike, and though that song sounded pretty rough, she seemed like she was genuinely having fun showing it off to him, and he seemed to like it too]
[It sounded like a very strange thing to have recorded as a video instead of audio, where the song she had the idea for could've been heard much more clearly, but there must've been a personal reason for it, given the fact she has that video saved. Something to do with that lookalike?]
[The bowl fell, making a strange, almost ringing sound as it clattered on the ground. Fender, in her room, perked up at that noise, but realized that wasn't the sound of anything shattering, so she just went back to trying to calm herself down/processing the fact she would've lost someone else close to her if not for her own intervention.]
[After one video ended, it auto-played another. Most of the videos were between thirty seconds and two minutes long, but one thing remained the same. Both Fender and that other voice were there, each chatting, enjoying life, stuff like that. Some videos were mundane, some chaotic. All had some degree of silliness though. There were...a lot of videos too.]
[There seemed to be a different sort of energy coming from that younger version of her when she spoke to this inphernal compared to now. A calmer, but ... genuinely happier sort of energy.]
[...what happened to that happiness? Where did it go?]
[Eventually the autoplaying led to a video that was much different in tone from the others. Rather than hearing the voice of Fender, or this other inphernal, it was a news anchor.]
" ...Breaking news. Beloved member of Playground's police force Stop Sign has had his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft androids. Investigators are- "
{ The Biograft turned its head to the sound of the bowl, then back to the computer. It reached out to paw at the keyboard, trying to see if there was more. More happy voices. Why are the happy voices gone? }
{ Upon not eliciting any further response from the laptop, it closed it gently and repeated what was said as it tried to sluggishly process the meaning. }
â âŠhad his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft⊠â
{ Ah. It shifted a bit, trying to make itself comfortable in its own host once again. It probably was being an unwelcome reminder. }
{ Needed to fix this. Make it up to her somehow. But how? It wasnât even there, and it wasnât related to this incident at all⊠it would be helpful to know why that Zetagraft had killed him. What its serial designation was. Probably an older one, one of the first few thousand. }
{ ⊠Yet again, it finds itself in that age-old dilemma consistently presented to it. How does it comfort an Inphernal? }
[Fender, much calmer now, finally left her room, quietly continuing what that Biograft was repeating to the best of her memory.]
" ...investigators are already on the case to find out why such an inphernal was killed, and witnesses claimed that the Biograft in question had a white coloration. "
" ...yeah. I heard you listening to those videos of me and my brother while I was in there. "
[She didn't even seem mad about that. She just felt like it was even now. She found out something important about that Biograft, and it eventually found out something important about her.]
[She took a deep breath, crossing her arms and looking towards a framed selfie of her and that other inphernal, now revealed to be her brother.]
" it's been three years since that last video was made. ...I'm surprised that the higher-ups at that cesspool-of-a-nation-that-others-call-Blackrock even remembered to try and take him back after the year-and-a-half he was with me. "
[...she certainly has some firm opinions about Blackrock.]
TRY AND TAKE HIM BACK AFTER THE TIME HE WAS WITH YOU?
{ It questioned, changing from crouching on the table to kneeling. After a moment, it just crawls off the table entirely and tries reaching out to pat her shoulder. }
SORRY SORRY VERY SORRY. ABOUT SAD ALL BROKEN ALL. WANT TO I FIX, SORRY. FOR YOU.
[Fortunately, it did reach far enough to pat Fender on the shoulder, and her reaction to that was one of those chuckles that could almost be mistaken for softly crying.]
" ...don't think this is something you can fix, bud . "
{ The Biograft repeated, rubbing her shoulder lightly. It couldnât tell, was she sad? Crying? It didnât want its companion to be sad, its only companion. }
[That sound she was making was very soon replaced by a short, quiet gasp after noticing it had called her bud as well. But she quickly snapped out of that to get back to what she was going to say.]
" ..well, how can you? He's gone. He's been gone for years now... I don't think there's any chance of bringing him back. "
" ...doesn't mean there isn't, but like...I dunno how that'll even work... "
[Well, her voice didn't crack like she was crying, so that sound she made earlier was probably just a dry chuckle. Doesn't mean she wasn't unhappy, though.]
{ The Biograft hesitated, the movement of its hand slowing. How could it bring him back? His body would probably be thoroughly decomposed by now if it wasnât already torn apart and unusable, which was likely given how Biografts liked to attack. Something told it that she wouldnât appreciate it trying to mimic him, even if it was just to provide a bit of comfort, so it discarded that idea. }
YOU DID HEAR? ME? I DID NOT SAY BRING BACK FIX. FIX OTHER WAY TO YOU. MAKE UP. BETTER. MEND. LESS HURT.
{ Itâs keen on finding a way to make its companion less sad. Perhaps it would give gifts or something like that. All its observation of Inphernals proved that they quite liked to give gifts. }
[She just stood there for a solid half minute, looking down, the gears in her head turning. She's never actually had a legitimate answer to something like that. Most of her answers to others were just that she was fine and didn't really need anything. But...she had a feeling that it would not take that as an answer. ]
" ...food? I like food. Could probably go for some donuts right now. "
[She turned towards the bowl of canned peaches. Or, well...what once was canned peaches.]
" ...welp, that's what I get for leaving out my bowl of peaches. "
" Anyways, donuts. They're...uh...they're these ring-shaped bread things...not quite bread, but has like the feel of one, uh...sometimes they're filled with jelly or cream, and oftentimes they're covered in like.. sugar or frosting...but oooough they're so good.... "
[...did she forget the word pastry was a thing or did she not think it knows what a pastry is-]
{ Thereâs a soft tap-tap-tap on the window of Fenderâs apartment unit. }
- @definitely-a-biograft
[Fender, in the middle of eating a bowl of canned peaches, perked up at the sound of tapping on her window. She initially passed it off as the sound of a bird pecking at her window.]
[...but it seemed too deliberate to be a bird.]
[...Could be her friend Heartsong, but she doesn't usually tap on the window like that.]
[She sighed, put the bowl down on her coffee table, then stood up and made her way to the window where the tapping was coming from, and opened the curtains]
{ The Biograft was calmly clinging to the windowsill, the lower half of its body just completely gone. Dark tentacles hung out in the absence of the metal shell, clinging onto any sort of outcrop it could grip onto. }
{ The illusion of the tentacles looking like entrails didnât help its strangeness, either, even though it seemed perfectly fine. }
[She genuinely jumped backwards. Out of all the things she expected to see, this was not it. Hell, she wasn't even expecting anyone to come over today.]
" ...hi. hello. Wasn't expecting you here. "
[The fact that she was wearing a shirt that said "my apolocheese" with a cat and a stack of cheese slices on it instead of her usual firey jacket definitely...was something.]
[Her gaze immediately shifted to the...lack of a lower half, and just stayed there, accompanied by a look of concern. What happened? Why is this thing's lower half just...gone?]
SORRY IF YOU SCARED BY ME. EASIER TO CLING, CLIMB WITHOUT CLUNKY NOT GRIPPY LEGS.
{ It mustâve been off-putting to see it without its lower half. It could fix that easily, it decided, letting go of the building and falling several stories until it hit the ground flat on its back. }
{ It lay there for a moment, briefly dazed by the impact, then got up and hauled its lower half out of a dumpster. Reattaching it and wiggling its legs, it climbed back up the wall until it was back to eye level with her, watching her intently. }
MISSED YOU, { the Biograft repeated. } HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.
[She gave it a little pat on the head, then looked around her apartment.]
" you...uh...wanna come in? Nobody else in here 'cept me and Bee. "
[Within eyeshot, but not really close to the window, stood a strikingly yellow Beta Biograft, adorned with a crown made of those faux flowers you'd usually find in a craft store and a scarf wrapped around its neck with a striped pattern akin to caution tape.]
[It was staring at the Biograft in the window with as shocked of a look as a fully artificial Biograft could make]
{ It flinched slightly, not expecting the head pats but allowing it without protest. }
YES. NICE HOME.
{ It hauled itself over the windowsill and crawled inside, straightening up and shivering slightly. }
{ Its attention wandered throughout the room, taking in the apartment. Upon noticing the Betagraft, it took a slow step closer, a hungry growl rumbling from its chest. }
WHO? THIS IS? SHINY NICE CLEAN. BIG ROOM.
{ It sized up the other Biograft keenly, flexing its fingers experimentally. Its interest was obviously piqued. }
[the Betagraft immediately backed up, trying to get as much distance as possible. Despite being artificial, the way it moved almost had the fluidity of an inphernal rather than a Biograft.]
" ...STOP THAT. PLEASE. "
[...didn't sound like a Biograft either. Well, it had the cadence of one, but it sounded more like one of those singing synthesizers tuned to sound like normal speech than a Biograft's typical voice]
{ It halted its almost predatory advance, staring at the Betagraft. }
⊠WHAT THIS IS WHAT SPEAK HOW WHY? SOUND DIFFERENT. ALL SOUNDS DIFFERENT? NEED TO CHANGE FOR VESSEL INHABIT?
{ It looks to Fender for guidance, then back to Bee. It grumbles softly, shifting its weight from foot to foot before speaking again. Its voice is a little off at first, but it sounds more convincing the longer it talks. }
[Fender flinched at the mimicry, then calmed down slightly after remembering it can just kinda do that. It did that with her own voice a little bit last time they met. Doesn't stop it from being creepy though]
" No...no no nonononono don't you use Bee as a vessel... "
[She walked towards the area between it and the very terrified Betagraft, smiling, but showing more nervousness than anything, especially with her hands up and close to her chest]
" ...please? I like her and my other three way too much for that... "
[She glanced at the open door to her workshop room behind it, but quickly returned her focus to it.]
{ It grumbled not unlike a young newspawn upon being stopped, following her gaze to the workshop before returning its attention to her as well. It doesnât care that she called the Betagraft a âher.â It has more pressing matters at hand. }
SMELL YOU OF FEAR, FENDER. BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograft reached out, but didnât touch her, its clawed hand hovering a few inches away from her own. How to provide comfort? It canât recall such a thing being thoroughly gone over in the books it borrowed from the library. All it knows is âbe not afraid,â said to it when it was so young it canât recall who told it that. }
DOES YOUR BIOGRAFTS ALSO PROTECTED BY APARTMENT BLOCK? SAY DONâT KILL INSIDE THE APART OF MENT?
" ...yeah. I thought...you remembered...that I told you...last time we met. "
[she looked down at its outstretched hand, close to hers, only for a few seconds, then she looked back up, took a small step backwards, and pulled that hand closer to her chest. Her smile was gone, but that look in her eyes remained. A little less intense, sure, but it was still there.]
{ Its hands shook slightly but remained outstretched as it pleaded with her for forgiveness. }
I YOU TOLD, REMEMBER I AM SORRY PLEASE. I ONLY FOR A MODERN MOMENT FORGOT. PLEASE. WILL NOT USE YOUR AS VESSEL.
{ The Biograft wasnât sure whether to move closer, or to stay where it was, or to back up. If only it had eyes to communicate back with, it mourned in its head. It could only feel her look and never see it, certain that there was a whole aspect of communication it would never be able to reach. }
" It's okay, it's okay! It was an honest mistake! I get it! I sometimes have to be reminded about stuff too! "
[After that third time of it telling her to "be not afraid", only then did Fender realize just how scared she was at that moment. She didn't make any verbal comment on that, but it could tell she just noticed.]
{ It studied her carefully, seeming rather dejected. Upon noticing that she noticed her own fear, it kind of drooped like a sad, wilting plant. It didnât have the words to describe said feelings. }
⊠BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograftâs hand finally fell back to its side, taking a small step backward. }
I CAN LEAVE IF IT MEANS YOUR FEAR IS GONE. VERY NOT GOOD. WANT HAPPY BECAUSE OF ME, NOT SCARED.
" No...no, it's fine. You can stay. I just... wasn't expecting that to happen. "
" Oh, uh, Bee? You goo- ... "
[Fender turned around, and Bee was gone. The apartment door was open too. Guess it fled the scene.]
" ...huh. She's gone. "
[A few seconds of pause, then Fender turned back to the Biograft.]
" Anyways, like I said, you can stay here. I'll just be in my room calming down from...uh....that... I promise i won't be in there for too long. "
[She started backing away, into the same hallway that the workshop she looked towards earlier was.]
" Come in if you need anything, but otherwise, uh... make yourself comfortable. "
[And then she slinked into her room, leaving the Biograft in the main area of the apartment.]
[It was...quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and air conditioners, and a slightly less background noise-y whir of...a laptop. Still open. Still running. Sitting on the nearby coffee table in front of a half-finished bowl of canned peaches. There was a paused video taking up its entire display.]
{ It stared after her as she left, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room before deciding it couldnât hurt to look around a little. }
{ The Biograft slowly started pacing the perimeter of the main room, looking around at anything and everything that intrigued it. It hadnât been inside a home for reasons other than assimilation, so this was certainly a rare experience. It walked up to the fridge and inspected its contents with interest, then closed it and went over to the table. }
{ It crouched atop the table and inspected the items on it. The sound of the running laptop was instantly noticed, and it leaned a bit closer and prodded at its screen with its finger. Nothing happened, of course, and it skimmed its hands lightly along the keyboard, feeling the slight grooves and outcrops of the marked keys. What was it meant to do with this? }
{ The creature hesitated, staring at the computer thoughtfully. After a moment, it leaned closer until its head was nearly touching the screen, opened its maw, and licked it. }
BLERGH.
{ It tasted like plastic, but not as powerfully as the flashlight. Interesting. It grabbed the laptop and licked the screen again, its long tongue smearing saliva all over it. }
{ ⊠No, that was definitely too plasticky for its liking. It pulled away and let go, turning its attention to the canned peaches in front of it. Food. Actual food. Its empty stomach started doing that gross eating-itself feeling at the sight. }
{ The creature hummed happily, picking up the bowl and dumping the contents into its mouth. It was making a mess of its shell, getting fluids all over its face, but it didnât care; it was actually starving. The only decent thing it had had to eat recently was that carton of strawberries, and that was over a week ago. }
{ After it had eaten it all and thoroughly licked the bowl clean, it turned its attention back to the laptop, pressing a few random buttons on the keyboard and flinching when the video continued playing. It leaned away warily, but upon finding it wasnât attacking, listened curiously. }
[...it was a video recording of what seemed to be a younger Fender hanging out with...someone that looked almost like her. The only real differences were the height, the completely red horns, the stop sign they had on their back like a sword, and the voice.]
[This video in particular had Fender showing off a new song that popped into her head to this lookalike, and though that song sounded pretty rough, she seemed like she was genuinely having fun showing it off to him, and he seemed to like it too]
[It sounded like a very strange thing to have recorded as a video instead of audio, where the song she had the idea for could've been heard much more clearly, but there must've been a personal reason for it, given the fact she has that video saved. Something to do with that lookalike?]
[The bowl fell, making a strange, almost ringing sound as it clattered on the ground. Fender, in her room, perked up at that noise, but realized that wasn't the sound of anything shattering, so she just went back to trying to calm herself down/processing the fact she would've lost someone else close to her if not for her own intervention.]
[After one video ended, it auto-played another. Most of the videos were between thirty seconds and two minutes long, but one thing remained the same. Both Fender and that other voice were there, each chatting, enjoying life, stuff like that. Some videos were mundane, some chaotic. All had some degree of silliness though. There were...a lot of videos too.]
[There seemed to be a different sort of energy coming from that younger version of her when she spoke to this inphernal compared to now. A calmer, but ... genuinely happier sort of energy.]
[...what happened to that happiness? Where did it go?]
[Eventually the autoplaying led to a video that was much different in tone from the others. Rather than hearing the voice of Fender, or this other inphernal, it was a news anchor.]
" ...Breaking news. Beloved member of Playground's police force Stop Sign has had his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft androids. Investigators are- "
{ The Biograft turned its head to the sound of the bowl, then back to the computer. It reached out to paw at the keyboard, trying to see if there was more. More happy voices. Why are the happy voices gone? }
{ Upon not eliciting any further response from the laptop, it closed it gently and repeated what was said as it tried to sluggishly process the meaning. }
â âŠhad his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft⊠â
{ Ah. It shifted a bit, trying to make itself comfortable in its own host once again. It probably was being an unwelcome reminder. }
{ Needed to fix this. Make it up to her somehow. But how? It wasnât even there, and it wasnât related to this incident at all⊠it would be helpful to know why that Zetagraft had killed him. What its serial designation was. Probably an older one, one of the first few thousand. }
{ ⊠Yet again, it finds itself in that age-old dilemma consistently presented to it. How does it comfort an Inphernal? }
[Fender, much calmer now, finally left her room, quietly continuing what that Biograft was repeating to the best of her memory.]
" ...investigators are already on the case to find out why such an inphernal was killed, and witnesses claimed that the Biograft in question had a white coloration. "
" ...yeah. I heard you listening to those videos of me and my brother while I was in there. "
[She didn't even seem mad about that. She just felt like it was even now. She found out something important about that Biograft, and it eventually found out something important about her.]
[She took a deep breath, crossing her arms and looking towards a framed selfie of her and that other inphernal, now revealed to be her brother.]
" it's been three years since that last video was made. ...I'm surprised that the higher-ups at that cesspool-of-a-nation-that-others-call-Blackrock even remembered to try and take him back after the year-and-a-half he was with me. "
[...she certainly has some firm opinions about Blackrock.]
TRY AND TAKE HIM BACK AFTER THE TIME HE WAS WITH YOU?
{ It questioned, changing from crouching on the table to kneeling. After a moment, it just crawls off the table entirely and tries reaching out to pat her shoulder. }
SORRY SORRY VERY SORRY. ABOUT SAD ALL BROKEN ALL. WANT TO I FIX, SORRY. FOR YOU.
[Fortunately, it did reach far enough to pat Fender on the shoulder, and her reaction to that was one of those chuckles that could almost be mistaken for softly crying.]
" ...don't think this is something you can fix, bud . "
{ The Biograft repeated, rubbing her shoulder lightly. It couldnât tell, was she sad? Crying? It didnât want its companion to be sad, its only companion. }
[That sound she was making was very soon replaced by a short, quiet gasp after noticing it had called her bud as well. But she quickly snapped out of that to get back to what she was going to say.]
" ..well, how can you? He's gone. He's been gone for years now... I don't think there's any chance of bringing him back. "
" ...doesn't mean there isn't, but like...I dunno how that'll even work... "
[Well, her voice didn't crack like she was crying, so that sound she made earlier was probably just a dry chuckle. Doesn't mean she wasn't unhappy, though.]
{ The Biograft hesitated, the movement of its hand slowing. How could it bring him back? His body would probably be thoroughly decomposed by now if it wasnât already torn apart and unusable, which was likely given how Biografts liked to attack. Something told it that she wouldnât appreciate it trying to mimic him, even if it was just to provide a bit of comfort, so it discarded that idea. }
YOU DID HEAR? ME? I DID NOT SAY BRING BACK FIX. FIX OTHER WAY TO YOU. MAKE UP. BETTER. MEND. LESS HURT.
{ Itâs keen on finding a way to make its companion less sad. Perhaps it would give gifts or something like that. All its observation of Inphernals proved that they quite liked to give gifts. }
[She just stood there for a solid half minute, looking down, the gears in her head turning. She's never actually had a legitimate answer to something like that. Most of her answers to others were just that she was fine and didn't really need anything. But...she had a feeling that it would not take that as an answer. ]
" ...food? I like food. Could probably go for some donuts right now. "
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{ Thereâs a soft tap-tap-tap on the window of Fenderâs apartment unit. }
- @definitely-a-biograft
[Fender, in the middle of eating a bowl of canned peaches, perked up at the sound of tapping on her window. She initially passed it off as the sound of a bird pecking at her window.]
[...but it seemed too deliberate to be a bird.]
[...Could be her friend Heartsong, but she doesn't usually tap on the window like that.]
[She sighed, put the bowl down on her coffee table, then stood up and made her way to the window where the tapping was coming from, and opened the curtains]
{ The Biograft was calmly clinging to the windowsill, the lower half of its body just completely gone. Dark tentacles hung out in the absence of the metal shell, clinging onto any sort of outcrop it could grip onto. }
{ The illusion of the tentacles looking like entrails didnât help its strangeness, either, even though it seemed perfectly fine. }
[She genuinely jumped backwards. Out of all the things she expected to see, this was not it. Hell, she wasn't even expecting anyone to come over today.]
" ...hi. hello. Wasn't expecting you here. "
[The fact that she was wearing a shirt that said "my apolocheese" with a cat and a stack of cheese slices on it instead of her usual firey jacket definitely...was something.]
[Her gaze immediately shifted to the...lack of a lower half, and just stayed there, accompanied by a look of concern. What happened? Why is this thing's lower half just...gone?]
SORRY IF YOU SCARED BY ME. EASIER TO CLING, CLIMB WITHOUT CLUNKY NOT GRIPPY LEGS.
{ It mustâve been off-putting to see it without its lower half. It could fix that easily, it decided, letting go of the building and falling several stories until it hit the ground flat on its back. }
{ It lay there for a moment, briefly dazed by the impact, then got up and hauled its lower half out of a dumpster. Reattaching it and wiggling its legs, it climbed back up the wall until it was back to eye level with her, watching her intently. }
MISSED YOU, { the Biograft repeated. } HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.
[She gave it a little pat on the head, then looked around her apartment.]
" you...uh...wanna come in? Nobody else in here 'cept me and Bee. "
[Within eyeshot, but not really close to the window, stood a strikingly yellow Beta Biograft, adorned with a crown made of those faux flowers you'd usually find in a craft store and a scarf wrapped around its neck with a striped pattern akin to caution tape.]
[It was staring at the Biograft in the window with as shocked of a look as a fully artificial Biograft could make]
{ It flinched slightly, not expecting the head pats but allowing it without protest. }
YES. NICE HOME.
{ It hauled itself over the windowsill and crawled inside, straightening up and shivering slightly. }
{ Its attention wandered throughout the room, taking in the apartment. Upon noticing the Betagraft, it took a slow step closer, a hungry growl rumbling from its chest. }
WHO? THIS IS? SHINY NICE CLEAN. BIG ROOM.
{ It sized up the other Biograft keenly, flexing its fingers experimentally. Its interest was obviously piqued. }
[the Betagraft immediately backed up, trying to get as much distance as possible. Despite being artificial, the way it moved almost had the fluidity of an inphernal rather than a Biograft.]
" ...STOP THAT. PLEASE. "
[...didn't sound like a Biograft either. Well, it had the cadence of one, but it sounded more like one of those singing synthesizers tuned to sound like normal speech than a Biograft's typical voice]
{ It halted its almost predatory advance, staring at the Betagraft. }
⊠WHAT THIS IS WHAT SPEAK HOW WHY? SOUND DIFFERENT. ALL SOUNDS DIFFERENT? NEED TO CHANGE FOR VESSEL INHABIT?
{ It looks to Fender for guidance, then back to Bee. It grumbles softly, shifting its weight from foot to foot before speaking again. Its voice is a little off at first, but it sounds more convincing the longer it talks. }
[Fender flinched at the mimicry, then calmed down slightly after remembering it can just kinda do that. It did that with her own voice a little bit last time they met. Doesn't stop it from being creepy though]
" No...no no nonononono don't you use Bee as a vessel... "
[She walked towards the area between it and the very terrified Betagraft, smiling, but showing more nervousness than anything, especially with her hands up and close to her chest]
" ...please? I like her and my other three way too much for that... "
[She glanced at the open door to her workshop room behind it, but quickly returned her focus to it.]
{ It grumbled not unlike a young newspawn upon being stopped, following her gaze to the workshop before returning its attention to her as well. It doesnât care that she called the Betagraft a âher.â It has more pressing matters at hand. }
SMELL YOU OF FEAR, FENDER. BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograft reached out, but didnât touch her, its clawed hand hovering a few inches away from her own. How to provide comfort? It canât recall such a thing being thoroughly gone over in the books it borrowed from the library. All it knows is âbe not afraid,â said to it when it was so young it canât recall who told it that. }
DOES YOUR BIOGRAFTS ALSO PROTECTED BY APARTMENT BLOCK? SAY DONâT KILL INSIDE THE APART OF MENT?
" ...yeah. I thought...you remembered...that I told you...last time we met. "
[she looked down at its outstretched hand, close to hers, only for a few seconds, then she looked back up, took a small step backwards, and pulled that hand closer to her chest. Her smile was gone, but that look in her eyes remained. A little less intense, sure, but it was still there.]
{ Its hands shook slightly but remained outstretched as it pleaded with her for forgiveness. }
I YOU TOLD, REMEMBER I AM SORRY PLEASE. I ONLY FOR A MODERN MOMENT FORGOT. PLEASE. WILL NOT USE YOUR AS VESSEL.
{ The Biograft wasnât sure whether to move closer, or to stay where it was, or to back up. If only it had eyes to communicate back with, it mourned in its head. It could only feel her look and never see it, certain that there was a whole aspect of communication it would never be able to reach. }
" It's okay, it's okay! It was an honest mistake! I get it! I sometimes have to be reminded about stuff too! "
[After that third time of it telling her to "be not afraid", only then did Fender realize just how scared she was at that moment. She didn't make any verbal comment on that, but it could tell she just noticed.]
{ It studied her carefully, seeming rather dejected. Upon noticing that she noticed her own fear, it kind of drooped like a sad, wilting plant. It didnât have the words to describe said feelings. }
⊠BE NOT AFRAID.
{ The Biograftâs hand finally fell back to its side, taking a small step backward. }
I CAN LEAVE IF IT MEANS YOUR FEAR IS GONE. VERY NOT GOOD. WANT HAPPY BECAUSE OF ME, NOT SCARED.
" No...no, it's fine. You can stay. I just... wasn't expecting that to happen. "
" Oh, uh, Bee? You goo- ... "
[Fender turned around, and Bee was gone. The apartment door was open too. Guess it fled the scene.]
" ...huh. She's gone. "
[A few seconds of pause, then Fender turned back to the Biograft.]
" Anyways, like I said, you can stay here. I'll just be in my room calming down from...uh....that... I promise i won't be in there for too long. "
[She started backing away, into the same hallway that the workshop she looked towards earlier was.]
" Come in if you need anything, but otherwise, uh... make yourself comfortable. "
[And then she slinked into her room, leaving the Biograft in the main area of the apartment.]
[It was...quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator and air conditioners, and a slightly less background noise-y whir of...a laptop. Still open. Still running. Sitting on the nearby coffee table in front of a half-finished bowl of canned peaches. There was a paused video taking up its entire display.]
{ It stared after her as she left, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room before deciding it couldnât hurt to look around a little. }
{ The Biograft slowly started pacing the perimeter of the main room, looking around at anything and everything that intrigued it. It hadnât been inside a home for reasons other than assimilation, so this was certainly a rare experience. It walked up to the fridge and inspected its contents with interest, then closed it and went over to the table. }
{ It crouched atop the table and inspected the items on it. The sound of the running laptop was instantly noticed, and it leaned a bit closer and prodded at its screen with its finger. Nothing happened, of course, and it skimmed its hands lightly along the keyboard, feeling the slight grooves and outcrops of the marked keys. What was it meant to do with this? }
{ The creature hesitated, staring at the computer thoughtfully. After a moment, it leaned closer until its head was nearly touching the screen, opened its maw, and licked it. }
BLERGH.
{ It tasted like plastic, but not as powerfully as the flashlight. Interesting. It grabbed the laptop and licked the screen again, its long tongue smearing saliva all over it. }
{ ⊠No, that was definitely too plasticky for its liking. It pulled away and let go, turning its attention to the canned peaches in front of it. Food. Actual food. Its empty stomach started doing that gross eating-itself feeling at the sight. }
{ The creature hummed happily, picking up the bowl and dumping the contents into its mouth. It was making a mess of its shell, getting fluids all over its face, but it didnât care; it was actually starving. The only decent thing it had had to eat recently was that carton of strawberries, and that was over a week ago. }
{ After it had eaten it all and thoroughly licked the bowl clean, it turned its attention back to the laptop, pressing a few random buttons on the keyboard and flinching when the video continued playing. It leaned away warily, but upon finding it wasnât attacking, listened curiously. }
[...it was a video recording of what seemed to be a younger Fender hanging out with...someone that looked almost like her. The only real differences were the height, the completely red horns, the stop sign they had on their back like a sword, and the voice.]
[This video in particular had Fender showing off a new song that popped into her head to this lookalike, and though that song sounded pretty rough, she seemed like she was genuinely having fun showing it off to him, and he seemed to like it too]
[It sounded like a very strange thing to have recorded as a video instead of audio, where the song she had the idea for could've been heard much more clearly, but there must've been a personal reason for it, given the fact she has that video saved. Something to do with that lookalike?]
[The bowl fell, making a strange, almost ringing sound as it clattered on the ground. Fender, in her room, perked up at that noise, but realized that wasn't the sound of anything shattering, so she just went back to trying to calm herself down/processing the fact she would've lost someone else close to her if not for her own intervention.]
[After one video ended, it auto-played another. Most of the videos were between thirty seconds and two minutes long, but one thing remained the same. Both Fender and that other voice were there, each chatting, enjoying life, stuff like that. Some videos were mundane, some chaotic. All had some degree of silliness though. There were...a lot of videos too.]
[There seemed to be a different sort of energy coming from that younger version of her when she spoke to this inphernal compared to now. A calmer, but ... genuinely happier sort of energy.]
[...what happened to that happiness? Where did it go?]
[Eventually the autoplaying led to a video that was much different in tone from the others. Rather than hearing the voice of Fender, or this other inphernal, it was a news anchor.]
" ...Breaking news. Beloved member of Playground's police force Stop Sign has had his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft androids. Investigators are- "
{ The Biograft turned its head to the sound of the bowl, then back to the computer. It reached out to paw at the keyboard, trying to see if there was more. More happy voices. Why are the happy voices gone? }
{ Upon not eliciting any further response from the laptop, it closed it gently and repeated what was said as it tried to sluggishly process the meaning. }
â âŠhad his life suddenly ripped away from us by one of the recently released Zeta Biograft⊠â
{ Ah. It shifted a bit, trying to make itself comfortable in its own host once again. It probably was being an unwelcome reminder. }
{ Needed to fix this. Make it up to her somehow. But how? It wasnât even there, and it wasnât related to this incident at all⊠it would be helpful to know why that Zetagraft had killed him. What its serial designation was. Probably an older one, one of the first few thousand. }
{ ⊠Yet again, it finds itself in that age-old dilemma consistently presented to it. How does it comfort an Inphernal? }
[Fender, much calmer now, finally left her room, quietly continuing what that Biograft was repeating to the best of her memory.]
" ...investigators are already on the case to find out why such an inphernal was killed, and witnesses claimed that the Biograft in question had a white coloration. "
" ...yeah. I heard you listening to those videos of me and my brother while I was in there. "
[She didn't even seem mad about that. She just felt like it was even now. She found out something important about that Biograft, and it eventually found out something important about her.]
[She took a deep breath, crossing her arms and looking towards a framed selfie of her and that other inphernal, now revealed to be her brother.]
" it's been three years since that last video was made. ...I'm surprised that the higher-ups at that cesspool-of-a-nation-that-others-call-Blackrock even remembered to try and take him back after the year-and-a-half he was with me. "
[...she certainly has some firm opinions about Blackrock.]
TRY AND TAKE HIM BACK AFTER THE TIME HE WAS WITH YOU?
{ It questioned, changing from crouching on the table to kneeling. After a moment, it just crawls off the table entirely and tries reaching out to pat her shoulder. }
SORRY SORRY VERY SORRY. ABOUT SAD ALL BROKEN ALL. WANT TO I FIX, SORRY. FOR YOU.
[Fortunately, it did reach far enough to pat Fender on the shoulder, and her reaction to that was one of those chuckles that could almost be mistaken for softly crying.]
" ...don't think this is something you can fix, bud . "
{ The Biograft repeated, rubbing her shoulder lightly. It couldnât tell, was she sad? Crying? It didnât want its companion to be sad, its only companion. }
[That sound she was making was very soon replaced by a short, quiet gasp after noticing it had called her bud as well. But she quickly snapped out of that to get back to what she was going to say.]
" ..well, how can you? He's gone. He's been gone for years now... I don't think there's any chance of bringing him back. "
" ...doesn't mean there isn't, but like...I dunno how that'll even work... "
[Well, her voice didn't crack like she was crying, so that sound she made earlier was probably just a dry chuckle. Doesn't mean she wasn't unhappy, though.]
