Slaine meandered towards about the seventh antique store that day, with low expectations, and a rather defeated sense of self worth. This had certainly been a wild goose chase, and he was likely going to return to the apartment without anything to show for his efforts. The thought was distressing, and Slaine let out a defeated little sigh, before opening the door, and truly wandering into the next antique store.
As he stepped into the heated threshold of the store from the cold of the winter evening, an exuberant "Welcome!" from his right came to greet him. Sheepishly he looked over to answer the kind statement, and froze.
The android in front of him smiled.
He'd seen androids before plenty of times in the past. They weren't all that common, but neither were they rare. Kids seemed to like them the most, and he vaguely remembered looking at one through a shop window when he'd been small, before his father had called him away. He remembered that model in his memory, had been rather human like, with only a few obvious distinctions to make it stand out as an android. When he'd asked, his father had explained that the older models looked more human, but that no one wanted an android that looked like a human, so that newer ones didn't look much like humans at all. His father had also mentioned that the one he'd been looking at had been older, and that the newer models didn't look very human. Slaine remembered that conversation surprisingly well every time he saw an android, the booming sound of his father's voice coming to his ears unbidden.
Even then, he'd liked the one that looked more human. The other ones had seemed scarier, more like mechanical monsters, even though he'd never been mistreated by one. But, he'd been a rather frightened child, all high nerves and jittery tension. It had taken a decent amount of work to get out of that mindset. Now that he was looking at the very modern android in front of him, that old fear bubbled up like fizzy water, before rapidly going flat. He had nothing to fear, and he rationally knew that.
It was hard to compare the thing in front of him, to Inaho. Properly repaired, Inaho would look indistinguishable from average humans. The only thing that might make people question would be the red eye color, but they could just say they were colored contacts, and leave it at that. Inaho would likely be able to walk down the street, without anyone suspecting he was an android at all. The figure in front of him never would. Comparing them, even slightly, was proving very difficult.
It was humanoid in shape, but very little else was similar. It waved at him with it's four long fingers, on a ball jointed wrist, elbow and shoulder; the same sort of joints that were obvious from just about every part of it that moved, and though the joints didn't seem to hinder any sort of movement, it gave the android an obvious sort of mechanical motion to how it moved. It made even simple gestures seem unnatural, and Slaine wondered if Inaho would move that way, or if his movements would be far more seamless. Since he'd never seen Inaho move, he couldn't be sure, but something in his gut told him that Inaho would move more like a human than a robot.
There was no nose on the android's face, the place where it should have been strangely barren, and unnatural looking. There wasn't even a bump to suggest a nose, just a flat plain between the android's eyes and lips. As it said "How may I help you?" in a cheerful, animated tone, Slaine noticed that it's lips didn't open or close. They stayed in their perpetual smile, and instead, the sound came from a black bland like speaker situated on the android's neck. He guessed the lips were only there to give it more obvious human emotions, and make it easier to relate to; accessory instead of functional. As Slaine studied it, there were also no ears poking out of well manicured black hair. He wondered if some sort of small microphone was somewhere picking up auditory sounds instead of ears, but he dismissed the thought. Unnaturally purple eyes, peering at him from the smiling face, seemed to zoom in on him, like a camera's lens, and he sheepishly smiled back at the android.
There was really no comparing this machine to Inaho. Well, he amended, there was really no comparing this machine to Inaho physically. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't spent any length of time interacting with normal every day androids. He'd always thought of them as simply responsive computers, which he knew quite a bit about. So, it had been a drastic surprise when Inaho showed an obvious personality and other manifestations of self awareness. Did other androids also have that sort of awareness? He seriously doubted it. In his mind, Inaho was unique, something special and worth helping and protecting should it be necessary, but had he really done any research to prove that point? The answer was no. He'd read some of the manuals Calm had given him, but nowhere in them had they mentioned anything reaching the level of awareness Inaho had. Still, his only knowledge was through books, now was a perfect chance to test his theory.
As he gazed at the android, taking in all of it's bizarre features, he wondered why newer models looked so much like machines. His father had simply said that no one wanted an android that looked like a human, but was that really true? If it was, certainly a human like android would at least be an option, and he hadn't ever heard of something like that. For all he knew, there were androids that looked exactly like humans wandering around, completely camouflaged. The thought sent a sudden chill through him. Was that the case? He certainly hoped not, it would be strange to meet someone, only to realize at some point that they weren't a someone at all. But that contradicted how he interacted with Inaho, didn't it? Thinking such a thing made him an obvious hypocrite, so he disregarded the thought.
He was there for a reason, and he didn't need to get to side tracked. But thinking of that reason made him slump. He'd tried a lot of stores today, with no luck, and he didn't expect to find anything here either. Slaine took one more look at the android, before deciding that at least this trip, he could be a little productive, even if it wouldn't help much. He could test if this android was as self aware as Inaho, if nothing else.
"Hello" he greeted from his place next to the door way, and strode over towards the android, standing behind a glass counter, filled with knick knacks and other shiny things.
The android smiled at him brightly and repeated, "How may I help you?"
Slaine opened his mouth to say something about what he was actually there for, but he got caught looking at the area where the android's nose should be, and that quickly shifted to the black band around its neck, and it's four fingers as it motioned with them just as a human would. "Why don't they make androids look more human?" The question was blurted out of his mouth faster than he could reign it in, and he had enough sense to look embarrassed by it, looking away sheepishly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he almost saw the android's face fall, but when he looked back properly it was simply smiling at him, as it had been before. "Androids are made in a variety of forms to meet with UFE mandated regulations." He thought the android might say more, but it went silent after that.
"Oh" he stated lamely. "I-I didn't realize it was a government thing." He found himself looking at the android's purple eyes, and thinking that actually, they were a very nice shade.
The android simply kept smiling at him, and motioned with its four fingered hand yet again. "How may I help you?"
Slaine cleared his throat, and looked at the android sheepishly, which was silly, because it didn't seem even slightly offended at his dumb question. "Sorry, about that. I'm looking for something." The android looked at him, with almost an expectant tint to its eyes, that smile never leaving it. "But," he paused, just a bit, considering what he'd say next, and deciding that he would go through with it. "I don't know what they're called." He motioned with his hands, as if he was holding something round. "It's a ball of some sort, but I've only ever seen them in antique stores."
"We have sports balls." The android answered, trying to be helpful. "Some are signed by famous individuals, while others are from specific games." The android walked from behind the counter, it's legs movement making it seem cumbersome for it to walk, but making good time none the less. It really did move just fine, but there was something about it that made the android seem like the simple movement wasn't natural. He watched with fascination, as it led him to a small section in the store, where a variety of sports paraphernalia resided. "Are these the balls you're looking for?" The android asked, peering over at him, waiting for a response.
Slaine gave the android a sheepish smile, and shook his head "No, not these." He probably shouldn't have felt so uncomfortable about asking the android these things. This was it's basic function, but he couldn't help it. Maybe he did have a horrible case of association. Maybe that's why they made androids look less human, to make association less of a problem. Slaine shook his head, if association was the reason he was still feeling it, even with the android less obviously human. It wasn't as strong as it was for Inaho, but it was still there.
He looked over at the android expectantly, and it looked back at him with the same general emotion. He thought how a human shop keeper might start suggesting other things, but the android simply blinked at him for a few seconds. When it did finally speak again, it had been a good minute. "These are the only items filed under 'ball'. Is there another term you could use for it?"
It was a very computer thing to say. 'ball' was its search parameter, and unless he had an image, it could only search using words. The android obviously had an itemized index of the stores stock, and used some sort of search function with key words to find things. Very, very computerized, where as the 'only ever seen in antique store' didn't register as a search parameter, because it only had an active stock of the antique store. It hadn't been an ideal test, and Slaine felt like he'd been a jerk, but he did feel rather assured that he had made the right deduction. The android really was very different in general processing from Inaho, who would likely would have found a different way to figure out what he was looking for.
Slaine looked up, and saw two photos of famous sports players in front of him. He shifted his gaze over to the still smiling android, and motioned to the two photos. " Which of these two do you like better?" he asked. He felt like he was heckling the android, but reminded himself that it was a machine, and likely didn't have any opinion at all about him, or what he was asking.
The android obediently looked at the photos. "The one on the right is signed, and more valuable." The android stated, trying to be helpful.
Slaine gulped, but kept going. "But don't you think the other one is nicer? The signed one is just him smiling. This one is him playing. Isn't that more meaningful?" Slaine looked over at the android, almost hopefully.
In response, the android took a second look at the two photos. "I do not have personal preference, sir, but many appreciate the ecstatic of movement." It answered, still looking intently at the two images.
Slaine frowned slightly, and looked around. "Do you have a favorite item?"
The android looked back at him. It's smile had disappeared as it looked at the two photos, but now that it was looking at him again, the upward curve of its lips was back. "No sir. Shall I show you some of our rare items?"
Slaine shook his head. "No, that's alright. Thank you for your help. I think I'll look around on my own." With that, the android gave a small 'okay' and walked back to the counter. Slaine watched it go for a few seconds, before shaking his head, and wandering around, moving methodically through the store.
He didn't really have any expectation of finding what he was looking for, after such a long day and after searching so many other stores, but he looked none the less. It would really upset him if he wasted his whole day looking for this thing, when Inaho had found it online, and they could have just paid extra (well, he would have footed the bill) to get it sent to him as quickly as possible. Even then, there was no absolute guarantee that it would have gotten to them in time.
The whole situation was enough to upset him if he thought about it, so he tried not to, and simply kept looking. Not to mention that he'd left Inaho alone for most of the day, after they'd had such an argument the day before, and after Inaho had shown obvious concern about his well being. From time to time he'd gotten text messages asking about his condition, but they'd been sparing, and more hesitant that usual. Slaine figured Inaho still felt like he was walking on eggshells around him, and that he was worried about conserving the phone's power.
Almost as if summoned his phone went off, and Slaine reached down to fish it out if his pocket, his gaze falling, when his eye caught something round, hidden deep on one of the lower shelves. He stopped in his tracks, mesmerized by the possibility that he had actually found what they were looking for, and shoved his phone back into his pocket.
He leaned down, and started gingerly rearranging things on the lower shelf, so that he could access the spear he thought he'd seen. And there, glistening at him from the back of the store shelf, was exactly what Inaho had shown him. He delicately reached over for the item, which to his eye, looked like nothing more than a glass orb. He hadn't really questioned Inaho on what exactly it was, but seeing it in person almost confirmed that it looked nothing like a power supply. There were no connection cables, no nothing. It was simply a misted sort of glass ball. This one of course was dusty and dirty, having been long forgotten on the bottom of a shelf, covered up by more prominent items, but it was the mirror image of what Inaho had shown him, he was sure of that. It was cool to the touch, as he worked to extract it from its former prison, and bring it back out into the light of the store.
He rubbed it off with his sleeve, not worrying about how dusty or dirty his clothing would get, and then cradled it gently in one arm. Carefully, he fished out his phone, snapped a few pictures of the item, and shipped them off to Inaho. He looked at the item while he waited, buffing it and holding it up to the light, and practically giddy at the find. It was rather simple looking, but Slaine couldn't help being transfixed by it, it really glistened in the light, and cast spots of light all around the room when he held it up. He really hoped Inaho said it was a match, he'd want to scream or cry in frustration if he didn't. Even still, there was something different about this one. He'd seen another one earlier that day, but Inaho had shot it down. He should have had a decent amount of hesitation, but there was just something about this one that made it very obvious to Slaine that it was entirely different from the other one he'd found.
He'd been staring at it rather transfixed, when his phone went off again, and he quickly reached down for it. Slaine hadn't even realized he'd placed it on one of the store shelves, and could have easily walked off without it. A little bashful at his obvious blunder, he shifted the item into one hand, and reached for the ringing phone. He clicked it on, and checked the message Inaho had sent him.
It is genuine. What is the asking price?
Slaine giggled to himself (which was very unmanly) before clicking out a one handed 'I'll be home soon' response, and sending the message off. He almost skipped to the register, unable to contain his excitement. It didn't matter what their asking price was, he would pay it. The amount of relief that went through him at actually finding it, was well worth whatever they wanted for it. Not to mention, that Inaho's stability was at stake, which was entirely priceless.
As he got closer to the counter, he heard what he could only call a music box. It was a melody he didn't recognize, but the delicate tinkling of the metal was incredibly soothing and sweet. He looked around for a few moments to see where it was coming from, but the sound only brought him to the counter, where a small wooden music box sat open on the counter, where it had not previously been. Confused, he blinked at it a few seconds, before looking up at the android, with that same smile on its face.
"This music boxes song is very pretty, sir. Do you like it?" The android asked, and for a moment, it almost sounded like it was a genuine question, not born out of financial interest, or any other motive.
Slaine looked from the android, then down to the music box again. "It is very pretty." He cocked his head. "I do like it. Do you?" He fixed his eyes squarely on the beautiful purple of the android's eyes, and gave it a warm smile.
The android shook it's head. "It is not in my programming to have personal preference, sir, but the music box is very pleasing to listen too."
It occurred to him, in that exact moment, that this android, she was answering his question in her own way. This was her favorite item. "Is it expensive?" He asked, offering the android a soft smile.
She shook her head. "No sir, it is not expensive. Would you like to buy it?"
"Wouldn't you miss it if I bought it?" Slaine asked, looking at the little music box, as it stopped playing, and the android reached down to rewind it. It was sort of amazing how it's long, elegant looking fingers worked so delicately on the little golden wind-up.
Once she'd wound it, and the song starting again, she looked up at him. "No sir. I have recordings of many music boxes in my memory banks."
"Oh" Slaine said, looking at her four fingers, and her ball joints, before focusing on the android's smiling face. "I see." He hummed and hawed for a few moments, thinking about how stupid his idea was, before shaking his head and just going with it. "I'll take it." He stated, looking down at the music box, and then held out the orb in his hand. "And this too."
Before, he would have felt some hesitation in handing her the delicate orb, but as she extended her hands to take it, he felt rather reassured that she would not drop it, and that she would be extra careful with it. Just as he had anticipated, she was gentle and methodical in how she handled it, making sure to wrap it carefully in plastic, then paper, before depositing it in a cloth bag for him. Once she had finished, she reached down for the music box, but he shook his head no. "There's no need to wrap that one, it isn't going far."
The android's eyes blinked at him for a few seconds, before her smile reemerged ,and she delicately placed it into the bag as well.
She rang up the price, and he dutifully paid for it, before she handed him the bag, and smiled warmly at him. "Thank you for your purchase! Please come again!" She said, as if the statement was a prerecording.
He smiled back at her, and reached into the bag for the music box. Feeling entirely silly, he handed the item back to her. "This is for you." He held the item out, feeling awkward about the whole thing, as the android simply blinked down at the item, in obvious confusion. "It's a gift" He clarified, holding it out to her. "Thank you for answering my questions honestly."
Almost hesitantly, the android extended one hand, and he placed the small music box into her hand. He then reached into the bag, and retrieved the receipt. "Here" He placed that in her other hand as well. "That way, the owner will believe you when you tell him it was a gift." He looked at her awestruck face, as she looked down at the little music box, now squarely in her hand, and he couldn't help but beam. "Here, let me write down my phone number, in case he wants to ask." He reached down for one of the pens in a cup by the cash register, and retrieved the receipt from the android's other hand. He quickly scrawled his name, and phone number onto the slip of paper, and deposited it back into her hand.
The android didn't respond, she just kept looking at the music box, and then looking down at the receipt too. The situation was making Slaine a little uncomfortable, so he laughed sheepishly. "If you don't want it, you can just sell it again. Whatever you'd like is fine, but you should think about what you'd like to do with it, before deciding, okay?"
The android blinked up at him at that, and nodded her head, the smile suspiciously gone from her face, as it remained entirely blank. For some reason, it reminded him of Inaho. "Okay, Slaine." The android answered softly.
Slaine couldn't help but beam, but knew that now was an ideal time to depart. "I'll leave now. Thank you again for all your help! If I can, I'll come back to visit you some time." Slaine said, waving his hand and moving towards the stores exit.
As he hoisted the door open, and stepped out into the cold of the winter night, he heard a hesitant, "Please do." follow him out.