We are so close to when things get interesting it's killing me, I can't wait! I wanted to see if I could get it at the end of this one, but then it would end up way to long, haha.
Mornings weren't exactly what Kat would call his favorite; whether by nightmare or some other unknown factor, he had the unfortunate habit of waking up before much of the orphanage's inhabitants. While some may consider the relative silence pleasant, more often than not it provided far too much time for thoughts best left buried.
Well, perhaps this morning doesn't have to be like the rest...
He sat up, his gaze drifting over to the laptop still sitting perched on the dresser between the beds. He counted last night as one of the better ones, despite the unease that came with not knowing how Karr would react to them. And while Karr had become active far sooner than he anticipated, he was pleasantly surprised when his brother didn't instantly continue their feud from years prior. But then, it wasn't like Karr knew about Kitt, after all.
Kat shook his head; it was better this way. This way Karr could get a fresh start – away from past mistakes. "Good morning, Karr."
"What's the point in stating the time of day when it's obvious?" Karr's answer was as grumpy as it was calm, yet reassuring all the same. "All you have to do is look out the window."
"That may be true," Kat said, stifling a laugh. "But as I understand it, when someone says 'Good morning' it's letting the person know their presence is welcomed."
How odd it is, being the one to explain a concept instead of the other way around.
"...Good morning, then."
"Mn, morning." Kat looked over to where Matt was just sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Good morning, Matt. I apologize if we woke you."
"Nah," Matt said, waving a dismissive hand, "I was too excited with Karr around to really sleep."
"I can't see any reason why my presence could be considered exciting." Karr grumbled.
Matt grinned, practically bouncing up down on his bed as he spoke. "Because you don't really expect to meet an actual A.I., you know? It's like something out of one of Asimov's books. How are you not exciting?"
"While you have a point on how great I am, don't go comparing me to those two-bit knock offs. I'm far superior to them."
"How does that work? Those books came out like sixty years ago."
"Because I actually exist."
"No one here is going to argue with you on that." Kat said with a laugh. Watching the two of them banter was enjoyable, relief filling him with how well Karr seemed to be settling in. "I would like to ask though," he added, moving to pick up the hard drive next to the laptop that had gone strikingly dark, "what happened?"
"It started to fail late last night, so I moved over here." Karr spoke nonchalantly, a shrug filling his voice.
"As long as everything is running as it should, I don't see the problem." Kat said. He didn't know how Karr was so calm about the whole thing; like it wouldn't have been the end of his existence if they had found him any later than they had. Kat frowned, a knot formed itself uncomfortably in his stomach at the thought.
If we had only found the dead remains of what used to be Karr, I don't think I...
He shook his head, forcibly dragging himself back to the conversation taking place before him.
"How'd you fit?" Matt was asking, "I didn't think there was that much space on there."
"There isn't. It's a bit tight, but I just got rid of the non-essential programs and it's fine."
Kat shared a look with Matt, who moved over to the laptop, opening the system information. "Uh, Karr?"
"Yes?"
"What did you do with the OS?"
"Like I said, non-essential." Karr said.
"How did you do that?" Kat asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. There, on the screen where it listed the version of windows it was supposedly running, simply read K.A.R.R. "Do you mean to say you are simply emulating the Windows interface?"
"What, like it's hard?" Karr said, smugness dripping from his tone. "I took the basics needed to run this thing and went from there."
"Dude, that's really impressive." Matt said in awe. "I know! Why don't we introduce him to Annette? I bed she'd think he's cool too."
Kat nodded. "It would be nice to see how she's been doing these last few days."
"Who's Annette?" Karr asked.
"She's a friend of ours and owns this really cool flower shop!"
"What's a friend?"
A frown slipped onto Kat's face; while it made sense Karr wouldn't know the concept, it didn't exactly help the pang in his chest. "It's someone you like to spend time with, who will be there for you when you need; who cares about your wellbeing. Matt and I are friends, and you can be ours as well."
"But you just met me." Karr's voice was skeptical when he spoke, the raised eyebrow almost audible.
"So?" Matt chimed in. "Kat says you're okay and that's enough for me."
"And how would he know that if he hasn't known me any longer than you have? Unless, of course, there's something he's hiding."
Kat could only stare, his throat deciding to become painfully dry. Karr didn't know the truth, did he? No, that was impossible – this was the first time he and Kat had met. But Kitt did know him...he had said too much. Kat was not supposed to know.
But then, would it really be so bad if Karr knew? If there was someone from before to talk to?
No. Letting Karr know would take admitting too many things, too many failures.
"Go easy on him, okay? He doesn't remember anything." Matt said helpfully, providing the distraction Kat desperately needed to escape the tidal wave of thoughts. "It's possible you two knew each other at one point, since he said it was just a feeling."
"Amnesia, hmm?" Karr didn't sound entirely convinced, but opted not to push the matter. "Well, whatever. I suppose we can go see this Annette person, but I make no promises on talking to her."
"Of course, we wouldn't force you into anything you don't want to." Kat said, slowly regaining himself as he let the grip on his arm loosen, "Annette's doesn't open for a few more hours, though. In the meantime, I would like to make sure there aren't any complications if you don't mind, Karr."
"What, I actually get a choice in the matter?"
"Why wouldn't you? Last night was the rare exception, but you should always have a say in whether or not someone does anything to you."
"I don't get either of you." Karr paused before continuing. "...But if it's you, I suppose I don't mind."
/
"Oh cool! It's snowing!" Matt exclaimed a few hours later as they stepped outside, with Karr securely packed away in Matt's old backpack. "We should build a snowman once there's enough!"
"Let me guess, the point of which is the same for eating ice cream mid-winter." Kat said. Despite not being his first encounter, it was still a sight to behold; the snow falling lazily before melting as it came in contact with the pavement. His prior experience with the frozen rain had been nothing short of a nuisance; bringing with it poor traction, snow getting in his scanner and Michael constantly complaining about how cold it was, but if he would just wear the proper clothing…
"You look like a drowned rat."
"You would too if you had a pile of snow fall on you."
He shook his head, gingerly holding a hand out and watching as a single snowflake landed on his palm, staying a moment before dissolving into water; a strange contrast from when they would land on his hood and stay there.
"You sure you don't want to build a snowman? You seem pretty fascinated by it."
"What?" Kat blinked, finally looking over at Matt. "Oh, I mean...I don't remember seeing snow before. I simply wanted to know what it felt like." He added, wiping off his hand before shoving it into his pocket.
"I guess that makes sense." Matt grinned. "All the more reason to make one then!"
"Ah, yes, but I think I'll skip the frostbite."
/
The Haven was pleasant as always, the overcast sun filtering in through the windows casting the illusion of having stepped into a faraway land full of magic and wonder.
Annette was sitting at the back counter, decorating a wreath. She looked up when they came in, a smile lighting her face. "Hey! I wasn't sure I'd see you two because of the snow."
"Eh, it's not so bad out there so we decided why not." Matt shrugged. "Are you making that for someone?" He added, motioning to the wreath once they had reached the counter.
Annette sighed, setting the wreath down. "No, I actually sat down to start working on centerpieces for the regulars since thanksgiving is coming up, but I watched this movie last night that made wreaths look really fun, and I somehow wound up doing this instead. I'm gonna be behind, at this rate."
"It's a good thing we came, then. I for one think it would be interesting to learn how to make centerpieces." Kat said.
Annette's eyes lit up. "Oh my god that would be so helpful, thank you. Go ahead and put your stuff down and I'll grab the supplies."
/
By the time the sun was beginning to set, the storm outside had moved from a mild flurry to a raging snowstorm.
"It's getting really bad out there," Annette said as she watched the blizzard from the front door window, "we haven't had many people today, so I think I'll close early for the storm." She glanced back over at where Kat and Matt were sitting a the back counter, various bits and bobs of centerpieces scattered around. "And I definitelydon't want you two out there either – I'll call Mim and let her know you're here, and Marley can come get you when it's over. Until then," she added, flipping the store's sign to closed and turning the lock, "you can hang out upstairs at my place."
Annette's place above the flower shop was about the same size as downstairs, if not a little smaller. On a different day it would have been lit by the sun pouring through its many windows, yet at the moment only the gloom outside could be seen, casting everything in a murky shadow. There were two rooms to the left, while a kitchen was placed along the back wall with a couch and entertainment center set up along the opposite.
"Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable and I'll get some snacks." Annette waved them towards the couch while she headed for the kitchen, slipping off her shoes in the process.
The couch in question had a simple floral design, and while it had certainly seen better days, remained surprisingly comfortable to sit on. A small brown coffee table sat just in front of it, covered in various haphazardly stacked books, half started crafts, a few dvds, and various odds and ends, with only a small space on the side facing them left bare.
"Hey, is that a book on coding in there?" Matt asked as Annette came back, holding a few mugs of hot chocolate.
"Yeah, I thought about building a website for my shop once," Annette said as she handed them each a mug before taking a seat next to Matt on the couch, "but I get so tired from running the place that by the time the day is done I don't have the function left to do anything about it."
"Is there any way we could help?" Kat asked.
Matt nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! My dad was a computer programmer, and I still know some of the things he taught me. I'm sure with the books as a refresher we could help you build something. We've even got a laptop with us so we could start now if you want."
"Really, I couldn't let you, that would be too much. The two of you already do so much for me." Annette said, shaking her head. "I don't even pay you for what you do help me with; I don't think I could ask for more."
"It's okay," Kat said with a soft smile, "you don't have to do all this by yourself."
"I'm with Kat. You're not alone, you know? We're here for you." Matt continued with his own smile.
Annette's eyes grew wider, her lip trembling as she pulled the two of them into a tight hug. "Thank you." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she held them there for a long moment, giving them a final squeeze before letting go. "You two are something special, you know that?" She said, wiping her eyes as she pulled away. "Let's set up at the table then, there's more room there. I'll unbury the book while you get it started, okay?"
"Are you really going to make a website for this woman?" Karr said, wasting no time once the laptop was opened after Kat and Matt had taken a seat at the small kitchen table.
"Why, did you want to help?"
"…I didn't say that. Why are you so ready to help her with something you know so little about? It seems like a lot of trouble to go through for one person."
Matt shrugged. "Because we can?"
"Because it's a nice thing to do, Karr." Kat continued, "It's simply what you do for friends."
"So it's the friend thing again." Karr said flatly.
"Who are you talking to?"
The three of them turned their attention to Annette, standing just behind them.
"We were talking to Karr. He's my…" brother"...he's someone we met recently." Kat answered.
"Yeah, it didn't start that way, but he sorta is the laptop at this point." Matt added.
Annette's eyes widened a bit, staring at the screen. "Wait…are you saying you have some sort of artificial intelligence like from Asimov's books?"
"Why does everyone have to keep saying that? How many times do I have to say I'm superior to them?" Karr grumbled. "The three laws can go to hell."
"So don't get you any nuclear codes, got it." Matt said with a grin.
"There's internet access here - who's to say I can't get them on my own?"
"Okay, so, I should probably be more unnerved by that, but this is actually really cool." Annette said as she took a seat next to Kat. "So, you can hear us, but can you see us?"
"Of course, I can." Karr said, the sound as if he would've rolled his eyes if he had any. "And I can see it's a good thing you have that book because it's going to take a while for the web design program to finish downloading."
"So, you are helping." Kat said with a sneaky smile.
"No comment."
/
"We need photos. Every site I've seen so far has pictures showing off what they advertise." Karr stated hours later, once the bulk of the website had been built.
"We don't have a camera though."
Annette bit her thumbnail. "My mother has a really nice one. But she..." She shook her head, talking around her nail. "No, I know I can get Marley to borrow it for us. It's getting late though, and since we have to wait to take the pictures anyways, might as well take a break and go to bed." She stood up and stretched, adding, "I'll get some blankets and a foam pad and you two can decide who gets the couch."
When Annette came back, however, she found the pair already asleep. Kat was leaning on his hand, propped up against the couch armrest while Matt had fallen over and was leaning on Kat's shoulder. Annette smiled, draping the blankets over them. "Good night, you two." She glanced at the still open laptop now sitting on the coffee table, letting a small smile slip onto her face as she reached over to give it a soft pat. "Good night, Karr."
She was almost to her bedroom when she heard a quiet, "…Goodnight, Annette."
-Xire