Hello! And let's welcome those to the favorites/following family! Thank you for your support! catie-twilight-lover1, Pen's Handler, brave-story

Alina let out a yawn as she repeatedly fought against the urge to fall asleep on the living room couch; however, against her wishes, her head kept drooping multiple times. Eventually, she lost the last of the energy she could muster up and her head ended up plopping onto Connor's right shoulder, who was sitting next to her.

Connor had been excitedly listing all the inconsistencies in the detective TV show they had been binging that Sunday night. He had also added his own string of theories on who the culprit could be.

He paused when Alina's head slumped against his arm, but to her relief he didn't seem to mind her leaning on him. The android continued chattering away and Hank occasionally nodded to Connor's assessments of the TV show.

The current situation was the complete opposite of yesterday night after Connor's nightmare episode. In comparison to the elated expression he was having right now, she recalled how Connor's body trembled violently when relaying the nightmare sequence to Hank. Throughout the ordeal, Connor had tightly gripped her hand as if she was his lifeline.

Afterwards, Hank and Alina had spent the rest of Saturday night calming down Connor. Hank had turned on a light-hearted kids movie to play in the background as he soothed Connor to the best of his ability. As Hank spoke with Connor, Alina had heated up a warm cup of thirium. The older man pulled a blanket around the quivering android to hopefully give him a sense of security. After about 3 hours of talking things out, Connor taking sips of the heated thirium, things seemingly returned to normal in the household.

Alina didn't completely remember every bit of conversation the three of them had that night. Most of the talk was a mix of reassurance and comfort. However, she did remember that after the major tremors had stopped, she and Connor had an in-depth talk about the extent of Amanda's control over him. He mentioned that he technically only saw her in his occasional nightmares as he had already locked up the Zen Garden programming behind several layers of code.

Connor apparently also received the help of Josh, Simon and other Jericho technicians in locking away the Zen Garden code. However, he didn't reveal to them the purpose of locking the unknown code. So in terms of how much Connor had disclosed to them, they were unaware of his AI handler Amanda or the reasoning behind Zen Garden's existence.

Furthermore, after the Hart Plaza incident, the Zen Garden's code seemingly turned into murky and unreadable code both to Connor and any outsiders that had taken a look. He couldn't access it even if he wanted to, which was both a relief and unnerving. Relief in that there was a chance it meant he would never have to face it again. Unnerving in the sense that it might be another CyberLife safelock put into place.

Alina didn't really know what else to say that day upon hearing his new dilemma with the Zen Garden programming. The game had always left a disconcerting feeling even in the so-called 'best ending' declared by the fandom, especially the part where Amanda had said that Connor's deviancy was planned. The only thing for sure was that, at least for today, Amanda didn't take over Connor's body and only appeared in his dream. Was it a dream though? What if it was Amanda trying to break out of the chain of codes? It made sense why Connor was so anxious around Jericho.

Alina took a second glance at Connor, lifting her head up just a little bit to see his current expression. She was worried that maybe Connor was simply distracting himself from yesterday's events and pushing down his emotions. However, from her evaluations of him today, it seemed like he was genuinely better after their talk. He was still a bit shaken in the morning, but it seemed to have rubbed off as the day went on.

Alina yawned again as the drowsiness overcame her determination to keep awake. Her eyelids blinked a couple times more before they slowly closed and she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Alina stuffed her cheeks with the kimbap dish she made for today's bento lunch box. At first glance, most people in the DPD thought she was eating sushi due to the resemblance. However, she explained to them that she was eating a Korean dish and that while sushi was usually filled with raw fish, kimbap was usually filled with cooked meat and vegetables. They gave her confused glances even after her explanation and ended up just backing away from the topic.

"Guess you're coming with me soon!" Tina excitedly said as she wheeled her chair next to Alina. The officer stared at the kimbap with hungry eyes.

"Hm?" Alina tilted her head to the side in confusion to the sudden declaration.

"The Captain gave me a heads up since it's been about a week since you've been with Hank and Connor," Tina explained. "Pearson and I are happy to welcome you. Plus, we got lots of extra clothes to spare!"

It's been a week? Already?

Alina peeked over to Hank's half eaten lunch box that was across from her. The Lieutenant and Connor had left their desk earlier to talk with the Captain so she was the only person left.

"Don't worry we'll have lots of fun! Movie nights and girl talk!" Tina abruptly clasped her hands around Alina, surprising the younger girl. "Pearson's looking forward to doing more Instagram food pictures!"

Alina absentmindedly nodded her head, not sure how to respond. Tina then quickly left as the officer was called to duty somewhere else in the precinct building.

Alina sighed as she took another bite of a kimbap piece. She didn't think a week would pass by so quickly, everything happened so fast. Even if she went to Tina's place for another week, what was going to happen after that? Social Services was bound to go up and running sooner or later, she'll probably be bouncing from foster home to foster home after that.

Should she have written that she was 17 years old instead of 16 on the information form? It would have been quicker to get out of the system and she could take care of herself. She was 18 technically, an adult, even if it's been only a week. It wasn't like she hadn't taken care of herself on her own before, she naturally became independent over time due to the lack of parental supervision she had. The only problem she had here in Detroit was a lack of identification, but now that she was inputed into the Social Service system, it should have been taken care of to some degree.

Alina furrowed her eyebrows, rubbing her forehead.

Ugh, I really should have just put down 17, what was I thinking?

Alina rummaged through her thoughts some more when she noticed a peculiar feeling, as if someone was watching her. She turned around, surprised to see that Hank was staring at her direction from within the Captain's office.

She could see that beyond the office's glass walls, Hank was standing with his right hand on his chin. He appeared to be deep in thought while looking at her general area.

Connor, on the other hand, was sitting at a chair in front of the Captain's desk and seemingly trying to persuade Hank on some matter from afar. The older gentleman only appeared to be half-listening to Connor's words, his eyes still fixated on where Alina was sitting.

Alina hurriedly looked around her surroundings in an attempt to gauge the exact direction of Hank's eyeline, but soon found that the focus of his attention was her. Hank didn't seem to notice that she was staring right back at him though. Her best guess was that he was probably in a daze and happened to stare in her direction.

Suddenly, Hank spoke up, mouthing three words. It sparked the attention of the Captain, who leaped out of his seat with a flabbergasted look. Connor looked equally surprised, blinking wildly at whatever was said.

Alina noticed an exchange of words between the trio amidst the confusion within the office. That's when the Captain unexpectedly looked up too and his eyes interlocked with hers. She flinched at the newfound attention.

Alina quickly turned around, flustered at all the scrutiny she garnered. Apparently she had gotten Connor's attention too, as she caught him glancing her way as well.

She swiftly proceeded to gobble down some more kimbap, as though she hadn't been observing their conversation.

In between her rapid chewing and swallowing, she took in large gulps of water, forcing the food down her throat. Before she could will herself to slow down, the water that she had hurriedly chugged down, went down the wrong pipe. It sent her into a coughing fit and she could just imagine the tinges of her ears turning red as she caught the scrutiny of others. Nearby officers patted her back as she hacked out a series of unruly sounds. So much for trying to be inconspicuous.

"You alright there kid?"

Alina looked up from the garbage can to see Hank, his face full of concern. Connor was right behind him and had a similar contorted expression. She wiped her lips using a napkin Chris held out to her.

"Yeah," Alina managed to croak as she coughed out the last of the water residue. The pats on her back came in at a greater force and speed.

"Ummm, what were you guys talking about back there?" Alina asked, her curiosity getting the best of her despite her near-death experience.

"T-Though if it's confidential I totally understand!" Alina followed up shakily, throwing away the napkin and pushing the garbage pail away.

"Just the usual," Hank sat down and chewed on a kimbap piece. "Also your living arrangements."

Alina flinched upwards, picking at her food, "I see. Um...thank you for everything you've-"

"You'll be staying with us for a while," Hank interrupted her nonchalantly.

Alina widened her eyes at the new revelation and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Connor smiling.

"What? You don't like it?" Hank asked in the silence. "I guess you can go to Tina's place as plan-"

"No, no," Alina frantically waved her hands in the air as Hank raised his eyebrows. "I mean-I do. I just…"

The teenage girl took in a tiny breath, trying to sort out her thoughts.

"I do like it. The idea-um, I mean. And by the idea, I mean staying with you and Connor," Alina mumbled, mentally giving herself a slap. "I just didn't expect it."

"Y-You seemed so adamant about me staying for only a couple of days, a week at most," Alina explained to Hank and steadied her voice.

Hank casted her a calm look and took a sip of his coffee, "That was before I knew what you were like. You aren't too much of a hassle, so you can just stay with me until Social Services kicks in."

"Ahh, I see. Wait, what?" Alina blinked in confusion.

"You heard correctly," Hank said, grunting as he adjusted himself in his seat. "You'll be staying with me and Connor for a while til Social Service is ready to take you in."

As soon as Hank said this, some of the nearby officers whispered about. A couple exchanged glances and flickers of something green seemingly got passed between some of them.

Alina focused her attention back on Hank though. She continued staring at him, still stunned about the new declaration. Wait, is that why Connor looked so shook earlier alongside the Captain?

"Um, I-I don't know what to say," Alina's jaw hanging open for a bit. "Thank you."

Hank merely grunted, maintaining his steady composure as always. But Alina could have sworn she caught the slightest twitch of a smile-a second before the low guttural noise reached her ears.

"By the way, since you're going to be at our house during Christmas, is there anything you would like as a present?" Hank looked up from his bento box to Alina, curiosity written on his face.

Hank then glanced over to Connor, "What about you, son? Come to think of it, for both of you two, it's your first Christmas in Detroit."

"Wait, it's Christmas?!" Alina exclaimed, grabbing the digital calendar on their desk and taking a closer look. True to their word, today was the 19th and in 7 days it would be Christmas.

"I'm fine with any gift," Connor answered, taking a drink out of his thirium canister. The android smiled fondly at the post-it taped on it. Earlier in the day, Alina had drawn a heart emoji on it while packing lunch boxes.

"You don't need to get me anything," Alina replied softly. "You've already provided me with a place to stay."

"Nonsense, I never asked you to make food for me or clean parts of the house," Hank argued. After eating the last piece of kimbap, he closed the top of the bento box and stared at her with intense focus. "So tell me, if there's anything you're interested in. Within reasonable prices of course."

"Hmmm," Alina tapped her chin as Hank stared at her intensely with anticipation. Connor appeared to be locked on to her answer as well.

She simply grinned at the two, "Surprise me! Just like Connor."

Hank slumped his shoulders and let out a soft groan, "That's a toughie. Why you two gotta do this to me?"

"I mean it can be homemade too! You don't have to buy something," Alina tried cheering him up. "Saves money too! But for me, it's mostly because I don't really need anything."

And besides I shouldn't get too attached or it'll be painful to look at the item later once Social Service picks me up.

Hank let out a sigh, but Alina could see a smirk line the edges of his mouth.

Hank shook his head from side to side, "That's just like you."

Abruptly, Hank then narrowed his eyes towards Connor.

"Why are you smiling so much?" Hank said with a playful but inquisitive tone.

"Because I already bought Christmas gifts for you two," Connor answered satisfactorily, then calmly proceeded to flicker between newspaper articles on his handheld tablet.

"Wait, you bought one already?!" In a panic, Alina frantically tugged the end of Connor's sleeves. "I said I didn't need anything!"

She didn't want them to waste any more money than they already did with the extra groceries that they had bought for her.

"You said that just now," Connor gave her a mischievous grin. "I placed the order earlier in the week."

Alina continued to gaze at him, astonished at the idea that Connor had already bought a present. He barely knew her, they had only met a week ago. Why go through with buying a present? Her stay was only temporary.

Instead of groveling under her stare, Connor winked at her before returning to look at his tablet. Did he already predict that Hank would let her stay? Or was it the opposite, where Connor had to convince the other? Or was it cause, even if she went to Tina's place, they would still be able to see her? So many questions swirled around her head as she tried to figure out the two men sitting next to her.

Alina happily hummed Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' song as it was being blasted through Jericho's Zone 1 Speakers. She was currently helping to decorate the big 66 feet tall Christmas tree that was situated smack middle of Jericho's public plaza.

She faintly remembered jumping for joy the day before, when Connor dropped her off in Jericho after their awkward lunch break. She was confused as to why he let her come here after the first outburst. He had replied back saying that he thought a lot about his outburst. He felt that just because he didn't want to visit Jericho, didn't mean he should also restrict her from coming. He and Hank had decided to drop her off at Jericho whenever they could, so that she wouldn't be stuck at the DPD all day.

It was her second day in a row at Jericho and she already loved helping out wherever she could. Markus and Simon had joked that apparently she looked like a worker bee to some, buzzing from one corner of Jericho to another, working on random tasks given to her.

Just like yesterday, today's task was Christmas-oriented in preparation for the two day Christmas party they were going to have this week.

"Ah-" Alina cried out as a Christmas ornament slipped from her fingers. From the top of her 10 foot podium ladder, she watched as the ornament fell between the gaps of the Christmas tree's leaves.

She winced her body in anticipation for the sounds of shattering glass, but to her surprise it never came.

Instead she heard a male voice stand out among the background chatter taking place around the Christmas tree.

"Here."

Alina turned 180 degrees on the ladder, finding the owner of the voice to be holding the purple stained glass Christmas decoration. Although she couldn't discern his face amidst all the tree branches, she could clearly see the hand in between the leaves.

"Thank you," Alina reached forward to the angel decoration piece, twisting her back awkwardly to get the material.

"Wait! That sort of angle!"

Alina let out a yelp as one of her feet caught onto one of the ladder steps, throwing her off balance. She closed her eyes, expecting her back to plummet onto the hard concrete ground.

Instead, she felt someone skillfully catch her body midair, not even recoiling from the sudden weight of her body.

CRASH!

She flinched at the sound of the ladder hitting the ground after her slip up. It was followed up with cries of concern from nearby Christmas decorators, asking if anyone got hurt.

Alina wearily opened her eyes to find out the identity of her rescuer, her jaw dropping a bit.

"Tch, this is one of the reasons I don't like humans. So clumsy," The male android grumbled under his breath.

Her savior turned out to be Gary, one of Jericho's gateway guards that Markus had introduced her to a couple days ago. Their first encounter was still fresh in her mind as she recalled her little confrontation with him. She remembered reprimanding Gary about his rude comment in regards to how easily Markus made human 'friends'.

In terms of first impressions, she immediately disliked Gary after that statement. Markus apparently inquired Gary about it later on, but the former claimed that he didn't say anything. Tch, Liar.

Every time she passed him through the gateway, she flashed him a fake customer service smile that she had used back in her 7/11 store clerk days. He had grimaced every time she had done so.

With the bad blood they had formed in just 3 days, he was the last person she thought was willing to help her out.

Gary blew on his soft mellow-brown hair curls that were covering his eyes and looked uncomfortable under her stare.

"What? Just because I don't like you, doesn't mean I'm a monster." He spat out with frustration in his voice.

A couple of nearby folks, who had noticed her fall, rushed over and asked if she was alright while she was still being held in Gary's arms. She steadily nodded her head 'yes'

in reply to reassure the elders that were particularly concerned. It was a bit of a strange situation to be in, she was used to worrying about others, not the other way around.

After the elders finished gushing over any potential injuries, they quickly dispersed. Gary let out a sigh of relief, setting Alina down on her feet.

"If you can't even put up some simple decorations, you shouldn't even be here." Gary grunted, folding his arms as he towered her.

Alina silently cursed at her height difference. Both Gary and Connor hovered around six feet, but somehow being next to Gary made her feel inferior. She cast him a glare, but the android simply let out a chuckle before going back to his gate post.

Alina let out a huff of annoyance. This is why she preferred Ansel, the other guard usually on duty. Should she purposely annoy Gary later? What if she treated Ansel better? Would that work?

"Alina!"

Hm?

Alina turned to see Simon come rushing over from a nearby building and lightly grabbed her by the shoulders.

Simon did a quick once over, "I heard from an android public forum channel that you fell from the ladder while doing decorations."

Alina widened her eyes at how fast the information traveled, "Wait, there's a public forum channel?"

"Yes, in a way it's a sort of 24/7 public forum chat among androids," Simon explained. "News spreads quickly among Jericho in that sense. It's like a private telepathic social media network for androids only and there's different channels for different topics. Your fall just happened to be in the Q&A channel. People heard a crash in the main plaza, so they were worried."

Alina covered her flushed cheeks, heat rapidly rising on her face. How many people in Jericho knew that she messed up on some Christmas decorations?

As if reading her mind, Simon laughed at her sudden shyness.

"Don't worry, as quickly as news travels, the topic changes quite rapidly too." Simon said to cheer her up. "I'm sure in an hour they'll forget about it."

"I hope so. . ." Alina groaned, rubbing the side of her arms. It was only her third day here and she has had mixed reactions from Jericho's people. She didn't want to make her reputation any worse. Some androids were wary of her, some had neutral expressions and others were very welcoming. Well, at least the kids had a good impression of her ever since she helped Grace.

"Come on," Simon gave her a gentle smile. "Why don't you help me out with the pastries instead? Something a little less dangerous."

Alina begrudgingly followed Simon's footsteps to Jericho's venue kitchen building, pouting along the way.

"I can handle dangerous things!" Alina argued back, crossing her arms. "Well, Christmas decorating a huge building-size tree isn't really dangerous per say."

"I don't know, it seemed a little difficult for you." Simon jokingly replied back before pausing a bit. "Ah, looks like there are memes of your fall already."

"What?!" Alina clutched the sides of her head in embarrassment. "Why memes of all things?"

Simon laughed some more, patting her back, "Take it as a compliment. At least it makes some people loosen up around you, especially those that were on their guard."

"I don't know if being a laughing stock is a good thing," Alina furrowed her eyebrows in dismay. She pouted some more at Simon, hoping to gain some pity or sympathy.

Simon only patted her head to offer his reassurance, "Topics fly by here, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Hello! It's been a month-ish, I apologize for the late update, I was busy with midterms and then next thing I knew, it was a month and i was like - oh shit i hope people will still read this. Bc imma keep going, XD this thing is the only thing keeping me sane during the pandemic

UHHHH. LETS GO TO Q&A!
So apparently the DPD officers were handing each other some green slips of paper or something when Hank declared that he's keep Alina a little bit longer...Does anyone want to BET on what they were doing? .~

Also! Happy Thksgiving! I hope you guys like this thskgiving treat!