Author's Notes:
I had one of the most hilarious conversations ever in Queenstown.
"So, um, yeah. My tailbone got hit by the metal seat of the luge."
"Oh my god, you poor thing!"
"That's alright. I also need bandages because I, um, well... I fell off the luge before I got hit by another luge."
"OH MY GOD, YOU POOR THING!"
... Oh, yeah. AND I'M BACK, FANGIRLS AND FANBOYS!
AND THE VA OF BLAKE FREAKING BELLADONNA SAID HI TO ME, ALL THANKS TO FEUGOFOX42! JUST LOOK! https : {insert two slashes} www {dot} cameo {dot} com {insert one slash} v {insert one slash} 7RzthANNS
Strangers: Become Lovers
Act I
SCHN33
8:30
TUESDAY
It wasn't hard to track down the restaurant. Though the android did prefer the human to describe their meeting place as something more than simply 'the restaurant downtown that just opened up', she made do with a bit of data-filtering.
The android arrived at precisely 8:30 at the designated place - per the agreement.
Finding the human was even less taxing.
As soon as she stepped foot into the restaurant, she heard the distinct shouting of "Hey! Over here!" coming from her left. She turned her head and was not surprised to find Ruby Rose waving at her cartoonishly with a goofy smile.
-[WAVE BACK]-
-[DON'T WAVE]-
The android didn't have to make that decision, however, because the human quickly jogged toward her, enveloping her in a hug.
A human. Hugged her.
A human. Hugged an android. In public.
-[HUG BACK]-
-[STAY STILL]-
The android, of course, made the sane and logical decision and didn't return the embrace.
The only solace she found was that nobody seemed to pay attention to them. Looking around, she discovered that they were the only ones present in this establishment.
The android supposed that regular humans normally didn't come to a restaurant this early in the morning…
The human pulled away from her, though her hands stayed on the android's shoulders. "I'm so glad you came!"
The android blinked.
-[TRUTHFUL]-
-[COLD]-
Ruby Rose looked so joyous, her silver eyes beaming with nothing but sunshine and rainbows.
Another option appeared before her.
-[TRUTHFUL]-
-[COLD]-
-[SINCERE]-
It would be a shame if that smile were to vanish…
"I am, too." She gave a kind smile to the teenager. "It was hard to convince the people back at the lab for me to go, but after I explained that you might help me return my memories faster, they allowed it."
"But is that the real reason you wanted to come?" Ruby was smiling at her now, but there was a glint of mirth in her eyes. The android tried to come up with a reason that was both inoffensive and truthful but... couldn't find any.
She also found the human's need to use the word 'want' a little troubling.
She pursed her lips, and her LED flashed a low yellow. The human, upon noticing her distress, laughed with carefree.
Before the android could fully process everything that had happened, the brunette was already ushering them both to the table.
"Do you have a name?"
The android didn't miss a beat. Her response was factual. "I have yet to have an owner, so no, I do not have a name." Her eyes narrowed, looking at the girl and the burger she was eating, wondering why she specifically ordered for an unhealthy amount of meat in it at just gone nine thirty in the morning. "Why do you ask?"
The brunette swallowed, her head bowing down a little; a sign of uncertainty. "It's just… I don't know what to call you."
The android didn't understand why that was. "My model designation is SCHN33."
The human made a face, slowly leaning back. "Umm... yeah, no way. That's not a real name."
"Though… Father does call me Schnee," she suggested, shrugging.
"Huh?"
"My creator," she elaborated. "He frequently calls me Schnee. You may call me that as well if you'd like."
"Schnee, huh…" The human tapped her finger against her chin. "Hold on." Suddenly, she pulled out her phone and began using the device, not leaving any explanation.
The android blinked, her head tilting to one side, unsure of how to proceed.
Should she…
Should she ask what the human girl was doing?
-[WAIT]-
-[ASK]-
No…
There must be some other option...
-[WAIT]-
-[ASK NICELY]-
There. That was better.
She started, "If I may, Ruby-"
"Snow!"
… Well, that was rude, cutting people off - even though she was an android. The android's LED flashed yellow in displeasure.
"... Pardon?"
Ruby's smile didn't falter one bit. She pointed toward the android excitedly. "That's your name! It's snow in German! I looked it up!"
Snow…
Her eyes drifted towards a strand of her hair that had fallen in front of her face, lips quirking upward. She'd known what it meant from the beginning, of course, as she was programmed to be polyglottic, as many high-class androids were nowadays.
But it was amusing to watch the human make that same connection in a language for which she was clearly unfamiliar.
"I suppose that does make sense."
Ruby chuckled. "It sort of is." She sighed, slowly shaking her head with a smile full of mirth. "Snow… what a weird name…" The android begged to differ. Suddenly, the human gasped in excitement. "Hey, it reminds me of Snow White! Oh! I should call you White!"
"That... is not an ideal name."
The human's smile faltered, and red began to tint her cheeks as her embarrassment-level shot up. "Then, umm…" She snapped her finger. "White in German! Which is…" She typed on her phone rather vehemently.
"Weiss!"
The android pursed her lips, unsure. It was a good name, though… "I… still prefer Schnee."
"Oh, you like that name better?"
The android narrowed her eyes at the tone the human used - it was suspicious - but she nonetheless answered, "Yes."
"Alright then, I'll keep a note of that, Weiss!" The human winked at her.
The android stared at her in bafflement…
And Ruby laughed.
And she realized she had been, as the humans called it, pranked - or was 'trolled' the better word to use? There'd yet been a concrete distinction between those two words.
She grumbled, refusing to look at the dolt of a human as she continued to eat her unhealthy, greasy burger. It was a miracle the human hadn't choked on it, considering how large each bite she took.
What an irresponsible human, Ruby Rose was…
But also interesting…
Very, very interesting…
Not once had she ever treated the android as if she was… well… an android. She was warm and kind and welcoming and… she couldn't understand why.
The android looked back at the girl, who was halfway into finishing her monstrosity of a burger. The way the light accentuated her skin… it seemed… familiar…
Bzz-
There was no way she would win a confrontation with the robber.
She was built for many things. Fighting was not one of them.
… Ruby Rose was looking straight at her, weeping uncontrollably.
She didn't make a sound, but she mouthed to the android, "I don't wanna die…"
And the deviant knew she was going to confront the robber no matter what the outcome would be.
-zzzt!
Weiss blinked, touching the side of her LED, willing the yellow light to turn into blue. After a moment, it did.
That was… a memory.
A memory she previously didn't remember.
And Ruby…
Ruby played a much bigger role in it. More than she previously thought.
"Ruby, if I may…" The girl stared at her questioningly, her burger already finished. "What happened that day?"
Something was flickering beneath those rich pools of silver. "Why do you ask?" Her tone was much less childlike all of a sudden, she looked much less childlike all of a sudden, and the android didn't know what to make of it.
"The humans back at the lab…" The android sighed. This was a sensitive subject, both in terms of the privacy of her diagnostics and for her personally. But if she didn't speak out now, then the human would probably not give her what she wanted. "They fear I'm showing signs of… deviancy," she closed her eyes. If she were a human, she would've shuddered. "But they cannot be certain until I've regained my memory."
Ruby simply stared at her.
Weiss narrowed her eyes. Had she not explained it clearly enough? No, no… She did. And she was positive the girl understood…
So why was she silent?
"I am a valuable model, Ruby," she said with more urgency, "I am the only one of my kind created. If there's something wrong with me, I need to know so I may be fixed."
The girl looked out of the window with a glint of something in her eyes, an emotion not even she, one of the most advanced androids in the world, could identify - and that wasn't an exaggeration, she truly was advanced. The android did the same but only found people and androids.
Slowly, those silver eyes drifted until they were locked with critical, confused blue.
"Weiss… How much do you value the truth?"
Author's Notes:
Hooray! Weiss finally got her name! I was sort of inspired by Kara's story in this one and how Alice was the one who named her. I feel like names are a big thing in the Detroit universe, and if not... then it's still a big thing for Weiss- err, I mean, SCHN33.
Also, sorry, this chapter was never meant to end like this, but the chapter's word count was already 2k+ and so I split it into two parts. I didn't think there was a better way to split the chapter than here. As a result, you guys sort of got a cliffhanger again... sorry.