! Surprise !
Two invitations on Connor's desk at work, one addressed to him. The date, time, and location of the Detroit Police Department's annual Christmas gathering. A sloppily-scrawled note added to the bottom mentioning not to toss it out and that consultants are welcome. He can't tell whose handwriting it is but they must be human. A quick glance about shows the same invitation placed on every desk in the bullpen, though Detective Reed's has a chocolate bar atop it. Likely extra incentive. He looks back down at his own invitation and reads through it once more. They actually want him to come?
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Lieutenant Anderson's fake tree in the living room has several gifts beneath it. One is a neatly wrapped red box from him to Connor. One is a neatly-wrapped tube in dogs-in-santa-hats print from Connor to the Lieutenant. There is a lumpy one shaped like a bone with a silver bow on it from Connor to Sumo. Most are messily wrapped boxes in shiny green with too much tape from the Lieutenant to Connor. It's been that way since the sixth. So of course the two new gifts, a white bag poorly tied with a lot of blue ribbon and a perfectly wrapped Cyberlife blue box, are unexpected. Even more so the tags; both are his, one each from Connor and the Lieutenant. The man who nearly killed him and the android he nearly killed both got him gifts?
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Several voicemails were left while he was in standby mode. Checking the serial numbers against the DPD database for missing androids reveals them as Simon, Josh, and Jonah. Had North prompted this? It seems each wants to speak with him about the New Jericho Christmas party in some capacity. Simon wants him to invite the DPD Central Station androids. Josh is hoping he can bring some wrapping paper and lights as they're nearly out of what they've scavenged. Jonah apparently has a gift and wants to check how his repairs are holding up. He'd thought North invited him because she was obligated to invite everyone she knew, but this implies he might actually be a welcome presence...
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In Lieutenant Anderson's mailbox is an envelope addressed to him and Connor. The sender lists April with no last name and a PO box he can now confirm doesn't exist, but he recognizes the creator's looping script. Clever of them to use one of their androids and a false address as a guise so the mail isn't stolen. It's a simple old-fashioned Christmas card inside. The front bears a somewhat traditional 'family' photo, though taken as a selfie, of Mr. Kamski, Chloe, April, and Iris by a decorated fireplace, while the inside features a second photograph taped in beside the creator's handwritten 'Wish you were here!' of which the snark becomes obvious by looking at the photo. The second picture features two of the girls shoveling snow from the porch while one pauses to look exasperated at the creator's rather elaborate snow fort. The third must have taken the picture. How they keep him in check is anyone's guess. The card is quite unexpected as they haven't spoken in weeks, yet a welcome gift all the same.
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They may be simple, mundane things but each is a new experience to archive and study in his new mission of discovering himself. He tells himself he'd rather have no emotions but falters every time positive ones force their way into his system. This new existence continues to surprise him...