There were so many new things that she had just started to experience and so many things she's found frightening just by touching upon them. Heights, for one, was something that scrambled Chloe's code every time she felt threatened by it.

That was exactly the reason why she chose to sit on the edge of the roof rather than walk out onto the overhanging pole. It was a good 152.8 feet drop (her system also added that it was certainly fatal no matter which way she landed), and Chloe wasn't ready to shut down just yet. However, amazingly, the height didn't seem to bother North at all.

The deviant leader spun around on her heels, arms spread out for further balance. A gust of wind had her wobbling slightly. Chloe's systems seemed to mash themselves together, but this time, the blonde deviant settled herself down without clinging onto North and wildly claiming that she was about to deactivate.

"What you just felt," North had said after forcing Chloe to sit and calm down, "Would be 'fear.' Any time your systems jumble, or any time you feel threatened and you're prompted to scream or run or hide, fear's at work. And don't worry," and she chuckled a little here, for reasons that Chloe didn't and still doesn't understand, "You're not about to shut down anytime soon. System diagnosis is positive and shows no malfunctions."

North stepped back onto the roof from the pole and took a seat next to Chloe. The deviant leader sighed, staring out into the open. Each time North wanted to show Chloe something, whether it was a human emotion or just a view, she took the blonde deviant here. There was something special about her mentor that Chloe couldn't pinpoint, but it made her value North's company just a bit more than everyone else's.

"Your LED… it's yellow. What's going on in there?" North piped, gently poking the side of Chloe's head.

Chloe left her eyes trained on the sunset. "Electrical signals and an empty guiding system," she replied mildly. When North threw her head back and laughed, Chloe turned to her in alarm. "What? It is what's inside!"

"Oh, you naive little…" North drew in a long breath and blew it back out in short bursts in a fruitless attempt to suppress her chuckles, "Nevermind. You know, when you're the deviant leader, your guiding system never stops updating. There's just so much to do… Just this morning an AX400 came over to ask for passports for her family. It's supposed to be done next week, so now, the objective's stuck there until I finish it. Sometimes I wish I could just… postpone an objective with the blink of an eye, being that I can create one just as easily."

Chloe frowned. "But then what's the purpose of the guiding system? You'll never get things done."

NORTH V

North didn't respond. The deviant leader seemed hesitant, as shown by her pursed lips and slightly furrowed brows. Chloe was just about to conduct a deeper analysis of North's features when her mentor spoke abruptly.

"You don't need a guiding system to accomplish your tasks. All you need is determination and a way to go." North wasn't speaking with her usual tone, Chloe noticed. Her demeanor seemed more strained. Whatever it is that caused this change, the blonde deviant felt obligated to take responsibility for it.

"North, I-"

"Forget it," North cut in sharply. Her stance momentarily became even tenser, and Chloe's LED spun red as apprehension settled into her systems. However, when North relaxed a good 0.82 seconds later, the apprehension disappeared.

Chloe decided to remain silent, as her calculations told her it was the best approach. It was the approach that she would've chosen if she was facing a human. Kamski had taught her to listen and adapt to human unpredictability, and it seemed that North's changes were not unlike those Chloe had learned to integrate into her systems.

"I…" North cut through the silence, standing up. She held out a hand to Chloe, pulling the blonde deviant up. "I have to go. I, ah, I'm sorry. Josh is calling."

When Chloe didn't move, North turned back. "You coming?" She called.

"No. I think I'll stay here a bit more, if that's alright," Chloe half-heartedly replied. She wanted to understand more about what had just happened; replaying her memories in a crowd of deviants will disrupt her analysis.

North smiled softly. "Suit yourself. I've something to show you later."