Having a body, especially one that had been designed for infiltration, had provided EDI with an enormous source of information. If she did not focus, the sensory input alone had the potential to be overwhelming, even with the great processing capabilities she possessed.
She could now see in much greater detail thanks to stereoscopic vision. Depth perception, volume, and a better sense of distance and position. This enhanced form of sight practically forced her to rebuild her perception of the world from its very foundations. For several days after acquiring the mobile platform, EDI had invested much of her time merely seeing. Objects, persons, the fish in Shepard's cabin, the boxes in the cargo bay and even Lieutenant Vega's muscles rippling under his skin while he exercised. Jeff had been a bit vexed about that last one—if only he knew how she saw him now. For a while, there was almost nothing that did not appear to capture her attention, everything seemed so new and fascinating.
Smell had been even more captivating, though. Before having a body, she already had been able to see fairly well, but never before had she been able to smell things as she could now. It was quite different to identify certain molecules in the air with numerous instruments and from that infer the substances present, as opposed to having the ability of detecting everything through a central sensory array and having that translate directly into an idea. It had been a time of hardship for everyone aboard the Normandy, what with EDI pointing out the many aspects of their body odor.
Hearing, though it had been a minor improvement, was something that contributed greatly to EDI's research into becoming an individual. Even as a disembodied presence, her hearing had allowed her to locate the source of sounds with great accuracy. However, now everything she could hear was always relative to her position, and as she moved around sounds would not only reveal their position to her, but also her own. Along with vision, it provided her with a certain perception of self. Always being at the center position relative to every sound she could detect and always seeing things from an angle that was unique to her current location was something exclusive to her newly acquired capability of movement.
The one enjoyment she still could not share with her fellow Normandy dwellers was food. Equipping a mobile platform such as hers with a system that could simulate feeding, even in the most basic manner, would have simply taken too much space—possibly detracting from more important systems. Not to mention the potential issues that could arise from internal insulation in order to handle the different states of the matter ingested. Doctor Eva Coré must have had resorted to some form of clever subterfuge in order to trick her scientist peers into believing she was perfectly organic, and not an artificial construct. However, EDI had been unable to retrieve any information related to that, since most of the infiltration programming in the personality core had been destroyed. Sexual intercourse, however, had been accounted for. EDI assumed it had been due to its potential as a deceit and information extracting tool.
One out of five was not a bad ratio, so she still was very satisfied with her body.
Of all the senses EDI had acquired with the mobile platform, touch had been the one that was a complete novelty. The time she spent familiarizing herself with the texture of everything within the Normandy had also been quite stressful for the other people on board. EDI had of course been quite clever about it, but her furtive touches did not go unnoticed by some, and only one of them had been eager to assist her in said task. Jeff. He had allowed the A.I. to explore every single inch of his body, although even he had become markedly less eager and even quite squeamish about certain areas. She had duly taken note of every single one.
EDI had developed a connection to the pilot that was deeper than with anybody else, and she preferred him above others for several reasons. Most prominently, his sense of humor and the level of companionship he displayed toward her. Even though it had taken longer for him to—as the human idiom said—warm up to her, once it had happened, Jeff was the only one to share his self with her to the extent he had. By almost every definition of the word in every language EDI knew, she and Jeff were close friends… perhaps even more.
After having experimented with the sense of touch within the set parameters of her body, the A.I. had felt compelled to push beyond those boundaries. Being able to sense the texture of things with more than sight was too fascinating not to. Soon enough, EDI learned that if she boosted the sensitivity of her skin to its very limit, she could feel the air as it shifted around her with the slightest movement of her body.
She also learned about the risk of doing it. If there were people around, the A.I. was able to feel even the vibrations of the sounds they made when talking or by merely walking close to her. The amount of data to process was so extensive, it hindered her mind from performing proper multitasking in order to keep the minimum amount of control over the ship's systems that was required to guarantee the safety of everyone on board. Such a thing was unacceptable to her, thus she had never taken that risk again. From then on, whenever she chose to test the limits of her senses, she always did it in complete isolation within the A.I. Core room. It became a meditation time of sorts.
Today, while docked in the Citadel for resupplying, EDI had been contacted by a former member of Shepard's team and offered the opportunity to sample the many textures that clothing articles could offer. Even though she had already worn clothes before, the standard Cerberus catsuit and Alliance-issue garments could not compare to what she was currently testing. Functionality was the primary goal of the design behind the clothes she had worn up to this point—even if the catsuit belied such a statement—and so they often strayed far from proper comfort and aesthetics.
EDI was currently wearing something she had never seen before, as was most of what the sizeable closet behind her contained. No one traveling in a space ship—particularly a military vessel—or living in space stations such as Omega and the Citadel ever wore such a thing as a sundress.
Taking the time to meticulously analyze the image presented in the full-body mirror before her, EDI slowly spun around on the tips of her feet. The fabric felt light on her body—barely weighing anything—and it allowed a high amount of air through, giving a sensation of freshness and freedom. Furthermore, if even she could appreciate how the piece of clothing favored her body features, she was certain that Jeff would be positively enthralled. While inert, the skirt of the dress drew attention to her calves, and it ended in a waist line that was obviously designed to accentuate the midriff area while it also made her legs appear longer than they actually were. When turning around, the skirt had a tendency to climb up, allowing a fair glimpse of her thighs. EDI was almost certain that given the cut of the fabric and its light weight, this was a deliberate feature of the garment. Though this posed some philosophical uncertainties, such as what intrinsic value should a dress obviously designed by males have for females, it also offered the opportunity to increase her level of physical attractiveness toward Jeff. This was an outcome she very much preferred.
Even if the relationship between them had thrived without the need of physical contact, and even if it had begun by merely reaching to each other through what was basically their minds alone, EDI knew that their unique bond could be strengthened further by her actually being there with Jeff. It was an intrinsic organic function to crave company, and though EDI was not certain about this, it seemed that the vast majority of people from every race favored a companion that was aesthetically pleasant to them. This truth was doubly so for Jeff. It was no secret that the human possessed an abnormal libido, and while many people were deterred by it, EDI was not.
Naturally, she could only speak from her own experience, and she was fine with that too. No individual could claim to do otherwise, not if they considered themselves as such. It was impossible to be detached from your own perception, and in her experience, Jeff had come to value her personality and intellect long before she had acquired a body. If after having acquired a body she could do something more to increase his attraction toward her, even better.
After the sundress, EDI was asked to don an ensemble consisting of a white cap-sleeved top and khaki capris that ended slightly above her ankles. This fabric was designed to be more form fitting, though not excessively so. To the A.I., it was as if the clothes were an attempt to display physical attributes while remaining demure in most situations. The lower hem of the shirt and the waist of the pants barely met, offering a teasing glimpse of her abdominal area when she moved a certain way. While these clothes did not possess interesting qualities such as a flowing skirt or a modest cleavage that drew attention to her rather ample chest while remaining tasteful, they gave the A.I. an air of normalcy. Barring the fact of her skin being a completely unnatural color with a glossy finish, she could see herself walking through the Presidium, blending in perfectly with the other passersby. It was something EDI could appreciate.
EDI continued experimenting with different combinations of clothes for the remainder of the Citadel day cycle. When the colors of the artificial sky began the transition from dark reds to blues and purples, she proposed trying one last outfit before returning to the Normandy. As with the other clothes before, her companion aided EDI in getting dressed and then slipped a few steps behind to allow her time and space in front of the mirror. The A.I. studied her body in excruciating detail, taking note of where the fabric stretched and where it creased, of how it took on a life of its own—as humans said—when it shaped around the contours of her body. This ensemble consisted of a loose long-sleeved white blouse that was tucked inside the waist of a black pencil skirt that ran snuggly down her thighs and ended just above her knees. It was quite a contrasting combination, with the blouse helping to bring some sobriety to the tight skirt, which left little to imagine as to the shape of what was underneath. EDI also noticed that due to its high waist and slim profile, the skirt gave her legs the illusion of being longer, and she appeared to be taller in general. As for the textures of the clothes, they were no different than many others she had already tried today.
Having committed every nuance of her reflection to memory, EDI turned around to look at her host inquisitively. "Should I locate you the next time we are on leave in the Citadel so we can play dress up again, Operative Lawson?"
The human's eyes widened for just a fraction of a second before her expression became composed once again. "How did you…" She trailed off. It was quite uncharacteristic to see the Ex-Cerberus Operative hesitate like this. Then again, she probably had not anticipated that EDI would have so much knowledge about the true reason behind her invitation to test clothing.
"Anyway," Lawson continued after slightly shaking her head. "Just call me Miranda, I think we're past formalities such as referring to me on a title and last name basis."
EDI stood ramrod straight with both hands linked behind her back, as she often found herself doing when faced with a serious or socially complex situation. "I appreciate the sentiment, Miranda."
With that, the A.I. turned around and began walking toward the door, but before crossing it, she stopped and looked over her shoulder toward the human. "So, until next time?" She offered a candid smile.
An almost imperceptible tinge of pink colored Miranda's cheeks, and she too offered a smile in return. "Yes, of course…" Her voice trailed off for a moment once more. "And EDI, please keep our dress up sessions between us for now."
"Do not worry, I only share these experiences with Mr. Moreau." EDI replied with a deadpan voice, and her face had become the very mask of solemnity.
Miranda's eyes grew very wide for an instant, and as she opened her mouth to say something, the A.I. interrupted her. "That was a joke."
The comment prompted a sigh of obvious relief from the human, and now satisfied that the evening they just shared had been a complete success, EDI left the apartment without further interaction.
While walking back to the Normandy, the A.I. contemplated the evening's events. When EDI had first arrived at Miranda's apartment, the human had been rather tense, her body movements slightly jumbled and stiff, and worry had been clear in her facial expression. After spending the evening trying clothes, her mien had become more relaxed and her disposition more positive. At the time, EDI had considered improper to press for answers, but that had not deterred her from forming her own hypotheses about the reasons behind the human's change in behavior.
Based on the information she had, EDI was almost certain that the entirety of Miranda's childhood had been spent meeting the demands of her father instead of experiencing something more in line with what was considered normal. After that, the human learned about the existence of her sister, Oriana. That, however, did not mean that Miranda would have company in her life. The elder sister had absconded with the younger in order to protect her from their father, and in a desire for Oriana to have a normal life—something Miranda never had—she had sent her younger sister away.
Thus, it was likely that Miranda Lawson craved the activities she never was allowed as a child, especially the sort that she had been denied to perform with her sister. EDI made a note to ask about it the next time they met. After all, the human had already given signs of acknowledging a degree of friendship between them, which meant that personal inquiries were very likely permitted.
Upon returning to the Normandy, she would endeavor to also improve Jeff's mood. She would model for him what her extranet search had defined as "the sexy secretary look", and perhaps even allow him to play with the strands that simulated hair on her head. EDI knew he enjoyed the activity very much.