[ that's a normal reaction. who wants to be followed normally? ]
Better to try than regret not trying, right?
[ she notes the robotic hand but makes no comment. ]
I wouldn't have minded if you still wanted to use your skateboard, but thanks for your consideration. You know how to treat beautiful girls right, huh?
It's fine. Pretty sure it's going to get more uneven further ahead anyway. [ he kind of lifts an eyebrow at that, but there's a brief huff. ] I feel like no matter how I answer that it's going to be a trap.
You wouldn't be the first. [ mildly, almost like it's a joke. he's had some time to grow a little less paranoid (probably more time than anybody on this side suspects), but nevertheless.
his eyes roll up a little as if he can see his own halo, but given it's behind him obviously he cannot. ]
Not sure that was on purpose, but then again I'm not surprised. [ he is not a moron though, so he is picking up on what she's implying. ] I didn't know they would be here. And I don't think they knew I was here either.
Not a funny one, and I like to keep things light for first meetings. [ that is also a joke, but more of one than the first. he can appreciate that she's not actually pushing because some people do, and he knows they mean well, but also. a.
this subject is a little easier to address now though. ]
We were all supposed to meet before the rest of you got here, but because our transportation route got disconnected we've been separated since. [ as for the rest: ] Gamaliel and Ramiel are sisters. [ the way he says this is nothing short of bemused, but this is still correct. and he thinks about how to describe how he knows them himself. ]
... how much do you know about either of them, exactly? [ it has no real bearing on what he tells her, but he's trying to understand how much about technology she might know given her... everything. ]
[ it was a trap all along. at least it's a mostly innocent one.
that they're sisters gets a flicker of surprise, but it goes away quickly. there are stranger things, and sisters can come from a great many things and places. ]
Not too much. Mostly, I tried to get to know what they liked, more than their history. That was going to be next, but....
[ he doesn't seem to mind that answer, and there's a faint smile because it's kind of nice people tried to actually talk to them. he can appreciate that. but right. she's here now, so. ]
I... created Ramiel. Not that body, pretty sure she did that herself after I died, but before. She was the result of solving a problem I needed to fix to try and help Gamaliel's dad. [ let's start there first, and then we can go back to gams. ]
A CI. Created Intelligence. Or Cloud Intelligence. She was the first of her kind, made from pieces of two UIs. She was initially made as a cure for UIs who were created with a flaw in their system. [ there's a slightly amused look. ] Her having her own consciousness wasn't exactly the plan, but guess I overshot it.
Yes. [ he doesn't even sound embarrassed or proud of that fact? he says it like it's a fact, like he's known he's a genius his entire life. ] Guess you could say making her was my life's work. It was a cure the smartest man in the world couldn't even solve before he died.
[ this, however, is a blip of loathing in his emotions, but also arrogance because fuck that guy in particular. ]
[ there's a pause, like he's deciding just how much of the truth he feels like telling her. he settles on telling her the more broad, relevant piece and not his own personal beef with this guy. ]
Used the code I created to have himself uploaded without the original flaw and created a plan to kill millions of people to force them to do the same to rule over them as their sovereign. [ you know. very normal things. ] Gamaliel and Ramiel were with me for that, too.
It's been a while since then, but Gamaliel and I were still trying to figure out how to make it work again before I accepted the job here. And I guess she accepted the job after me? [ unclear. he had no idea until opening weekend. ]
[ why are the emotions suddenly a little guilty and also a little annoyed (not at her) ]
No, I died. She knew that I had to in order to upload, and then... I was erased after that. Ramiel managed to pull me out and spent twenty years trying to remove the pieces of the antiviral from me, but she ran out of time and had to wake me up before it was too late. She needed me for something, and I knew that overclocking to catch up on the missed time would probably eliminate the time I had left, but I didn't have another option. I made the choice.
[ it was just harder after the fact because he saw gamaliel again and realized he really was going to die on her twice. this is about the point he realizes that's not even really what elysia was referencing in terms of when he might've left gams on read. ]
I don't know how, exactly, she did it but she brought me back again a while later. And we were working stuff out and... I didn't think she'd notice if I was gone for a few months. That's barely anything to us anymore.
[ she's not as gungho about romance as yves or koharu are, but when things read as romantic to her, she'll note it.
she does understand having to make a choice to leave, having no other option but to. she understands that all too well. ]
I can't speak for her, and I don't know how she feels about it, but I would have liked to know. Even if a few months is a drop in the ocean that's your sense of time, if I loved you, I would have liked to know.
[ she smiles. ]
At least now you two can continue to work it out now, right? Once we can connect more.
It's complicated. I don't think she would have been able to if she didn't know it'd work out. There was only one specific time, in one specific place, where she was alive, I could be alive, and our son would be alive. But maybe it is romantic to want to still be with me after all of this when I still think she deserved better.
[ and yet someone really tried to tell her he was dead again and she went "he's not getting off that easy" before yanking him into the correct timeline. it's fine. ]
Are we ignoring the part where she and Ramiel also said yes to the job without telling me? [ bemused. ] But I know. I should have. Maybe then we would've connected the sides sooner. My goal is to make everything's stable to return you to that side when your souls are healed. My relationship with Maddie's secondary.
[ first of all, no it's not, he's lowkey chomping at the walls to get back over there. second of all, does not register he just gave her actual name instead but whatever. ]
[ she's happy to get all this. thank you for the name and for the details that tell her just how romantic it is. at least she can be mostly normal about it. she smiles. ]
I'm weak to cute girls.
[ she'll cop to a double standard. ]
But if it could only one specific time, one specific place, that says more than enough. Why do so much, if she didn't want to try? If she didn't think you were worth it? I would appreciate it if someone like her said she still wanted to be with me even after leaving them not once but twice.
I think you can make both your goal at the same level. We're important. You're important. Your relationship is important. I don't think we need to rank it when it's possible to do all of them.
[ is there any foundation for her confidence or optimism? maybe not, but it's here. ]
That... makes two of us. [ listen, he's fine to admit that? of course he's weak to cute girls, look at his wife. ] But good to know where I stand in all of this.
[ ... ]
... Maddie's lost a lot of people in her life. She would've done probably anything to save all of us if she could. And... even if we might start over again, maybe we'll have a better shot this time.
[ he doesn't say anything for a second as he contemplates. ]
You don't think half the people in this place would get mad if I shifted some of my priorities around? Maybe they don't need to be ranked, but actually acknowledging it is different. I do think solving one will lead to solving the others though. And as nice as it is to see you, I never wanted you here. Or any of you. We were meant to be emergency back-up. And now it's almost a given the balance is going to change.
[ this is mostly kiraman once again taking on full responsibility for something and doubling down on his focus. ]
There's always hope if you have a future, if you get a second chance. If you're both willing to try and it's what you both want, why wouldn't it work out? It might not be easy, but from speaking to the both of you, you're both determined enough to accomplish it.
[ what with all the timelines and dying and coming back to life and dying and coming back to life. she gets it. she just wants better for them both. ]
I don't think you're the type to abandon your duty since you just told me how you chose to leave to do what you knew was right for the greater good. That's why I felt it was okay to say that to you. I know I haven't known you long, but it's a feeling I have after talking to you. You're always there monitoring and giving us information when you can.
It feels more to me like you'd abandon your chance at love for your duty first, so I think it's okay if this balance shifts a little, too. We're all here to offer what help we can. You're not alone in shouldering all the responsibility even if what we can do is limited.
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Better to try than regret not trying, right?
[ she notes the robotic hand but makes no comment. ]
I wouldn't have minded if you still wanted to use your skateboard, but thanks for your consideration. You know how to treat beautiful girls right, huh?
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It's fine. Pretty sure it's going to get more uneven further ahead anyway. [ he kind of lifts an eyebrow at that, but there's a brief huff. ] I feel like no matter how I answer that it's going to be a trap.
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Aww, you're going to break my heart by thinking I'd set a trap for you.
[ her expression and her emotions do not reflect any heartbrokenness. she gestures to his halo. ]
I thought your halo looked a little similar to some others I saw, and Lailah hinted that what I was thinking might not be wrong.
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his eyes roll up a little as if he can see his own halo, but given it's behind him obviously he cannot. ]
Not sure that was on purpose, but then again I'm not surprised. [ he is not a moron though, so he is picking up on what she's implying. ] I didn't know they would be here. And I don't think they knew I was here either.
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[ but it's not in a tone that she'd push it, at least not today. she's more curious about his relationship with the other guardian angels. ]
It's a surprise for all of you, huh? How did you know each other before here?
[ when they were alive? ]
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this subject is a little easier to address now though. ]
We were all supposed to meet before the rest of you got here, but because our transportation route got disconnected we've been separated since. [ as for the rest: ] Gamaliel and Ramiel are sisters. [ the way he says this is nothing short of bemused, but this is still correct. and he thinks about how to describe how he knows them himself. ]
... how much do you know about either of them, exactly? [ it has no real bearing on what he tells her, but he's trying to understand how much about technology she might know given her... everything. ]
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[ it was a trap all along. at least it's a mostly innocent one.
that they're sisters gets a flicker of surprise, but it goes away quickly. there are stranger things, and sisters can come from a great many things and places. ]
Not too much. Mostly, I tried to get to know what they liked, more than their history. That was going to be next, but....
[ she's here now. ]
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[ he doesn't seem to mind that answer, and there's a faint smile because it's kind of nice people tried to actually talk to them. he can appreciate that. but right. she's here now, so. ]
I... created Ramiel. Not that body, pretty sure she did that herself after I died, but before. She was the result of solving a problem I needed to fix to try and help Gamaliel's dad. [ let's start there first, and then we can go back to gams. ]
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[ a guess based on seeing him be tech-y with the live stream yesterday. ]
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[ and now we have ramiel. ]
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she's not the most tech savvy, but she gets it enough. it correlates enough to her own everything. ]
You're the type that people call a genius, huh?
[ she's more amused than impressed, but she is impressed. ]
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Yes. [ he doesn't even sound embarrassed or proud of that fact? he says it like it's a fact, like he's known he's a genius his entire life. ] Guess you could say making her was my life's work. It was a cure the smartest man in the world couldn't even solve before he died.
[ this, however, is a blip of loathing in his emotions, but also arrogance because fuck that guy in particular. ]
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You're proud of beating this man. Or at least satisfied with it. What did he do?
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Used the code I created to have himself uploaded without the original flaw and created a plan to kill millions of people to force them to do the same to rule over them as their sovereign. [ you know. very normal things. ] Gamaliel and Ramiel were with me for that, too.
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Oh, a megalomaniac. Did he die.... in both ways? If he was uploaded.
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I made sure of it. [ and finally, he loops back to the other half. ] Even though it meant leaving my girlfriend behind.
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Girlfriend?
[ she looks from him, to his halo, to the direction a screen to the living could be.
she looks back to him. her vibes are, am i making the right assumption? ]
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It's been a while since then, but Gamaliel and I were still trying to figure out how to make it work again before I accepted the job here. And I guess she accepted the job after me? [ unclear. he had no idea until opening weekend. ]
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[ is this what she's hearing? ]
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No, I died. She knew that I had to in order to upload, and then... I was erased after that. Ramiel managed to pull me out and spent twenty years trying to remove the pieces of the antiviral from me, but she ran out of time and had to wake me up before it was too late. She needed me for something, and I knew that overclocking to catch up on the missed time would probably eliminate the time I had left, but I didn't have another option. I made the choice.
[ it was just harder after the fact because he saw gamaliel again and realized he really was going to die on her twice. this is about the point he realizes that's not even really what elysia was referencing in terms of when he might've left gams on read. ]
I don't know how, exactly, she did it but she brought me back again a while later. And we were working stuff out and... I didn't think she'd notice if I was gone for a few months. That's barely anything to us anymore.
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[ she's not as gungho about romance as yves or koharu are, but when things read as romantic to her, she'll note it.
she does understand having to make a choice to leave, having no other option but to. she understands that all too well. ]
I can't speak for her, and I don't know how she feels about it, but I would have liked to know. Even if a few months is a drop in the ocean that's your sense of time, if I loved you, I would have liked to know.
[ she smiles. ]
At least now you two can continue to work it out now, right? Once we can connect more.
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[ and yet someone really tried to tell her he was dead again and she went "he's not getting off that easy" before yanking him into the correct timeline. it's fine. ]
Are we ignoring the part where she and Ramiel also said yes to the job without telling me? [ bemused. ] But I know. I should have. Maybe then we would've connected the sides sooner. My goal is to make everything's stable to return you to that side when your souls are healed. My relationship with Maddie's secondary.
[ first of all, no it's not, he's lowkey chomping at the walls to get back over there. second of all, does not register he just gave her actual name instead but whatever. ]
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I'm weak to cute girls.
[ she'll cop to a double standard. ]
But if it could only one specific time, one specific place, that says more than enough. Why do so much, if she didn't want to try? If she didn't think you were worth it? I would appreciate it if someone like her said she still wanted to be with me even after leaving them not once but twice.
I think you can make both your goal at the same level. We're important. You're important. Your relationship is important. I don't think we need to rank it when it's possible to do all of them.
[ is there any foundation for her confidence or optimism? maybe not, but it's here. ]
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[ ... ]
... Maddie's lost a lot of people in her life. She would've done probably anything to save all of us if she could. And... even if we might start over again, maybe we'll have a better shot this time.
[ he doesn't say anything for a second as he contemplates. ]
You don't think half the people in this place would get mad if I shifted some of my priorities around? Maybe they don't need to be ranked, but actually acknowledging it is different. I do think solving one will lead to solving the others though. And as nice as it is to see you, I never wanted you here. Or any of you. We were meant to be emergency back-up. And now it's almost a given the balance is going to change.
[ this is mostly kiraman once again taking on full responsibility for something and doubling down on his focus. ]
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[ what with all the timelines and dying and coming back to life and dying and coming back to life. she gets it. she just wants better for them both. ]
I don't think you're the type to abandon your duty since you just told me how you chose to leave to do what you knew was right for the greater good. That's why I felt it was okay to say that to you. I know I haven't known you long, but it's a feeling I have after talking to you. You're always there monitoring and giving us information when you can.
It feels more to me like you'd abandon your chance at love for your duty first, so I think it's okay if this balance shifts a little, too. We're all here to offer what help we can. You're not alone in shouldering all the responsibility even if what we can do is limited.
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