[Now that he can see, Nie Huaisang no longer needs an escort; he's a little uncomfortable being alone, true, given everything that's just happened, but... in a way, a little bit of quiet time is nice too. He hasn't been able to appreciate it lately, always a little on edge thanks to his sight loss.
He's looking over Nikki's profile plaque, at the moment, brow slightly furrowed as he inspects the images there.]
I didn't even know how you looked... it'll be a little late to make a portrait now, won't it-?
[When he realizes someone else is there, though, he blinks, fan covering his mouth as he turns-- and exhales a relieved little sigh. Good, someone who he doesn't think will yell at him for anything.]
[She'd meant to take a look at some of the other profiles, but the sound of her name gets Luna to turn her attention to the man next to her. Though she physically appears fine, her eyes are heavy with a sorrowful fatigue.]
Nie Huaisang, correct? [She offers a smile, gentle if not tired.]
I'm glad to see you have your sight back. I saw someone leading you around the trial yesterday.
It was difficult, but I'm... much better now, thank you.
[He gives her a slight bow, there, fan held close to himself; it looks new, definitely fancier than what he had before, with a round ornament dangling from the handle.]
Well- better in that sense, I really don't think any of us are doing well...
It really is... I don't think this is what any of us were expecting.
[understatement of the week! He looks troubled by the thought, shaking his head as his fan taps against his opposite hand.
He glances back to her at the question, though, eyes flicking between her and the fan before his expression softens a little.]
Despite... everything that's been happening here, I've found them all very accommodating-- it's nice to know that they're decent hosts, even if their master is not.
[well. he's still a little bit hesitant around luna just because she still looks terrifying and he still doesn't know what the hell a robot is! but he at least knows now that this is luna, so he makes his way to the lab, poking his head in first after waiting for any initial flutter of visiting activity to die down. he knows others are going to be concerned for her.]
Ah... miss Luna-? Are you... [feeling better? does she physically feel much right now? he genuinely doesn't know, so he settles for-] Are you awake?
[She's laid out on the table, her chest still open, parts whirring with the harsh smell of electrical smoke. But she'll turn her head slightly at hearing someone's voice.]
Nie Huaisang... that's you, right...
[Her voice still sounds off, tinny, extremely mechanical. But it's far more stable than it had been before.]
I'm sorry... my eyes aren't working properly right now. I... I can't tell where you are.
[ohhh boy he doesn't like this why is her chest OPEN how is this HAPPENING.
okay. he can do this. he edges a little closer.]
Can you tell by my voice...? I don't want to come too close, if it might, ah, interrupt... anything. I'm afraid I don't understand anything here at all.
It's okay. I was specifically built to appear completely human. Your reaction is... one I was expecting more of, to be honest.
I'm a GAULEM. A General Purpose Autonomous Labor Electronic Machine. Some people might call us "robots." We're machines that are meant to operate and replace some kind of task for a human, big or small.
I can attempt to explain it to you, if you would like? I don't know what exactly you are used to, in terms of machinery, but... I'm sure I can find some way to make it make sense.
An abacus is what we would call a type of calculator. It's a device, man-made, that assists a person in keeping track of numbers. It's still used in modern days, depending on the country, due to its ease.
As history goes on, man finds ways to make the abacus easier. Instead of having to move a bead with your hands, someone will find a way to craft metal into levers and gears, so that pressing certain levers will move the beads for you, that reaching the end of a row will automatically start a new row without any further action from your own hands. They'll find a way to associate numbers with those levers, and slowly make it a much easier task to do mathematics.
Eventually, they will learn how they can use the elements to their advantage. They will learn that certain elements of the earth can be heated, that wind and water and the burning of fire make energy that can be utilized and redirected, and that that energy can be applied to many things... including their new abacus. Eventually, man finds a way to make it as easy as possible - to construct something, just like any other tool, to make their life easier, but with far more knowledge than their predecessors. They find a way to make an advanced tool - a machine - to operate on its own, with very limited or no interaction from a person, outside making sure it is operating.
That's called automation - the science of something man made that can ultimately run on its own.
So it's... a creation that acts on its own, but it... has no spirit?
[his brow furrows, a little, and he's considering this carefully.]
I- really don't see how this would lead to something like you, though. We do have things that are animated in a similar way, but not in this sort of fashion.
In theory, yes. You're completely correct. We don't have spirits. Or, rather, we aren't supposed to.
Blue told me I have a soul, but I have had difficulty believing him. I'm just a very, very complicated manmade creation. For a lack of a better term, I'm the equivalent of billions and billions of abacuses worth of information, working on their own, just like how a human brain works. But... that's all I'm supposed to be. An item. Items aren't supposed to have souls.
I see. I suppose I meant more in concept. He's tried to explain it to me before. I feel like we came to understand one another rather quickly, due to our experiences.
Still, it seems that he operates with a large amount of free will. I'm not entirely able to do that. That's a little more complicated to explain, I'm afraid, but... I suppose you could equate it to someone being born a servant to a lord, where that relationship between the lower and the higher must stay separate. It's like that with robots and humans, in a way. It has to be. Because, like a disobedient servant, a robot who cannot obey is... untrustworthy. Dangerous, even.
I have a good deal of flexibility in more mundane decisions, but ultimately, I do have a system of Three Laws that I am required to follow above all else. You could consider it a type of extreme moral code, if you would like, though they are inherently a part of who I am. A robot without the Laws is just a jumble of materials with no direction. It doesn't serve a useful purpose.
[he doesn't- fully understand robotics at all, but he has at least understood she's been created, even if he still quietly thinks she must be a very complicated device that has definitely somehow been possessed or developed a spirit.
nie huaisang pauses for a few moments, there.]
If you wouldn't mind, I'm curious what these laws are, but-- ah, you reminded me I meant to ask you about something else, actually.
This may be a bit out of nowhere, I understand, but I do have my reasons for asking it.
[even so, he seems to be quiet for another few moments, considering just what he wants to say.]
I think you're most likely right about those helping us being unable to come out and say so, but I have no idea how far it extends. Still, I think it's worth asking, regardless of whether I'm wrong.
I had a suspicion about Phoenix for a while, it's true. But he was very, very tight lipped about everything, even until the end. It's why I originally suspected it might not be a case of trust, but rather of him being unable to speak for whatever reason that was presented. I... I felt horrible for him.
He truly was-- even Beau didn't seem to be aware of his position, and... well, I have a bit of a hard time believing he wouldn't have told her if he could, either.
They did seem very close. I can't say I knew from very much observation, though, but...
I just hope she doesn't blame him for his actions. Knowing Phoenix, I... I imagine that he would have told her whatever he could, were he able to do so safely.
I think that's why he kept that notebook so detailed. He wanted to make sure that, if he were to die and his rules were to no longer apply, that we could still benefit from everything he had to do, even without him present. I... I admire him a lot for that. For trying as hard as he could, despite whatever circumstance he was under.
I wouldn't know. I'm not entirely close with her, to be honest. It's why I hope someone who is can bridge the gap and make sure she has someone to speak to. I... I think she gets lonely.
[ah. he's talking about the break-in........
vietnam flashbacks to having to saw off akira's leg that week............. hahaha]
That week was intense, yes. I'm glad I had the help of the others. But I wouldn't call it unfair for myself. I was more concerned with making sure you were all okay, after all.
Ah... I suppose it would feel a little different for you, wouldn't it.
[being made for it isn't quite the same as just- being raised for something, or simply having the skill. he might not be anti-roomba, but he... will not argue this point with her.
he taps his fingers against his forearm, though, and his tone is- more fond, when he speaks again.]
And I believe she'll be all right. I don't think that sort of company is something she's lacking.
I suppose so. I would be the wrong person to ask, honestly. But at the very least, I don't hold resentment towards anyone for what I've had to do. It just... hurts to see any of you suffering. Even those that turn into monsters in the end. It's... hard to just watch.
[She catches that change in tone, and it warms her heart.]
You sound like you say that from experience.
I'm glad. I... I wish the two of has gotten along a little better. I always have a difficult time relating sometimes with people with more, um... forward personalities. But I do think she is very, very kind, and that she is far too quick to blame herself for things.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
w0, post execution
He's looking over Nikki's profile plaque, at the moment, brow slightly furrowed as he inspects the images there.]
I didn't even know how you looked... it'll be a little late to make a portrait now, won't it-?
[When he realizes someone else is there, though, he blinks, fan covering his mouth as he turns-- and exhales a relieved little sigh. Good, someone who he doesn't think will yell at him for anything.]
M-miss Luna.
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Nie Huaisang, correct? [She offers a smile, gentle if not tired.]
I'm glad to see you have your sight back. I saw someone leading you around the trial yesterday.
I can't imagine that was very easy for you.
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[He gives her a slight bow, there, fan held close to himself; it looks new, definitely fancier than what he had before, with a round ornament dangling from the handle.]
Well- better in that sense, I really don't think any of us are doing well...
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[TO PUT IT LIGHTLY
...
Her eyes flicker to the picture he's examining then to the glimmer of the ornament on his fan.]
I... don't remember you having than fan last we spoke. Did you get it from the staff?
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[understatement of the week! He looks troubled by the thought, shaking his head as his fan taps against his opposite hand.
He glances back to her at the question, though, eyes flicking between her and the fan before his expression softens a little.]
Despite... everything that's been happening here, I've found them all very accommodating-- it's nice to know that they're decent hosts, even if their master is not.
w5, saturday night
Ah... miss Luna-? Are you... [feeling better? does she physically feel much right now? he genuinely doesn't know, so he settles for-] Are you awake?
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Nie Huaisang... that's you, right...
[Her voice still sounds off, tinny, extremely mechanical. But it's far more stable than it had been before.]
I'm sorry... my eyes aren't working properly right now. I... I can't tell where you are.
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[ohhh boy he doesn't like this why is her chest OPEN how is this HAPPENING.
okay. he can do this. he edges a little closer.]
Can you tell by my voice...? I don't want to come too close, if it might, ah, interrupt... anything. I'm afraid I don't understand anything here at all.
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Yes, your voice is familiar enough. I'm glad I guessed correctly.
Don't worry. Just, um... don't touch anything, and I think you'll be okay.
...You're not from a time that has advanced technology, are you? This must be frightening for you.
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[no one has explained robots to him and there are two here.]
But I'll be cautious. I've tried not to touch things this week, if I can help it.
[he's doing his best to not drip goo on the floor, either.]
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I'm a GAULEM. A General Purpose Autonomous Labor Electronic Machine. Some people might call us "robots." We're machines that are meant to operate and replace some kind of task for a human, big or small.
I can attempt to explain it to you, if you would like? I don't know what exactly you are used to, in terms of machinery, but... I'm sure I can find some way to make it make sense.
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[he's VERY ye olde, luna, so good luck.]
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Ah. Let's see if I can place it, then. Um...
Could you tell me where you come from, and what era it is from what you last remember?
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[he's learned this, at least.]
But I don't... believe I can answer your second question. I don't know how to convert it to what others have used.
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Are you familiar with the abacus?
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[there's a starting point, at least!]
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As history goes on, man finds ways to make the abacus easier. Instead of having to move a bead with your hands, someone will find a way to craft metal into levers and gears, so that pressing certain levers will move the beads for you, that reaching the end of a row will automatically start a new row without any further action from your own hands. They'll find a way to associate numbers with those levers, and slowly make it a much easier task to do mathematics.
Eventually, they will learn how they can use the elements to their advantage. They will learn that certain elements of the earth can be heated, that wind and water and the burning of fire make energy that can be utilized and redirected, and that that energy can be applied to many things... including their new abacus. Eventually, man finds a way to make it as easy as possible - to construct something, just like any other tool, to make their life easier, but with far more knowledge than their predecessors. They find a way to make an advanced tool - a machine - to operate on its own, with very limited or no interaction from a person, outside making sure it is operating.
That's called automation - the science of something man made that can ultimately run on its own.
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[his brow furrows, a little, and he's considering this carefully.]
I- really don't see how this would lead to something like you, though. We do have things that are animated in a similar way, but not in this sort of fashion.
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Blue told me I have a soul, but I have had difficulty believing him. I'm just a very, very complicated manmade creation. For a lack of a better term, I'm the equivalent of billions and billions of abacuses worth of information, working on their own, just like how a human brain works. But... that's all I'm supposed to be. An item. Items aren't supposed to have souls.
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[his head tilts slightly at that.]
The sabers my Sect uses all have spirits of their own, and a weapon is much simpler in form than something as complicated as you are.
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Still, it seems that he operates with a large amount of free will. I'm not entirely able to do that. That's a little more complicated to explain, I'm afraid, but... I suppose you could equate it to someone being born a servant to a lord, where that relationship between the lower and the higher must stay separate. It's like that with robots and humans, in a way. It has to be. Because, like a disobedient servant, a robot who cannot obey is... untrustworthy. Dangerous, even.
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[a little shake of his head, there.]
So there are things you're still unable to do, even here...?
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I have a good deal of flexibility in more mundane decisions, but ultimately, I do have a system of Three Laws that I am required to follow above all else. You could consider it a type of extreme moral code, if you would like, though they are inherently a part of who I am. A robot without the Laws is just a jumble of materials with no direction. It doesn't serve a useful purpose.
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[he doesn't- fully understand robotics at all, but he has at least understood she's been created, even if he still quietly thinks she must be a very complicated device that has definitely somehow been possessed or developed a spirit.
nie huaisang pauses for a few moments, there.]
If you wouldn't mind, I'm curious what these laws are, but-- ah, you reminded me I meant to ask you about something else, actually.
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Of course. We can always speak on it another time. I don't mind.
If you have a question, I would rather answer that for you, regardless.
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[even so, he seems to be quiet for another few moments, considering just what he wants to say.]
I think you're most likely right about those helping us being unable to come out and say so, but I have no idea how far it extends. Still, I think it's worth asking, regardless of whether I'm wrong.
Miss Luna, have you been one of them?
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I'm glad to hear my idea made sense to someone, at least.
No. I'm sorry, Nie Huaisang, but I'm afraid I'm not one of the ones who composes the notes.
I... I hope they find a way to communicate further, though.
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[a slight shake of his head.]
Well, I'll continue keeping an ear out, then.
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[but then he may just be biased toward beau.]
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I just hope she doesn't blame him for his actions. Knowing Phoenix, I... I imagine that he would have told her whatever he could, were he able to do so safely.
I think that's why he kept that notebook so detailed. He wanted to make sure that, if he were to die and his rules were to no longer apply, that we could still benefit from everything he had to do, even without him present. I... I admire him a lot for that. For trying as hard as he could, despite whatever circumstance he was under.
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[a slight smile, there. she's not really that type.]
It's certainly admirable, but you've been working hard as well, haven't you? We've all kept you busy-- a little unfairly so, I'd think.
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[At his other remarks, though, she pauses, as though surprised.]
Why would you call it unfair?
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[but, well, all he needs to say to answer her last question is:]
Eight of us at once was more than any individual has enough hands for.
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[ah. he's talking about the break-in........
vietnam flashbacks to having to saw off akira's leg that week............. hahaha]
That week was intense, yes. I'm glad I had the help of the others. But I wouldn't call it unfair for myself. I was more concerned with making sure you were all okay, after all.
It's what I'm built for.
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[being made for it isn't quite the same as just- being raised for something, or simply having the skill. he might not be anti-roomba, but he... will not argue this point with her.
he taps his fingers against his forearm, though, and his tone is- more fond, when he speaks again.]
And I believe she'll be all right. I don't think that sort of company is something she's lacking.
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[She catches that change in tone, and it warms her heart.]
You sound like you say that from experience.
I'm glad. I... I wish the two of has gotten along a little better. I always have a difficult time relating sometimes with people with more, um... forward personalities. But I do think she is very, very kind, and that she is far too quick to blame herself for things.
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[a soft hum, there.]
But you aren't wrong. She's certainly kinder than several I know, and she's been working hard to try to help learn how to put an end to all of this.