Setting
She jumped in front him to steal his attention from whatever he might be doing, though in reality she was well aware he could focus on many things at once. She was just being a little obnoxious. "You just gotta promise you'll come, okay?" she added and thrust out a hand with a pinkie extended, for promising purposes. Whatever she had in mind, she seemed to be trying to get into his good books first by acting cute and little-sisterly.
She was still a bitch, though. Yeah, he did bad shit. Yeah, he'd stolen, beaten, and killed, people. But they were fleshies, as they'd called them. Deserving of every bit of it. Was his doings justified? Not likely. Did it matter? Not at all. He'd lost his life and was then donated to science only to be turned into a military device bent on war maneuvers and combat operations. Of course he was a pissed off, teenage, weapon of mass destruction now. The saying went "One reaps what they sew." That didn't change. Vengeance would always exist in the hearts and minds of mankind if wronged sourly enough.
So he'd earned his right to be a walking nexus of chaos and spite. Thankfully, his time on pseudo-ice had certainly offered up some changes upon waking up. He seemed a bit more grounded nowadays. More considerate of his sister. But just as he'd seemingly shifted in priorities, so had she.
The moment she'd bumped into him and called him out was when he'd snapped to attention. "H-huh? What? Oh. Yeah, I guess it is pretty lame, huh?" He softly questioned, not sure what they'd really been doing. Something fun? Like what? "What's to do? I don't think it'd be wise to stir up trouble this early already, Soph." He mentioned, glancing up and over toward the Arena itself. "Why'd you drag us out this way anyway? What's going on here today?" He asked. As she cut him off and stood in front of him, though, his brow rose. Studying her outstretched finger, he reluctantly reached out and hooked it with his own. "Fine, fine. As long as it ain't stupid. I'm down, though." He finished.
Despite the night priors altercation, he'd done his best to let it go. She was young, and he'd been gone awhile. It was all a lot to take in. Things were changing dramatically for her, or so he thought. Obviously that would kink her natural lifestyle some. At least that's what he'd assumed, and would treat it as. Letting it go was pry the best thing to do for now.
It was Aiya, of course it was, in the middle of a match with a mage of some sort. The mage was tossing fire about and Aiya seemed to be doing her best to fend it off with the metal of her gauntlets, running and dodging under the chain of flung fireballs and flameblasts. A blue blade of energy had emerged from the right gauntlet and was parting many of them and the speed she displayed was respectable, for a human, but a close eye could easily tell it was the work of her boots, letting her suddenly burst one way or the other to evade or even break through attacks. The occasionally visible crackle of energy also gave up the fact she had a shielding close to her skin.
"So um..." Sophie said as she leaned back into her seat, legs swinging idly, "I guess I kinda wanna tell you how I met Aiya."
But it shocked him to see Aiya down there in the midst of a battle. Or did it? Did it really surprise him that his sister would underhandedly find a way for him to have to deal with her yet again? Not at all. Was he going to lose his shit? Not just yet. He'd be a patient and as understanding as he could be for now. His eyes, nearly flawless despite his outdated parts, followed every move, every flinch, with ease as the two quarreled down below.
"Mmhm. Considering you've managed to drag me into her presence yet again, I don't see why not. Go for it." He mentioned, glancing at her from the corners of his eyes. He'd listen. He'd take in every word. He'd ponder on it. And in the end, he'd likely still find himself unaccepting of that woman. First encounters were everything. Are everything.
Aiya wasn't doing so well. Being a melee fighter against such an opponent was really slowing her down.
"And then one day they closed too. I was a robot by then so I didn't mind but I didn't know what to do. I was just standing outside trying to decide when Aiya came up and asked me if I was lost and... I guess she thought I needed to be looked after or something cause then she let me stay with her." Her voice was starting to perk up now, her mouth smiling just a little.
"Aiya's not so bad for a fleshie. I mean, she's got a robot telling her how to be better and she wears all those robot parts. It's like she doesn't even want to be human anyway so she's pretty much not..." the child android continued, as if rationalizing her decision and trying to argue her brother over. A sudden cry came from the crowd as Aiya caught a blast front on and was sent tumbling on the floor. Medics were on the field before she managed to move again and by then the victor was already declared.
"C'mon, fights over. Let's goooooo!" cheered Sophie optimistically as she lifted from her seat and spun in the air to face him, floating slowly away. He wasn't going to get a moments rest under her watchful eyes.
As she dove off again, he continued to ponder on what she'd said. So Aiya had taken her in, as he'd surmised. He was thankful for that much. But in the end, he still didn't like her. She'd treated him in an ill manner. He was a begrudging individual, that was certain. It would take an awful lot to sway him from his established attitude toward her. Coming to the conclusion that he'd remain civil for the time being, he eyed Aiya before his gaze shifted back toward Sophie in defeat. Before she could get too far ahead, he finally lifted from the ground and followed along behind.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Slow down..." He called out as he tagged along. Judging from the fight, she wasn't all that skilled. Or she just hadn't found her niche in regards to her skills. He couldn't tell quite yet. But above all else, he quelled a sigh as he came to the conclusion that he'd been defeated by his sister. Children, be they fleshy or not, could be manipulative little shits. She was no exception.
It wasn't long before she emerged with Aiya by her side, who was talking with a small smile on her face to the girl, until she reached the door and saw Alex. "What are you doing here?" she asked, though instead of sounding angry she just sounded more annoyed, like he was intruding. She looked a little worse for wear, her hair a mess and a couple of bruises over her body where she hit the ground too hard.
Sophie appeared to be staring between the pair with a small eager smile.
"I'm with my sister, Shrew. What does it look like? Why wouldn't I be here?" He exclaimed before dropping a hand to his hip, his other raising in a semi-shrugged gesture. "I'd ask why you're here, but it's evident that you were here to get put through the wringer..." He added with a sudden grin. Leaning forward a bit, almost in a cynical nature, he cupped a hand to his mouth in a mocking gesture. "You're supposed to land hits, not take them." He teased. For once, despite his mocking gesture, he was trying to be civil. It didn't mean he couldn't be somewhat of a critical jerk, though. "Anyway," He suddenly continued. "I'm here at the behest of my sister. She asked that I come along, though was very vague about where we were going, and why. She likely figured I wouldn't come along if I was aware...though she'd be wrong in that assumption." He shot Sophie a sudden glance at that point. "I'd have come along anyway. I might have been somewhat reluctant, but she is my sister...and I will make concessions if I really need to." He finished as he folded his arms across his chest at that point.
Glancing out of the corner of his eyes, though, toward Aiya, he studied her before, again, quelling a sigh so it couldn't be heard. "Great effort, though, in that match anyway..." He bit out, trying his hardest to live up to his sisters expectations of him. "Maybe next time with some hard work and practice..."
It was difficult to be cordial considering how she'd treated him, and he wasn't too expecting of similar behavior in return. But, again, his sister would, and would always be, the most important individual in his life. Rather than fight the current, he'd instead swim with it. Did it mean he'd forego his cruel ways toward sentient-kind? Certainly not. At the first moment he felt so, he'd lay waste to whatever district he felt deserving of his touch. He wasn't done unleashing all his pent up hatred for humanity. He wasn't sure he'd ever forgive them for what they'd done to him, or his sister. Maybe someday, but it wasn't going to be soon unless something miraculous were to happen.
"So. What's the plan?" He suddenly questioned. He had a bit of time to kill. He, nor his sister, had to eat, but considering she was a pesky fleshy, she'd likely find herself hungry after such an event as that. At least he would assume so. Either way, there were options. Snag her food and try to acclimate himself to her being around. Maybe. He could ditch them at any point, really, if he wanted...
Damn, it really sucked having to compromise.
Unfortunately Sophie was insistent, grabbing onto Alex's arms and giving a tug. "Come on, after Aiya's fights we always get ice cream," she said with growing excitement, then pulled one hand away to wag a finger and explain; "It's victory ice cream if she wins and its comfort ice cream if she loses. So far it's four to seven."
Aiya cringed at Sophie's frankness, but she didn't want to upset her. "Alright, let's go," she said with a roll of her eyes, willing to put up with Alex and his wry remarks just this once. Fortunately, nearby, there were plenty of stalls and stands selling the usual assortment of event-foods at high prices for crowds to snack on while they watched, and the ice cream one was nearby.
Glancing down at Sophie, he let his eyes fall shut for a moment and offered a mild shrug and a nod. "Fine. Ice cream it is." He mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. At that point, all he did was stew on things. Given to him magically? Did she not fucking understand what it cost to get stuck with what he had? Magically given to him. What a joke. They'd died. Were then science experiment toys for a morally corrupt, militarized, government. Of course, a smart individual likely would have called her out on the spot, but he didn't. She seemed like an every day female ponce in her twenties. All the answers, none of the understanding. Perhaps a step over a teenager, but still very much alike.
It was around this time, though, that he caught a few unruly stairs from folks that had taken notice of him. Sneering in return, he wasn't sure what all the gazes were about but it did dawn on him that his obnoxious, and heinous, actions the day prior had been chronicled on the news stations, and he'd been caught on video. It was almost a stupefied look that crossed his countenance then as he curiously wondered if the citizens actually watched the news...
He brushed it aside, though, for now. There wasn't anything a casual citizen could really do, save for contact authorities and considering what he was capable of, he didn't suspect anyone would have the gall to do such a thing. Best thing to do at that point was make his way toward the ice cream stall they'd suggested. The first one his eyes caught had been the destination as his lethargic steps carried him that way. "Given magically..." He suddenly commented rather quietly, mockingly...resentfully, though a chuckle followed.
By this time Sophie had abandoned Alex's hand and had her face pressed flush to the glass. "Can I get the rainbow one?" she asked, lifting her head up to beam to beam at Aiya.
"Two scoops?"
"Yeah!"
Aiya smiled and turned to the woman behind the stall. "Can we get one with two scoops of rainbow and one with one scoop of peppermint?" she asked patiently, then waited for the ice creams to be served up.
However, as Aiya was handing the ice cream over to Sophie, the server looked at Alex and offered, "Was there anything you wanted?"
She was young, though. It mattered. But still.
"Androids don't eat. At least I don't..." He finally added, burying his hands deeper into his pockets. He did miss the taste of food from time to time, and drink. One day. After he'd accomplished his goal of unloading all his pent up hatred, frustrations, and absolute anguish, upon the unsuspecting world around him. They needed to understand what came of turning unwilling, even if deceased, individuals into war machines. But it had to be done tactfully just as well. "Sorry." He finished, jerking his head to clear a few strands of synthetic tresses from in front of his eyes. With a glance over at Sophie his brow couldn't help but rise.
"I suppose you can actually eat that then, hm? Courtesy of Orion?" He inquired. That had to be the only logical reason. She'd been re-purposed into android, but considering the fact that it was by a different maker, that meant she likely was a far cry from anything he remembered. She likely had various other armaments then. She could likely be more dangerous than he was, in that case. Frightening notion. "I guess I'm the real loser today..." He finished, poking fun at himself for the fact that out of the three, he'd have to suffer without ice cream.