The Arena Outskirts

The hour was drifting nearer to 10AM when Sophie suddenly and mysteriously decided to be a pest and friendly all at once. "Heeeeey Aleeeex..." she said in a sickly sweet sing-song voice as she wandered from one of his sides to the other and bumped against him, "It's boring here. D'you wanna go do something fun?"

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.

There wasn't much to be done at the moment. How she'd managed to drag him out of their apartment and to here, of all places, baffled him. How things had gone the night prior was a testament to how his reemergence into the world may have been something ill-fated. He'd spent the night prior stewing on what had happened, their words, and what had all gone down. She was eleven, though, with the psychological mindset of someone likely a few years older now. Rebellious teenage years. But he had, also, been a cold, limp, bunch of steel for just as many years; disconnected from the world around him, he wasn't sure what all had happened. Perhaps Aiya had really raised her in his steed.

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.

A smirk crossed Sophie's face at her brothers promise and she shot off into the air with the elated cry of, "C'mon then, try to keep up!" thought doing so wouldn't be a challenge. Her arc took her streaking like a rocket, hurtling over the arena and then down into the seats of the stands, away from other people. She planted her hands next to her thighs as she sat and leaned forward to watch what was going on down below.

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."

Call it a sense of lethargy, but as Alex took off into the air, he seemingly trailed some behind her. Was he really tired? Not at all. It was impossible, really. Was he mentally worn? A bit considering where his mind really was. He was likely on a form of autopilot as he followed behind her, at her heels and trailing some. As he landed a few steps away, he glanced around and saw the vast array of individuals sat comfortably in their folding cushions, or some on the raw seats themselves. Eugh. The Arena. Another testament to mankind's insufferable, feral, need for some form of absurd amusement.

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.

Sophie's legs slowed in their swinging until they came to a halt. "Well um... When you went missing, I kept hunting the vampire guy and his friends and one of them used some stupid magic trick and turned me into a human." She would have shuddered if her body allowed it, or at least been dry in the mouth. Her head turned to her brother before she continued. "But I didn't want to be human so I found some fleshies that would make me a robot again and I ended up with Orion Industries," she said before looking back towards the fight below.

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.

Reflecting on her words, Alex pondered on her situation. She'd been turned into a human by that pathetic wretch of a creature? The thought of it was sickening, but at the same time...quite the opposite. While initially there was detest, there was instead regret. Not regret that it had happened, but regret that she had actually sought out a way to return to what she was now. Little did she know, but despite all of Alex's animosity toward humanity, and sentient-life in general, he was desperately seeking a method to return them to flesh and bone. Truth had it that their lives were over, fate had deemed them finished, but even in the face of such adversity...he wanted to live on, her most of all. To think she'd managed to attain such a thing and instead gave it up to return to artificial life was depressing.

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.

Slow down? Not a chance! Sophie was off like a very slow rocket in an arc that took her down into the arena walls and over the heads of the crowds, who didn't approve of such a thing but she didn't care! She headed straight for the locker room, landing in front of it and turning around with her hands up. "Wait here," she said to Alex, then darted inside.

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.

Eyeing his sister for a moment as she displayed such a gleeful look, he couldn't help but narrow his brows in mild irritation, perhaps suspicion. Not so much at her, but instead in regards to the situation. It was telling that rather than immediately retort to what Aiya had said, his eyes instead found his sister. They lingered on her for a moment, artificial orbs studying her with numerous readouts, and other visual themes, apparent within them. Eventually, though, they fell upon Aiya.

"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.

There was a shuffle from Aiya as she stared on with tired impatience and a slight hip-cock, adjusting the strap of her bag that carried all of her equipment. "Well some of us have to work hard to get the things that we want. We don't all just magically get given them," she stabbed back at him, probably the closest thing she had to spite at the time, "So you've come... Now can you go? This is my time with Sophie." She really didn't want to deal with this right now. She really did outright dislike Alex, now that she wasn't on the edge of fearing him. He seemed like a teenage brat

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.

His silence was deafening as he stood there and took the brunt of what Aiya had to offer. Surprisingly, he managed a rather calm exterior, but on the inside his circuits were, in a manner of speaking, overheating. It was hard enough to bite his tongue and act rational, and well mannered. If she didn't cut her shit, though, he wouldn't hesitate to wrench her head off by her hair and then beat her lifeless body with her head. He didn't tolerate humans as is. She was a privileged exception to the rule alone at the behest of his sister. "Your time? Right..." He bit out, though, unable to suppress everything entirely.

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.

Aiya did her best to put him out of her mind, wandering over to the ice cream stand and fetching her wallet. "What flavour do you want today?" she asked Sophie.

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?"

Since when was Sophie capable of actually eating food? He pondered on that for the briefest of moments before he snapped to attention. "No. I'm good..." He chimed out without a moments hesitation. There wasn't anything he needed, or wanted, at the moment...save for some peace. Some time to gather his thoughts and plan his coming steps. Planning was to be had. There had to be a way to restore himself, though if Sophie had taken the efforts to return to being what they were...well that'd put a kink in things. He'd come to understand she was the most backwards child he'd ever seen. She seemingly favored Aiya over him, her own blood. She'd given up humanity, something ripped from her in the first place, only to become a droid again.

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.

Prince Niku III has arrived, coming from Wing City Gardens (South).

Prince Niku III has left the area, heading east into Wing City Gardens (South).

Tento Flare has arrived, coming from Wing City Gardens (South).

Tento Flare has left the area, heading down into The Arena Lobby.

Tento Flare has arrived, coming from The Arena Lobby.

Tento Flare has left the area, heading west into Reverie Tower.

Suddenly, a swirling vortex appears to the in. You can see something appear in that direction.

Lewis Stockton has arrived, coming from Wing City Gardens (West).

Lewis Stockton has left the area, heading south towards Wing City Plaza.