A New Purpose //OPEN//

Awakening from his 6 month slumber in Standby Mode, Phalanx was restless. Having moved on from his previous duty as a guardian for a human, Phalanx had put himself in sleep-mode for a long while, to remain hidden from his creators. He had put the timer on precisely 6 months, and rebooting now felt like waking up from a long slumber. His joints felt stiff, and he moved around sluggishly at first, getting used to walking again. His trusty lance still hung on his back, just like he'd left it.

Phalanx was looking for a new purpose. He obviously did not want to go back to that god-forsaken lab again. He'd just be forced to go through more testing... So, he started wandering around Standasen, in an attempt at finding some sort of new purpose.

"Tch.... This won't do... I can't just wander around forever...". Lost in thought, Phalanx didn't even notice that it started getting darker. "What am I supposed to do?". It was more of rethorical question than anything else. He didn't actually expect anyone to answer...

Standasen was a strange rundown place that would make those of the upper class tilt their noses up in disgust at what was seen; however, to the tall young woman who walked among the old roads with a satchel over her shoulder and black headphones over her ears, this old, shady and run down place felt just like home. As she walked, a few guys would whistle at her in her skinny jeans and boots and a nice tailored shirt that had just enough of a v in the neck to reveal what was underneath slightly. A tease to the lustful dogs that whistled and called out to her as she swayed by; however, Sky was not here to flirt as she gave the dogs that barked and cursed the cold shoulder as she kept moving. She was here on a particular mission that involved gaining more data on the rifts and look for more ways into that world beyond that would perhaps help her change the boring one she lived in to something exciting and perfect.

These dogs would soon know who they were dealing with. Learn their place under her heel, but for now, she would let them bark and drool like the fools they were. They would all get what they deserved in time. Keeping a steady pace, Sky kept walking moving out of the residential area and out into the more open roads of the area. She would trail along, passing a mix of old and new buildings and things that was such a jumbled mess that trying to find the good stuff in the mess would take some time; however, much like the men she had left behind, Sky was not here for collecting items of that nature either. No she was here for something of the supernatural variety: the rips in reality.

She had seen a few around town, but too many on lookers had been around for her to sit and analyze the beauties like she wanted to, so she kept walking going off the well traveled path as she headed away from town and towards the lonely beaches of the area.

As she walked the sky began to darken as light sunk behind the horizon and the moon began to rise with its Cheshire like grin. When she reached the quiet shores, she paused at the edge of water choked grass and seaweed caked sands to enjoy the cold breeze and the soft whispers of waves as she slide the headphones off her ears and let them rest across her shoulders. Ah yes, this was the place to do research provided she didn't have to go too far to find what she was looking for. She didn't exactly want to go near the docks. Officers and boats appeared to be there, but on the other end, it seemed were fishing businesses. Neither type of folk was fun to deal with.

So deciding to avoid hassle, Sky took a deep breath of the salty air before making her way down towards the water line to make her search. As she neared the water, she would pause to take off her shoes and socks. Stuffing the socks into the shoes, Sky would hold them over her arm as she walked closer to the water and let the icy waters cover her bare white feet.

She didn't mind as she began to walk along the water's edge her eyes scanning the beauty in this strange place full of potential. She would walk semi-lost in thought pausing when she saw a figure moving up ahead.

Hmmm?

This one appeared to be a teen dressed in odd clothing that did not exactly fit in with the norm here. Was he perhaps a wanderer from another island like herself? Hmm…it was hard to say. He was walking, but he didn't seem to be going anywhere. Was he lost then?

Curious as to what she had found, the young woman moved to catch up with the wanderer. When she was close, she could’ve sworn she heard the male ask a question and so paused where she was as she spoke up over the waves.

“How about starting with a hello and a name?” she asked as she settled easily in her spot in the waves with shoes in across one arm and satchel on the on the opposite hip. To look at her under the moonlight standing in the water one would think the pale smirking lady was a ghost, but the more calmer and logical would see she was not.

"Hm...?" Phalanx turned around. Had someone spoken to him? And indeed there was someone there. The person in question was a tall, young woman. She was quite pale, and due to the dim luminesence from the moon, she could've easily been mistaken for a ghost. But Phalanx knew better. She was definatley a living, breathing human. He scanned her face, and ran it through his data-banks, trying to find a match... Phalanx was a bit suprised to find that there was none. Then again, his databanks hasn't been updated in over 3 years.

"A Name, huh...?" Phalanx mumbled. "I'm the last remaining Anti-Shadow Supression Weapon Mark VIII "Phalanx"..." He shrugged. There was no reason to hold back on that information. If she worked for his creators, he would've known the instant he scanned her. "And who might you be?" He asked, staring her directly in the eyes.

This woman intrigued him... Why did she approach him in the first place? Did she eavesdrop on him earlier? These were questions that swirled around in Phalanx's head. "Why are you here?" He asked bluntly. This was indeed a very strange place to meet up with someone with her "looks". Like himself, they both stood out like two black sheep among ten white ones. Not that it bothered him that much. He just ignored the strange and suspicious looks people had been giving him all day. No-one had actually wanted, or perhaps even dared, to approach him. As long as they weren't hostile, Phalanx couldn't care less about what people thought about him. Who would want to involve themselves personally with a Robot anyway?

Her words had reached the young man ahead of her. He had stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. She let him scan her, looking into those strange eyes of his before her eyes wandered over his regular looking form. He was a cutie, but there was something about him that was just off, but what it was Sky was not sure. When the strange wanderer spoke some time later, Sky tilted her head lightly to the right as she listened to what the other had to say.

“Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon? What on earth is that?” she asked in curious tones as she took a step closer to this strange man. As she moved to where she could circle him at a safe range, she would answer his question as she moved around him at a causal pace.

“Sky Akumura. A wandering collector of a sort,” she would say as she examined the other up and down taking notes in her head. He seemed human enough, but his words and his eyes suggested something else was beneath the appearance. Stopping before him once more, she looked up at the other before her with a light smile on her red lips.

Intriguing. The contradictions displayed in his appearance, eyes and manner of speech. She was in the process of forming her own question when the other spoke up first asking for her reasons of being at this beach. To this the girl, smirked as she looked away from the other and waded further out into the waves letting the water come up to her knees. Shifting her boots to her other arm and making sure her satchel stayed dry, she pointed to something a few feet away with her free hand. It was a rift.

Pointing at it, she looked back at the one called Phalanx.

“I am researching these beauties. I want to figure out how to get on the other side, but can’t seem to crack the code just yet,” she told the other before she dropped her hand and tilted her head. “And you? Why are you wandering about a place like this?”

Her voice was honey sweet and clear over the sounds of the waves that crashed around her.

Phalanx raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't divulge more information than that to civilians." He said stiffly. Well, if the word Shadow didn't ring any bells, then he just couldn't go into much further detail. describing the concept of shadows and personas for someone who had not seen them before was... Troublesome to say the least. He had tried to do that once in the past, but his old "master" hadn't believed a word he said. Who would, in all honesty believe such a thing even existed if they hadn't encountered it in the first place?

"What are you doing?" Phalanx looked at the lady. She was examining his body thoroughly from a distance. He was quite confused. He wasn't used to this treatment before. It was like she was a sculptor, looking for flaws in her latest masterpiece. He let his gaze follow her, as she walked slowly around him. Aside from his eyes, there was really nothing that could betray the fact that he wasn't human from just looking at him. Just a simple touch however would be enough to tell anyone that he wasn't human at all. He was buildt for combat operations after all, so his Nano-tech skin was sturdy, and cold to the touch. Maybe she had noticed the fact that his eyes were in reality cameras for visual sensory data. Unlike previous models (The mark VII Caduceus in paticular), he wasn't very well equipped for human interaction, but he learned quicker than others. Thanks to Raynar, he'd managed to get accustomed to talking to humans... He had still a long way to go, but he was getting much better. At least he didn't sound as robotic in his speech patterns as the Mark VI Partisan did at first, which was something Phalanx was glad for, as it made his interactions with humans easier.

"Hm? Oh, you want to open the rifts... I haven't tried opening one myself. Hadn't really had much of a reason to do so." He looked at the rift in the distance. To be perfectly honest, the existance of these rifts had confunded Phalanx ever since this morning. He had seen them in various locations throughout the island on his long walk. He had no doubt shadows were somehow involved. Maybe there was persona users on the island here as well? When he had first arrived on Standasen due to an accidental cargo drop, he hadn't seen any of these rifts. It truly was a perplexing subject, these rifts.

"As to why I'm here... I wish I knew that myself to be honest. I exist without a purpose... So I'm seeking one of my own... Is that a good enough reason? I guess you could say I'm... What's the frase...? Soul-searching? Yeah..." He looked back at the woman. He'd started to soften up. Perhaps she held the solution to his current predicament?

Sky gave a light pout at the other, not really offended at the lack of getting information, but still disappointed nonetheless.

“Ah I see. Top secret stuff. That is unfortunate,” she would say as she continued to observe him for a while longer. When the other asked his question as she circled him, the young woman wouldn’t answer until she had settled before him once more. Placing a hand on her hip, she would lean forward lightly with a smirk on her face.

“I am checking you out, handsome. Makin’ you nervous?” she asked with a grin upon her red lips. She was being playful, but the more she looked into those red eyes of his, the more she wondered if her antics would work upon him. She was quiet for a bit before she was speaking again.

“You…are different, aren’t you?” she asked as she moved her head slightly one way and then the other taking in the way the dim moonlight reflected off the other's eyes. Was his eyes made of glass or was that her imagination? Hmmm...She would continued to watch the reflection carefully before blinking as she was asked a question.

In response, she had shown the other what she was after as she waded out into the water to get a bit closer to the rift she could see. When she explained herself and heard the other’s answer, she nodded lightly in response.

“Yeah. I want to open them,” she said and then blinking at the other folded her arms. “Never thought to try? Well that is no good. You can’t possible learn anything if you don’t try to do something first,” she said as she came back to shore. “I am sure there is a wealth of information on the other side and just think of the treasure and paints that can be found over there. I think having something so new is pretty exciting. It's just a bit agitating when you can’t get to the other side to explore,” Sky said as she stopped a respectful distance from the other.

She wondered if the guy understood what she meant with her words. Wondered if like Lost and other artists, he could comprehend her lust for knowledge and for power and not take offense at such a thing. Whether he did or not, Sky would keep this twisted facet of herself hidden as she instead turned the guy’s question on him. What she got back in return as an answer was interesting to say the least.

“Soul-searching, hmm? That is some deep stuff and I wish well on finding the answers deep within; however, how about something more practical, hmm? How about you help me with my research into the other rifts and what is on the other side? Maybe together we can get to the other side and be able to find all the answers we seek there. In any case, I think the journey at least would be worth it and it would give you something better to do than to wander around here. So whatcha think?” she said as she gestured to the area around her.

Sure, they had just met and sure there was no way the other could connect to such an icy heart, but who needed connections when working towards similar goals worked just as well? Besides if something became useless along the way the clean up was always better with no strings attached, right?

"No, you're not making me nervous. Why should I be?" For once, Phalanx smirked. This lady was amusing. He looked back into the lady's eyes. He wasn't designed to get nervous. That would just interfere with his duties. Not that he had any duties to speak of anymore, due to his cut ties to SE.RA.PH Industries. He could see why it would be bewildering for the common man to stand this close to someone like Sky.

"Ah, so you have noticed..." He chuckled slightly. "It was only a matter of time before you would. I am not Human. I'm a highly advanced Combat AI designed by SE.RA.PH Industries. What gave it away? My eyes? Or should I say... Lack of real eyes?" This lady was as sharp as they come. There was no need to be worried though, She was not an enemy of his.

"I guess it just never crossed my mind that you could actually open them. Although, now that you mention it, I am quite interested in finding out what's on the other side, if there even is one there to begin with. Since they only started showing up recently, at least to my knowledge, I would be lying if I said they weren't interesting. I can get behind your idea of seeking the unknown. It's only human nature to satiate their curiosity, is it not?" He gazed at the rift. The way it distorted and twisted the air around it seemed... very un-natural. There was no doubt in his mind that shadows was behind this phenomenon somehow. After all, SE.RA.PH Industries had been performing various tests and studies on shadows. The results the got out the test showed that the shadows possess the power to distort space and and control time itself if the shadow's power was strong enough, so something like a shadow creating dimensional rifts seemed fairly reasonable. Needless to say, what this lady had said grabbed Phalanx's interest.

"Us... Working together, huh? Well, it's not like I have anything better to do anyway. Sure, I'll tag along." He stretched out his hand. "It's my pleasure to work with you, Sky Akumura. Should the other side be dangerous, I'll act as your Shield and Sword.". He smiled reassuringly. Acting as a guard was something he thouroughly enjoyed.

A New Purpose...? Was this it? Helping out Sky? Whatever it was, the thought of having a new directive strengthend Phalanx's resolve. Maybe, just maybe... The power he sought was beyond the rift...? And with it, he would strike back at SE.RA.PH Industries for all the wrongs they had wrought upon him. Soon, vengance would soon be his.

Ah, so this stranger does have a sense of humor, Sky thought as she heard the words spoken and saw the smirk that was upon the other’s lips. While she wasn’t sure how much the other could play games, she was actually quite happy that this one wasn’t the ordinary guy. Most would melt or tremble at such a question, but this one had chosen a different road that suggested her tactics wouldn’t work on him as much. How pleasurable. She would let out a light chuckle as she finished her observation and returned the smirk the other gave.

“I don’t know, but some think the question quite unnerving. Glad you can handle the tease, big guy,” Sky said appreciating the sturdiness of this one. As for why he was so sturdy and perhaps not as soft as a human was because he was in fact not a human. The strange eyes gave it away mainly, but words only confirmed the girl’s suspicion.

“Heh. Yeah, the eyes have a shine to them that human ones don’t. That is quite fascinating. It has been a while sense I’ve come across something like you,” Sky said as with a light grin on her face before she was tilting her head and raising an eyebrow.

"A combat type, huh? Now that is something new,” she said taking a step closer invading the personal space bubble a bit out of habit rather than trying to pull something. “I met a clockwork type machine a while back, but it was designed to build odd dolls that I was never quite sure what they were for. The main machine had some symbols on it, but I don’t think it was the same company that made you that made it,” Sky said as she pondered over his words. “So what is SE.RA.PH? Is it something that I should be concerned about down the road?” Sky asked even more curious about her find and what information it could give. After all, she didn’t want too many unexpected road stops along the way. Best know exactly what was in her way of getting to the other side and potentially gaining something grand.

“It is either is nature or madness that drives me to seek out more,” Sky said with a laugh. “Perhaps I am just nosy, but I will admit I can’t help, but to dig if something is shinny enough to try to get to. Sure, the islands have plenty of things to catch my interest, but that?” she said pointing back at the rift. “That is something exquisite. I simply must attempt to possess it. But you do make a good point. There might not be another side. Maybe it is just a pretty picture and we’d simply pass through it; however, we can’t know until we try something and try I shall,” Sky said with a nod as she puffed out her chest quite confident in figuring out the mystery and gaining whatever power she could from the journey.

However, going after the unknown alone was foolish, no? So why not ask someone along? And ask, Sky did. Now did she expect the other to take her up on her offer? No. Not at all. It would be rare to find someone or something to that could line up with her way of thinking so well so easily and on the other hand, the random quest for research might seem a far-fetched plan only suited for the insane. No one of common mind would agree to such a strange request…and yet this one wasn’t of the common mind.

Sky smiled easily as the other agreed to help her with the task of getting to the other side. As he said his words and held out his hand, Sky easily took the offered hand and shook it.

“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine Phalanx. I hope we get along,” Sky said and then narrowing her eyes slightly she continued. “In turn for helping me, I’ll help you with whatever tasks you have. You don’t necessarily have to state what you want now, but just know as long as we are partners, you can turn to me for anything,” the woman said in sweet tones as a deal with the devil had seemingly just been struck. It made the girl wonder just where this partnership would go.

Granted, they’d have to do some things to learn to work together, but Sky was very much for that if the other was truly on board.

"You have quite the attention for details, Miss Akumura. Phalanx was impressed. There wasn't really that many humans he had met which could see the difference between his eyes and a normal humans, but the difference was quite distinct, if you knew what you were looking for. As she had mentioned, the light reflects off his eyes in a very different manner than it does on the eyes of a normal human. In regular daylight, the difference was practically non-existent, but at times like these, if you paid attention, it wasn't that hard to see the difference. Especially if you had someone to compare with.

"You've seen other Anti-Shadow Supression Weapons?" Now this was quite suprising. Most of the Anti-Shadow Supression Weapons were designed to be difficult to destinguish from ordinary people, so how she'd come across others before him was quite astounding.

"SE.RA.PH Industries is a weapons manefacturer for the Nanji Group. They are a multibillion company with a variety of assets. I'm a rogue unit, so eventually we should run into other SE.RA.PH units trying to dispose of a "Malfunctioning" Weapon... That's all they see me as... A Weapon... A Tool... Nothing more..." His facial expression suddenly turned very grim. "I'm gonna rid this world of those assholes eventually! They are flith, trash that needs to be disposed of, no matter what the cost!" After taking a deep breath, Phalanx calmed down... "Sorry... I really should control myself..." He gave her an apologetic look.

"Glad to hear it... I'll keep it in mind. Now, I don't have a place to stay, which poses quite the problem... Do you have an apartment or something where I can... "Crash" as it were...?" Staying outside was not the best idea for a robot. Especially not in sleepmode. What would happen if SE.RA.PH Agents found him and terminated him while he was still "sleeping"? Phalanx did not like the prospects of that happening, although, he had sealed himself inside his container for those six months on stand-by, so If Sky didn't have a place for him to stay, that Container would have to suffice... At least it was bullet-proof.

Sky smirked quite prideful at the compliment given as she shifted her weight to the left not minding the chill that had settled upon her due to walking in the water earlier.

“I told you before I am collector, so of course I would have to have an eye for oddities in the world. How else would I be able to keep my current collection so impressive?” Sky said with a playful chuckle quite pleased that another could appreciate the way she looked at things in the world without getting overly worked up and think she was prying with the way she examined an object of interest. Perhaps she and this one could work with each other quite well even if their connections were business related only. It was definitely something the cold-hearted girl could play with.

When the other asked his question, she shook her head lightly.

“No. I don’t think that was what the machine was. It was an interesting work of gears and metal not designed to be a weapon. A friend of mine was working on the old thing, but once it was up and running it promptly disappeared. Sad, really. It would’ve made a nice piece to collect and examine further,” Sky told the other with a light sigh as she looked up at the dark skies. She wondered what happened to that strange machine. It would have been interesting to see what had become of it.

In any case, her light wandering would soon come to an end as she questioned the other about the name SERAPH. She wasn’t sure what type of answer the other would give, but the one that came from the other’s mouth was far from her multiple guesses.

Her eyebrows rose lightly as her mind collected the information she heard. Ah…so SERAPH was an weapons manufacturer who would eventually come after Phalanx for going rouge, but it didn’t seem he was going to allow them to catch him so easily. In fact, he planned on destroying the company that made him.

….Now that. That was interesting.

Sky would reanalyze the being before her with a new respect as she nodded lightly at the words before waving her hand dismissively at the apology.

“Nah. It’s alright, hun. I much rather you be straightforward and honest with how you felt rather than hide or beat about the bush with things. It’s nice to see your mind is set upon something noble in my eyes. If there is anything I can do to assist you with your task, just let me know okay?” she said with a light smile, her mind agreeing fully with the destruction of the imperfect and revenge upon those that simply needed to be knocked off their high horses. Multibillion dollar corporations would not exist in her vision of the new world. Phalanx, if he stayed an ally, would never have to worry about that again. He could perhaps come to the new world with her and her brother if he could prove himself worth the time.

However, this was still just the beginning of the game, right? Best not plot too far ahead and in turn leave room for errors.

Despite how delighted she was in this new game, the young woman only showed a calm and level headed smile as she spoke some more with the other before tilting her head slightly in thought at his question.

“Hmm..well…I live with my brother in his antique shop, but I don’t think he would mind another house guest and if he does have a problem, he can take it up with me. You can come live at the antique store if you want. We have plenty of spare rooms for you to hide in,” she said lightly to the other, hiding the double edge nature of such an offer.

"Normally, it's quite difficult to see that I'm actually not human by just looking. However, all it takes is one touch, and you'll realise it right away. It's a good talent to have, Miss Sky. " Phalanx gave the woman before her an approving smile.

"Ah, I see..." The robot said with a slight tone of dissapointment in his voice. Meeting someone else of his own kin who wasn't out to kill him was something he desparately needed. Sure, both Sky and Raynar had filled a similiar purpose, but still, he felt a bit like an outsider compared to those two. He had seen the very worst of what humanity was capable of, so normally he wasn't this straight forward when it came to organics. The before mentioned Raynar, and now Sky, were the only two exceptions.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind, Miss Sky." He gave her a quick nod in confirmation. "When such a situation may rise where I'll require your assistance, I don't know..." Phalanx looked at the full moon's reflection dancing on the ocean waves. It was then that he realised how peaceful this place really was.

"Thank you, Miss Sky. I owe you one." He bowed towards her. "So, where is this Antique shop exactly?" He straightened himself up and raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever seeing one here on Standasen... But then again, I wasn't really paying much attention to my surroundings..."

“Touch, huh? Let me see,” Sky said holding out her hand, allowing the other to place his hand in hers if he wanted to. Regardless if the action was performed or not Sky would eventually drop her hand as she smirked lightly at the compliment.

“Why thank you, Phalanx. I always appreciate those with eyes for talent and good taste,” she said as she watched the other with a relaxed expression. She liked this one more and more by the second, but it wasn’t flattery that was winning her over. It was the work put into this guy. Here she was talking to a machine and yet at times forgetting that very fact. He acted so human…it was chilling and exciting. She hadn’t met anything quite like this before. It would be interesting to see what else he’d reveal if they could work well together.

Fascination aside, Sky would tilt her head lightly as she heard the disappointed response from the other when she had mentioned the machine she had met was not the same as Phalanx. Hmmm….was there more than one of these Anti-Shadow Weapon thingies running about and if so how had she not noticed them? Did they blend as well as this one did with norm or had she missed cues somewhere along the line?

Shifting her boots to her other arm she would raise a finger to scratch her chin in thought as she studied her companion for a moment longer before her red lips parted.

“Were you searching for others like you at some point? Is that why you are disappointed with such an answer?” she asked in curious tones as she watched the other and a waited the reply.

After a moment more of silence, the whole revenge deal would present itself and a business offer would be made. In turn, Phalanx agreed to keep the deal in mind, even if he didn’t know when he would need her to help him. In response to his words, Sky had simply nodded back, quite pleased with the answer before she was looking away from the other and towards the rocks on the other side. She could see figures moving about on them. Hmmm…maybe it was time to leave this place.

Right on cue, the other had asked about a place to stay and after Sky had made her offer, he had gladly accepted the offer with a bow.

“Honestly, you don’t have to call me “miss” at all. Sky is just fine,” she said with a light chuckle before becoming a bit more serious as she heard the other question.

“The antique shop is on the island of San Malarus. It’s a good train ride from here, so I am not sure what you need to take with you or what to do to make you more at home, but perhaps on the way there we can stop by some places if you need anything,” she said curious at how a machine was to be cared for.

“We can go now if you like,” she said as her eyes turned to scan the beach once more. Her eyes would linger on the rift she had found. She would have to come back to investigate this, but for now, she was willing to leave it be. After all she had a fascinating study to attend to.

Phalanx stretched out his right hand. "Go ahead. Trust me, it's noticable." As Sky's fingers touched Phalanx's open hand, she would feel no warmth, and his skin would seem to be very metallic in texture. "Nano-skin is an extremely flexible yet durable metal. It's used for our skin, due to it's durability, and resemblance to human skin. There's only one thing which they can't emulate with this though... And that's the body temperature of 37.5 Degrees Celsius." Anyone could feel the difference. This was a fact that Phalanx was very well aware of, hence why he didn't like touching people... To his experience, humans didn't take kindly to Synthetics... Sky and Raynar however, had been different. He despised humans just as much as humans despised him. Yet Raynar, and the woman in front of her had been very friendly towards him, which made him doubt his own assumptions about humans... Something was changing inside him, and Phalanx wasn't sure if this change was going to be for the better or for the worse...

"Well... I don't actually know how to respond to that... If you had gone through what I have... You would despise humans just as much as I do... Yet you, and another man I know by the name of Raynar, show kindness, when everything my experience told me that humans are heartless, greedy beings..." Phalanx looked at the moon, with a somewhat sombre expression on his face. The harsh reality he had faced at the testing facility was a fate which Phalanx would wish upon no one... Not even his creators... No one should need to suffer the way he had...

"I'm a little bit saddened, yes. But I'm honestly not suprised. Anti-Shadow Supression Weapons are very expensive and very dangerous. I would highly doubt I would see a SERAPH unit here without supervision, considering how I, one of their latest models, just went rogue." Phalanx would sigh deeply, looking down at the sand. "I've chosen a difficult path, haven't I?".

"Alright then. Sky it is." He nodded, before continuing. "As far as maintenence goes, I have everything necessary with me.", he made a gesture towards a small bag that he had bought for some money Raynar had given him before Phalanx had left him. "Repair instructions are in there as well, should I somehow malfunction." He gave Sky the small bag.

He made a gesture towards town.

Sky wasn’t expecting the other to humor her, so when the strange machine stretched out his hand for her to touch, she would reach out easily enough with her left hand and touch the cold hand that looked so human and yet wasn’t.

“Huh.” Was the light response that came out Sky’s mouth at first as she eventually moved her hand away and using the opposite hand felt the linger coolness of the touch upon her skin. She had never encountered such a being before and never dreamed she would. Heh. The world seemed to still have some surprise after all. Fascinating.

As the other explained nano-skin, the young woman listened easily enough as she nodded at the words.

“Well, I suppose that is what keeps you unique. I personally don’t have an issue with it at all, but then maybe I am just an odd ball in the bunch,” Sky said giving the other a playful smirk, her eyes devoid of lies. It was true. Sky didn’t care if something was human or not. As long as they were interesting or harmless to her, she didn’t care about what their outsides were made of. What matter was the soul and mind that resided inside and if that was useful to her or not. Everything else meant nothing to the collector of the bizarre. Phalanx was no exception to the rules. The only reason she was so nice to him was because he had caught her interest. There was no love or friendship connection there. Just a business related one for the moment as they both agreed on common terms. If he wanted to find a way into her heart of ice, it would take much more than this to crack that wall; however, that was an issue for another time.

Oho and what was this?

“I wouldn’t say you are wrong in your assumption. We are quite the mess when it comes to making the world turn to our own tune. There is honestly no limit to what humans will do to get what they desire or become kings of the world,” Sky said as she looked at the ocean watching the waves with icy blue eyes.

“That is why the world has to be cleansed by the sea and reborn into something better. The scum of the world must be washed away leaving the sparkling beauty behind,” Sky said as she thought for a moment on her perfect world before her eyes flickered to Phalanx.

“After hearing that, do you find me so kind?” she asked as she gave the other a soft smile that did not touch her eyes. It was a small tease and a test in the long scheme of things. If this one could take her ideals easily enough, then she would have no issues holding up what she said she would. If he resisted…well partner or not, he would not be spared the cleansing. Whatever came from that was yet to be seen as Sky’s playful nature became serious as she listened to the other speak in regards to finding its own kind.

A machine that could feel sadness and disappointment? Now that was new. Just how human was this odd machine? More curious than ever, she watched as the other bowed its head and spoke of paths. To this, she closed her eyes with a light nod.

“Mmm. Perhaps so, but the beauty of such a difficult path is that you can learn so much and become so much stronger than those that choose the easy way out. Don’t worry, I am sure if you don’t give up, you’ll have exactly what we want right in the palm of your hands,” she said as she reopened her eyes with a confident smile upon her lips. Persistence, wit, and creativity were the keys to winning these sort of games. Anyone who said differently was an idiot.

Now then back to business right?

As the other agreed to calling her just Sky, the young woman nodded easily enough in pleasure as she dropped her boots to the sandy ground and slipped them back on as she listened to the other. As she finished one task and straightened her shirt, she noticed the other was holding a bag out to her. Cautiously, she took it feeling the weight of the bag. It felt like money was inside. Oh so was he paying her and leaving his life in her hands in turn for the offer of shelter? Interesting trade. She wouldn’t complain.

“Alright then. I’ll keep it all nice and safe,” she said as she secured the bag underneath her own before focusing on where Phalanx was pointing. To his question, she gave a light nod.

“Mhmm. Let’s go,” she said as she began to head back towards town and lead the way back to the station with her new companion in tow. What did Fate have in store for them next?

Both parites have exit. Thread End