Reinvention [Iris] [Morning]

*SPLASH*

A pebble crashed against the river's surface and subsequently sank to the bottom of the water. Then another. Then another.

A canine figure sat alone in front of the river, far away from any borders of the river that people would normally visit. Contrary to popular belief, robots needed alone time too, especially when they're completely sentient and sapient. Pebbles upon pebbles found themselves grabbed by Selenus's tail, then soaring through the air, then at the bottom of the river, some occassionally skipping through the water before they were dragged down by gravity.

Last night the cadets had been busy fending off a certain crazed criminal, which had allowed Selenus to carry out his plans for the night. He had eavesdropped on a store clerk's conversation a few days prior and learned of a group of common thieves that had been raiding stores at night. Now though? They were the local hospital's to worry about.

Selenus let out a heavy sigh. Ever since that fateful day four years ago, every aspect of his life changed. Up until now he was able to  find a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in his vigilante antics, but lately things had started to become... empty. Void of meaning or purpose. What Selenus found to be his only remaining purpose to not give up and die was slowly starting to lose its essence, and he knew perfectly well that soon enough he'd follow suit.

The worst part about it was: He had nobody to blame but himself. Psyche terrorists were clearly dangerous, and while he still held a grudge towards the authorities, he understood that they were only doing their job as authorities to protect the citizens of this god-forsaken city.

In a fit of anger, Selenus grabbed a nearby rock -about the size of a human fist- and slammed it against the water with all of his might, splashing water several feet into the air.

At the very least he still found pleasure in admiring nature and its aspects. He didn't even really mind if people saw him anymore, he was just glad to have a place where he could listen to the sound of flowing water and relax.

Five years.

It had been five years since that day. Yesterday marked the anniversary of it... the Eternal Divide. It was almost hard to believe. The details of that day were still so fresh within her mind. The smell of blood and fire, the sight of buildings crashing to the ground, the feeling of being lost, and alone, and afraid. Achelle and the rest of the Walker family had helped her cope with her new circumstances, but a part of Miyuki remained tethered to that day. She suspected that she'd never be fully able to reconcile that part of herself with the events that took place. Time would march ever onward, but she'd always be two steps behind it.

Even so, these feelings were more of the same for her. Miyuki always felt down in the dumps when the divide's anniversary rolled around. But this time it was different. It was all over the news -- a terrorist attack on the night of the greatest disaster Endymion had ever seen. If it was any other day of the year it would have been troubling enough, but with timing like that it hit a little too close to home. Regardless of what the media said, she couldn't help but feel like it was the start of something big. Her mind was full of anxieties and worries that had stuck with her through the night. No matter how much she tried to distract herself from it her brain would drift right back to the topic. She had decided to take this stroll in the hopes of calming down a bit, but now that she was all alone with her thoughts things had just gotten worse. Now she had all the time in the world to think about how easily she could lose what little she had left. Great...


Her hair blew in the wind as her feet came to a complete stop. Staring out at the vast river, Miyuki remained still and silent with a solemn expression stretched across her face. It wasn't until she heard the sound of nearby splashes that she was awoken from her trance. So, it looked like she wasn't as alone as she thought. Instinctively she turned to face the direction the sound was coming from. Maybe a little chit-chat with a fellow human being was just what she needed. Yeah, a fellow... human...


What was that thing even? Did the Cadets get some new toys to play with recently? She couldn't imagine an ordinary member of the public possessing it, so that seemed like the most likely case. Still though, that raised a lot of questions. If it belonged to them then what was it doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Slowly Miyuki's hand slid down her side and into her pocket before emerging with a smartphone in its clutches. Careful to remain quiet, she positioned it to face the robotic creature while a sly grin began to spread across her face. Oh man! This was gonna be the story of the century, wasn't it? She had hit the jackpot!

Swiftly turning his head to look at the source of the sudden noise, Selenus would figuratively pale at what he saw: A nearby girl had taken a photo of him. Sure, he wouldn't at all mind some company, but being known by the entirety of the internet and (possibly) then the news would certainly get him the government's attention, and once they knew what their little experiment had been up to the last five years... he'd be put back to military work for sure. He considered extending his tail and taking the smartphone from her hands, but... she was a few ways away and would most likely be able to see it coming. He could've also run after her, but that would probably scare her and incite her to spread rumors about him regardless of whether she preserved the picture or not. All this led to Selenus using his final, and usually ineffective, last resort: Diplomacy.

"Excuse me, miss." He said in a polite tone as he turned and started slowly walking towards the girl. "I'm going to have to ask you to delete that picture."

"So you can talk, huh? That's cool. Or is that your creator speaking through you?" Miyuki pondered aloud as the machine approached her. It appeared to be trying to negotiate with her, although it was doing a pretty shitty job at it if that was the case. Weren't you supposed to offer something in exchange for what you were requesting? Well whatever. This situation was intriguing enough for her, so she couldn't complain. Grinning smugly at the robotic creature, the girl would lower her hand and attempt to place the phone in the pocket of her skirt. Should she succeed in this she'd lean slightly downward and beckon Selenus over with the palm of her hand like a master would to his or her dog. "And why should I? Come on! Surely you didn't expect me to do it just cause you asked." She'd respond to his request with a playful laugh.

"I'm fully sapient, thank you very much. The only person who controls me is myself." Selenus would respond in a noticably annoyed tone. If there was one thing that pissed him off, it was people questioning his mental independance. Apparently it was more believable back when he spoke in mechanical monotone, because ever since he learned to speak like a normal human he'd been getting mocked by a higher percentage of the few people he met. It was irritating at best, and absolutely infuriating at worst.

The moment Selenus saw the girl attempting to put the phone in her pocket, he saw the opportunity to "strike" as it were. He extended his tail towards her phone and...

Phone grabby:

Reaching for the girl's phone, Selenus extended his tail in vain as she reacted in time and put the phone in her pocket. Retracting his tail in defeat, Selenus's figurative eye would figuratively twitch at the girl's mocking gestures. "I'm not a dog either, so frankly that's just rude."

"No, but it was worth a shot." Selenus would confess as he approached the girl further. "Look, miss. I don't know what you plan on doing with that picture, but if the government gets its grimy hands on it I'm going to be in a living hell." He was practically pleading at this point, yet his tone of voice didn't betray him. "What do you want for it? Come on, name your price."

"Have you looked in the mirror lately Schmooples? Artificial or no, you're definitely a canine." The girl'd reply to him snickering. Maybe he didn't consider himself a dog, but he certainly had the appearance of one... though, to be fair, most dogs weren't as metallic as he was. Whatever the case, his annoyance at being treated as one only encouraged Miyuki to continue doing so. It was only when Selenus mentioned the reasoning behind his request that the girl would begin to take the situation somewhat seriously. "The government?" She asked rhetorically with a contemplative expression on her face. Standing up straight, she applied her index finger to her chin and remained silent as the wolf desperately asked her to name her price.

"I have no interest in things of monetary value. Sorry." She stated before turning her back to the machine. It was then, however, that she looked back at him over her shoulder. The shit-eating, mischievous grin she had been sporting for most of the conversation had returned to her face and there was a certain glimmer in her eyes that hinted at nothing good. "...but I'll cut you a deal. This photo means life or death for you, right? So it's only fair that you give me something equally valuable in exchange for it. Your eternal servitude sounds like a fair trade to me. How about it?"

This snotty little brat thought she could just swoop in and blackmail him out of his hard-earned freedom? "Now, you listen here, you little shit! You've no idea the shit I had to go through for liberation! If you think I'm going to give up freedom for that damn picture, then think again." His voice was based on anger, yet it betrayed him and instead displayed fear. If there was one thing that Selenus truly feared in his world, it was being put back to work by the government. "I can take it back through other means..." Selenus said in much more aggresive tone as he drew out one of the knives on his hips. This was merely a bluff, but a bluff being carried out by someone trained in intimidation.

"A free creature doesn't shit itself in terror when a sixteen year old snaps a photo of it on her cellphone. A free creature doesn't have to hide itself away in the shadows shaking with fear at the prospect of being seen. You aren't free, or independent, or any of that shit. You're just a mutt who managed to get himself a longer leash. Liberty and Endymion are oxymorons -- especially for things like you."

Miyuki's tone was as nonchalant as it had been from the start. It had no hint of malice or anger to it. The only discernible emotion behind it, besides amusement of course, was pity. Pity for the sniveling pup that sat before her. Selenus had tried to come off as furious and intimidating, and to an extent he had, but for the most part he just came across as a sad, little robodog. "Fine. I suppose I've gotten enough entertainment out of you. Besides, this thing isn't worth throwing my life away over." She'd state with a shrug of her shoulders. Placing her hand into her pocket once more and retrieving the phone, she'd swipe across the screen a few times before finally reaching the photo. Then, with a click of a button, it was gone. Selenus was safe and sound now... well, as safe as a being like him could be.

"There. It's gone. And before you get any bright ideas about leaving no witnesses, my Dad's a cadet. If I go missing or show up one foggy morning as a corpse dangling upside down from a telephone pole, it'll at least be noteworthy enough to break local news. In other words," she paused and childishly stuck her tongue out at the robot before continuing, "I'll be more of a pain in your ass dead than I will be alive." She finished with an arrogant grin stuck to her face.

Sighing, Selenus would sit back in his original position, facing the river. "...I know..." He'd say as he took in all that the girl had just said. He would've tried to accept those facts... if he hadn't accepted them long ago. What he and others called "freedom" was simply the closest they would ever get to the real thing as long as the government could decide peoples' fates on a whim. Just because you didn't wear chains didn't mean you were free to pursue your own goal in life if you lived in Endymion. That's the kind of life lead by the citizens of a city that encarcerates innocent people for showing kindness to others.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" Selenus would ask in a sad, yet calm voice. "The moment the prospect of being sent back comes up, I turn into a runt." It was a weakness that he had managed to come to terms with over the few years he'd been alive. "Don't worry, I didn't actually plan on stabbing you. I can neutralize someone who deserves it no problem, but I wouldn't dare hurt an innocent person, much less kill one." There was no way of telling if this girl was innocent or not, but she'd proven that she was merely playfuly pushing his buttons by deleting the photo, and he was always one to give the benefit of the doubt. All people started off innocent in his eyes.

"So, what're you doing here anyway? I'm assuming you're not a big fan of school if you're here at this hour.... uh.... you." What was this girl's name anyway?

"Miyuki. Miyuki Walker."

"And to answer your question, I'm taking a stroll. Or, well, was. Now I'm casually chatting with a robotic dog who bluffed about intending to kill me in cold blood for a photograph just a few seconds ago. Life sure is strange, isn't it?" She asked rhetorically and took a seat next to the metallic creature. "As for school, it's okay, I guess. But I'm not required to attend today. The opening ceremony's optional, at least as far as I'm aware. So unless you wanna become a Cadet or have some weird fetish for formalities there's no point." Miyuki said as she turned her gaze from the lake to Selenus.

"Now that I've satisfied your curiosity, how about you tell me about what those poor pebbles did to you? Did they try to rat on you to the government or do you just really, really hate rocks? And I suppose while you're at it you can tell me your name."

Picking up another pebble, Selenus would throw it into the air a few times before once again throwing it as far into the river as he could. "That's an odd combinatiom of name languages. I'm assuming one of your parents is foreign, or at the very least a japanophile?"

Another pebble...

Selenus chuckled. "I'm a robotic wolf, thank you very much. Me, personally... I've seen stranger, but that's not exactly a good thing."

Another pebble...

Selenus looked at Miyuki with a slight hint of curiosity. "A responsible slacker, are we? That's fine, there's no shame in it."

Another pebble...

Selenus would grab the biggest pebble he could find, which was slightly bigger than the fist-sized one from earlier, then would proceed to throw it with the others. " In all technicallity it's K9-Q36i - pun entirely intended, from what I understand - but I'd rather you call me Selenus." A name he was very fond of. "The pebbles thing is just a form of relieving stress. I've lost control of my life and needed some way of taking out my frustration. That's all."

Another pebble...

"What about you? People don't usually stroll in days as ugly as these unless they need time to think on something."

Miyuki really wasn't in the mood to talk about the Eternal Divide. After all, getting her mind off stuff like that was the reason she took this walk in the first place. Besides, she doubted Selenus wanted to hear some sob story about her parents' death and her worries for the future. "Maybe I find this kind of day pretty. Maybe I had nothing better to do than walk around for a bit. Who knows? Who cares?" She shrugged and picked up a small pebble with her right hand. Looking down at it silently for a few seconds and sighing, she hurled it into the river as hard as she could; a small splash diving into the air and sending ripples coursing through the water.

"Huh. That did feel kinda good. Wouldn't use it as my go-to treatment for stress relief, but it's alright I suppose."

Selenus sat there for some time, admiring the river and contemplating his situation. "If you don't mind my asking... why are you taking this so well? Usually when people meet me they see me as either an object or a monster." Not that he was complaining at all, it was simply surprising to see someone who was so... accepting of him. "As if the people of this city weren't sheltered enough, eh?" He picked up another pebble, but lowered his tail before he managed to muster up the courage to throw it. Instead, he decided to pick one of his knives out of its holster and scratch a few doodles on the wet dirt of the riverbed.

"There's nothing that exists in this world which could surprise me." The girl proclaimed with an indifferent expression laid across her face. She had learnt the hard way that life was unpredictable. It could throw you a curveball at any moment and destroy what little certainty you had with you. So Miyuki refused to be certain of anything. There was no fact indisputable, no truth unquestionable, no thing impossible. As long as she viewed the world through this lens, she could never be caught off guard again. This she was sure of.


"What a silly question." She chuckled aloud. Her eyes danced around the area surrounding them and the glistening river in front of her before settling on Selenus, her face twisted into a smug grin as always. Reaching her arms up into the air and stretching, she'd proceed to lower them and put her hands to the ground pushing herself to her feet with a confident glint in her eye. This wolf was quite curious, but it mattered not. She'd able to satisfy his desire for knowledge. "The answer's simple. I live for..."




She tried to move her mouth, but it sat still. She tried to think of why, but her mind remained empty. Her body stood as if it had been drained of all life in the course of a few seconds. Why? Why couldn't Miyuki answer? She had a reason; she had a purpose! She lived for... for...