Library Woes (Sonia/Autumn)

Autumn was beginning to regret waking up.

To start, she’d (she’d?) almost had her arm torn off the moment she opened her eyes and sat up -- she still wasn’t sure it was screwed on properly, and she was sure she could feel something rattling around in there -- and nearly giving the mechanic sitting adjacent to her prone form a heart attack, and had immediately been struck by the android equivalent of vertigo. Autumn had almost struck the man in her uncharacteristic mounting panic when the others in the room managed to calm her again after the initial shock of the eight-years dormant ASSW awakening subsided. Despite the precarious agreement she had come to with the denizens of the vault (more of a ceasefire or armistice, if anything), that did nothing to quell the feeling of unease roiling about inside of her.

Vault Olympia was so loud and there were too many people and she felt like she was crushed by the sheer press of bodies as she wandered the crowded intersections, utterly lost. One of the dumbfounded engineers had pointed her towards the library before she had promptly left the room, wanting to escape the pressure that was their eyes on her only to still others who stared at her as she passed. There was a rational voice that in her mind, shrouded in a torrent of ones and zeroes that practically yelled at her to calm down, to stop acting so erratic. The voice of fear and confusion and panic waged war with it until the former won out after somewhere around two hours, and Autumn finally began to get her priorities in order, managing to acquire some (too large) clothing to wear before checking a map for the location of the library.

The library was a refreshing change from the bustling corridors, quiet, austere and empty save for a few people going about their business. Autumn sat down, the gravity of the situation finally beginning to sink in as she thought about the implications of her new existence.

"Yeah. I'd like to return these." Sonia handed over a few, rather worn books to the old, rather surly lady behind the counter. The young student looked rather uncomfortable in the older woman's presence. She wanted to get away from this hag. Every time she had to borrow or return studying material, this angry looking hag was always there, sizing her up with that judgemental stare. Millenials. Right. "Thanks." Her voice was rather stiff and there was an attempt at keeping her tone cordial, but how successful her tries ended up being... Well, she'd rather not think about it. Besides, she'd have to see this grumpy old lady AGAIN once she had picked out the next set of books. Not that the old librarian ever said much if anything at all, but that judgemental stare gave her the chills every time. The slightly crooked nose, those piercing blue eyes, and her grey hair that was tied into an exceptionally tightly tied bun on the back of her head didn't exactly instill a very friendly first impression, or a second one for that matter.

Sonia herself was a young, otherwise rather chipper-looking, 17 year old girl. Her long, shoulder length hair had been dyed a bright shade of violet, from its original black. Her eyes had an earthy, brown color to them, having this friendly luster about them. She was on the other hand rather short, standing about 5'3" tall, despite almost being legally defined as an adult. Her mother had been the same way. Short, all through her life. Hugo, her twin brother, had inherited more of their father's qualities. He was tall, lanky and had just started needing to shave, something which Sonia herself had found rather amusing. The two teased eachother a lot, but that just came with the territory of being siblings, even moreso when you were both born on the same day. Sonia had been the one to enter the world first, so naturally she was the older sibling, even though the difference in height might've spoken to the contrary.

The young student headed straight for the bookcases, before she spotted something rather unusual in the corner of her eye. An Android... here? Sonia had thought they had all been positioned at the gate leading outside... Why was was this one stuck in the library of all places?

"Hey, are you alright?" Someone called to her from across the library. It took Autumn a moment to realize that it was her that the statement had been addressed to. She turned to face a youthful, friendly looking younger girl with a sort of inquisitive and curious, approachable quality to her. "Aren't you supposed to be up above with the rest?" She asked, and Autumn was reminded of how unfamiliar with social norms of the vault. Perhaps now would be a good opportunity to learn - there was truth to the turn of phrase that you slept in your bed after making it, and making a friend or two certainly couldn't hurt.

The rest...so there others like her, hmmmmm? A fact that was ultimately unsurprising, but still slightly jarring nonetheless. She sighed wistfully before addressing Sonia, using her voice for the first time since she gained consciousness.

"I may have a minor problem; I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here either."

The Android seemed to be just as confused as Sonia herself about why she was in a library. "Did someone tell you to go here?" She asked, sitting down next to the android. "You know what? Once I'm done here, how about you and I just get out of here. Ugh, I can already feel the Librarian giving me the stink-eye for talking... Come on." She motioned the android to stand up, as she rose from her seat. "It'll be quick, don't worry. I just need two books. Mind helping me look for them?"

"Yeah. Told me I might find something useful over here, though this place's usefulness has left something to be desired so far." Autumn snarked as she gently drummed her mechanical fingertips against the table as of fidgeting. "I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with this place, seeing as I woke up about...two hours, fourteen minutes and two--no, three seconds ago, to be exact." She followed Sonia's example, pushing her chair back and standing upright. "Which books in particular? 'Two' doesn't narrow it down too well." The android jested, smiling ever so slightly.

"Huh... Why would they direct an android here? Though I guess, if you don't know much about... well, anything, A Library would be a good place to start." Sonia replied after having spent a few moments thinking. This whole situation was a bit out there, and the fact that Sonia was the first one to even reach out like a sensible person was a bit concerning. This girl seemed just so terribly lost in well... everything. "Well, I can show you around later, if you want? It's really not a big deal. I have time." A warm and inviting smile spread across her lips. "I'm really just looking for a "Aphelion's Rest" by Huey Long, and "Mathematics: Level 5" by Nathan Krisp." She chuckled slightly. "My brother asked me to get the former. He's so into these sci-fi stories from the early days. Y'know, before the Vaults became needed. It was a different time. I wish I could've been there. And not having to be stuck in this vault."

"My father used to tell me stories about what it was like to live outside the vaults before everything went to hell. It's hard to imagine... A city with millions of people living in it. Wild Animals. Birds... Can you believe it? That the world used to be like that?" Sonia's expression turned into one of wonder and excitement. "I wonder what the world's like now? Is there a reason why we're still trapped in here?" She abruptly shut her mouth when the Librarian in the back made a discomforting hiss at the two of them. "Ugh... she really makes my skin crawl. Come on, lets go get those books before she hisses at us again."

"That...sounds wonderful. Thank you miss...?" Autumn grinned softly, trailing off when she realized that she'd never asked Sonia's name. She stretched, long idle robotic joints loosening up slightly as she slowly ran her fingers along the shelf, absentmindedly searching for the books that Sonia had specified, eventually returning with the two volumes and setting them down, realizing how refreshing it had been to have a clear goal in mind, to have a direction to go instead of drifting about aimlessly. She mulled this thought over as Sonia mused about the world.

The fact that they were in a vault certainly made sense, but the ideas that she put forth next weren't entirely foreign to Autumn - she'd walked such bustling streets in her dreams, strolled through forests rife with wildlife and greenery. "I can imagine," Autumn stated, gazing at Sonia and speaking with a certainty that might have been jarring for the student sitting adjacent to her.

"Gone to hell? I'm wondering if I shouldn't have woken up."

"Haha, just call me Sonia. Everyone here does." An amused chuckle escaped her lips at the sudden formality coming from the robot. "You don't have to be so formal with me. We're just friends, right? It's not like I'm your superior or anything." She really wasn't used to being addressed with such formality before either. Like yeah, every now and again she was called 'Miss LeBeau' at like... school and such, but here? Nah. She didn't like it. She vastly preferred just being called by her first name, like everyone else. "Well... tell me. What's your name? What do you prefer to be called?" She looked at the android with big, brown eyes.

"Oh, you found those quick, wow." Sonia's eyes widened when she was presented with the books she had been looking for. Being a machine certainly helped in finding the correct books, but she hadn't expected to have the books on her lap in less than two minutes. She had barely started looking herself. "That's incredible. Thank you!" She beamed, relieved that she could finally leave the library. She looked at the old hag behind the counter again. "Alright. Here goes..." She took a deep breath and marched towards the counter, with books in hand. The exchange was rather short, but Sonia could feel the irritated aura fill the whole room like some gas. It was suffocating. "T-Thank you." Once all was said and done, she returned to Autumn. "Well, I'm done here. Let me show you around."

"We're friends? This is news to me." Autumn stated with mocking bluntness, the corners of her lips twitching upwards ever so slightly in amusement. It was a pleasant experience to converse with someone who didn't eye her like she'd combust at any moment (which, granted, might actually happen - she didn't know). When asked about her name, it occurred to her that she hadn't seen fit to chose one, and her database had only one word to proffer on the subject; Autumn.

"I...I guess you can call me Autumn. It's my given designation." She muttered thoughtfully, rolling the somewhat unfamiliar word in her mouth so as to familiarize herself with it. She supposed it would take quite a significant amount of time to begin to associate the name with herself, a morose look crossing her face before she righted herself again, only nodding slightly at Sonia's gratitude as she followed the violet-haired girl out of the library.

Hmmmm. If this is a vault, do you happen to be aware of what's up above or...?" Autumn inquired, optics scanning the walls of the vault, which were built solely for practical purposes - machinery and pipes cast odd shadows along the hallways, wires running to and from the florescent lights above as they strode across the worn tiles.

"Well, We are now. You cannot escape!" Sonia chuckled heartily, returning the smile with one of her own, toothy grins. "See? You're getting the hang of this already!" Certainly a good start to what could become a long-standing friendship between a girl and a machine. It was highly unusual for an Android to be so... accepting. Usually they kept to themselves here, and avoided people, for reasons Sonia never quite understood. Duty? Maybe, but she figured the reason was much deeper than that. Autumn was pleasant, if perhaps a bit naive and clueless, but hey, Sonia was here to help.

"Pleased to meet you, Autumn!" It was a bit of a strange name... then again, Autumn was an Android. Those could have any names. "I like it. Your name's pretty. Although I've never actually experienced a proper Autumn down here myself. We don't have seasons in the Vaults. Not beyond what the Wall-screens show in the Social Hub anyway." She shrugged. "And I doubt I'll ever see a real one, but...Can you imagine? Sitting outside, underneath a tree, reading a book while the red leaves fall?" She sighed, sounding just a tad bit distant. "Doesn't that sound just lovely?"

"Well, the City of Paris. Or what's left of it. I honestly don't know what the surface is like. Nobody's been up there in over 30 years. I wish I knew more. But... they don't let civilians up. And well, the gate's locked. You'd need clearance to open it, something which I don't have." Regrettably so. Sonia was getting tired of the Vault. She felt the need to go out, get some fresh air, and not whatever she was breathing in here. See new things.

It didn't take any sort of deep insight or deduction to realize that Sonia's wistful visions of both the season of autumn and the surface were hopelessly idealized, the expectations of a child that were unrealistically perfect and would be let down by the real thing. Still, despite the fact that her hopefulness was heartwarming for the android, she secretly was glad that Sonia hadn't seen the surface; something -- call it a hunch, she supposed -- told her that whatever the atmosphere was composed of on the surface, it sure as hell wasn't "fresh air."

However, before she could respond to the rather distant-looking schoolgirl, she was taken by a sensation not dissimilar to being thrust into cold water, her field of vision sliding away like film in a camera being replaced, red pupils dilating and spinning wildly. When Autumn's vision returned once more, she was standing amongst craggy gray peaks, the smell of brimstone lingering in the air. Ash drifted about the hellish abaddon like a grim mockery of snow, the taste and smell of smoke lingering in her olfactory system--wait, was that...a real heart, thudding like the beat of a drum in her chest? The feeling of sweat beading on her forehead, the stifling feeling of labored breath bobbing in her chest and smoky air struggling to escape her windpipe? These wondrous, new sensations, however discomforting and unpleasant, were an entirely novel and incredible experience for a machine made of metal and nothing more. She could sit here and inhale the smoke all day, but before the sensations began to set in, a rich timbre of a voice came from her mouth, one that surely wasn't hers.

"We're looking for anything that might be useful. Keep an eye out, stay down, stay close, and call me if anything interesting pops up," The voice stated before the vision faded as quickly as it came, images of cityscapes frozen and covered in sheets of glass or unnatural greenery passing through her mind before they ended. She realized that she had been standing there in her stupor for a considerable amount of time, taking a singular step backwards as she was thrust back into reality, mind reeling with due to the discordant, clashing farrago of what she now realized were human senses that her robotic body was unable to process.

The duo left the library, with the Librarian squinting angrily at the two of them for not shutting up even once during the visit. "Alright, so what do you wanna check out?" Sonia asked, while stuffing both the borrowed books inside her bag. "I would go take you to Maksim first, but... I dunno, can you drink? I don't want to cause your innards to like... combust due to alcohol of something..." With Maksim's bar being completely out of the question, Sonia wracked her brain trying to think of something. What did robots find entertaining? Well, in Autumns case, probably anything, but that didn't exactly narrow things down in the slightest. But right as she had an idea, Autumn just stopped walking, and her body started to shiver and shake uncontrollably, almost like an engine. She kept buzzing, and remained unresponsive.

Sonia felt a chill run down her spine, as she feared the worst. Autumn had broken! WHAT HAD SHE DONE?! WHAT WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO DO?! Panic settled in as she stood there, helpless, daring not even touch the spazzing robot. But just as sudden as the attack had started, it ended just as quickly. Sonia had no idea what just transpired, but her expression carried a look of both extreme worry, and relief all at once as Autumn came back to their senses.

A profound, electric chill wound its way through Autumn's body, causing her joints to seize up as if a literal shock had ran its course through her form before she regained her posture, eyes refocusing as she stood upright. It took a brief moment after she stood upright to realize that Sonia had been watching her and...whatever she had been doing throughout her inexplicable sensory attack. The girl's perceptions of the android had likely taken a change for the worst, judging by the expression on her face, Autumn's processors rapidly supplying a stream of errors and worst case scenarios that didn't help her in the slightest.

"I--um--a--sorry, wh-what were you saying ag-again?" Autumn barely managed to stammer out, a mechanical stutter working it's way into her voice and a rather skittish expression upon her face.

Sonia's expression didn't really change much, still very much full of shock and confusion. "Y-You okay?" Her voice was shaking, and who could blame her, after having just watched in abject horror as her newfound friend just had a massive spazz attack. "You scared the daylights out of me, jesus christ." She offered Autumn a shoulder to lean on, as they seemed just as, if not more shaken, than Sonia herself. "We were just talking about where to go, but honestly, I think you could really use some rest. You don't exactly look alright."

"You know what? Why don't I just take you home with me? At least you'll get a place to stay the night, if nothing else." Yeah, she'd have to explain to her mother why she'd brought an Android with her home but... details. Surely, Colette would understand. "Just follow me, okay?"

Autumn was surprised when instead of acting disdainful or even feeling pity instead offered her both concern and a shoulder to lean on. Her compassion was unlike anything the android had seen in a human before, something that sincerely touched the android; and while she didn't want to be a burden (which was all she had been since awakening) she also wasn't in any condition to refuse Sonia's offer to her - perhaps she could repay this debt later.

"Are you sure...?" Autumn began before realizing that Sonia had already made up her mind, words dying on her lips. "Erm...lead the way then, Sonia."

END