video | dating show attempt #1: naked attraction

[lyingheart]

[ The video opens from an angle, filming what looks like a film crew and a man wearing a very large cravat talking with Annie. Both faces can be seen from the side. ]

So get this, [ he says, lifting his hands. ] you start out by seeing everyone's bare feet—

[ Annie stares at him, unblinking. The man's smile fixes in place, and he continues on. ]

Then you see their bare legs—

[ Annie continues staring without blinking. Determined, the man goes on. ]

Then you see bare everything from the legs up, and then their faces—

[ Annie stares, her eyes narrowing. ]

Before at last you step out, naked, and—

[ She holds up a hand, cutting him off. ]

When they said this was going to be a dating show, I didn't realise they really meant pornography. A young woman like me might take offense.

[ The man waves his hands, shaking his head. ]

No, no, no! It's not pornography, it's art! There's no touching invol—

[ His voice is cut off as Annie moves forward, her quick throw of the man landing him on his back on the ground with Annie placing one knee on the middle of his chest. His arms are held overhead. He's breathless, wheezing a little, eyes wide from what whites can be seen by the camera, which floats closer. ]

To hell with art. Contact me when you have a real proposal.

[ She pushes up to her feet, dusting herself off with a look of irritation still on her face. Her eyes flit to the camera, then to the one holding it. ]

Turn it off, Fritz. Now.

Comments

[lyingheart]

What about high bribery?

[ Is there any government body which is not paid to look the other way at some point or another? ]

[sassymaru]

No.

Never. We were, and are, above such things.

[lyingheart]

Nice to know in some places, idealism holds true for the whole of an organisation.

[sassymaru]

Our duty was to uphold the law.

Even if a human being had seen fit to attempt to pay an AI unit, we would never accept.

[lyingheart]

AI unit?

[sassymaru]

Indeed.

Have I not said previously? In my life before, I was not human, not in the least. None of our department were.

Save for Miniboss.

[lyingheart]

You may have, but it... I don't know what an AI unit is.

[sassymaru]

Ah... so I see.

An artificial life form, created by human beings. We are... robots, in the basest sense of the word, with hearts.

With emotion.

[lyingheart]

[ She holds up a hand... and sighs. ]

I understand artificial life form, but... is robot just another word for that, or does robot means something specific?

[sassymaru]

Mm... somewhat.

It means my body was mechanical. Made of metal, wires. That sort of thing.

[lyingheart]

Ah, the kind of core materials we find in various machines and computers here? What form was your body given? If that's not too rude to ask.

[sassymaru]

Of a sort, yes.

[He grins.]

I had five, in fact.

[lyingheart]

[ Ah! Here she blinks in obvious surprise. ]

You could reform in five different bodies? Were they of significantly different shapes?

[ How does that even work?! Two forms was already one too many! ]

[sassymaru]

[Ah yes, there's the reaction he loves to get from people.]

Indeed! In one, a talented robotic detective! Another, a supersonic jet. A stealth police car... a top secret tank... and?

Last, but assuredly not least...!

The Dark Wolf.

[... it's a dog.]

[lyingheart]

[ The Dark Wolf. As in there's only one. This fits right in with his dramatic personality, at least... ]

I have no idea what a jet or tank are, or what would make a police car stealthy. Hidden lights?

[ LOOK... ]

Robot detective just defines an occupation, not what that form looks like...

[sassymaru]

...

[Just the biggest sigh.]

Humanoid, I suppose, is the best way to define it. I shall... at least attempt to see if any photos were taken of me during the last weekend I was returned to myself.

[lyingheart]

Thank you for your effort.

[ Which she means sincerely. She knows this is a bother, but she's also stopped giving any flips of a bird about asking point blank after the many things she doesn't know. It's one kind of learning curve, and here being blatantly ignorant wasn't a death sentence. ]

[sassymaru]

But of course.

[It means he gets to look through photos of himself.]

I take it such things are not common in your world?

[lyingheart]

They're not.

[ They did have cars an dirigibles and steamships, but within the Walls, such weren't heard of. ]

We have river boats. Nothing like the ferries or cruise ships here. I learned about vehicles in this dimension, and airplanes when the crash happened.

[sassymaru]

Goodness.

You have... nothing? Only river boats? How do you travel?

[lyingheart]

On foot. On horse. On boat.

[ She shrugs. ]

Carriage are around too, and wagons, but if you own one or can afford to travel in one are different things. Most use them related to business. The nobles use nicer carriages for traveling as they please, same as the better off merchants.

[ Does this sound medieval yet? Paradis is living far behind the times outside their walls, though Annie, as always, doesn't breathe a word about it. ]

[sassymaru]

That... sounds positively primeval.

[Close, Maru.]

You don't have a system of public transit? Not even trains?

[lyingheart]

... It's not that bad.

[ Not... not primeval? ]

We don't.

[ Marley does. Renewable resources are needed for that kind of thing! ]

[sassymaru]

It sounds intolerable.

[At least to his fancy ass.]

Why... why not?

[lyingheart]

You get used to it.

[ Dryly stated: not like they have a choice. And who knows different, until exposed to differences? ]

Limited resources. Something like that sounds like it'd need a decent source of fuel. I can't say we have anything that makes sense for the kind of scale that public transit implies.