Break Free

[compartmentalise]

Who: Markus and you??
What: Becoming deviant and afterward
Where: Various places
When: Late July/Early August
Warnings: Violence against coding. But otherwise none.

Become Deviant (closed)

Since arriving at the Quarantine, Markus had learned so much more about humanity. They all liked him and seemed to want him to be more than his coding. Over and over he thought of Carl's words to him: I won't always be here to take care of you. You have to decide for yourself who you want to be. It was like Carl knew Markus would be here one day.

And he had been working it out, but more and more often he could feel the confines of his coding boxing him in. It'd always been there in Detroit, but now he was really seeing it. Did he even want to be a caretaker? It wasn't fair that his function was decided for him.

I don't have to obey them. The thought came out fierce. Within his mind palace, Markus could see the next objective in CyberLife Sans font. His hands curled into fists and he hit it, breaking it into pieces. When the words and code were all just a scattered mess, he shoved them away.

And felt the world open around him. He was free.

Clothes Shopping | Art, Literature, Music | The Zoo | Want to do a thing but don't see a prompt? PM me at seraphjewel

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[compartmentalise]

[Markus had arrived in the black shirt and pants he wore around the house with Carl, and the only change to that had been when he got his uniform for the hospice society.

But now he was standing here in the clothing store staring at all the options. All the different colors and styles that he could now wear. The salespeople were all very friendly and offering to help, but Markus wanted to try figuring it out himself.

Since hot and cold didn't bother him, he was looking at long sleeves and jackets along]

[winscenario]

[ Jim was here looking for something for Victor, actually. For no particular reason other than he felt like it, but then he's never needed a special occasion to want to spoil the doctor.

Finding Markus there was a bit of a surprise, since he always seemed to wear the same clothes. Maybe he'd stained or torn something? Either way, Jim was curious, and he approached with a friendly smile. ]

The green one would match your eyes.

[compartmentalise]

[He turns, smiling when he sees Jim there. He turns his attention back to the green shirt]

Should I get something blue to match my LED? [This is a joke, and it's clear in his tone he's joking]

[winscenario]

[ He catches onto the teasing tone, his lips twitching at the corner. ]

Or you could go with that, if you feel like it. [ Tricky colors to match, though. ] Finally got tired of the scrubs?

[compartmentalise]

It's all I have other than what I was wearing when I arrived. I wanted to choose my clothing for once, so here I am.

I like this one. [He takes a gray duster off the hanger. Note how he doesn't say "I think" anymore]

[winscenario]

Here you are. [ Jim can't help a little smile, noting small differences in Markus's stance, the words he chooses. His gaze flickers between him and the coat. ]

Have you tried it on yet?

[compartmentalise]

No, I just like the way it looks. But it's in my size, so it should fit. [He takes it off the hanger just to check. It does fit him nicely, and he starts looking through other clothes while wearing it. He pulls out a few shirts, some in the recommended green]

How many should I get?

[winscenario]

[ Jim still thinks it's a good idea that Markus tries it on, just to be sure it fits nicely and looks good on him. He gives an approving nod, then looks at the shirt with an amused smile. ]

However many you want— and can afford, obviously. Or you could buy other stuff, go for a little more variety.

[compartmentalise]

I think I'll stay with some shirts and maybe another pair of pants. At least for now. Something simple.

Exploring Art

[compartmentalise]

[Art was one thing that Markus knew for sure he liked. So he went to find art supply stores around the Quarantine. He picked out some paints and canvases, for now sending them to his communal housing. Julia had the right idea on finding an art studio of some kind. He stops by the art academies and wanders around town a little looking for places that would work as a studio.

But it isn't just painting he wants to explore. He also makes a stop at the library to check out books that others have mentioned to him. And he rounds off his trip by going to a music store. It's the type that provides headphones for people to sample the music before they buy. Markus spends the rest of the store's open hours going around listening to all the different genres that are available]

Hitting this on his way home if it works?

[11calls]

[Alex is the sort of person who will take her dog on really long walks when she's thinking or writing in her head, and at the moment, that's what she's doing. Apo, the large and affectionate gray pitbull is walking so close to her that Alex probably doesn't need the leash she's holding so loosely. Normally she wouldn't, but Apophenia is just going to walk up to Markus and sniff him before Alex comes following quickly after.]

Oh my god, I'm so sorry! He's harmless, really.

of course!

[compartmentalise]

[A living dog! Markus is thrilled, though he doesn't know what to do with it at first. Eventually he holds his hand close to the dog for it to smell. What would an android smell like to a dog? Probably metallic]

Hello again. I've never seen a real dog before. Is he your pet?

[11calls]

[Apo just gives Markus a sniff, before licking his palm with a large and sort of drooly tongue. It's definitely a puppy kiss, that one is, before the dog nudges his snout into Markus' palm.]

Hello. And yep, he is. He's Apophenia, but mostly we just call him Apo.

[compartmentalise]

[He smiles a bit wider at the feel of the tongue on his palm. He slides his hand around to scratch behind the dog's ears, guessing the dog wants some petting]

He's very friendly. Seems not even the animals here mind that I'm an android.

[11calls]

He is. He loves people and attention, so of course he doesn't mind that you're an android.

[If you're talking to her and not a demon, Alex considers you a person. Sorry Markus. Or not sorry as the case may be.]

If you're not careful, he'll try and climb into your lap for belly rubs.

[compartmentalise]

[He absolutely does not mind being considered a person]

That's all right. I won't interrupt your walk. It's good seeing you again. I've been looking for places that could be an art studio for me.

[11calls]

It's okay! You're definitely not interrupting. You're welcome to walk with us some more if you want. I'm sure Apo would love it if you did. Honestly, if he thinks you're taking him to the p-a-r-k, he will probably think you're the best friend ever, honestly.

[Alex spells out park because welp, she knows her dog, and if she says it, she will have literally no peace until they go there and she wears them both out playing ball or something like that. Don't be fooled, Apo seems like he can be chill, but also he loves the park and balls.]

Real Animals

[compartmentalise]

[It was still incredible to think that there were real, living animals around. He wanted to see them for himself, and after some searching found that there was a zoo. He knew about zoos but Carl never asked to go there, so this would be the first experience.

Markus spent a long time at each exhibit, watching the animal move around their environment. Whenever he came to one with younger animals, he found himself smiling watching them tumble around and being taught by their parents. He stayed in the zoo until it closed, wanting to take in everything]

[alfa]

[ Working at the zoo was unsurprisingly easy for Owen. Handling raptors before coming here did offer a vastly different experience, so dealing with even the more dangerous animals here didn't pose as much of a problem to him.

Right now he was tending to what looked like a baby owl though, wrapped up in a blanket and cuddling on his lap, while Owen tried to feed it little bits of meat and worms. It wasn't a show area, but it wasn't closed to the public yet, so when Markus stepped closer, he looked up. ]

Hey. [ He tipped his chin up. ] Fan of owls?

[compartmentalise]

Hello. [He peers at the little animal with great curiosity. He recognizes it as a bird and his smile warms] I've never seen one before. I do like birds, though. I had pet birds back home.

[Sure they were technically Carl's birds, but Markus was the one who made sure they were turned on and maintained]

[alfa]

Really? [ His expression opens into a smile, and he gestures for Markus to sit down next to him, if he wants to. ]

This little fella's pretty young. But the mom is sick, so she can't look after him properly. We gotta make sure he eats and is healthy while she's being treated.

[ The little bird accepts a worm from Owen, tiny wings fluffing up when he scratches his fingertips gently against the top of his head. ]

You wanna hold him?

[compartmentalise]

Yes, I would like that.

[He is in awe of the tiny thing. Markus is careful to cup his hands in the most gentle way he can to receive the creature]

Does he have a name?

[alfa]

[ Owen carefully places the owl on Markus's hands, along with the blanket so he won't scratch the skin with his tiny claws. ]

Not really. They told me to think of something, but... [ He shrugs. ] Do you wanna name him?

[compartmentalise]

Me? [He glances down at the little owl. Owls are often associated with wisdom, so it would be easy to name the bird after a philosopher. But lots of people would probably think of that. He wants to do something a little more different]

Bishop. [Yes, that's the name of an android, but it's a good android and it's one that reminds him of Carl. Carl being a wise man in Markus's view]

[alfa]

[ Some would, no doubt. But usually they let kids name the animals around here, so whatever Markus chooses, it's bound to be different and unique.

Owen lifts an eyebrow when Markus decides on a name. Odd pick. He doesn't really make the connection. ] Alright then. Guess you're Bishop now. [ He says to the bird while feeding him a couple more worms. ]