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

Comments

[compartmentalise]

I've been thinking of trying something else for work. I was built to be a caretaker but I think I only liked it because of Carl. It's one reason why I need different clothes.

[winscenario]

[ His eyebrows raise a little. ] Yeah? Well— I'll be honest with you, it did seem like you weren't very satisfied with your work. So what are you thinking? Something art related, I'm guessing?

[ There's a lot to choose, in that area. He could work at a museum, as a guide or a curator. He could teach, maybe. He could even be a freelance artist. Whatever he chooses, Jim's honestly curious to see how he'll do. ]

[compartmentalise]

I'm not sure. I think I would still like talking to them, hearing about their thoughts on life and the stories of their past.

But someone did ask if they could commission an art piece from me, so I can try it and see if I like it.

[winscenario]

That's normal. And good. Everyone has a story to tell, after all. It's good, being curious about other people's experiences.

[ And older people are bound to have a lot to share. They'll no doubt love someone taking an interest. ]

You seemed to, before. When you did those paintings. [ A beat, ] If you end up taking more commissions, can I ask for something too?

[compartmentalise]

Yes, but those were all images I thought up. Working on commission means I will be painting an image someone else wants. I've never done that before.

[He smiles a little at that] What would you ask for?

[winscenario]

I don't know— I hadn't thought that far ahead. [ He gives it some thought now, though. He purses his lips and shrugs. ] Maybe a painting of my family? That'd be really nice.

[compartmentalise]

I could do that. You would need to send an image to me first.

[winscenario]

You should work on your other painting first. I can wait. [ He gestures to the shirts Markus was going through. ] So? Which ones are you taking?

[compartmentalise]

[He's a little disappointed. He has much more free time now that he isn't working non-stop. Then again, he can always just keep painting for himself.

As for the shirts, he goes for a few: long-sleeved, short, a few turtlenecks, all in solid colors. About as many as one could wear for a week before doing laundry]

Is that enough?

[winscenario]

[ He just didn't want to put too much on Markus's plate. No doubt that he has other things he wants to do and try for the first time, and Jim's commission doesn't have to be a priority. If he wants to do it now, though, he'll gladly choose a picture and send it to him. ]

Yeah, I think you're good. [ He cracks a faint smile. ] I mean, I know you don't sweat or anything, but your clothes will get dirty anyway, so you should wash them too. But I think that should be alright for a start.

[compartmentalise]

Washing my clothes. It sounds so strange, but... good. These are my clothes. I own them.

[Or will momentarily, but the sentiment is the same]

[winscenario]

Once you pay for them. [ Pointing out helpfully. ] Not gonna help you become a delinquent the moment you're self-aware by letting you shoplift.

[ He grins jokingly. ] Come on. Tills are this way— unless you're looking for anything else?

[compartmentalise]

[Markus just gave him a look and headed to make his purchase. It's still so strange to him seeing a being other than an android ready to accept payments. His LED flashes almost out of habit even as he pays and thanks the cashier]

Now they're definitely my clothes.

[winscenario]

[ Jim chuckles at Markus's comment. ] Yeah, now they are. Congratulations on that, by the way.

[compartmentalise]

Save that for when I sell my first painting. [Look at him being all confident]

[winscenario]

I was thinking of a bottle of champagne for that one. Purely symbolic, of course. [ Since Markus couldn't really drink it. ]

[compartmentalise]

I've always wondered what that tastes like. [He could drink it, but it would mess with his biocomponents and might even cause some functioning issues]

[winscenario]

Well... it depends on the champagne, but the ones I've drank were sweet and bubbly. I couldn't drink more than a couple glasses, at least. You're not missing much on that front.

[ Now, a nice scotch, or a big milkshake... that's a whole other matter entirely. ]

[compartmentalise]

No. I'm probably not. [He gives a look, like he knows what other types of drinks Jim might be considering]

I didn't ask yet: why did you come in here? I don't think it was just to help me.

[winscenario]

[ He would, of course. Jim has had at least one of them while in Markus's presence, so. ]

Oh, I was looking for a jacket. For my boyfriend. Nothing special, I'll look around some other time.

[compartmentalise]

Oh. [He glances over at the store hours, then back at Jim, confused] You still could; the store is open for another few hours.

[winscenario]

Well— yeah, but I ran into you now. Don't worry, it's not like he's gonna run out of clothes. It's not that critical.

[ Jim just likes getting Victor nice things for no good reason. ]

[compartmentalise]

[He still doesn't understand why Jim can't look for the jacket now, but decides there are just some things about human behavior he will never understand. So he just takes his bags and heads for the door]

[winscenario]

[ It's simple: Jim likes companionship. Even if it's just walking alongside Markus somewhere and then parting ways, he'd rather do that now instead. Particularly now that there's so much more he can learn and share with the android. ]

[compartmentalise]

[He walks with Jim in silence for a moment before the question comes to him]

Do you like space movies? I noticed your mention of space on your friendr profile.