[CLOSED / COMPLETE]

[tofightfire]

Characters: getrightbackup & tofightfire
Setting/Location: Their room (N-407)
Date & Time: Day 9, after Aigis's meeting with Jack.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Aigis and Katniss are meeting for the first time. Katniss will be awkward about it.

Comments

[tofightfire]

Katniss was a bit taken aback by all the questions regarding the bunk bed. For a moment, she simply stood there and stared. She trying to process all that Aigis had asked and come up with a coherent answer. "Well," she began, crossing her arms.

She took a closer look at the beds while pointedly ignoring the intensity of Aigis' eyes on her. The beds were nothing compared to the ones she had slept in during her stay in the Capitol or while on the train, but it was still nicer than anything her family had had prior to her victory in the Hunger Games. Actually, the whole room was relatively nice. It made her wonder how Cid Amon was able to fund this journey and afford accommodations for everyone on the Caravan. She doubted she could get answers to her questions.

Katniss sighed and began the slightly tedious task of answering Aigis' questions. "Putting a bed over another is useful. It saves space, so there's more room for furniture and two people can stay in the same room," she explained in a steady voice. "I think they can be detached because they probably came in pieces to be assembled. I can't say whether it's nicer than a regular bed, it really depends on the person. As far as I know, it's not for climate control."

Katniss realized that she was talking more than she had the past few days combined, the masquerade not included. "I don't think there's a lot to know about these beds," she paused and then added, "Which one do you want?"

[getrightbackup]

"Ah! So it's mainly for space-saving purposes. Understood." She gave Katniss a grateful smile. New knowledge was always something to be glad for.

The question she was asked made her blink, though. "Which one do I want?" Aigis repeated, looking confused. Was Katniss referring to the beds? Ohh! It almost made her giggle. If that was the case, then there was no choice to be made. Though she required sleep, doing so in a bed wasn't really her thing. She couldn't appreciate the comfort of a soft pillow or warm sheets, though that didn't bother her too much.

After looking around, Aigis walked over to one of the chairs in the room, pointing to it as she spoke. "I do not require a bed, so I will sleep here."

Operation Pass As A Human: most likely a failure now.

[tofightfire]

Just as Katniss had suspected then. She felt no comfort in her suspicions being confirmed, though. If anything she wanted to stay in this room less. Although she was a relatively light sleeper, sleeping put her in a position where she would be unable to defend against an attack.

She eyed the chair Aigis was pointing to and estimated the distance between the it and the beds. Not nearly far enough.

"How do you sleep?" Her skepticism was evident in her tone of voice, which was far from friendly. "Do you just power down?"

Although Aigis had, so far, been kind and curious, Katniss wouldn't be satisfied with simply accepting her until she knew more.

[getrightbackup]

It was then that Aigis finally realized that maybe Katniss wasn't entirely happy to see her. While she was no true expert on emotions, she knew well enough that she was creating tension somehow. Her smiling and cheerful demeanor faded, replaced with a slight frown and some concern. And despite it all, her efforts to appear as a normal girl didn't seem to have worked out so well.

Perhaps this is what X meant, humans not being fully trusting of robots. The idea of that hurt her a little, but she tried her best not to show it.

"If my power reserves are low, then yes," she finally responded, her eyes focused on the floor. She began to feel ashamed, too, simply because her differences were so apparent now. "Typically, however, I will simply enter a mode that is similar to what you'd call sleeping. It allows my mind to rest and dream."

Aigis sat in her chosen chair, then hesitantly looked over at her roommate. "Do you believe I will harm you, Katniss-san?"

[tofightfire]

She didn't answer immediately. Instead Katniss looked Aigis over once again. The change in her disposition was distinct, and the atmosphere in the room was different now, quiet and sad. She felt a twinge of guilt at having been so apparent with her displeasure, but it was quickly stamped out. What could she say? Nothing felt appropriate or even fair, as much as Katniss loathed the word.

"I don't know," she finally admitted, which took a lot more from her than was obvious. "Will you?"

She resisted the urge to dig her fingers into her arm as she contemplated the possible answers to that question. She wanted to doubt Aigis would lash out at her now, but she had learned never to be too sure of a situation's outcome.

[getrightbackup]

Deciding that any sudden movements would make matters worse, Aigis went completely still as Katniss looked her over, trying to prove that she was a really good robot. She still looked a little sad, of course, but she was intent on setting things right. After all, she wanted her roommate to be a good friend. And most of all, she wanted Katniss to know she'd be safe with someone like her around for protection.

When she felt like it was safe to move again, Aigis shook her head vehemently at the question, then to prove that further said, "No, I won't. I have no intention of ever harming you. I was made to protect humans, and that will always be one of my main purposes for living. Please, if there is anything I can do to allay your fears, let me know and I will do so."

[tofightfire]

With that kind of earnest response, Katniss found it difficult to remain tense. It was the first time she had heard anyone sound so honest about protecting people. The concept was difficult for her to process because she had come across so many who had no such reservations about harming others. President Snow came to mind.

She sat back down on the bottom bed with a heavy sigh. If it came down to a choice, Aigis would be someone Katniss would want to work with. But this wasn't the arena, it was just a room. "Are you armed all the time?" she asked, although she was genuinely curious this time, not accusatory. "I'm wondering, because this seems like the kind of situation where all our weapons would be taken away."

This was the closest Katniss could come to an outright concession.

[getrightbackup]

The switch in tone wasn't completely lost on Aigis, and it was enough to make her relax a little herself. Really, she was more thoughtful than anything at Katniss' question, because it was a little hard to answer. Blinking, she looked down at her hands, then at herself.

"Um, I... I am not currently armed, in the strictest sense. Allow me to prove it, so that you have no reason to be suspicious." And without any sort of warning, Aigis stood up and promptly removed her school uniform's jacket, the shirt underneath and her big red bow quickly following. She had nothing to hide! And thankfully for Katniss' sake, there was nothing underneath that looked highly realistic, just her usual robot parts. Her creators hadn't gone that far with the human look, at least.

Everything important now uncovered, Aigis held up her forearms, showing where her bullets would normally be attached at. "See? I have no bullets on me, so I cannot possibly shoot you. And my Persona is reserved only for Shadows, so there is no need to fear that, either." Never mind that she probably wouldn't know what a Persona was. But hey, little details.

Suddenly, however, she frowned, her arms slowly returning to her sides. Since her lower arms were some of her main weapons, would she have to give them up? How would she be able to properly function otherwise? Worried now, Aigis decided to ask Katniss' opinion on the matter. "Do you think I will be asked to remove my lower arms at some point? I'll have difficulty with many tasks, if that is the case."

[tofightfire]

She was slightly taken aback by Aigis' sudden state of undress. It was unsettling to see exactly how not human Aigis was underneath, yet Katniss was fascinated by how complex and well put together it seemed. She once again thought of the awful muttations created by the Capitol and suddenly felt grateful they had never ventured into assembling robots such as Aigis. They would be the ultimate enemy in the arena, nearly impossible to beat.

The question made Katniss imagine Aigis without her lower arms. She frowned. Saying it would be a difficult situation would be an understatement. "No," she shook her head. "I don't think you'll need to take them off. If you have no way of shooting, I don't see why it'd be a problem with anyone."

Unfortunately for Aigis, though, Katniss caught on to little details. In this place she felt entirely out of the loop. All the unfamiliar terms people tossed around with ease made her feel uncomfortable. Having lived in a world of full of double meanings, she figured there was no harm in asking for clarification. So she ventured to ask, "What's a Persona? And Shadows?"

[getrightbackup]

As she usually was, Aigis remained oblivious to how Katniss felt in regards to her body. Sure, she knew humans had some reservations about showing their naked bodies, but she wasn't naked underneath her clothes. So, why be ashamed? After making sure her jacket and things were neatly folded on the table, she sat back down, resting her hands in her lap.

Looking relieved, she said, "It's good to hear that, Katniss-san. I do not think I would be very useful without my hands."

Aigis glanced over at the window again, distracted as she thought again of how nice it was to have one. She could almost imagine how fun it'd be to sit there and stare out of it for hours, looking at the many plants and creatures outside. She really hoped she could hear some cicadas, since they made such interesting noises. Were there cicadas in Willaknapp, though? She wondered.

"Hmm?" She seemed to slip out of a reverie once she noticed that Katniss had asked her some questions. "Oh, my apologies. A Persona is..." She paused. Should she explain? After thinking on it for a moment, she remembered that Jack had said she had no orders to follow, so why not? She wanted Katniss to trust her; it might help.

"'Persona' is the power that I use to battle Shadows, which are beings bent on devouring human minds, to put it simply. There's no need to fear, however, for there are none here. Even if there were, I would not rest until they were all eliminated." She smiled. See? She was a good robot!

"As for my Persona," she continued, "its name is Athena. I would summon it to demonstrate some of its capabilities, but the room is far too small. Perhaps some other time." Of course, she was still operating under the assumption that she could summon her Persona, but she'd yet to find out that it wouldn't be possible. That'd be an unpleasant surprise. "Have I answered your questions sufficiently?"

l-late, i'm sorry!

[tofightfire]

There was so much she still didn't understand. Katniss could bring herself to accept what was obvious - Aigis was a robot. This was not Panem. There was a giant pulling this caravan along. Statements such as those she could thread around her deep-rooted distrust of everything in this world. Then there were more abstract ideas, such as supernatural powers, that she couldn't wrap her head around.

"Too small." It wasn't a question, simply a reiteration of her incredulity.

She knew how to handle weapons: a bow and arrow, a set of knives. She had done some things in the name of survival that had pushed the limits of human capability. However, in the end, she'd had nothing but an intense determination to live. The thought of having a 'summon', whatever that could be, to use as an aid against the forces of evil was entirely out of her area of expertise.

In this case, or when it came to this entire situation, Katniss was holding on tight to an old saying. I'll believe it when I see it, she thought to herself. She had survived several days on it and would continue to do so.

Still, Aigis had been polite throughout this whole exchange, a trait which had both taken Katniss by surprise and been the source of much relief. Despite her initial reservations, she found that she could adapt to sharing the room, even if it would be a relatively slow process throughout which she would practice light sleeping.

Regardless, she was able to say "Yes," to Aigis' question and assure her that she had nothing more to ask. "For now, at least."

It's no problem! I don't mind at all!

[getrightbackup]

"Yes, too small," Aigis confirmed helpfully, not seeming to notice that Katniss wasn't really asking a question. "I must admit, I'm a little disappointed that I cannot show you. But as I said, some other time, perhaps."

It was probably for the best, anyway. With all that had happened during the day and all that talk of sleeping, Aigis was beginning to feel a little tired herself. She didn't mind it so much, though, even if it meant missing out on new things for a few hours. Still, she'd have tons of stuff to do once she woke up. Exploring! Questioning! Observing! She'd needed the rest to be completely prepared for a new day of information overload.

So, after she rose and finally removed the rest of her clothing (because sleeping in the school uniform was a no-no!), Aigis sat back down, smiling over at Katniss. "Well, if you have no further questions, I believe I will rest. Is that all right, Katniss-san?"

[tofightfire]

Katniss nodded and stood. She hadn't had a good night's sleep since she had arrived, and she doubted she would get one now. Every time she closed her eyes, she just saw explosions and Gale, Gale trying to break the news the only way he knew she would hear it.

"I'll leave," she said, walking to the door. She was going to wander the caravan, preferably until she felt fatigue in her very bones and could go no further, so when she finally dropped into bed, she wouldn't dream.

With her hand on the knob, she looked back at Aigis. "Thank you." She didn't clarify what she was grateful for, whether it was Aigis' patience or her explanation, but she did offer her the smallest of smiles.

[getrightbackup]

"If you insist," Aigis said, looking only the slightest bit concerned. She didn't want to think that Katniss was leaving because of the previous fears she'd had, but she wasn't going to try stopping her from doing what she wanted. That'd be far more rude than anything, wouldn't it? There was no need to force things, in any case. They had plenty of time to get to know and understand each other.

She waved a little at her roommate. "You're welcome," she replied, returning the smile. "Have fun!" Even if that probably wasn't what Katniss was setting out to do, she'd learned people liked to hear it when they left. Why that was, she didn't know, but if it made people happy, why not?

And as if a switch had been flipped, Aigis' head slowly dipped, her eyes closing as she went to sleep.

[tofightfire]

She spared a second to consider if Aigis thought she was leaving because of any lingering apprehension regarding her being a robot. Katniss wasn't going to lie to herself. Circumstances had shaped an inherent distrust of strangers in her that was nearly impossible to ignore. She may have expressed a modicum of understanding in order to neatly avoid a drawn out discussion or conflict, but it would be a while before she would be able to easily interact with anyone.

Good thing the one thing they were guaranteed on this trip was time. There was no telling when they'd arrive at the promised village.

Curious, Katniss watched Aigis fall asleep before quietly leaving the room.