Match of the Millennium

Description: As the various NFG folks standed on Zack Island deal with things in their own way, a chance encounter with the feline Gear Max gives Arisa Hawkins an opportunity to air some unsaid feelings and perhaps reconnect a tiny bit after some earlier friction. RIP Mr. Salmon, however.

[MAX]
As it turns out, being stranded on a tropical island is a lot less glamorous than the old sitcoms Max had watched made it out to be. That might, in part, be due to the fact that the crazy firebird who trapped them here had incinerated most of the wild life and fruit-bearing plants. Pretty much everything sucks when you're hungry.

Without access to the Internet or television, the young Gear's options for entertainment have proven annoyingly sparse. Most of the other contestants have proven too cranky or too busy to play with her. Tanwen was still going on about her 'Dungeon & Dragons' game but so far nothing had come of it. The casino machines had been amusing to fiddle with for a while but the constant noise and flashing lights had proven too much for her hyper-active senses to deal with for more than a few minutes. The jungle had the opposite problem, being so still that it was unsettling, what with all the little critters that would normally make it home busy being little piles of ash instead.

Some of this empty time had been spent watching over her mother. The scientist had reacted poorly to the jungle heat at first but once they got the power, and thus the air conditioning, returned to the casino she had much improved. Enough so that Max's constant hovering had started to annoy her. Normally, her overprotective creator would have been over the moon at her willingness to sit around obediently and quietly but without her own distractions to keep her busy the Gear's unblinking stare had become somewhat creepy. Eventually Dr. Maeda had told her to go outside and find something to keep her busy.

Her first thought had been to locate the others and see if anyone had changed their minds about wanting to goof around. After a bit of sniffing around, literally, she discovered that everyone had gathered at the radio station for some reason. While the idea of doing a bit of mischief to break up the monotony had intruded into her thoughts, it quickly became apparent that there was some sort of discussion going on that seemed relatively important. Not wanting to get scolded again, she stealthily pilfered a mouthful of rice from the buffer table and instead steered her crusade against boredom elsewhere.

After a bit of thinking, she decided to try and catch some fish. Food was still a hot commodity since none of the humans could subsist on palm leaves and tree bark like she can. The water witch, Chevy, had used some of her sorcery to lay claim to a bounty of sea already having discovered a small inlet that resided within the flaming barrier that now surrounded the island. Max soon discovered that this particular location was no longer viable, however. In fact, so foul was the taint that now polluted that place that just getting near it made her hair stand on end. It smelled... wrong, somehow.

Which brings things to present.

After searching around for a fair bit of time, she had discovered that there was another part of the island that yet retained its sea access. As most of her time has been spent scouting the jungle or watching over her mother, the stilt-mounted cottages are a new discovery, though most of the crew were probably well aware of them already. One would think that this would be the first place to go looking for tasty seafood considering its proximity and convenience. Then again, after what happened to the other fishing spot, maybe it was wise to avoid going for the obvious food source.

Regardless, Max is bored and that means practical concerns tend to fall by the wayside. Loud splashes and the occasional shout of victory or frustration drift through the air as the Gear goes about her play. While she is certainly out to catch whatever she can, there is more of an emphasis on keeping herself entertained than someone entirely concerned with survival.

Massive clawed hands sweep through the salty water like paddles as she swipes indiscriminately at whatever is foolish enough to take the bait of her fuzzy tail, its tip waggling enticingly below the surface of the water like a big fat worm. Occasionally she throws herself bodily into the ocean, attempting to snatch particularly juicy morsels up in her jagged teeth before hurling it onto the small pile of successful catches on the sandy beach.

There is no attempt at stealth or wariness on her part, the Gear clearly at ease enough to lower her guard. She looks more like a child at play than one of the advanced bio-weapons that almost destroyed Japan.

[ARISA]
MEANWHILE:

It's not that Arisa Hawkins doesn't like the other competitors in the NFG that she's currently trapped on an island with, per se. Half of them she simply doesn't know anything about beyond Tom and Lou's unreliable narration, and the other half she has met and are perfectly lovely people... but frankly, despite her little outing with Al to search for something new to wear, this entire situation has started to bum her out, more than a little bit.

Thus, Max isn't the only one who's currently avoiding the brouhaha at the radio station. For a while, the Texan merely sat in one of the eerily vacant hotels, using her salvaged sewing kit to fashion the salvaged burkini into something more functionally wearable... but once that was done, there really wasn't much left to do. Hunger isn't so much her problem -- she was able to catch a few fish of her own, though nothing near the ridiculous bounty of the sea Chevy produced, and for a blessing, her dad's insistence on teaching her basic Japanese cooking meant basic sashimi wasn't complicated.

Her problem, much like Max's, is fully more of a 'what to do with myself?' situation, and there's only so much drumming of her fingers on an abandoned cafe table and naps one can handle before going stir crazy.

This might explain why, as the Gear attempts to fish (or some analogous activity), Arisa just happens to be walking by, a bottle of water at her side. Her cutoff shorts thankfully survived the trip to the island, but her typical top has been replaced by a sleeveless swimsuit-esque top with full shoulder coverage in a pattern of pale pink and purple, the 'hood' of the burkini folded behind her neck, giving the impression that she's wearing the world's first sleeveless swimsuit hoodie.

The splashing, however, gets her attention... and then, when she sees who is (unmistakably) faffing about in the water, Arisa pauses in her steps, bringing the bottle up to her lips and taking a swig before replacing the lid and furrowing her brow a little. Yeah... there is some stuff unsaid, here, she recognizes, and maybe now it SHOULD be said, particularly with the previously omnipresent Dr. Maeda absent. The question is, does 'stranded on a desert island' provide the right *atmosphere* for the conversation that might ensue?

"...to heck with it," the Texan mutters, before heading over toward where Max is fishing.

[MAX]
By the time the gunslinger meanders into this neck of the island, Max has been at it a while and her interest in idly splashing around while pretending to fish has started to exhaust itself. Instead she now appears to be shifted from 'pool time' to 'tea time' and is having faux conversations with her unfortunate prey. Wielding a wide-eyed suffocating fish in each massive paw while sitting waist deep in the water, the small girl's voice drifts through the otherwise eerily silent jungle as clear as crystal.

"...I don't know, Mr. Salmon, what do you suggest?"

Turning towards the larger of two fish, a rather sizable salmon that appears thoroughly displeased to be partaking in this conversation, gawps back at the Gear. Though its flapping mouth unsurprisingly creates no words, she happily makes up for it with a low-pitched attempt at a posh British accent.

"Why, have you tried the cod today? I hear it's particularly juicy this time of year!"

Max's eyebrows raise in mock surprise, her interest clearly piqued.

"Truly? That's quite interesting! What do you think of this, Ms. Cod?"

The other fish, a russet brown cod that seems more resigned to its fate or perhaps just more tucked out, receives a questioning look. It likewise proves incapable of speech and the Gear once again translates the wet slurping gasps as she sees fit.

"Nonsense!", she squeaks in a high-pitched voice. "That's nothing but scuttlebutt! Everyone knows that salmon is the freshest during this season!"

Max reels in mock surprise, eyes wide.

"What? Mr. Salmon, are you spreading baseless rumors again?"

The bio-weapon frowns as the salmon continues to wriggle about in her claw, offering no rebuttal against her accusation.

"Nothing to say for yourself, eh? In that case, I shall pass judgement immediately!"

Opening her mouth wide enough to be slightly disturbing, Max stuffs the fish head-first into her gaping maw and chomps down eagerly. Her razor-sharp teeth slice through the tough scales with ease and the doomed fish twitches violently, its tail flapping back and forth in a final desperate attempt to avoid its fate. Alas, its heroic struggles prove futile.

Chewing noisily on her snack, it isn't until the sound of footsteps draws closer that Max finally notices she isn't alone. Rotating her head like an owl, she stares back over her shoulder at the approaching American, eyes wide, half-eaten fish still hanging out of her mouth. After a few moments she slurps the entire thing down like a wet noodle, gulping a massive lump down her throat in a single swallow; if Arisa listens hard enough, there might be an accompanying splash.

"...hey."

Unsure how to start a conversation in this particular instance, Max offers a neutral greeting.

"...fish?"

Ms. Cod is held aloft in offering to the human, who Max assumes is suffering the same difficulties in acquiring sustenance as everyone else. Besides, who doesn't like fish?

[ARISA]
The entire display, with the eating of the fish, is a useful reminder to Arisa of WHY she wanted to have this conversation in the first place... although if Max was expecting a horrified reaction from Arisa from various reminders of the Gear's inhuman physique, THAT might be a moment for disappointment. After all, some of the Texan's earliest memories are of her mother calmly explaining where the right place on a vampire was to drive a stake through it, complete with demonstration.

On a 'live' vampire.

Still, at least the feline Gear appears to be in... well, 'good mood' might be a stretch, but 'peaceable mood' is probably fair enough. Bringing the hand carrying the water bottle up toward her head in a sort of combination wave/salute, Arisa responds "Nah, I'm good, but thank you," before finding a reasonably dry spot on a nearby pier and having a seat, crossing her legs at the ankles and setting the water down next to her before putting her palms down on the ground, regarding Max speculatively.

'Lab-grown,' Chevy had said, back on the Mermaid. When they'd briefly encountered one another for the match, before Arisa decided to nope out, she'd gotten the slightly-too-obvious impression that Max was, as she put it to Chevy, not 'factory defaults,' but grown in a lab was beyond her initial thinking... and it's been a brainworm in the Texan's consciousness ever since.

Now that she's got her opportunity to say what she's been thinking about, though, HOW to start the conversation eludes her.

"How's your, uh..." A pause, while Arisa tries to think of how best to refer to the absent scientist, before settling on "...guardian?"

[MAX]
Ever the prankster, Max would indeed be amused by any obvious signs of discomfort her inhuman nature evoked. But, at the moment she is not - pardon the pun - fishing for any such satisfaction.

Of all the people that she has encountered on this journey so far, only Arisa has actively chosen to disengage with the Gear. As of yet, she remains without a clue as to what she might have done to provoke such a reaction. And, since her entire purpose for being allowed to join this competition is to facilitate *good* relations with the humans - something her mother has reminded her about daily ever since the unfortunate incident aboard the ship - she figures that antagonizing the Texan needlessly runs counter-productive to that goal.

This does put her in the awkward position of not really knowing how to engage with the Hunter. Hence the peace offering. Fortunately, Arisa chooses to take the initiative.

With her offer of fresh cod declined, Max shrugs and tosses the fish onto the small pile of sea creatures that she has accumulated over the past hour or so before turning to fully face the human. It's obvious that something is on the woman's mind and she doesn't have anything better to do at the moment than hear her out.

Max chooses to remain where she is rather than approach, leaving Arisa to claim the high ground of the pier while she squats in the water. Hopefully this dynamic will put the human more at ease. Plus the ocean is actually pretty comfortable right now and a nice long soak will make the subsequent afternoon nap in her favorite sunny spot all the more enjoyable.

The Gear peers silently up at her new companion, waiting patiently with unblinking feline eyes until she broaches the first topic of conversation. It's not what she expected but nor it is uncommon for people to ask her about her mother lately. Apparently word has gotten around that Dr. Maeda isn't adapting to the tropical heat too well.

"She's..."

Max trails off, thinking of how to phrase the answer. It would be a lie to say that the scientist is doing well but her condition has much improved now that she's found proper shade, temperature control, and something more filling that beef jerky to eat.

"...doing better now. It would be best if we could get off the island though."

The Gear's brows furrow at the thought of the person responsible, one of her giant paws balling up into a fist and slamming into the palm of the other with a wet splat.

"Stupid overgrown magic turkey! I'm going to tear off all her feathers and make a funny hat with them..."

[ARISA]
One of the things Arisa had mentioned to Chevy, in the same discussion where the Carolinian casually mentioned Max's origins, was that she knew she was very lucky. She had two parents who loved her, a comfortable life without any serious wants. She had the freedom to pursue whatever it was she was interested in, including this here NFG. But the one thing Arisa REALLY treasured, once she realized that it had happened at all... is that she had grown up 'normal'.

She looked 'normal'. Acted 'normal'. Had 'normal' friends and went to a 'normal' school. And now that her mother is retired, she had 'normal' parents... as far as the rest of the world is concerned, anyway.

It was the realization that Max DIDN'T likely benefit from that same particular privilege that made the Texan want to have this conversation to begin with, and while Dr. Maeda may not have made the most winning first impression on Arisa back in Greece, the demon hunter's daughter recognizes that, well... everyone needs a mom, of some kind.

Thus she is able to say, with both a faint smile and complete sincerity, "Glad to hear it. Hopefully we can all get out of here, for her sake too." She means it. Touring the Mediterranean on the Mermaid didn't make her homesick, but this stupid island sure is. How much worse would it be if her mom was sitting incapacitated in a hotel bed right here instead?

The idea of Max plucking their fiery captor like a chicken is also pretty funny, though Arisa keeps that laugh under wraps.

Sadly, the mild introduction likely leads, after, to a moment or two of silence, punctuated by the rhythmic landing of waves on the shore. Having not anticipated running into Max out here, the Texan didn't exactly think through her plan of attack in advance, and is now attempting -- pretty obviously -- to think one up on the fly.

Eventually, into the awkward silence, Arisa speaks again, glancing off to the side and rubbing the back of her neck. "Look. I got... no. Wait. Lemme start over." A little grimace, a sigh, and then she looks back at Max. "I imagine you might have stuff you want to say to me. But I've got some stuff to say to you, too. And don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kinda glad I got a chance to say it to you when it's just you and me, here."

[MAX]
That she had 'grown up' at all put Arisa in a different world entirely than the Gear.

Max didn't have parents, at least not in the traditional sense. Nor was she 'born' so much as created, fabricated from start to finish by machines and beakers to fit a specific mold. She had come out of her shell - literally a giant egg - looking pretty much the same as she does now. There was no childhood for her to get bullied at school, no awkward adolescence where she had to navigate the treacherous waters of teenage social circles, nor the crushing anxiety of trying to figure out her eventual place in the world. Her purpose was determined long before she ever had her first conscious thought. She has more in common with the boots on Arisa's feet than the human herself in those regards.

That the Gear even shares a superficial similarity to humans at all was a specific choice on the part of her creators. After all, her purpose was that of infiltration and assassination. It would be a lot easier for a weapon that can pass as human to get close to its target without detection than some slobbering bestial monstrosity akin the vast majority of the Gears that were made for frontline warfare. Of course, neither Max nor Dr. Maeda have felt it prudent to share that little detail. The bio-weapon already has enough of an uphill battle to wage without covering the entire slope in ice. The last thing she needs is for people to realize that all of her 'playful games' are just repurposed hunting exercises.

Fortunately, Max manages to walk the fine line between quirky and off-putting fairly well; at least, for most people. The constant oversight of Dr. Maeda has kept her from acting on the more harrowing ideas that pop into her fuzzy little head and her complex social learning routines have allowed her to start filling in the gaps in her behavior algorithms. She makes a lot of mistakes but, once the issue is realized, never makes the same mistake twice. As expected, this obvious effort to 'better herself' has earned her a lot leniency - yet another planned feature of her design.

But, as Arisa has noted, the good doctor is not here to offer her oversight at the moment which leaves Max to fend for herself. In her experience, humans usually enjoy talking more than listening and she's more than happy to oblige this preference. After all, the best way to learn about someone is to observe. That's her primary purpose: Observe. Learn. Destroy.

That last one has, fortunately, been mostly phased out. Or it might be more accurate to say that she's never needed to execute that task and, considering her mother's desire to improve the reputation of Gears in the public eye, it seems unlikely that she ever will. Though their current situation seems as if it could be easily remedied with a tactical application of some well deserved murder.

Max continues to stare blankly up into the pregnant silence that hangs between her and the Texan while the latter tries to gather her thoughts. Watching. Observing. Waiting patiently for whatever issue she has lodged in her craw to be spat out. The girl's head tilts to one side like a confused cat as Arisa seems to get a false start, her expression full of curiosity without judgement. In particular, she finds it curious that the woman would specifically be happy that her mother isn't around to overhear their conversation.

"Okay."

There is a brief pause punctuated by a direct stare, the girl's tail flicking idly back and forth behind her in the water.

"Why?"

[ARISA]
Why? Now that's the $10,000 question, isn't it?

"'Cause I expect she might disagree with some stuff I'm about to say," Arisa says, as matter of factly as possible. While she doesn't know a LOT about Max, it would be hard to have spent all that time on the Mermaid and not hear about how defensive the Gear can be about Dr. Maeda, as she was during the little introductory party shortly after everyone boarded. "And maybe with good reason, I don't know. Maybe you'll tell her everything I say and she'll say 'forget it, that girl doesn't know a thing'. That's life, I guess." A shrug, here; Arisa is not particularly interested in claiming she knows more than the good doctor, especially about Max.

But.

"I gotta... ugh. Listen," the Texan says, false start making her hand come up to the back of her neck again, grey-eyed gaze flicking off to the ocean rather than at Max for a moment. "I figured, when we met, you were... a Darkstalker orphan, or somethin' like that," she says, turning back to Max. "That Ms. Maeda had adopted you, or whatever. I thought things were different than they ended up being."

What difference does it make? Maybe none, Arisa thinks to herself, as she mulls over what to say next. Maybe it wouldn't matter at all. But maybe it would, and that's why she's gotta say something.

Jerking her own thumb at her chest, the Texan grins a little. "I'm not entirely human either, y'know," she admits. So far, only Chevy and now Max are privy to that little bit of information... though she wouldn't put it past Homura to have worked it out by now, either. "Half-human, anyway. But like... I still LOOK human. I bleed human. And I went to school with human kids and all that stuff."

A pause, and then a tilt of the head, perhaps even a flicker of... guilt? on Arisa's face, as she continues. "I realized you probably never had the benefit of that. That some of the stuff you did and said that got under my skin so bad mighta been because you didn't get that privilege, of being around everyday humans, learning how they tick."

[MAX]
There is a brief pause in the motion of the Gear's tail swishing through the water as Arisa answers her question, the only indicator that the response had caught her off guard. Max's face remains as it was before, eyes wide with curiosity, mouth closed in a thin neutral line. Those unfamiliar with her mannerisms could easily miss the visual tic that gives away her moment of hesitation.

Max's loyalty to her mother is all but fanatical. This is partially by design - after all, it wouldn't be wise to have a deadly monster roaming free that didn't have some sort of deference towards its creators baked in. But more than that, the young chimera has spent literally her entire life under the care of Dr. Maeda. While the scientist's demeanor can come across as cold and stand-offish to those who don't know her well, the Gear has seen the face that lies behind that stony mask of practicality.

Her mother is a good person. While her understanding of human culture is limited to text books and pop culture, even that limited exposure to the human experience tells the Gear this. Never once in the few short years that they've lived together has she ever done or said anything that went contrary to Max's interests. There were plenty of times that the doctor's experiments would have been expedited by more dangerous methods or techniques that would have caused the bio-weapon discomfort or pain. She had rejected them all.

Needless to say, anyone who wants Max to think ill of the woman who has raised and cared for her with such love and care has a very hard battle ahead of them.

The Gear continues to remain silent for a time, allowing Arisa to gather her jumbled thoughts and piece them together into a coherent statement. Her first impressions of the Texan were confusing to say the least since the human had never bothered to offer any insight as to why she had simply up and walked away from their initial encounter. It didn't seem as if the hunter was afraid of her. Pretty much everyone in the contest had more or less shrugged off the idea that a bio-weapon was deserving of any particular consideration in regards to the threat she posed. Which meant that there had to be something else about Max that had been off-putting enough to warrant such a reaction. Since no one else has thus far had a similar response what that could be remains a mystery. Judging by the direction that this exposition is going, it seems as if the human might be trying to shed some light on things.

The fur on the Gear's arms bristles with something like indignation at the idea that she would be compared to a dark stalker. An automatic subconscious response - she was after all built to kill such foul creatures. She suppresses it, recognizing that there is no malice behind the comparison, only ignorance.

At the 'revelation' behind Arisa's origins, the Gear merely tilts her head to the side, blinking once with overt confusion. That was supposed to be a secret? The woman's scent gave away her supernatural origins from a mile away. Ah, but humans lacked such sensitive senses, didn't they? And considering that the hunter had mistaken her for a dark stalker she might not be aware of the various methods of detection available to the bio-weapon.

Regardless, it's obvious that the sharing of this fact was meant to be some sort of display of trust. Or, as it turns out, a framework for the explanation she offers. Arisa felt guilty for her previous actions, which she had taken out of a mistaken interpretation for the Gear's circumstances. She had assumed that Max was aware of all the social foibles of human society and had intentionally done or said something to upset the Texan. Now it is starting to make sense.

"Ah, I get it."

Max shifts her posture, leaning back onto her palms and swinging her legs out from underneath her. It's a subtle change, one the human might not recognize as significant, but going from ready to pounce at a moment's notice to reclined and relaxed is a gesture of peace. She still isn't sure how her mother is involved with this topic. Surely she would be glad to see the Gear making nice with the other contestants. But maybe there's more yet to come.

"You're right, I didn't grow up around humans. Well, other than mom and a few of her assistants. Most of my understanding of human culture has come from the Internet and various media. Movies and television shows, comic books, things like that."

The Gear grins sheepishly, lifting one water-logged paw to rub at the back of her neck in a mimicry of Arisa's previous gesture.

"Mom tried to teach me a bunch of stuff about 'normal' social behavior but... well, she's not exactly normal herself, I'm coming to find. Anyway, there was only so much I could learn without actually interacting with people but mom was really afraid to let me go out of the compound. I don't know why but she seemed convinced that there would be trouble if anyone learned about me."

[ARISA]
For a moment, JUST a moment, Max's statement that most of what she knows about humans came from the internet and pop culture puts Arisa in mind of another NFG contestant she's hoping to be able to talk to, at some point: Tanwen. She doesn't think ill of the young dragon at all, but there was some definite social friction toward the end of their recent bout, and wanting to explain WHY has been gnawing at Arisa ever since. Hearing Max say what she had, the Texan can't help but wonder if Tanwen had a similar way of learning about humans... especially given her tendency to speak in D&D-isms.

Regardless.

Letting out a deep breath, Arisa runs a hand through her hair. "Yeah. I figured it was something like that. And, like... look, don't get me wrong. 'Normal' can be pretty overrated," she says, quirking a faint smile. "I'm not here to tell you 'normal' is, like, the best thing you could be or whatever. But, just..." It is obvious that this entire thing is extemporaneous, all things considered; there is no clear planned speech, no obvious through line, to the blonde's speaking. She is definitely and unequivocally going with the flow, as it were.

Another pause, and then Arisa shakes her head. "Whatever, I'm just going for it. Look: I'm not here to tell you how to live or whatever. But I CAN tell you that if the first thing you do when you meet someone, even if it's a fighter-type or whatever, is start talking about how you're better or faster or stronger than they are, it's probably gonna put 'em off." The whole sentence tumbles out in one go, as if Arisa were attempting to say it before her brain can get in the way, edit it down, or even soften it. "And like, that's true even for other humans. You know? It's, like..."

Her hands come up, as if she were about to gesticulate a bit explaining something, but then she comes to a halt. Needless to say, the 19-year-old Texan is no parent, and in a real way, this feels like... well, parenting stuff! Which she is not prepared for!

[MAX]
The intricacies of self expression and being a unique beautiful butterfly are not something that Max is prepared to engage with. For a created being such as herself, being 'normal' and melting into the crowd is the best outcome she can hope for. It shows that she's managed to reach a level of understanding and acceptance among humanity, something that a regular human likely takes for granted. After all, until recently, most humans never grew up around anything other than humans. Sure, there's examples of the struggle to fit in and be accepted even there, but being a nerd or a goth in a world of jocks and cheerleaders is hardly comparable to her circumstances.

Instead of focusing on that, Max tries to interpret the intention behind the human's words. Which, as far as she can tell, is an attempt to inform her that what she did the past was taken as offensive in some manner. There doesn't seem to be any anger driving the hunter's words, merely a desire to help her better understand. That much the Gear had gathered on her own. Fortunately, she adds some clarification - which ironically just leads to more confusion.

Max stares up at the Texan with a blank look, blinking owlishly once again. So the thing that she did wrong was... to state facts?

"But... I am stronger and faster," she says, tilting her head to the side. "That's the entire reason I was created. To be a more efficient fighter than humans."

One of the Gear's massive claws is lifted out of the water. Thick cords of muscle bulge underneath the wet matted fur, the limb almost comical in its proportions, like an over-stuffed sausage or an old cartoon character. A flex of her padded fingers causes five black razor sharp claws to protrude from their tips, each one the size of an Exacto knife blade.

The hand is held up towards Arisa, offering it for inspection as if this is the first time she might have seen it, and the Gear's tail lifts out of the water to point at it with the tip as if its mere existence is a rebuttal to her claim.

[ARISA]
Somehow, Arisa knew this was going to be Max's response, but that doesn't really help her keep the frustration off her face or the sigh from escaping her lips when the Gear's response comes in to land. "Okay, for one, I'm not getting in a d--" She pauses, thinks about the phrase she was about to say, and then SHARPLY course corrects: "--discussion of who's stronger or faster or whatever, because that's not actually the point I'm trying to make."

Pushing off the ground with her palms, Arisa hops lightly down onto the same level as Max, dusting her hands off on her shorts for a second before continuing, eyeing the Gear's display of... well, inhuman physique. "It kinda doesn't matter if you're stronger or faster?" How do you explain this to someone with no frame of reference? Certainly there are 'normal' humans who do this too; it's hardly a Max-specific behavior. It's just that Cocky Chad, the football jerk, can't point to 'was built in a lab to surpass human baselines' to back himself up in this situation, and she can.

And then suddenly the Texan blinks, inspiration striking.

"Look at it like this: let's say you and the doctor were meeting someone for the first time, and one of the first things that person says is how much smarter and nicer they are than Dr. Maeda," the blonde says, trying to keep a neutral tone, testing the waters on this one. Maeda appears to be Max's big human connection, after all, and while Arisa herself suspects the good doctor probably isn't brimming with social skills either, that's a discussion for another time and place. "How would you feel, as someone who cares about her?"

[MAX]
"It doesn't?"

Well, that doesn't make any sense. Facts are the anchor point of experience and reality. How else would someone make a meaningful extrapolation if they ignore obvious data? Even Tanwen's silly game about make-believe adventure has rules.

Lowering her hand, the Gear rises out of the water and moves over to the shore where she can converse with the human more easily. It seems like Arisa doesn't want to get wet for whatever reason, despite the heat. Amusingly, even on even ground, the tiny bio-weapon still ends up craning her neck to maintain eye contact with the teenager which mildly invalidates the intent of getting down on her level. She's used to gazing up at people who tower over her any ways.

The shift in tactics earns another head tilt and Max considers this question in silence for a few moments.

In the example scenario there would be no frame of reference to determine the validity of this person's statement for two reasons. The first would be a lack of evidence to support it since neither party has encountered the other before. That could be easily remedied by comparing the deeds of her mother and this person.

The second problem is that 'nice' and 'smart' are more nebulous concepts than 'strong' or 'fast'. She can look at human's physical form and make a relatively accurate judgement of their physical fitness. There are, of course, exceptions - particularly when magic gets involved - but it's something to start with at least. Intelligence and kindness have no physical markers - at least, none that she's aware of. Without any evidence to rely on, such claims would be baseless.

That line of thinking, however, does not answer the human's question. She asked how Max would feel, not what she would think of the circumstances.

"I would feel... curious, I think."

The Gear's tail flicks back and forth, splattering droplets of water about with its idle energy.

"Mother is very smart and very kind. So I would wonder why this person wants to convince me that they are superior. Do they intend to suggest that they are a better caretaker for me? Are they a rival who is attempting to intimidate her? I would also want to know how they came to that conclusion if we have never met before."

[ARISA]
As has happened a few times in this conversation, Arisa's head comes up and rubs the back of her neck, a particular idiosyncracy of her body language she's never quite been able to get rid of. The Gear's response to her question is decidedly, almost aggressively, analytical, logical. Thoroughly in line with her seeming confusion about why 'facts' might be considered impolite.

But! The question about this hypothetical speaker's motivations, however... that does make Arisa brighten a little bit, because it feels like a thread she can tug. Or, perhaps a more apt metaphor, a life preserver she can grab to keep from proverbially drowning.

"I mean, those are fair questions? I'd probably wonder why this person went there, too. But, like... the *average* human isn't thinking all analytically that way, you know? I mean I'm not An Old or anything but in my experience, people lead with their emotions, and if someone rolls up on you and just starts saying what amounts to 'I'm better than you', like... sorry to say, I don't think most folks are gonna want to interact with them. Get what I'm saying? They're gonna feel annoyed, or belittled, or frustrated, and that's what's gonna drive their choices. Not logic or facts."

A pause, and then a shrug from the demon hunter's daughter. "I dunno, man. I don't know what your life has been like up to now! Maybe getting along with normal humans isn't something you're interested in, which... you know, fair." A pause, and then Arisa holds out a hand, palm up, as if serving up an idea. "But I got the impression you do, y'know?"

[MAX]
Oh, Max is more than aware that the average human does not use logic as the basis for their decision making. Of all the things that she has learned in the past few weeks, that particular point has stuck out the most. Of course, she 'knew' that even before meeting anyone here. Her mind is filled to the brim with facts and details regarding the human psyche. How else might she know how to blend into the crowd and approach her targets unaware?

However, such knowledge lacked practical connections in her mind. Her mother had made some mention of this problem in the past, citing an emergency that forced the rapid acceleration of the Gear's development cycle. They didn't have time to fully implant her subconscious learning with the necessary triggers to connect theory with application. As such she often struggles with translating data to knowledge despite already having a basic understanding of the concepts, requiring first-hand experience to forge the links between them.

"Oh, I see."

Working with this new data, the Gear replays her first interaction with Arisa in her mind. She had been very aggressive and insulting. Not out of any sort of malice, of course, but her 'research' on encounters of a martial nature - i.e. action movies - had always involved a lot of banter between the two opposing sides. She had assumed that was normal - expected even. But when considered from a more emotional standpoint it makes sense that someone could misinterpret her playful slander as something more sinister.

Max shakes her head gently and offers up a conciliatory smile.

"No, I do want to get along with everyone! Learning about people is my main reason for joining the tournament. I just didn't realize that human egos were so easily bruised. In all the movies the hero and the villain are constantly exchanging verbal barbs! I just figured that was a normal way to have a conversation when you're fighting someone."

The small girl sticks out her tongue playfully and rests one of her big fuzzy paws on top of her head, activating her fail proof cuteness defense.

"Guess I'll have to be more careful in the future, hehe!"

Tact, thy name is Maximum.

[ARISA]
"Yeah, that's... well, it's the movies," Arisa says in response, thinking about every buddy cop or summer action blockbuster or even modern kung fu film she's ever seen. It's not like Max is wrong about this; banter and playful jabs DO feature heavily in those genres! There's just a, well... a disconnect that perhaps needs explicit pointing out. "The dialogue is stuff the writers thought would be fun for the audience to hear, more than writing stuff 'real' people might do in the same situation."

Even in the moment, Arisa hadn't thought of Max's behavior as malicious; it's in her own nature to think the best of people. But, well, the Texan was also raised by an extremely no-nonsense mother, and grew up in the US, where racism is alive and well and not compatible with the more distinctly Japanese features she inherited from her oni father. The result is someone who, when provoked, will absolutely push back unflinchingly, even to her own detriment.

"Plus, like... trash talk isn't everyone's game, either, and it involves trust, kinda?" the blonde continues, scratching her brow idly. "I mean, when we first met, I didn't know anything about you and vice versa. So all I had to go on was what you were saying. If we were old friends or whatever, I might have been able to say 'she's just joking around'."

Again, Arisa is struck by how many non-lab grown, non-Gear, perfectly everyday humans could stand to hear some of what she's saying, too. If anything, that feels like a distinct mark in Max's favor, considering.

The cutesy nekomata gesture does bring Arisa's entire facial expression to a brief, frozen halt, however, before she shakes her head and laughs helplessly.

"Look, dude, I'm sorry if me bailing before hurt. Wasn't my intent. And sorry if this all comes off like some high and mighty lecture, because that wasn't what I wanted either." A shrug, and Arisa rolls her head on her shoulders a little, feeling somewhat stiff. "I just thought you'd wanna know why I got so bothered. Maybe it'll be useful info for you in the future, maybe not."

[MAX]
Laughter is a sign of positive development. That's one of the first things that Max learned when she was newly hatched and trying to understand the world around her. Whenever she would do something strange or unusual it tended to make her mother laugh. Most people might not think it about the taciturn doctor but she has a very good sense of humor which is partially to blame for the Gear's love of playing tricks and pranks on people. It's a good way to break the ice.

Max accepts the explanation and apology with a nod, her smile widening to Cheshire Cat proportions. The Texan's previous example starts to become more clear as further context is added. It wasn't that what she said was factually incorrect or of ill-intent, she just lacked the necessary connections for that behavior to be acceptable. Another piece of nuance to balance on the already shaky Jenga tower that is human social interaction.

"It's alright! Mother told me that I would probably make mistakes and experience rejection. She said that learning to deal with social friction was an important part of understanding humans too. So... thank you for helping me learn."

[ARISA]
Some internal bit of Arisa almost flinches at the word 'rejection' -- it's not that it's inaccurate, but hearing it put that way stings a little, in a guilty way. For a moment, she wonders if it's worth telling Max the things she told Chevy; her worries that her reaction to the Gear plagued the Texan with self-doubt about her own fitness for the NFG. A brief period of consideration finds her discarding that idea in the end, however; it would probably just add confusion to what has been an otherwise pleasant enough exchange.

"She's right about that," Arisa says, with a sheepish laugh and smile. "Done plenty of my own share of messing up and ticking people off. Had a real bad one when I started college, actually," she adds, looking a little bit off to the side, wrapping a hand around the opposite arm and moving her thumb along it intermittently. "Friend from high school who wanted to, uh, be more than friends. I really liked him, just not in that way, and he... didn't take it well."

Part of her wonders why the blonde is sharing this story, right now; part of her thinks, maybe this is just a sign of trust? Who knows if the feline Gear will appreciate the gesture or not, but hey, in for a penny, as it were.

"He got real distant after that, and I kept feeling like I did something wrong, but my uh, my therapist said, 'that belongs to him'." A rueful grin, as the Texan's body language shifts back to normal, less closed, arms separating. "Like, yeah, I did and said a thing. But what he did with that is his choice, not mine."

A pause, and then the grin becomes a little more genuine, a near-wink of one eye that's a bit conspiratorial. "People are like, hard? To understand. I'm not sure any amount of experience or advantage will ever be enough, y'know?"

[MAX]
More than friends? Max ponders that for a few moments before deciding it must have something to do with human mating rituals. She's not completely ignorant on the topic of romance, of course. It shows up often enough in the movies and comics that the Gear has been exposed to the common tropes of love enough to get the general gist of what Arisa is saying. But that sort of interpersonal connection goes outside the bounds of her programming. The idea of love might well be beyond her capabilities even if she can understand the implications it has on human relations.

Still, she's adroit enough to realize that Arisa is trying to offer an olive branch by sharing something she considers embarrassing or uncomfortable. Shared or similar experiences create common ground. She's made mistakes in her efforts to bond with others, just as Max has. Humans are difficult to understand, even for other humans. It's meant to be reassuring and so the Gear accepts the advice in the spirit that it is given.

"Mmm... I'm not sure if that's really exciting or really depressing."

Max grins again, chuffing out a soft chuckle.

"It sort of sounds like I'm doomed to just tread water and never actually get anywhere. On the other hand, I guess that means there's always something new to learn!"

The Gear crosses her massive arms over her chest and tilts her head to the side, regarding Arisa with her unblinking neon stare.

"You humans are pretty interesting. Everyone reacts differently to the stuff I say and do. Even my mother still catches me by surprise. Sometimes, it feels like the more I learn, the less I seem to understand."

A roll of the shoulders and a long exasperated sigh punctuates the chimera's frustration with plenty of amused resignation.

"Well, at least I won't get bored."

[ARISA]
A little helpless laugh, at that. After all, in a way, Max's kinda-sorta-outsider perspective gives her the perfect vantage point from which to observe the serious flaws in the situation, as it were. "Yeah, I think we're... all... kinda doomed to do that," Arisa admits, at the idea that everyone's destined to just screw it up forever in some way or another. "But uh, you know. There's lots of people online that claim to have figured it out and always know how to act in every situation? No idea if you've interacted with them or not but I have and they're kinda, uh... the creepiest people imaginable?"

Arisa's teenage period of being willing to argue with MRAs and pick-up artists on Twitter, Reddit, and in Tiktok comments was blessedly brief, compared to many of her peers, but in the process she learned a lot of very useful lessons about the specific ways human beings can just be really vile people on the average.

At the suggestion that she'd never get bored, however, Arisa grins. "That's the spirit. Plus, I mean, look at us right now, you know? There's probably not a lot of social mistakes or whatever that are permanent. I mean, there's SOME stuff you can't walk back, but I don't think they're as common as people think."

Are these two friends now? Who knows. But there is a palpable sense of... relief on Arisa's part, now that she's said her peace one way or the other. At the very least, *she* feels better, with Chevy and Al-kun to thank. Maybe talking to Tanwen wouldn't be a bad idea either?

Clapping her hands in front of her once, Arisa shakes out her hair a bit. "Okay! Thanks for listening to all that. And lemme know if there's something that I can do for Dr. Maeda," she says, sincerely. "I know how I'd feel if it were my mom in that situation."

[MAX]
Not all mistakes are permanent.

A simple statement but one that carries with it a fair amount of reassurance. For all their intelligence and ingenuity, the people who had constructed Max in those secret labs years ago were only human. They were flawed creators and she a flawed creation. There are many things that she is better at. No normal man or woman is ever going to beat her in a foot race or win an arm wrestling contest against the Gear. But when it comes to 'being human' it's obvious that she has much to learn.

Maybe that's intentional. Maybe fully understanding the people that she interacts with was never meant to be part of her design. After all, a weapon doesn't need to know what its target's feelings are. So long as she can blend into the crowd and pass a casual inspection then everything else is superfluous.

But Max isn't a weapon - not any more. Whatever role she had been intended to play in the war against dark stalkers was lost when the U.N.'s special projects division was shut down. That she was even fully hatched at all is thanks to her mother's clandestine intervention. All of her brothers and sisters were destroyed or sealed away, languishing alone and forsaken in some forgotten facility in the mountains. The world doesn't seem to want or need monsters like her any more. Which means that she has to be something more - something better. If not for her own sake, then to make her mother proud.

"Of course! I like talking to people."

Max beams a brilliant smile up at the human, flashing her pearly white shark teeth happily.

"And thanks for the offer but I think everything that can be done has been right now. We've got fish and I saw a bunch of other food at the meeting, so supplies aren't critical at the moment. And there's air conditioning in the rooms now so heat isn't an issue. Mostly she just needs to get back to the ship. She didn't bring any spare clothes or her laptop."

The Gear glances from side to side, scanning the tree line as if she half expects the doctor to be lurking nearby suddenly. Leaning forward, she covers one side of her mouth and whispers with the energy of a child saying something they think might get them in trouble.

"Mom gets -really- cranky if she's away from her computer for too long."

Log created on 13:22:47 08/04/2024 by Arisa, and last modified on 08:17:40 08/10/2024.