(no subject)

[notascreensaver]

Over in Kits sector tonight, it's a domestic sort of scene; for the next few cycles, the two-sprite apartment is home to four sprites while Dot and Bob adjust to married life.

From within the apartment's kitchen, AndrAIa calls out to her and Matrix's two charges.

"Enzo, Dani, dinner's ready!"

Comments

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa smiles tenderly, reaching across the bed and squeezing her shoulder gently.

"You're always welcome here, Dani. No matter what. Alright?"

[ami_imperfect]

Dani grins. "Alright."

[notascreensaver]

Her shoulder gets one more squeeze and AndrAIa settles back into place. She wracks her mind for something intelligible to say and fails spectacularly and turns to Dani again with a wry smile.

"I'm afraid all that time Game-hopping has me out of practice with this 'girl talk' thing."

[ami_imperfect]

Dani responds with a wry grin of her own.

"I spent the first part of my life living in Vlad's hideout, and the next part until I found Milliways on the run. I'm not real great at 'girl talk', either."

[notascreensaver]

She looks pensive for a moment.

"Well, we can suss this out together, then. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

[ami_imperfect]

Dani screws up her face in thought.

"What's it like living in a game?" she asks, finally. She means no offense by it in any way; it was the first thing that popped into her head and out of her mouth.

[notascreensaver]

The Game sprite falls silent while she mulls over Dani's query.

"It's...a hard life, but it's what I'm used to, you know? Before Enz-Matrix came into my Game, I had been on my own for as long as I could remember, and I didn't know there was anywhere else you could be.

You're on guard constantly lest you get attacked by the User, or other Game sprites; you learn to sleep lightly. Getting killed is not pleasant."

[ami_imperfect]

"Wow."

Except for the part about not knowing she could have friends, Dani could swear that AndrAIa had just given a description of her life after leaving Vlad, but before finding Milliways.

[notascreensaver]

"It's nothing you want to get mixed up in, that's for sure, Kiddo."

A pause.

"So what about you? It occurs to me I don't know too much about you."

[ami_imperfect]

Dani sighs.

"Well, I was created by Vlad Masters who pretty much lied to me about almost everything since the day I was 'born'. He made me capture Danny because he said Danny's DNA was the only thing that would stabilize me. But what Vlad really wanted was to stabilize his 'perfect' clone of Danny. He didn't care anything about me."

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa clenches her fists and a low, dangerous noise issues from the Game sprite.

"Please tell me someone's dealt with that fragging idiot."

[ami_imperfect]

"Not yet," Dani replies "but someday. He'll slip up, and Danny'll get him."

And with any luck, Dani will be there to help take him down.

[notascreensaver]

She shoots Dani a pointed look.

"You sure you don't want help?"

[ami_imperfect]

Dani gives her a sad smile. "I'd love it, if we could get you guys to our world or Vlad into Mainframe. He's half-ghost, like me and Danny."

Wait, Vlad in Mainframe? Bad idea, bad idea...

[notascreensaver]

The mun hypothesizes that Vlad would last mere moments against the full force of the Matrices' rage, even less if you count in extended family.

AndrAIa's unable to restrain herself this time, and the smaller sprite is hugged.

"All you have to do is say the word, Kiddo, and you'll have a mob of humanized sprites at your back."