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Mammothjaw Hot Springs
[9/7] - Early Autumn

Autumn was fast approaching Sanctuary, but it hadn't reached snowfall today. Instead, the sun cascaded through the open window in the lounge of the Mammothjaw Hot Springs, where it would linger for a while before the early evening eventually swallowed it up in encroaching darkness.

Such a thing was a new phenomenon for 2B to get used to, as the Earth she hailed from had most of the planet caught in areas of perpetual light or darkness, depending on where one was. The fighting had truly decimated what was once considered normal for nature. It wasn't unlike what the Agents saw themselves facing against. The Corruption and the Machines were arguably comparable to one another, in terms of fighting forces. Albeit, the Machines were nowhere near on the same scale. The idea that the Aliens had already invaded other worlds prior to Earth was distressing to 2B, though she reacted in a more sullen manner.
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Before the shelf of the small booth she was stationed at today, she was sulking. Her back was towards the visitors, where the little bow her apron was tied back in was visible. It complemented the attire of a long-sleeved red blouse and beige slacks she wore, accented with a pink bandana tied around her head. And still, her blindfold was ever-present, though it stuck out from the rest of the attire she wore.

Currently, she was stocking jars of lotion, which were labeled with scents she'd never even heard of. She'd linger on it more, but she had no need for frivolous things. She simply needed a paycheck and this was the fastest way to get one, or so she believed. Kawaakari seemed to think as much as well, as they had helped her with the application. It'd be able to teach her more about the organics that populated this world as well. She'd have to get used to it eventually, especially as she couldn't leave the city herself.

Lamenting silently as she shelved another jar, 2B wondered if she truly would be stuck here forever. She was built to be on the front lines of combat against the Machines, not playing house here. Still, she supposed the Sunbirds weren't so bad and would treat them with respect. However, she wanted to be able to say her farewells eventually, though she would turn down the Relocation Program at any given opportunity.

Hearing footsteps approach her booth, 2B stood up and turned, standing on her toes as she stiffened. She was wearing brown flats, but she was far more used to having her heels elevated off the ground. She was built for that posture, so it was simply more comfortable that way.
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"Welcome to the Mammothjaw Hot Springs," she greeted, almost in monotone. "Would you like to purchase some bathing supplies?"
Sullivan had been slowly settling in the Sanctuary. He had no issue with adapting to the bartering system and the awe-factor of seeing whimsical magic had already lost its effect. But regardless, he already came to terms that he was going to be stuck here for a while, so instead of sulking over it, he busied himself by picking up odd jobs here and there.

One might think he was looking for a distraction from those horrible, horrible what-if scenarios though. Granted, he could have easily gone with the Relocation Program or joined the Agents to remedy this, but he turned it down for his own personal reasons.

The reason for it was something that Sullivan simply didn't want to unpack. For now.

For the time being, Sullivan had been out in the city gardens, helping his roommate, a white (or was it off-white?) haired woman with tending to the plants. By the time that they were done with their daily duties, his roommate wasted no time in making a beeline towards the bathhouse. Unlike him, she was covered in some dirt, a lot of sweat, and was complaining about her back being achy.

Normally, he would leave her be and simply wait for her to return back to their apartment. But this time around, he decided to tag along with her and had a pleasant conversation. But unfortunately, he ended up getting left in the dust once they made it to the entrance.

He would have stayed outside for her, but he didn't want to get trouble for loitering about, so Sullivan begrudgingly made his way inside.

Making sure to duck his head in the way in, he looked around the lobby until he saw the booth and the employee restocking the products. Sullivan would've left the employee alone, but he was curious and looking for a distraction. So when he approached the booth, he was about ready to offer up a greeting.

Then he paused the moment he recognized the iconic black blindfold and beauty mark.

Oh! Hello there, 2B… it's been a while.” Sullivan said softly. “I almost didn't recognize you.

It was a little strange seeing the android dressed up so casually like this. Especially considering the last two encounters that they had, she was dressed up in a fancy, gothic dress.

The only thing that changed with Sullivan that he had some specks of dirt on his forearms and a gardening tool belt strapped around his waist. It was dark teal with a mushroom pattern on it.

Have you been settling in the Sanctuary okay?
Every part of 2B's body tensed when she saw who the customer was. One could have thought she'd seen a ghost, had she not had her visor on. There was something that put her on edge about Sullivan in specific seeing her here - she'd rather everyone were strangers to her to make the situation less degrading for a YoRHa soldier. Alas, it was someone she knew with some familiarity - and perhaps some minute level of intimacy, given that he had repaired her.

Where her cheeks were uncovered by her visor, color came to her otherwise pale cheeks. She frowned and turned her face downward, as though she had been caught stealing something, rather than selling something.
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"Hi," she offered, at least having the decency to greet Sullivan back. She would have gone flat-footed to make herself smaller, but even her ankles were tense. "I'm not settling in. This is a temporary arrangement until I can return to my world."

It was apparent she was still in the 'denial' stage. To her, her lodging was temporary as well; she was boarding with a family of Sunbirds comprising of a mated pair and their two offspring, one still a chick. They were kind enough, including the Sunbirds that helped raise the children and especially the ones that helped her land this job. However, they were not her comrades.

"I saw you come in after that woman." Now she's deflecting. "What are you doing here? You don't need to bathe, do you?"

Unseen, her eyes scanned over the dirt on his forearms and the gardening belt as his hips. An observant one, she was.

"I didn't know you knew how to garden."

Rather than list off bathing rules, she found that immediately more interesting. Sullivan was an odd character to her - for a soldier, he was awfully gentle. Granted, he was akin to a Healer unit, who were docile by nature. Despite this, she was certain there had to be some hardened layer to him beyond the soft surface, like soil over bedrock. She assumed this as he, too, was designed for war anyhow.
"I see. Well, I hope you're enjoying your stay here, at least." Sullivan responded back in a soft tone. Something told him that he might've touched a nerve there, but he wasn't going to acknowledge it for both of their sakes. They could get broody at the tavern, sure, but he didn't want to get the android in trouble.

When she had mentioned that woman and if he was going to follow her in, the robot shook his head. "No, that would be odd for a machine like me. A mere rag and water is enough to clean myself."

Which he planned to do once he gets back to his shared apartment – and with that in mind, he put a hand close to the lower half of his screen. He thought about how to answer the other questions. Then he figured that he'd just kill two birds with one stone.

"That was my roommate, I'm just tagged along with her. She made it a point to drag me to help out with gardening." Sullivan paused, then lowered his hand. "It's something that I'm new to doing myself."

He never really took the time to stop and enjoy nature back in his own world if he had to be honest. When one was on missions in dangerous Blight territory, there wasn't any time for distractions. But it was the same for off duty too; since he was an active soldier and Jack just had no interest in getting his thumb green, all plants in his old home were all plastic. But when Jack did gift him a succulent, that poor thing didn't last long and those things were supposed to be hardy...

But he pushed that thought aside. He didn't need to reminisce and make himself feel sad over the past. This was something that Sullivan needed to constantly remind himself.

So he faked a cough to clear his throat, another one of those mannerisms he picked up from his human companions.

"It has been enjoyable. Maybe we you could join me sometime...?"
The cough made 2B cant her head, communicating beyond her concealed eyebrows that it puzzled her. She recovered quickly from this.

"It hasn't been unpleasant." She allowed herself to make this admittance on Sullivan's behalf, rather than her own. "Kawaakari, the Guide who helped me, has been kind. As have the Sunbirds I bunk with."

Her gaze turned to the side, as though something unseen and unheard caught her attention. Perhaps she just remained bashful, which was uncharacteristic of her. It was possible Sullivan could tell that already. At least by now, her tone had cleared up and she started to relax. She was caught in the act, but was not going to deny it any longer.
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"Kawaakari helped me with my job application. I'm still being trained, so I'm relegated to more basic work. I figured I might as well put in the effort if I'm to adapt to this environment. I can't rely solely on others to get me out of here."

What choice had she? She'd heard the Rifts were dangerous, volatile things. The Corruption likely had already started spreading to her world. The agents would seemingly take care of it, but with so many worlds claimed by the Corruption within hours, she had her doubts.

Sullivan didn't seem to, for some reason. He sounded like he trusted the agents since they'd last met. Maybe it wouldn't be entirely beyond her to offer them the same courtesy. She was even given the offer to find a new world to move to, but she'd declined it with such sincerity, the offer was only made once.

"Thank you for the invitation, but. . ." Her face turned downwards for a second before facing Sullivan directly. "I don't know if I'd be of any help, aside from maybe pulling weeds. I have no experience with gardening."

6O would have liked gardening.

A thought she pushed aside. She swallowed uncomfortably.

". . . But if that's something you need help with, I could find some time before work. I have part-time evening shifts right now." Her lips pressed together for a moment. "What are you growing?"

Useful things like food or medicine, she'd imagine. In this climate, it was hard to come by succulent produce. Even still, she'd learned some vegetables not only grow in this climate, but preferred it.
2B's embarrassment of being caught doing mundane work has not gone unnoticed by him either. But being the polite person he is, he didn't want to say anything about it.

But he felt the need to address it though…

Herbs. It's what I'm most familiar with…” Sullivan said in a soft tone, moving his head to the side, not really looking at anything in particular though. “Although most of my time is spent doing simple tasks such as weeding, planting seeds, and helping with picking fruit.

It might not seem like much, but its work that's always appreciated by the citizens here...

Sullivan paused, then put both of his hands behind his back and turned his head to the side, not wanting to meet her gaze. He didn't exactly want to make her feel uncomfortable, but he didn't exactly want her to feel like it was shameful for doing any activities outside of her original purpose.

This was something that his fellow operators had practically drilled into him.

So there's nothing to feel ashamed about doing ‘mundane’ everyday tasks. Sometimes, it's just nice to not be…” A war machine? No, that would be heavily insulting to both of them if he said that, so he settled on the following, “...an active soldier.

He was unsure if this was an inappropriate thing to say – especially since they didn't know each other that well. But his programming, his damn mess of code, had kept bothering him with suggestions to say something to comfort her. But honestly, he wouldn't blame her if she kept up the stoic act or get upset with him.

This robot just needed to get that out of his system.

"My apologies, I hope that wasn't too forward of me..." Sullivan said in a hushed tone, sounding as if he said something horrible.
Apparently it was a bit forward for 2B. As opposed to wilting this time, she squared her shoulders, taking a defensive posture. However, it didn't seem to be on her own behalf.

"I still serve YoRHa Command and the Council of Humanity," she insisted. "That hasn't stopped just because I'm in a new location. I'll contact them eventually, and when I do, I'm going back. . ."

Back to where? War? Hatred? Suffering? It wasn't any different here. She might as well exchange one hardship for another.
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"I'm sorry, Sullivan." Her face turned away, less so bashful and more so subjugating her feelings. "But I can't do this forever. I'll always be a soldier. YoRHa units are locked in this position, whether we like it or not."

Her bare hands at her sides, detailed down to the artificial nails on her fingertips, clenched into fists. It was apparent this wasn't something she was proud of, but rather, felt obligated to do. It wasn't a matter of superiority in defeating the Machines. It was a necessity.

Her lip thinned as her chin wrinkled, keeping her face away from Sullivan. This time, there was more gentle tone to her voice, though the pessimism remained.
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"I do wonder what it's like to not have to fight. Nobody's faulted for standing down here, and yet they each have something to protect, too."

Realizing how pensive she sounded, her jaw tightened. She faced Sullivan again, intent readable even in her veiled gaze.

"I think I know what I have to do now."
The cold might not be the worst part of this strange, overwhelming experience, Kelly quickly realized. The cat had made drastic changes to his life before- he moved from his parent's care to the coast in the span of a month or two, dropping him in a new place with no friends, but he was able to adjust eventually; He found friends, he found a home, and he found comfort.

The environment was colder here than he was used to. Cold, and quiet. Sure, there were plenty of noises, lots of other people living in Sanctuary, but the sounds that Kelly grew used to were lacking. There wasn't any engines purring down the cobbled streets, his phone was practically useless- lacking a single notification buzz, and no advertisements on billboards or screens tried to sell him a new smart device or shampoo. No, everything he was used to seemed so far away now.. like he had moved to Alaska in no less than a day.

And the cold. He had nearly frozen his tail off upon arriving at Sanctuary, even if winter had yet to the coastal town. Just leaving his dwelling took more willpower than he thought he had, as well as a newly acquired parka, worn over his short hoodie and zipped tight. Even if it was daunting, the worry of freezing or getting lost, he ventured out anyway. The sooner he was familiar with the place, the sooner he could consider Santuary his new home.

The thought ran through his head like a mantra as he walked down the street, wide eyes taking in every stone and wood building or strange neighbor he saw. It was difficult to be so uncomfortable yet so interested by the new environment, but Kelly thought he was taking it all pretty well. He pulled his beanie down over his ears, a shiver passing through him as his eyes fell on a massive skeleton, seemingly incorporated into the structure of the city. He had seen skeletons in museums back home, but nothing as.. colossal as that. As intimidating as it looked, the cat couldn't deny the warmth emanating from the place. As he neared the entrance, the reason occured to him; it was a bathhouse. A concept foreign to the ocelot, but it made sense.. baths were usuall warm, so a house full of them? He didn't think he needed to soak, but it couldn't cause harm to stop by for a respite from the cold. The thought helped calm his nerves a bit, and he pulled his mask up to cover his twitching nose before ducking through the front door..

..to see an intimidatingly strange pair of individuals already engaged in conversation near the employee's booth. He spared neither more than a few cursory glances before his eyes firmly fixtated on the bathhouse guildlines posted on a board on the wall. Halfway through reading the rules in passing, Kelly finally felt ready to say something. "Hi." The single syllable left him, spoken with what little confidence he could muster and a glance towards the booth. His clawed fingers picked at the edges of the parka as he turned his head away again, back at the bathhouse rules he had already forgotten. That was a fine introduction, he assured himself. He didn't want to interrupt, but he didn't want to be rude and ignore them, either.
2B might have been conventionally pretty to a human, but she wasn't the most friendly-looking Android either. Not at this time. She had a frown etched onto her face as she was talking to the much taller robot. It was a blessing, for herself and Kelly, that it managed to melt into a cooler expression when she'd heard someone else come in.

The awe of seeing an animal-person had long since faded on 2B. Either she became used to her surroundings or she became jaded by them. Perhaps she was begrudgingly accepting all the oddities that came with her new 'home.' That's what everyone said on repeat.

"Oh," was the first syllable she herself replied with. "Welcome to the Mammothjaw Hot Springs."

She gave Sullivan another full-faced glance before turning to the newcomer. The shelves behind her were lined with wellness and bathing supplies; towels, lotions, body oils, and a myriad other things. Even coming near the booth could allow one to pick up the naturally sweet and herbal scent from within.

"We have a discount on fur conditioner today, if you're interested," she offered, in the full monotony of a retail worker who really didn't want to be there.

Then, unseen by either being, she squinted. There was more curiosity in her voice with the following words.
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"I don't think I've seen you here before."

Of course, she hadn't been working here that long. Her question also hung dubiously in the air. Did she mean Sanctuary? Or the hot springs? She didn't make it apparent. Unfortunately, 2B wasn't much of a talker to begin with.

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