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[hopelessdreamer]

[this entire thing screams of the kind of prank the Emperor would pull, and she managed to find her clothes and sword, so she's not as worried as she could be. Still, the tall young woman keeps a careful hand near her belt as she crouches down to greet the cat that approaches her, not noticing the mirror at first.]

Where did you come from? One of His Majesty's...?

[she unrolls the scroll with gloved hands, frowning at it.]

Queen of--there aren't any Queens, so what--

[a metallic clanking sound interrupts her, and she turns, instantly on guard. She relaxes, however, when the source of the noise comes into view. The metal dog waves its tail creakily and sits down on its haunches, one of the few stray robots left over from Antikythera's unintentional invasion.]

[The woman's expression changes from suspicion to fascination in a matter of seconds, the scroll forgotten. The cat regards her with an offended flick of its ears and wanders off.]

Look at you. You are gorgeous. Could use some oil on those joints, and a good polish, but...what kind of motor are you running on? It must be tiny, and everything's fit together with such precision--

[she crouches by the automaton, reaching out to lift a paw, pat its head, tilting her own to study it from different angles. So much for being concerned about getting kidnapped.]

Comments

[hopelessdreamer]

When you say it like that, I feel a little bad for doubting you...

Not so bad? It seems nice outside of the whole kidnapping thing...then again, I'm used to roughing it outside.

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

But your doubt is understandable. Please do not feel bad. You will find out for yourself in time.

Yes. Many things are here that are very convenient. Food and shelter are easily accessible. And there are many kind people here as well. So, if one had to be trapped somewhere, this is not the worst place.

[hopelessdreamer]

That's good to know...I'm going to take a look around, I think. But I appreciate the explanation.

[she doesn't want to go just yet, though. Why leave behind the most amazing opportunity in her life?]

If you don't mind me asking, though...are there other people around?

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

I am glad I could be of assistance to you.

There are many. They are all women, of course. You may contact them personally or you may use the Vine, which is a plant-based communications device that connects all over the Gardens.

[hopelessdreamer]

Wait, so...only women? [that seems oddly specific.] I know you mentioned it before, but is there a reason for that?

[plant-based communications--she rubs her forehead. This is a lot to take in at once.]

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

I do not know. It seems very strange. Especially if her goal is romance. Where I came from, it seemed like couples were usually made of one male and one female. ... ... [Though Aigis would be happy if female/female was acceptable. She can't help but think of Minako again...]

[hopelessdreamer]

Sorry, her goal is what?

[she doesn't sound horrified--okay, maybe a little. But mostly confused.]

She put a bunch of women together-- [here she gestures a bit helplessly, pressing her gloved hands together.] for that? That seems kind of backwards...I mean it's, if you're into that. But I'm not. I like guys. I definitely...like guys. Even if I can't go near them.

[she realizes that she's babbling and makes an effort to slow down. That was more than she's ever really wanted to tell a stranger about herself, even if she is an amazing talking robot.]

Sorry. What I mean is, yeah. Couples are usually a man and a woman. Anything else is... [wrong isn't the right word. She's aware it happens, but no one back home ever really talked about it.]

....strange.

[shieldofathena.livejournal.com]

I see. So it's the same in your world as it is in mine. When I go to the roof of the school, it was always a couple with one male and one female who were hugging and kissing.

...But what is it that makes this normal and makes two females being together backwards? Is there something about it that makes it wrong somehow?

[hopelessdreamer]

[she pauses, looking sheepish. She didn't really mean to get so worked up over it.]

I don't know about...wrong, but...it's a man and a woman that have children together. So that's sort of what's expected. I guess that can't really...stop you from liking who you like, though. But people want their bloodlines to continue, don't they? So they'd want to have children.

[she stops abruptly, because those are loaded words for her. Did she want her bloodline to continue? The last Gardios...it was definitely expected of her, the way the Council seemed to disapprove of the fact she hadn't married yet. But the idea of marrying just any man wasn't exactly something she looked forward to.]

[she shakes her head a bit.]

Strange is just...strange. It doesn't have to mean bad.