"Keep moving!! Don't stop!! Don't let them catch you!!" A voice rang out as the sound of booted feet sprinted through the street. The kids ran as if their lives depended on it; for one day it very well might! From the rear cries rose out as another group of children followed in pursuit with wooden weapons in hand. They had their enemy on the run from the looks of it all but this was just a ploy for draw the other into their trap. It wasn't every day that people watched children play act like soldiers with such vigor and vitality! There was an urban punk swagger to their run as many kicks somersaulted off of carts and full konged over railings like the wind. From pure observation, Xavier could tell that they felt free.. A sensation that was often lost in children when confronted with the future rolls of adolescence and teenage angst. Here they all played evenly and fairly doing what they were taught by none other than himself! A proud smile crossed his lips as if he were a father!! Yet he was a father to none of these AI.. He was only a single player who plucked them out of gutters and taught them to combat starvation.. In doing so they began to find other orphans and needy children with no place to go; they formed their own kind of family between themselves. A tear jerking sensation would have struck the average person, but not this sociopath he was too far removed from such emotions of happiness. Unless it involved knife work and some bloody messes he showed little emotion to anything else. These children were the only common factor he could cling to in this place. A protector of the young and murder to those who simply fell ill of his blade. None the less the game was drawing to a close, with a earned sense of pride the first group who fled had successful allowed their forces time to enclose and execute the surrounded troops. The laughter and play was all too contagious to go unnoticed by the crowds who watched from windows and so forth. When the last of the warriors had breathed their last a mass round of applause was given up for the orphans at play before a loud whistled called them to attention. Weissman stood upon a church top next to the main bell. "Breakfast time my bandits.. It is time to feast." With a practiced laugh the older orphans at his back departed with haste to lead the charge. Always lead by example no? Turning round he too dropped from the roof top down into the hay before burst out of pile into the streets. The children were artist who moved in the shadows of the day time; while being at play was a talent so was stealing to survive. With practiced ease the children split up and went about their chores. From pick pocketing gold pouches to stealing bags of food off of carts. The older children managed to grab clothes for the others as well moving like the wind in their process of escape. Xavier on the other hand was to do nothing besides keep an eye on them all from cornered places. Taking note of where they needed to continue practicing their craft of survival. So far he was rather impressed by this, so much so he decided to go on ahead of them and wait at the bridge for crossing. Their home was in the slums of the city and thus the bridge was a main route of passage across the town. If they needed to they could use the sewers but many preferred the untainted air over sewage. Sitting himself along the brick wall the man picked out his trash tier fishing rob and cast out the line. Now all he had to do was wait. The sound of booted feet would be heard and like clock work they would vanish into the side streets and alley ways to make their way home.
The development of AIs in the world had been greatly paralleled and intersected with the development of cyberspace and virtual reality. As she navigated her avatar in one of the game world’s most populous town Sophie could see why that is so. The bustling medieval metropolis seems to have been indistinguishable from its counterpart in the ‘real world’, ‘meatspace’ she heard a lot of people calling it now. It’s rather surreal to imagine that perhaps one day, one can slip between these two ‘worlds’ effortlessly with no one else batting an eyelid. It was a possibility that she wanted to see develop with her own two eyes. Of course, now inside this ‘game world’ itself, she’s beginning to think if she’s actually witnessing the birth of something incredible. As she nodded politely at one of the NPC shopkeeper before tossing a coin at his direction in exchange of a piece of bread, and the NPC himself nodding back with a smile on his face, pocketing the coin while humming about another profitable afternoon, she never once felt that she’s among just a bunch of data algorithm being arranged in such a way to simulate different human behaviors. No, she felt like interacting with another living, breathing person, if somewhat too invested to the world itself. Indeed, one thing that she learned in her days logging in into this game is that you can tell the difference between players with human touches behind the avatars and the NPCs built from the ground up from artificial intelligences by their tendency to slip into terms that only player would use, instead of those NPCs who…stay in character all the time, to put it in a layman’s term. No matter how dedicated the role-player is, they still need to break from character once in a while, and NPCs has no such problem, comparatively. It can be said that they’re becoming ‘more than human’ in comparison to the actual human, a sentiment that should send some philosophers’ heads spinning. Sophie’s, or rather Elmyra’s, train of thought was interrupted by a crowd gathering in the middle of the town square. She spied among the crowd of what kind of commotion had managed to halt the everyday activities of these NPCs out cold in the open. From the corner of her eyes, and the opening left by the dense crowd of people gathered, it was a group of children. Far from being nuisances however, they seemed to have gathered here specifically to perform a coordinated play of such, simulating a battlefield where two group of soldiers met in a senseless waste of human life. Even with the grim subject matter, the crowd actually reacted positively, cheering the spirited performance of the children. It wasn’t a long performance – certainly make sense when you consider it’s probably an impromptu performance being ‘penned’ by untrained street kids – and by the time the last soldier fell, the crowd – including Elmyra – had erupted into applause. One of the children had gone off a round with an open hat, trying to scrounge whatever coins the grateful populace could spare. Elmyra herself spared a couple of coins into the hat, the least she could do, before going about her way. That was when she noticed something unusual. While the majority of the children had dispersed while the hat-kid made rounds, they don’t just disappear into the streets. No, they seemingly had some greater purpose to do, and pockets to pilfer it seems. All around, at the sound of a mysterious whistle, she could see things that were seemingly hidden from the eyes of the populace, where those street children snatched various things not nailed to the spot. Food from the stalls, someone’s pocket of gold, or even a valuable bracelet or two. Is it an event? …No, it doesn’t seem like it. It seems that it’s just a quirk on the street children’s AI themselves. But would those AI evolve that way by themselves? Or is there something – or someone – who caused those children to react that way? Keeping her bag closed and tucked in between her arm and her body, Elmyra tried to blend to the dispersed crowd while keeping her intention concealed. She eyed one of the children – who had snatched a bread from the earlier NPC stall, something that’s observable to someone who had been watching the stall – trying to disappear through one of the nearby alleyways. With deft movements, Elmyra disengaged from the crowd to quietly follow the children back to their hideout. If there’s no hideout? Well, any way or the other, she’ll try and get to the bottom of it. If only to satisfy her curiosity.
A low hum rolled through his lips as the kids swiftly ran across, from the corner of his eye he had kept count. Nodding his head lightly in the process he acted as if he were falling asleep for the most part. Yet when the last of his children had run across he bridge he felt a sense of amusement, a smile began to form before turning into a deep frown. Not a few moments after a woman had crossed the bridge next almost on the heels of the young lad. This woman was no NPC and she certainly was not going to like the surprises to come. Standing up slowly the man jumped down from the edge onto the brick road before swaggering after them in a calm manner. He had two options in reality, he could either stop her from coming or? He could beat her there and figure out what to do with her when she arrived. Flexing his fingers he pulled Mcstabberson from his pocket and twirled it through his fingers. The only thing was she would need to find a way to travel through vents made for child sized bodies smaller than her own. Would she actually be able to follow them? Or would she not find the way there. The NPC's upon instruction had made a system of tunnels which would carry them to the main home which sat somewhat under ground but above the sewage. Turning a corner he vanished from sight before the woman would take any notice of his presence. It was key that he protected his children from all who might have ill intentions! Rushing off into the labyrinth of alley ways and buildings Xavier sheathed Mcstabberson and entered one of the tunnels of his own accord. Crawling through there like a trained Militant he found the converging tunnel occupied by moving bodies. "Children quickly! We have a guest!! Move!!" His voice was hushed but commanding as the children pushed themselves. Yes they were tired indeed but this was a matter of importance! They must always protect their own!! A lone door opened within their rather vast semi underground complex that could house a small militia. The kids armed themselves to the teeth in stole trash tier armor while more of the younger children were stowed away in the hiding crawl spaces. The older children organize the remaining fighting force and lead them into the rafters and ambush points. Making himself comfortable in a chair with two cups of tea, the man waited patiently. The boy who had stolen the bread did catch wind of her. Having looked back he saw Xavier when the man had been playing with the dagger. He also saw the woman who was close on his heels, in a straight away he stood no chance. She was taller than him and he was already tired. Taking a sharp left the lad jumped through a stationed sheet of cloth to block a hole in a building. Tumble rolling out the crashing force the boy full konged through the open window and out the other side of the building. Moving the left he exited the alley way and to the right sliding towards an hatch that was left open by a stick. Kicking it out as he slid in and down he hoped it closed behind himself. The hatch tunnel was a on way slid that dropped the lad and possible guest smack in the middle of the room from the side wall. Turning his head lightly crimson optics gazed at the boy with a rather impressed expression. Gesturing to the spot behind himself the boy snatched the last dagger from off the table and stood ready at Xavier's back. The man kept himself sitting upright with one leg cross over the other at the ankle. A cup of tea rested in his hand as he sipped it lightly. If the woman had indeed made it into their base of operation there might be a few issues at hand. A. If Elmyra had successful managed to slip in or open the hatch to access the slide; she would find herself facing Xavier and the young orphan child at his back. To which the man would raise his cup to the woman in a respectable fashion. "Greetings.. I am impressed you made it so quickly behind this little one.." The smile was coy and fake as ever, but he kept it on just to seem pleasant. The sociopath had only two things keeping him in his seat at this time. The first was that he was impressed and she earned her right to speak.. An the second was that he was working to control his impulses and not slaughter those who were not PvP bound. Hence his true intent of playing.. B. Had she not made it through then Xavier would casually let the boy go take his hiding spot til they were sure the woman had not found their home. In that tense their routine would undergo an immense rework no doubt, and new exit points would be needed. The previous hatch would need to be closed off for the time till they learned and removed Elmyra from their territory. They would not risk someone going back to the authorities and outing his plans to build the children a home they would sustain with their own hands. @Elmyra Cressen
While she had no particular training for skullduggery or the underhanded in general, Elmyra knew how to at least not make sounds when trying to shadow someone. Fortunately for her, her surroundings were rather accommodating as the thick, marbled road and the haphazardly placed boxes and other road kills seemed to help both conceal even her considerably tall frame and mask her footsteps, even inside the quiet alleyway where no one but her and the kid was present. Then something seemed to have tipped the kid to her general direction. Was it a stray sound from nowhere? Or perhaps her reflection had been visible somewhere from a nearby mirror? Nevertheless, her eyes and the kid met momentarily before the kid had taken a sharp turn through his left, seemingly through the sturdy wall. Startled, Elmyra abandoned any pretense of stealth and just ran towards where the kid had been. It didn’t take long before she realized just why the kid had seemingly disappeared into the wall, for the wall isn’t a true wall and a basket of clothing had concealed a way through the building – through an open window at least – and to another alleyway at the other side of the building. Watching through the same open window, she could spy the petite form of the boy exiting the building and ran through the other alleyway, building the gap between the two of them larger and larger. Elmyra took a deep breath, exhale it, and followed the traces of the fleet-footed kid in an impromptu foot race. While not as nimble as the kid, Elmyra has a frame advantage compared to the kid and her strides cover more ground in contrast of the kid’s smaller, more frequent strides. With just a few quick steps she managed to cover the distance between the stacked cloths and the window, and she managed to pull herself out of the window just in time to catch a glimpse of where the kid has gone. However, as she seemingly managed to catch up to the kid, a different complication presented itself. Despite the distance between them not being very great just a couple of seconds ago, Elmyra had found the clearing devoid of any human presence. There are lots of things strewn about here and there however – she hypothesized that this particular clearing is analogous to a garbage dump – but not a soul around to see, except perhaps the cockroaches. There was…something amiss, however. It made no sense that the kid had disappeared just like this unless there was magic involved, and so far she hadn’t managed to find a trace of magic being used in the vicinity. It’s all rather…quiet, metaphorically speaking, too quiet. If there were tricks involved it might have been a mundane one. Some kind of veil being draped over one’s eye in order for them to not notice what’s beneath their own noses. Elmyra reached inside her own medicine bag and withdrew a potion, opened up its seal and drank it. Instantly, her vision’s seemed to have been made clearer, the surroundings revealed new angles in which to find viewpoints at. As she walked around the clearings, hidden beneath the many garbage strewn about she saw other things, concealed beneath in order to perhaps avoid unwanted scrutiny. Her attention seemed to fall at one item in particular. Looking at it, she crouched in order to fiddle with its structure, seemingly searching for hidden mechanisms that will reveal something new to the world. After a couple of moments of tinkering, she finally managed to find a handle to pull on, a handle which reveal a…passageway, in a way. It seems to be built to accommodate those with a much smaller body type than hers – children, so to speak – but with careful positioning she might be able to squeeze through… …And leave herself vulnerable, yes, but that’s the risk isn’t it? Spending a couple of moments crouching at the entrance of said sliding passageway, Elmyra finally decided to act on her findings. Thanks to her findings and the nature of secrecy of these street kids, they might seal this particular entrance to their secret hideout next time she comes looking for it. On the other hand, if she’s hasty on her findings she might end up at the mercy of death and her sickness. Not an enviable way for a new player to spend her hard-earned gold at. With that in mind, she tore a piece of paper from one of her notes, wrote something on it before she withdrew a copper container and put the torn piece of paper inside. She then sealed the container shut and tossed it into the sliding passageway before sealing it up once again. The considerable noise of the copper meeting the hard surface would probably be enough of an attention-grabber to not make said container be ignored. What’s written on said piece of paper? It’s just a short note saying ‘I want to talk.’ As far as she knows they’re just NPCs, they can’t be contacted through player-based interface and this is the most convenient way to contact them without putting her at risk…well, more risk than she’s already exposing herself to, at any rate. Her message ‘delivered’, Elmyra turned back and walked towards the greater town area. It might be relatively hard to find her once she’s back among the crowd…but she had a feeling that they probably can find her. After all, there’s a distinct possibility that she might actually threaten their whole operation if she talks to the authorities. Of course, Elmyra had no intention to do that. But they won’t know that. @Xavier Weissman
The sound of a metallic clank was heard tumbling down the shaft. It wasn't a good sensation either, quickly his military reflexes had him on his feet and on top of the boy protectively. Covering the boys head everyone got the message and laid flat on the building beams clinging tight. Was it over dramatic? Hell to the no!! Bombs were something real in all worlds and he refused to die a second time while still affected by the first death... Damn those fucking Druids.. After a few moments when the clambering stopped Weissman got up and put his finger to his lips. Showing everyone he stealth walked over to the opening to peak inside. The cylinder had gotten stuck at the bend in the shaft which squeezed to slow the children's speed so they did not fly out into the room. Grabbing the wedged object there was no way it could be a bomb. It was a simple carrying container that brought an amused expression to his face. Twisting the lid off he pulled out the piece of paper. A low whistle was heard as he smirked at the children in all areas. "It's Ok.. Come on out.. Go grab the younger ones in the main tunnels tell them it's safe." Nodding his head lightly the children got down from their positions before standing around the man in a circle. One of the older teens had gone to fetch the near infants from the tunnel. "It seems.. We have a guest who is more than curious about us.. You all must be very careful for the time being.." Reaching out he patted the little boys head whom Elmyra had followed. "Change the routes and let us find another tunnel to connect back here. You five.." Beckoning to the eldest five of the lot they stepped forward with eager eyes. "Find another safe place within this region.. Once that is done begin preparing it as needs be. If things go side ways you will need to take everyone there. I will be back later.." Giving them each a gentle touch on the shoulder and kiss on the forehead they were off like shadows. The main door unlocked and unbolted before closing once more to lock and bolt back from the outside. As for Weissman he slowly went to his bunk and opened it. Taking out a change of clothes he kept his harness on and his dagger in place while clothing himself in a black jacket and black pants. His combat boots remained in place, taking off his straw hat he placed it in the trunk with the other attire. "You behave. Everyone relax it is going to be alright.. I will meet this mystery woman.." Nodding lightly Weissman undoing the pony tail that held his locks he pulled them back then let them go. Allowing them to fall down against his back stopping at the center of his spine. They were still in perfect condition as if they had just been done. A smirk pressed his thick lips back revealing a row of sharp white teeth. The ebony man made sure he looked presentable before walking away up the steps and out into public. The woman was his first guess about whom wrote the note. Taking a sharp left outside of the door he locked it back into place while sauntering to the hatch. Pulling the handle up he gave it a few good punches before breaking the handle off causing it to lock permanently from the inside. Once that was done Xavier rose to his full height and sauntered off down towards the bridge. Slipping his bear paw hands into the large pockets, Xavier seemed to glide through the crowds as he scouted out where the woman might be. His white locks swaying back and forth against his covered back. It did not however take long for him to find Elmyra sitting within a cafe like place. Walking past the building on the far side of the crowd he then skirted around the building out of sight. Coming in through the back he picked up a tray of tea and carried it out like a waiter of sorts. One hand in the pocket the other holding the tray before sliding it onto the table top and taking his seat. Weissman did not say a single word even as he placed her container on the table top before her. Sliding it into her grasping range Xavier watched her with crimson hues that remained unblinking. Reaching out he poured them both a cup of jasmine tea; grasping his cup in hand he slowly drank the tea down. Not once did he speak or take his eyes from off of the woman. @Elmyra Cressen
The crowd at the center of the town seemed to have dispersed somewhat by the time Elmyra had returned from her little sojourn on trying to discover the hidden underground metropolis of the town’s street kids. Granted, it might have been because of the absence of those street kids themselves and what remained of the crowd is still a lot of bodies walking about minding their own business, but the lack of a dense crowd might actually be what she’s looking for at this very moment. Indeed, she was trying to get noticed. Even if NPCs might not be able to readily recognize a player from someone among the crowd, she’d hope that with the dispersed crowd and her own alchemist bag she’d cast a memorable look around the crowd. She spied a few others like her from a distance. Of course there would be a number of them around. Stockbon is a hub town where enterprising individuals with a non-scripted mind like her would come and spend their downtime after whatever it was that adventurers do. A chance to peddle their vendor tra-err…raw materials to the merchants in order to get a good amount of gold to waste in the taverns is also be a favorite past time for the enterprising adventurers. It’s…surprisingly similar to real life, she found. Those not unlike her only gave her a few stares, sometimes a polite nod and a wave or two, before going to mind their own business, leaving herself to stand around in the middle of the town square, looking like she might have been waiting for someone else. In a way she is, even if she doesn’t know what to expect from the one she’s waiting for. Indeed, she might have expected a scripted NPC encounter right about now…but it seems that it hadn’t turn out to be the case. It was then when she felt something tingling in the back of her head. Something that told her that she might have been watched, or that she probably should move to somewhere more comfortable. As far as in-game weird sixth sense thing, this particular one isn’t even the weirdest one by her estimation – the sudden inclination to mark every herb in the world by their classifications still take the fruit for her – but in terms of suddenness this is probably up there with the weirdest of them. Deciding to just trust her instinct – somehow – Elmyra looked around her surroundings, trying to decide which open air place suits her current predilections. Her attention, finally, settled on an open air coffee place of sorts, a café if you want to be rather specific. It’s a rather conspicuous place with a sparse amount of customer currently attending the premises, perfect for those who want a private place just to talk…well, privately. As she sat down in one of the empty seats, a waitress followed, adeptly providing the place’s menu in no time flat. Elmyra modestly ordered a tea set while looking at a distant street, looking for a sign that she was followed. Turns out that she was looking for all the wrong places, as a white-haired man unceremoniously sat down in front of her, a tea set on his hands as he quietly but deftly placed it on the table. It didn’t look like conventional waiter hospitality…but the man didn’t look to be that focused on perfecting his hospitality techniques. Instead, his attention seemed fixed at her while he poured tea for the both of them…his eyes never leaving her form all the time he did that. Meanwhile, Elmyra noticed something peculiar about the white-haired man. While the children earlier had definitely been NPCs, this man had been something more…familiar. Indeed, the both of them are more alike when compared to the street kids and the café waitress. “You…you’re not like those children.” Elmyra paused, seemingly trying to think of what kind of words to proceed with this conversation. She picked a quirky one to start with, admittedly. “How did you manage to get a hold on them?” @Xavier Weissman
Sitting quietly at first Weissman searched the woman over lightly as he sought out an response for her at first. The woman was admittedly young in his eyes, perhaps maybe a little older than himself.. Again judging by her habits and speech she must have been his same age on the outside. Sipping the tea gently his optics held a rather bored expression before the turned into a smile. A friendly approach perhaps. His whole face turned up with a smile and a gentle laugh that vibrated through the table due to the base of his voice. "1 point for your power of observation Ms.. Indeed I am a player like yourself.. As for how I managed to raise them into this small force is another work of art entirely.." His eyes glinted slightly as he thought back to the days where he spent all of his time simply teaching them their own names. He had spent countless nights bailing the kids out of trouble.. An over time they grew up and got older, learning to respect the man as a Father figure. From there their life exploded as many kids were taken in like stray dogs to a pack. His goal for them was forever upward in a spiraling fashion. Gathering all those from different sides to bring them into the one gargantuan family.. "It was no easy task.. First however.. Allow me to introduce myself.. I am Xavier Weissman.. You may call me Xavier or Weiss.. An what might I call you?" Raising a brow Xavier leaned forward in his seat in order to show interest in the woman. There was a certain tick about her he could not shake. Gesturing to the nearest waiter he ordered some food for himself to nibble on while making himself comfortable. The waiter turned towards the lass looking to take her order as well before going off to fetch the required edibles. They might spend some time there no doubt, perhaps she might even get to meet the kids. This was the first time anyone had bothered to even track their movements.. "I have to say I was rather impressed at your ability to follow the kids.. Whilst they are still young and nimble, your ability to keep track is exquisite." Placing his arms across his chest Xavier gazed out the window at the moving crowd of people. Shops and stalls were entering their noon time hours, day light scattered across the stone walls and through shop windows. "What is it that drew your interest to my children?" @Elmyra Cressen
Well, at least even if the show of hospitality was an act he adopted in order to keep Elmyra off guard, he put a lot of effort into acting like an affable sort. He’s also much younger than she expected – granted, she was expecting a middle-aged NPC that looked every bit as intimidating as it was in her head as to force a number of NPC children to do his dastardly deeds, but she’d be the first to admit that was an over-the-top idea – around her age, even. Heck, with that boyish look he might even be younger than her. It seems that he went for that big brother approach instead of the fatherly one. …Though she just noticed how muscular and tall he is, positively towering over her. Elmyra’s no slouch in the height department, but the man looked to be almost seven feet tall…which she’s pretty sure that’s one of the tallest character models she found. There was also a sense of…melancholy in his voice as he talked about how he managed to train the children into his own personal ‘kind of sort of’ thieves guild. In fact, it sounds like he managed to oversaw their own growths himself…which is actually quite a bit impossible if he’s a player character, isn’t it? Wasn’t this game’s launch only a couple of months ago? Was this man just pretending to insinuate something like that or is he really more than what it seemed? “Cressen. Elmyra Cressen. Calling me Elmyra is fine. A pleasure, Mister Weiss.” She knew that he probably wanted to start with the nickname in other to familiarize himself with her…but it’s habit of hers to call everything in the game formally at first before…well, actually she had never call anyone in this game anything else but with polite title. Perhaps that might change in the future, but in the meantime… …In the meantime, she wants to go straight down into business. Or was it business mixed with pleasure? At the very least, she wants to know what made these children tick, and how they changed over time. How they evolve. At least to satisfy her curiosity. Yes, she’s perfectly aware that she’s looking to use them as test subjects. It’s mostly an observational record instead of any hands-on experimental testing so it all should be fine from a humanitarian point of view, yes? Then there’s the whole shenanigans about AIs and how their rights should even be, but at least in the confines of this game kingdom laws exist in order to protect their rights, and she’s respecting those laws too, but anyway… There was a bit of a confusion as the waitress from before returned with a tray of tea on her own. Elmyra had to reassure her that she was looking at the right table. And now, there are two trays of tea sets on their table. The table’s beginning to look rather crowded, especially perhaps in the future since they’ve already ordered a couple of edibles as well. Elmyra took a sip of the tea poured by the man while listening on more of his talk. Gotta say, she half expected the tea to be poisoned as well. Guess that was just the part of an excessive paranoia on her part. “I was just determined enough to follow the kid, perhaps.” She had decided to not disclose her abilities on alchemy right now. No reason to reveal her cards before a potential bust after all. “As for why I was determined enough in my pursuit, well…let’s just say that I’m also interested in their growth.” “They’re not quite like you or me, yes? That’s why I want to see how alike they are to both you and me, and how they can change over time just like us. It’s somewhat of an interest of mine to gauge the development of someone like them.” By them, she meant artificial intelligences of course. Children also interests her however, but less on how they grow and how nurture can help shape what they become in the future. In that sense both AIs and children are very alike, and now she might get the chance to study both, in a sense. “Of course, I know that you’re running a very confidential operation here, so letting a stranger like me into the operation might be a strange course of action…” Elmyra purposely lowered her voice as to not attract attention more than the strangely full table complete with a lot of trinkets and baubles already had. “So I’m offering you trust. I haven’t exactly told anyone else of your activities and I don’t have any intention to do that.” She took her cup of tea and drank the rest of the liquid there, before pouring one more cup full of tea onto said container again. This time though, she poured the tea from the pot that she ordered herself. @Xavier Weissman
His eyes narrowed a bit as she spoke about her intentions with his kids. Taking up the tray he had brought before he placed it down at his side so the NPC could place the ordered food. Handing back the old tray he kept his tea and drank more of it. "So my dearest kids will be your social experiment..? It is no operation I am simply teaching them to survive and care for one another. Is it wrong to teach them an adaptive behavior?" Raising a brow Weissman was somewhat taken a back by her commentary on their means of living. Had he made enough inside of his somewhat dead Guild he would not resort them to such a fashion. Yet not everything works out in one favor. There was yet to be a situation that allowed him an easy deal with handling the kids. Never the less he would not go into such details. His main time was spent with the kids and that's what he liked to do; to teach and raise them to become better. Adaptation was the culmination of human natures mania, the great wonders of nature to nurture never ceased to amaze people. This was her exact curiosity in the same token. Could he possibly share their living space and provide her time to study and learn of the kids? Would it be worth while letting another player in on the development of A.I one for research and the other for their own pure joy of the game? Perhaps... Perhaps... "Never the less.. I do understand where you are coming from with your comments.. I dare say I am quite interested to find out the results of your research if I allow you into our midst.." Taking up one of the various foods he ordered he nibbled on it lightly the faint tingle of taste rolled through his brain. One other thing surely interested him and it was her ability to still follow the child with rogue habits. She was not being completely honest but that was of no surprise to the man in the least bit. "I will grant you the chance.. But you must first promise me that you will not interrupt their growth with putting your own beliefs in.. Unless one of the children asks about you and wishes to learn then by all means. Go ahead and you will see their rather swift adaption.. I am unsure of your residency however we can have a room prepared for you in the slums or you may stay here in the nicer area." Weissman spoke quietly as she slowly worked his way to the window to gaze outside at the passing people. Sooner or later someone would have caught an interest in the children; for better or for worst no doubt. He hoped this was for the better in letting a guest to take a peek at their life style. Deep down he could not help but acknowledge the sense of trust she had put forth to him, not to mention she called the A.I a someone not an it like most players did. A level of humanity that people often lacked with being a player. "I feel like I will be able to trust you.." @Elmyra Cressen
Skeptical eyes met her own neutral ones as the man seemingly scrutinized her every actions as she tries to appeal to his neutrality to allow her this particular experimental observation. Indeed, there’s nothing really stopping him from walking away from this particular request, and technically Elmyra’s still very much a stranger to both him and his ‘flock’. If an outsider suddenly approached you with a demand this big, wouldn’t you not trust him/her too? “Ah. Well…It’s not much of an experiment, really. More of an observation. I won’t have any input to the growth of those children unless you want me to. I just want to know how they adapt to the world at large, as well as how they absorb your…lessons, it seems.” It seems that he had taken offense to her insinuation of him ‘using’ the children as tools for criminal activities. Admittedly, the pre-conceived notion of her assuming that the children was being taken care by some master criminal who tried to groom them to become similar like him was rather premature, a point of view influenced by those fantasy novels she used to read in High School. But still…for a charity case he sure did some good organizing with the hideout, not to mention the secret entrances and seemingly expansive sewer network full of usable paths… “…Though again, I apologize for assuming what you’re doing with those children. I shouldn’t have done that.” With all the social gaffes she had already committed, her cause was probably already done and dusted. It was already enough of a wrong step to put the wrong foot in conversation, and she believed that her own leverage for this ‘deal’ wasn’t enough to tip the scales on her favor… …which is why she was taken aback a bit when the man expressed his approval on letting her in on observing his ‘children’. Her expression contorted a bit with surprise as he also expressed his interest in reading the result of her research on the ‘artificial’ behavior of these children…though at this point of development would it still be appropriate to call it ‘artificial’? Pretty sure that any sort of pre-programmed logarithmic in their behaviors had been overwritten naturally by the interactions between themselves and the man. Xavier, wasn’t it? His interest for the development of these children seemingly mirrors her own. Is he someone who’s also involved in the development of artificial intelligences in real life? It would explain some of his comments and why he took the initiative on trying to develop the children from ground up, but again it’s too early to assume. He might’ve still just be a hobbyist who’s well-read in the subjects…which is not a detriment against him of course. “…I see. Thank you for the opportunity and your trust.” “Indeed, like I said, I have no intentions to interfere. That would only serve to muddy the waters, and risk contaminating the data. Unless, of course, you saw it fit to ask for my genuine services in furthering the development.” As long as she just plays the role of being the miscellaneous healer acquaintance of the caretaker she should be fine, right? There’s still the dangers of the children asking too much questions, but as long as she never disclose too much about her true intentions on visiting the bunch there should be at least a thousand and one cover stories they can invent in order to reassure the children with. She’d probably leave the specifications to Xavier himself to construct. “I have no permanent residence in this city as of this moment. For these few days, I’ve been staying at an inn not far from here, concluding my business in this city before I depart again into the wilds to search for potion ingredients. My scheduled pattern that I’m to depart again in a few days, but it can change if there are new endeavors that I have to do in this city.” Such as, of course, perhaps medical services to a bunch of street orphans. “Would you prefer for me to tell them the truth if they grow curious or do you prefer to leave the details hidden and for me to make a cover story?” Not that she minds doing a cover story, but from what she observed, it seems that trust is a precious commodity for him, and perhaps between him and the kids. @Xavier Weissman
