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clever-fox-studios · 3 months

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Free Runner Ch 2: Pause Button

This turned out really effing cool--and Sun face reveal???? :o

Read below:

It wasn’t a sound like anything Sun had heard before.

A series of sharp, mechanical clacks–-down, forward, back, up–-and yet it sent something through him. Cold, sharp, and inexplicably almost wet. The sensation started in his core, somewhere between his power cell and the bioreactor, and swiftly flowed outward to his extremities like a flower unfolding from its bud, making him acutely aware of everything in his body. Background processes numbed, leaving only the awareness of the human, his brother, and the weapon.

The gun.

Run.

Some kind of inner feeling screamed at him to bolt. To make distance. To break line of sight.

Run.

She is going to kill you.

Yet she didn’t take aim. Rather, she spoke, her neutral tone making it impossible to tell if she was angry or curious.

“You wanna tell me a good reason for landing in my front yard?”

Just a few seconds passed but to Sun, it might as well have been minutes spent staring down this rather small, underdressed human he didn’t know. This strange feeling let him feel the faintest movement from Moon, barely a fingerbreadth from him, as his body tensed. Moon was going to jump. He could almost see it in his mind–-the step, the rush, the exact path his brother would take to disarm the human. With a slight start, Sun realized it was because Moon was thinking exactly that; no amount of intrusive thoughts would be so specific if it weren’t their Lock sending information to each other.

A twitch–-Sun grabbed onto his brother’s shoulder firmly, stopping him from executing his plan. Concerned, Moon’s gaze turned to Sun for just a second as the lanky robot stepped to the side, careful to hold his cloak closed and appear non-threatening. Rational thoughts had blinked by in the backmost part of his mind, a collection of small observations all linking together rapidly using the faintest threads of logic as a binder.

She was not aiming at them.

They had, allegedly, ended up in the human’s front yard.

They had woken up with their parts intact and batteries charged.

Whatever this was, a bluff or a threat, Sun couldn’t deny the reasonable conclusion that of course she would be armed. They were the strangers here. This was her territory.

He couldn't let Moon attack her for defending her territory.

Showing his free hand to be empty, Sun put on his gentlest smile and stood politely, giving a small bow of respect to the presumed estate owner. “Please, everyone.” He looked between Moon and the human, his hand barely touching his brother’s chest, a gentle effort to stop him from moving. “Let’s not do anything rash.”

The human quirked a brow at him but seemed to relax ever-so-slightly, their hands moving, creating another clack and rattle–-the chamber was disengaged, however her hands never left the ready position.

Moon, already a bundle of nerves and tension, wanted to snap–-to ask what in the actual halt Sun was doing-–but the pleading in his brother’s teal gaze, the gentle pressure against his chest, and the soothing ‘please’ managed to sand away the demand to attack, disarm and defend that had urged him to consider every way to rend that mechanical arm from the human woman’s body so she couldn’t fire her rifle as easily. If at all.

Shoulders squared with the confidence to speak that he always displayed, Sun continued, head high as he put himself between Moon and the human. “We’re sorry for arriving without… Well, anything. We didn’t know this place belonged to anyone and that we were trespassing.”

The woman listened, considering his words, before glancing down at her Sirius and twitching her chin as if pointing, her tongue making a faint click against her teeth. Obediently, the canine trotted forward, head down as it began to sniff and circle the brothers; they stayed as still as they could, each one clinging to the other’s elbow or hand where they could, waiting–praying, even–that it wouldn’t nip or jump on some unspoken command. To their surprise and relief, it did neither, finishing its assessment and simply tipping its head at them before turning and giving a soft urf, tail swishing once.

The human’s head twitched again, just barely, and the canine returned to its position, sitting comfortably. Eyes flashing to them warningly, she knelt and gave the robot a gentle rub on the face, her voice quietly murmuring, “Good boy, Rukbat,” before she stood up again, shouldering her gun at last.

Everything rushed out of Sun at once as the immediate danger seemed to pass, his knees buckling slightly; Moon also seemed to relax suddenly, groaning faintly as his coils and wires unclenched within his innermost structure, forehead pressed against Sun’s nape for mutual support. Diplomacy had succeeded somehow. At least for the moment.

“Come on.”

Her voice roused them from their relief-stricken stupor, getting them to stand straight once again. The Sirius unit was on its feet, tail swaying slightly and tongue lolling in a simulated pant; it was relaxed now. A good sign.

The human motioned with her hand for them to follow, turning her back to them and heading back toward the stairs, her companion following at her heel eagerly. With little else to do, the brothers began to follow, taking the chance to genuinely look around and take in their surroundings. Briefly, Moon considered now being a perfect chance to get the jump on her and make a break for it, but he knew that would be wrong; despite the rocky meeting, even he knew logically her actions made some amount of sense and were, to a degree, hospitable. Even with his memory being faulty at the moment, he had a faint feeling that it wasn’t due to this human, and that she must be why they were charged at all to begin with. Clearly, she was granting them a chance to say their peace before judging them, which was respectable–-however the idea they might have gotten ripped apart for resources and been unable to do anything about it wiggled its way into his thoughts, taking root deep in his screaming worries.

He couldn’t be sure that still wasn’t a possibility.

Carefully, the duo ascended the stairs, Sun first with Moon tailing behind; the taller of the two had his eyes fixed on what was ahead and around him, marveling at the way the aurora’s light filtered in through the leaves overhead. The yard was little more than a clear space between trees, worn down in places by many, many footsteps training the grass to grow bent over, almost telling a story of the activity it had experienced; from the deck, Sun could see the glittering of a small lake just beyond the tree line directly across from them. How marvelous!

Moon was more focused on the small details, eyes down as he followed the seams and bolts underneath the moss and dirt with his sharp gaze. This staircase was rough, very clearly hand made and slapped together from whatever metal was on hand-–though it fit in rather well as he peered up from the stairs and saw an entire structure built into the great tree they were under. Similarly paneled and messy, with off-colored sheets of something or other disrupting the uniformity of what, at one time, must have been a proper house, he assessed the round bungalow with its spacious deck and sloping roof as heavily lived in, but not neglected. This human had lived there for some time, he felt, and pondered if the patch job was her handy work or if it had come that way.

The pair stood, back to back, each gazing at a different area of the ‘estate’ they’d found themselves in, before daring to glance at each other for opinions. Sun smiled a bit, seeming at ease, but Moon could only offer a tight, worried grin for a second before his brow furrowed as he focused on the human. Hospitality be dragged, he didn’t want to let his guard down just because they were being invited inside. The human had stopped at the foot of the next set of stairs which wound its way up toward the deck of the house proper, letting out a piercing whistle by bringing her robotic hand to her mouth; the sound was sharp and drawn out, ending with a high, quick chirp. Sun had turned just as she raised her hand, the sound startling him enough he backed into the rail and wobbled; Moon’s hand whipped up, grabbing onto his brother’s cloak front and pulling just enough that the orange and gold pole of a robot didn’t fall over the rail that barely cleared his hips. They shared a quick look of fear and assurance at the near accident before seeing the human move again.

Her whistle was answered swiftly by two small blurs of color leaving the house and arcing toward them; in the same moment, she had unshouldered her rifle and held it aloft, one foot taking her up the stairs steadily. It was a practiced series of movements, habitual it seemed–the avian of gold with magenta eyes flew over their heads with only the flutter of the air to tell it was there, talons grabbing onto the rifle and hauling it off somewhere up in the branches behind the house, never interrupting the rhythm of the human’s pace as she ascended the steps, the blurs orbiting around her like satellites, chirping and squeaking.

Faintly, the brothers thought they saw kindness in her eyes as she spoke quietly to the specs of color, but it was short lived as her gaze turned to them where they still stood, waiting on the deck for further invitation. The spots of color perched on the human’s head for a moment before floating toward them, moving in sync like coordinated dancers; they twirled around each other once before pulling apart and choosing the pair to approach more closely. To Sun went the pink one, its head framed with round, soft petals of fabric in pink, yellow and light blue, eager eyes twinkling with curiosity and friendly light.

It peeped at him, circling his head once and turning a summersault, floating just close enough to touch his nose if it wanted. So small, so cute-–! He couldn’t help a smile.

Moon was met with a more cautious purple and maroon spot, its motions as careful as its amethyst eyes in its observations. He kept his focus on it as it slid to one side slowly before arcing over his head and down, urging him to try and find it but it kept itself just barely out of his peripheral as it circled until drifting back into view once more. It simply hummed at him, and he couldn't help but feel it was unimpressed somehow.

The human gave a command from the patio above, her canine sitting at her feet and watching; she seemed somewhat amused as she spoke, “Girls, go ahead and give them tower access. I feel like they’re going to be here a while.”

The pair both chirped, choosing a shoulder of each of the boys to sit on, the tips of their tails flickering. At the same moment, Sun and Moon both received prompts from external sources.

//CONNECTION ESTABLISHED// //neb_sd%twii/j/_admin/ >>Access key pending acceptance_ //neb_sd%laa/j/_admin/ >>Access key pending acceptance_

Immediately, they knew the IDs of these little things were Out of Market codes–third party work, usually considered a hazard to interact with, as they were often unprotected and rife with bugs and scrapped, outdated code. However, they didn’t have much else to work with, so with some hesitation, they both granted permission for the little things to send them the passcodes they offered. The transfer was instantaneous, files moving and unzipping, sorting, unfolding in fractions of seconds.

//DATA TRANSFER ACCEPTED/ ??Unknown user detected/ >OVERRIDDEN_ /System updated/tower detected/attempting sync_ … /Sync completed_ >New profile updated_ >Admin access approved/tower J-BBW%net%loc%003576// >Location data [REDACTED]_

Moon’s brow creased with concern at the lack of location data, but more he was worried with how easily these third party companions were able to forcibly override his own command system attempting to block them out. That wasn’t something even a normal In Market Stardust should be able to accomplish.

It struck him then how bizarre this was as he watched Sun, seemingly unperturbed by the ordeal, coo and prod the pair of pocket computers that had started to circle him. Naturally, Moon thought, he always was more popular with others. He tried not to let it bother him-–it simply was how they were meant to be, especially with Sun’s naturally friendly, open personality.

He returned to the moment of oddness. A human living alone in a makeshift house, with two oddball Stellaris units and two Stardust companions with features that rivaled the Quicksilver standard of processing power, living in the jungle somewhere using a remote, third-party tower that had its location data hidden behind admin permissions and masks? Clearly this was someone who didn’t care for interaction. It might explain the threat of being gunned down-–yet it made him wonder more why she bothered to help them if she was so determined to live off the grid with her pets, even insinuating they would be staying a while. Was it merely good will or were they being baited into something he couldn’t figure out?

Moon scowled.

The human seemed amused with his sour expression, cheek resting on her hand with a small grin visible, even from where he stood.

“Don’t be grumpy, I just gave you access to my tower,” she mused at him. “Consider that a gift.”

“Did you want me to thank you?” he fired back without second thought, the barb sneaking out of him before he could consider a polite answer.

This confused Sun, who had both of the teeny computers perched on his head now, making themselves at home. “Moon?” he wondered, concerned about the snappy attitude his brother was displayed out of nowhere.

“What?” he hissed back, eyes flicking between Sun and keeping an eye on the human, who didn’t seem to be moving.

“Don’t be rude, she’s helping us.”

“Is she, though?”

The canine’s head perked up at the human’s feet, which got her attention, appearing to be listening for something before turning back to them and standing up. “Come on up,” she waved her hand for them, the cool edge leaving her tone for a moment, “let’s talk like normal people.”

Moon narrowed his gaze suspiciously as Sun answered for them, “That would be lovely!” and taking the lead, looking back to his brother with pleading eyes when the darker of the duo hesitated. Holding his hand out, Sun waited. After a moment, Moon heaved a sigh and took it, the pair locking wrists in solidarity as they continued up, Sun being mindful of the little ones hitching a ride as well as the draping of his cloak to keep himself covered. Unbothered, Moon simply shrugged his cloak to be slightly crooked on his shoulders, which let it hang and cover himself without fuss, though it left one leg exposed somewhat.

A familiar feeling, in a way. One he hated somewhere in the depths of his corrupted memories.

With patience, the human waited for them at the door of her home, showing them into the simple abode with little fanfare; the halls and walls were all curved to match the shape of the house itself, windows breaking up the outer wall here and there by letting in natural light where possible. They were rather bare, Sun noticed, the little ones on his head deciding to float off somewhere into the unfamiliar space just then, the monotony rarely broken up at all by anything that wasn’t a panel or seam of some sort. Devoid of pictures, decorations or anything that would lend them some idea of who their host was, he felt this was, in some way, its own indicator of their person.

It was a very lonely house, he felt.

This thought didn’t cross Moon’s mind, however, as he was busy noting the doors and windows they passed, making a mental map he could mark for possible exit routes. Not that there were many, it seemed. The house wasn't grand or complicated, seeming perfect for one person to live comfortably, give or take, but certainly no penthouse.

Nor sprawling estate.

They came to what felt like a kitchen, following the human through an archway that opened into possibly the most cluttered, lived-in space yet. Jars, bowls, pans and Azil-knows-what else littered every bit of surface available, and yet it felt intentional somehow, between the hanging bunches of herbs and vegetables on the ceiling to the stacks of boxes and books that made crooked towers at the edges of the cupboards and counters. It was absolutely not what they expected based on the outside of the house, and yet it was inviting. Comfortable, even.

Something boiled and bubbled away on a stove top that the human tended to, giving them a gesture to get comfortable at the large, wooden table taking up most of the space in the middle of the room. “Go ahead and sit, if you can find a place.”

Buried among the piles of stuff were mismatched stools just big enough for the brothers to use. Not comfortably, but it held against the weight of metal and machine well enough.

The human, her name yet to be known, milled about, pulling out three mugs and scooping a mixture into them before filling them with whatever was boiling. A floral aroma wafted over shortly after, letting them know it was some form of tea; she stirred and brought the mugs to the table, pulling a jar between them with some kind of sweetener in it, letting them fix their cups how they liked. Sun held his lightly, enjoying the warmth and scent, but Moon, ever cautious, only kept his hand on it out of politeness; she’d kept them in line of sight and didn’t seem to add anything to any cup but he wasn’t risking it until she’d taken a drink herself.

Using a stack of journals and loose papers as a seat, the human finally planted herself a safe distance from Moon, one knee hiked up and the other laid half-crossed as she grasped her mug of tea–no sweetener–watching them. Sun wanted to try his, but knew not to until Moon indicated such, feeling his brother’s warnings buzzing in the backmost area of his mind like bees. Thankfully for the growing silence, she did take a sip before sighing, which was confirmation enough that she hadn’t tried to corrode them with something inedible.

“Alright,” she said finally, eyes glancing back and forth between them, “so… normal people talk.” Moon grunted over his mug, eyes fixed on her, while Sun simply enjoyed the aroma a bit more. “I am sorry for the rough introduction, by the way. Sort of.”

Snorting, Moon grumbled, “Wasn’t much of an introduction.” Sun frowned at him before taking a sip and deciding to add sweetness to it.

The human stared a moment, as if realizing they hadn’t shared names yet. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry about that, too, I got a little… caught up in making sure you weren’t going to, you know, kill me or something.”

“You?” Moon’s tone was astonished and a bit sarcastic. “You were afraid we were going to kill you? With what?”

“It’s perfectly reasonable–” Sun started, but he was cut off by the human speaking.

“You mean other than your lethal tone?” Her voice said it was a joke but her face said it was an accusation, the words coming out with a matched amount of sarcasm to Moon’s barb, making him scowl. “Probably the fact you’re both 7-something-foot-tall robots that I don’t know who are, by all accounts, probably able to break my limbs just by swatting at me too hard?”

Moon glanced away, knowing she had a point, but Sun was quick to deny such a thing. “We would never–!”

She held her hand up to calm him, waving down his correction. “I can tell that much now, don’t worry.”

“Can you?” Moon asked, still laced with sarcasm.

Sun snipped gently, “Moon,” to try and get him to stop his tone but couldn’t do much for it, the pair exchanging expressions for a moment.

The human watched them with some amount of curiosity, her brow raised. “Moon?” she repeated, getting them out of their silent back and forth.

“Oh!” Sun blurted, clutching his cloak shut when it fell open. “Yes, this my brother, Moon.” He gestured, Moon only giving a small dip of his head before Sun placed his hand over his own chest, “My name is Sun.”

She stared, brow knit. “Mh.” The pair felt confused by her reaction but she didn’t say anything else, swirling her mug and taking a sip as she mulled them over. “My name’s Jenn.”

Finally, Moon huffed to himself, adding her name to the mostly empty profile in his head.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Jenn!” Sun said, his radials shifting and shimmering slightly with his genuine happiness to know her name.

“So…” The human-–Jenn–-placed her mug down on the table and pulled both her knees up, squatting on the pile of books.

“Why are you sitting like that?” Moon wondered before she could finish whatever she was saying.

“Like what?”

“Like a goblin.”

Tersely, Sun chastised him again. “Moon! That’s not polite!”

“She is, though!”

Jenn stared at him, unbothered. “In my house, I sit however I want.”

“That can’t be comfortable.”

“Says you.”

Sun tapped his hand on the table to interrupt what felt like a potential petty argument when he saw them glaring too hard for a bit too long at each other. “Jenn… you were saying?”

She broke eye contact first, which gave Moon a small but smug sense of victory. “Right. So… what’re a Sunrise and a Moondrop doing wandering the jungle so far from all the cities?”

The boys stilled, pondering what to say.

What could they say?

#fnaf oc #robot #security breach au #sundrop #fnaf sb #azil #azil sun #task manager au #free runner sun #free runner au #jenn&co #pic unrelated #ao3

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