The days passed by in a strange, peaceful new routine.
While Lina urged me to go out, walk the carpeted streets, and actively look for things to fix, most of the other messengers were perfectly content to just sit at the checkpoint and wait for a dispatch call. Personally, I didn't mind the exploring. It gave me something to do, helping me ground myself and actually get to know the intricate layout of Ingenuity.
And, more importantly, it helped me adapt to the culture.
I'm starting to get the nuance of the social expectation. It's not like you're supposed to name your belongings or verbally thank your hammer for being sturdy. No one's delusional, everyone knows that wrench can't feel pain. But there's a heavy social expectation to handle things with care. Tossing a tool onto a table instead of placing it down gently earned you dirty looks. Neglecting to run a diagnostic on a slightly sluggish food printer was treated like ignoring a friend with a cough.
Look, I get it. Practicing respect and mindfulness is great. But coming from a throwaway society, it was still weird that everyone here just did it so naturally.
I stepped into the checkpoint's break room and let out a long sigh, metaphorically, of course. I don't get tired, though I do feel sleepy for some reason. Sighing was just an Old World habit.
"Hey. Viel, right?" a guy asked, sliding into the seat next to me. His uniform nametag read Gordon.
"Yeah," I said simply.
"So... rumor has it you're from the Old World?" Gordon asked, leaning in.
"Kinda," I replied. "What, you got questions?"
Gordon grinned a little. "Hey, come on now. The Old World was thousands of years ago. Of course I'm curious!" He scooted his chair a little closer. "So, what were the cities there like?"
I looked up at the pristine, artificial ceiling. "Well, for starters, they were actually outdoors, because nature wasn't actively trying to fuck us over," I told him. "But aside from the lack of a sky, this place is better, honestly. For the first time in my existence, I don't have to worry about rent, or paying for food, or clocking in just to survive."
Gordon hummed thoughtfully, taking a sip from his flask. "Have you found a Circle yet?"
"Like... an art Circle?"
The man paused, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Whoa, that's different. Wait, did people in the Old World just live alone?"
"No, we lived with our family." I blinked a little. Right, no biological families here. "Oh, wait. Like a 'found family'? Yeah, maybe. I don't know, I haven't found one yet."
Before Gordon could ask what a 'biological family' was, the breakroom door slid open and Rogan stepped in.
"Viel Paradox," he called out, spotting me. He walked over, carrying a digital datapad. "Yeah, so, your commendation just cleared. Deva put your name in for the upcoming Trailblazer Exam. You in?"
I shrugged. "Sure? What's the catch?"
"Well, if you pass, you'll be promoted from a city messenger to an external Courier. You'll transfer over to Pandora Logistics and start helping maintain the big facilities outside the city walls," Rogan explained simply. "Things like Reality Anchors, external air filtration systems... The surface is brutal, and we're kind of short on people who are naturally immune to high-density neurotoxins for lengthy periods of time."
Ah, yes. Total immunity to airborne poison, finally, a job qualification where being a robot is an unfair advantage.
"Alright, count me in. Where to, then?" I looked around the room. "Also, where's Lina? Shouldn't she be the one guiding me today?"
"She's departing for Determination in a few days," Rogan replied, checking his pad. "She's saying her goodbye to her caretakers,"
Caretakers, right, there's no parents, what's family like? Still though, I can't just go and visit her, I've only known her for like, two days... I can't just walk up to her no matter how much I...
Ahhh... I wanna meet her so bad, why??? She's just...
Oh god, oh fuck, am I seriously having a crush on her? Fuck me...
A ping came from my communicator, snapping it out of my stupor. I looked at it and found that it's from Lina. She's asking me to bring her gloves and attached a location of her place.
Okay, I am totally not thanking whichever gods survived the apocalypse now... But god I'm grateful.
"She asked me to grab her gloves," I stood up. "Which one's her locker?"
"3A," Rogan said. "Ask her the code,"
I walked up to the locker and Lina sent me the padlock code. "Hmmm..." the locker clicked open, revealing... a normal looking locker. I mean, you can't blame me to expect her to put her screwdrivers in little blankets.
But yeah, she's not delusional, it's just clean tidy, not... not anthropomorphised.
...
"Aight, got it," I grabbed the gloves. "See ya boss,"
"Later," Rogan gave me a two fingered salute.
After walking for a while, I finally found it. The place is called the "Unfounded Forge Circle". From the outside I can tell that it's some sort of a mechanical workshop? Forge? I can detect that the air there is a little warmer.
"Hmm..." I knocked on the door. "Excuse me,"
After a while, the door opened and a bright smile welcomed me. "Viel! Oh you got my message~" Lina leaned forward, looking at the gloves in my hand. "Sorry I almost forgot about you guys, don't worry, I'm not leaving you behind to Determination,"
Okay, maybe she's a little delusional.
I handed her the gloves and she then wears it. It fits her like a glove - wait, it is a glove... Anyway...
"So this is your home?" I looked around. "Is this an actual forge?"
"Oh!" Lina put a hand over her mouth, eyes widening. "Where are my manners?" she took my hand and ushered me in. "Come in, come in! Let me show you around my circle~"
Lina stepped in and inside I found myself staring at a workshop of sort, or a forge? Or maybe a...
I paused, finding myself in a massive room. Shelves lined up the walls of the room, filled with all sorts of tools and trinkets. There's also a large work table in the end of the room, a man sat there, though not facing the work table, he's facing us carrying... a guitar? Yeah it kinda looks like a guitar.
The man is tall, broad. He looked old, but not too old, maybe in his late thirties. He's playing a simple chord on his chord.
"Uhh..."
"One must say... what a strange new guest we have," he sang suddenly, a small smile played on his face as he played the guitar. He didn't look at me at all, he just play a distant melody, looking away at the shelves full of tools in the distance. "One must ask... To what end have they have stumbled on to this place?"
"Uhh... I'm here to bring the gloves?"
The man picked up the music while Lina held back a giggle next to me.
"Defined by duty, they cling to their role, out of principle, out of pride, out of courtesy... or..." the man strummed his guitar. "Perhaps out of fear?"
"The fuck?" I blurted out.
The man continue playing a tune with his guitar.
"Ehehe..." Lina took my hand comfortingly. "Don't put my new friend in the corner Mr. Revan," she smiled and gestured at the strange man. He stood up now, there's a little spring on his step as he continued playing with the guitar.
"Is it a corner that I have trapped them in? Or is it a wall they have hide themself in?" Mr. Revan circled me. "Are you here to be defined by your duty... Oh marvel of engineering?" he asked with a melodic tilt.
"Uhh... what?"
"Mou, Mr. Revan, stop..." Lina pushed Revan and gently pressed her hand on the guitar strings silencing it. "You're making her uncomfortable, she's new in Ingenuity,"
"My mistake, it's been... quite a long time since I had time to meet such a... novel perspective," Revan finally lowered his guitar and gave me a bow with a flourish. "I am Revan, the Smith of the Unfounded Forge and Lina's caretaker, pleased to meet you,"
Ah, I see, that explains everything.
"Pleased to meet you sir," I said. "Anyway uhh... so this is a forge..." I walked around, curious. "So does this place also doubles as your home? Where do you sleep? Do you two live here alone?"
"Ah yes, of course, no caretaker can deal with such a..." Revan paused when Lina shot him a pouty look. "Unique and wonderful child all by themselves, my dearest partner Lila is on duty unfortunately, she is a trailblazer you see? She won't return for a while, please, have a seat,"
I see... Hmm... so it's not that different than parent? I mean their dynamic look pretty wholesome.
Then I looked around. "Sit where?"
Revan chuckled a little. "Oh, almost forgot..." he snapped his fingers and the floor shifted and an entire king sized bed appeared. "Oh wrong one," he snapped his fingers again and the bed lowers down and a sofa appeared, circling a coffee table of sorts.
"There we go,"
"You're just showing off," Lina said, though there's a prideful grin on her face. "The Unfounded is the best, isn't it?"
The Unfounded? Oh, the building itself, right... Animism, gotta remember that.
I sat down on the sofa, still feeling a little awkward. "So like, you guys make and repair tools for living??"
"We can make you a screwdriver that can open any doors~" Revan sang suddenly. "We can craft you an extra arm that'll fix your tie and hair..." he made a flourish. "We can conjure up a weapon! That'll crush any foe... We got so much things to help ya! If only you ask for our aid~"
"Mr. Revan stop..." Lina said, blushing in second hand embarrassment. She walked up to him and grabbed his guitar and gently grabbed it away from his hands. "No need to advertise so soon, just... she's just here to bring my items before I depart to Determination,"
Revan shook his head and put a hand on his forehead. "Oh the tragedy, my sweetheart have already distanced herself from me, even before she depart for her dreams..."
Right, drama is second nature to these folks, I should remember that...
"Ahem, so..." I shifted a little on the sofa when Lina sat down next to me. "You guys live like... okay, can I ask potentially sensitive question since I am not from Ingenuity and I am so confused about how everything works..."
Lina tilted her hand and put a finger on her chin. "I mean, potentially sensitive question like what?"
"Like... Parenting, or Caretakering... How do you become a caretaker?"
Revan rubbed his chin. "Hmm... Suppose I can just show you, ah but we'll have to wait until Lila returns..." he began.
"You're so quick to replace me..." Lina muttered.
"N-no! It's not like that sweet love!" Revan waved his hands. "It is not replacing, it's merely... well, the Forge can be quite dreadfully lonely without you here... And perhaps we are not used to the quiet, so we decided, why not have another child? Maybe then you'll have someone else to go with,"
Okay, so they just decide.
"And... by 'show' you don't mean what happens after taking fertility pills?"
"Unfortunately the process of becoming a Caretaker isn't as fun as the process of reproduction," Revan said simply. "You can come with us and see how it works, well, half of it, the bureaucracies can take days,"
Ah yes, of course, they replaced Pregnancy with Bureaucracy...
A knock came from the door. "I'm back," a voice said flatly.
I turned to the entrance and saw a beautiful woman stepping in. She wears a black leather jacket, with chains, guns on her hips, and a massive sword behind her back. Her hair is pink, eyes red, and something tells me the reason she's not covered in blood is because sterilization at the front door.
"Oi, Revan, why the fuck aren't you serving our guest?" the woman spoke, her voice rough and reminded me so much of a gangster / delinquent. "Lina, who's your friend?"
"Ah! Ms. Lila!" Lina beamed and gestured at me. "This is Viel~ She's my coworker and umm... she doesn't eat, she's an Artificial Construct. She also hailed from the Old World,"
"Yes of course!" Revan added. "It is because Viel cannot drink or eat, not because I forgot," he said, arms folded in faux confidence.
The woman walked up to a nearby wall where some swords are displayed and gently put her sword there. She also set down her guns there. "Your voice becomes wavy when you're lying Revan, don't even try,"
Revan chuckled a little. "Details, anyway, how's your day Lila?"
"Prepping mostly, we're cleaning up some stations to prepare for the upcoming Trailblazer Exam. Deva wants zero casualty this year, awesome in theory, hassle in practice,"
Right, Trailblazer... I'm gonna take the exam after this.
"So, Viel huh?" Lila turned towards me, legs spread, and lit a cigarette. "So, what's your deal??" she took a deep drag of the cig but... when she exhale, no smoke came out? Huh?
I gulped a little. Okay how the fuck does this woman has anything to do with Lina?? She's fucking terrifying... I mean, okay, she kills monsters for living, but still...
"Uhh, yeah, I'm from the Old World... I woke up, some Trailblazers found me, Sally and Inata? You know them?"
"Ugh, the Blazing Wildfire," Lila rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know them, they're job security and hazard in one, they're the reason why Deva drinks every weekend," she looked at me. "But enough about them, what about you? You're from the old world? Is it different from this 'new' world?"
I nodded a little. "Yeah it's very different," I told her. "Like... Nature isn't trying to kill us there, we've actually conquered nature. So... yeah,"
"Sounds great," Lila said. "But nature hates us now tho, you got something to do with that?"
I froze, then looked down thinking about it.
"Right, sorry, my bad,"
"Ah, the 'Nature's Revenge' theory just got a new point of record," Lila said simply. "What about the people there? Are they as infuriating as this guy?"
"Lila you wound me!" Revan put a hand on his heart. "Come on now, you chose me,"
"Just because I chose you and I don't regret my choice, doesn't mean I won't call you infuriating," Lila said calmly before turning back towards. "Then? You got Circles back home?"
"Uhh, yeah? We call it... Family? I guess?"
"Family huh? Cute name, what's it like?"
"Well, first you have to marry, that's when man and woman make a binding legally protected oath to stay together,"
"Just man and woman?" Lila asked.
"Uhh, well, in certain countries, it's more flexible," I added. "But usually it's two people, men and women,"
"Just two?" Lila tilted her head. "So there can only be two caretaker and their children per circle?"
"Well, there's the caretaker's caretaker, we call that grandparents, but... yeah, that's the classic one,"
"Huh," Lila took another drag of the cig, again, no smoke came out when she exhale. But when she just let it stay there, the cig still has smoke. "Well, same shit with Circles, just that there's no limit. You can sign up to fifty if you want. The clerk will side eye you, but it's possible,"
I nodded a little. "Can you leave a Circle?"
"Depends, did you make a choice to join that Circle?" Lila gestured at Lina. "Lina here can leave this Circle and create or join her own anytime cuz she was a baby when she joined, she didn't make a choice," she gestured at Revan. "Me and Revan however, made a choice so leaving is more hassle than staying,"
Damn, cold.
"So, do you guys love each other?"
"Of course not," Lila said.
"Alas... The feeling has faded away," Revan said.
"Wouldn't it be more concerning if they still love each other?" Lina muttered to herself.
WHAT THE FUCK!?!?
I'm sorry, what the fuck!?!?
"Right, okay, okay, no comment on that, tell me more about the... paperwork to get a kid," I said, not wanting to pry further on this clearly personal topic. Is it personal? It it normal for people who are not in love with each other to... God my fucking head...
"Yeah, we should go now before it's closed," Lila stood up. "Come on Revan, Lina,"