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I think that I am the one who is crying.

[ Looks down at her fingers, and the dampness she'd wiped away from her eyes. ]

... Hm? What were you saying?

And now evading.

[Sighs, rubbing his temples.] Why are you crying?

[ Well, now she's pouting. ... ... more than she was five seconds ago, anyway. ]

If you are speaking of the fragments I implanted, yes, those who explored were able to interact with them on a direct level. If you are speaking of the "fragments" from the previous game I ran, some did choose to implant them.

[ Settles her hands in her lap. ]

... And I am crying because you are giving me a headache.

I'm pretty sure that's not why you are.

[He sighs.] Maybe you should talk to those who chose to implant, if they seemed fine at the end of the game. They might be able to help, they know what it's like, if they consent to help, it might actually help.

[ she could do that ]

[ she could do that, she could do that, couldn't she? ]

Puma. [ there's a hint of warning there ]

[ she could do that ]

Have you, or have you not, spent the past several days resisting the urge to throttle me for what I have done to not just yourself, but multiple children in Kyriakos ...

...

[Gives her a hard look.]

Remove the option from the table.

You're not ready to use it. The only way you seem capable of using it right now is the way that would harm your friends, so don't. Or you'll just repeat your mistakes.

And you're not going to be ready if you keep going down this road, Iota.

[ She gives him a Look right back. ]

[ It's more disgruntled than cold, honestly ]

I am trying. For your sake, might I add. You are making it very difficult right now.

....then let's focus on something else.

About what I said earlier. A point to your existence.

... What about it?

[ Flops (CAREFULLY) back against the bed. ]

You don't have to justify your existence. You don't have to have value to be alive.

But. It's more the question of what's the point of living?

The whole point of sentience is being able to learn and grow. To be...more than a beating heart. What's why AI's are people. An AI isn't limited to basic programming, like a human isn't limited by their primal instincts. We can learn, we can grow. We can choose different paths for ourselves, how we live our lives, how to be happy beyond just keeping our existences continuing.

But if you stop learning, stop growing....

What is that going to do for your existence?

[ … ]

That is what I desire for them; for the fragments. That is what drives me, more than anything else.

Its hard for someone to teach what they forsake for themselves.

Lot easier to learn together.

[ llllogic … ]

[ logic, she can see the logic in that. ]

[ closes her eyes tight, eyebrows furrowing ]

...

AI are people. Not everyone sees that, I'm not going to pretend otherwise. And that's not fair.

But at least in Kyriakos, people have a more open mind. They can learn. They know things are different in other worlds, and they can be taught that something and someone has more importance than they thought.

They can learn AI's are human.

[ It was the only way. ]

[ It is the only way. ]

[ It made sense. It still makes sense. She had to do it then, and she had to use those methods—the implantation, the game; not the drugging. That had been a mistake. But the rest? No, that had been fine. ]

[ Nothing else matters, not really. ]

[ The silence drags out for too long before Iota finally responds. ]

Some, perhaps.

Most. People are usually able to be better if given the chance.

Don't you believe that?

[ slits an eye open, glancing at him ]

I do not particularly want to give them a chance right now. [ it's maybe a tiny, tiny bit softer than before. ]

[ she runs a finger along her torso, tracing the site of the wound. ]

But I suppose I can refrain from paying them back in kind.

[Sighs. Its something.]

Okay.

Thank you.

[ Her lips twitch. ]

You are thanking me?

I know how hard it is to not act on rage. Its an effort that deserves acknowledgement, even if I'm still pissed at you.

Hm. [ It almost sounds wry. ]

I will admit that I am surprised, Puma. There were other arguments that I had anticipated you may use.

Oh, I have a whole list of them. That's the thing about having a lot of memories involving revenge, you start to see how it was a terrible idea. From several angles.

I probably figured that out too. Epsilon remembered when it came to revenge or happiness, I chose happiness.

You did?

[ A tiny hint of curiosity. ]

I did.

...

An old friend from the Project came back. I didn't exactly have the expertise or resources to find the son of a bitch, but with her, it was more doable. I'm not sure how exactly things progressed, I only remembered around the beginning of all that.

But the Reds and Blues were getting sick of being dragged around for the revenge quest and were going to leave. She didn't agree.

And when it came between the friend who wanted the same revenge I did, or the friends who were willing to give me a chance when I didn't deserve it, I chose the latter. Why exactly, I couldn't say, it wasn't from my perspective, but it's what I did.

… Hmmm.

Your people are highly important to you. It seems like you often have more concern for them than you do for yourself.

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