lostcarnival

Entry tags:

OPEN

Who: Rita and YOU!
When: Day 28-29
Where: Around Rita's trailer.
What: Someone left catnip at Rita's trailer, cuteness commences, also general in-between-event stuff for anyone who wants it!

[home videos / open]

Passing through the trailer yard, one might find Rita crouched outside Trailer 19. Her wings seem to be missing several feathers, but beyond that, she appears to be unharmed and in good health despite all the recent chaos.

In fact, she's actually... having... fun?

The space just outside the trailer door appears to be heavily sprinkled with catnip and mint, and her Litten, Francis, purrs up a storm as he rolls around in it. Rita appears to be filming his adorable antics with a handheld video camera, grinning all the while. She doesn't immediately notice if someone else happens to be nearby.

[wildcard!]

Alternatively, Rita might be seen around the carnival, reading a book she picked up in Wismuth, putting the finishing touches on a thick manuscript she's been writing, or just hanging around the training grounds, trailer park, or cookhouse. If you want to do something else with Rita, feel free to tag with a different starter, or hit me up on plurk (

pzue) to plot!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Rita's cat really has no care in the world, does he? 9S lets out a quiet laugh and leaves Francis to play with the catnip as he follows Rita into their shared trailer.

"I reviewed some of the content before uploading the data to Pod 153," he says, plonking himself down on the couch next to her. It sinks considerably more under his weight. "A lot of them are home videos, kind of like what you were doing."

He tries not to think about how close they're sitting. He didn't have any problem with this on the moon! Why now?

"Pod, begin playback of file 587."

"R-really?" Scratch that; Rita's a little self-conscious, still. "I guess even little things like that can transcend worlds..." Is this one of the ways that reality reflects itself, like Foster's book said? ...Maybe she's overthinking it.

Sitting with 9S like this reminds her of that evening on the moon... but Rita tries to push it from her mind. It's embarrassing to even think about it. If 9S wasn't so forgiving when it comes to humans, he'd probably think she was an idiot...

The video starts, mercifully pulling Rita away from her thoughts and instead drawing her into the perspective of a woman, calling out to some kittens. Rita's hands clench over her lap as they bound into view, her eyes glued to the projected images. A tiny mew from one of them as they climb over the woman elicits a similarly tiny gasp from Rita.

She wants to squeeze them so badly.

9S can't keep the small smile from his face as he watches Rita out of the corner of his eyes. It isn't often he gets to see Rita so engrossed in something that isn't research or magic. It's... nice.

Once that video finishes, he says, "There's more." Of course there is. Humans are weirdly obsessed with cats. "Sometimes people make additions to their videos. Pod, play File 402."

So somebody edited music into this video... Come to think of it, if Rita uses that computer she bought on the moon, she should be able to edit her recordings, too. She'd use less obnoxious music, though.

This time, as the video continues, Rita furrows her brow at the screen as if trying to comprehend something. She turns to 9S with a questioning look. "Wait... are cats really afraid of cucumbers? I've never seen anything like that before."

Rita can't picture Francis being scared of much of anything, much less a fruit. Not that she's ever introduced him to one...

Is that what that long green object is called? He turns so that he's facing Rita when he replies, "What if we tried it with Francis?"

For science! Though is it cruel to do something that you know would potentially scare the cat? But it's not like it's something that would result in long term harm, right?

"There's plenty of videos featuring strange cat behaviours. Liiike, there's an entire series about a cat that likes to sit inside various containers such as boxes and bowls. That's seriously what all the videos featuring that particular cat are about."

A smirk tugs at Rita's lips. "We could try. I'm sure they have some at the cookhouse..." Her gaze wanders to the trailer door. She can't see Francis, but she's sure he's still there. "But before that, we should let him enjoy his victory celebrations a little longer. He put in a lot of hard work as my familiar."

Pulling pranks on him right after he saved her life once or twice is just a little too mean. Never mind that Rita wouldn't show that courtesy to literally anyone other than her cat.

As for the collection of cat-in-container videos, there's only one question. "Did you get them?"

That cat putting in hard work? That sounds silly. But Rita doesn't really say silly things so... it must be true. Too bad he can't interrogate the cat about what the familiar experience was like. He could ask Foster but...

....................

Well, that entire experience was really uncomfortable to think about. So instead he focuses on the present. "Of course!"

Was there really any doubt?

Grinning, he lets Pod 153 roll two more videos for Rita to watch.

It probably is hard to believe, considering Francis spends most of his time sleeping, but Rita will vouch for him this time.

The next video starts, and Rita leans back into the couch, a faint smile on her face as she watches the projected cat attempt to squeeze itself into a container that simply isn't big enough.

Little by little, she sinks into her seat, and towards the end of the second video, she's leaning into 9S without realizing it.

When he feels the weight of Rita against his side, 9S' pulse rate picks up. Is she...
He does nothing, not quite confident in where he stands with her to put an arm around her, even though he wants to.

After the videos finish, 9S doesn't ask Pod 153 to load the next one. In fact, having anticipated what is about to happen next, the tactical support unit turns off the holographic screen and floats away to the kitchen to give them some privacy. No escaping the following conversation now.

9S turns his gaze to her. He had thought about how he was going to broach the topic to her. But now that he's here and looking at her while she's leaning against him, everything that he'd planned to say has fled from his short term memory units.

"Hey, um... Rita?" he begins eloquently, "Can we talk? About the ball and our conversation on the moon about it?"

Rita looks up when Pod 153 leaves, confused. That can't be all the videos he acquired. So why stop now...?

But then he brings up the ball and the moon, and Rita quickly becomes conscious of how close they are. She pulls back and scooches to the far end of the couch, creating a gap between them. "I-I wasn't trying to...!" she stammers, a tinge of pink creeping into her complexion.

He already told her he couldn't think of a human that way, and she knows he has 2B on his mind, too...

Is this getting too awkward for him? The teasing from others, the way she was touching him just now... Maybe it's too much. Maybe he needs more space, maybe he'll even want to change living arrangements... For some reason, that thought brings a pang of fear racing through Rita's mind.

As she tries to steel her nerves for what will come next, Rita takes a deep breath and nods. The least she can do is hear him out.

"No, wait--" His hand instinctively reaches out for her as she scoots back.

He didn't mean for her to back off! He liked having her pressed against his arm... She looked so comfortable and relaxed, too. He lowers his hand, letting out a long breath of air in an attempt to regulate his racing pulse.

He had everything thought out before! He's read and watched enough content to know how love confessions are supposed to go! But all that is forgotten in the face of actually doing one himself.

It's difficult, but he keeps his gaze fixed on Rita. "Back then I said you're smart and quick-thinking, and I admired you for what you're trying to achieve. I said I liked you. It's still all true."

After their conversation on the moon, he stupidly told her that he didn't feel the same way as she was interpreting it. If he just leaves it as this, she's not going to know what he really means.

He barrels on. "What I mean is... even though I didn't mean it as a love confession then, I. Uh." There's nowhere to go except forward. "Mean it as one now."

Wait...

Did she just hear him right?

Heat rushes to Rita's cheeks, and at first, she's speechless.

That other time... back at the ball, when Rita thought he was confessing, she was similarly frozen, paralyzed in her surprise and uncertainty. She feels a lot of those same feelings now, but this time...

She's relieved. He's not going anywhere. Rita lets out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and asks, "You're serious? ...You really mean it?" He just said as much, but there's a part of her that's afraid of misunderstanding him again.

The wait for her response is the most agonizing few seconds he's ever experienced. But she's not reacting with disgust or giving any indication that she's opposed to what he's saying.

He nods after she asks her question. "I really mean it," he confirms. "You're special to me..."

A world without Rita would be meaningless.

"I know I'm just an android and you're a human, but... I want to try. If that's alright with you."

Because that's what things hinge on after all. It doesn't matter what he feels; if she doesn't feel the same way, it'll be over before they even start.

"You idiot," Rita murmurs, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Android or human... That doesn't matter at all."

At least, not in the way he thinks it does. It's possible that the reason she's comfortable around 9S in ways she isn't with other boys may be in part because he's an android... but that's not the whole reason.

Rita tries to meet his eyes, but they're concealed from her view. With some hesitation, she asks, "Hey... could you take the visor off, just for now?"

In truth, Rita doesn't know what to say or how to say it. Maybe she's stalling... She doesn't know if being able to look him in the eyes will make it easier or harder to say how she feels.

A small, uncertain smile pulls at his mouth in response to Rita's smile. That's... not a rejection. So maybe... he has a chance? The way she says 'idiot', it's definitely not how she would say it to, say, Strange or Lambert. There's fondness in it, he's certain of it.

"Huh?" If he's honest, he had forgotten about it. "Oh, um. Alright."

Reaching back, he unties the knot in his visor and lets the fabric slip from his face into his hand. When he returns his gaze back to Rita, his cat-like grey-blue eyes are trained on hers. He curls his hand around his visor, the other resting on his knee. He wants to reach out and touch Rita's cheek, but...

"So..." he begins, trailing off as he fails to recall the rest of the words he had in mind.

Rita's nervousness comes flooding back as she meets his eyes. They're a little different from the first time she saw them, but they're still his, gentle and sincere...

All right. She can do this.

"I... thought about it, after the ball. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but when I tried to picture it, I thought... maybe it wouldn't be so bad if, you know..." Rita trails off, her throat tightening, but she reaches her hand out to lightly grasp one of his. Is she making sense? She feels like she isn't.

"...and, I don't know... whenever I thought about going our separate ways, I'd get anxious, and when you said you'd come back with me, I was really glad, and..." Her grip tightens, squeezing his hand.

"...maybe that's because... I feel the same way?"

9S can't help but let out a relieved laugh, laying his other hand on top of Rita's and squeezing it reassuringly; he doesn't want Rita to think he was laughing at her feelings. But he can't help but feel a little foolish; he really didn't have anything to worry about, did he?

His voice is thick with emotion when he speaks. "I'm glad. I really am."

Something wet trickles down his cheek and drips onto his shorts. Ducking his head to wipe at his eye, 9S follows it up with shifting in his seat and shuffling forward so he's sitting a little closer to Rita, a smile tugging at his lips.

"When I thought about a world without being by your side... it felt so painful." Lifting his hand off from hers, he reaches forward to gently brush strands of hair from her face. "So... I'm glad it won't be that way."

Still, despite everything, it feels like his heart -- despite lacking one -- is in his throat when he cups her cheek and leans in.

A world without her? But...

There are a lot of things they should probably talk about: the future, how this will work, the plethora of questions in Rita's mind... but feeling his hand on her face, everything else just seems to disappear.

She hesitates. This is too fast. Is it too fast? As 9S leans in, Rita can't help but feel drawn to him, like there's a magnetic force trying to pull her closer. Her heart pounds heavily in her chest. She's afraid of looking foolish, or desperate, or like someone who cares too much. But it's too late to fake aloofness here, and besides, she wants to...

With her decision made, Rita leans in too. Their lips meet, almost forcefully at first—Rita's never kissed anyone before, she doesn't know what she's doing—but then she feels her way into a more comfortable position, gently locking her lips with his.

9S' pulse races, spiking when her lips meet his. Somewhere in the back of his mind he'd wondered if kissing Rita would be any different to kissing 2B. Somewhere in the back of his mind there's a part of him that's screaming about the fact he's kissing a human, as if they're equals and he is worthy of it.

Somewhere, he's aware of the softness of her lips as she's kissing him back.

He keeps the kiss chaste, uncertain of where the boundaries are, before eventually pulling away. Shifting the hand she's holding on to, 9S threads their fingers together, a nervous smile on his face. He didn't feel as hesitant about his performance when he kissed 2B! He can only mark it down as the fact she's human and he's... Not.

But before he can think things through, his mouth is already moving. "Was that okay? I should've asked, but I was just so happy and I thought it's what humans do after confessing, so I, uh..."

Rita takes a deep breath as they pull away. She leans back into the couch, turning partly away from 9S, but she stays close and her fingers remain interlocked with his.

"It's fine," she says quickly, her tone curt. "If I didn't like it, you'd have a black eye by now. Or... something." Right. Androids probably don't get those. Whatever. The point is, Rita wouldn't hesitate to tell him off or show her displeasure.

There's a pause as she reconsiders her tone, then admits, "I've never done any of this before, so it's not like I know what it's supposed to be like, either."

9S lets out a quiet laugh. It's true, isn't it? If she didn't, in some way, want to kiss, she definitely would've made it clear. Reaching for Rita's other hand, 9S threads his fingers through hers.

"I don't know, too. We only had old records of how humans used to do it, so us androids had to guess."

9S dips his head briefly, squeezing her hands. He was so lost before. He was so afraid of the future because he didn't know how to live without serveing as a part of YoRHa.

"But I think... it's alright not to know everything. We can work out where we're going together."

If Rita were an ordinary girl, maybe she would have had friends her age, other girls, people she'd talk to about things like this... but that's not quite how things went, and as a result, her experience with human relationships isn't much better than an android's. But 9S is right. They can work it out. They're not like most other people anyway, so there's no point in worrying about what they should do, or what anyone else would do.

"Yeah..."

Rita looks back to him, her expression softer, hopeful. But then, she frowns slightly. She doesn't want to ask... but she has to know.

"Hey, this might be a weird question, but are you really okay with this?" He sounds more than okay with it, but that's precisely what makes her wonder... "You and 2B... it kinda seemed like the two of you were... you know."

When Rita brings up 2B, his gaze drops to their interlinked hands. He knew this question would come up, but he couldn't figure out how he wanted to answer it when he'd run through scenarios in his head before he started all this. Funnily enough, he ends up taking a leaf from 2B's book and just deals with it as it came.

"We... didn't get that far." Does making out with a fake count for this sort of thing?? He thinks not!! He lifts his gaze back to Rita. "There were secrets between us," of course there was, given what 2B's true role was, "and she would always push me away so we couldn't be close. ...I can't go back to Earth, anyway."

He'd run through other possibilities that would allow for them to be together, including asking the Ringmaster to bring her to the Carnival. But after his conversation with Strange... he wasn't sure that was a decision that 2B would be happy with.

He doesn't know how 2B will handle being in the Carnival, disconnected from her purpose. The lack of other androids, the lack of organised structure, the inability to serve as he was made to, he had questioned why he was alive. But he's certain that after the war was over and YoRHa had no need to issue execution orders, 2B could be happy on Earth... just not necessarily with him.

"You're not a replacement, if that's what you're worried about." He still loves 2B; it would be a lie to say he doesn't still have feelings for her. He gives Rita a small smile, hoping this won't put her off. "Of all the 9S models, I'm glad I was the one who could meet you."

Was she afraid of being a replacement? It's hard to say what, exactly, is worrying her... There is a part of her that fears being compared to 2B, someone who understands 9S on a level that Rita might never be able to, someone who's extraordinarily beautiful, while Rita's just... ordinary.

He doesn't deny loving 2B... but then, Rita might not believe him if he did. This answer, at least, she feels like she can trust.

"...I'm glad too," she agrees after a delay, ever hesitant to verbalize her feelings. "You're pretty special, yourself." Her gaze drifts to their hands, her mind ever-conscious of the feeling of his fingers intertwined with hers, a feeling that gives her some comfort as she battles her uncertainty.

"And... as far as I'm concerned, there's only one 9S."

9S' smile only grows wider; he can't keep his emotions from his face. He feels almost giddy with joy, a tingly sensation thrumming through his mechanical body. Is this what humans used to describe as having butterflies in their stomach?

Their hands are still joined and he can't bring himself to unlink them when he feels like he never wants to let go.

"Hey, Rita? Do you think you could call me Nines?" People back who knew him well used to call him that, except for the people who really knew him well... But there's another reason for it, too. "It feels more like a name than a model number."

It's funny how Lambert was the first one from the Carnival to call him that.

OPEN

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