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Archive 19 / a-strange-find
Triggers: Mentions of crime, violence
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 11:34 AM
“Alrighty, another day another dollar.” The familiar mantra escaped Annalise’s lips as she sat in her bed, long reddish brown hair a mess from the night’s sleep. However, she wasted no time getting up to get ready; unlike other people, she adored her job. Sure, it was at her mother’s law firm, but receptionists are important too! She quickly pulled on her basic button down oxford and slacks before rushing downstairs, making a quick cup of coffee. As it brewed, she styled her hair; hairbrush in her mouth as she tamed it back into two twintails. Right as the coffee finished up she grabbed it, slapped a lid on, and ran out the door into the brisk autumn air. The crisp smell of the leaves that danced to the ground greeted her, the small smile growing a bit as she continued to make her way to the Ophilia Law Firm, named after her mom as she would proudly announce to those who asked. Fortunately enough, the office was only a 10 minute walk from her small apartment, and as soon as she stepped in she was greeted by a few of the other staff members. “Annalise! How great to see you,” Her coworker Emberlynn said, fangs barely visible past her upper lip. Annalise gave a wave and a smile to the vampire.
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“I see you’ve recovered from that nasty sunburn accident! Welcome back.” She said, holding out her hand for the vampire to shake. After a few more moments of chitchat, Emberlynn made her way to her own boss’s office. Annalise, however, went to her own desk; just a plain rosewood thing with small trinkets to make it feel like her own. The day passed rather quickly; it truly was just another day and another dollar. When five o’clock rolled around, Annalise could scarcely believe it. She picked her purse, stretching a bit before waving to everyone in the office. “I’ll see everyone on Monday!” She cheered, stepping outside. She started walking home, however paused as she saw something out of the ordinary. Sure, the magical suits of armor around Meldrift were common enough, but she never saw any just sitting in an alleyway. In fact, when she stepped closer to look at it, she saw it was damaged. “Well, that isn’t good,” She said quietly, crouching down. She’d never interacted with one of them before, so didn’t know if they would be able to listen to her or do as she said. So instead, she decided to lean down and try to pick the armor up. She struggled, even with her demonic strength, but still managed to drag the armor beside her. Eventually, she made it back to her apartment building, slowly dragging it to her apartment and setting it down on the couch.
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 11:43 AM
@Dark Cecils II
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'Living' suits of armor were common sights in the city of Meldrift, acting as soldiers and guards to help keep unsavory folk under control. After all, guns and knifes had less of an effect on something that couldn't bleed and could relentlessly pursue criminals through conditions than a normal person couldn't. They had their weaknesses, of course, as most models were too heavy to swim, and those that could were made of lighter, weaker materials. Generally though, they acted as the town's police and protection. Their durability was unrivalled by most things, which is why seeing one in such a sorry state was surprising. The armor had several tears in the metal, seemingly from claws or some other sharp object. It was also dented in many places, especially along the limbs, and its helmet was nearly entirely caved. Whatever had roughed the armor up had done a damn thorough job of it, and it looked like it was inactive. --- Extreme physical damage. Helmet condition, terrible. Arms condition, terrible. Legs condition, terrible. Torso condition, bad. Several blunt force blows to metal have reduced condition significantly. Return to headquarters for repairs immediately. Movement, impossible. --- One single white orb appeared through the visor of the helmet, barely visible through the damage as it flicked around. --- Location, unfamiliar. Appears to be the home of a civilian. One entity within range. Female. Demon. Appears to be unarmed. --- Several seconds of metal scraping against metal could be heard from the suit of armor, and then a strained, metallic and almost robotic voice came from it: "This unit has been severely damaged. Please return it to headquarters for immediate re-re-re-re-" The voice suddenly stopped. --- Vocalization failure. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 01:37 PM
Annalise had walked away from the armor for a moment, going to her kitchen to prepare some dinner. She knew she had to do something about the armor in her livingroom, but she had no idea what. Having no experience in metalwork, let alone enchanted suits of armor, she was at a loss. Where could she even start? She was frying up some French toast and eggs, craving some breakfast for dinner, when she heard the sounds of metal scraping emanated from her living room. She quickly abandoned the food she was cooking, running to the couch just in time to hear the armor speak. "Headquarters...why didn't I think of that!?" She asked herself, cursing under her breath for a moment. Of course, the headquarters would make the most sense! They could fix it up no problem! She knelt in front of the armor, just barely being able to see the white orb inside of the helmet. "I can take you to your headquarters first thing, okay?" She asked gently, trying to offer it a smile. Sure, it wasn't like the armor was an actual person, but just treating it like a complete inanimate object felt odd. "For now, you're welcome to...uh...exist I guess? Yea, exist on the couch!" She added, but her smile quickly sank into a frown as she sniffed the air. "Damnit my dinner!" She moaned, running back to the kitchen to try and salvage her dinner. Unfortunately, her French toast had burnt, and her eggs now stuck to the pan. She again cursed under her breath, trying to get dinner back under control. @Dark Cecils II
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Vocalization failure. Locomotion failure. Unit status, terrible. --- The sounds of metal grating could be heard from the living room as the armor attempted to move and speak. It wasn't able to move or speak in its current condition, but there was still possibly one way it could do something. Several metal sounds could be heard. Four small scrapes. Pause. One small, one large. Pause. Two large scrapes. Pause. Two large scrapes. Pause. One short scrape. Pause. One short, one large, one short scrape. A very long pause before the sounds started repeating. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 02:14 PM
She didn't pay any mind to the scratching at first, trying to get rid of the smoke that came from the burnt food. However, once she realized it was a pattern, she paused. Morse code? She asked herself, faintly remembering her mom trying to teach it to her. Something about it being important? Either way, she was kicking herself for not remembering it right away. She walked back into the living room, charred breakfast in tow as she sat in a chair next to the couch. "I don't know Morse code," She admitted, taking a bite of the French toast turned charcoal. "That's what you're trying to do, right?" She glanced over at it, frowning as she tried to ignore how poorly her dinner turned out. She thought for a minute before she snapped her fingers. "Hey! I know!" Putting her plate on the table, she pulled her phone put of her pocket. Sure, magic was awesome, but sometimes the humans had it right with their technology. She decided to try and look up morse code, trying to decipher what the armor was saying. "H...a...m...m...e...r..." She said out loud, then gave a nod. "A hammer?" She asked, looking up from her phone and at the armor. "I mean, I think I have one around somewhere, but I don't know how I could help you with it..." @Dark Cecils II
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Short, short, long, short. Short, short. Long, short, short, long. Short, short, short, short. Short. Short, long, short, short. Long, long. Short. Long. --- Repairs needed. Vocalization failure. --- Should its helmet be moderately repaired, its vocalization will become much, much easier. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 02:24 PM
Editing message: ```As it continued to communicate in morse code, she continued to decipher the best she could. Fix...Helmet... She gave a determined nod, standing up. "I mean, I'm not the best at fixing things, but I can try! I'll try to find a hammer, just wait here, okay?" She didn't wait for an answer, mostly because she knew she probably wouldn't get one. Walking around, she dug around in random spots before giving a triumphant cry. "Found one!" She called out, making her way back. She knelt down in front of the armor, examining it carefully. "So uh...I don't know how to help without causing more damage..." She said softly, looking around the helmet. "Are...are you able to let me know where to focus on? Or even what to do? Gods this would be easier if I knew where that headquarters is..." She mumbled, still trying to figure out where to hit thr hammer in order to help. "I'm sorry you got stuck with me helping you out...I'm sure there's other people more repair-inclined..." (edited)
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I n s i d e... h e l m e t... U n c r u s h... The sound of grating metal was getting sharper the more the armor made the sound. Metal on metal had to be terrible for the condition of it. If it was able to vocalize, it could explain where headquarters was to the civilian.. Get further repairs.. Unit condition, terrible. Return to headquarters for repair. How had it managed to get in this state in the first place? Unit Memory.. missing. Strange.. it couldn't seem to remember. Had it deactivated during the attack? Perhaps someone at headquarters could find out.. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 04:42 PM
Grabbing a piece of paper, she listened to the code while looking at her phone, trying to figure it out. "Okay...okay I got you." She said softly, coming back over to the armor. Her fingers brushed against the metal, but she hesitated. She reminded herself that she had to help, but she was also terrified of hurting the armor further. Well, more like damage the armor further; it wasn't like it could feel pain or anything she reminded herself. She carefully removed the helmet, trying to see the part that was crushed. Just where...is it...oh okay! eventually, she found a part that seemed more damaged than the rest. She tried to look at it closer, to figure out exactly how she was supposed to uncrush it. "I-I'm sorry in advance if this doesn't help," She said softly, mentally crossing her fingers as she started using the clawed part to uncrush the piece. It wasn't gentle work, but she still did her best to be quick and soft. When she felt she did her part, she gingerly placed the helmet back on, taking a step back. "Did...did that work?" She asked, not realizing she was holding her breath as she waited for an answer. @Dark Cecils II
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When she replaced the helmet, the white orb reappeared behind the damaged visor. Unit vocalization.. operational. The first thing that came out of the armor was the address of its headquarters, along with "Please return this unit to headquarters for repairs." The orb seemed to blink a couple of times behind the visor, as if waiting for a response. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 09-Jan-23 04:54 PM
A startled gasp escaped her lips as the armor spoke, and she smiled wide. "Yes! It worked! I-I was worried it wouldn't have for a second!" She cheered, brownish-red eyes sparkling with joy before she cleared her throat. "R-right! Back to headquarters, solid plan!" She said, rubbing the back of her neck. Glancing out the window, she saw it wasn't too dark out yet, but she also didn't have a car. She hadn't noticed she started biting her thumbnail until she came back to the present. Giving a nod, she smiled sheepishly. "Would...would you be able to hold out until morning?" She asked timidly, glancing back over at him. "I don't have a car, it's getting late, a-and I had just gotten done with work when I found you..." @Dark Cecils II
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Civilian unable to provide transporation to headquarters until morning. It would go against code to not report the acquisition of police property. "Please call headquarters to report the discovery of this damaged unit. Failure to do so will be considered theft of police property." It then listed the number to headquarters. Was.. it really? Yes. Yes it is. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 10-Jan-23 03:05 AM
Annalise gave a nod, relief washing over her. "Of course! Sure, I'll call them real quick." She said, pulling her phone out again. Dialing the number it had listed, she started pacing as she was on the phone. "Hello! I was calling to report a damaged Living Armor unit," She explained, and was quiet for a moment. "Yes...mhm...Unfortunately, I don't have transportation...I was planning on returning it in the morning...oh walking isn't a bother...okay, thank you for your time!" She hung up the phone, putting it back in her pocket as she looked back over at the armor. "Okay, so the game plan! Tomorrow bright and early, I'm gonna walk with ya to the headquarters. I hope that's okay with you." She explained, covering her mouth with a bit of a yawn. @Dark Cecils II
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Locomotion failure. --- "This unit is unable to walk. Severe damage to limbs prevents locomotion." The helmet slowly turned downward, staring at its crushed legs. Oh god. The orb blinked rapidly from behind the visor. --- Unit requires repair. Return to headquarters immediately. --- Everything is- is broken! @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 10-Jan-23 07:21 AM
Watching as the orb blinked quickly and repeatedly, Annalise bit her thumbnail. She hadn't even thought about the damage done to the rest of the armor; when she dragged it back to her place, she did so just because it wasn't active. "O-oh, right," She said, the gears in her mind turning. There were a few different options she could think of, but none seemed too convenient. She could call a taxi, but would any of them be big enough to fit the armor in? Thoughts kept swirling in her head as she thought, then gave a defeated sigh. "Well, I guess we'll try for a taxi." She said, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Hopefully you can fit in them; I'm just not too sure how else to get you back to headquarters." @Dark Cecils II
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"Civilian transportation.. undesirable, but sufficient." A taxi? Who rides in taxis? The orb continued to blink, something that was abnormal for these armors. In most cases, the orb remained one solid mass of light, sitting in the middle of the visor like a single, unblinking eye. However, this armor's orb was almost always blinking. Was that a result of the damage, or something else? @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 10-Jan-23 09:12 AM
A sigh of relief escaped her as she gave a nod, giving a smile. "Alright, we got a game plan! First thing tomorrow morning, I'll get us a taxi." She said, yawning a bit again. It was getting late, but she didn't want to go to bed until she had this all figured out. However, as she watched the orb blink, she could help but think of one question. "S-sorry if it's rude, but I don't think I've seen other armor blink like you're doing," She said thoughtfully. Once again, she reminded herself that it probably didn't have feelings, but being polite was a habit she couldn't break; even for talking suits of armor. @Dark Cecils II
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The helmet slowly turned to her, blinking several times. "Unit logic unit malfunctioning. Please return to headquarters for repair." Logic unit.. malfunctioning? What does that even mean..? Why is she being.. polite? @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 10-Jan-23 01:53 PM
Furrowing her eyebrows, she gave a slight nod. "I-I know, we'll head there in the morning...geeze, whatever took you out must have done a number on you. I'm sorry that it happened." She said softly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. After giving another yawn, she stood up again. "I-I'm sorry, I really have to head to bed...uh, I'm not sure if you will need anything, but if you do just give me a holler, okay?" She asked, stretching a bit before turning to go to her room. "Other than that, feel free to do whatever you need to. Have a good night." With a small wave, she disappeared into her bedroom. @Dark Cecils II
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The armor could not move from where it was positioned on the couch. Nor could it sleep, as armors did not need sleep. That left it to being entirely alone and unable to do anything through the entire night. Sitting and doing nothing.. Felt strange. Normally, it would just be on patrol all day, every day, unless it had to return to headquarters for maintenance. Which meant that it felt terrible. Which was.. strange. What were these feelings? Maybe it had been too severely damaged.. Maybe it was becoming defective. Units weren't supposed to feel anything. They were automatons, constructs, nothing more. Not a single sound came from the armor the entire night. The only sign that it was still active was the slowly blinking light behind its visor. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 10-Jan-23 04:59 PM
Annalise slept well, all things considered. The occasional nightmare came to mind, but nothing new. When her phone alarm went off bright and early, she hit snooze, groaning. "Why do I have that alarm so fu..." She paused, then remembered exactly why she had that alarm set so early. Stumbling to catch herself as she rolled out of bed, she made her way to the living room. Sure enough, the armor was still there; she gave a small wave, smiling a bit through the mess of hair hanging in her face. "Good morning!" She said, giving a tired smile. "Okay, I'll quick get ready, then call the taxi to take us to the headquarters, okay? Just hang tight, we'll get those repairs soon!" Without waiting for a reply, she quickly disappeared into her bedroom again, running a brush through her hair as she tried to find an outfit for the day. She eventually settled on just a white button down oxford with a pair of jeans, and was already on the phone with the taxi service when she came back out. "Yes, we need a ride to...uh...hang on." She covered the receiver with a hand, looking over at the armor. "Uhm, what was the address again?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed. @Dark Cecils II
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The armor's helmet slowly turned to look at her when she walked in the first time, orb blinking several times as it stared at her. It didn't speak, or make any other movements as she disappeared into the room again. It was in the same position when she stepped back out, already on the phone. Orb still just blinking. When she asked, the armor repeated the address to headquarters immediately. Then, it returned to just.. staring. Not that it could do anything else in this state. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 12-Jan-23 02:52 AM
Giving a nod, she relayed the address to the person on the phone. After a few more words she hung up, flashing a smile. "Okay, taxi should be here in a bit, then we'll be at the headquarters." She explained, sitting down. While the pair waited, she tried her best to make small talk; she was never one for prolonged silences, so she did her best to try to fill them whenever possible. Eventually the taxi honked outside, and she carefully did her best to take the armor out and into the taxi. One taxi ride later and they were in front of the headquarters. She looked up at it in amazement for a moment then helped the armor up and out of the car. "Here we are!" She said, giving the armor another smile. "Sorry we had to wait until morning, but we're here!" Carefully making her way inside, she couldn't help but feel nervous. While she worked at a law firm, it didn't mean she was too comfortable with professional people. She was just a receptionist after all; she both knew and didn't know the ins and outs of talking professionally. @Dark Cecils II
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The armor didn't really seem all that capable of small talk. After all, these were little more than soldiers, built to patrol the city and take down evil-doers. They weren't built with small talk or a home life in mind. ..She knows that I can't respond.. right? That.. The orb started blinking rapidly behind the visor. ..That i'm just a suit of armor. When the taxi honked, the orb returned to its solid state, and the helmet turned to the sound. "Transportation has arrived. Let us go." The taxi ride to the headquarters was quiet, as the armor did not speak, and the taxi driver was obviously uncomfortable with it being in the backseat. When they arrived, and she carried the armor inside, there was already a man waiting for her. "Miss Enodel? I'm here to take the unit from you. Is there anything else we should know about its damages?" @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 12-Jan-23 10:53 AM
Annalise gave a friendly wave with her free arm, trying to look as professional as she could while holding the armor. "Yes! That's me; I found it in an alley after work last night. I did tinker with a small part so it could speak and tell me how to get a hold of you guys, I apologize for that." She gave a bit of a nervous chuckle after that. She didn't want to get in trouble with tampering with police property, but it was helpful in the long run, right? "Other than that, I don't know. Whatever happened, it got pretty banged up; I hope it'll be alright!" She added. Logically, she knew it shouldn't matter much. It wasn't something living and breathing, but she still couldn't help but feel bad it got into such a sorry state. "Is there anything else you need from me?" She asked, shifting her weight slightly. @Dark Cecils II
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"As long as it can get repaired, you won't be in trouble or anything like that." The man nodded as he took the armor. "As for anything else.. Just go speak with the receptionist over there and report everything that's happened since discovering the armor, for our reports, of course." With that, the man disappeared through a door, carrying the armor. The receptionist was very polite to Annalise as she described everything that happened, and wrote down everything with exceptional speed. After that was done, she was sent on her way. It would be three days before anything out of the ordinary happened to her again, as when she returned from work that day, a suit of armor was standing outside of her building, staring up at the various windows as if searching for something, orb blinking behind its visor. --- Unit needs to continue patrol. Improper region for this unit's patrol path. --- The armor did not budge, however, continuing to stare at the building. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 12-Jan-23 03:43 PM
"Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" Annalise gave a wave to everyone in the office, smiling as she walked out the doors of her job. She glanced behind her shoulder, a confident smile on her face before she turned and started walking home. Enrollment for the Supernatural University should be open soon... She reminded herself, a slight spring in her step as she made her way home. I'm gonna have to start figuring out that application process. As she kept walking, she couldn't help but wonder what happened to that armor. Sure, she knew it was probably a-okay, but she couldn't help it. She was the type to even name her coffee maker, and that wasn't even on the same level as the armor. She got her answer soon enough though as she approached her apartment building. Seeing the armor in front of her building, she smiled and went to wave, but stopped herself. Just because it was a suit of armor, didn't mean it was the same one she found the other night. Despite that, she did give a friendly wave as she approached the doors to her apartment building. "Hi there! Be safe on your patrol, okay?" She asked giving a respectful nod of the head as she unlocked the front doors of the apartment complex. "I don't know what's out there, but I found one of you pretty banged up the other night." @Dark Cecils II
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The armor's head slowly turned as it heard footsteps approaching. As soon as it saw her, the orb behind the visor blinked rapidly. I did come to the right place! --- Unit must continue patrol. Improper region for this unit's patrol path. --- The armor didn't seem to care, however, as it watched her approach and almost wave, hesitate for a moment, and then respectfully waved instead. As it went to enter the apartment building, the armor followed behind her, metal boots clanking behind her. It stopped when she looked at it, but continued following when she wasn't. Strange. Very strange. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 12-Jan-23 03:50 PM
As she opened the door and stepped through, she heard the armor's metal boots clanking. For a second, she thought it was going on its way to continue a patrol. But its footsteps would get quieter, not stay the same. She turned around, seeing it right behind her. "Strange," She said quietly looking closer. For a second, she could have sworn she saw it blinking like the one from before. "Is that...is that you?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "The armor from the other night I mean..." @Dark Cecils II
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The orb continued to blink for several seconds as she questioned it, before it nodded. It didn't know why it had come back here, in all honesty. Something seemed to.. draw it back here, against its own directives. But it didn't really care. "It is." There was something strange about its voice now. It was seemed.. maybe slightly less mechanical than before. Not the same as a human's, of course, because of the hollow metal the sound was coming from. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 12-Jan-23 04:03 PM
Despite herself, her warm smile widened a bit, a look of relieve also washing over her face. "I'm so glad they fixed you up!" She said, her words dripping with the same warmth her smile held. "I was worried about you, a-as weird as that is." Her words stumbled a bit as she realized how weird that probably was. Nonetheless, she wasn't the type to ignore her feelings, or avoid vocalizing them. "Is there something going on in the building then? Or did it get added to your patrol?" She asked, genuinely curious. Although she knew the suits of armor patrolled her area, she didn't think this particular one was on this route. If it was, she admittedly never noticed. However, she did notice the voice was slightly more...she didn't know how to describe it properly. It just sounded different than before. She just chalked it up to the unit being so badly damaged before; its voice had to have been affected by damages that severe. @Dark Cecils II
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It didn't find it too weird, since it had its own thoughts about the situation. That was the weird thing. An armor actually thinking? When she questioned it about why it was here, the orb blinked several times, and then it just shook its head. "..This unit doesn't know why it came here. It just.. did." Did she want it to leave? Why was it even following her? It was strange.. Its directives kept telling it that it needed to return to patrolling.. And it kept resisting those directives. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 13-Jan-23 07:10 AM
Annalise thought for a moment, mulling over the answer it gave her. It didn't know why it came here? That was strange. "Well, if you want you can come over and visit! I just don't want you to get in trouble though; I am curious as to how you got so beat up." She offered, flashing another smile. "It'd be nice to have company; I don't usually have visitors after work!" @Dark Cecils II
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When she offered to let it visit, it nodded. Was that why it came here? Maybe. It was hard to tell.. "..This unit does not remember how it got so damaged. Maintenance indicated several large dents and tears in this unit, so a big enemy with a large, bladed weapon or claws is this unit's theory. Possibly several." Then, the armor waited patiently for her to go inside. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 13-Jan-23 01:21 PM
"Oh! Really? Well, I suppose with how damaged you were, it makes sense." Annalise surmised, unlocking her apartment door and waiting for the armor to go inside first. "Well, I hope whatever it was is far from here now." She bit the inside of her cheek as she shut the door behind them. "Whatever can cause that much damage is probably really scary, and that's coming from a demon." Laughing a bit, she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Is there anything I can get for you? P-probably not actually, I don't know what you'd need or want, now that I think about it." She sat on the chair next to the couch, trying to think of small talk to continue the conversation. "I still wonder why you came here; I know you said you didn't know, but it's still really interesting!" @Dark Cecils II
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The armor clanked inside as it noticed she was waiting for it. "This unit is not certain of the location of its attacker. It has not heard any other reports of attacks on units similar to it, so it was likely that it was a criminal that had drawn the attention of this unit. Whatever caused the damage would indeed be terrifying to a person." Armors, however, could not feel fear. Nor did they fear death. It was simply a part of the cycle they go through. When she asked what she could get it, it shook its head. "Unit's condition, optimal." It paused as she continued to talk. "This unit does not know why it came here. It felt an unusual urge to return." @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 14-Jan-23 04:06 AM
Annalise gave a nod as it explained what it thought had happened, walking to the kitchen to make herself some tea. "I just hope that it was a one time deal." She said, putting the kettle on and returning to the living room. "I'd hate to see what in the world did that." She sat back down on the chair, a quiet sigh escaping her. "But how was your day?" She asked, offering a smile. "Probably more exciting than mine; just a lot of people calling to talk to the lawyers in my firm." She added that with a bit of a laugh. Sure, being a receptionist wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was a job nonetheless. The best part was overhearing juicy gossip though; no one really noticed her, so she'd end up hearing a lot about people's cases. @Dark Cecils II
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"If the assailant is on this unit's route, likelihood is high that it will be encountered again." It replied simply. When she asked how its day was, the orb blinked a couple of times. "Repairs were finished today, so this unit was sent back onto the streets for the majority of the day. Uneventful. Then, this unit found itself here, in front of your building." Most days were fairly uneventful for the armor- It didn't often encounter many troubles on its route. It luckily was one of the units not on the rougher half of the city, where lowlifes and gangs made their homes. Those were the units that needed repairs most often, as bullet holes often led to major tears in the metal after long enough. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 16-Jan-23 04:44 AM
Annalise gave a nod, listening intently. "Well, I'm really glad you were repaired!" She said with a smile. "And I'm happy you decided to stop by to say hi; it's nice to see you all patched up and good to go." Hearing the kettle go off, she got up to turn the oven off, pouring herself some hot water over her tea. While preparing her tea, she pondered over just why an armor would want to visit anyone, let alone a civilian. Taking her cup, she walked back into the living room. "The most eventful thing to happen to me today was overhearing about another lawsuit between a human and a vampire; apparently the defendant unlawfully took blood from the plaintiff. I swear those lawsuits come by more and more frequently." @Dark Cecils II
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"Historically, vampires have been considered monsters. This led to them being outcasts, and forced them to have to attack villages or otherwise coerce blood from unwilling victims. 'Humane' blood substitutes and willing blood donations are still relatively new occurances in widespread culture. Therefore, attacks are still fairly common and are crimes units similar to this one deal with regularly." While it was common for armors to know what was and wasn't a crime, very few could tell someone the reason why. Either this one was programmed with more knowledge than most.. Or it had done research. Both were unusual. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 18-Jan-23 01:39 PM
"That is true..." Annalise thought for a second, glancing over at the armor. "I wonder when it'll all calm down; I'm pretty sure half the lawsuits we deal with are ones that have to deal with that. Always a headache for the lawyers too. I've heard my mom complain about the media so many times whenever another case crops up." She took a sip of her tea, looking down at the liquid in her cup before looking back over. "Although I'm kind of surprised, not a lot of people could explain that so eloquently. Then again, the people explaining usually have a bias in some way or another; vampires clinging to the old ways explain the crime as if the real crime would be to abandon those ways, while vampires embracing the new ways always demonize the crimes." She gave a bit of a chuckle at her termanology for a second before a thought crossed her mind. "Do you have a name?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "I don't think I've ever properly introduced myself to you; I'm Annalise Enodel!" She said with a smile, knowing it probably already knew from the report she had to give to the people at the headquarters she took it to.
13:39
@Dark Cecils II
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"Unlikely." The armor stated. "Until vampires entirely switch over to substitutes or find willing donors, issues will keep happening and crimes will continue to happen. Even then, because it is illegal, younger vampires will do it because they can." She was right.. People usually carried biases due to their own beliefs and experiences. Armors, however, did not have specific belief systems they followed, outside of the law that they were programmed to enforce. The orb blinked several times behind the visor. It stopped when she asked if it had a name. "..Units have identification numbers, unlike the various races that get names. This unit's identification is 00104-H." Annalise Enodel.. The orb blinked once. It would remember that name. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 22-Jan-23 09:22 AM
"Well, it's nice to meet you 00104-H." Her voice was warm as she continued to smile, finishing up her cup of tea. "And you have a point; kids always find a thrill out of breaking the law. I wish they wouldn't though, they're throwing away a lot when they break the law." Her lips pressed into a worried thin line, her eyes gazing down at her empty cup before shaking her head and standing up. "Well, hopefully I can help them soon! I'm hoping to enroll in the university soon, I wanna get a law degree so I can practice at my mom's firm!" She said excitedly, walking to the kitchen and putting her cup in the sink. "My mom's side of the family all are involved in the courts in one way or another; they helped pave the way for supernatural law!" Her voice was filled to the brim with excitement as she walked back to the living room, sitting on the chair. "A-although I know it sounds kind of boring," She added sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "A lot of my friends poked fun at me when I was a kid over it." @Dark Cecils II
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"And to you, Annalise Enodel." It nodded. "Those who do not resist have a chance to make things right. Those who fight against those meant to protect them are the ones who put themselves in danger unnecessarily. Units such as this do not apply lethal force unless the assailants are armed and aggressive, which unfortunately happens often." The orb blinked several times as the armor remembered the damages it had suffered... Had it attempted to apprehend a target, only for them to turn some unknown weapon against them? Or perhaps the unit had been ambushed by a gang that sought to destroy it for some other perceived slight. The helmet of the armor followed her as she moved, it listening intently. Then, it shook its head. "Lawyers and other practitioners of the justice system have their place in the world, and are sorely needed now more than ever. Juvenile crime has been on the rise, especially amongst vampires." @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 01-Mar-23 04:14 PM
Annalise gave a nod as the armor spoke, growing a bit quiet as it brought up the circumstances that would require a unit to use lethal force. "I suppose that's true," She said thoughtfully, biting a thumbnail. "I don't think I've heard of any kids fighting back too hard when the lawyers discuss their cases; thank goodness for small favors!" The sheepish smile soon was replaced with a warmer one as he brought up how lawyers and others of the like were needed, giving another enthusiastic nod. "Honestly, I hope the young vampires figure it out; and I hope our law firm can figure out how to properly address their crimes. A lot of lawyers seem to get confused about some of the cases they get. Like, if we have to try a freshly turned vampire, do they also count as a juvenile even if they are physically of age? If so, when would the cutoff be for trying as an adult? It's a fascinating subject!" Despite being excited about the subject at hand, she couldn't help but still wonder exactly what had happened to the unit in front of her. The injuries seemed more severe than just someone fighting back. Not only that, but the unit was also in an alleyway, which could point to someone trying to hide the evidence so it wouldn't be tied back to them. Part of her wanted to bring it up, but despite being armor, she was afraid of offending it.
16:14
@Dark Cecils II
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"Juveniles, even amongst vampires, do not often resist in such an aggressive manner. They lack the emotional willpower to follow through with their threats." The armor explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "And by the time anything reaches the court, they have often realized that it is better to cooperate than to fight it." The orb blinked several times as she smiled warmly at the suit of armor. The way that it seemed to pause at that smile, even for the briefest of moments, was out of the ordinary and made absolutely no sense to it. "This unit believes that it should depend on how recently the vampire had been turned. Freshly-turned vampires without mentors do not understand their situation, so they are less likely to fully comprehend the nature of their crimes, similar to a child." For being nothing but a guard unit, it seemed to have a good grasp of legal matters. Not only was that unusual for these kinds of units, very few were able to keep a conversation outside of performing arrests and the such.. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 11-Mar-23 05:45 PM
"See, I think that would make the most sense!" Annalise gave yet another enthusiastic nod, smiling wide. "I tried to bring that up to some of the lawyers, but they were kind of divided on the idea; I just think some of them can't think past the physical age of the defendant." As she spoke, she didn't seem to think much about the armor holding a conversation. Despite working with a few as a receptionist, it didn't really occur to her. However, slowly the thought came to mind that even as a receptionist, it was usually to direct them to the lawyer working on a case related to an arrest made; even then, they wouldn't make much conversation with her or the lawyer they needed to talk to. She grew quiet as she thought about it, pondering exactly what that meant. "U-uhm, I don't mean to be rude by asking this," She said carefully, again treating the armor as if it were an actual person. "B-but I don't recall ever having a conversation like this with an armor; usually if they come through the firm, they don't speak unless it's about the arrest relevant to the case. How come you're able to hold a conversation like this?" She asked, speaking slowly as if thinking through her words before actually saying them. The amount of care she took in her words was something she prided herself in; she knew wording things wrong could end in a big mess. @Dark Cecils II
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It didn’t surprise the armor that some of the lawyers couldn’t see past the physical age of the defendant. It gave them a way to use their age against them in a case, as an adult tried in the court of law gets less mercy than a child, because they should know better. Despite them being physically of age, being turned into a vampire was similar to puberty in humans, in a way. Freshly turned vampires are often very emotionally confused, with new sensations that are unfamiliar and sometimes infuriating for them. They have a new hunger that they don’t know how to deal with, and sometimes if they don’t sate it, they’ll go wild and end up attacking someone. That’s why having mentors to help them adjust is important, and should be taken into account when they commit these crimes. The armor was pleased with itself that it understood the intricate dealings of legal matters, if it was a little out of the ordinary for it. Very rarely was it that Armors spoke with anyone, or seemed to show any kind of actual intelligence. Did it truly understand what kind of position it was in..? When Annalise started to speak again, the orb blinked a couple of times as it looked in her direction. She never had a conversation with an armor like this.. It supposed that made sense.. Armors weren’t exactly the most talkative bunch.. But he supposed it was more than that. How many Armors truly understood their surroundings? Yeah, they were aware of what was going on around them, but only to the extent that they had to in order to do their job. Not many had full awareness… “..This unit is not sure. It..” The orb shifted slightly in the helmet, and started to blink several times. Why was it able to have more awareness than all its brethren? ..Brethren? Was that what the other armors were? No.. Armors were constructs. They weren’t like humans or any other race. But.. What explanation could there be? This situation was unprecedented.. At least as far as it could tell..
06:25
What if.. No, that was unlikely.. There was no way that the damage it had suffered had corrupted its personality matrix, had it? If that was the case, why hadn’t any other Armors been showing signs of this kind of issue? Armors got roughed up all the time, many of which were damaged quite severely during more intense arrests.. Sometimes they were little more than scrap, and had to undergo full repairs.. Unless they had showed signs of this kind of glitch in their matrix, and 00104-H just hadn’t noticed, because it was unaware.. And.. “This unit apologizes, but it must go.” Suddenly, it stood up, orb blinking rapidly. And, if she looked close, it almost seemed.. Like it was a very, very light shade of red, instead of the usual white. “Thank you for your time, Annalise Enodel.” With that, it turned and walked out of the apartment. If what it just thought of was correct, it would be very ill-planned to reveal too much more to anyone, especially someone so involved in the legal system. After all, the ones who made the Armors were very much a part of that legal system. The Armors were made to supplement the police. The armor glanced down at a drying puddle on the sidewalk, and noticed a difference in its orb. It stopped and stared for several seconds.. Just staring at the slightly discolored orb staring back from its reflection. It.. hadn’t always been that color. Absolutely not.. Which meant something was wrong with it. Whatever damages it had endured.. Whatever event caused it to become that damaged.. It broke something inside, and now the symptoms were becoming visible. If the engineers found out about this.. It’d be dismantled, repaired, and it’d lose any kind of awareness that it had gotten. It would.. No. It shook his head. It wouldn’t let itself get found out. It’d work to blend in still, and then he’d be able to live. It wouldn’t let itself get killed. So, it went back to patrolling on its route. Just gotta play the part.. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 21-Mar-23 03:30 PM
Annalise waited quietly as the Armor thought, and bit the inside of her cheek as the Armor said they weren't sure. The longer she spent time with the Armor, the more she thought about some old fairy tale she read as a kid; something about the main character falling down, down, down, deep into some hole in the ground. Curiouser and curiouser, She thought to herself, watching as the Armor suddenly stood up. "O-oh! I completely understand; be safe, take care of yourself!" She said, standing up herself to wave and walk it to the door. When she looked up at them, they noticed the slight change in color. However, she didn't say anything. She didn't want the Armor to feel self conscious, despite knowing it couldn't have that emotion. ...Could it though? She asked, closing the door behind the armor. Now that she was alone, it started to sink in just how strange this interaction was. She walked back to the living room, sitting on the couch while contemplating the whole thing. Eventually, she shook her head. She knew she didn't know much about how the Armors worked, but something still felt off. Glancing out the window, she noticed it was getting late; the golden light of the sun fading into shades of pinks and purples as the sun set. "Gaaaaah! I need to look up the application process!" She said out loud, giving a sigh as she stood up. She knew it would probably be better to get ready for bed, but instead she made her way to the main lobby to her mailbox. She had ordered materials from the Supernatural University, wanting to brush up on how it works before trying to apply. She couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach as she opened her mailbox, but the excitement was quickly snuffed out when she realized it was empty. Giving a defeated sigh, she trudged back to her apartment. @Dark Cecils II
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The next few days were a confusing mess for the Armor. It felt like it needed to hide what, if anything, was happening to it. No other Armors were as aware as it was, at least to its knowledge. None had the same degree of consciousness, nothing more than their simple operations. The Armor spent its days staying on its route, helping people where it could. It was good to keep its mind occupied, but didn't answer any of its questions about itself. Was it just supposed to wander the city's streets, catching criminals and saving animals all day? Was that its only purpose in existing? Or was it similar to humans and other races, able to pursue other avenues to life? What if it wanted to deliver food, or guide people around the city? Its creators would not like it abandoning its patrol routes, would they? Well, that hadn't stopped it before. Why should it stop it now..? Its prospects were limited in a lot of fields, however.. The way its vision worked was different from everyone else. Heat and shapes, no visible detail. It knew where buildings and people would be, and knew locations and such but was blind otherwise. It couldn't read. Reading was important for other races to do their various jobs, especially with how computers and books and things like that were needed. The Armor couldn’t do these things.. What could it really do about it all, though? It wouldn’t be able to discuss this with any of its higher ups without risking being deactivated.. Other units wouldn’t be able to understand what it was feeling.. Feeling? Yes, this was what it was like to feel something.. And they would likely just report it to the engineers. It was in their routines to ensure the function of other units.. That led it back to Annalise Enodel’s apartment, where it knocked on the door. It had made sure that there weren’t that many people around the area before it went inside, to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Knock. Knock. Knock. @Angel™🌸
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Annalise Enodel BOT 29-Apr-23 02:35 AM
Another day, another empty letter box. Annalise was growing anxious; not only for the lack of materials from the university, but also from the lack of any response from the university. It seemed natural enough for now though, she heard some rumblings in the office about how it might be under fire. "...was only a matter of time really," One of the lawyers had said to another as they walked past her receptionist desk. "I mean, even some of their vampiric professors were part of the old ones-" "Hey, that's alleged. You say that yo the wrong person, you'd get a slander suit on your hands." "Yea, well, c'mon, it's an open secret." Annalise wasn't able to hear the rest of their conversation as they left for lunch, but after looking it up online, it seemed like there was quite a bit of tension between the two different factions of vampires at the university. Accusations ranging from professors feeding on students, to students attacking professors; she was surprised she hadn't seen anything sooner, considering the articles were talking about incidents occurring from even years ago. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read; if it was happening for so long, why is everything only coming out now? She sighed as she leaned back on her couch, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. I mean, a dean covering up scandals to maintain the reputation of their university wouldn't be anything too strange, She thought with a sigh, standing up to make herself some tea and leaving her laptop open. But still, I would think at least some of the students would have reported the behavior, or even the professors-
02:35
Her thoughts were cut off as she heard a knock on the door, causing her to jump slightly as she filled the kettle. "O-oh, hang on!" She called out, setting her kettle down on the heat of her stove as she went to answer the door. When she saw the armor standing there, she flashed a warm smile. "Oh, hi 00104-H!" She greeted, opening the door a bit wider so it could enter if it wanted to. "You can sit down if you want; I'm just making myself some tea!" @Dark Cecils II
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