video; un: markus

[compartmentalise]

[Markus has been busy. Since the festival, he's been working through some things. The humans here are so nice to him, so accepting. A few he's spoken with even encouraged him to try things for himself just like Carl did. It turns out that art is a good way of working through his feelings.

Most of what he's been doing are just recreations of scenes from the festival: the food carts and the various people working them, the float from the children's parade, people wearing body paint-- and here he included himself, wearing the android-appointed uniform instead of the scrubs he actually wore while attending. He did, however, include the face paint one of his new human friends did for him.

But that's not really the focus. He centers the camera on a portrait of an elderly man]

I was missing Carl, and so I painted this.

Comments

[sentiences]

From what I've noticed, people feel strongly, but they don't always understand why.

[ For Dorian, tracing back his feelings has been easy. He's always been emotionally competent. Strong, even. ]

[compartmentalise]

Carl told me something similar. I think it's why he started painting: so he could express his feelings even if he didn't understand them.

[And that could also be why Markus painted but, you know. He wouldn't say that]

[sentiences]

Sounds like a pretty wise man.

[ It's not an easy thing to admit. Especially with people. ]

[compartmentalise]

I would like to show him this place. Or tell him about it.

[sentiences]

Perhaps he'll come here. You never know.

[compartmentalise]

Perhaps. [Though he thinks this is what Carl meant by Markus having to take care of himself and make his own choices]

[sentiences]

Have you been . . . alive for very long?

[ Online would have been the correct term, but Dorian's never liked it. ]

[compartmentalise]

[That's a very odd way to phrase it]

I've been functional for a long time.

[sentiences]

It's only been a year and half for myself.

[compartmentalise]

Are you Dorian? [He was told about this other android, so it's a good assumption to make]

[sentiences]

[ He blinks. He didn't think he had any notoriety. ]

I am. I'm an android with a synthetic soul.

[compartmentalise]

[That's exactly the way Jim described it, but Markus has no idea what that means]

From what I understand, a "soul" is a philosophical concept, not a physical object.

[sentiences]

It is the term used for robots like myself who are gifted with emotional acuity. Instinct, leaps of logic. The ability to draw emotional connections.

[compartmentalise]

Why would they program you that way?

[He can see it being needed in a child android, for example, as they're supposed to simulate human children. But what purpose would such a function serve in an adult android?]

[sentiences]

They . . . believed it would better serve my purpose. That a robot with instincts would be able to make the right judgement calls in the police force.

[ Dorian can still see the need for it now. ]

[compartmentalise]

[And now he's wondering if the prototype detective android has similar programming. Which leads to this question]

So are you a prototype?

[sentiences]

No. There were others like me.

Now I'm the only one left.

[compartmentalise]

[A world with no androids? That's hard for him to compute. They are so integrated into every facet of life]

None of the androids I've seen here are like the ones in Detroit.

[Or they could all be that way, but are putting on an act the way he does when he's in public. He's really starting to question things like that]

[sentiences]

[ Well. Dorian meant ones like himself. There's no way people would stop using robots, no matter what technical difficulties they possessed. ]

No. They're not like myself either. We're all different. Unique.

[compartmentalise]

You say that like it's... expected.

[This is very puzzling. Androids are not meant to be unique. Markus knows he's different because he's a prototype, but all androids of a certain model have the same appearance and function-- except for Tracis, for obvious reasons]

[sentiences]

[ A tinge of wryness. ]

I'm getting used to the idea.

[compartmentalise]

I think I would like getting used to it.

[sentiences]

I'm sure you will. It takes time.

[compartmentalise]

[That gets him to smile. He's starting to think he should have spoken with other androids sooner]

A human named Jim told me about you. He said you were "fun".

[sentiences]

[ Did he now. Dorian's lips curve upward. ]

Well, he should know.

But I'm also learning how to have fun on my own. As my own person.