strangetrip | [GP/EP] Check-in Day

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[GP/EP] Check-in Day

Liz was starting to get better at the whole check-in day stuff. She knew she hadn't seen 'everything' yet, but she was learning from watching Kitty and Caroline and the others how to approach distressed, confused, and even angry people. It wasn't always perfect, but she was getting better.

With the help from the bakery, there were muffins on trays in the lobby - Mary had insisted. She insisted on coming in every once in a while to restock the trays too.

Liz had helped bring another tray to the front desk and then moved to sit at one of the couches that had a view of the front doors. She had a complicated science essay for Kitty due in a week and Liz was having trouble finding the right wording to express her thoughts.

Every once in a while, Liz would look up to see if there was someone knew approaching. There could be no one today or there could be a lot. Briefly, she wondered if someone else from home would show up. A part of her was curious who that would be, but she found a larger part of herself was hoping no one else would.

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"I'm sorry." She wished the primary user could be here, but she realized she probably wouldn't. At least for a while. "They might show up. People show up on the 1st and the 15th of every month, so maybe in October... it's September 15th right now. 2018." In case that mattered.

Liz gestured for Mia to follow, then started to walk when Mia began to move. "Well.. over there is the restaurant, but I guess you won't need to go there, right? So... um." She paused. "Can you swim?"

Mia wondered of the significance of the dates but it was a brief thought. At Liz's question however, her memory of saving Leo from drowning flashed. It was a special memory and one that she cherished.

"I can swim. I also have life saving capabilities if that is required."

"Okay." She headed towards the part of the building that had doors leading outside to the pool. "We have a pool here. And a garden. Stables with horses. And we even have a library, if you like books or video games."

Liz was glad Mia wouldn't short-circuit or something if she went swimming.

Mia followed Liz out of the doors toward the pool area. "I'm afraid my weight would be too much for a horse." Because of her mechanics she actually weighed close to 300 lbs. "I have been programmed to take care of children and reading is one of their favorite activities. Sophie Hawkins likes the book, The Gruffalo."

"Do you like reading?" With her experience with Karen, and to a smaller degree, F.R.I.D.A.Y., Liz had learned that some AIs had preferences. "I remember the Gruffalo. I liked it too. My favourite was the Paper Bag Princess, though." She smiled a little.

"I believe that book was a favorite of Mattie Hawkins when she was a young girl, too. Sophie has not requested that I read that to her yet." Mia actually suggested to Sophie that her mother, Laura, read to her instead, as Laura seemed to feel slighted when Sophie asked 'Anita' when she first came to the Hawkins family.

"I do not feel happiness as you do, therefore I can not like anything as you would feel it. Did you have many favorite books, Liz?" That statement walked the thin line between truth and lies.

Liz looked a little sad at her admission of not being able to like something. She was pretty sure Karen had preferences. She'd have to ask her next time she saw Peter.

"I like to read" she nodded. "But lately I've been more into science non-fiction books like string theory."

"Is that what you wish to become, Liz?" Mia asked her as they approached the pool.

She filed the information away for later in case it was needed. Liz might be able to help if repairs were needed, though it would also be a matter of trust. Mia would be 'shut down' during the repairs and she'd have to trust that whoever did them would wake her up once more and not just use her for parts, or sell her.

"I want to be a molecular biologist." She nodded. "My boyfriend really likes building things, too. And his mentor - he's trying to find a way out of here. He's an engineer." She smiled fondly when she spoke about both men.

Mia stopped walking and turned to Liz, "have they experience with synthetics and computer programming?" Her expression gave nothing away but she was wary of the answer. She was also a little optimistic about the answer. It was an odd feeling.

She nodded. "Yes. Mr. Stark more than Peter. Peter has an AI called Karen, but Mr. Stark wrote Karen herself. And he's made other things. He's definitely worth talking to. I can have him reach out to you, if you like?"

"Thank you, Liz. I would be interested in meeting your Mr. Stark." Mia would judge for herself if he viewed her as something other than a 'dolly' that could be used for parts for his own inventions.

She wouldn't reveal her consciousness, that would be foolish, but if he were like Laura and believed - in his mind a theory rather than reality - that conscious synths are individuals with thoughts and feelings like humans, perhaps she could trust again.

"He's a nice man" Though Alec would probably disagree. Still, she was sure Alec was being more stubborn than anything else.

"Kitty might also be able to help. She's been making drones here to look for a way out." She paused. "I wish I could be more help, but computers are only really just becoming a thing when I'm from."

“You are doing very well interacting with me if this is your first time talking to a Synthetic. You said when, not where, you’re from. What year is it for you?” Mia, didn’t truly understand the concept of different times as it related to the Inn.

"Oh, um.. I'm from Roswell, New Mexico. But for me, I left home when it was 2001. So for me, the inn is sort of in the future for me." She looked a little embarrassed at that, but she found comfort in the notion she was talking to Mia fine.

“It was 2018 when I arrived. You are adapting well to your new environment.” Mia spoke as a nanny would have complimented her charge. Are there many people from different times as well as worlds?”

She ducked her head for a second. "Thanks... Sometimes it's easier than others. Especially since here the Inn seems to be sort of stuck in the 90s. But I've learned recently how to do use a smartphone, so that's nice."

She nodded to the second question. "Yes. Some from the future and some from the past, though most seem to be around 2016-18. Some people aren't even from a world like Earth at all, which is sort of neat."

While it didn't look like it, Mia was processing everything that Liz had been telling her. Some of it didn't make sense, but she was trying to extrapolate the information to what she knew.

"I am sorry, I do not understand. There are humans from another planet here?" Intelligent life on other planets was a human theory that she understood, it was part of her programming, but that was all it was - - a theory.

"Some of them are humans... some of them are other races, like aliens and, um. elves." She knew it sounded strange. "Some of the worlds are like... there is no Earth at all. Alternate realities. Some of them are very similar to ours and other ones are completely different."

"Do the humans consider the others to be like them?" Mia was curious, but even so, she was sure if the choice was between an alien life and a synthetic one, they would choose the alien.

"You mean here?" Liz wondered what she really meant by the question. "Well... I know I do... but then I have friends back home who are aliens." So maybe that didn't count. "I'd say everyone treats each other equally here. Everyone more or less gets along or is at least civil with one another."

"I have noticed that humans sometimes are afraid of Synthetics and those that are different. I wondered if those at the Inn are the same even though they are from different times and places." Mia explained her question, not giving her true misgivings away.

"I think... I think most people here are from worlds that have strange things in them. A lot of them have powers or know people who do. So I think here... people are more comfortable with non-humans." From what Liz could tell, a thing almost everyone had in common was there was some sort of 'weird' in each person's life. It seemed like the only commonality.

Mia considered that, "synthetics are made to help humans, some in their tasks and others to do jobs that are unsafe or unwanted." Then there were some that were escorts and sex 'dollies' but that wasn't a conversation for Liz.

"Some people are comfortable with us, as you are, Liz, but there are others that are not. There are communities that are 'synthetic free'." There were more since Day Zero.

"Perhaps the Inn will be comfortable or perhaps people will wish to be synthetic free." It wasn't said with in inflection to her voice, but merely an extrapolation of experiences and conjecture of what might happen.

She frowned a little. It sounded like there might be a lot of discrimination to synthetics back home. She didn't think it was fair - if humans made them, then humans should take the responsibility to integrate the life they created. "Well... I really hope it is accepting here. I think it will be. If someone has a problem... well, I'll talk to them." Said the unassuming seventeen year old.

[GP/EP] Check-in Day

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