One a scale of "just got a full night's rest" and "spent five hours in Mementos," I'm at about "woke up too early in the morning to get ready for school."
[WHAT KIND OF SCALE IS THAT]
I'm okay. I'll be there soon.
[and that is that. because while it's comforting to be talking to Ryuji and knowing he's well enough to hold a conversation, Akira will feel a lot better seeing him in person]
[It's cool, he's nearly fluent in Akira by now, so it doesn't go questioned. He already knew this was a lost cause the second he asked if they could hang. So instead of being obviously worried over his bestie's condition, he'll just look forward to seeing him.
(But still be obviously worried.)]
Cool, maybe this thing'll be done with its service pack 2 update by then.
[Why in the world does he always just pop out of nowhere!?
Ryuji thought he'd get used to that, but shit, he jumps a little bit when he hears Akira's voice, having officially gotten the heebie jeebies off of that.]
DUDE... What the hell.
[He looks over from the decommissioned bot.]
Can't you do like. The soft entrance? The one where you don't try to throw me into cardiac arrest? [He points down at the floor.] You want me to end up like this guy?
[But... there's a question left to answer.]
Yeah, man, spoiler alert? I'm actually a droid myself. Sent here from the future to protect Sarah Conner from another version of me that's come back to kill her.
[Come on... he had to make a terminator reference at least once, if they're in bot-land.]
[listen, Akira would've been disappointed if he DIDN'T make a Terminator reference]
The dial up modem Terminator, who's going to kill her with slow internet speeds and long wait times?
[he shoots back blandly, brows quirked. he slips both hands into his pockets and takes a step forward until he's standing at Ryuji's side, shoulder-to-shoulder]
Yep. Bi-dum, bi-dum. Takes like... 3 whole minutes to load up a magazine. And then, if you get a call, you get disconnected and have the most glitched out, hyperlink broken gun.
[This is so stupid, but Ryuji loves to play along with this sort of stuff. It's like sitting back in their home world, talking about ridiculous what-ifs on recent shounen manga serial drops.
He smiles, though, wraps an arm around Akira's shoulder, and hangs off of him for a second. True to his inner demon monkey spirit.]
But... now that you know, dude. It's alllll over for you.
[and on instinct, Akira rocks into Ryuji's side as soon as that arm drapes around his shoulder, a playful nudge accompanied by a huffed laugh. one he doesn't even bother to mask]
Oh. Saw something I shouldn't have? Wrong place, wrong time? If these are my last moments, do I at least get to say goodbye to my lizard?
[IWAI IS PRECIOUS TO HIM HE CAN'T LEAVE HIS SON WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE]
[he somehow manages to shoot back with a completely straight face. Akira!1 but hey, that jokingly blase expression softens into a genuine smile when Ryuji asks about the mission. because the whole thing had blown past them with the force of a tornado (ha) to the point of where some points of it are still a bit fuzzy to Akira. . . and yet]
[here they are. standing in the calm, eerily quiet city after the storm, with all of them in one piece and healthy and whole. it's a nice feeling. kind of similar to how things felt in the aftermath of the El Minha riots]
And. . . yeah. [an earnest answer. no jokes, no teasing] Another job well done on our part.
[He would definitely be lying if he said that this didn't have a familiar feeling to the completion of a heist. And with that, the celebration and fanfare that things actually wound up working, despite knowing that their team... uh, definitely needed some work at times. Even the best planning had hitches to it. Not that Ryuji really did much of that planning, but, still.]
There better be some good effin' ramen waiting for us back at HQ.
[Enough said on the matter!
But he does look down at Akira and make sure that there's nothing structurally messed up, now that he has a grip around him.]
I know I said it, like, a million times dude. But don't get hurt. I know it's kinda unavoidable out there when we got all this shit to do, but... uh, hey, tanking shit is my deal. Alright?
[. . . from this angle, Ryuji can kind of see that Akira is favoring one leg, one on which a few white bandages poke out from underneath his pants. not bloodstained bandages, thankfully, but they twine and ravel all the way around his ankle. it's probably pretty clear by now that his slight lean into Ryuji's side is partially to take weight off of a still-healing injury]
[there's also something about what Ryuji says next that draws a raised brow and a frown from Akira]
Tanking damage is only part of your deal. [he feels the need to correct] The other part is hitting hard and fast, and covering enemies weak to Zio skills.
[it's probably not a surprise that Akira, of all people, knew the ins and outs of every one of his teammates' strengths and weaknesses. everyone had a niche, after all. . . and everyone's niche has multiple uses. a high endurance stat didn't mean he thought Ryuji should take the brunt of every blow. putting Ryuji on the front lines didn't mean he was there to act as a meat shield for everyone else]
I took a pipe to the knee, but I'm okay. Jing-san patched me up earlier.
[Yeah, he knows what a limp like that means pretty darn well, and it's put him into a state of worry that Akira could ever end up like him- clawing his way back to even be able to run again. It just... hits too close to home for him. One frown is met with another, and even though he knows he's right? He absolutely knows he's right, and that there's more to what he does as a member of the battle team, he can't still help but feel like he just... wants to be everything that he needs to be in order to protect Akira.
Which is, in hindsight, pretty dumb in consideration. Akira is incredibly capable, and he also knows that. It's just--]
Dude... if anything ever happened to you... I dunno what I'd do. I mean, you ain't wrong about that expert analysis on my persona bullshit, but. It's just... how I feel, I guess. I just have this like. Crazy thought? Or something. That the world would stop spinnin' for me if it went down like that.
[He feels too honest for his own good, here, and stops looking down at his legs. Ryuji's an okay warrior, but an even higher level worrier.]
[it's not really as though that's an unfamiliar sentiment. it's never been put so bluntly before, as far as Akira can recall. but Ryuji has taken hits for him in the past (an aspect of Rank 9, he found out pretty quickly, as the other thieves were soon shoving him out of the way of the most devastating of blows too), and in a lot of ways simple actions speak a whole lot more loudly than words ever could]
[. . .]
[most of the time, Akira wishes it were the other way around. because there's something so fuckin' painful about watching your best friend hit the ground when all you want to do is take all of that pain and HP damage and send it flying back at the enemy multiplied tenfold. his frown deepens, nose wrinkled a bit as he stares at the downed robots. though he makes no move to pull away from this comfortable proximity]
I'm okay.
[he says reassuringly, leaning to the side to place more pressure onto his injured leg for emphasis. it's not a serious injury-- just a sore one, one that may take a day or two to stop throbbing in pain before Akira is as good as new again]
And I'm not about to do something so stupid as to send your world crashing to a halt, yeah?
[he tilts his head to the side a bit, now seeking out Ryuji's gaze with his own]
Just as long as you avoid doing that too.
[which is Akira very subtly, very sneakily echoing the sentiment Ryuji had just expressed to him]
[What was that saying that he heard back in track all the time? Run it off? Yeah, considering the source of those words of (dis)encouragement, he doesn't recall them back to Akira in fear that he will try overdoing it. Ryuji's own leg injuries were pretty much relegating him to crutches for weeks, and then, figuring out how to do physical therapy on it by himself. Not that his mom didn't want him to go through it, but times were pretty tough and those hospital bills were already sky high. So he just watches Akira's frown multiply, and he feels a pang in his chest over that.
Did he say something wrong? Ryuji always has a habit of completely oversharing anything and everything that's in his mind at the moment, and it comes flying out in a projectile devil-may-care sort of way. And maybe Akira was that devil who cared, because it looked like the offer didn't sit right with him. He can't help it; it's just how he feels about him.]
Aight. [If he says he's okay, he's okay.]
Well.. yeah, I mean. I, uh. I hope not. [He'll look at him back, his own words coming back to haunt him flush against his face with a little bewilderment at Akira turning the tables... like he should expect??? anything less???
God, why does this make him so flustered.]
Sorry, dude, you're gonna be stuck with me for a long while. [He smiles, even though he's being stared at and disarmed.] 'Cause I guess... no matter how you look at it, it's the same world in the end, huh?
[This is setting the new bar on lame and sappy. Ryuji looks forward- maybe he ought to help Akira get back. There's a ton of androids still left to reboot, but he has a hunch that he's going to be too restless to sleep tonight anyway.]
[if there was anyone in the world who didn't mind Ryuji's oversharing, it was definitely Akira. perhaps that was part of what had drawn him towards Ryuji in the first place, anyway. complete and total honesty. doggedly determined loyalty. an earnest personality where there was nothing to hide]
[but there's absolutely no part of him that would ever be okay with Ryuji relegating himself to a meat shield and a meat shield only. satisfied that he managed to convey that well enough for now (and also convey that he's okay, really, there's no need to worry, he'll be right as rain in a few days), some of the fierceness in Akira's frown abates for something a little lighter]
That's almost the sappiest thing I've ever heard you say.
[there's a slight note of teasing in Akira's tone, but it's absolutely drowned out by the louder chords of fondness. he doesn't mind. never would, when it came to his best friend]
But you're right. Different surroundings, same world.
[and while Ryuji is thinking about helping Akira get back, Akira is thinking about. . . well. helping Ryuji with rebutt duty]
[Does he absolutely love when Akira just slams into his cheeky sense of brutal overshare? Probably. Does he want to show it? Absolutely not. He groans when Akira does it, but it's a weak attempt at best. Total 4 out of 10 on the rolling eyes, too.]
Live with it.
[It only gets sappier and more ridiculous as time goes on, anyway.]
Yeah, I think the trees are all different, too. Weird frizzy ass leaves that don't know how to sit down and take a dude's totally sincere words without gettin' all fuzzed up and droppin' sap everywhere you look.
[But the androids... he gives a are you sure look of don't do this, man, but realizes it's going to be a losing fight. Could he actually win in a content of stubbornness with Akira? Nah, probably not.]
Alright, I'm gonna show you how, and then we finish up this store.
But tell me if your knee starts actin' up, old man. We're gonna take breaks, you hear me!?
[Commence the light bullying as he stops hoisting Akira to lean on him to walk. He bends down and starts showing him the ropes.]
[Ryuji's first comment about sap and trees just gets a huffed (and slightly indignant, you're one to talk about sap, Ryuji!!) laugh from Akira. and he returns that questioning expression with two arched brows and a look in his eyes that says I dare you to argue with me.]
Sure thing, young whippersnapper. As long as these breaks aren't on my lawn.
[and finally, reluctantly, he pulls away from Ryuji's side and crouches down near the closest robot, attention completely affixed on. . . whatever it is he's about to be taught]
[Because he's going to loiter on that lawn so hard that his footprints are etched into the grass so deep, a crop circle a la Ryuji Sakamoto.
But it's pretty standard, boring shit here. Uncovering the right compartment, turning the power switch off, turning it back on, wait, rinse, repeat. They could probably have this place up and running in half the time (or, 3/4 the time if Akira is limping, but Ryuji will take it either way).
And having something that he can teach Akira, even if it's something this small and easy, well, that's kind of cool too. He catches glances to watch him, continuing to help even when he's lightly bruised and busted himself. Man... Akira... he finds himself smiling while he does his own batch of droids. What a stubborn git.]
[a stubborn git indeed, because Akira's definitely trundling after Ryuji with his mild limp, flipping open android power compartments and turning the switch on an off again (this is weird, would the androids be offended if they knew they were doing this?) without so much as a sign of needing rest. at some point he seems to sense Ryuji's eyes on him, because he glances up and catches brown with gray, blinking a bit owlishly]
[Shit, caught red handed? Yellow handed? The switch he's currently toggling on his own fine citizen of Struxta turns a bright gold hue, and then begins spreading outward, and, oh no- he lifts his hands up immediately from the poor guy. He really... needs to get a better control of this power. Not that it's really proven to be of any use other than censoring ridiculous comics drawn in chalk in the hotel hallway or turning an entire building into a bright beacon of sunshine in the vast chromes of the city.
And, well, currently, getting distracted enough by owl eyes to let it extend outward to some poor guy. He'll be okay, right? Maybe everyone in the city will look at him and be like "oh, he must own that yellow building over there- this completely makes sense."
He straightens up, looking over at the blinking lights across the way.]
Yeah, you definitely got it. Or maybe you hit the self destruct button. We'll, uh. We'll find out in a bit, yeah?
[... They're not going to self destruct, right? Or at least not as badly as Ryuji just did over turning this dude a different color.]
[Akira isn't really the gullible sort, but he also didn't receive any official lessons on rebooting the Struxta androids from the BGs before just. . . coming out here to help Ryuji. sooooo]
Theeeeey don't really have self destruct buttons, do they?
[they may be robots, but they're living things??? self destruct buttons make no sense??? god he hopes he didn't hit the wrong switch]
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[WHAT KIND OF SCALE IS THAT]
I'm okay. I'll be there soon.
[and that is that. because while it's comforting to be talking to Ryuji and knowing he's well enough to hold a conversation, Akira will feel a lot better seeing him in person]
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(But still be obviously worried.)]
Cool, maybe this thing'll be done with its service pack 2 update by then.
I swear I can almost hear modem dial up sounds.
Okay, maybe it's in my head.
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Don't be so sure. I think I can hear them from all the way over here.
[he can't. obviously]
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It's cool, all the droids are asleep here anyway.]
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[Akira's response actually comes a few minutes later, from somewhere behind Ryuji, as he totally waited until he tracked him down to say something]
Since when has "impersonating electronics" been on your skill list?
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Ryuji thought he'd get used to that, but shit, he jumps a little bit when he hears Akira's voice, having officially gotten the heebie jeebies off of that.]
DUDE... What the hell.
[He looks over from the decommissioned bot.]
Can't you do like. The soft entrance? The one where you don't try to throw me into cardiac arrest? [He points down at the floor.] You want me to end up like this guy?
[But... there's a question left to answer.]
Yeah, man, spoiler alert? I'm actually a droid myself. Sent here from the future to protect Sarah Conner from another version of me that's come back to kill her.
[Come on... he had to make a terminator reference at least once, if they're in bot-land.]
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The dial up modem Terminator, who's going to kill her with slow internet speeds and long wait times?
[he shoots back blandly, brows quirked. he slips both hands into his pockets and takes a step forward until he's standing at Ryuji's side, shoulder-to-shoulder]
How's that working out for you?
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[This is so stupid, but Ryuji loves to play along with this sort of stuff. It's like sitting back in their home world, talking about ridiculous what-ifs on recent shounen manga serial drops.
He smiles, though, wraps an arm around Akira's shoulder, and hangs off of him for a second. True to his inner demon monkey spirit.]
But... now that you know, dude. It's alllll over for you.
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Oh. Saw something I shouldn't have? Wrong place, wrong time? If these are my last moments, do I at least get to say goodbye to my lizard?
[IWAI IS PRECIOUS TO HIM HE CAN'T LEAVE HIS SON WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE]
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[He winks at Akira. It's really dramatic and stupid, and his jaw is a little slacked when he does it, but- shit, can he make an orphan out of Iwai?
Probably not. Ryuji couldn't be that insensitive.]
Aw, man... you gotta bring him into this, too? Like. Don't make it harder on me than it's gotta be. He kinda puts the rad in lizard.
[Wait, Ryuji... what?]
Hey.
Another job well done? [as he shakes the both of them a little, fondly.]
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[he somehow manages to shoot back with a completely straight face. Akira!1 but hey, that jokingly blase expression softens into a genuine smile when Ryuji asks about the mission. because the whole thing had blown past them with the force of a tornado (ha) to the point of where some points of it are still a bit fuzzy to Akira. . . and yet]
[here they are. standing in the calm, eerily quiet city after the storm, with all of them in one piece and healthy and whole. it's a nice feeling. kind of similar to how things felt in the aftermath of the El Minha riots]
And. . . yeah. [an earnest answer. no jokes, no teasing] Another job well done on our part.
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There better be some good effin' ramen waiting for us back at HQ.
[Enough said on the matter!
But he does look down at Akira and make sure that there's nothing structurally messed up, now that he has a grip around him.]
I know I said it, like, a million times dude. But don't get hurt. I know it's kinda unavoidable out there when we got all this shit to do, but... uh, hey, tanking shit is my deal. Alright?
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[there's also something about what Ryuji says next that draws a raised brow and a frown from Akira]
Tanking damage is only part of your deal. [he feels the need to correct] The other part is hitting hard and fast, and covering enemies weak to Zio skills.
[it's probably not a surprise that Akira, of all people, knew the ins and outs of every one of his teammates' strengths and weaknesses. everyone had a niche, after all. . . and everyone's niche has multiple uses. a high endurance stat didn't mean he thought Ryuji should take the brunt of every blow. putting Ryuji on the front lines didn't mean he was there to act as a meat shield for everyone else]
I took a pipe to the knee, but I'm okay. Jing-san patched me up earlier.
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Which is, in hindsight, pretty dumb in consideration. Akira is incredibly capable, and he also knows that. It's just--]
Dude... if anything ever happened to you... I dunno what I'd do. I mean, you ain't wrong about that expert analysis on my persona bullshit, but. It's just... how I feel, I guess. I just have this like. Crazy thought? Or something. That the world would stop spinnin' for me if it went down like that.
[He feels too honest for his own good, here, and stops looking down at his legs. Ryuji's an okay warrior, but an even higher level worrier.]
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[it's not really as though that's an unfamiliar sentiment. it's never been put so bluntly before, as far as Akira can recall. but Ryuji has taken hits for him in the past (an aspect of Rank 9, he found out pretty quickly, as the other thieves were soon shoving him out of the way of the most devastating of blows too), and in a lot of ways simple actions speak a whole lot more loudly than words ever could]
[. . .]
[most of the time, Akira wishes it were the other way around. because there's something so fuckin' painful about watching your best friend hit the ground when all you want to do is take all of that pain and HP damage and send it flying back at the enemy multiplied tenfold. his frown deepens, nose wrinkled a bit as he stares at the downed robots. though he makes no move to pull away from this comfortable proximity]
I'm okay.
[he says reassuringly, leaning to the side to place more pressure onto his injured leg for emphasis. it's not a serious injury-- just a sore one, one that may take a day or two to stop throbbing in pain before Akira is as good as new again]
And I'm not about to do something so stupid as to send your world crashing to a halt, yeah?
[he tilts his head to the side a bit, now seeking out Ryuji's gaze with his own]
Just as long as you avoid doing that too.
[which is Akira very subtly, very sneakily echoing the sentiment Ryuji had just expressed to him]
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Did he say something wrong? Ryuji always has a habit of completely oversharing anything and everything that's in his mind at the moment, and it comes flying out in a projectile devil-may-care sort of way. And maybe Akira was that devil who cared, because it looked like the offer didn't sit right with him. He can't help it; it's just how he feels about him.]
Aight. [If he says he's okay, he's okay.]
Well.. yeah, I mean. I, uh. I hope not. [He'll look at him back, his own words coming back to haunt him flush against his face with a little bewilderment at Akira turning the tables... like he should expect??? anything less???
God, why does this make him so flustered.]
Sorry, dude, you're gonna be stuck with me for a long while. [He smiles, even though he's being stared at and disarmed.] 'Cause I guess... no matter how you look at it, it's the same world in the end, huh?
[This is setting the new bar on lame and sappy. Ryuji looks forward- maybe he ought to help Akira get back. There's a ton of androids still left to reboot, but he has a hunch that he's going to be too restless to sleep tonight anyway.]
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[but there's absolutely no part of him that would ever be okay with Ryuji relegating himself to a meat shield and a meat shield only. satisfied that he managed to convey that well enough for now (and also convey that he's okay, really, there's no need to worry, he'll be right as rain in a few days), some of the fierceness in Akira's frown abates for something a little lighter]
That's almost the sappiest thing I've ever heard you say.
[there's a slight note of teasing in Akira's tone, but it's absolutely drowned out by the louder chords of fondness. he doesn't mind. never would, when it came to his best friend]
But you're right. Different surroundings, same world.
[and while Ryuji is thinking about helping Akira get back, Akira is thinking about. . . well. helping Ryuji with rebutt duty]
Need help getting the rest of these guys online?
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Live with it.
[It only gets sappier and more ridiculous as time goes on, anyway.]
Yeah, I think the trees are all different, too. Weird frizzy ass leaves that don't know how to sit down and take a dude's totally sincere words without gettin' all fuzzed up and droppin' sap everywhere you look.
[But the androids... he gives a are you sure look of don't do this, man, but realizes it's going to be a losing fight. Could he actually win in a content of stubbornness with Akira? Nah, probably not.]
Alright, I'm gonna show you how, and then we finish up this store.
But tell me if your knee starts actin' up, old man. We're gonna take breaks, you hear me!?
[Commence the light bullying as he stops hoisting Akira to lean on him to walk. He bends down and starts showing him the ropes.]
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[Ryuji's first comment about sap and trees just gets a huffed (and slightly indignant, you're one to talk about sap, Ryuji!!) laugh from Akira. and he returns that questioning expression with two arched brows and a look in his eyes that says I dare you to argue with me.]
Sure thing, young whippersnapper. As long as these breaks aren't on my lawn.
[and finally, reluctantly, he pulls away from Ryuji's side and crouches down near the closest robot, attention completely affixed on. . . whatever it is he's about to be taught]
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[Because he's going to loiter on that lawn so hard that his footprints are etched into the grass so deep, a crop circle a la Ryuji Sakamoto.
But it's pretty standard, boring shit here. Uncovering the right compartment, turning the power switch off, turning it back on, wait, rinse, repeat. They could probably have this place up and running in half the time (or, 3/4 the time if Akira is limping, but Ryuji will take it either way).
And having something that he can teach Akira, even if it's something this small and easy, well, that's kind of cool too. He catches glances to watch him, continuing to help even when he's lightly bruised and busted himself. Man... Akira... he finds himself smiling while he does his own batch of droids. What a stubborn git.]
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Hm?
Am I doing it right?
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And, well, currently, getting distracted enough by owl eyes to let it extend outward to some poor guy. He'll be okay, right? Maybe everyone in the city will look at him and be like "oh, he must own that yellow building over there- this completely makes sense."
He straightens up, looking over at the blinking lights across the way.]
Yeah, you definitely got it. Or maybe you hit the self destruct button. We'll, uh. We'll find out in a bit, yeah?
[... They're not going to self destruct, right? Or at least not as badly as Ryuji just did over turning this dude a different color.]
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Uuuuuh.
[Akira isn't really the gullible sort, but he also didn't receive any official lessons on rebooting the Struxta androids from the BGs before just. . . coming out here to help Ryuji. sooooo]
Theeeeey don't really have self destruct buttons, do they?
[they may be robots, but they're living things??? self destruct buttons make no sense??? god he hopes he didn't hit the wrong switch]
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C'mon, how are they supposed to explode to begin with? And why would they have that feature anyway?
[It would actually be hilarious if one did right now, but also, really fucking terrifying. He rubs his chin, thinking about it for a minute.]
They did in the Terminator, though.
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Good thing this isn't actually the Terminator.
[Akira gives the droid he was working on a good head pat, before he stands up and moves onto the next one]
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