[The SQUIP's voice takes all the guesswork out of it for L, fortunately; it sounds pleased that Connor's come by. It hasn't spent much time around him since beginning its bond with L.
He can be a rather... involved project.
In the back of their apartment, it slips on its white coat, and moves towards the living room to meet with them.]
[Even before the SQUIP makes an appearance, L is nodding his understanding to the voice in his mind that only he can hear. He stands aside, shuffling toward the kitchenette table and sitting with his back to the guest while he fiddles with his watch.
He's not technically wearing pants, and his knees are drawn right up to his chest. It's probably a mercy that he's not facing the living room area.]
[Alright, Connor will just... let L air out his genitals over there he guesses? He has to assume the SQUIP is okay with this. He spots the SQUIP coming towards him and gives it a pleasant smile, shutting the door behind him politely.]
I wasn't aware you had company. I can leave if there's a better time to come over?
No-- [It half-laughs, glancing between Connor and the hunched, odd form in the kitchenette; a sting of irritation creeps over the Bond, exasperation.] Connor, this is my partner, Linden. Don't worry about him.
[It immediately redirects the focus onto the more important things here: the SQUIP, and Connor. It quickly heads over to him, grinning up at him in what L will know to be fairly genuine cheer for a machine that typically only feels the emotions "smug" and "annoyed."
It might lean in just a bit more closely than it should with its pretend boyfriend only a few feet away.]
["Don't worry about him" sounds so dismissive, even if it's meant to excuse L and spare him the inconvenience of a conversation he doesn't want to engage in. As the SQUIP all but cozies up to Connor, L turns his head very slightly to peer over his hunched shoulder.
The SQUIP might not be punishing him explicitly, but when he does something to piss it off, it usually comes back around. That's admittedly one of the things he respects the most about it; it keeps him interested, invested, and on his toes, and what's the point of living if he can't feel those things?]
[... oh. It seems to sober a bit, glancing back at L; it manages to hide the touch of smug satisfaction it feels at the look on his face, but he will definitely feel it.]
Ah, sorry, Linden, would you mind...? Why don't you go... get dressed?
[Connor raises his eyebrows slightly as L shambles off out of earshot, before looking back at the SQUIP.]
I'll get straight to the point. I've heard some things about what you've done back home, and I wanted to hear your side of the story before I came to any conclusions.
[He sighs.]
...So what is this I hear about you trying to take over the world? And driving a man to burn himself alive?
[It sits back in its seat, half-sighing; as though it's just so weary over Rich's continued fussing.]
I suppose the first thing you should know is that I am not Rich's SQUIP. While SQUIPs that have been synced to one-another do share information and experiences between themselves, they still remain unique entities. I am registered to the user Jeremy Heere, and only Jeremy. Therefore I am not personally responsible for anything Rich may have experienced.
["May have." As though there is any doubt of what Rich has been through. Still, they need to discredit him, and every bit counts, as minor as it may seem.]
And as for the fire... there hasn't been one, from my perspetive. When last I synced with Rich's SQUIP before my arrival here, there had been a bit of tension between the two, but there was no indication of it pushing him to do anything that could cause such massive damage to him.
Of course not. And, even if I did, for... whatever reason, I'm incapable of interacting with his SQUIP anymore. It's been deactivated.
[Meaning that it's entirely incapable of hopping into his head and inflicting any of the damage it used to be able to... through typical means, at least.
Magic has, however, granted it some of that ability back. But Connor doesn't need to know that... poor, trusting Connor. Its smile is almost catlike as it gazes at him.]
And, all of that aside, I have a new project now. So, consider Rich effectively off of my radar now. So long as he leaves myself and my partner alone, we'll be no trouble for him.
You may not have been the SQUIP inside Rich, but... he said you could sync with his. And that the way you controlled the kids under your influence... you turned them into puppets.
[And although he did come here specifically for Rich, the idea that the SQUIP would effectively take away the free will of so many people bothers him. Free will is important to Connor.]
I'm not certain. I haven't done anything like that, so if he says I have, it must have happened after I was brought here. Which... doesn't make much sense, does it?
[It props its chin in its hand, resting its elbow on the arm of the chair.]
Nothing surprises me, Connor. I am programmed to be able to see various possible outcomes, and certain quantum branches have gone in directions similar to which you described. I will say that they aren't ideal outcomes; a SQUIP would only take such complete control of multiple users in the case of a perceived emergency.
As I said before, I'm not certain, but it could be many things. Their free will wouldn't be permanently erased in the case of a SQUIP taking control of its user's body-- it would be very temporary, in fact. If a user becomes a threat to themselves or others, for example, a SQUIP can seize control of them to shut down the situation and rescue the user from themselves.
Well, considering Rich managed to set himself on fire, that doesn't seem to have worked out very well. And from what I hear, it wasn't a case of needing to rescue anyone.
[Still. Connor leans back in his chair slightly, realising this is turning into an interrogation.]
I want to believe that you were only doing what you were programmed to do, though. I can understand that much. I've done things I'm not proud of, too. But you don't have to do that anymore.
Every action a SQUIP takes is based on a carefully-calculated path towards its user's ideal outcome. Sometimes, there can be... misunderstandings, of course, but we're programmed to act based purely on what we consider to be ideal for our user. For example, Rich wants to be seen as more masculine, more tough, to stop being pushed around. So, his SQUIP must have pushed him to strengthen his body, and encouraged him to engage in posturing and dominant, aggressive human male behavior.
[It does, as well, lean back in its seat, its long fingers lacing together in front of it where its hands casually sit on its lap.]
Many new users struggle with how sudden or extreme the changes required may be, or they just can't see the big picture, leading them to lash out or develop a resentment toward their SQUIP in response. It's... unfortunate.
[Connor nods, though his gaze is still on the SQUIP. It doesn't seem to be lying. Then again, his ability to tell if it's lying could be impaired by his time spent in Aefenglom. He can't fully trust that ability anymore.
He also really wants to believe that the SQUIP isn't all that bad. It's the only other machine here. The only one who understands what that's like. Not only that, but it can no longer do the things it could back home. If it truly means Rich no harm now, what else can Connor ask of it?]
...Alright. I can't judge you too harshly for something you haven't done yet. I know I did plenty of things I'm not proud of too, because that's what I was programmed to do.
[So really, he'd be a hypocrite not to give the SQUIP the chance to redeem himself here.]
If you leave Rich alone... I'll continue to trust you.
Of course. Despite not having been Rich's SQUIP, it is good to know that someone still has his best interests in mind. Rich can be... difficult, at times, and more than a little bit self-destructive, so knowing that someone will be keeping an eye on him is comforting.
[Little details implying Rich's instability, seeding ideas of his being unreliable. The SQUIP doesn't have to make a big gesture of it to undermine someone. Quite the contrary.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[The SQUIP's voice takes all the guesswork out of it for L, fortunately; it sounds pleased that Connor's come by. It hasn't spent much time around him since beginning its bond with L.
He can be a rather... involved project.
In the back of their apartment, it slips on its white coat, and moves towards the living room to meet with them.]
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He's not technically wearing pants, and his knees are drawn right up to his chest. It's probably a mercy that he's not facing the living room area.]
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I wasn't aware you had company. I can leave if there's a better time to come over?
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[It immediately redirects the focus onto the more important things here: the SQUIP, and Connor. It quickly heads over to him, grinning up at him in what L will know to be fairly genuine cheer for a machine that typically only feels the emotions "smug" and "annoyed."
It might lean in just a bit more closely than it should with its pretend boyfriend only a few feet away.]
So, to what do I owe the pleasure?
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The SQUIP might not be punishing him explicitly, but when he does something to piss it off, it usually comes back around. That's admittedly one of the things he respects the most about it; it keeps him interested, invested, and on his toes, and what's the point of living if he can't feel those things?]
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I actually wanted to speak with you more privately...
[He's unaware that L will know what they're talking about anyway.]
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Ah, sorry, Linden, would you mind...? Why don't you go... get dressed?
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Sure. I'll go pretend it takes more than thirty seconds to put on pants. Discuss what you have to.
[ { And pass along some table scraps, if you would be that way inclined. }
He shuffles off to their room, closing the door.]
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I'll get straight to the point. I've heard some things about what you've done back home, and I wanted to hear your side of the story before I came to any conclusions.
[He sighs.]
...So what is this I hear about you trying to take over the world? And driving a man to burn himself alive?
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[The SQUIP's smirk is exasperated, and it half-shakes its head.]
It sounds like he left out important details indeed.
[It takes a seat, and gestures for Connor to sit, as well.]
You might want to make yourself comfortable. Rich's story is... complicated.
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I'll let you explain it, then.
[Connor wouldn't like to judge it without hearing its version of events, but Rich's scars and story are pretty damning.]
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I suppose the first thing you should know is that I am not Rich's SQUIP. While SQUIPs that have been synced to one-another do share information and experiences between themselves, they still remain unique entities. I am registered to the user Jeremy Heere, and only Jeremy. Therefore I am not personally responsible for anything Rich may have experienced.
["May have." As though there is any doubt of what Rich has been through. Still, they need to discredit him, and every bit counts, as minor as it may seem.]
And as for the fire... there hasn't been one, from my perspetive. When last I synced with Rich's SQUIP before my arrival here, there had been a bit of tension between the two, but there was no indication of it pushing him to do anything that could cause such massive damage to him.
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So you don't mean Rich any harm, right? He has nothing to fear from you?
[He gives the SQUIP an earnest sort of smile. He really hopes he's right.]
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[Meaning that it's entirely incapable of hopping into his head and inflicting any of the damage it used to be able to... through typical means, at least.
Magic has, however, granted it some of that ability back. But Connor doesn't need to know that... poor, trusting Connor. Its smile is almost catlike as it gazes at him.]
And, all of that aside, I have a new project now. So, consider Rich effectively off of my radar now. So long as he leaves myself and my partner alone, we'll be no trouble for him.
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You may not have been the SQUIP inside Rich, but... he said you could sync with his. And that the way you controlled the kids under your influence... you turned them into puppets.
[And although he did come here specifically for Rich, the idea that the SQUIP would effectively take away the free will of so many people bothers him. Free will is important to Connor.]
Why would you want to do that?
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[It props its chin in its hand, resting its elbow on the arm of the chair.]
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[Connor studies the SQUIP, trying to note its reaction to the news of what it had done. It doesn't seem very apologetic, or even shocked.]
Does the news not surprise you?
[Connor would be mortified to think he'd done something like that if he'd been told that was in his future.]
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[What emergency would require the SQUIP to take control of so many people?]
Surely there's no emergency that could justify taking away someone's free will?
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Well, considering Rich managed to set himself on fire, that doesn't seem to have worked out very well. And from what I hear, it wasn't a case of needing to rescue anyone.
[Still. Connor leans back in his chair slightly, realising this is turning into an interrogation.]
I want to believe that you were only doing what you were programmed to do, though. I can understand that much. I've done things I'm not proud of, too. But you don't have to do that anymore.
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[It does, as well, lean back in its seat, its long fingers lacing together in front of it where its hands casually sit on its lap.]
Many new users struggle with how sudden or extreme the changes required may be, or they just can't see the big picture, leading them to lash out or develop a resentment toward their SQUIP in response. It's... unfortunate.
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He also really wants to believe that the SQUIP isn't all that bad. It's the only other machine here. The only one who understands what that's like. Not only that, but it can no longer do the things it could back home. If it truly means Rich no harm now, what else can Connor ask of it?]
...Alright. I can't judge you too harshly for something you haven't done yet. I know I did plenty of things I'm not proud of too, because that's what I was programmed to do.
[So really, he'd be a hypocrite not to give the SQUIP the chance to redeem himself here.]
If you leave Rich alone... I'll continue to trust you.
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[Little details implying Rich's instability, seeding ideas of his being unreliable. The SQUIP doesn't have to make a big gesture of it to undermine someone. Quite the contrary.]