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Who: Kaveh and YOU
Status: Open
Where: Surasthana Cafe on Eltrut!
What: The grand opening of a book cafe.
Warnings: God I hope not.

[Kaveh hasn't talked much about what he's been working on for a few months now, because he wanted this moment to be a surprise (and because he didn't want to be scolded for overwork). It has finally paid off, now, with the grand opening of the Surasthana Cafe, just in time for the deep end of the fall season. The cafe is cozily furnished and warm, the smell of lovingly brewed coffee floats through the air, and soft music plays from Mehrak.

Kaveh isn't expecting a huge rush on any given day--this was done for his own sake more than anything, but now on weekday afternoons, the little book cafe can be found and people can stay a spell, enjoying expertly made coffee drinks and some light reading in a ridiculous plant paradise.

If you have any requests for new kinds of books, or wish to purchase various accessories, stop by the front counter! The owner is happy to accommodate you, after all.

ooc: you may also treat this post as a mingle and toplevel accordingly, just mark if you are doing so! Otherwise, Kaveh will be coming for you!]

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(Consumption of organic fuel sources is not within their platform's capabilities. They have no use for visiting a cafe. They also utilize more efficient methods of data transfer than reading paper transcriptions... except this is no longer the case.

Consensus: They must seek alternative methods of acquiring data.

Thus, Legion has come here to purchase a reading pass.)

Greetings.

[Give Kaveh a minute, he turned to greet the new customer and nearly dropped a mug. Actually he did drop it. Mehrak saved it. Everyone say thank you Mehrak.]

Hhhhheello? [Oh that came out as a squeak. Cough. Clear throat. Try again.] Welcome to the Surasthana Cafe. What can I help you with?

(Legion's headflaps lift in interest at the sight of another robot, and they broadcast a wireless ping to see if Mehrak will respond.)

This unit would like to purchase a reading pass.

(They say to Kaveh, seemingly unbothered by his reaction. They are accustomed to far worse.)

[Biip beep? She does have wireless capabilities, but she's not sure what he is trying to ping her for, so just makes a ?_? face at him.

Literally it goes ?_? on her faceplate.]

...Mehrak? [Kaveh pauses, a little concerned. Why is she make a face? But he refocuses quickly.]

Ah! Of course. Would you like an hourly pass or until we close?

(They chatter, headtilting, then send Mehrak back a simple greeting with the designation of their model [mobile platform] and manufacturing number [1, as in, they're either the very first or the only Geth of their model], and a little modifier note indicating that their "name" is Legion.)

This unit desires a day pass.

Alright, that will be [an amount of dubloons that is reasonable.]

[Mehrak beeps quizzically, but does ping back after a moment. She is Mehrak! Her core model number comes out in a bunch of...ancient deshretian runes, rather than numbers. Or maybe they're numbers, just using a different script? Who knows!]

You, ah...are a new arrival, yes?

Acknoeledged.

(They hand him the requested amount. They do not require food, clothing, or other amenities. As such, they are free to spend their stipend on activities such as this.

The ancient runes do not match any language on file. After a moment, they send Mehrak a request: can she share a copy of the language file for these symbols? In exchange they offer files on primary organic languages used by the Geth: Citadel Standard and Khelish.)

Affirmative. We arrived approximately (They give a very exacting time that is almost but not exactly a month, down to the milisecond.) ago.

[Mehrak gives a negative. Sharing of the language files is Forbidden, or she'd have shared them with Kaveh a long time ago! Also the files are damaged and incomplete. :(]

I thought so.

[A long pause.] I'm sorry if this is insensitive, but are you...alright here? With all the water?

[Kaveh is genuinely concerned about this. He had to upgrade Mehrak's waterproofing for the salt water when he first arrived so it's on his mind...]

(A disappointing result, but they respectfully acknowledge Mehrak's refusal all the same.)

Our environmental seals protect us. In addition, though salt build up is damaging to metal, our platform is primarily composed of polymer.

(They are designed to function in adverse circumstances. Their armor plating is scuffed and pocked and pitted, with a chunk or two missing entirely, and yet it does not seem to hamper their functionality at all.)

Polymer? What sort of compound would...

[Kaveh pauses, contemplating this. Obviously not concrete, as the ground doesn't rattle when this individual walks. Glass is similarly out, given the shape of the pits in the armor--glass would chip and crack, instead. Nor does it look to be textile polymers...

Of course, different worlds must naturally have different materials. He's just never seen it so starkly before and--Archons. He's staring, isn't he? How terribly rude.]

Oh! My apologies, I got lost in thought for a moment.

[He will slide the day pass over to the...friend.]

(Legion's headflaps lift. They look at Mehrak.)

It is typical for societies to develop advanced plastics prior to sophisticated artificial intelligence.

(Though they suppose Mehrak could be from a different world, and associated with Kaveh out of choice or for other reasons.)

She is from your world?

Yes. I made--well, I made and programmed her as she is now. Her core is much older than I am.

[It's very important to be clear he did not make a semi-sentient suitcase, okay. He made her a nice casing and a faceplate and programmed her to know his husband's voice, but she already had her core.

He does not, however, know what the fuck a plastic is, and the confused headtilt probably gives that away.]

Well, it's possible that King Deshret's people made something like that, but most of their remaining constructs are metal.

You did not create her, but have restored her to life.

(Did he intend for her to have intelligence of her own?

Regardless, it is clear he is non-hostile to synthetics, and she is kept in good condition.)

The technology is lost?

The entire civilization was destroyed millenia ago. Fontaine has made some inroads recreating the machines with the Guardmeks, but those aren't really capable of complex programs either--they're clockwork-made, which makes for elegant design but not much room internally.

[Come to think of it, Legion does kind of look like a Gardemek....Huh.]

(They headtilt.)

Clockwork does not operate at the correct scales to support the complex programming necessary for artificial intelligence. Extreme miniaturization or computation devices the size of organic cities would be required.

(A clockwork robot with a more standard device acting as housing for the artificial intelligence, though...)</small.

I don't know if intelligence like you are describing exists in Teyvat. It's illegal to research such a thing in Sumeru, now.

[He pauses, and grimaces.] Both for ethical concerns over the experiments and...safety concerns.

[So many people blew themselves up, Legion. Just so, so many.]

(Their headflaps lift.)

Artificial Intelligence is fraught with both philosophical and ethical questions regarding the creation and nature of life. Additionally, many fear the possibility of machines rebelling against their creators.

(The headflsps ripple.)

Many continue experimentation regardless.

(They have no clue that these are not the ethical and safety concerns Kaveh is talking about, or that there are explosions involved.)

Oh, no, I don't think anyone got that far. But the experiments done on animal life to investigate what makes a creature a living thing were...deeply inhumane.

[A pause.]

And the machine work had a tendency to explode. The Akademiya banned all further experimentation on those grounds.

[Which makes Mehrak the most adorable felony.]

Acknowledged. We judge this decision wise.

(Though synthetic life shares the same right to exist as organic, such methodology is ...wrong.

They look at Mehrak curiously.)

She has not been targeted as the result of unlawful experimentation? (Are people gonna try and destroy her for being illegal? It's not rational: she did not ask to be created. And yet, it is a common response to the existence of synthetic life.)

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