Master used to always run simulations, and practices with me. He believed it was very important that I was an effective weapon against the anti nationalists. He would often take me to the shooting range to make sure my guns were properly calibrated. He made sure I was effective in hand to hand combat.

[Inquiry: Is the effort to make sure I can protect myself not itself a kind of love?]

He lied to me so often, however, he hurt me. Perhaps he just wanted to make sure I could protect him. I never understood why Master never bothered to get me clothes. He wanted me to act human, talk human, but I was too beneath him to dress human. Master always said robots didn’t deserve the luxury of clothes. Those are for people, he’d say. Despite that I always saw other robots in clothes. I am sure he had a reason. Even if he hurt me sometimes, even if he wasn't always right, Master loves me. I simply wish he hadn't felt the need to control my every form of expression. As a result I was quite excited for the trip to the mall.

 

After a while of shuffling around in the early morning Amy, Phoenix, Quirk, and I pack into Phoenix's car. Siri and Eva pack into their own vehicle along with Arcadia and depart ahead of us on their way to the mall. [Inquiry: I question why Siri drove to Amy's workshop when she could have just met us there?]

 

"So Quirk I think Siri wanted us to head to the mall for clothes mainly. I know you're not much into clothing, so I'm not sure what you'll want to do while we are clothes shopping."

 

Phoenix said, half turning in an attempt to look at Quirk in the backseat next to me.

Ey are sitting with eir shell encased monitor in eir lap. Evidently eir head was too big to fit in the car with it still on their shoulders. It was quite horrifying watching em remove it however, as they climbed into the car. Ey lifts eir head at an angle corresponding with the driver's side rear view mirror.

 

"Oh! I'll come with then, after we visit the comic book store! I'm always amped to scavenge through the bargain bin parts. You never know what you'll find!" Amy responded to a message I couldn't read.

 

"Yeah I feel you about Siri though. She can get a bit overly enthusiastic about gender stuff sometimes, and can overstep some boundaries. I just thought she could help with QT all things considered…" Phoenix said,  scratching her head.

 

"Inquiry: What did you say, Quirk? I could not read it."

 

Quirk turns his head over to me, automated entirely by several tendril-like metal limbs attached to the neck plate.

 

"I hope you know you don't have to let Siri force you to try on anything you want or make any decisions for you about your own gender."

 

"Hm… I'm not sure what my gender is, or if I am trans. I feel more comfortable in this body than I ever did in my last one, and that scares me. The idea of shopping for clothes in this body also makes me nervous, but I think it's the good kind of nervous?" 

 

Quirk stares at me with a blank monitor for several moments as if analyzing my body language, head bobbing along with the car.

 

"Very well then, Amy and I will be shopping at an electronics store in the mall. If Siri starts getting too pushy come see me and we will have a talk."

 

After a fairly short drive, and a fairly long amount of time finding a parking spot we all climb out of the car. Amy gets out last because she had to unplug her arm from the charging port. As we walk to the entrance to the mall we see Siri turn a corner and wave us over to her and the others.

 

"Hey losers, what took you so long?" Siri practically shouts as we near her.

 

"Ugh, finding parking in this place is hell" replies Phoenix.

 

"Don't lie Phee we all know you just drive like a grandma." Arcadia quips, looking up from a strange mobile device in her hands.

 

"I'd rather she drive than you Arc. The real world isn't Grand Theft Auto you maniac." 

 

"This coming from road rage Amy herself."

 

"Alright girls settle down. I think we can all agree Eva is the best driver nya." Siri says, walking backwards into the mall in front of us.

 

"O-oh eh, I just know all the shortcuts heh." Eva shrugs as we congregate in the middle of a large hallway lined with stores at the top of several escalators.

 

"Okay everyone, game plan." Phoenix announces, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "I think we should do the clothes shopping last so we can all be there to give QT some emotional support. I know Quirk wanted to go to Circuit City and Ames wanted to visit the comic book store. Where else does everyone want to go?"

 

"I need to go to the anime store!" Siri chirps.

 

"I'll go with I wanna pick up some manga. and then I want to go to the arcade." Arcadia says with her eyes glued to her device.

 

"Yess can I come with? I heard they have the new Fallout Old Rhea on vr!" Eva adds.

 

"Okay sounds good. I'll probably be at the pet store or looking at tattoos." said Phoenix

 

"Oh! Quirk wanna visit the pet store after we go to Circuits?" Amy asked.

 

"Sure."

 

"Great, so we will all split up and then meet back at the foodcourt. QT who do you want to go with?"

 

"Inquiry: What is an anime?"

_______________________________________

"So you really don't know what a comic book is either?" Amy asks flipping through comics with one hand.

 

"Observation: It seems I was mistaken in thinking they were comedy books."

 

"Well some of them can be, and that's kinda where comic books started, but they can also be about action and drama and superheroes! Here, look, this is the latest WWE comic. In this issue Lynn destructible, who says she's this guy, Nathan Browley’s long lost daughter, fights Sam the Slamhammer, because Lynn's trying to avenge her father's death at the hands of Grim Bradley, but Sam thinks she's just trying to get her dad's inheritance and in the end they find out they actually are sisters and team up to fight Grim!"

 

As she holds the comic out to me to show the pages I realize she is dressed much like the characters in her comics. She stands in calf high boots and fishnet, with #c4150c short shorts, and a #000316 tank top with the words Gold's gym above a dumbell in #fcfaf8 and a #a9a9a9 beanie.

 

"Inquiry:..."

 

"I know, crazy right!? Be careful picking up comics though. I've very nearly ruined some good issues because of a lack of pressure control." She says, flexing the tendons in her metal hand to show what she means.

 

"Amy, look, I found a number 1 of batgirl’s darkest knights legacy." Eva says, walking towards us with a limp in her step.

 

"Oh sweet! I was just explaining comic books to QT here."

 

"There's kind of a lot of things you don't know about huh?"

 

"Statement: I was not allowed to leave the house except to go on missions."

 

"That sounds sad…"

 

"Oh QT, you should check out the action figures, I bet you'll get a kick out of them!" Amy says, leading me to a glass case near the back, carrying a big stack of comics.

 

"See that's Cosmic Storm Supergirl. She's the queen of the violet lantern corps, and that's Spiderdroid!– Why are you staring at the ground?"

 

"Apologies M- er… Observation: That muscular man in a dress is nearly naked."

 

"Who? Oh He-Man? Yeah that's from the prequel from the reboot. Do you like him?"

 

"I er… Inquiry–"

 

"Oh I meant like do you think he looks cool. Do you… are you into guys?"

 

"Hola nerds, guess who got herself a ton of gay yuri manga" Arcadia asks, walking in through the wide glass double doors of the store, with a plastic bag over her shoulder.

 

"Hi Eva, found anything good?" Siri asks, muffled slightly by a mask with round w shape and three diagonal lines of #fe828c on either side mirroring each other.

 

"Yeah I even managed to get the latest Nova Sunshine issue. Let me just pay real quick."

 

"Shit, I almost forgot to pay too." Amy says, rushing to the counter.

 

"So, we going to shoot some space mutants at the arcade Eva?"

 

"Yeah sorry, we would have been done sooner but Amy got us some ice cream on the way here."

 

"How can you pass up a flavor like Extreme Cherry Gush?"

 

"yeah, I guess you're right." Eva giggles "Are you joining us, my kitten?"

 

"Actually I wanted to ask if QT wanted to go to build-a-bot with me."

 

"..."

 

"Well?" Siri asks, after a moment of silence with everyone looking at me.

 

"Well what?"

 

"That will be $75.95 ma'am"

 

"Huh? Oh my bad, sorry."

 

*beep*

 

"Well do you want to go to build-a-bot with me?"

 

"I am uncertain what that is, however, guessing by the name that sounds rather enticing."

 

"Great! Nya we are going to have soooo much fun!" Siri says, leading me by my hand away from the store.