Cheer Up, Sour Snake! | Daycare Car | Viper + RNA |

R.N.A.

Perhaps it was just a mistake, but it seemed like Viper had been awfully tense for a while. Ever since that strange bouquet car, or perhaps even before it? They didn’t know. But what they did know is that they valued Viper’s companionship, so seeing her acting so oddly made them want to try and do something to help.

Fortunately, it seemed like the kids around them had realized that it was time for the grown ups and “grown up” robots to have a chat and had mostly found themselves occupied with other things to do… at least for now. So with this in mind, RNA approached Viper.

“Viper… Is something… troubling you? I am here to listen… if you need to talk to… someone. I can also… give advice.”

Viper

Tense was one word for it. Tetchy was another, either way Viper certainly wasn’t doing well at the moment. Initially, she bristled when she looked over at RNA, but quickly, her shoulders sagged. After the incident with Vinzent, she was exhausted to be quite honest. She certainly needed her own nap time.

“…This whole train is troublin’ me.” She muttered tartly, crossing her arms across herself. Admittedly, it was… easier to talk to RNA than others, even when she was solidly convinced that RNA indeed was not a robot. They were just… nice. She didn’t feel… the need to push them away as much.

“I did somethin’ in th’ mall car I shouldn’t-a done. An’ I’m jus’ stuck thinkin’ bout it.” She admits, vaguely.

R.N.A.

Viper “…This whole train is troublin’ me.” She muttered tartly, crossing her arms across herself.

Well, that was clear. The train seemed to be the main cause of most people’s issues, after all. Even RNA had found themselves a bit troubled by the prospect of the last car…

“I see. I cannot… fault you for this. I am unsure… of this train’s purpose… but there must be a way off. Everyone got on… after all.”

Viper “I did somethin’ in th’ mall car I shouldn’t-a done. An’ I’m jus’ stuck thinkin’ bout it.” She admits, vaguely.

Ah. Well, that makes sense. “It’s alright if… you stole something. We… had no other choice. You shouldn’t… hold it against yourself.” RNA would always see the best in Viper, it seemed. No matter what. Even RNA had been made to take an object in order to continue with the group. Which they did! A cardboard box for a figurine.

It still counted! Not that they had wanted to take even that, but it was better than taking an actual product from a store.

Viper

R.N.A. “I see. I cannot… fault you for this. I am unsure… of this train’s purpose… but there must be a way off. Everyone got on… after all.”

“Eh. Probably some BS makin’ us grow as people until we hit zero, orrrr… we die here.” It was… blunt, and morbid to think about… but Viper truly wasn’t sure if she had hope of ever leaving this train anyway. If anyone could make it off, it would probably be RNA. How ironic, in their rag-tag crew of misfits, the one claiming to be a robot was the most humane.

R.N.A. “It’s alright if… you stole something. We… had no other choice. You shouldn’t… hold it against yourself.”

“…Wish it was jus’ that. Nah. I don’t feel bad for that sh-t…” Viper shrugged. Theft was nothing to her, and that was pretty clear by this point, but she trails off somewhat…awkwardly.

“Look. RNA. Can ya keep it down low. I…I got my suspicions ’bout ya still. Still don’t think ya a robot, but… I…” She scratches at the back of her neck. “Guess…it’d jus’ feel…. I dunno. Maybe feel better ta talk ta someone not involved ’bout it.” Admittedly, talking to Abel about her past made her… want to try and do something in the way of… owning up to things. Trying to, anyway.

“…I almost ended up a killer in th’ mall car. I ain’t been able ta stop thinkin’ bout it since. It’s hauntin’ to know my hands almost killed… ta know I could snap an’ do that ta someone if they p-ss me off ’nuff.” Viper visibly shudders.

“…'s a lot. ‘s a lot, an’ I dunno…guess this is jus’ some cry for help, or some sh-t like that.”

R.N.A.

Viper

Viper “Eh. Probably some BS makin’ us grow as people until we hit zero, orrrr… we die here.”

Huh. Maybe R.N.A. would never be getting off of this train, then. After all, they had no number to speak of. Perhaps this train was to be their new home, and helping people get off of it was their new purpose. It wasn’t something that they had thought much about. What they might do after this group was finally safe and sound…

Perhaps they would take up residence in a car like Sister had. Guide people through things. Though there seemed to be a little buzzing in their circuits at the thought of never leaving again. Was this how you fixed a defective robot?

Viper “Look. RNA. Can ya keep it down low. I…I got my suspicions ’bout ya still. Still don’t think ya a robot, but… I…” She scratches at the back of her neck. “Guess…it’d jus’ feel…. I dunno. Maybe feel better ta talk ta someone not involved ’bout it.”

Well, if Viper wished for privacy, R.N.A. would try to comply. They didn’t know how to interpret being suspected of not being a robot yet again, but now did not seem like an appropriate time to bring that up. Viper was clearly in a rather… fragile emotional state.

Viper “…I almost ended up a killer in th’ mall car.

“What?” R.N.A.'s expression became one of “O O”. This was… terrible news. The train had almost driven someone to kill again. Right under R.N.A.'s nose. They… weren’t sure how to respond to this, so they remained in silence.

Viper I ain’t been able ta stop thinkin’ bout it since. It’s hauntin’ to know my hands almost killed… ta know I could snap an’ do that ta someone if they p-ss me off ’nuff.” Viper visibly shudders.

R.N.A. can imagine that it would be haunting. To be capable of murder. To have almost made a mistake that was impossible to take back. Even Jack had seemed a little rattled by what he had done, despite all of his bluster. It was a hard thing to cope with, no matter the outcome.

Viper “…'s a lot. ‘s a lot, an’ I dunno…guess this is jus’ some cry for help, or some sh-t like that.”

There’s a minute or so of silence after Viper falls silent. A cry for help… Well, R.N.A. was built to help humans. But this was… a situation far beyond anything they had encountered before. They felt like whatever they said here could-no, would have a strong impact.

They need to choose their next words and actions very carefully. You can almost see their circuits going into overtime as they run through several possibilities. Finally, they settle on a course of action and begin to talk.

“Thank you… for being honest… with me. About… this. About what happened.” It would have been hard to say, for sure.

“I… cannot lie… What you did was… very bad. Horribly antisocial. I can never condone… violence. Especially after…” They trail off, hoping Viper will fill in the blanks about the two people not here any more.

“But you… didn’t do it… in the end. All the way.” Perhaps they should clarify a little.

“I exist… to help nurture… humans. Because humans do… not always make the best… choices when they… have many options. It can be difficult… when I see… people going against… what would be the… best course of… action for them… and I cannot do… anything about it.” Jack was a pretty strong example of this. No matter what, he seemed to march to the beat of his own drum.

“You are human. You… will make bad choices.” Maybe this was sounding rather accusatory… Best to balance it out. “You will make… good choices too. But I think… you stopped because… you knew… you didn’t want this.”

“You didn’t want to kill someone. Even when you were so… emotionally charged. Some part of you said… ’this isn’t right’… and you stopped. That… exists within you. That is… the part I see when I look at you. Not the part of you… that gets angry… or fights… or… makes bad choices. I know… those are all parts of you too… but they are not… worth throwing the good parts… away for.”

“Whether I am robot… or not… I care.” Normally they wouldn’t even entertain the idea, but this was special circumstances. “I care about you. I do not… want to sentence you… like I did to Miss Fenna.” They open their arms for a hug, if Viper feels like it. But they won’t force her.

“If nothing else works… please don’t… make me lose you. Make me lose… more of us. You have… a home here… and a home back home… as long as I am around… I will try. I will watch… and if you need it… I will grab the hand with the knife and pull it away. Because… that is my purpose. To nurture. To help people. People who need help… because humans sometimes… cannot help themselves… *alone.”
*
With that all said, R.N.A. falls silent. It’s up to Viper how she feels about it all. They tried their best. Their absolute best. If it’s not enough… there isn’t much they can do. But they can know that they really and truly tried.

Viper

Viper’s hackles are still visibly raised, but she isn’t aiming her hostility at RNA. No, far from it.

R.N.A. “What?” R.N.A.'s expression became one of “O O”. This was… terrible news. The train had almost driven someone to kill again. Right under R.N.A.'s nose. They… weren’t sure how to respond to this, so they remained in silence.

That was it. She’d… disappointed someone again. It was what she did best, it seemed, and every moment she was apparently determined to keep on proving it was what she was made to do. It took a lot for her to not just break down sobbing then and there.

“Yeah- I-…” Viper begins, her voice already wobbling and causing her to scowl. “Figured…you’d be th’ best for th’ job. Ya…ain’t really gonna jus’ butter me up wit’ babyin’.” But she falls silent, and listens to RNA as they continue advising her again. They were right, in that she didn’t kill Abel. But she most certainly would have, had Matsukaze not flung her off of him.

R.N.A. “You didn’t want to kill someone. Even when you were so… emotionally charged. Some part of you said… ’this isn’t right’… and you stopped. That… exists within you. That is… the part I see when I look at you. Not the part of you… that gets angry… or fights… or… makes bad choices. I know… those are all parts of you too… but they are not… worth throwing the good parts… away for.”

“I…would’a done. Matsu- they… pulled me off. I los’ control. Got…sucked inta my past. Back ta th’ moment I almost died.” She still remembered the feeling of crawling her way into her apartment in a pool of blood, the agony that spread through her entire being at those moments. To think she’d forced Abel to do the same.

She gives a dry, humourless laugh. “It’s a struggle ta see th’ good points honestly.” Viper snorted- yeah, she thought she was pretty, and she was proud of her artwork and things like that…. but she knew her personality was at the very least undesirable.

R.N.A. “Whether I am robot… or not… I care.” Normally they wouldn’t even entertain the idea, but this was special circumstances. “I care about you. I do not… want to sentence you… like I did to Miss Fenna.” They open their arms for a hug, if Viper feels like it. But they won’t force her.

That’s it-

Viper’s breath hitches on a sharp inhale and she hugs them without a moment of hesitation. The walls that had surrounded her before fall down in a few moments. The hug may be cold and metallic, but the approval leaves her feeling warm and more content.

They continue, and she keeps holding them so tightly, as if terrified that they might leave. Finally, once their speech is done, she takes a shaky breath in, murmuring a very soft, very quiet,

“T-Thank you…” Her hands were shaking, and her feelings on the situation seemed pretty clear. She… wanted RNA’s help. Their nurturing. “I want to be…better. Someone… to be proud of. To… learn to control myself. To stop… running away from my problems, and uncomfortable situations…” She looks up at them, teary-eyed.

“Can you help me?”