Week 14, Tuesday Late Afternoon: Busy Week

"It was preset when I was set up and the matter has never arisen. I perform sufficiently without taste functionality and whether any modifications are made to my body are not my choice to make," she said, clearly thinking that that settled the matter.

Downstairs, Ida loaded energy clips back into Mirabelle and reholstered her, with slight frustration at her reaction times. She'd have to get them improved, she thought as she walked up the stairs. "'Afternoon girls, how's it going?" she asked cheerfully as she took a chair and sat at the table.

"Ida," said Sosie, in between mouthfuls, "Tell Syl that she should be decisive about her own body." The replicantsmith smiled, and slid a few meat buns over to Ida. "I know she's technically owned, but it'll help her development to form opinions about herself. Though, ah, combaties are notoriously slow growers."

She drained her smoothie and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "And Darya wants to know where Rico and Syl recharge." There was a dangerous twinkle in her eye, and she smiled at the blonde combat replicant. She and Darya really did look.. striking, sitting neck to each other with their fair hair. And of course, there was Ida and Sosie, too, with Sosie looking darker than ever. Hm. She moved her hands from her neck to her chest, and began scratching her collar bone.

Ida shrugged. "Well, Sosie knows replicants better than I do... So yeah, if you want to change stuff then don't feel all doubting about it. You need to run things by me first, mind, but I'll say yes to pretty much anything." Sylviane simply nodded wordlessly in response as Ida chewed on a meat bun.

"I have a couple of chairs in my room - nice ones, of course - so they generally just sit in those while they recharge... Well, Rico does when he's not keeping the bed warm for me, anyway."

It was then that Ida noticed the new camera in Sylviane's hands and the book on the table. "Oh, whose are these? Yours, Darya? And what's with all the scratching, Sose? You okay?"

Darya looked up at Ida as she mentioned Rico. "Isn't he usually busy running his coffee shop?" She asked, half jokingly.

Nodding at the camera, she said "Those are Syl's. She seemed interested in photography, so..."

Sosie nodded to Syl first. "Well, there then. When you want anything, ask me. An' Darya or I can help you with taste. You should probably get that functionality soon. There's the slow way or the fast way, up to you." She finished the last of the meat buns, grinning. "And if you want anything else, ask us. Like a bed, someday."

The replicant smith smiled inwardly, chipped nails clawing at her chest. It took her a moment to realize Ida has asked her something else. "Oh, I had some naninium plates installed. Very few side effects, extended flexibility.. And they only itch in .05% of the people." Sosie frowned slightly, her voice sarcastic. "So, good for the other 99.95% of everyone else. It should stop in a few.. days." She gave a little strangled laugh and sighed deeply. "Small price to pay really for added.. security.. Heh.. Though it's so weird. It's itchy under my skin and you forget how.. good.. pain feels when you scratch.. until you have to live without it." Sosie pouted to herself, and moved the frozen bag from the table to her chest, sliding it under her shirt.

Ida laughed at Darya's comment. "Hey, he doesn't do everything. I still make most of the major decisions, he just handles the day-to-day stuff."

She then looked thoughtfully at Sylviane's new camera and spoke to her replicant. "Well, if you're enjoying it then that's good - just don't take that one out on missions with you, it looks too fragile for that." Sylviane nodded wordlessly as Ida continued speaking. "And did this whole thing start with whether you should get taste? I'd say go for it, you're missing out."

Again, Sylviane nodded. "If that is what you wish." She then turned to Sosie and spoke. "I think it would be best if I approached it slowly. That would make the process more stable without introducing another major unpredictable element into my duty."

Ida smiled sympathetically at Sosie scratching away. "I'm sure it's terrible being itchy like that, but trust me - it's really satisfying you feel the clink a bullet that could have killed you stopping on the plates. Of course, I'm living proof they don't always work," she said with a laugh.

"Mmng." Sosie seemed unimpressed with the idea of bullets bouncing off of her, though she gave a glance to there Ida's wounds once were, whiiich also happened to involve looking at her chest. Sosie reached up and continued scratching her now damp neck. She tilted her chin up and went hog wild with her nails. "Hear that, Darya? You wanna take a crack at giving Syl taste? I can help you if you need it.. but you should be all set."

Standing abruptly, the replicant smith took the bag of protein back into the fridge, and grabbed a frozen tub of smork. "Uuugh." She leaned her chest against the back of the door, pulling her shirt down and flattening herself against it.

Darya nodded. "I'm a bit busy this week...and possibly next week, but when I have time, I'll be happy to help you out, Syl." She smiled at the replicant, before turning back to the group. "It'll probably depend on how much money I have left over by the end of this week as to whether I go to the vehicle convention, so if not, I'll have some more time to work on the taste thing..." She put her finger to her lips and frowned. "Actually, on a completely different note, does anyone need the firing range this week? I'll be practicing with plasma rifles, and they can get messy...also, there's a stack of medpacks down there. No body move them."

"Oh, the EI-TG? You should come either way, even if you just look. Hamburg's a nice city, and it'll be a great change from all the grimness of the Eastern Bank... No offence intended, Sose," she added with a smile. "Hey Darya, you want me to help out with your training? I do have plenty of experience handling plasma, after all, and rifles are clean as hell compared to what I usually work with. I won't make you shoot me or anything, honest."

"Not offended!" Sosie grunted from the door of the fridge. After a second, she threw her back against the door, trying to get her neck against the cold metal. "Aaang.." She scratched her chest, neck, and flailed to and fro against the door as Darya and Ida talked. "It should.. nnng... only take you a few minutes to turn the basest levels of her taste on. Y'could do it right now.. wwagh.."

Sosie flung herself from the door, and walked over to the kitchen proper. She slid open the cutlery drawer, removed a fork and.. looked down at the its reassuringly spikey prongs.It would feel so good--wait, what the fuck was she thinking? "..OH for FUCK'S sake. I'm becoming irrational. Irrationally.. itchy.." She threw the fork back in the drawer, and slammed it. "Fuck it. I'm plugging in in my damned room. Remember me if the place burns down. I won't notice."

Leaving her data pads on the table, she stomped to the fire pole and half threw herself down it, doing her best not to claw herself bloody.

Darya smiled at Ida. "It's okay thanks. I'm fine with maintaining them myself...and even if you had asked, I wouldn't have shot you. Except maybe with a knock out rifle. But that's it." She turned to look at the replicant sitting next to her. "Would you like me to have a go at the basics now?" she asked, touching Syl's arm gently.