Victory Party(Saber, Prythian)

[Saber]

Petra smirked at Erika and Mary's display, her face more than a little pink from watching such behavior in a public setting. When Reggie spoke up, and shot her a glare, she acted like she was shocked, before grinning coyly. Then, Mary pulled Erika into a hug, and Petra couldn't help but aww at the moment "You two are just plain adorable!"

Jake noticed Samuel looking away from Erika and Mary and knocked on the bar near him to get his attention "If you don't want to stare at them, then how about helping me find some appropriate data on slow dance routines for Saber. He's doing ok so far with the basic two-step, but if things pick up in this song, he might be in trouble."

Saber blushed when Mirror started asking him how he was feeling, now that he had more natural emotions rather than synthetic. Looking away shyly, he struggled to find the words "...Well...Nervous, for one...scared...nauseous...I mean, can avatars even GET nauseous?" He looked back at Mirror again as she continued to lead, his nervous and embarrassed expression actually cheerful beneath the other emotions he described "...And yet...I've never been happier than I am right now..." He still couldn't understand it at all. Why was being around Mirror making him feel all of these unrelated emotions, all at once? Was the alterations that the virus that infected him starting to get worse?

Baretta rolled her eyes as Mani4c played off her admonishing, purposefully stepping on his foot and giving him an innocent look while continuing their argument "That's still no excuse for picking on him when he's still adapting to his emotions as well. Remember the first time you realized you had to adapt to having emotions of your own? I'm sure that was just as stressful for you."

Bit smirked and pushed her glasses back up against her face, taking another sip of her own drink as his heartfelt sentiment was amusing, but also a bit touching "I'll think about it, doctor. But I won't' let just anyone mess with my code, I'm sure you understand."

[Prythian]

Domain smiled. "Well... one of us is a little more built for combat... and I do love a reason for a good brawl..." He said, edging around his answer. That is, that not only would someone harming Mirror feel his wrath, he'd enjoy every second of it.

"Of course they can get nauseous." Mirror teasingly scolded. "Have you already forgotten how I react when copying someone with a high amount of viral code? But in this case, it's probably just a reaction to being nervous. But if you're really happy right now, what are you afraid of?" She changed her eye color to a bright, shimmering green. "Just look into my eyes and let your cares melt away!"

[Mani4c]

Mary let out a small whimper at being called "Adorable", burying her face even further into the nape of Erika's neck. Erika just smiled and gave her embarrassed girlfriend a pat on the head. "Just relax hon." Samuel looked at Jake with a confused expression, "The fleet-footed swordsman can't dance? How'd you train him mate? I was taught Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot...hell most ballroom dances as footwork training in basic. I even took up Flamenco as a hobby for a bit, though I'm a tad rusty...Here." Samuel tapped a short string of commands into his terminal and a holographic manual depicting over 10,000 dance steps popped up. "Give him a copy of my old dancing book. if he can mimic those moves he should be fine."

Mani4c stifled a yelp when Baretta stepped on his foot. "Hey! remember what happened the last time you dished out physical discipline." Mani4c jerked his head towards Onimaru, who was currently delivering a Haymaker to Urataros for attempting to hit on Sona, who was just looking on in a congused manner. "Anyways, if he can't tell that I'm being good natured about it than he's more dense than a lead lined door."

When Baretta mentioned him having to adapt to his own emotions he stopped, he honestly couldn't remember what he was like BEFORE he had his emotions. He could remember events, details involving his creator and the things he had seen, but his personality was a large blank spot, as far as he knew, he had always been like this. "I...I honestly don't know what it was like...as far as my memory's concerned, I've always been like this. It's weird, I can remember every other detail too, just not my emotions..."


The Doctor put a hand over his chest as if Bit had just injured him. "Ah Bit! you wound me, I'm "Just anyone" to you?" The Doctor chuckled and sipped his drink. "But in all seriousness, I understand, I just want you to know that you have the option."

[Saber]

Petra giggled when Mary buried herself in Erika's neck by being called adorable, patting the cyborg girl on her back, and rubbing it softly to help her stay relaxed "Nothing to be ashamed of girl, even badasses like us deserve to have our adorable moments from time to time."

Jake shrugged at Samuel's question about how he trained Saber without teaching him how to dance "Well, I kind of tested his agility with historic methods: Obstacle courses, swinging targets while jumping between raised pillars, and we're always hitting arcade arenas to fight up and comers. Plus, he was programmed for close combat prior to us being officially assigned together, so most of the training experience was built in." Jake started downloading the dance manual from Samuel's terminal onto his own. The file wasn't too big, though the video demonstrations made it take a while to finish "He wasn't a stock avatar I had to custom make from scratch, Saber started as he is now, and wouldn't be complete if I hadn't helped him through the black out during his development. Being Saber's younger brother, I'm sure Chakram has filled you in on most of the details?"

Saber looked into Mirror's eyes and somehow felt more at ease, smiling more as his hands squeezed Mirror's waist firmly while they danced. "You asked earlier what I was afraid of." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to center his muddles thoughts "...I guess I'm afraid of you... He opened his eyes and looked into her shimmering green eyes, his gaze soft and caring "...The way you make me feel, I experience emotions that I can't comprehend...I'm trapped in a sea of emotions just being around you, and I'm terrified of being overwhelmed by them...Because no matter how I try and read these emotions, they all end up to the same place...What I might become if I lose you again..."

Baretta shrugged off Mani4c's warning about Onimaru's overprotective behavior, then sighed when Mani4c mentioned not knowing much about having to learn to deal with his emotions, only that he could...To an extent at least. "Well try and look at things from his perspective. Everything he's been used to has been completely flipped upside down. Now he's trying to get a handle on things, and being provoked only makes things harder to deal with. How would you feel if you had a part of who you once were, and had that part of you shaped into something new?"

Bit shrugged when the doctor faked looking hurt by her words, only to repeat his offer that it would be available "And I'll think about it. But right now, let's enjoy the peace and quiet we've got right now and let the kids have their fun. I'm curious to see how Saber's new volatile emotions change how he functions, that's one of the reasons I came to this little soirée."

[Prythian]

Mirror's eyes teared up for a moment. "How can you keep acting better and better? You have to hit the top at some point." With a brief sniff, she smiled through her tears. "You found me when I was nothing... treated me like I was a person... saved me when I was captured... and now this." And with that, she stopped dancing and just collapsed against him in a tight hug, tears streaming down her face. "Idiot..." She said softly. "You don't have to lose me again... we'll make sure that never happens."

[Mani4c]

Chakram watched the exchange between Petra and Mary for a moment before replying to Jake's remark regarding Saber's origins. "I told him the basics, when I tried to go into more detail regarding Saber he told me to keep it to myself. He didn't want to intrude on matters of family." Samuel nodded. "It's his business, we've all got skeletons in the closet mate...some more than others." The British officer looked at Alexi and Kate, they were just sitting and chatting away now, more than likely they were going to come in soon.

Alexi had pulled away from his hug about 10 minutes ago, and had begun chatting about various hobbies that he had, mostly his love for classic science fiction novels and movies. "What about you? I know that you're busy, but you must have some way of unwinding right?" Alexi was far more at ease than he was earlier, and he had an actual smile on his face.

Mani4c was about to reply when Viral took control suddenly, he looked at Baretta with a serious expression. "I think he knows better than most Sis, you forget that that part of him is renting out space in his skull now." Viral continued the dance flawlessly, not even missing a beat despite essentially yanking the driver's seat away from Mani4c. "He would never seriously mock Saber for the troubles that his new emotions are giving him, but if Saber worries about them too much than he'll never get used to them you know? Mani4c's trying to get Saber to relax, you gotta admit that the kid's wound tighter than a damn cuckoo clock. He needs to learn to let things roll off his back." Viral then gave control back to Mani4c, waiting for the song to end before he danced with Lilith.

Onimaru noticed Mirror and Saber's exchange and walked over, the rest of the Taros followed as well, even Sieg. "She's right Saber!" Onimaru placed a hand on his hip and rested his sheathed sword on his shoulder. "You and Mirror have nothing to fear! Because we'll have your back right up to the climax!" Urataros nodded, "I may be a flirt, but anyone who even thinks of harming Mirror-chan shall be reeled in by me, and they won't ever be let go." Kintaros cracked his neck and nodded. "Yes! My strength shall make them cry!" Ryutaros mimed two guns with his fingers and got into his combat stance, which looked more like a dancing pose than anything. "Hey! Don't forget me, they can't match my gunslinger skills!" Sieg simply bowed towards Saber and Mirror respectfully. "As ridiculous as my brother's are...they speak the truth, we shall fight tooth and nail for you Hime-sama, I swear on my pride as a gentleman and a prince."

[Saber]

Saber wasn't sure what he had done when he saw Mirror tearing up, thinking he said something wrong. But after Mirror stopped dancing and clung to him tightly, he couldn't help but be shocked. Apparently his words had a strong, yet positive effect on Mirror, and she was crying from joy. Relieved, he wrapped his arms around her waist and her upper back, not saying a word and slowly easing Mirror's body to continue their dance, thought the way they were embracing was a bit more intimate than the casual style that they originally were using.

When Onimaru's little fellowship of protection started bombarding them with one liners on how they would keep Mirror safe, Katana rolled her eyes and split into 3 again, each of them pushing one or two of the spirits, and even Onimaru away from the dancing couple "Would you all back it up, and give them some space! Can't you see they're having a moment and you lot are ruining it?!"

"Well, if you ever wanted to hear about anything about the beginning of the project, just speak to me. I know more about what happened than anyone else here." Jake couldn't help but smirk when he managed to catch an overhead view of Saber and Mirror embracing, letting out a little chuckle at the sight "Looks like my partner's got himself a new girlfriend." "No kidding?" Petra walked over and looked into the screen, noticing a certain female avatar was pushing away a bunch of Japanese super hero looking avatars. "Say, who's the lass that's corralling the others away from those two?" "That's Katana. She's Saber's younger sister from the wave two cyberblade avatars, and the first one of the batch to be made." "Cyberblade huh? As in swords n' shit?" "...yeah?" "Sweet! Maybe the captain can pair me up with her as my first avatar."

"...Well...I do read, normally they're mystery and drama though...Go figure, the hard-ass captain who doesn't like drama on the workforce reads books with loads of it." She chuckled softly, arm wrapped around Alexi's shoulders, what she could manage at least "Though if I had to have a favorite hobby, it would probably be woodworking."

Baretta giggled and shook her head when Mani4c was put back in control of his body again, surprised at first when Viral took over, but relieved he was simply giving her a bit of a reminder of what she already knew "That Viral half of yours never ceases to surprise me, being a voice of logic for once."

[Prythian]

Domain gave Amaterasu a glance. "I think I need to go have a talk to some people about appropriate timing..." Excusing himself politely, he stopped dancing with her and headed towards the group of avatars currently near Mirror and Saber. While Katana was handling it as best she could... even with splitting into three, it wasn't likely she could handle all six by herself. So as he got nearer, he crossed his arms across his chest. With a soft, low tone, he told them quietly one thing. "Not the time. Leave my sister be." He had found that when he loomed like this and spoke very softly, people tended to listen. What he didn't know was that there was a subtle body language about when that had a 'listen or else' vibe.

Mirror, for her part, didn't notice anything, just dancing with Saber almost unconsciously, her eyes half-closed. Slowly, her colors eased back to normal.

[Mani4c]

After about 3 minutes of quiet arguing from the Taros, Sieg and Kintaros being the exceptions, they finally dispersed. Amaterasu rolled her eyes and smiled at the groups antics, they meant well, but to say that they were a handful on occasion would be an understatement. 'Well, at least they're well meaning pains in the rear.'

Mani4c smirked. "Well, he makes up for it with a hair trigger temper, he was going out for drinks last night with Lilith when some poor sod grabbed her ass...he choke slammed the poor bastard through the bar and then proceeded to literally throw the unlucky fellow out of the bar." Mani4c tried and failed to suppress a chuckle at the memory, the look on Lilith's face was priceless. "And you thought that I was overprotective...well, I am, but you know what I mean."

Alexi looked at Kate when she mentioned woodworking being a hobby. "Huh, no offense, but I never would have thought that you'd be into woodworking, that's pretty interesting. I used to be into boxing myself but, well..." Alexi gestured to his prosthetic hand. "This thing'd shred the glove, and probably my opponent's face. But hey, I still lift weights and work a heavy bag, so I'm not completely out of it. Luckily leather wrapped canvas is more resilient than the inside of a glove." Alexi leaned back and smiled. "Hey...I'm sorry about being so uptight earlier, and...thanks for giving this a shot, it means a lot."

Chakram looked at Petra when she expressed an interest in being Katana's operator. "Hmm, I think you two would be a good fit...one second." Chakram logged back in to the party and walked over to Katana. "Could you come to my terminal for a moment? I've met a woman who has an interest in being your operator, and I think she'd be a good fit."

[Saber]

Katana nodded to Domain when he helped her get the Taros away from Saber and Mirror while they were having their moment, then was curious when Chakram walked over and said he met a human woman who was interested in being her operator. Curious, she took Chakram's hand and waited for him to transport them to his terminal, where she saw a woman with a very intriguing appearance. It was both cute and badass at the same time, which had her attention <I hear that you were interested in being my operator.> Petra looked over and saw Katana in Samuel's screen, grinning when she saw her comments didn't go unnoticed "Nice to finally meet you in person, Katana, I'm Petra Reid, a Net Ops agent." <Nice to meet you too Petra! You seem like a nice person, I don't think I'd mind being your partner!>

Saber listened to the commotion going on around himself and Mirror, chuckling softly as he held her close while moving to the music. It sounded like the song was starting to come to its conclusion, and he whispered into Mirror's ear while the music was still playing "Do you want to go somewhere and talk, just the two of us? I think there's a lot that we need to discuss, and I'd feel more at ease talking privately."

Baretta smirked and poked Mani4c's forehead when he started talking about viral's short temper and overprotective nature, and comparing it to his own "Don't worry, I've seen you at your worst, remember? All it takes is a yank on the ear to snap you out of it though, so I don't think we need to worry about you overreacting."

Kate shrugged when Alexi said he didn't see her as a wood carver, not really offended by it "When I was little, my parents took me camping whenever they had time off. I loved the smell of the countryside and the pine forests. I took up a piece of wood and a knife and just carved away at it, been doing it ever since...I think my folks even have some of my old wood carvings on a shelf still, when I took it as an art class in school." She looked at his hand when he started complaining about it interfering with his own hobbies, then waved his off in dismissal when he apologized for his behavior "You were going through a rough patch and reminiscing about the past, I wouldn't blame you. Hell, before all this megacorp BS, the kid lost his original avatar before Saber came around, and he grew up with that one. So don't think you're the only one with harsh times in their lives...And just so you know, the wounded warrior program isn't just for functionality anymore. I bet they could have you refitted with a new arm covered in synth skin that can even feel sensation, if that one you have now is lacking."

[Prythian]

Mirror finally pulled back from him. She smiled at him, nodding. "I think... I think I'd like that. Very much. If you have a spot in mind, that's more than I have." She took a moment to glance at Domain, who was simply standing off of the dance floor, his arms crossed and his face serious. When he noticed the look, he gave a small smile and nodded very subtly to her. "Wherever you want to go."

[Mani4c]

When Alexi heard about Jake losing his original avatar he frowned, "That's horrible, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Mani4c, he's like a kid brother to me." When Kate mentioned the Wounded Warrior Project possibly getting him a new arm he just shrugged. "Nah, That's for soldiers, people who go to war, I'm just some poor schmuck who was unlucky. Besides, Henry said that he got one of his friends across the pond to 3D print me some plates that go over the arm, it'll fill out the gaps and make it look more streamlined." Alexi smirked. "Though I've thought about integrating a weapon into it...you think Mary could find me a grenade launcher or something? It'd sure liven up the office."

As the song drew to a close, Mani4c pulled Baretta into a tight hug. "Thanks Baretta, this meant a lot."

[Saber]

Saber smiled and took Mirror's hand, leading her out of the training room where all the decorations and the partygoers were having their fun "We could go back to my terminal at Jake's apartment. The only one who might still be there would be his sibling roommate, but he prefers his privacy. It's either that, or we can go up on the rooftop. It's late, so the only light out right now would be the moon." As they made their way to the exit to the server, he looked back at Mirror to see what her preference would be "Which would you prefer?"

Baretta smiled and patted Mani4c's shoulder, giving him some space and nodding her head to Lilith "You're welcome, Mani4c. Now, I think a certain celebrity has been waiting for her boyfriend to treat her to a dance, don't you, Viral?"

Kate sighed when Alexi spoke about how he wouldn't know what to do if Mani4c was lost, she could relate "Same for me and Baretta. She was my stock avatar, before the precinct mandated her customization. She's always been like a sister to me, and has certainly been my conscience when I needed it most." When Alexi started talking about the wounded warrior project being soldiers only, she rolled her eyes "I figured you of all people would know the inner workings of the program, Alexi. There's a section for soldiers, and departments like police, EMC and fire. Artificial replacement parts that look and function the same as the real thing with all the durability of a mechanical prosthetic."

[Prythian]

"I think... the rooftop would be closer." Mirror said, smiling gently. As she said that, her hair changed from its normal gold to a far paler shade, more like a faint gold-white than anything else. It was her own imitation of the moon's color. She hardly knew what else to say, though. She was expecting to have been the one leading Saber somewhere else... but things had happened far quicker than she'd anticipated, and he'd taken her off guard.

[Mani4c]

Viral took control of Mani4c's body and grinned, "I agree Baretta, thanks for giving Mani4c some time to bond, it meant more than he let on..." Viral gave a cryptic wink and walked over to Lilith, planting a kiss on her lips before gesturing at Sona to play another slow tune, the couple then began to dance to the music, oblivious to the world around them. 

Amaterasu smiled and sat down under the tree, summoning a small easel and some watercolors and beginning to paint while humming along with the song.

Alexi smiled when Kate informed him that the wounded warrior project had a section dedicated to police and rescue workers. "Oh, I know, but I'm not crippled, it's an inconvenience at worst. I'd feel like I was taking away from people who really needed it to survive you know?" Alexi looked at his hand for a moment before standing up and cracking his neck. "I'm going back inside to have one last drink, do you want to join me?" Alexi offered Kate his hand to help her up. 

[Saber]

Saber nodded and sent Jake a message, requesting the use of Skystrike. By the time they made it out of the server, he was already in his angelic looking flight armor, scooping Mirror up into a bridal styled hold, before letting his thrusted lift them up to above the police server. He eased them over the server's rooftop before touching down and lowering Mirror back onto her feet. He chose to leave Skystrike active for now, because they were going to need it to get back down to ground level later, so he merely folded his wings in to a more compact state. "Well, we're here...I just don't know where to start with what to talk about...I'm kind of new to all of this..."

Baretta raised an eyebrow when Viral winked with that cryptic message of his, was he implying that Mani4c...No, that would be silly. Still, what he said lingered in her mind, and she was curious about other things as well. So she started walking toward the doctor and Bit, who were idly chatting while snacking by the food stand.

Katana looked around, realizing that Mirror and Saber were gone, and a sly grin formed on her face as she skipped over to Amaterasu, her copies dispersing for now "Oh Mooooom, guess who decided to ditch the party and go have some private time~"

Kate pushed off of the bench and walked with an arm around alexia's waist, not trying to be rude by refusing his offer to help her to her feet, but the action was likely portrayed as that. "I guess I could use another round, but you better not try and get me drunk to get me in bed, or I'll throttle you." She playfully jabbed his gut, grinning smugly as they walked back inside "Alright everybody, I've got our resident grouch in higher spirits now, so what have we missed?"

[Prythian]

Mirror just gave a sad smile. "I think I might be just a bit newer... at least, you've been around longer than I have. And... I never copied someone in situations like this." She held her arms tightly to herself. "I... I have no idea what happens next. No data even giving a hint as to what to say or do. I just know... that I don't want to leave you." With that, she turned and looked away silently, staring up towards the moon.

[Mani4c]

Alexi smirked when Kate jokingly warned him not to try and get her drunk in an effort to bed her. "Kate, I'm wounded! I'd like to think I'm charming enough to not need that."

When Kate asked what they missed, Samuel started counting off on his fingers sarcastically. "Erika sucked face with Petra...Then with Mary...now Mary and Erika are cuddling and Saber might get to first base with Mirror." Samuel then made a show about checking his math before tapping Jake on the shoulder, "Did I forget anything mate?"

When Baretta walked over to The Doctor and Bit, The Doctor waved at her. "Baretta! How was your dance? I hope you enjoyed it." Claymore simply chuckled, "I doubt she enjoyed it as much as Mani4c."

Amaterasu looked at Katana when she informed her of Saber and Mirror's departure, she simply chuckled. "Young love...and Katana, if I even glimpse you going to the roof to give your Brother trouble you'll be in for it young lady." Amaterau's tone was friendly, but it held enough motherly authority to make it clear that she was serious.

[Saber]

Everything Mirror was saying, about how she felt and how she didn't want to leave him, Saber couldn't help but chuckle "I guess this is what love feels like for humans, because I don't want to leave you either, Mirror..." He walked over and wrapped his arms around Mirror's waist, looking up at the moon with his head beside hers "It's funny, I never thought I would ever be capable of loving someone where the emotion itself wasn't simulated. We may still be new to this romance stuff, but as far as beginners go, I think we're doing just fine." He shifted his gave to look into Mirror's golden eyes and smiled softly, not quite his usual type of smile that one would be used to seeing from him.

Kate mused quietly when Alexi started boasting about his charm not needing to require alcohol to woo a woman "And yet it's been this long until you found yourself a girlfriend, Sergeant." She gave him a wink before turning her attention to Samuel and Jake, who were telling them about what they missed. She glanced over at Petra with a stern gaze, which made her blush and look away shamefully "Only the first night knowing someone and you're already intimate? I hope you're not going to make a habit of this, Agent Reid." "Kate, are you honestly surprised that it would have happened, considering our diverse company here?" Kate pulled away from Alexi, to walk swiftly over to Jake and whispered in the ear not close to Samuel or anyone else's "You shouldn't talk, Derrix...Afterall, you're harboring a ghost from the slums." Jake scratched his nose and moved on to other things "...Thanks for keeping that hanging over my head...Aaaanyway, I think it's safe to say that Saber's on his way to first base right now, Samuel. I never thought he would have moved this quickly with his new emotional programming."

Baretta smiled and nodded "He's surprisingly good on his feet, and even when Viral took over for a while, it was like they were both in sync with each other...Which is kind of a scary thought to be honest...But dance aside, there's something I wanted to ask you two about, regarding what happened to Saber."

Katana blushed and took a shy defensive stance "Aww come on, mom, you know I wouldn't do that. Mirror is like a sister to me, and if those two hook up, she actually will be!"

[Prythian]

Domain chuckled nearby. "Maybe I should go stop them, then. I'm not sure I could handle two younger sisters, not on top of the complications with the rest of my siblings." He said, gently teasing Katana. "Then again, if I interrupted them now, I'd get the bits knocked out of me... and that's not including Saber's own reaction."

Mirror's eyes locked onto Saber's, her arms moving up to rest on his shoulders. For a moment, her breathing almost seemed to stop, and it felt like the entire moment was frozen. There was an electric tension in the air, with both of them just staring into each other's eyes. It was as if anything could happen. Mirror had no idea what was going to happen next, and out of a kind of fear, she stayed absolutely still, not wanting to break the current moment.