Quietly she stood on one of the towers overlooking the Rune Knight headquarters. Although she was perched on the edge of the tower in a state similar to a gargoyle, the robot's gaze remained fixated in the direction of the room where the leader of the Collective Mind was waging his own battles. Quietly she gazed ahead, not a shred of emotion visible on her expression.

"..." her gaze somberly lifted up from the windows she had been gazing toward, up toward a lone bird that soared overhead. "Such a peculiar choice. He could remain free, unfettered by the chains of society." As she muttered these words the bird descended from the sky and perched on her shoulder. "Yet you have come here before this council of meatbags. In pursuit of judgment, or as part of a greater plan?"

Her scarf continued to flutter idly in the air, and watching the bird take flight once more her gaze turned back toward the windows. "Moral assessment? Trivial... I do not care what reason he has. As long as his plan continues to stir my curiosity I will continue to enjoy watching this adventure unfold." Gently lowering her body she started to descend toward the lower levels of the headquarters, redirecting power to her legs as small jets of energy slowed down her descent. At the same time, she turned her gaze upwards a final time, watching idly how the innocent little bird got caught by a larger vulture. The sight reminded her that freedom was but an illusion, something people used to escape from the fetters that chained them down, chains that came in so many forms and shapes. Some were small and barely noticeable, others to the point they felt suffocicating.

As Zerutod made his way through the bustling hallways of the majestic Rune Knight headquarters, his fingers lightly tracing the ornate carvings on the walls, he couldn't help but replay his most recent notes in his head, the words dancing to an unknown rhythm. It was as if the very air around him whispered secrets of ancient magic and forgotten battles. his acute electroreception was guiding him effortlessly.  

But amidst the ethereal melody that filled his mind his keen senses allowed him to perceive the magical currents flowing around him, painting a vivid picture of the world he couldn't physically see. Zerutod's keen senses detected something out of place. Curiosity piqued, he adjusted his course, effortlessly gliding through the mosaic-tiled hall until he found himself overlooking the sprawling headquarters, a vast kingdom of knowledge and strength. And there, perched upon one of the towering structures that reached towards the heavens, stood Primula, a rare jewel amidst a sea of warriors.

Her presence always stirred a glimmer of excitement within his heart. With a playful smile quirking at the corners of his lips, He called out her name, his voice carrying on the wind with warmth and sincerity. "Primula!" Zerutod called out, his voice filled with genuine delight carrying through the air. His distinctive tone caused heads to turn as eyes darted around, searching for the source of the sound. "How delightful to encounter you in this lofty alcove!"

It had been such a peculiar time for the robot girl, despite the recent events stirring something within her, something that had been long forgotten she had yet to truly come to understand it. Who could blame her for it? To think that despite being a robot, she had once been a being of flesh and blood, just like them, or was that truly the case? What if these memories of her were just programmed data? Then would it be right to say she was 'Primula', when by all means she was more akin to a 'copy' of her?

Despite that, she found that the moment she landed on the surface a voice called out to her. She turned around toward the direction the voice came from and for a brief moment remained silent. Her gaze was fixated on the young man's face, after which she started to allow herself to process her memories that finally pinpointed a certain meeting. "Zerutod, was it?" As she inquired with a light tilt of her head the robot girl merely shook her head at Zerutod's description of their surroundings. "I prefer the floating structure the Collective Mind made their home. After all, it contained my workshop, so in that regard calling it 'home' wouldn't be a wrong statement to make either for me."

Turning her gaze back toward the headquarters she idly gazed toward the entrance to the grand building, her sensors seemingly perceiving something after which she turned her attention back toward Zerutod. "Although, as a meatbag-" She quickly shook her head as if to clear the mistake. "As a fellow mortal of flesh and blood, you might understand the leader's decision better than me?"

She gestured toward the grandiose headquarters of the Rune Knights and resumed, lowering her voice so that just Zerutod could hear her. "What do you believe to be Kon's reason for going all the way to the headquarters of the Rune Knights? My database is unfortunately lacking in enough information to process the possible reasons and outcomes for such an encounter, especially done willingly."


Her gaze lifted back toward the sky where the vulture was flying away with his newly caught prey. Surely Kon was not about to become prey to these meat bags at the headquarters, to see his story reach its ending here would not just be boring, but downright dissapointing to her.

Zerutod contemplated Primula's question, his fingertips dancing along the cool marble railing as he mulled over her words. A gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips, a glint of mischief sparkling in his blind eyes. "Well, my dear Primula," he began, his voice a velvety murmur that caressed the air like a whisper of secrets. "While I cannot claim to know the exact reason behind Kon's venture to the Rune Knight headquarters, I dare say that his intentions align with a goal that resonates with my very being—to propel the world forward."

His words hung in the air, carried on the soft breeze that swept through the mountain as if the very wind itself was applauding his insight. His smile widened as he continued, the playful lilt in his voice teasing at Primula's curiosity. "But tell me, lovely Primula, is pondering the mysteries of Kon the only thing that drifts amidst the clouds of your thoughts?" he inquired, his tone knowing and gentle. Zerutod's smile softened, a tender appreciation shining in his eyes. He reached out, his hand hovering in the air, searching through the unseen currents for Primula's delicate touch.

"Ah, my dear Primula," he murmured, his voice filled with warmth and understanding. "Your heart, so burdened with both kindness and yearning. Tell me, what weighs upon that beautiful soul of yours? Perhaps together we can find solace in the dance of our words."

Primula had remained silent as Zerutod admitted he wasn't entirely certain of the reason for Kon to approach the council of the Rune Knights so willingly. It was within her calculations that this knowledge was something that Zerutod did not have as well. Yet the last part left her a bit curious. "What does it mean to 'propel' the world forward? Is it improving the safety within civilizations on Earthland? Within Fiore alone? Is it to increase financial prosperity? So many possible outcomes to that statement that leave me wondering more and more.

However, the playful tease that followed left the robot girl slightly bewildered. "Negative, despite Kon being a primary source of interest among mortal beings, the rate at which the topic of his activities occupy my processes is limited to roughly thirty-five percent."

Despite the slight movement of his hand, she remained unmoving and unbothered by a potential touch. Instead, when he mentioned her heart and soul she tilted her head slightly sideways in confusion. "I am... uncertain. While many within Talaz Lagaar would claim a being like me has neither a soul or heart to speak of, since robots are entirely made out of technology empowered by a magical core and made capable of functioning independently based on the quality of their programming, lately I have been feeling... different."

She paused, her gaze shifting toward Zerutod as she explained further. "Errors within my memory core display entries I do not recall. A presence that is familiar yet a foreign malfunction within my behavior chip as well. I do not know what to make of it, beyond the fact that this being is the source of what granted me my identification of 'Primula'."

She went silent at last, her gaze shifting away from Zerutod once more as she instead gazed toward the headquarters. She was not naive enough to not realize she was a maverick among both populations. The mortal races of Earthland saw her as a robot, a soulless machine given life and purpose through a dangerous entity, while the robots claimed she was different, she was neither a pure robot like them or a Machia like Kon.

She was a robot infused with the soul, the very essence of a mortal, and for that she carried the title of Replicant rather than robot among the robots of Talaz Lagaar.

Overall it was a confusing matter for her to deal with. Yet for some reason she couldn't help but shift her gaze back to Zerutod, her scarlet eyes looking straight into his own as she asked. "Yet my calculations did not predict for you to take an interest in my existence to such a degree. I have tried to calculate what potential reason one like yourself might have for such a thing. I genuinely doubt my outward design is creating lecherous intentions in your approach, and my systems have not been updated enough to comprehend something like love and affection, so if the reason behind your interest is what mortals describe as a 'Crush', then please refrain from Crushing me, my frame is still vulnerable to maiming currently."

Zerutod chuckled, a soft, melodious sound that seemed to dance on the breeze, as Primula's robotic confusion over the concept of a crush struck a chord in his heart. It had been so long since anyone had sparked such a lighthearted exchange within him. Love had never held much sway over his life, and even now, his thoughts were consumed by a different kind of affection—an infatuation with the very concept of propelling the world forward. "Oh, my dear Primula," he murmured, his laughter bubbling up from within. "I assure you, it is not a 'crush' that stirs my interest in you. No, it is something far more profound than mortal descriptions can capture." He reached out, his hand gliding through the air as if searching for something intangible. "What you embody, my dear Primula is the physical manifestation of the world moving forward," he continued, his gaze turning toward the snow-peaked mountains in the distance.

"Your existence, the essence of a mortal infused in a being of technology and magic, is a beacon of progress, a symbol of the future that awaits us all." Zerutod's gentle smile softened, a warmth infusing his blind eyes as he spoke. "I cannot recall the last time my heart held feelings for anyone," he confessed, the vulnerability in his words bared for Primula to hear. "But in you, I find an unwavering fascination—an admiration for the convergence of mortality and magic, of the past and the future, all embodied in a single entity." He paused, the playful lilt in his voice giving way to a quiet intensity. "So, my dear Primula, fear not, for it is not the frailty of your frame or the lecherous intentions of others that draw my interest. It is the enigma of your being, a captivating puzzle waiting to be unraveled."

As he straightened, the fabric of his long black trench coat rustled with the movement, and he turned to face Primula. "In a way, you are the embodiment of that very concept," he said, his voice taking on a thoughtful cadence. "The convergence of technology and soul, bridging the gap between mortal and machine. Your existence, Primula, is a step towards the world's progression, a fusion of knowledge and magic that propels us into the future." His words lingered in the air, and a thoughtful silence enveloped them. Zerutod's fingertips traced the hilt of his katana, his thoughts meandering through the complexities of their intertwined destinies. As he spoke again, his voice carried the weight of his conviction. "It is not mere affection that draws my interest, but a deep appreciation for what you represent. An enigma of existence with the potential to shape the course of our world." Primula's scarlet eyes reflected.