Wilderness 5} Paul and Yuntea

Paul played by Dodo, Yuntea played by Kiwi

Paul collection was not only something that Unit LQZI3LC691 was naturally compelled to do by its faulty programming, but it was something that they took great joy in as well. Not only did it give them a sense of purpose in the world, even if a somewhat unclear one, but it also served as a way to keep them busy outside of their observances. After all, all work and no play made for a very dull drone. Heavy footsteps leaving imprints in the earth as it went, the mostly mechanical humanoid stomped its way through the forest extremely audibly, bulldozing over smaller trees without a second thought as it went. Although it could have flown towards the settlement it was headed towards, Unit LQZI3LC691 tended to prefer walking when possible due to how faulty its jet propulsion systems could be. It was only a few miles anyways, and should take well under an hour at its current pace.
As it trundled along, the cyborg emitted a mixture of whines and hisses and pops, sounding vaguely akin to someone whistling a tune. This symphony of malfunctions served a similar purpose, being directed faults produced in a manner that created a sort of song. However, this would be extremely difficult to make out under the sounds of Unit LQZI3LC691 smashing its way through the forest brazenly, saplings turned to sawdust under the powerful downwards thrust of its legs. Despite to date having not yet received the elusive Paul that it searched for, the drone seemed optimistic that tonight would be the night, its arms swinging back and forth as if marching to the noise it produced. The opposite of stealth, the robot would be easy for any to spot, if the nigh deafening noises didn’t catch their attention first anyways.

The sound and the weight of the drone vibrated the forest ground, making Yuntea look up from her berry collecting. She was out here again with a basket, boy did she love going out here and picking things that Sestle would almost certainly never eat without her coaxing. It was her duty though, if Sestle died, she'd never get feeling back, and she couldn't let that happen. She looking in the direction of the noise seeing the large robot, "Oh my" was all she could say as she looked at her fellow botty friend.

So absorbed in its march, the drone nearly walked straight by the other robot, its processors and mind entirely fixated on its purpose of collecting “Pauls” from the populace at large. However, after almost seeming to have completely missed Yuntea’s presence, the towering figure came to an abrupt halt. It quickly turned around in place after doing so, the whistles and pops it had been emitting that were previously masked by the sounds of its movement being briefly audible before it ceased creating them. The unit was idle in this position for several moments, staring downwards towards its fellow synthetic life form with unclear intent, before vocalizations of some form began to be heard from the entity.
“GREETINGS.” Unit LQZI3LC691 greeted in a standard fashion, the sounds coming from its body somewhat distorted and staticy, like a radio that had suffered moderate water damage. “MY DESIGNATION IS UNIT L-Q-Z-I-3-L-C-6-9-1. WHAT ITS TMHIS TIUNS DESDIGNATION?” The drone continued, the later half of its sentence becoming nearly unintelligible due to the previously mentioned distortions. It would then fall silent, staring down at Yuntea as it awaited an answer for whatever question it had been attempting to ask.

Yuntea stared at the mass, she hadn't seen a drone in years. If she could be feeling there would be a string of emotions running running through her heart, but alas there was nothing in her but artificial parts and pieces. Still she would contort her robotic features into a smile and look at the drone. "Oh my what are you doing all the way out here, you are a drone aren't you, I haven't seen a drone in a while," He voice box produced a woman's voice one she presumed was her real one from when she was alive. Sestle said it was what he collected from her videos at least.

Unit LQZI3LC691 didn’t visibly shift in response to the incoming information, but the way that its right eye flashed on and off several times almost gave the impression that it was confused by what the other android was saying. From the way that the drone had initially addressed Yuntea, it seemed to have perceived her as a fellow and spoke to her as such. Obviously, though, no drone was ever going to behave in a way they did. Especially not one of the classical Alternian models, which were far more ruthless in their pursuit of genetic material then the ones that now roamed the lands and skies of Amalgama. Still, though, Unit LQZI3LC691 made another attempt to affirm the robot’s identity, as if they had never asked it a question in the first place.
“INPUT UNCLEAR. WHAT IS THIS UNITS DESIGNATION?” The drone whirred again, its voice seeming to be a bit clearer this time. Although its posture was straight and slightly squat, as was traditional for such pail collections units, it almost seemed to be looming over the other mechanical entity based on its sheer size alone. These collectors had been feared for a good reason back on their planet of origin, and one would do well to tread carefully around them. Especially one that didn’t seem to function as well as it should...

"I dont know know what...." Yuntea looked at the bot. She wasn't made by the empire, she was just a robot made by a regular troll. "I don't know what you're talking about I wasn't maid by the empire"

Once more, the drone paused for several moments, genuinely giving off the appearance that it had been confused by the reply. It was partially true in a way, since drones were not entirely robotic in nature, but also owing to the wear and tear on Unit LQZI3LC691’s processing drives. Normally on Alternia, each unit had been inspected and maintained accordingly once every three pedigrees in order to ensure they functioned as intended. This both meant that they would be able to serve in tip top shape, and any units that were too worn to be repaired or were otherwise undesirable could be taken out of the lineup and replaced as was needed. This unit, though, was in a more advanced state of disrepair then any normal drone would ever reach. It probably would have been retired sweeps ago, if not for it not receiving the signals needed for it to return for maintenance. And now that drones of its model were a thing of the past, Unit LQZI3LC691 had only become all the more an anomaly.
“QUERRY.” The drone finally said after a short but tense silent, seeming to loom ever closer as it stared down Yuntea with its glowing eyes. “WHAT IS THIS UNITS F-F-F-FUNCTION?” It questioned, vocals seeming to seize up and stutter when attempting to produce the final word. The vocal emitter was just one of many things about Unit LQZI3LC691 that didn’t function as it should, although it didn’t appear to bother the drone at all. It awaited an answer, fingers occasionally seeming to twitch as if the hydraulics that maintained their balled fists were defective too.

Yuntea took a step back, but her face seemed to become blank. The contortions that she had done to make herself look happy had gone. She looked up at Paul her eyes shining. "I am a Maid, I work as a unit who cleans and collects food and grocery's." She stood holding her basket and stared blankly "I have no need to ask for your purpose for, you are a drone. I cannot produce slurry however so I am of no concern to you. Have a good day."

Scene End