[Gift] 13E moment

13E felt as though she'd been left with more questions than answers after meeting Adam and Eve. Who exactly were they? Why were they always together? What was a brother? She'd heard machines call other machines "Brother" yet she had no concept of familiarity. She was forced to track down and execute traitors to the cause. The council of humanity has deemed it so, and as the council deemed it, she did it. 

Except now, there was no council, no YoRha. Nothing, she was free, trapped within the walls of her thoughts as she zipped through the different alcoves in the rocky surfaces. Catching glimpses of small machines tending to flowers that were growing from the outcroppings. It always amazed her that beauty could spring forth from a planet so ugly. That animals and plants thrived without human intervention.

Did that not mean that humanity was the problem? The issue was that they were a plague upon the planet right? Why were they all forced into subjugation to protect them? And even if there were humans governing them, what would make them remotely salvageable as a species if they were nothing but a disease, a plague, a means of strife.

Her paws caught a rocky ledge as she went to pull herself up, her fur bristling as the rocks gave way. The soil began to tumble down into the gorge as she felt a paw slip. Then as she hung on, she didn't dare cry for help. Why should she? Begging for help was a causeless means of showing your own weakness. She refused to allow others to know she had no claws, she didn't dare allow it to hold her back either.

Her mind wandered to Adam and Eve in jealousy. What she wouldn't give to be able to fly, or to be able to weaponize her tail. She cursed them under her breath as she dug her paws into the side of the gorge, the soil breaking away between her toes. She began to heave herself upwards, using roots of a tree as support. As she did so, it felt like something had sabotaged her journey upwards. The tree shook, causing the ground to tumble away underneath her. Then it shook once more, the roots growing dangerous to hold onto as she finally let go. Allowing herself to fall gracefully down the gorge.

As she slid down the side of the outcropping, Eve looked down at her from the top. The sun obscuring his expression as he seemed to glare at her. His disdain for her was very tangible in that moment. It was as if he was filled with envy. A hatred sparked by wanting something she had, but what could she possibly have that he didn't? Eve was literally a wall of muscle who doted on his brother day in and out.

No- he couldn't possibly hate her friendship with Adam, could he?

"I was hoping if you had a little accident, you'd break your neck and brother would get bored of you" Eve scathed, as he rolled his tail into a tight ball alongside his spine. Raising the scaling upon it into spikes. "I guess I have to do everything myself." He sounded like a petulant child who didn't want to do a chore, not someone who wished to kill her for his own selfish reasoning.

"What do you mean "bored of me?" Is Adam there?" 13E asked. Eve raised his eyes to the sky, in a vacant expression as he looked like he were pondering what his next move would be. He unwound his tail from his back and slammed it on the ground, causing rocks and soil to pour around her. Not that the gorge was small enough to encase her in soil, it was simply a nuisance to get it in her eyes and visor. 

Eve didn't seem to care or feel empathy for her situation. Climbing through the gorge was hard enough without him destroying her escape routes.

"Brother finds you fascinating. He believes you're lying to him about once having a scanner, and so he's been agonizing over what horrible things you could possibly hide. He doesn't want to pick flowers or draw and paint anymore. He wants to understand why you'd lie to him like that. I personally find you irritating." Eves tail came down on the gorge again, sending dirt into 13Es open mouth as she balked at him. She coughed and sputtered, trying to make sense of what Eve has told her. What the hell could Adam possibly want to know that he didn't know before. It was stupid, it was crazy, it was absolutely appalling. She couldn't possibly wrap her head around why Adam was so hung up over the pursuit of knowledge.

"So I came to kill you before brother decided to go for a stroll. He doesn't need you, and you hardly deserve to be in his presence." He spat on her as he said that. Shooting his saliva through his teeth and landing it on her flank. It was a sign of his disgust, how he felt she was less than him. Less than Adam, hell, she was probably his least favorite thing here after the rocks. "But you're an annoying pain, so you can stay in that hole until you die."

"You know I'll get out, one way or another, I don't feasibly understand how you'll keep me here" 13E said, a sneer in her voice. "Plus, murder is what I was good at, what are you good at? Playing in the sun? Painting little houses? Grow up." 

Eves fur alongside his hackles rose as his fur seemed to turn a dull black around his tattoo. But nothing came of it, as he calmed himself down easily. 

"And yet, you're stuck in the hole while I'm up here. You talk so tough, but you're just a frightened kit." Eve sneered as he slammed his tail once more. Sending more rocks into her face. The soil seemed to find every crevice of her visor, and it got into her hair, her ears, and her nose. She sneezed and sputtered a bit as she turned her gaze back to the top of the hole.

Eve had sauntered away. Why? What reason could he possibly have to leave, knowing 13E would get out anyways. She began her climb once more, until she noticed a giant rock coming for her. It seemed like someone was pushing it.

Eve.

She backpedaled and got out of the way of the rock as Eve climbed it and stared down at her. "do you know the story of Cain and Abel?" He seemed to be making a reference to the Bible again. Why did they keep doing that? 

"No?" 13E said, as Eve scoffed.

"Of course you haven't, so you don't know what this rock is for. I'm going to hit your head with this rock and you're going to die, then brother will be happy and want to play with me again." Eve said. "Just as Cain killed Abel with a rock."

13E balked at his ridiculous request. They were going absolutely nowhere and Eve sure as shit hated her.

"But what if I want to be Cain?" 13E said, her voice full of snide and anger. This seemed to only piss Eve off more as he sucked in his cheeks, his fur ruffling as he did so.

"Well we don't always get what we want, Thirteen" ugh, there it was again. She hated when they called her Thirteen, it was as if they didn't care about the chain of command, or the designation she'd been assigned to. She growled slightly, knowing that if she kept poking, Eve would probably go nuclear and hurt her that way. But pressing buttons was always a lot of fun, especially when those buttons belonged to an idiot who just wanted to play all day.

Was Eve stupid? 13E thought so, Eve however was reading her like a book. He barked out a scathing laugh, as she had no rebuttal and just growled at him. So, he jumped off the rock, and pushed it into the gorge. 13E easily avoided it which only further annoyed Eve. It seemed like Eve had no real evil bone in his body, because now, 13E had the perfect means to climb out. She did exactly that, she scaled the rock, then the earthen wall of rock alongside it. This only seemed to further annoy Eve as he glared at her. His tail giving away just how angry he felt in that moment.

His stardust flared around him, his anger only reprised into a sadness as he threw himself to the ground. This was new, 13E had never seen someone do this before. She could kill him right here, she remembered the story Eve had half-assedly told her. Cain and Abel, Cain killed Abel with a rock. She grabbed a medium sized rock from near him and held it within her paws. She agonized over how worthwhile it would actually be to kill Eve.

On one paw, he was an annoyance who got in the way of everything she wanted to do. She wanted to talk to Adam, to threaten him into leaving her alone. But on the other paw, if she killed Eve it would needlessly complicate things. He looked at the rock with big sad eyes.

"Oh, so you're going to kill me now?" He growled. "Brother didn't need you before to be happy, he doesn't need you to be happy now." His tail seemed to slam the ground once more as 13E raised the rock over his muzzle. 

"Will you shut up before I knock all of your teeth out?" She snarled. Bringing the rock down quickly as it collided with something… feathery? She looked up from Eve and saw him protecting Adam with his black adorned set of wings. Holding them over his brother in a protective stance.

"If you'd be so kind as to not harm my precious baby brother, I would be grateful Thirteen. Oh right, you cannot think of other things than murder, can you?" He smirked. His brother hiding behind him and sticking his tongue out at 13E.

"He wanted to kill me!" 13E growled. "He's jealous of me and wanted me to die!" Her tail lashing out behind her. "He tried to drop a rock on me!"

Adam looked at Eve, and asked him poingnantly "Did you try to do that, brother?" Turning back to 13E. His tail was held regally yet his black hole seemed to be glitching out and around his chest. As if something had happened to it.

Eve shook his head. "Brother, we are both aware she has no claws, so I dropped the rock in the gorge to give her a means of climbing out." As he said this, 13E balked at him, both in anger and shock. This asshole was lying to his brother! And Adam was believing it.

Adam nodded. "He was merely trying to help you, Thirteen. Broaden your horizons, you cannot hate forever." As he said this, Eve stuck his tongue out at her again. His expression was triumphant. Of course he didn't have to worry about Adam not believing him, he'd been his brother since birth. 13E was his sworn enemy, she just seethed as Adam stretched his wings and let out a yawn.

"Now that you're out of the gorge, what is it that you seek?" Adam asked. His scathing voice making 13E angrier and angrier. "Perhaps you came to find a way to give your life meaning, and if that's the case, give up. You're a liar and a murderer. Your life isn't worth the meaning you wish to give it."

"And who the hell died and made you god? Didn't your precious God forgive everyone in the end? Did he not only pass judgement on those who deserved it, but forgave those who begged for it?" 13E snarled. 

Adam looked thoughtful, and he looked to Eve, then to 13E. 

"Then beg." He said, his voice cold and callous as he said this. This was not a question or a statement, this was a demand. He wanted 13E to beg him for his own forgiveness. As if he were some evangelical figure to be heralded as the humans god.

It made her sick.

"And if I don't?" She snarled. Challenging him as he put his clawed paw on her head and forced her into the dirt. Her mouth had been open so the dirt ground against her canines, her tongue, her cheeks, it engulfed her mouth. And in her stupor, she gasped, only causing the dirt to go down her throat. She coughed and sputtered, hacking and wheezing to get it out.

"It's simple isn't it? It's as you said, beg for forgiveness, or be punished. Which do you prefer?" He asked. He held his head high as he looked down at her. She coughed and choked on the dirt again as she spat dirt into the ground in front of him. The only way out of this was fake begging, wasn't it?

She lowered her hackles into a halfhearted bow. "Forgive me?" She asked, feeling Adam tear her visor off without hesitation.

"I told you to beg. Or I'll have Eve kill you." He said, tilting his head to the side. 13E groaned. 

"This is stupid. I'm not doing this" she got up and turned her back on Adam. Taking her visor with her, her blue eyes filled with rage at the humiliation she'd just gone through. "You're not a god, and you won't be the one to judge my life or how I live it. What gives my life meaning is that I don't stoop to those around me. I know who I am, I'm 13E. If that's not good enough for you, then I refuse to see you as a friend or anything other than that."

Eve seemed to be enjoying this, but Adam's pelt prickled with anger and shock. None had treated him as such and it irritated him. She padded away from him as Eve rolled his eyes at her.

"Girls, right? Come on brother, we can play now!" Eve said, hopefully as Adam looked at him. His expression was unreadable. That girl was unreasonable and it made his blood boil. But he gave Eve a small smile.

"I would love to spend time with you, brother." He said, a genuine air of adulation in his voice. "but first, why did you lie to me? You knew I was watching."

Eve looked down, his tail drooping. "I'm sorry brother. I just wanted her to feel the pain of someone believing a lie over her, just as she's done in the past."

This seemed to make Adam think. He then turned to Eve, and nudged him with his wings. "I don't want you being like them, so please, do not lie again, brother."

Eve nodded, gently shoving Adam back. "I promise, I won't lie again, brother."

…

13E seethed as she sauntered away, entering the forest. Her anger only causing her body to heat up uncontrollably. Those two made her so inconceivably angry. Stupid Adam, he wasn't some god, he wasn't God's gift to the Luminites either. Stupid Eve and his stupid lie. She growled at a tree and slammed her paws into it as if she were punching it. One "punch", take that Adam, that was your stupid jaw. Now you can't demand I humiliate myself in front of you. Another "punch", take that Eve, you and your stupid lie making me out to be the bad guy.

This continued for hours until a machine discovered her. It couldn't talk well but it held a lunar flower in its clunky, large hands. It seemed as though it had dug the flower up to replant it. Now it approached her. It's head looking at the flower, then tilting to look at her. It let out a noise that could only be registered as hissing as it held its hands out. It wanted her to hold her paws out.

It took her a moment to understand what it was saying, but she held her paws out. Her palms face-up, to cup the flower as it gently dropped the flower in her paws. It tilted its head and beeped at her, it was covered in scars from battles that it had seen. Countless slashes in its chassis and face showed her that the machine had survived horrors she didn't even want to comprehend. Yet now, it tended to the flowers as if they needed a caretaker. She looked at it, it was perky, it glowed slightly. It was healthy. 

It was a testament to the machines love for it, and the machine gave it to her. Why? Did it pity her? Did it want her to plant it? Did it want her to keep it? She was so confused. It was a plant, sure, but she could crush it in her paws if she wanted.

Yet she didn't want too.

For the first time she didn't want to kill. She wrapped her tail around her hind legs as she dug a small hole in front of the tree and planted the flower. Making sure that it got plenty of shade and sunlight, and smiling at it as she did. It was a soft smile, a smile she would never show another soul, living or dead. That was for certain. She then got up and let out a sigh.

"Do you think I should be Adams friend?" She asked the flower, stretching her back legs out as she did so. "He's such a chore to be around, he believes he's some sort of god when he's also just like me and stuck as a luminite. Like how you're a flower." She snorted. Look at her talking to the flora as if it could talk back. She was going crazy. That's it, when Adam slammed her head into the ground, she went insane. That's why she was talking to this flower.

"Don't you think he's just as confused as you?" Came a voice. Causing 13E to stiffen up. The remarkably soft male voice was offset by a more protective female voice. "Nines, you know she's dangerous."

Great, wonderful, oh thank the stars 2B and 9S were here. Her life was going so incredibly great today. Nines looked at the flower and then to 13E. "Don't you think you're being a bit harsh on Adam, just like us he doesn't understand how he's feeling. He's equating it to anger and it's not his fault. We're all… confused." As he said this 2B took a protective stance in front of him, her fangs bared. Message received. 

13E backed up slightly, her pelt prickling with anxiety as she looked between the two. They were an odd pair, 9S was absolutely enamored with 2B, she could tell by how he looked over at her. And while 2B was trying to hide it, it was clearly obvious she felt the same. So why the hell were they in the forest? This place was where Machines went if they desired a family, if they needed somewhere to go, if they needed to… get mad at a tree.

9S shrugged at 13E as she didn't say anything. "I hope you get where he's coming from, I bet if you talk to him, he'll apologize." 9S said, a small smile on his face. "None of us are inherently evil, so just try to give life a chance okay?"

13E balked at him. What the hell did he mean by that? Did he know what she was capable of?

"What about me? Would you think I were evil just because I followed orders?" 13Es voice cracked but she hid it. 2Bs cool exterior and her protective facade only seemed to shatter the more 9S talked to her.

"Do you think I think 2B is evil for what she did?" 9S asked, looking at his paws. "Sure it sucked but I'm not… mad at her, I think I'm going to be okay, because now I can make new memories with her without worrying if I'll be okay." As he said this 2B leaned against him. Mumbling into his fur, as if she were thanking him for the reassurance. It flustered 9S a bit as he looked to 13E.

"I don't think Adam or Eve thinks you're evil. They're just complicated… like you are. You just gotta talk to them, you know?"

13E swallowed a hard lump at the reassurance she'd been given. If she wasn't evil, what was she? She'd always justified her actions by calling herself evil, she was vile, cruel, and just a horrible creature. But now, to be looked at by a victim of the same vicious cycle. The one that was on the other end and be told she wasn't evil, what was she?

Was she a victim as well?

She looked to the flower then to the odd pair.

"T-thanks. I'll talk to him tomorrow about it." She stammered out, as she watched the two nod at her, and saunter away. They seemed to be happy with each other. So why was 13E so doomed to loneliness?

She let out a deep sigh as she trudged deeper into the forest to find somewhere to rest.

Today had been the worst.

…

"Brother, why do you find that android girl so fascinating?" Eve asked, as he placed a paw on a piece of paper after coating it in blue paint. He wasn't very good at this whole "art" thing, but Adam always saved his paintings regardless. This time it was his paw prints placed in a way to resemble the ocean. Later he'd draw himself in the water. Adam seemed completely lost in thought.

"Do you think I'm unfit to be a god?" Adam asked.

Eve looked at him strangely. Before smiling widely. "I think you're perfect for being a god, now come on, it's getting dark. You gotta finish your painting."

Adam smiled gently. "Thank you brother, I appreciate it." As he stared at the stars. "it always amazes me that no matter where or when you are, those who's lives you've touched and those who've touched your life always look upon the same sky as you. As if it binds us."

Eve nodded.

"Yes brother, it does, and Thirteen is looking at it now. I just bet she is."

…

13E awoke from her slumber, her body had rested, but her mind hadn't. It kept wandering to "I don't believe you're evil" and the reassurance 9S had given her. It had felt freeing in a sense to know that someone, especially one that was so well acquainted with how executioners orders were taken out had forgiven her. Had forgiven all execution units. She looked up at the morning sun, the glare almost blinding her as she refastened her visor over her eyes. It was no use leaving herself in the open like this. She knew this, so she began her trek from the forest. Leaning down to get a cool, yet refreshing drink from a puddle. It was odd at first, being an animal such as herself, but she'd grown accustomed to it. Yet the lack of thumbs irritated her.

Putting aside her gripes, she felt good to be alive for once. As if a path to life's true meaning had opened up a door to her. But forgiveness was only the first step. What else was she missing? Humans had always fretted over love, pushing themselves to be as beautiful as possible to attract love. Some humans liked the attention of the beautiful. Some considered it shallow, yet the recurring theme she felt, was love. She felt as though she was missing a key component to her life.

9S has 2B. Adam had Eve. Devola had Popola. What did she have? Nothing. She scored the earth with a paw in frustration. Where was she going to find someone, anyone, who would be her friend? For her to love and cherish until the world grew cold and dim. Someone to lift that grey fog from her vision and make her feel complete.

Who would be her companion? Her family? Her love?

Everyone had love. Adam had the love of a brother who doted on him as though his life depended on it. 9S had the love of someone who truly cherished him.

13E wanted that.

She was sick of being alone. 

The first step however, was to reinstate her friendship with Adam.