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[bleps]

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[bleps]

[Connor allows her to cling to him, registers the gentle pressure of her hands clasped around his. He doesn't move, just stands there looking up at her with his brow pinched in a facsimile of concern.]

I know. Many things here are... impossible for me to understand, too. I have to cope by simply choosing not to process it, or to overthink it. I wasn't made to function in these particular circumstances, but now I just... don't have much of a choice.

[A little squeeze from his hand, a gesture of reassurance.]

It's all right, though. Individuals adjust on their own terms, in their own time. Now that you're aware, it'll become less strange as the days continue onwards. I can almost guarantee you that.

[lumberlady]

I'm trying...

[She really was.

Konoha squeezes his hand back, momentarily bows her head over them and tries to just... forget. Not think about it. They've been pulled to whole other worlds, she doesn't know if she'll ever see her parents or Gonta again, there was a whole city of metal...

So yeah, he's right. This was just... one more new thing. So she just has to smile like she always did.]

... Can you still teach me how to make the pictures?

[bleps]

[He knows, at a base level, that his advice is barely satisfactory. Does very little for the strange sense of displaced dysphoria one experiences when away from what’s familiar — but it’s the only and best advice he can give. Push onwards, accept that this is a new reality, process it the best one can knowing that there are others around you doing the same.

The smile is a thin thing, he believes. But it’s better than her fretting.]

Yes, here-

[Gently, his hand slips away so he can move to adjust himself at an angle. For her to better see the watch, and he smiles amicably as he provides an example.]

Bring up your texting function first.

[lumberlady]

[It's a salve, not a cure. But even Konoha knows she ought to throw herself into, that she's been doing such things ever since she got here. Doing laundry, cooking, foraging for food, sewing... keeping busy to not focus on how insane everything was.

So now it's just... "emoji".]

Can you do any picture you want?

[Obediently, she pulls her watch back out from her tool pouch and brings up the text function, poking at it to see if she's just missed something simple.]

[bleps]

Unfortunately, you're limited to a selection of icons. However, it's a very large selection. Here- Do you see this little icon?

[His own keyboard brought up, he taps at what appears to be a tiny icon of a smiley face in the corner, indicative of the emoji keyboard.]

Tap it.

[lumberlady]

He's a thing... ?

[... Did he mean that the little man smiling at her this whole time was actually a whole other "Screen"???

Surprised, Konoha tentatively taps the little man, blinking in surprise when the "screen" changes, and lots of little, colorful images pop up.]

[bleps]

["He". Omg Konoha. How endearing...]

Yes. He is. See?

[Look at all the faces!]

They represent different emotions, though I'm sure you don't need me to explain to you what each expression means. You can even scroll over to icons of... well. Many things.

[He shows her, and the selection is not insubstantial. Animals! Food! Nature! Technology!]

[lumberlady]

There's so many of him...

[Is it a him? It looks kind of like a him to her for some reason- and Connor hasn't corrected her, so he must be?]

You can send pictures of chicken?!

[The drumstick sticks out, and Konoha excitedly pushes on it... and gasps accordingly when it shows up in the text box.

Gods, she wants to send it so bad... But it's so random... Who could get a chicken...]

[bleps]

[Even Connor decides, almost impulsively, to not correct the application of a pronoun. The little emoji faces are now male for Konoha, except when they obviously aren’t.]

There are fruits and vegetables, too.

[He pokes at her watch, again just to illustrate. A strawberry pops up on the screen.]

If you like, you can send it to me.

[lumberlady]

What do you even use it for...

[It looks so delicious and colorful??? Konoha pulls her watch closer to her face in order to examine it... and can't help herself...

Connor's watch will ping with a new message.]

🍗🍓

[bleps]

[His watch pings, and there it is -- a chicken leg and a strawberry to greet him on his screen.]

Look. [He turns his wrist so that she can see her own handiwork, and offers an explanation afterwards.]

You can use them any way you like, though they're often implemented to denote a certain 'tone' to the conversation at hand. They're called emojis, but they're really little more than miniature icons.

Not to mention they're just amusing to see.

[lumberlady]

What tone? A casual one? Should I not use them with people I respect?

[If it's one thing Japanese feudal society had, it was classes and lots of fun formal levels!

But as she scrolls through the emoji Konoha's eyes sparkle at something, and she taps two times, lips curling into a sneaky smile... before,]

👩🐎

[Shows up in Connor's inbox.

It's her!!]

[bleps]

[There’s isn’t much that elicits a laugh from Connor; usually he reserves smiles and light chuckles for his acquaintances with ease — anything more than that is rare. But seeing the emojis appear on his screen, then lifting his eyes to view what appears to be a mischievous look from Konoha actually does win one from him. It’s a huff of a thing, easily missed, but clear on his features and enough to make his shoulders shake.]

Is that you?

[lumberlady]

[O- Oh!

Connor laughed! Like- more than usual? Or... maybe not more but. Kind of... better? Than usual? Not that she can really pinpoint what about it makes her think that's the case, but.

Her smile tugs up higher at the corners, lightly biting on her bottom lip to avoid snorting herself as she gestures helplessly at her watch.]

They don't have a jinba one!

[bleps]

They don’t. But you’re doing a good job of combining what does exist to create new ones.

[It’s kind of fun, really, doing this with her. Though this was mainly meant to be an informational season, what with the point of inviting her over, Connor finds that he enjoys his conversations with Konoha — as always.]

Did you know you could use this one to describe me?

[He sends her: 🤖]

Even if it is hyperbolic and inaccurate in a number of ways.

[lumberlady]

[She can't help but chuckle a little when praised, scratching behind her ear with a flick of tail in slightly self-conscious happiness, paying attention to what he sends her even if she doesn't know what "hyperbolic" is. Oh! It looks like some of the metal people on Struxta... and they were like cousins so she kind of sees it but...

Konoha shakes her head instead, smiling a bit cheekily again when she sends a message back.

👦🤖!]

I think this one is better for Connor!

[bleps]

[His grin widens.

👍]

I think so, too.

[Ah, but she had a question.]

Oh, you asked me about tone, right? You’re referring to different levels of formality?

[lumberlady]

Yeah, like- Should I not use the "emoji" with some people...

[She squints down at the gesture he'd sent through though, then squints a bit harder in confusion to make sure she was seeing it right. Did she miss something? Why was he slyly asking if she had a lover????]

Didn't I say I'm not married... ? I mean- not even pre-married...

[Uh-oh... Looks like all hand gestures aren't universal.]

[bleps]

[He’s already queuing up a reply, something succinct yet representative of what his own very limited experiences with emojis would inform him.

But then she... says she’s... not pre-married?]

...Does this affect how you intend to utilize your emojis?

[?????]

[lumberlady]

I don't know... ?

[Even more confused, Konoha points at the thumb emoji he sent. It seemed like a random question to her, but... Connor was smart, maybe there was a point.]

There's not a pinky finger one so I can't ask you back...

[bleps]

[...]

I’m sorry, Konoha. I’m a little confused; this might be an instance of miscommunication between two parties. A pinky finger for asking me what?

[lumberlady]

[Oh, phew, he's confused, too. She's not the only one!]

A pinky, like...

[She sort of waggles hers at him...]

When you're being sneaky asking a man about his lover... ? And... thumb is for asking women... ?

[She switches over to just her thumb extended, flexing it with a purse of lips.

... So apparently that wasn't... what it meant for him, but.]

[bleps]

[There are... definitely signals getting crossed.

Connor gives her a ‘thumbs up’.]

You mean this? [Yes, Connor, she’s doing it too.]

[lumberlady]

Yeah...

[Look, now they're both doing it.

To demonstrate the tone, Konoha prances closer to mime two people gossiping, whispering behind a hand as if being sneaky.]

So... if you're trying to be discrete, you know, you see a girl, and you're like... Oh, did you hear... ?

[Thumb's up... wriggling a little bit... She's got herself a beau.]

[bleps]

[Connor leans in a little, out of ingrained habit to mirror those around him during social situations. They really do look conspiratorial like this; even if the android's face appears more curious than anything else, brow cinched lightly, waggling his thumb just a little bit to reflect Konoha's gesture.]

So it's determinant of a physical or romantic relationship with someone else?

[Ah. Understanding is settling in, the clashing of cultures that Connor couldn't have known about -- not even close to his original programming.]

I had meant it just as an affirmation. An "okay".