TO was absolutely silent as their mind struggled to make sense of what Mark said. Despite TO’s keen ears, they must have misheard Mark somehow or maybe they had just misinterpreted what he said. Yes, it had to be the latter! As they considered what they heard and the situation in general, they concluded what he meant.
“I’m certain you’ll get on the ship, but should anything happen I’ll make sure she gets off Arkane.” TO said. They activated their chip, and continued taking notes, “If you’ll give me the name of the person who normally watches her, I’ll make sure she’s placed with them-”
“No… no you misunderstand.” He sighed, “Look… I know we only just met the other day, and I know that.” He glanced around, looking at the others nearby still giving TO weary looks, “And I know that until recently I had the same view of synths as everyone else did.” He frowned as he glanced up at TO, “You know, the armor and the way you all talk in armor doesn’t help your image.”
“I think that might be the point.” TO said as their ears flattened out. “Though I’m not sure why.”
“Probably to keep you from making friends with us and joining our cause.” Mark said, “Anyway… No, I wouldn’t want you to just get her on the ship. I’d like you to take care of her.”
That had been what TO thought he meant first. “… You don’t know me.” They said, “She doesn’t know me-”
“Maybe not.” Mark said, “But I know a protector when I see one.”
A confused frown crossed over TO’s features, “What?”
“Look… I heard what happened in Thalassa.” He said. “You were doing other stuff, and you still helped the civilians.”
“Well, I couldn’t let a bunch of civilians drown!”
“And Beck, You got her here too, even though she didn’t want to come. You made sure she was safe.”
“Yes, but she helped us in the Indebted Center, so I couldn’t just leave her there!”
“And I’ve been watching you, seeing you talk to people around here. You’re more patient than I would be. He held up his arm, “Your partner bandaged this up. They talked about you a lot. If I hadn’t known the person they were talking about was a synth, then I’d think you’re just a really reliable, protective kind of person. And you’ve already shown me you have patience for Constance.”
“Look…” TO sighed, “You should get someone else.” They said, “I mean, you have people who look after her now, right?”
“I do.” He said, nodding, “But they already have too many kids. I don’t want her to feel like a burden, and I don’t want her to fall to the side.” He shrugged. “It’s nothing against my friends, but I know they’re only just coping as it is. I can’t ask them to do this. So, if something happens to me…” He trailed up and looked at TO again, “Would you take care of her then?”
Hadn’t they already listed Constance with Avery, DH, and themself as a family? They did that before they met her father just to make sure that she’d be ok since she was here without her family. Still, this felt different. This felt more important, more serious.
“I’ll make sure you’re on that ship.” TO said, “Don’t worry about that. You’ll be there.”
“But if I’m not?”
“You will be.” TO said.
“If you’re so sure, then clearly it wouldn’t be a problem for you to promise you’ll take care of her if something happens to me, right?”
TO stammered, unsure how to respond to that. He had a point; if TO was going to make sure that he was on the ship, they’d have no worries about being responsible for Constance. If they failed to get him on the ship, well, then it was their fault Constance was alone. It made sense that they should then be responsible for her, didn’t it?
The sound of small wheels against the rough stone alerted TO to Constance’s return. They heard her before Mark did, but Mark followed TO’s gaze as they turned to look, and saw Constance making her way back towards them.
“Don’t say a word to her.” Mark said, “I don’t want her upset. Things have been hard enough.”
TO glanced back at Mark, frowning. They wanted to say that Constance should have a say in this, that if someone was going to look after her, then she should know that, right? But Constance was very young, younger than anyone TO had ever interacted with before. The closest they had ever been to someone Constance’s age was when they worked in the production lab and saw the juvenile synths floating in the tanks. Despite their lack of experience, they were fairly certain that someone as young as Constance probably couldn’t make big decisions on their own.
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They didn’t even know if she’d be able to understand a big decision.
“I couldn’t find Pearla.” Constance said as she approached, “But I found the Octo-Doctor-”
“Goretta.” Mark said, a slight smile on their face, “Dr Goretta. You wouldn’t like it if someone called you the fish girl.”
Constance huffed, her fins puffing out. “It’s rude to interrupt!” She said.
“It is, I’m sorry.” Mark said, “Go on.”
Constance huffed again, but then continued, “I found Dr. Goretta and she said she’d bring you some tea in a minute.” She looked to TO, “What were you talking about? Did daddy help you with your fight?”
“Oh, that’s fine.” TO said quickly before turning to Mark, “She told me you were good at helping people.”
“They had a fight with someone.” Constance said, “You can help, right?”
Mark glanced at TO, who shook their head with a quick and subtle gesture. “Oh, right. That.” He smiled at Constance, “All taken care of. I was just asking TO to do a little favor for me.”
“Oh? What kind of favor? Can’t I do it for you?”
“Oh no. And it’s nothing you have to worry about.” He lied. “I was just asking if they could take care of something for me.” He looked back to TO, “... Can you?”
The favor Mark wanted TO to do was conditional. If Mark didn’t get onto the ship, then TO would be responsible for Constance. But, Mark was already here. He was out of the indebted center and they'd make sure everyone here got on that ship and got off the planet. Something would have to go very wrong to keep him off the ship. Yes, things could go wrong, but as far as TO could consider anything that would keep Mark off the ship would keep the rest of them off the ship.
“Yes.” They finally said, “Yes, I can take care of that for you.”
Mark gave a sigh of relief, “Thank you.” He said. “It means more than you think.”
TO nodded, and got up, “Well, I have to get back to work.” They said, “Lots to do-”
“Can I come with you?” Constance asked.
“Constance, TO is very busy.” Mark patted the bed, inviting her to sit next to him, “Why don't you come up here. I’ll read you some stories… and maybe TO might visit later?” He looked up, “if you’re not busy later?”
They would be busy. TO wanted to keep themself as busy as possible right now. But, maybe visiting here later would help distract them. An extra task that required less work but still demanded TO’s attention and time would be a welcomed break later.
“I will.” TO said as they flashed a quick smile, to Constance, “I promise.”
======
Despite the looks they were still getting and the occasional hostility, TO felt better after talking to Mark and Constance. Despite the conversation around TO’s eating habits, neither Mark nor Constance had been hostile to them and somehow the idea that a small child was entirely at ease with them, and her father wanted to entrust her entirely to TO’s care, was a comfort.
A comfort that really helped them fight through the frustration of explaining themself over and over.
“-And I really just need information to make sure we’re prepared to escape.” TO said, sighing at the creature who at first glance looked like a Nagarajin, but she had a set of stubby hands at her hips, and the fins at her sides and the webbed hands told TO that they were probably more aquatic than anything else. There was nothing on the chart talking about what species she was, so TO just made a mental note of the name to looked it up later.
Well, they’d do that if they didn’t spend the rest of the day trying to convince this one- Pye, was his name, TO had gotten that much information from them at least- that yes, it was ok to tell them the information that had to be passed on, and that TO would not turn them all in.
“I get what you’re saying, I do!” Pye said, slithering backwards with her dominant hands up, “But look at it from my perspective. I don’t know you. I know you’re a synth, that’s all. And I’ve never seen a synth help a person.”
“Well, you’re seeing it now.” TO said, “And I helped plenty of people here. I helped people from Thalassa-”
“Many people died there.” Pye said.
“And a lot more might have.” TO hissed.
“Did you know they were being taken away?” Pye asked, “Maybe you were just helping to ‘recover property’.” She huffed and looked around, “Look, just let me talk to Tham, and-”
“Tham is busy.” TO said. A few people had asked to speak to Tham, and sometimes TO had called him and asked Tham to vouch for them. They’d do it again if Pye didn’t cooperate soon, but they really didn’t want to. What was the point of TO having any job if they had to keep interrupting Tham because they couldn’t do the job?
“Look, you’re already here.” TO said, “I’ve been working with Pearla-”
“You know Pearla?” Pye asked, one of the fins on her head perking.
“I do, and I’ve been helping her.” TO said, “Along with Tham, and GiDi-”
“Who the fuck is GiDi?”
TO stopped, and could only gape at Pye. They thought everyone knew who GiDi was. GiDi was basically in charge here! But the more TO thought about it, the more they realized they had never seen GiDi come in here with the rest of the civilians. The people who saw GiDi were people who worked with the insurgency. Was that on purpose?
They had little time to think about that. An angry shout of “You!” came from behind them. Now, there had been some fighting among the civilians down here, among a few older kids, or some adults who didn’t get along well, but TO had heard no one speak like that, with their voice vibrating with rage. They sighed and turned around, prepared to intervene and prevent anyone from needing medical help, but as they saw who it was that shouted they froze.
Short, covered in blue-gray scales, and rapidly closing the distance between them on her four speedy legs, Beck’s anger was like a bubble around her which drove other civilians out of the way. To TO’s dismay, she wasn’t arguing with another civilian. The rage that shot from her eyes and bore into TO’s own was evidence enough that her anger was reserved especially for TO.