[$] The End [VampuricWerewolf]

[Your Missing Period]

"But.. but how?" Malcom clung to the hound, staring up at Hal while he was being cleaned, "How did your dad build a human? Did... did he kill other humans? Why does he look weird?"

Hal raised an eyebrow at the questions. Did... he not understand? Momo understood fairly easily, but he also had a creator for a father.

Malcom looked away before slowly looking back. "You're named after my dog."

Hal smiled, "I must be named after someone very smart, then."  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo smiled, "he's not made of human parts, Malcom," he said softly, stopping what he was doing. Hal was mostly clean anyways, he'd have to get into the water to clean the rest. "he's a machine, made of metal." he knocked his own metal finger against Hal's chest, the undeniable clang proving his point. "my dad was good with machines, and he specialized in android and improvement of human life. he even helped me, see?" he pulled off his glove and lifted his sleeve, showing Malcom his metal arm, "i'm a lot like you, Malcom."  

[Your Missing Period]

Hal left, looking at the water bottles and grabbing the small tub looking thing, deciding it was time to fill it up somewhat to rinse himself off. He paused to let Momo knock against him, continuing once more.

"So... he's... not human?" the boy questioned softly befoe gasping, looking at the metal hand. he looked at his own hand, "I wish my dad was good at that." he looked at it again before looking up. "But, what happened to your hand?"  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo nodded, "not really, he's programmed to act and learn like a human, but it's all wires inside." he watched Hal filling the tub before moving to Malcom and holding out his arm, "you can touch it if you want. i know it's strange," his soft smile became a bit strained at the question, "i was born without an arm. well, i had a bit of one, but nothing proper, just a lump with a couple fingers sticking out. my father cut that off and attached this in it's place." he rotated his hand, moved his elbow, let Malcom see how his arm worked. "i was really lucky to have him as my father. i'm not nearly as good as him, Mal, i'm sorry." he was trying to gently tell the boy he couldn't make him a hand like his father had made his arm. for one, he'd have to do it in his father's shop. it was the only safe place for an operation like that.  

[Your Missing Period]

Malcom carefully touched the metal, looking it over and bringing his face close to look at the small details, watching as it was moved.

But... Malcom himself couldn't have one. That made him sad.

"What about your Hal? Why isn't he human? What was he used for?" His eyes turned over to Hal himself. "Does it hurt, not being human?"

The android was now sitting in the tub, rinsing himself off with the rag before hearing the question and pausing, the malicious programming rearing its ugly head in his processor.

"I'm an android, thus not capable of real pain. I can however mimic it in the proper situations as encoded in my programming."

"What?"  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo chuckled, "it means he can act like he's in pain if he ever needs to, but he doesn't actually feel it." he patted Malcom's head, "sorry, i thought it would be easier to understand when he was actually here rather than try to describe it to you." he sat down, leaving his gloves off, but pulling his sleeve back down. "my father made him to take care of the house and look after me. he's my friend and i'd like to think i am his, as much as his programming will allow him to understand 'friendship'." it was something he didn't like to think about, was Hal with him because he felt he had to be, or because he liked Momo himself? he could never be sure and Hal would answer in the way he thought would best benefit Momo, so he couldn't trust that either. he just accepted that they were friends and didn't let himself think otherwise.  

[Your Missing Period]

"Oh. But why did your dad make him?" he looked back and forth between Momo and Hal, confused but interested, now. "So, does he act like a friend like he acts he's in pain?" he looked at Hal, "Are you faking?"

Hal stared, out of the tub and drying off. Or was, his entire body froze to stare at the large brown eyes. What... could he say? His processors were working hard to think of something would not hurt Momo's feeling and that would satisfy Malcom's curiosity.

"well, emotions are a hard thing to describe. However since my creation I was made to take care of Monoki, Momo, when his parents could not. So even if I don't have a house, as long as I have Monoki I have a purpose to exist. And I don't fake it, then, because it is programming it is fact, and it is real. So thus the feelings I have for Monoki are quite real. He is my friend and I am his."

"So, feeling pain is real?"

"Very real."

Malcom looked worried, suddenly. "But, you're not really human. Does it hurt more not being real?"

Hal stared, this child's questions making him need another reboot, CPU processing too high at 87%.

"Pain is different for everyone. Right Monoki? When Momo was a child he cried at papercuts, but now he hardly blinks at them."

"Really?!" The child switched back from Hal to Momo. "They don't hurt you at all?"  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo blushed, "hey!" but he could understand why Hal wanted the subject off of himself. it must have been hard to answer in ways the boy would understand. "yeah, well, you sort of get used to it, you know?" he shrugged and moved to help Hal dry off. "papercuts aren't too bad, it stings, but you won't die from something like that."  

[Your Missing Period]

"Does your metal arm get hurt?" he stood up and erached, wanting to hold it before touching Hal's chassis instead. "You're kind of cold."

"That's my normal body temperature."

"But why?"

"Because I don't have blood."

"but why?"

Oh no, Hal recounted the thousands of endless conversations with Momo that always ended up in questioning the universe.

"because Momo said so, ask him."

Malcom turned to Momo. "But why?"  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo shook his head, "it can break and attatching it hurt, but scratched on it doesn't hurt." he watched Hal trying to deal with Malcom and laughed a little when Hal turned to him. "machines don't need blood, only living creatures do. but he has oil that is kind of like android blood, it helps his parts work correctly and makes it easier for him to move around." he patted Malcom's head, "now that's enough questions. you need to rest while i prepare the meat Hal got us." he pushed Mal towards the bed, "go on now, you're still recovering."  

[Your Missing Period]

"Oh. So oil is their blood. But why--" He was cut off when he was told to go to bed, child pouting. "But I'm not tired! And I just woke up, Momo!"

Hal smiled, unable to control it.

"But I just woke up, Hal!"

He chuckled remembering the young Monoki. "He has a point, Malcom."

"But I'm fine!"

"Well then you're going to have to roll around and absorb the blood. that's how we clean off all the blood, right Momo?"

Malcom looked disgusted, "You're lying."  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo lifted an eyebrow at Hal, "he's right. it's the best way to get ride of the blood. i do it all the time." he smiled at Malcom, "shall we start now? it's best to get it off as soon as possible, you know."  

[Your Missing Period]

Malcom quickly shook his head. "No, I'm feeling tired. Good night." And crawled back onto the bed bundle, the maned wolf shifting and recurling himself on and around the child.

The android chuckled, speaking softly. "Thank you for that. He reminds me of you when you were a child." And lifted the first leg, moving it and holding it over the tub so Momo could properly rinse it off. Hal wouldn't grow tired holding it and could even hold it with one hand if needbe.  

[VampuricWerewolf]

Momo rolled his eyes, "all little kids are the same, questioning everything until the adults go insane. but, that's how they learn. he got a clean cloth and used that to scrub, pouring the water on sparingly to conserve as much as possible in case the well had gotten polluted during the storm. but, Hal had put the cover back on, so there was a high chance it would be fine. "thank you for going back to get this. kid's been living off what the dog pukes up for him. he's going to need good meals, well, as good of meals as we can provide."  

[Your Missing Period]

"Has the child been living with the dog?" he looked back at the boy, judging his thinness and going through his databases the child was definitely malnutritioned, underweight. "Where are his parents? Do we know about them? And how did he meet Hal-Cujo?" He turned the meat for Momo, letting him clean it off before taking it to the counter, staring before dusting it off best he could and gently laying it down, going to pick up the other one next. "How old is he? Five? Six?"