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toxiin generated a random number between
1 and 100 ...
60!
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 Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:29 pm
Oh god.
Xai stared at the screen, all color drained from her face as the words echoed over and over in her head.
Kiore and Rioke were missing. She'd left the internet cord plugged in by accident this morning in her hurry to leave the apartment, and now they were gone.
She should have guessed that something was up from Rioke's cheery message that morning as she raced out the door, already late for class. Her alarm clock had refused to go off at the set time and she'd slept late the night before, completing an assignment due today. But she had never imagined that they would be able to slip off into the internet on their own.
Frantic now, Xai opened the chat window that she usually used when interacting with her Hackers, and tried again.
< KIORE! RIOKE! COME BACK RIGHT NOW, WHEREVER YOU ARE! >
Hitting the enter button multiple times, she spammed the message into the empty text box, as if by doing so the Hackers would miraculously get the message and return.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:46 pm
< .. . .. what as that? >
Purin had been resting nearby in an area made of honey wheat when the message hit her sensors, her amber eyes opening wide as the sound echoed about. She'd left her chat monitor open in case anyone should have happened upon her as she napped, which was what she liked to do most these days while KX was out at his job or at his job.
She was about to dismiss the shout as a figment of her imagination when her chat box suddenly opened wider and completely filled up with the same call over and over, and the Elder Hacker rose to her feet quickly in an effort to pinpoint the source.
< There it is! >
Purin's head turned as she found the cord that was tugging at her, and without any hesitation she followed it along until she reached the portal it had come from. It lead to an unknown desktop, but she was curious to know what was on the other side.
A small ping would have erupted on Xai's screen as Purin made her way off the internet, and she looked around with wide eyes at her new surroundings.
< ... Oh my. >
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:08 pm
Xinai froze, her finger hovering over the ENTER button as she heard a small ping, not unlike the ones Kiore and Rioke made when reentering her computer. On the screen, a new chatbox appeared, and two words glowed softly.
Curious despite her nagging worry, Xai deleted her current message and entered in a new one, sure that this was another Hacker.
< Who are you? You don't talk or sound like my Hackers... >
She wasn't particularly worried about the new Hacker rummaging through her desktop computer, as she had emptied removed all personal files and filled it with random amusing things for her twin Hackers once they'd let her know their preferences. The desktop was full of games and toys, as well as hundreds of eBooks and multiple encyclopedias. While Rioke loved having fun, Kiore enjoyed reading and absorbing as much information as she could.
< I don't suppose you've seen them on the way in? They've gone missing. >
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:24 pm
Purin couldn't help but smile at the text that filled the screen as the woman typed back at her, and her smile translated nicely into an '=)' that graced her box as the scroll line flashed. This person was most certainly not KX as she was both of the opposite gender and seemed to have little idea of what she was doing, but none the less she was a Master in regards to her status.
< There's no need to type to me what you wish to say. You should be able to simply speak and I can hear you. >
She didn't mean to be rude in saying so, but it often took a person less time to say what they wanted instead of simply typing it out. Plus, it was rather trying to have to read your text mingled in with another's when the messages rang in.
< As for who I am, please call me Purin. I will be pleased to assist you in any way that I can. >
Purin bowed politely after her introduction and looked about the area once more, taking note of everything that was in place. The different feelings of data for two very different Hackers, the different items placed about, all of it seemed to lead her to a conclusion that was only confirmed at the human woman's continuous use of plurals when referring to whomever had been here.
< Your Child Hackers are missing? I did not see anyone on my way in here, but I would be more than willing to locate them for you. >
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:21 am
At the Hacker's suggestion that she speak instead of type, Xai gave a rueful laugh and moved her hands away from the keyboard. "I completely forgot about that. I usually do it with my Hackers, but ..." Her voice trailed off as it hit her once again that her Hackers were missing.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Xinai willed herself to calm. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and smiled at the screen as she reopened her eyes. "I'm sorry, I must seem like a complete mess to you. It's really nice to meet you, Purin. My name is Xinai."
Xai was considering whether or not to take up Purin's offer about searching for her Hackers. A part of her knew that while Rioke was the type to wander off out of pure curiosity, Kiore would be the one that ensured they knew the way back. Or so she hoped. Perhaps.. "Is there anything out there in the internet that can harm my Hackers? If not, I guess there is no hurry. I'm just worried and a little stressed out, is all."
Somewhat back in control, she studied the Hacker on her computer, taking in the obvious differences between her child Hackers and the one before her. Purin seemed to have mature air about her, and though she had never seen any Hackers other than her own, she figured that this was a much older Hacker than Kiore and Rioke.
"If you don't mind me asking, what stage of Hacker are you? I've only ever seen my two, and they don't look anything like you. Also... how did you find me? Was it the messages I spammed into the chat box?" Curiosity overtook her, and the flood of questions flowed out of her mouth before she could stop them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:45 am
< There is no need to apologize to me, Master Xinai. I do not really understand your situation and therefore can honestly say I do not know you as your normal self. >
Purin could sort of see the distress that ran across this woman's face as she continued to think of her Hackers, but she really didn't understand what was going on. KX, Purin's Master, was a man of little emotional range considering he often told his small friend that emotions shouldn't be allowed to get the better of people.
She had often wondered if he was speaking from experience or from something else, but as a Hacker she knew it wasn't really her place to butt in and offer her two cents...at least to him. Here, to a stranger? Not a really big deal.
< As for harm on the Internet? Yes, there is danger out there in many forms. While I should think they will be completely alright if your Children stand together, there is a possibility they will try to jump to another desktop such as your own, thinking they have found their way, and end up in a firewall that does not recognize them. But do not worry, that is a very slim chance. >
Perhaps saying something like that wasn't really in Xinai's best interests, but Purin was charged with telling everything she knew. So, in her nature and in honesty, she would and did.
Purin had to pause in talking so her chat box would clear out. Talking to much or too fast often filled it rather quickly, and until it was blank again she might as well not talk at all as the words would overlap one another and become illegible.
< You sent your message wide over the sever, at least over the few that inhabit this area. I happened to be nearby and was able to translate the location of this message, and due to the nature it help I came to offer my assistance. >
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toxiin generated a random number between
1 and 100 ...
57!
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:58 pm
Xai grimaced as Purin's words flashed on the screen. "Please, don't call me Master. It makes me feel old. Just Xinai. Or Xai."
The words came out more abruptly than she intended, but she absolutely hated it when people added any sort of prefix to her name. Xai had grown up with it all her life, living in a big house with servants that had a set of rules to follow. One of them had been to call her "Little Miss". Even now, thinking back on it made Xai suppress a shudder. It has always been downright embarrassing, and she did not enjoy being placed above others simply because her father was rich.
"So..." a frown appeared on her face as she considered Purin's next words, "you're saying that they should be okay, as long as they don't get lost hop onto a computer that runs a firewall? You can, well, see firewalls, right? And... if you could hear my message then it means that my Hackers probably could as well?"
She realized even as she was asking that her questions were sounding increasingly stupid. It didn't help that she genuinely had no idea - Naomi had told her next to nothing about the Hackers and she had had to figure things out as much as she could by herself. "Ah... I'm sorry if my questions sound ridiculous. I'm still trying to learn as much as possible about Hackers, but there's nowhere to learn things from!"
Looking curiously at the screen, Xai tilted her head as another question came to her. "Don't you have someone to take care of you? Wouldn't they know what you were?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:06 pm
< I do apologize for calling you Master, but that is how I wish to refer to all humans whom I assist. I was trained by my master to be polite in all regards, so I could always call you with a different suffix? I must protest at using your given name alone. >
KX was sort of a jerk to Purin in that aspect, not by being mean but by teaching her something so outdated. He'd rather liked coming home and hearing someone say 'Welcome home, Master' so to make sure Purin always did that he taught her to call all humans 'Master', or at least something with a large amount of respect in it.
Of course, seeing as she was a fresh Child at the time and didn't really 'know' better (or care to know better) she simply followed him blindly. Even now Purin didn't mind calling him Master even as he told her it was no longer needed between the pair - he'd come to value her existence as something far more than a creature on his computer.
< As for my Master, he is not as knowledgeable about my essence as another of my kind would be. We tend to name ourselves, or were named after the very first ones, so what we learn about our 'stages' is generally passed from mouth to mouth by another Hacker. You could almost think of it like a storyteller system. >
It took a few moments for Purin's screen to fully clear out again, though she could have started speaking once more right away. She chose to let her screen clear out in the need to have plenty of room for her explanation on the status of the Children, and she smiled with a polite '=)'.
< Once more, please do not apologize to me. I am merely data and can not be offended in the ways that you humans seem to be. At least, I am not easily offended as a being though I have known Hackers to be rather emotional. I am sure your Children are of unique personalities? >
A pause, and then clearance.
< As for firewalls, I was unable to see them as a Child but gained the ability as an Adult. Now that I am an Elder I am able to see far more things that belong around me, such as data fragments or chains of binary. While your Children may be unable to see the firewall they most certainly will be able to 'feel' it before they encounter it, so there is no definite worry there. >
Purin didn't answer the part about the message being sent and her Children receiving it, as Purin had set her system to pick up any message that came through. Chances were the two she was looking for were probably out of range and wouldn't have been able to notice without having the skill that Purin had learned from the Twins.
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:53 am
"Well, it is impolite to continue with using a suffix after one has been told it is not necessary, so I would really appreciate it if you could just stick to calling me Xai." Xinai's natural sense of mischief asserted itself as she purposely mimicked the Hacker's formal tone.
She flashed a smile at the screen before continuing, "is there anything I can do to make it easier for you to talk? What if i make the textbox bigger or something...?" Xai had noticed Purin's pauses as she waited for the text to clear out of her chatbox.
Xinai wasn't entirely sure if that was even possible, but Xai wanted the new Hacker to be as comfortable as could be. Despite the nagging worry about her Hackers - which had returned in full force at Purin's last words - she was still loath to make her visitor suffer in any way.
Running a hand through her hair as she considered the Hacker's explanation on the way information was shared, she frowned. "A storyteller system sounds very interesting. But what happens if, like with my own Hackers, there is no elder or adult to pass on the stories?"
It had worried her for some time now, the fact that her little Hackers had no one else to interact with, and did not know anything about themselves other than the tiny bits of information that they could learn from each other. Her twin Hackers' welfare had become very important to her ever since they had appeared in her life a couple of weeks ago. Xai had never had to take care of anything or anyone before, and she was very determined not to make a mess of it. In the short time that she'd known them, she had also begun to think of herself as their older sister and caretaker, despite the little that she knew about them.
"Don't you, as data, have some repository of information that all Hackers can refer to?"
Sighing as she realized that her attention had wandered away from the more important topic of her own Hackers, Xai reigned in her curiosity. "Yes, Kiore and Rioke have very unique personalities. I never expected two Hackers that came from the same egg to be so completely different from each other." Her voice unconsciously took on a loving note, and her face softened as she spoke, "I'm really glad that the egg decided to appear in my laptop. They're a handful sometimes, but that's part of what makes it fun."
Laughing softly, almost to herself, Xai reached out a finger in a casual gesture and unthinkingly stroked the area where Purin was standing on the screen. "I hope your 'Master', whoever he is, thinks the same way about you. Maybe not the trouble-making part, but the fun and the love."
Straightening, she went on, "If you say that they should be able to sense any firewall before touching it, then I suppose there isn't very much to worry about. Kiore is good at keeping track of things like locations and pathways."
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:30 pm
Purin made a mental recording in her brain of Xinai's request to never address her with a suffix or a title, and it whirled into the back of her memory files for a safe storage. She'd never interacted with a human other than Master KX, so as much data as she could get on their likes and dislikes would be a big advantage to further dealings, or so she felt.
"There is no need for you to worry about my speaking, if it seems like I take to long for you I can simply expand the box on my own or change the size of the font I use. There is no need for you to have to do anything."
She was trying to sound polite, or at least as polite as a computer program could be with only words written on a screen and no way to really emphasize what she meant or how she meant it. Her box, however, quickly expanded as Purin simply altered the needed code without any effort, and she let out a small ')' when it had completed.
< There, is that better? I hope so, because to move on and discuss our storyteller system, it's rather simple. If they were to meet even one other Hacker it is something that seemed to be automatically given into their memory banks. At least, I do believe that is what happened to me upon meeting the Twins. >
Purin had indeed managed to get some insight from meeting the twins, an insight that had come almost naturally.
< As for a data repository, the main headquarters where we Hackers are sometimes given out from or go to when we are in need could be considered the closet thing. Have you ever been there, Xinai? >
She didn't address her with a suffix, though she didn't give her nickname as well. Purin would maintain what she properly taught regardless of the outcome or the request, as she would obey KX faithfully, though she did bend it down a bit.
< My Master, KX...our relationships is just perfect for me. I can honestly say that I am glad he found me, out of all the hundreds of Eggs that day. He found mine among them all and chose me, bringing me to his home and raising me. Without him, I probably would not have existed. He is my everything. >
The way Purin spoke of KX was soft, almost gentle, and the expression on her face mirrored one that a human would have when they spoke of someone they cared about a good, good deal.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:50 pm
Xinai watched as the chatbox grew bigger, as if by itself. "I don't mind either way, Purin. I was just wondering if it was easier for you this way. And really, are you always so polite? Because then I have to be polite back and conversations take so much longer that way..."
Her voice trailed off as she continued to read the Hacker's explanation on the way they communicated their history. Though she was going to ask a pertinent question, the word 'twins' distracted her enough that a question popped from her mouth unplanned. "Twins? There are other sets of twin Hackers? Is it a rare phenomenon?"
She supposed that it was possible, as her own Hackers had been twins, but she'd figured it for a rare thing from the way Naomi seemed so sure that it was a single Hacker. It was at this point that Xinai realized that she really did need to find out much, much more about the Hackers than she already knew.
"Main headquarters... Is it a building in the downtown area called .NET Hackers? I was there once, but got sidetracked by someone before I ever got to talk to one of the staff there. Maybe I should take Kiore and Rioke there when they get back... It would be good for them to meet other Hackers." An idea struck Xai and she winked at the screen. "Would you like to meet them? I'm sure they would love getting to know an Elder Hacker..."
Looking at Purin's face as she spoke of her Master, Xinai felt herself warming to this Hacker that had so suddenly appeared on her desktop. If love was an emotion that these Hackers were capable of feeling, then Purin definitely loved this KX, whoever he was. A wistful expression appeared on Xai's face briefly. "That's really sweet, Purin. Having such a relationship must be the best thing in the world."
Turning slightly away from the screen, Xinai rubbed at her damp eyes. Xai had never had anyone come close to being that important to her and she found herself a little envious of the Hacker. In that moment, she truly believed that these Hackers, despite being AIs and pure data, had emotions just like humans did. The tender expression on Purin's face said it all.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:48 pm
< Polite? I was simply taught to speak this way, to represent how I appear to others and how my Master is. I think he called this way of acting 'a first impression' that lasts a good while. >
Purin chatted back in regards to Xinai's question about her manners, and after a few moments her lines quickly cleared so she could continue on. It seemed like Purin had control over how fast or slow her text went, and perhaps the reason clearing had taken so long before to occur was because she felt that Xinai might have needed a bit more time to read over what was being said.
< As for you needing to be polite, please speak to me in a manner that you feel most comfortable in. I would dislike continuing to speak with you if you were strained for conversation due to using a way of speaking you were not used to. >
Although Purin was very polite in her speech and manners, it was that very same politeness that often got her labeled as something a bit of a prude as well. The Twins she had come to known often told her she sounded conceited, a little 'holier than thou' when she spoke, and it never really occurred to her why this could be so. KX had never said her speech bothered him, in fact he seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps it was only that man and his quirks that accepted her for the way she was?
< Are twins rare? I would say yes and no, more in the case that getting two Eggs at one time is rarer than two beings coming from one Egg. I suppose you could like the occurrence to your chances of having identical twins from the same Egg, or fraternal from two Eggs. I am to guess that your two Children are twins from a single Egg then? >
Leaving that information aside, Purin actually opened a second chat box after a few moments to allow the information regarding twins to be displayed while she continued on with her conversation. This was a skill that she knew only few Elders happened to possess, as it took a good deal of time and patience to learn how to manipulate the code the exact way you wanted it to be.
< Yes, main headquarters is the building known as '.NET Hackers'. It is strange that you did indeed not meet anyone there, as from what I have been told one would assume that either a man named Fiach or a woman named Adalia is always there. Sometimes a creature who wears a rabbits face instead of a human one comes in and talks to the man called Fiach, so I would like to wager the store is always full. Perhaps you came in at a wrong time. >
Purin's wings twitched for a moment as something hit the side of her head, a soft Whisper, but she quickly ignored it and continued on with her explanation.
< I would most certainly like to meet your two Children, though I am afraid I am quite unskilled with Children. I am used to only being around Master humans such as yourself or in the company of two Elders, the Twins. >
She didn't touch onto the issue of her relationship with KX, as Purin felt going any further might upset the woman even more. she was already wiping away tears from her eyes as she spoke about how sweet it was for their relationship to be that way.
Was something like that really so strange?
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