Hickory

A Day Off

"How did you sleep, Detective?" Nines asked as he joined him in the car. Reed kept his eyes on the road and hoped he wasn't looking too closely. He'd slept the worst he had in a long while. He'd gotten used to having Nines there as a sort of reassurance, knowing that if he had a nightmare, he'd pull him out of it. Last night, he'd barely been able to drift for half an hour at a time, too worried about falling asleep and getting trapped in a bad dream. It had also been too damned quiet. Every little noise caught his attention, wondering if someone else was in the apartment or hanging around his door. Since he'd gotten so used to Nines being there, the background noise of the apartment unsettled him. It didn't bother him before, but the noises now startled him from the edge of sleep.

"Fine." He hoped Nines wasn't scanning him. If he was scanning, he didn't say anything about the lie. "I thought we could park up around the Plaza and look around there," he added quickly, forcing a change of subject. Nines agreed easily, having never looked around the Plaza before. He knew there were many shops in the square and surrounding mall, but there had been no reason for him to actually go there to see for himself.

The area was full of life, human and android alike. The old android parking shelters had been removed and replaced with benches or sheltered seating areas, and the old human only signs had been removed from all areas. Humans and androids were now going up and down the stairs and escalators together, and the buses had been fully opened up. No more segregation. There was even a small android-run stall outside the large shopping mall where one could buy thirium slushies. Noting the direction of Nines' gaze, Reed walked over and bought one. He tapped his card on the payment point and handed the cold plastic cup across.

"Thank you," Nines said curiously as he examined the semi-frozen drink. He sucked the straw, eyebrows raising as he noted the mixture of tiny ice fragments and cool liquid. It was a most pleasant texture combination. Reed watched almost fondly as he tested the drink. Silvery eyes widened in something akin to mild delight and surprise as he crunched the ice in a way that made Reed's teeth ache from just watching. He soon returned the straw to his mouth and sucked lightly as they walked along and examined the shops. They went slowly, giving Nines the chance to fully analyse and take everything in.

There was a large Cyberlife store, fully repaired and upgraded, ready for business. It offered a range of services, including repairs and upgrades, but remained relatively empty despite being manned mostly by android staff. A lot of androids were still distrustful of the brand, even though both Markus and Elijah had come together to assure them otherwise. Over the past few months, announcements had been made about new features in development for older android models. Things to bring them up to date with the later generations. That wasn't something Nines needed to look at yet, but it was interesting to know.

Reed led the way further into the shopping mall, where an escalator took them up to the second floor. There were more shops circling the area, many of them offering different clothing options. Reed was slow as he walked along, looking closely at all the different styles. As Nines followed, he noted that a lot of them weren't his usual style. They were a little too snug and formal for the slightly scruffy detective. Reed paused by a somewhat formal shop and led the way inside, taking his time as they browsed the various items on offer. There was a sale rail that still had a lot of winter tops, including some snug turtlenecks made of a soft woollen material.

"What do you think?" Reed asked as he held up a black one against his larger chest. Nines tilted his head curiously. Were they shopping for him? It wasn't like he required more clothing. His Cyberlife uniform was almost indestructible. It was hard-wearing, waterproof, and easily cleaned. Androids didn't sweat, so his clothes wouldn't get dirty like a human's. He looked at the top, finding that Reed had chosen one that matched his larger body size. It would certainly fit, but what purpose did it serve?