Metal and Bone | A Rainbow Quest AU

Chapter 19 - Familiar Findings

[Sabre's POV]

...

I'm back in that weirdly furnished hospital room, the one that looks like a little kid's room.

Tiny me is sitting in front of Origin, who looks like he's playing with him. Alaric is standing nearby, talking to someone on the phone. A few minutes later, Alaric hangs up and walks over to Origin and tiny me.

"Who was that, Alaric?" Origin asks, placing in front of tiny me a teddy bear with a blue patch on its left arm and a pink patch on its side.

The plush is kind of big compared to tiny me, almost the same size, but tiny me latches onto it regardless and hugs it tight. Tiny me starts babbling to it soon enough.

"Oh, that was one of my friends." Alaric replies, sitting down next to Origin. "I've arranged with him and another friend for them to bring their sons over in two days."

"Why are they coming over?" Origin says, still watching tiny me as he plays with the teddy bear.

"Well, Sabre here will get lonely if he doesn't have any friends." Alaric answers. "Humans are a social species, so isolating them at a young age like his isn't really the best idea. Besides, my friends' sons have been excited to meet him. Whenever I visit my friends' houses, they always want to hear all about Sabre and how he's doing."

"But I'm here. Am I not a good friend for Sabre?" Origin says, and Alaric puts his hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, no no no, Origin. That's not what I'm meaning. You are something different, something closer than a friend." Alaric says. "I thought you've realized by now, given his nickname for you and how he acts towards you, but I'm very sure that Sabre sees you more as his brother."

Origin pauses, looking down at his hands. He looks... conflicted.

"I..." Origin starts. "I still do not know how to fe- process... that."

"Origin, I know what you were about to say." Alaric says, smiling. "You can just say that's how you feel, I know you have a wide range of emotions due to your partial sentience. I gave you that for a reason."

"I am not used to the idea that I am a mechanical being with... thoughts, and such other things." Origin says, staring at his hands now. "It seems... unnatural in me."

"Well, that's not a bad thing." Alaric says, taking his hand off Origin's shoulder. "In fact, unnatural can be as much of a good thing as natural. The only difference between them, really, is the context behind them."

Origin looks at Alaric, seeming a little confused.

"But... in my database of definitions of such things, 'natural' and 'unnatural' are the same as the concept of 'good' and 'evil'. This information clashes." Origin says, tilting his head a little. "I do not understand."

"Well, let me put it like this..." Alaric begins. "Those definitions are a way of thinking in a black-and-white mindset. The stereotypical or default ideas that everyone is taught in their first few years in the world. However, as everything grows and changes, people can start to realize throughout their lives that this way of thinking isn't really all that correct. After all, just black and white being all you can see becomes... depressing, after a little bit. People that choose this perception change are also choosing what colors to add to the picture of their viewpoint, changing the way they expect, think of, act, spend their time, and so much more. Those colors they are choosing represents what context they add into their mindset towards specific topics."