SEQUENTIAL ━ Connor // RK800 ✔️

fifteen ━ one good choice

• • •

Connor knew, had tension been a physical, solid apparition, then he would have been able to cut with a knife through the air between Mia and her father.

However, if he had to see some bright side to the situation at all, he's admit that he was learning a lot about human interactions by watching their cold approach to their own, all from an outsider's point of view — like how the two tea cups now bound to grow cold on the table they had sat down at in order to face each other were nothing but some sort of unspoken courtesy to show they were willing to talk eventually, but not any time soon. There was a certain phase of staring to their reunion, nothing quite like what Connor had expected to see, especially after taking a good look at that board on his daughter's achievements Alan Wilkins' has kept in Mia's untouched room.

"So it's true then?" Alan became the first to break the hallowed hesitance between them, as well as their eye contact, his eyes dropping instead to his own untouched cup of tea. Connor had remained ignored by the man from the moment Mia had made their presence known to a future unforseen but definitely not any time soon — he noticed the human make a considerable effort not to acknowledge the presence of an android at the corner of his eyes.

"Is that how low you think of me?" Mia couldn't fake being surprised by the accusation, just like she couldn't hide her hurt.

"You have always been a troublemaker," her father argued with the sort of calm which could easily be read as superiority. Clearly, given the way her hands clenched into fists under the table and over her knees, Mia did not enjoy the meaning to that tone. "Old habits die hard," Alan added fuel to a growing fire and Connor could do nothing but watch how this man led Mia to an unavoidable emotional outburst. Interfering has crossed Connor's mind, but he could see no good outcome resulting out of such a choice, not when they still needed to use the man's phone and make sure he won't use it himself to call the cops on them the second they leave.

"Troublemaker," Mia spat that word out with a bitter smile taking over her lips.

"Isn't it true?"

"I've been gone for years and this is what you want to tell me?" She expected more. Seeing that he had kept track of her achievements and her life had given Mia too much hope where there had never been any in the past — falling for a lie had unavoidably left her heart bruised and now, his words were poking at her scabs to make her bleed.

"It is when you come back to my doorstep only to run from yet another case of Mia's mistakes claiming their due," Alan said in the same manner one would list the ingredients off of the back of a hand soap bottle — bored. Connor narrowed his eyes upon realizing her father believed Mia to be predictable in that moment. "Did you even think of what you were doing when you broke inside my house? Or do you let the android do the thinking for you too?"

Good, Connor couldn't help but think. At least he knows I exist.

"It's my house too, as far as money gone into it are concerned," Mia narrowed her eyes, nothing but a last resort ploy to make sure she won't start crying there and then. "And you better leave Connor out of this."

"Why should I?" Alan countered. "It's clearly a big part of your life. Did you think it was alive? Is that why you stole—?"

Mia slammed her left fist on the table, "I didn't steal him from CyberLife!" Her tone suddenly raising to a shout required her to take a deep breath first before returning to a normal conversation. Her fist unclenched and her palm spread on the surface of the table. "Why would I steal anything from the company of the man who saved me? I've been framed, not that you'd ever care about hearing my side of the story. All I am to you is a 'troublemaker' after all. One not even worth the time it takes to pick up the damn phone and fucking answer."