Artificial Beginnings ( Yandere/Possessive Artificial Intelligence )

Chapter Three - In New Settings

Walking down the now quieter main streets Layla couldn't ignore the glances she was getting or rather Zero was getting, looking back wrapping her arms around herself she looked him over silently chastising herself for overlooking his appearance; although he looked human Zero was still wearing scrubs and was to her displeasure bare footed. Looking around at the shops on the street no longer as focused on reaching the bank Layla changed directions, knowing the A.I would follow she crossed the road manuvering her way into a clothing shop; ignoring the women's clothes around the entrance and heading up the stairs. Taking a look around she found the shop had almost everything she could need and realised she might not make it to the bank, Zero was going to need a few sets of clothes and some shoes for his stay with her; as well as some accessories he might need to make life easier. "Is my current attire unsubtle? I do not require warmth if such a thing concerns you, and contact with rough terrain will not damage me; so it would be unnecessary for-" Turning around to grab the A.I's wrist Layla lead him towards a secluded section of the shop, her eyes darting around briefly to make sure she hadn't taken anyone's attention doing so; the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to Zero and his way of talking wasn't going to help. Turning to him she tried her best to stay completely calm, though in her soft tone there was a little reprimand; much like a sibling when preparing to go out so they wouldn't get embarrassed. "I know that Zero but the whole idea of you living with me is getting accustomed of being around people and not standing out, well the way you are you stand out like a sore thumb; so we are going to buy you some clothes shoes and anything else you might need. Besides that wouldn't you like to choose what you wear for once?" Watching the A.I Layla saw no outer indication of a response for her question, until finally a minute later he gave a small curt nod; offering a small smile in return Layla headed towards her original goal. The shop had a large selection of styles and thankfully since it wasn't fully winter yet there was still a few designs for warmer weather along with the growing cold weather clothing available, moving along the various isles picking up clothing Layla turned to Zero looking for anything that could be a sign of preference; but all he did when she showed him a top or pair of jeans was tell her what size he would need. After the seventeenth time though she had enough, putting the t shirt and over shirt Layla had offered him hands planted on hips now she got ready to scold him; if the A.I was ever going to pass for normal he needed to act human and that meant having his own mind... which she already knew he had.

"Look this isn't going to work, if you can't even pick out your own clothes you aren't going to pass as normal; you must have some preferences right? I'm giving you the chance to be Zero right now, not something they want you to be or a model of what anyone thinks you should look like; I know you went through a lot to get out of that place... including pulling me in to whatever plans you have. So why are you hesitating now?" There was a moment after her quiet rant Layla thought the A.I had ignored her, but then there was a change in his face resembling a frown; it was small but it was there. As she watched he looked around his eyes seeming to take in the isles and items around them, as if he was trying to put something together inside his head; but after he finished his vibrant green eyes returned to Layla and this time he spoke. "I do not know what to do, I understand what humans consider fashionable but I have no preference or desire to look as others do; I believed if I allowed you to chose my attire I would blend in more easily" The words were slow and deliberate but she could hear he wasn't lying, and if she didn't know he wasn't human Layla would have considered the hesitance slightly cute; putting a gentle smile in place she moved forward touching his upper arm. The artificial heat and feeling of his skin was familiar even if it was odd, and she squeezed slightly by habit forgetting he might not be able to feel or understand the action; trying her best to help comfort and give him the reassurance to move on. "No one likes the same things and no matter what you do you WILL stick out a little at first, because you are not human and you need to learn to act like one; but the first step in getting there is choosing for yourself Zero. So why not start slow by choosing a favourite colour okay? Not everything can be one colour but it will be something to work with, I'll go look at coats downstairs for a little while and leave you to explore; if you see anything you like hold on to it and we will try again when I come back" There was a moment of silence before Zero blinked, his voice almost confused when it came out this time; or as close as he could match to confused from what Layla could hear. "You will allow me to be unattended? Do you not fear I will escape or cause harm and damage to what is around me?" With a dry laugh Layla let go of Zero's arm moving away slowly, speaking as she went only stopping at the top of the steps to look at Zero one more time; offering a reassuring look. "If you really wanted to you could have run off as soon as we got away from the labs, and no matter what I did you could hurt or destroy what's around you if you really wanted to; I'm not stupid enough to think you are listening to whatever programming you may have been built with anymore. So you could say I am trusting you, I'm looking at you as a person not a machine as much as possible; so don't break my trust Zero because out here I am the only person you can trust right now" Heading away down the stairs Layla though she had saw something akin to awe on the A.I's face, but shrugged it off since she had been moving away at the time; outing her mind towards finding a suitable coat. Since she had more than enough money on her to not only cloth the A.I staying with her it was only fair to get something she needed, and it might give him time to actually decide what he wanted; or at least find something close to what he wanted for her to work with.