No answer.
“What does Garnet’s presence gain you? Is it just because she’s cleaning the ship? You’ve never cared before. As much as you claim the Humility as your body, you aren’t actually this ship. You don’t care about the grime on the walls.”
No answer.
“So, what else does she bring?” Tanin thought about it for a moment, considering him carefully. Not fully understanding why Garnet would catch his interest. Unless-
“It’s not about Garnet, is it? It’s the other one. Goldie. You’re interested in Goldie.”
Alred’s form flickered again.
“If I keep Garnet, Goldie is more likely to stay. Those two are clearly a package deal. So, that’s your only way to keep her here. But why?”
He flickered, transparency increasing.
“You said it yourself. You have no cock. You don’t feel sexual desire. So, why…”
“There is more to love and mating than sex.” Alred’s voice was soft. Almost subdued.
“Alred, you are a computer program.”
“I know that…”
“She is biological, even if you are not.”
“I know that!”
“So, what is-”
“I don’t know!” Alred’s form glitched completely before reforming. “I’m aware it’s stupid. I’m aware that we can’t… That I can’t…”
Tanin cocked his head. Staring at him as the strained silence strung out between them. “So, why?”
Alred twitched. “I just… want to be near her. She’s lovely. Is that not enough…?”
“For you, maybe. What about her? What about what she needs? She’ll never be able to hold you in her arms. She’ll never be able to touch you. You can’t give her anything. You are the only one of us who can’t get a new identity, so you’d never be able to claim her openly.”
“I know all that,” Alred growled.
Hegrowled.
Tanin stared at him, surprised. That wasn’t just a gruffer, angrier voice. That was a real growl. The kind that formed deep in the chest. The kind that expressed more than just anger.
The kind that sounded purely physical.
Tanin stared at him. The sound cut off and Alred stared back. The silence stretched again, long and surprised, as they looked at each other.
“Your kind growls?” Tanin asked.
“I… I don’t…”
Alred flickered. It had been so long since he had been a biological person, he didn’t know what his kind did or did not do. Tanin honestly didn’t even know what a biological undroitt even looked like. He didn’t think it was this faceless, featureless, person Alred projected – but then again, maybe it was, he had no way of knowing. But he’d known Alred for years and never heard him growl before.
Tanin turned his head. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you? Goldie, I mean.”
No answer.
“Why?”
