The 'Talk' Who: Cassie and Talia Where: Shooting Star Comics - basement When: Friday, April 9th
Cassie Allen almost never swore. But when she took a moment to think about all the chaos that was unfolding because she got caught up in her own affairs? One word came to mind: "...shit."
After talking to Bette, she knew Talia knew part of the story now: technically the hardest part to believe. But she'd promised the girl answers... now it was time to deliver. She had Xander working upstairs, and asked Talia to meet her downstairs in the gaming room (basically? The basement). Now she sat there, waiting, hoping this could possibly end well.
Talia made her way downstairs slowly, a lot of questions buzzing through her fast mind. She was smart enough that she could piece together most of it, but still, presumption was the mother of all fuck ups.
She smiled when she spotted Cassie and stuffed her hands in the back of her jeans, "Hi."
"Heh. Talia. Hi. Um... So... Robots, huh? Awesome stuff there..." To say Cassie was nervous there would be quite possibly the understatement of the YEAR. "I'm... kinda hoping you haven't told anyone anything you saw, or that Bette told you..."
"Who would believe me, anyway?" Talia replied with a shrug. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," she promised. "I just need to know the how's and why's, if, uhm, it doesn't make you entirely uncomfortable."
"How it makes me feel is irrelevant right now. You *deserve* answers, Talia. Just... ask me anything you wanna know." The little blonde fidgeted slightly, obviously nervous.
"A part of me wants to know how the 'real' Bette died, but it's... not going to change how I feel, or anything." She sighed and paced the length of the room. "You must be very smart. Much more than I could have expected. How... How did you do it?"
"Its... an ability I have. I can read something and automatically know it by heart." She blushed, "and back in Sunnydale, I knew a guy who could build these, and I kinda got a copy of his blueprints. And I'd been wanting to try it because..." She blushed, embarrassed. "I needed a friend who would always need me."
"H-uh," Talia said to the first part. She had eidetic memory, as well. Only, with a mind that functioned like a computer? She was able to maintain information indefinitely. "I, uh, I can understand that. It shouldn't have worked as well as it did, though," she pointed out.
"No, and that's the part that's got me confused. The one Warren built had a personality, and occasionally showed SIGNS of sentience, but nothing even remotely CLOSE to what Bette has. My personal theory, and... Please, stay with me here..." She took a lonnng sigh, "ok. Last year, a spell was cast that gave every girl in the world with the potential to be a vampire slayer that exact power. Please, don't ask. Well, that's some heavy duty magic, and my suspicion? Well... It was cast at almost the same time that I was using the spell that assists with helping this robot-stuff go down. I think somehow the small spell fed off the big one, and this happened. Literally, a one-time event."
Talia nodded slowly. One good thing about her? She processed new information well. "She said there was a concern about losing her sentience if her battery died..." This was clearly a worry of Talia's.
"Yeah. We don't know if the sentience thing is... fixable, should anything happen to it. To her." Cassie looked scared in her own right. "Bette's the closest thing to a real sister I've ever had. I love her."
"Then we'll just have to take care of her then, won't we?" Talia replied. Since hey, she was in it for the long haul now.
"We?" Cassie blinked, starting to put two and two together. She knew Bette and this girl were at least friends, but... "You're... fallin' for her, huh." She felt a little twinge of sadness, understanding all too well how alone the girl must feel.
Talia looked away, since she really didn't know how to answer that. Was she? Instead, she said: "...We have a lot in common. I'm not a robot, but... I guess the term is 'technopath'?" Maybe telling Cassie this might make her more at ease.
"Wow... I've heard of that. That's kinda the coolest thing I've ever heard of, actually." Cassie smirked, as if putting certain things together. "It explains her draw to you. The first time you guys met she didn't shut up about you all weekend."
"Oh, I would've thought that was for my charming personality, more than anything," Talia replied with a smirk, finally finding her humour again. "But all weekend? Seriously?"
"Yeah. It wasn't like a creepy thing or anything, she just kept like... seeing a comic and saying 'I bet Talia would like this one' or 'if Talia heard me complaining about this she'd probably laugh', stuff like that." Cassie grinned. "She's really... excited about you. I've never seen her like this."
Well now, didn't that make Talia feel all warm inside? And okay, a little on the outside, too, as her cheeks flushed. She wasn't really used to the whole 'showing emotion' thing. She was usually as cool as a cucumber. Heh. "Sorry, I just... I kind of want to gush. I don't gush."
"So? Gush away. This is ME. Not like I have anywhere better to be." The tiny blonde said with a laugh. "Besides, we all need a little happy sometime."
"Not me, usually," Talia replied with a brief laugh. Self-depricating humour? Sure! Why not! "Besides, I think it'd just be weird talking about that stuff with her 'sister', but... I am willing to argue with you, or, erm, discuss with you annnnnnnything else."
"Oh pleeeeease. It'd be like complimenting my handiwork. Think of it that way. Seriously... Bette deserves this." Cassie reached over then, patting the other girl on the back. "Gush away."
"Oh yeah, 'cause that's not stroking your ego." Talia giggled. "But no, I think I'll keep it to myself." Poor girl, she could talk about comic books until the end of the earth. Her own feelings? Muuuuch harder.
"Hrm." It occurred there to Cassie that in some ways, TALIA seemed more like the robot. "Have it your way..." Then she paused, "so... You said you have an ability similar to mine?"
"Technopath," Talia confirmed with a nod. "Communication with electronics, and erm, eidetic memory. I just... remember things well. I guess they go hand in hand. My parents had me studied for the whole memory thing, but... being a lab rat kinda sucked." She shrugged.
"My god..." Cassie,right there, had her first ever breathless moment. "Can you imagine what you and I could do together? The things we could create?"
Talia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Good, helpful things, yes? Not that I'm against world domination, but one has to work their way up."
"Of course I meant good things!" The little blonde squeaked, almost mortified at the thought of anything else. "I was thinking, like, things that could help my friends fight the darkness. The evil. Protect them against it."
"Oh." Talia blinked. "I guess that sounds reasonable." She grinned then. "You have to see my study, then. Wall-to-wall computers jacked in to everything. Cameras, databases. No traces on them. It's beeeautiful."
"Girl... Together? I think we could truly be a force to be reckoned with." Cassie said with a wicked grin. "The meek shall inherit the earth indeed."