bulletbiter | spellbind ic inbox

[For a few days now, he's found himself puzzling over something as he works on renovating the abandoned house west of base camp and scouting the area. And the more he thinks on the matter, the less sure he becomes.

There are very few with whom he's spoken of personal matters, and in this case, fewer who might understand why he's grappling with something perhaps terribly mundane. But he thinks Julius will.

The man at once understands what the human mindset is, and that of a weapon, and so...]

Hey, Julius? Could I maybe...ask you what someone means when they want to know how important they are to you?

I'm not really sure if it's a quantitatve or qualitative sort of question.

[ Julius is unsurprisingly in the garden, trying to use his powers on the plants that have taken root there. Thus his reply comes a little later, still fringed with static at the edges - though it is very slight, indicative of a state of healthy control (or as healthy as it can be).

The question, though... ]

I find that context is important. May I ask who said it to you?

I'm not sure I should say, but...a friend? Does that help at all?

[He doesn't doubt that Julius would keep the matter to himself, but even so, 9S was never the most forthright. Not when it concerned him. Not when something was potentially loaded like this seems to be. Maybe he's just overthinking it, but he's really not sure.

And that's what it all comes down to, really]

[ It doesn't, but then again that is impacted by his own lack of experience in this matter. There may be more layers of complexity, but he had not had to deal with them - thus, it is in the simplest way that he will answer: ]

I suppose they wanted to know how much you cared for them. Friends are important to each other, after all.

I think it is supposed to be qualitative. Such things such as 'caring' is hard to count in numbers.

[At least he has feedback from someone he considers a more knowledgeable source, though he isn't sure still yet what the right answer to such a question is.

Julius' answer does seem to fit though. Jude had said he wondered if he was important to 9S as he had become to him, so that must be it]

Do humans often state those things to each other? YoRHa don't really... To me it makes sense to protect people when they matter, rather than...

I'm not sure what friends say for this.

[ He can follow 9S' argument, for it is practical - it was one he had struggled with some time back. But it can be explained. ]

Not very often. Some humans care not for others, while some other humans care for those around them very much. Humans are fickle in that way.

It seems more as an affirmative of your friendship, than actually questioning your desire to protect others. It would make anyone happier to be appreciated with these sorts of gestures.

[ Possibly? Probably? ]

You think so? I couldn't really tell if it was the sort of answer he was looking for.

[And 9S is good at reading his environment, whether it's the scenery or the people around him. But in this case, he feels as though he's missing information in a way that's difficult to apprehend.

Regardless, Julius' reasoning seems sound to him]

If someone important asked you something like that, how would you answer?

[ Ah, so it was a he. Julius can guess vaguely at who. ]

I'm not sure. I haven't had this question asked of me before. However, I would answer honestly, that I would protect them. Telling the truth is the best policy, I find.

[It makes enough sense, and there carries with his answer a sense of affirmation]

Yeah, you're right. Maybe I don't know what sort of answer is "right" but if I mean what I say...hopefully that's enough.