[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Unlike Hayley, her 'other self' seemed to be blessed with unlimited patience. She bid her time for an hour or two until both her and Isaac were sound asleep before slipping away from Hayley's body, taking the form of the shapeless black slime emerging from the shadows. The slime slowly converged around Isaac, sticking onto his skin as the 'other her' began to force her way into his subconscious. She was being cautious enough not to arouse Isaac from his sleep lest he woke up to his body covered in cold, moving and seemingly living black slime. She was also being cautious about Vincent spotting her although she was less discreet with him than she did with Isaac.

[Daxam]

Deep in Isaac's mind, Vincent was watching Isaac's dreams with a bored look on his face. "You've gotta be kidding me," he says. "Even your dreams are an embarrassment! Dreams are supposed to fulfill all your wishes and here you are, just lying there under a tree, holding hands with Hayley! If this were my dream, we'd be--" A sudden sensation stops him mid-sentence, putting all of his senses on high alert. Part of him wants to wake Isaac, but he decides against it, already knowing who it was. "About time you showed up," he says. "I was beginning to think you weren't interested in us."

[Vocalia]

The nameless entity remained silent for a brief moment, processing what she had seen and heard, before responding to Vincent. "I have made minimal attempt to conceal my presence. Your acknowledgement is expected," she answered in a cold, mechanical tone, like a robot speaking out her directives and functions. "Contrary to your personal observation, I still retain full interest in you and Isaac Ryder. However, Hayley is still the primary operator of the organic body and I see few logical reasons to interfere, apart from a few illogical conducts." Recalling that he seemed to be interested in something, the 'other Hayley' asked, "What is it that you are currently observing, this phenomenon called 'dream'?"

[Daxam]

Vincent chuckles and says, "I may be Isaac's opposite, but that doesn't mean I'm an idiot. I had a feeling you'd eventually show up to find out more about him and I. I just didn't know when." Turning toward the 'other Hayley,' he adds, "This isn't meant to be a threat, but a lot of people have died because they underestimated me." Hearing her question, he turns back to Isaac's dream and makes a sound of disgust. "This? It's just Isaac being his usual, wimpy self. Where's the fire, where's the sex, where're the explosions, for crying out loud!?" Realizing she might be asking what a dream really was, he turns back to her and replies, "Basically, a dream is where someone's imagination is given the reins while they sleep, letting them do whatever the hell they want. And Isaac is seriously not using that power to it's fullest!"

[Vocalia]

The nameless and formless entity soon walked out of the shadow, taking on the shape of a moving black pile of sludge. Her voice was the only gender characteristic she had and even it sounded like a distorted echo of Hayley's voice. "According to your observation, a dream is merely a human's repressed desires given tangible form. I do not see such function as being important. However, I currently lack the ability to 'imagine', to put it in your words. Still, you seem to have your bias towards what you deem is an acceptable dream. That is quite intriguing."

[Daxam]

Vincent shrugs and says, "World's full of all kinds of people. To Isaac, this dream of him lying in the grass with Hayley might be perfect. To me, the perfect dream includes death on a large scale and a harem consisting of at least a couple thousand chicks. We all have our own tastes." Sliding his hands into his pockets, Vincent's form being identical to Isaac's, he says, "You know, you could probably change what you look like in here. I don't think you have to stick to that form, unless you really wanna."

[Vocalia]

"I see no reason to rely on physical form for the sake of vanity," the 'other Hayley' replied, "I am a guardian and an observer. I have no need for a definite physical form. Whatever suits my need is what I will turn into." Although the form she was in had no visible eyes, the blob nonetheless began to twist around like a soft, ever-moving clay and asked, "Why do you seem so invested in hedonistic items and why did you pay attention to my physical appearance?"

[Daxam]

Once again, Vincent shrugs and says, "Eh, it's what I do. I can't help who I am. I just love all of the simple pleasures in life, including women. Although their minds are anything but simple." Chuckling, he crosses his arms and says, "Alright, enough about me. Why'd you wanna talk to me? Surely, Isaac or Hayley could answer any questions you have. After all, Hayley's a pretty smart dame and Isaac and I share the same mind. Why seek me out like this?"

[Vocalia]

The moving and constantly changing blob remained silent until she finally gave out her reason. "I find your methodical observation to be most illogical and hedonistic. While Hayley Summerland and Isaac Ryder have prioritized logical facts in their decision-making processes on multiple occasions, you not only disregard logical conclusions, you have also shown excess defiance and expressions of emotion which I detected as stark anomalies in your behavior. Since I cannot properly express this context in any terms I currently have in my database, I will use the term used by the operator to describe my interest. My goal is to "crack your head open and see what makes it tick", in a more rudimentary and socially understandable term."

[Daxam]

By the time the blob in front of him got to the 'crack your head open' part, Vincent was scratching his head in confusion. Hearing that part, however, he nods, finally understanding. "I see," he says. "So, you wanna know why I am the way I am. Alright, that's cool." Suddenly, a chair materializes out of thin air and he sits back in it, sighing contentedly. "Sometimes, being stuck in here isn't so bad, not when you can make anything you want appear," Vincent says. Looking at Hayley's other personality, he says, "Alright, shoot. Ask me questions."

[Vocalia]

The blob stayed in her place for a short while as she compiled her 'research questions', then finally spoke up again, asking Vincent, "What values do you see as your priority? For what reasons do you prioritize these values?" From what Vincent would tell her, the 'other Hayley' would compile that information as a preliminary data to be examined further should the need arise. The way she asked him and the sort of question she asked sounded like something out of a scientific analysis, but it seemed that she had done all this 'research' on her own initiative.

[Daxam]

Vincent looks at the blob for a few moments, thinking about her question. Eventually, he says, "Well, I have a couple things I need to do. I have to keep Isaac here safe, so that way he doesn't get us killed. That's pretty important. I wanna get our memories back, because I hear our old girlfriend was pretty hot, or so I assume. That's about it. Oh, and I wanna own everything I can get my hands on: money, women, etc. But, that seems pretty unlikely, even for me, so I'll just have to settle for the first two things."

[Vocalia]

The black bloc remained silent before replying with a rigid reply, "Information recorded into database. Proceeding with data analysis." Moving her attention back to Vincent, she said to him, "Your expressed desire is to ensure the safety of your operator, Isaac Ryder, but current data shows that you have conducted actions in the past that are contradictory to your stated purpose. Either you have lied or you have different protocols and directives in place that are distinct from mine. Your secondary objective, however, runs in conjunction to Isaac Ryder's primary objective. The recovery of your missing memories should provide answers to my incomplete database about you and your operator, but the provision of these missing information has a probability of altering your functions and objectives. Will you explain these contradictions and further elaborate on your stated functions?"

[Daxam]

"You gotta learn how to loosen up," Vincent says, crossing his arms behind his head. "You sound like a fucking robot. As for those contradictions or whatever, I'm not surprised you think that way. But, I'm not as big of an idiot as people wanna believe. I don't take on anything I know I can't handle. I do what I do to toughen myself and Isaac up so that way we can handle whatever life throws at us. If it weren't for me, Isaac'd be worm food by now."

[Vocalia]

"Your perception of myself is irrelevant. If you perceive my actions as being robotic and not loose, then I have no information to contradict that observation," the blob replied coldly and without an ounce of shock of apprehension. "However, I now have a better understanding of your motives based on your clarification." She then remained silent, perhaps contemplating about something, before speaking up again, "I have recorded your repeated crude comments about my operator, many of which I have systematically categorized as what humans socially refer to as 'compliments'. I have similarly recorded repeated topics on her physical appearance and its attractiveness to you, but you also appear to put a small measured interest in myself. How would you describe the physical and mental appearance of your ideal female human companion?"

[Daxam]

Vincent looks at the blob with an eyebrow raised, wondering if he understood her correctly. Assuming he did, he says, "Well...I guess she has to be funny, not mind that I'm not all there, mentally, have a nice body, long, dark hair, and piercing green eyes." Crossing his arms in front of him, he leans against an invisible wall and asks, "Why do you wanna know?"

[Vocalia]

"I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to benefits of us cooperating together. At the moment, we have a shared goal of keeping our operators alive just as they have a shared goal of surviving and eliminating important threats. I have also observed that humans are more accepting of beings which they can identify with themselves and are more willing to cooperate with them to achieve a shared goal. For that reason, I will construct myself a form of physical vanity which will help enhance your willingness to cooperate." The blob slowly slithered closer to Vincent. "Do you regard this as an acceptable conclusion?"

[Daxam]

Vincent looks at the blob for a few moments, trying to wrap his mind around what she said. Eventually, he answers, "If I understood you correctly, you said that you'll become my dream girl if I work with you in trying to keep Hayley and Isaac alive, right?" He then shrugs and says, "You know what, hit me. Let's see what you got."

[Vocalia]

"Confirmation accepted." The black blob's form slowly began to change. It first formed a general outline of a human body with noticeable curves along the hips and upper torso. Then, it began to solidify its form into that of a buxom, curvaceous woman, standing just two inches taller than Hayley in real life, with lithe fingers and fit muscles to match the body's proportion. Soon, the black shape regained a more natural and human-like color, olive skin replacing the shiny black color. The face and head then began to take shape into that of a Mediterranean race, a pair of glimmering green eyes, as green as the grass of an open plain, revealed underneath the closed eyes as they opened. Long black hair, straight, sleek and as dark as the night sky, adorned her head and grew down to her hips. By the time the transformation was over, the creepy-looking black blob had metamorphosed into a woman of Vincent's wildest dreams, naked and slowly touching herself to test out her new physical form.

[Daxam]

Watching the blob slowly change form, Vincent felt his jaw drop until he was sure it was almost touching the ground, his eyes widening so far, he wondered if his eyelids completely receded into his head. Eventually, he gets over his stupor and closes his mouth as he rubs his eyes, making a double take to make sure he was seeing what he was seeing. Upon confirming that there was a beautiful naked woman right in front of him, he mutters a single word: "Damn..."