Yearning and Learning
There’s music, day and night. Where there’s music, there’s dancing.
This isn’t high school prom. People dance, alone, as couples, or in groups. They aren’t awkwardly self-aware or shy about showing their moves, even when those moves are little more than excitable flailing. It’s a celebration, and a relief.
“You’re looking at her,” Alycia comments.
Jason finds that he is, the “her” being Summer Newman. She’s in a bathing suit, the same as the Newman boys: Otto, Mo, and Bill. They went swimming earlier, and are now drying off by the fire and rocking out to the music.
“Sorry.” Jason turns away, and looks back at Alycia with a lopsided smile.
“But you aren’t staring. It’s not the same as when you look at me,” Alycia remarks after a pause, causing Jason’s expression to turn puzzled. “What are you thinking when you look at her? I thought - well, I knew at one time you had feelings - have feelings - I mean–”
Jason cuts her off by slipping closer, and as Alycia stammers, he kisses her quickly, even impishly.
“I know where I want to be,” he says quietly. “And with whom. I guess you could say… I was remembering who I was. Who you were. The dynamic the three of us had. Not lovers, but - catalysts for each other. And friends. You and her. She and I - a friendship when I most desperately needed it. And you and me.”
Alycia lowers her eyes. “A catalyst, is it? Yes. I suppose she - and I - and you - were that to each other. She gave me hope that I could find forgiveness. You gave me a reason to seek that forgiveness and forge a new life.”
She looks up. “But what did I give you?”
Jason’s blue eyes stare back at her, still close enough to interfere with rational thought. “A reason to live. The hope of not turning out like my father. Now that I’m dead - officially - the die is cast. We’re definitely going to find out if I can survive being away from the place I grew up. The son has finally moved out of the father’s house.”
“It remains to be seen if we can sustain a relationship long-term,” Alycia points out, her doubt surfacing again.
Jason grins. “True. For example, there’s something we fundamentally disagree on. But I’m working on it, and you may come round yet.”
Alycia’s eyes widen, as her mind clicks into overdrive computing and reviewing. “What point is that?” she asks finally, in confusion.
“That whether you feel forgiven or not, you deserve all the joy in the world,” Jason says, and leans in. This time, the kiss becomes much more serious.
One person who isn’t looking at Summer or the others is John Black, aka SNOWMAN. One person who is looking at John is Alex Gemini Shelby, aka Comrade X.
Unbeknownst to any of them, Otto, Mo, and Big Bill are looking at the distant pair.
Finally, Otto makes a cautious but calculated call, and invites Summer over. The girl takes a break from her dancing, and joins the Newman huddle.
The big guy lays it down as simply as he can. “Alex over there has a crush on our boy John. He’s as thick as Leo so he’s not clued in. We’re debating pushing things along because that boy needs serious help.”
Summer’s eyes light up like she’s been given a mission from God.
“Do you want me to talk to them? Or him? Or both of them?” she asks, a little too eagerly.
Otto immediately begins second-guessing the wisdom of this move. “How about we just make sure it’d be wise,” he suggests.
“No,” is Mo’s verbal essay on the subject.
“Maybe it’s best if we don’t set 'em up, so to speak.” This from Big Bill. “Maybe, hmm, a bit of a push. But I’m not rightly sure what’s wise here.”
Summer thinks, and finally speaks. “I think we may be making a mistake in comparing him to Leo. Yes, John’s memories are Leo’s up to a point. But he’s diverged, the way Aria and I diverged. Let’s ask ourselves what we know, not about Leo, but about John Black.”
The others look at each other, then back to Summer. Otto grins. “See, this is why I knew you’d be the one to ask. Okay. I was closest to him during his recovery. He’s thinkin’ a lot about family stuff - the Rossum situation, y’know - and his role in that. ‘I am a weapon’, I heard him say. He’s gone big on self-modification. Being in a carbon shell put him on the anvil and he’s reforged himself.”
“Maybe a physical manifestation of a desire for self-reliance? I’m just guessing, but hear me out.” Summer taps her bottom lip with a fingertip. “But it feels like he’s building himself into the thing Leo built us to be - unbreakable family - and he’s just cutting out the relationships part, because he doesn’t like himself - doesn’t feel like he can be accepted, because he’s become what Leo rejected. Hmm. How to crack that armor…”
She glances briefly at the other person in this equation, and asks another question. “What do we know about Alex?”
Otto snorts. “That one’s easy. They’re making bids for connection - watch this show, check out this thing I like - like me because I like this cool thing.”
Summer nods. “Alycia was like that a lot. She’d ask me to watch television shows about sword crafting and stuff. But she was the one initiating the bid for connection. I saw it for what it was and went along with it. And I think that really helped us. But how…”
A thought smacks her in the face and she gasps. “Oh! Of course. We need John to make bids for connection about things he likes. Alex is a big techie, right? They’ll probably glom onto the same things John likes - mecha anime and things like that.”
She turns to Mo and Bill. “Rest assured that this isn’t romantic meddling. Even if nothing like that comes of this, shared hobbies would bring them together in other positive ways. Am I right? Is that okay with the both of you?”
The other robots have to admit that it is.
Summer rubs her hands together and continues to scheme aloud. “Good, good. Perfect. This is going to turn out so well.”
Otto looks at Bill and Mo with trepidation. The three share a thought. What have we gotten ourselves into?