I: Cairo001 - Tumblr Posts
cvairo:
date & time : october 31st, 8:20pm location : masquerade ball; ballroom status : with @curiouscalculations
Once, Cairo would have taken to the ballroom floor and danced until her shoes felt every inch of the polished floor. She would have dressed in flowers — warm, approachable colors that brought out the roses in her cheeks — and smiled and drunken red wine late into the night. This, after all, was the way of her people. Seen and heard, glittering and loud, because they had wealth to boast and a lot to say. But Cairo was changed, and a little bit off. She could still fit in with these people, lithe and deceptively powerful, like a bouquet of fireplace matches in a neat, glass bottle. But she attracted a different kind of attention now, and Cairo could only take so many blue-blooded Synthetics sharing glances with her, smiling knowingly as if to say: we’re better than them all.
And so, Cairo did nothing to disguise the raging tempest behind in her eyes. She was black hole incarnate and it wasn’t safe to stare. Her dress full of stars was no longer charming, but horribly intimidating, like the feeling of gazing into the mouth of the cosmic unknown. Wisely, people turned away, and Cairo was left on her own to survey the throng of dancers and drinkers, all herded into one extravagant cage where their hands and bodies came together in stupid bliss. She was only waiting to leave.
Her gaze stopped suddenly on a pair of outlandishly decorated synthetics, thin-bodied, purple-eyed, and tall. They were talking very quickly amongst themselves and prodding the Concord’s young android with nosey fingers that Cairo suddenly fantasized ripping from their sockets. One of them grabbed DATA’s arm painfully and lifted it to show their companion the mechanism of his elbow. “It’s so fluid,” she heard them say. “I’ve never seen such an efficient joint system, notice its rotation.”
Cairo was upon them in an instant. “Fascinating,” she said, “How exciting it can be to play with things that don’t belong to you.”
Their eyes met hers sheepishly, and DATA was released. They didn’t deserve her thanks, so she offered them none, only nodded and ushered Theon’s pet to her side before walking away. At a safe distance, she spoke to DATA. This time her voice was soft. “Don’t feel as though you have to please strangers, alright? You’re made for more important things than that.”
It unnerved him to be surrounded by so many strangers.
Separated from the comfort of his creator and the reassuring presence of a close friend, both distracted by various patrons attending the party – DATA was left on his own. In a sea of strangers whose only credibility was tied to that of the Benefactor, being alone was the last thing the android wished to be. However, he did not want to bother Theon with his uneasy, and Eretria was no doubt off to find the fellow crewmember that had stolen her affection – a scene his presence would be unwelcome in. Still unfamiliar with independence, DATA did his best to blend in with the crowd. When people sent skeptical gazes and curious glances his way, he met them with a learned smile filled with polite friendliness. It did not take long for one of those he had made awkward eye contact with to approach him, a woman trailing in the wake of a confident gate of a synthetic man. Panic shot through his frame, but DATA could not find the courage to move under the watchful gaze of the decorated synthetics approaching him.
“My, my, my,” the woman said, her gaze roving over his tense form. “He really wasn’t lying when he said you looked so… organic. Not something you typically expect from an android made in a shut-in’s basement.”
Confusion overtook his expression at the stranger’s intimate knowledge of his creation. What had the Benefactor told them – and how did he know such information in the first place? Before he could voice any inquiries or attempt an introduction, their cold hands were prodding his form. Unwilling to cause a commotion with his own discomfort, DATA allowed them to maneuver his limbs as they gleefully awed over the pristine condition he appeared to be in.
“It’s so fluid,” the man exclaimed as he lifted DATA’s arm to demonstrate the elbow joint Theon had only repaired days ago. A painful wince brought clenched teeth and a sharp glare over his features. Quickly swallowing the sour expression under the persuasion of an unwillingness to appear rude, DATA allowed the pair to bend his arm in various directions as their excitement grew. “I’ve never seen such an efficient joint system, notice its rotation.”
Before the synthetics could continue their invasion, a savior in the form of the ship’s cook appeared. He fled to her like a lost child, eager for the comfort and safety of her strong embrace. Unable to look back at the grumbling pair with anything short of shame, DATA simply shifted closer to Cairo and allowed her to lead him away from the still growing crowd inhabiting the ballroom. Although he refused to meet her eyes – too ashamed at his own helplessness – DATA nodded along with her words.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “I didn’t – I don’t understand these people.”
