There's a brief pause—a quirked brow, as if surprised that he is being addressed at all. He is so used to being invisible. ". . . I'm good."

Another moment's pause. A struggle, won by the draw of innate curiosity suppressed for too long. He approaches, taking the cube into gloved hand. "You are. . .an engineer?"

It is hard—remembering how to be human.

Engineer, mechanic, inventor. The words blur in the soldier's head; he never had much reason to distinguish them from each other, so he doesn't. He watches instead, mute, as the flower emerges from within the cube. "Pretty," is what he manages, a quiet admission of admiration.

⸻ their most 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 asset.

He wouldn't have noticed it, anyway; too busy putting his palm close to his face, observing the curious little thing. He barely catches the question, to which he blinks, lowers his palm and turns confused gaze to the other. "For me?"

bionic.⠀ mmm contemplating another starter call here

The words ring few bells in his head, but the landscape of his memories is such a traitorous place that there is no way to know for certain. "Sure," he answers quietly, gaze falling back to the gloved fingers clasped on his lap.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ❛ you have a gift. you have power. ⠀ ⠀ and with great power, there must ⠀ ⠀ also come great responsibility. ❜ ⠀

"I like coffee." The admission surprises even him—words that fall out of his mouth unbidden, without even the knowledge of its own truth. Gloved finger poke at the metal flower, careful. "You're very kind."

Небольшого толчка недостаточно. I am still a weapon. A machine.

He blinks slowly, looking up from the flower metal at the other. Memory comes slow, sluggish. The mind is a broken machine. "Cream or. . .what?"

"Cream." He feels the little one's gaze on him; a shift in his seat, uncomfortable, and he's tugging at his jacket sleeves down to meet the edges of his gloves. Too conscious of the weight of metal on his left, the absence of a mask over his face. "You have questions."

"You gave me this." He holds out the metal flower. An exchange is easy enough to undsrstand; a debt, due payment. The soldier straightens. "Ask your questions."