Phoenix - the Insilico tales - chapter 7 - "Three Datapoints"
Phoenix was grateful that Genya had made time to speak to her. She watched his hunched gait as he led them to a quiet place to talk, and was silently amazed how he managed to get around, setting up food stands all over the city, catering parties, and helping Joah at the Bowl.
Genya peered into a bin of plushies in a local manga shop in West "So what did you want to talk about dear?"
Phoenix drew a breath, even though her speech system would not need it, and began, "I found in dealing with 3 separate people lately a disturbing pattern emerging." She took a step and looked down at her boot. "The first is Sayer. He has become infatuated with me, to the extent that he desires cybernetic upgrades in order to be more like me. This shocks and saddens me, and I've felt I need to distance myself from him in order to protect him from losing his humanity."
Genya considered for a moment, scratched his head, then spoke, "He may simply be smitten by you.."
Phoenix looked down, and a series of fiberoptic cables lining running along the narrow seams between the plates on her face lit up with a soft rose glow, emulating a blush.
Genya continued "And perhaps thinks that by getting upgrades he could relate to you more.."
"I understand, but it is having a destructive effect."
Genya rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Hmm.. in that particular case you might have to have a conversation with him so there are no points of confusion.."
Phoenix took another step, looking at a different selection of books and novelties "The second is Rema."
Genya nodded "Oh yes, the rather outspoken miss.."
"She was my friend, but doesn't seem to understand how happy I am to be accepted by Tokuma, and has become angry to the point of causing a disruption. And so, with her, again, I feel the need to break off the friendship in order to protect her from being arrested." Phoenix said, turning and facing Genya, shrugging helplessly.
"Hmmm... You should perhaps just consider giving her some time and space.. That's a little bit different from the first case dear."
Phoenix' hope surged at the thought that the pattern she thought she was seeing might not be there, "In what way?"
"Well the first is more about the emotional response to you as a being. Rema's is more derived from a distrust of corporations.. or well any authority figures really now that i think about it..", he considered, scratching his head again, "in this case, it will ultimately come down to whether she can see you beyond a label that she has associated with you with..and whether she can overcome the idea that her worldview may not be.....well not necessarily incorrect, but incomplete.."
Phoenix sighed with frustration, and ran her fingers through her hair, "The third is Joah. The more we talk, the worse it seems to get. First she would not trust us until she knew where Cait was. Then she knew where Cait was, but decided not to trust the information. Then when she received a message from Cait directly, her problem became something else. It's as if she's casting about for a reason to hate.", Phoenix looked down sadly, "Which, again, leads me to the conclusion that I should stop talking to her."
Genya fixed his eyes on the cyborg, "ah but Phoenix, she's only a teenager.. She's young and idealistic and does not know the ways of the world. If there is anyone you should continue to talk to its her. She's the one most likely to change and grow."
Genya patted her affectionately on the head, "Life isn't about hiding from the world dear..its about engaging with it.."
Phoenix continued, frustration evident on her face "It just feels like when i talk to her, it's poisonous. I'm a healer by nature. To feel like I am poisonous is a burden I cannot bear."
Genya shrugged and smiled "It may be that the manner in which you are speaking to her is incorrect. Sometimes you just have to change the approach.. You already know she has an opinion,even if its not rationally grounded. You also know that challenging her on that without undeniable proof its wrong will only anger her and make her more grounded into her position. So you might want to try something different than a direct argumentative approach.."
"That's difficult for me." Phoenix reflected, wondering about the extent to which her mind still functioned as an AI. "Can you give me an example of another approach?"
"Actions tend to speak louder than words. Language is imprecise, and for those who debate and argue there's always a feeling that the other person may simply be a better debater but that their original position is still correct. You and I can sit around all day for instance, debating whether or not a substance in a cup if flammable, or you can toss it on the ground, throw a match, and see what happens."
Phoenix nodded. "That does make sense. All the breakthroughs I've had with Joah were centered around action."
The old man smiled, "Its something you cant really rush or control dear. You simply have to wait patiently for the right opportunity.."
Phoenix repeated to herself, "patience..."
-------------------
In the days that followed, Phoenix would reconcile with Sayer and Rema. Sayer was mortified that he'd upset her, and met her with delighted surprise and a gift of chocolates when she walked into the Skygate Hotel to find him. She would discover that there was much more to Rema than met the eye - that there was an elegance and grace to her that very few people had ever seen, and Phoenix found herself honored to share in that with her.
Joah, on the other hand...
Joah's reconciliation attempt would come, but it came in the form of a begrudged transaction. Phoenix listened to her, spoke as little as possible, and learned a great deal about where she stood with the young human. No apologies were offered. As a condition of their "truce", their relationship would be dissolved. Phoenix was instructed that she was to be no one to Joah. Joah would respect no level of common understanding, no level of familiarity, and denied her even the most casual title of friend. Phoenix listened to the girl put forth her terms in stunned silence, experiencing the terrible and familiar pain of her personhood stripped away and disregarded, and wondered with rising incredulity what their relationship would have looked like had no "truce" been offered or accepted. When she accepted the "truce", it felt like she was closing a door rather than opening one.
Phoenix looked at herself in the mirror - the new face - not the innocent chrome face framed in slightly glowing white hair, but the steel face. Darker, harder. What had Dawn seen in Joah in the first place? Dawn took to the young girl immediately. There was something about her innocence, or vulnerability perhaps? Or was it just the compulsion of her gynoid programming - had she been hardwired to like and seek relationships with others regardless of whether or not they were worth it?
What if it weren't that simple? What if the problem was that Phoenix simply did not have the nobility of character that Dawn had? Phoenix stepped away from the unfamiliar face in the mirror, strode through her empty apartment, past Cait's recharge chair, and looked out a window at the streets below.
"Just where do I stand, anyway?"
Genya peered into a bin of plushies in a local manga shop in West "So what did you want to talk about dear?"
Phoenix drew a breath, even though her speech system would not need it, and began, "I found in dealing with 3 separate people lately a disturbing pattern emerging." She took a step and looked down at her boot. "The first is Sayer. He has become infatuated with me, to the extent that he desires cybernetic upgrades in order to be more like me. This shocks and saddens me, and I've felt I need to distance myself from him in order to protect him from losing his humanity."
Genya considered for a moment, scratched his head, then spoke, "He may simply be smitten by you.."
Phoenix looked down, and a series of fiberoptic cables lining running along the narrow seams between the plates on her face lit up with a soft rose glow, emulating a blush.
Genya continued "And perhaps thinks that by getting upgrades he could relate to you more.."
"I understand, but it is having a destructive effect."
Genya rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Hmm.. in that particular case you might have to have a conversation with him so there are no points of confusion.."
Phoenix took another step, looking at a different selection of books and novelties "The second is Rema."
Genya nodded "Oh yes, the rather outspoken miss.."
"She was my friend, but doesn't seem to understand how happy I am to be accepted by Tokuma, and has become angry to the point of causing a disruption. And so, with her, again, I feel the need to break off the friendship in order to protect her from being arrested." Phoenix said, turning and facing Genya, shrugging helplessly.
"Hmmm... You should perhaps just consider giving her some time and space.. That's a little bit different from the first case dear."
Phoenix' hope surged at the thought that the pattern she thought she was seeing might not be there, "In what way?"
"Well the first is more about the emotional response to you as a being. Rema's is more derived from a distrust of corporations.. or well any authority figures really now that i think about it..", he considered, scratching his head again, "in this case, it will ultimately come down to whether she can see you beyond a label that she has associated with you with..and whether she can overcome the idea that her worldview may not be.....well not necessarily incorrect, but incomplete.."
Phoenix sighed with frustration, and ran her fingers through her hair, "The third is Joah. The more we talk, the worse it seems to get. First she would not trust us until she knew where Cait was. Then she knew where Cait was, but decided not to trust the information. Then when she received a message from Cait directly, her problem became something else. It's as if she's casting about for a reason to hate.", Phoenix looked down sadly, "Which, again, leads me to the conclusion that I should stop talking to her."
Genya fixed his eyes on the cyborg, "ah but Phoenix, she's only a teenager.. She's young and idealistic and does not know the ways of the world. If there is anyone you should continue to talk to its her. She's the one most likely to change and grow."
Genya patted her affectionately on the head, "Life isn't about hiding from the world dear..its about engaging with it.."
Phoenix continued, frustration evident on her face "It just feels like when i talk to her, it's poisonous. I'm a healer by nature. To feel like I am poisonous is a burden I cannot bear."
Genya shrugged and smiled "It may be that the manner in which you are speaking to her is incorrect. Sometimes you just have to change the approach.. You already know she has an opinion,even if its not rationally grounded. You also know that challenging her on that without undeniable proof its wrong will only anger her and make her more grounded into her position. So you might want to try something different than a direct argumentative approach.."
"That's difficult for me." Phoenix reflected, wondering about the extent to which her mind still functioned as an AI. "Can you give me an example of another approach?"
"Actions tend to speak louder than words. Language is imprecise, and for those who debate and argue there's always a feeling that the other person may simply be a better debater but that their original position is still correct. You and I can sit around all day for instance, debating whether or not a substance in a cup if flammable, or you can toss it on the ground, throw a match, and see what happens."
Phoenix nodded. "That does make sense. All the breakthroughs I've had with Joah were centered around action."
The old man smiled, "Its something you cant really rush or control dear. You simply have to wait patiently for the right opportunity.."
Phoenix repeated to herself, "patience..."
-------------------
In the days that followed, Phoenix would reconcile with Sayer and Rema. Sayer was mortified that he'd upset her, and met her with delighted surprise and a gift of chocolates when she walked into the Skygate Hotel to find him. She would discover that there was much more to Rema than met the eye - that there was an elegance and grace to her that very few people had ever seen, and Phoenix found herself honored to share in that with her.
Joah, on the other hand...
Joah's reconciliation attempt would come, but it came in the form of a begrudged transaction. Phoenix listened to her, spoke as little as possible, and learned a great deal about where she stood with the young human. No apologies were offered. As a condition of their "truce", their relationship would be dissolved. Phoenix was instructed that she was to be no one to Joah. Joah would respect no level of common understanding, no level of familiarity, and denied her even the most casual title of friend. Phoenix listened to the girl put forth her terms in stunned silence, experiencing the terrible and familiar pain of her personhood stripped away and disregarded, and wondered with rising incredulity what their relationship would have looked like had no "truce" been offered or accepted. When she accepted the "truce", it felt like she was closing a door rather than opening one.
Phoenix looked at herself in the mirror - the new face - not the innocent chrome face framed in slightly glowing white hair, but the steel face. Darker, harder. What had Dawn seen in Joah in the first place? Dawn took to the young girl immediately. There was something about her innocence, or vulnerability perhaps? Or was it just the compulsion of her gynoid programming - had she been hardwired to like and seek relationships with others regardless of whether or not they were worth it?
What if it weren't that simple? What if the problem was that Phoenix simply did not have the nobility of character that Dawn had? Phoenix stepped away from the unfamiliar face in the mirror, strode through her empty apartment, past Cait's recharge chair, and looked out a window at the streets below.
"Just where do I stand, anyway?"
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