Partners [Path Unlocked 🔓]

Chapter 6 - Car Rides and Crappy Conversation Starters

By the time Hank made his way through the security gates and out the huge, glass doors opening to the busy sidewalk beyond, Connor was already halfway down the street and standing alongside a crookedly parked, burgundy hatchback that looked well beyond its glory days. The man was fiddling with something in his hands and mumbling in muttered exasperation under his breath, glaring daggers at his own digits as his breath puffed out in heavy wisps of steam formed by crisp November air.

Though initially too small and obstructed by the detective's fumbling fingers to discern, as Hank began to approach the scene the android was able to identify the item causing Detective Anderson's apparent irritation to be a boxy, silver lighter, the bright metal of the thing catching the diluted light of the overcast evening and glinting joyously in the dim rays. The man's clumsy fingers, likely made inept by the frigid chill of the dropping temperature, fiddled vainly with the thing, running sharply over the small metal wheel of the lighting mechanism to little avail.

"Come on, baby." Connor coaxed softly, his voice carefully quiet and gentle as if he were talking to an abused puppy rather than an inanimate object. "One more time for me." The detective implored the lighter desperately, frowning deeply at the metal box as he fingered a cigarette anxiously in the other hand, rolling the white paper over his finger tips restlessly as his deft fingers rolled over the lighter wheel once more. The object gave a weak spit of flame that died back down the moment it was created, pulling a fresh stream of curses from Connor's bitten lips as he flicked his finger over the metal wheel with renewed vigor, pulling the digit jerkily down time and again with little success.

Finally, however, after a final spluttering attempt, the lighter fooshed into a steady flame, the small cone of yellow orange warmth flickering and wavering in the chilly breeze but remaining strong long enough for Connor to clasp his cigarette between his teeth and bring the fire up to touch against the white paper end. "Thank you so fucking much." The detective praised the lighter that was obviously on its last legs, sticking the thing back into his pocket as gray smoke began to curl up from the lit cigarette and trail away from the man in ebbing whisps.

Under Form Partnership With Connor , a prompt to Reconcile with Connor  sprung into existence, the small white words urging Hank to approach the scene but hesitate a moment before actually moving to enter the car even as Connor pulled open the driver side door. "I didn't know anyone still drove manually operated vehicles." The android stated quickly, hoping to move past the lingering awkwardity still hanging thickly in the air between them by distracting his companion with new and better topics and commenting on the first viable option he saw.

"You should really re-evaluate how much you think a city detective makes." Connor replied rather flatly, his voice not sounding as if it were intended to be cruel but most certainly not in its usual state of openness either. "Because whatever you've got in mind, you're sorely mistaken." The man snorted dryly before climbing inside the car and pulling the door shut behind him with a definitive metal slam.

Something in Hank's lie detection software caught on the words... Not declaring them a falsehood but not necessarily accepting them as truth either. Like it wasn't the whole answer. The android pushed the odd notion away - He'd already gotten off on the wrong foot with the detective, accusing him of a lie likely wouldn't do their trepidatious relationship any favors and, besides, what type of car Connor chose to drive held no pertinence to the mission. It was irrelevant to the android.

Hank followed suit immediately, walking around to the passenger side of the vehicle and pulling the door open smoothly before carefully lowering his body through the metal gateway and neatly into the gray fabric covered seat beyond. The android positioned his bulkily built frame as professionally in the cramped car seat as he could but there was only so much one could do and with his knees pressing painfully into the glove box and his back bent uncomfortably into the too far reclined chair, Hank was certain he looked far from the picture of stoic structure he was going for.