It's Been a While (Rackie & Lani; Invite)

Nunally observed Joseph behavior, carefully. "Hey... is everything okay?" The meister asked, not hiding signs of concern. She realized something; even though Joseph seemed to be busy with something on his phone, even though he looked tired, he decided to go with her on a walk. It was strange for Nana but, on the other hand, she was happy that Joseph was such a good person to care so much about her.

Joe shrugged in response to her question, directing his focus back to her. "Nothing is wrong. I just... do not get out terribly often, and when I do, I am typically alone." He looked upwards, at nothing in particular, as he spoke again. "I just do not know how to act is all."

Nunally tilted her head slightly to the side, in surprise. "You "do not know how to act"?" She repeated after him, keeping her quiet tone. "Be yourself. Act in a way that makes you feel comfortable..." Nana said, before making a pause, she definitely had more to say but needed to collect her thoughts. "I may not know a lot about socializing but I believe that just always being yourself is a good way for people to get to know your better." The meister told him after a while of thinking, it seemed like she knew that her words might be slightly naive.

Joe shrugged in response to her words, seeming to be measuring how to explain himself in return. "I don't talk very much." He explained at first, thinking to himself, "The most I talk to someone is..." There was hesitation at the end of his words, a trailing off that implied he didn't want to finish his words.

Nunally listened to his words with curiosity. She really cared. What he had to say was very important to her. The meister was about to say something when someone interrupted her.
"S.U-001 "Nunally"" That someone said. Nana's heart stopped for a second as she looked in the direction of the one who said her "name". It was Ordis, also known as "S.U-002". His presence definitely wasn't a good sign. Nana's brother approached them slowly. "I have finally located you." Ordis said, with a cold, emotionless voice. Nunally's hands started shaking and her face turned pale. She didn't know what to do or what to say. "Your body behaves in an unusual way. Has it caught a disease?"
Nunally turned most of her systems online and started analyzing her "brother's" actions, but she couldn't be sure about his intentions. It seemed like Ordis wanted to make sure she was okay and functioning.
"N-No. Everything is fine, Ordis." Replied Nunally, trying to remain calm.
The male clone's face remained unchanged; cold, emotionless. "Has your control unit started malfunctioning again?" He asked, referring to their first meeting.
"I...It has been... d-disabled..." Replied the meister. Nana was scared. Really scared. She knew that Ordis was created to kill her in case she started causing trouble.
Ordis' stance changed, almost as if he was getting ready to attack. He was definitely scanning her body, soul and computer looking for any signs of hostility from Nana.

It wasn't Nana that he would find hostility from. Joseph's hand gripped hers securely, his wavelength destabilizing enough that his body began to heat from his weapon's form. The temperature difference was nowhere near his twin's earlier eruption, but it was enough that it couldn't possibly go unnoticed by the meister. "Are you aware that the system is programmed to self destruct if it's integrity appears compromised?" He asked, phrasing the words as carefully as he could manage to do so.

Nunally looked at Joseph then back at the clone, then back at the weapon. Feeling her partner's grip made her calm down a bit, however, then she felt the changes in his wavelength.
Ordis blinked a few times before shifting his attention towards Joseph. "Affirmative. The operational system of S.U 001 was equipped with various security measures that would prevent her A.I from going rogue. However, the founders of the project beleived that it was not enough. They created this unit and equipped it with means to eliminate S.U 001." The second clone spoke, before returning her attention to Nunally.
"S.U 001 "Nunally", This unit has not been provided with protocols that this unit can apply in this situation" He told her.
Nana stared at Ordis, not hiding her surprise. "What do you mean?"
"You have stated that your control unit has been disabled. All of this unit's protocols work in case the A.I of S.U 001 becomes hostile. The A.I of S.U 001 is no longer operational. No protocol can be applied." He said
Nunally looked at Joseph for a second. She was confused. "Then... What are you doing here?" She asked her "brother".
"This unit was created to observe S.U 001's behavior. This unit is fulfilling its duty"
Nunally once again looked at Joseph. She didn't know what to do or what to say.

"Are you... more than AI?" He asked, looking at him curiously. His hostility hadn't gone down, but he was more cautious than aggressive, now.

Ordis looked at him and blinked a few times. It took him a moment to answer his question. "This unit did not understand the question. Are you asking whether this unit is being controlled by an A.I like S.U 001 Nunally used to be?" Asked the clone.

Nunally stared at the two in silence. She didn't know what to think about the situation. At least she managed to calm down enough to relax a bit.

"Do you work like her?" He asked, gesturing to her with his free hand, his voice curt and clipped. "Do you have an organic body and mind controlled by an AI computer?"

Ordis nodded, confirming what should be obvious. "Affirmative. This unit is an improved version of S.U 001. It has been provided with various augmentations. The documentation states that S.U 002 also known as "Ordis" is a prototype of a combat unit. The A.I and OS versions of this units are alpha2.54, while according to the data, S.U 001 has been provided with versions Stable1.45d." The clone said, obviously answering him using a very monotone voice. He really sounded like a machine.

"Combat?" Joseph inquired, instinctively moving himself more in front of, rather than beside, his meister upon hearing the words. "What is your functionality, outside of... cleanup duty for her AI?"

Ordis stared at Joseph for a moment. It seemed like the clone had troubles with finding an answer to his question. Did he have any other functionalities? His objective was the only thing that mattered. However, Nana's A.I was disabled, Ordis in a way has fulfilled his duty. The hybrid blinked a few times, before finally speaking. "This unit has Meister capabilities and can wield demon weapons. This unit can adapt to new objectives. However, this unit was given one order: To eliminate S.U 001 in case it became a danger to the humanity. The protocols state that S.U 001 is a unit if the following condition is fulfilled: The control unit of S.U 001 must be functional."
This time Nunally had a question for Ordis. She peeked out from behind the weapon and asked- "Does it mean that your objective has been completed?"
This was enough to create a logical paradox in Ordis' computer. He had his mission but it couldn't be completed because Nana was no longer being controlled by an A.I "The system has experienced an unexpected error... Reboot is required..." He suddenly said, which almost made Nana giggle. "I think I've just broken him..." She told Joseph.

"If the AI is not functional then it cannot become a threat to humanity." Joseph pointed out, furrowing his brow as he gripped Nana's hand tighter.

Nunally looked at Joseph. She was really glad he was with her. The girl was feeling safe with the weapon. "My savior..." -Nana thought.
Once Ordis' systems restarted and became functional again, he stared at Joseph again. "Afirmative." He said, then made a short pause. It seemed like he had something more to say- "Question: Beings known as "Kishin eggs" are currently the biggest threat to humanity, correct?" The clone asked as he blinked a few times.

"Arguably." Joseph said in response, eyeing him not that he was funcional once more. There had been no human side of him poking its way out between the functionality of his machine, unlike Nana. "That varies with the tide, almost, but chiefly, yes. Evil, at the least, is the threat."

Ordis blinked a few times. It seemed like he got lost and didn't know what to do with himself anymore. His purpose has been fulfilled, perhaps he should self-destruct? In the end, he turned his back towards them and started walking away.
Nunally frowned, observing the clone. "I... think I know what Joseph and Jasmine used to feel when my A.I was speaking..."-She thought, then sighed in relief. "For a moment I really thought he wanted to kill me..." Nana told Joseph.

"That would be contrary to orders." He said, shifting a bit, seeming far more uncomfortable now that his temper was dying down, the heat he was radiating receding back down to normal temperatures. "Are you alright?" Joseph asked her, gently loosening his grip to avoid risking crushing her as he supposed he might have been.

Nana nodded as she put her hand on her chest. Meeting her "brother" surely was a very stressful moment for her. She didn't even feel Joseph's tight grip "Y-Y-Yes... Thanks..." She said whispering. The adrenaline started running out slowly and her hands started trembling a bit. "C-Could I..." Nunally looked away for a second, then shook her head before looking at Joseph again. "N-nevermind... Do you want to continue our walk or... just... you know, return home?" She asked him.

His eyes studied her for a long while, his grip tightening again, more carefully this time, in an attempt to steady her. Finally, he shrugged. "That is up to you. I can carry you, if you want."

Nunally smiled weakly at his words. "Let's just go home, then..." The meister suggested, her face was pale from the stress, but there was an almost invisible blush forming on her cheeks.

He nodded, pausing for a moment before redirecting their path. It had been a very, very weird day.