“yawn G’mornin’.”
“It’s 11 a.m., though.”
“That’s morning for me on the weekends…and any other day. How’s everything outside?”
“Still noisy, but forces have been deployed to take care of most of ‘em at least.”
“How so?”
“Zaibatsu Corp’s President is pleading with “anyone” to stop the rogue White Knights.”
“Neighboring city forces were deployed quickly and have subdued most of the opposition.”
“There have also been reports of White Knights just…freezing. Like they were petrified somehow.”
“You make it sound like some god suddenly decided to put everything in place.”
“Well I’m just glad there are no bullets flying in and out of the whole building.”
“Sure, there’re still some bad apples out and it’s not really safe yet, but it was worse last night.”
“There also seems to be a civilian force lynching any White Knight they spot.”
“So not only are the White Knights a problem, regular folks are on edge too.”
(“I wonder if Sei is okay…”)
“Should we be worried about Gil?”
“That kid knows how to take care of himself.”
“I’m sure that…whatever it is that he’s doing, he’s safe.”
“Dare I say even safer wherever he is than here.”
“I sure hope so.”
“Are we gonna work today?”
“Nah, things are too nasty right now. Let’s take the Sunday off.”
“Oh, alright.”
“Say, do you want me to help you get to your apartment?”
“Actually yeah, I’d appreciate that.”
“Okay then. Let me lock things up and we’ll go.”
“We’ll grab something for lunch on the way.”
“Sounds good.”
“Home sweet home. Thanks a lot.”
“Hey Boss, wanna hang out for a bit?”
“Hm?”
“Yeah, grab a Beer, chill out for a bit… Mostly to thank you for helping me.”
“Well, I don’t have much to do anyway. So yeah, sure.”
“I did tell you you should invite me over to your apartment sometime, didn’t I?”
“Oh, yeah. You did.”
“What worries me a bit is that Beer always leads to something else.”
“To more Beer?”
“I was gonna say, “To one of us going through the Spanish announcers’ table.””
“But I think we’re safe here.”
“Come on in, then.”
“Excuse me…”
“Sorry, I don’t smoke. Don’t mind me though, smoke if you wanna.”
“Say, how is the chilly weather treating you?”
“It gets cold from time to time but nothing the kotatsu and the heater can’t fix.”
“Oh right, Boss. You’re not very good with the cold, are you?”
“You know it…”
“You didn’t bring your jacket here either.”
“Yeah, I left it at home when going to the bar yesterday.”
“It wasn’t that cold and I didn’t expect to spend the night at the bar.”
“Would you like a sweater or something?”
“Oh, don’t mind me.”
“I insist. I have this hoodie from some time ago and it was too big for me.”
“Why buy it then?”
“It was dirt-cheap!”
“Right…”
“Wait…w-where did you get this one?”
“Dunno. Some flea market ages ago. Why?”
“Nothing. It’s just like one I had many years ago.”
“What happened to it?”
“Too much use, it just…ripped.”
“I see…”
“You can keep it if you want, I never use it anyway.”
“Um…we’ll see.”
“Come to think of it, how old are you, Boss?”
“I’m eternally seventeen!”
“Fair enough. Seventeen plus how much?”
“Seventeen plus I’d have to cut your tongue if you knew.”
“…alright.”
“Let me go change into something more comfortable.”
“Take your time.”
“…”
“…”
“Say Jill, there’s a blue-eyed mass of black fur glaring in my general direction.”
“Hm? Oh, that’s just Fore. He’s just wary of any new visitors. Cats will be cats, I guess.”
“He’ll warm up quickly though. Just give him time.”
“He’s unusual-looking. Blue eyes on a black cat. They usually have green.”
“Yeah, weird, huh?”
“At first I thought they were like that because he was small but they never changed.”
“Back at home we had a bear.”
“Ah, I se-…what?”
“Good ol’ Bosco. He kept intruders away better than any dog.”
“R-Right…”
“What? Me taking such a sappy pic?”
“No, a framed picture on vintage paper. It’s so…vintage.”
“Who are these?”
“That’s…um…”
“The one on the right is Lenore, my…ex-girlfriend. The one on the left is Gabrielle, her sister.”
“Huh. Is this pic recent or…?”
“Actually, that one’s from 3-4 years ago.”
“…”
“You look exactly the same.”
“I’m only 27. What did you expect? That’s why they say kids are the ones that get old.”
“I thought it was recent because you don’t usually see people displaying pictures of their exes so openly.”
“…let alone a printed and framed one.”
“Did you two break up on good terms, then? You even hesitated a bit when calling her your ex.”
“sigh Let’s just say that everything ended with both of us saying mean things.”
“…and me storming out of her house, breaking a couple of things on the way out.”
“We never broke up formally…and I guess I still have feelings for her.”
“I just…went away, haven’t said a word since.”
“Really? It’s…hard to picture you doing such a thing. And you look so happy in the pic.”
“Why have her pic out like this then?”
“I just couldn’t get my mind off something that Alma said to me.”
“About missing having the warmth of someone else pressed against your side…”
“Using them as a pillow, mixing your perfume with theirs.”
“Putting your head in their chest, listening to their breathing as they pet your head.”
“Dozing off, knowing they’re there, watching you. Protecting you…”
“I don’t know. I felt nostalgic…then miserable.”
“…”
“…”
“I’ve been meaning to apologize, but I feel like it’s too late now.”
“Whenever I go out, there’s this fear in the back of my head that I’ll meet her in the street.”
“I just don’t know if I could face her again. Let alone talk to her.”
“…I’d be a mess.”
“It’s never too late to apologize, Jill.”
“Maybe.”
“…!”
“Looks like an enve-…”
“It’s nothing! NOTHING! Now, please give that to me.”
“I saw nothing, don’t worry.”
“…”
“A-Anyway… Let’s grab some Beers!”
“Guide me.”
“Well, the BTC gives me discounts and a point card I can use every time I buy their alcohol.”
“With that, Beer is actually the cheapest drink I can get.”
“Is there any difference between the drinks at the bar and these?”
“The drinks at the bar are more addictive, flavorful and also stronger than the ones they sell in stores.”
“And besides, the one in the bar is more of a Double IPA. This one is more of a Pilsner.”
“In English, please.”
“This one’s lighter in color and lighter in flavor.”
“Dunno, it doesn’t taste like a lighter to me.”
“pffffft”
“Is this one made with that…um…what was the name of the base liquid you use at the bar again?”
“Nutriogenic Dichometrical Lydogenol, or NDL.”
“It was a supplement or something, right?”
“It was an experimental fluid they created to replace water when the Maiden Kiss polluted water supplies.”
“The effects of pollution turned out to be temporary, so NDL never went into mass production.”
“But the BTC still commissioned it for use in bars.”
“And this one is made with it?”
“Let’s see…yup, here it is, near the end: NDL and corn starch.”
“Corn starch?”
“It serves as a stabilizer, if I remember correctly. They need it for packaged drinks.”
“I see. And I just realized something.”
“What?”
“You’re a nerd, Jill.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“I still have that bottle of rum somewhere around. Do you want some of it?”
“Will you have some too?”
“Not really, no.”
“Then leave it like that. I’m not letting you drink Beer alone. That’s not how drinking with friends works.”
Also, you should never mix your drinks.
“Do you consider me a friend then, Boss?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Dunno, what with being my boss and all. I was never too sure.”
“Well, in case you had any doubts: Yes, I consider you one of my best friends.”
“Besides, you and Gil are always so diligent and responsible that I’m boss in name only anyway.”
“That’s good to know.”
“On a side note, it surprises me you kept that poster of me in your room.”
“And even more that you hung it in plain sight.”
“When I gave it to you, it was more or less a joke, you know?”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“If it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, why would it make ME uncomfortable? It’s my own face.”
“I’m still wondering why you did it though.”
“Aside from filling an empty spot in the wall, I don’t really know. I thought it was funny too.”
“I guess it’s like if someone gave you…dunno.”
“A dildo-shaped trophy or something and you had it there as a conversation starter.”
“Although no one comes here anyways, so it’s kinda pointless.”
“What? No steamy nights of passion?”
“Not since…a year ago I think. And I’d rather not talk about what happened then.”
“Did someone hurt you? Because if they did, I can go dish out the pain.”
“No, nothing of the sort. A different kind of mess.”
“Uncomfortable mess. A ‘not being able to have sex for reasons’ mess.”
“Glad to know you have my back though.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“Wait, you talk about the poster and compare it to having a dildo-shaped trophy…”
“Did you just call me Dildo Face?”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“…”
“Hey, Jill. Where did you get that black Fore ball?”
“Well, as with any black cat or house cat in general, he’s actually a stray.”
“I found him in the alleys near the building. Not long after I moved here, I think.”
“Ah, I see.”
“It was quite the sight though. He was cornered by all these dogs but they were keeping their distance.”
“He was holding his ground, hissing and scratching as much as he could.”
“There was a fried chicken bucket nearby that had some rain water in it, so I threw the water over the dogs.”
“They ran and I figured the cat’s mom would be nearby, so I left.”
“Then I noticed people looking in my direction as I walked. Turns out the little shit started following me.”
“So you brought it home.”
“At first, I wanted to see if I could find him a new home, but…”
“Having him welcome me whenever I came back was just too much for my heart, so he ended up staying.”
“It was destiny, girl.”
“When he came, he was so cute though. Not like the fat mass that’s sleeping on the table.”
“Fore”: “Hey, you’re not a spring chicken yourself, you know.”
“…”
“…”
“Oho…”
“…shit, I actually did that in front of someone else.”
“Ohohohoho…”
“A-Anyway…”
“Don’t “anyway” me, do you normally speak for your cat like that?”
“…maybe.”
“sigh I wonder if Gil’s alright.”
“You worried about him?”
“You make it sound like I’m some emotionless robot.”
“You can be hard to read.”
“I wouldn’t worry about Gil so much though. There’s three things I know for certain about him.”
“First: He can take care of himself.”
“Second, you can sincerely trust him.”
“And third?”
“He absolutely hates bell pepper.”
“He does?”
“I’ve seen him even reject food that has been in contact with it.”
“Man, what a baby…unless he’s allergic or something.”
“He’s not.”
“Man, what a baby.”
“How did you meet such a guy?”
“He…showed up in the door of a bar.”
“He…what?”
“Well, it was shortly after the whole incident with Robert and the levitation potion.”
(“Right…”levitation potion”.”)
“It was a slow day and he just…showed up at the bar.”
“I offered him a drink, but he said he didn’t have money on him.”
“I…couldn’t leave him alone, so I pretty much gave the drinks for free.”
“And after a couple, he broke down crying.”
“He…huh?”
“I don’t know what he did, but he was really, REALLY regretting it.”
“He wanted a second chance or whatever and I told him if he could wash himself I’d find him a job.”
“And I’ll be damned, he looked totally different the next day.”
“Damn…”
“I tried and failed to find out anything about him.”
“So I decided to take him at face value. I’d judge him from what he did as an employee.”
“And aside from the occasional sudden escapade, he’s been as loyal as loyal gets.”
“I return the favor in kind, covering his ass from time to time…sometimes literally.”
“What surprises me is that you took him in so easily.”
“I can take care of myself and I always kept an eye on him.”
“And besides, after the whole Robert thing I couldn’t ignore someone that desperate so easily…”
“I see…”
“You’ve made the bar more lively yourself, you know?”
“How so?”
“Well, with the regulars you’ve earned of course.”
“Like that blonde titty hacker. I can’t remember her name.”
Blonde titty hacker is basically her entire character.
“Alma?”
“I was gonna say Armitage.”
“She’s a nice girl, you know?”
“I don’t think she’s young enough to be called a “girl”.”
“Says the “Girl Who’s Eternally Seventeen.””
“In any case, she’s really lovely.”
“When you hear her speak of her family, she speaks with such love. Her face just brightens up.”
Are we talking about the same character here?
“It makes me kind of jealous that she has such a close relationship with them, to be honest.”
“You have bad relations with your family?”
“Not bad, but I’m not exactly close to anyone aside from my mom, dad and aunt.”
“But back to Alma, I’m really hoping she finds a nice guy to settle with.”
“I mean, she’s so bent into finding one, I can’t help but want her to succeed.”
“Ah, I see.”
“There’s also that sex worker robot girl.”
“Ah, Dorothy.”
“She intrigues me, though. I’ve seen lots of sex workers over the years, and she seems pretty giddy.”
“It’s not that she likes her job, but rather that she takes to it with such childish excitement.”
“I’ve kinda noticed that too. But then again, Lilim can be weird.”
“You think?”
“Lilim operate in some really foreign logic.”
“I mean, they don’t really share our fear of mortality.”
“Even if their bodies are destroyed, their minds are already backed up in the collective source.”
“If they lose an arm, they can reattach it or replace it.”
“Depending on the circumstances, they might not even feel pain at all.”
“It’s not like they haven’t attained human-like emotions like fear or love, but they are…different.”
“Like a different culture, if you must.”
“Hmm…I didn’t see it that way.”
“Aside from that, Dorothy is a DFC-72. It’s a “Social Interactions” model or something.”
“Lilim get positive reinforcement straight from their bodies if they’re fulfilling their main purpose, so…”
“I’m guessing she gets a built-in push whenever she’s in a “meaningful” or challenging social interaction.”
“Interesting.”
“The name “Lilim” is a bit weird though.”
“It is?”
“You’d expect them to be called “Bots” or “Dolls”, but “Lilim” doesn’t convey the image of automatons.”
“Just a tip. “Bots” and “Dolls” are considered slurs by them.”
Ableist slur coming up. 
“”Bot” is akin to calling them retarded and “Doll” is like calling them fake.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“That aside, do you know why they’re called Lilim?”
“As far as I know, because they all come from a bigger AI called Lilith.”
“And Lilim are Lilith’s offspring in Jewish folklore.”
“Ooooooh, cool.”
“Hey, speaking of names, why don’t you like being called by your full name?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t act stupid.”
“Back when you first transferred, I called you Julianne and you almost tore me a new one with your glare.”
“…”
“See? Like that.”
“It’s no big secret, but it’s one of those things that feels silly when you say it out loud.”
“Try me.”
“Well…did you ever watch “Model Warrior Julianne”?”
“Not all of it, but my little sister’s a big fan of the reruns.”
“Back when I was in elementary school I was a HUGE fan of the show.”
“I had everything. From the dolls to the costumes to the lunch boxes.”
“It didn’t help that it was one of those shows that got strapped literally everywhere.”
“I saw a couple of episodes once. They were really nice!”
“It was beyond nice! The show’s about a model who can transform into an armor-clad magic knight.”
“She fights demons born from greed and vanity.”
“How the job presented Jules hating her job because it invited enemies.”
“And yet still found solace in trying to be a role model…”
“Hell, the main character wasn’t a kid. Julianne was an adult that became younger when transformed.”
“I’d say it was a pretty ambitious kids show.”
Truly the Steven Universe of its time.
“Even by today’s standards!”
“Just the fact that her enemies were literally issues dealing with beauty standards of body image…”
“Challenging as fuck.”
“Whoa, you got excited there.”
“And that is the problem. Back then I was obsessed with Jules.”
“I sang the songs, dressed like her. I could even recite full chapters.”
“Something tells me you still can.”
“…that’s beside the point.”
“It was nice while I was in elementary school, but then I went to middle school…”
“And what a surprise, tweens are jackasses.”
“They went out of their way to tease me about things I did back then.”
“I don’t hold it against Jules. I always hold my grudge against those fuckjobs.”
“Sounds rough.”
“You know how most girls worry about their thighs at that age?”
“I worried about jerkasses singing the theme tune of the show mocking me.”
“Anyways, everytime someone calls me Julianne or Jules, I instinctively react negatively.”
“Pavlov would be proud of me.”
“I never talk about it because I find the whole thing too silly in retrospect.”
“And yet, it affects you even today. There’s nothing wrong with it though.”
“It’s actually kinda reasonable.”
“I sure hope so.”
“Come to think of it. What kind of kid were you, Boss?”
“When I was a toddler, I was the kind to always fight with kids bigger than me.”
“Then puberty happened and I became the Merriam-Webster definition of “shallow jerkwad”.”
“Around the time I turned 16, I realized what an idiot I was and went on to become who I am today.”
“And the less I talk about those years from 12 to 15, the better.”
“Fair enough.”
“So Jill, what kind of guy was your grandpa?”
“He was rough around the edges. The kind of guy that means well even if he says otherwise.”
“He seemed to have a soft spot for me, though.”
“One moment, he was congratulating my dad by berating him a little…”
“…and the next, he was playing with me.”
“My dad worked a lot and my mom was always travelling, so I spent most of my childhood with him.”
“Can I ask how he died?”
“Out of old age. My dad says his last words were something like…”
“”Fucking scientists. Created talking mannequins, but they still can’t let you upload your brain…””
“Why the question?”
“I’m curious about you. Really curious.”
“I just realized that even though we see each other almost every day, I know very little about you.”
“Oh.”
“From what you tell me though, seems your grandpa’s personality rubbed off on you a bit.”
“I’ve heard that one since I was a kid, actually.”
“You know, Boss, I’m a bit curious about your circle of friends. What kind of people do you have in it?”
“Keep in mind, you’re included in this circle too, so any insults you hurl will apply right back to you.”
“Anyways. I have this friend I’ve known for a long time. A red-headed, glasses-wearing gun-nut called Iris.”
“The one you called for the helmet thing?”
“That one.”
“She’s managing a BTC bar in Panama right now, if I remember correctly…”
“She’s managing a bar too?”
“I got the idea from her, actually.”
“Oh.”
“It’s called N1-RV Ann-A, and if you thought this city was dangerous…”
“You should see the people she has to deal with there.”
Sounds like a sequel hook to me.
“Piracy ain’t nothing to fuck with.”
“”Ann” means it’s an annex to another business. What else does she do there?”
“I think the bar was originally her hotel’s bar.”
“She moved the bar to its own building elsewhere and opened N1-RV Ann-B in the hotel instead.”
“Weird decision.”
“I believe she said she wanted a place “away from the noisy rich tourists that go to the hotel.””
“So that bar is her woman cave.”
(“Woman cave…”)
“That aside, let’s see…friends, friends…”
“I guess there’s also my little sister, but that’s a given.”
“Oh! There’s also my old partner from when I was with the Neo-San Francisco police force.”
“Good ol’ Lexi. Should give her a call sometime.”
2064: Read Only memories is available on your PC, Mac, Linux, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Android and iOS.
“Wait, you were in the what?!”
“I’ve done lots of things, Jill.”
“I spent a short time collaborating with the police force. I’ve been a wrestler, an MMA fighter…”
“Chimney cleaner, lumberjack, pet shop attendant, corporate mascot…”
…boxer, mascot, astronaut, imitation Krusty, baby proofer, trucker, hippie, plow driver, food critic, conceptual artist, grease salesman, carnie, mayor, grifter, bodyguard for the mayor, country western manager, garbage commissioner, mountain climber, farmer, inventor, Smithers, Poochie, celebrity assistant, power plant worker, fortune cookie writer, beer baron, Kwik-E-Mart clerk, homophobe, and missionary.
“Corporate what?!”
“I still see my face on some websites from time to time.”
“Anyways, aside from you, Gil, my sis, Iris and Lexi…hm…”
“I guess there’re a lot of people that don’t want to see me in harm’s way.”
“…mostly because they’re the ones that want to hurt me.”
“What about you?”
“I guess I have acquaintances here and there.”
“Back at home and college, I went out a lot.”
“But it felt more like going out was the pleasure, rather than the people involved.”
“Aside from you and Gil, my closest friend since moving here is Alma…oh, and Dorothy.”
“I mean, sure. There’s always Fore, but that cat’s a hermit that refuses to go out.”
“And you know…he’s a cat.”
“Hey, a cat’s fine too, you know?”
“Hey Boss…what will you do when the bar closes?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take a friend’s offer of working with her.”
“I was also thinking about going back home and helping with things there.”
“Or maybe going travelling for a while.”
“I see…”
“Oh, but don’t worry! Bureaucracy’s slow as fuck, so they won’t close the bar for quite a while.”
“Better enjoy being there while you can.”
“Yeah, maybe…”
“Will you be visiting me in whatever bar I end up working in?”
“I have a bone to pick with the guy who supervises the bar I’m planning to get you transferred to.”
“I go there even though I virtually have no reason to.”
“With you there, I’d have something PLEASANT to look forward to.”
“Um…you’re sending me to someone you have problems with?”
“If I have to trust another bar owner, it’s certainly him.”
“He’s actually a pleasant boss from what I’ve seen.”
“The fact that he and I have the tendency to go at each other’s throats is an unrelated matter.”
“I’ll trust you on that one then.”
“Don’t worry. Maybe I can get you a bracelet made out of wood pieces from the bar’s counter or something.”
“Um…we’ll see.”
“Hey, I’ll tell you what.”
“When the bar closes, let’s both take a vacation. Go on a trip! That’ll clear your mind a bit.”
“Yeah, maybe.”