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[buildsomething]

You have not reached Tony Stark. Clearly. Leave a message and I'll get back to you if I feel like it.

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[sentiences]

When we did this, we just got shot at a lot. My head got ruptured.

[buildsomething]

[Tony pauses, just for a second.]

What, taking on terrorists? Or just playing catch the bullet?

[sentiences]

The former.

[ He pauses. ]

Though they were bank robbers pretending to be terrorists.

[buildsomething]

[And Tony manages to bite back that particular spoiler just in time. He's not actually sure if Dorian's seen the movie before or not.]

Seems like you've had an interesting career.

[sentiences]

Crime has become inventive with the increase of new technology on the market.

[buildsomething]

I bet.

[He's seen some of that, even just with the leftover Chitauri tech that managed to find it's way out despite his best efforts. It just makes Tony sigh, honestly. Some things never change.]

But ways to fight it too, yeah?

[sentiences]

[ Dorian nods. ]

That's what I was created for.

[buildsomething]

Right.

[It's not that Tony can forget that his friend is an android, especially not when he's currently got his hands in his circuitry, but it does occasionally slip his mind that Dorian has -- or had -- a specific purpose. He's got enough of a personality that he could probably do anything he wanted. But then again, Tony isn't the robot here.]

But not just you?

[Unless there's a fleet of him somewhere.]

[sentiences]

There are other models. They don't have a synthetic soul but they do their jobs.

[ Dorian isn't particularly fond of them, which isn't surprising. They are the models that replaced his own. And he finds them . . . cold. Unfeeling. Which is what they were made for, but it is uncomfortable all the same. The synthetic soul is a part. A program. It could easily be stripped away from him. ]

[buildsomething]

[The whole synthetic soul thing is still a weird concept, not least because Tony's not completely sure he believes in non-synthetic ones. But it's clearly important to Dorian, so Tony just hums an agreement.]

Not as friendly, huh?

[sentiences]

They don't have personalities or emotions or anything. I used to charge with them and it was . . . discomforting.

[buildsomething]

[Tony can't help but grimace a little. He's got a few of those back home, but they're...fabricators, machine parts. Not really meant to interact with anyone.]

Yeah, that sounds unsettling.

[sentiences]

Very unsettling. I'm just glad I don't have to live with them anymore.

[buildsomething]

Yeah? How's the private home situation treating you?

[As private as the communal housing gets. But from the sound of things, Dorian hadn't been used to even that much.]

[sentiences]

Oh!

[ Dorian beams. ]

That part's fine. I think they've gotten used to me charging and I usually stay away at night to give some sense of privacy.

[buildsomething]

Yeah? What do you do instead?

[sentiences]

I usually wander around.

It's still new to me. Being able to do that on my own.

[buildsomething]

[And that still seems oddly lonely to Tony, but if Dorian's enjoying it.]

Well, you can always come over here if you want. If I'm not up, JARVIS will be.

[sentiences]

[ Dorian blinks, surprised. ]

Are you sure?

[buildsomething]

Sure, why not? Just don't poke anything that might explode suddenly and you're good.

[sentiences]

I'm sure I can keep my poking impulses to myself.

[buildsomething]

Then we're good.

[He leans up suddenly, eying the wiring he'd been working with.]

How does that feel?

[sentiences]

[ Dorian's face glows briefly before he sits up. ]

Diagnostics check out. Just don't stick me in Korean mode.

[buildsomething]

Nah. Italian, if anything.

[He grins faintly, just in case it's not completely clear that he's joking.]

Anything else you need worked on?

[sentiences]

No. . . I should be fine for a while.

Thank you Tony. This means a lot to me.