ONE THOUGHT AT A TIME | (CLOSED)

[ARRIA]

Light pastel orbs gazed down at the system's streets below, as they often did. A small sound of electronic friction between what a user would call plastic and rubber, clashing, echoed in the program's ears. Arria found herself standing here upon a ledge, on top one of Tron System's skyscrapers near the end of line club often. Gazing into the distance, almost mindlessly, flipping her baton over and over in her right hand. Being cooped up in a small computer system for so long, here still put her in a sense of awe. The neon bright lights, interacting with other programs. Sometimes she was overwhelmed and had to power down for a few moments, before she got ahead of herself. That's one of the reasons why she likes to stand here, away from everything and just look at what kevin flynn aspired to create and what his son put in motion.

Circuitry on Arria's suit lightly flickered for a moment, from it's stationary light blue to a deeper shade, then back again when she thought about Sam. In that moment, she stopped flipping the baton and grasped it tightly in her right hand. Her eyes went dull as she got lost, deep in thought, standing like a statue. the canvas on her face - blank - lips drawn closed. 'samclu. whodoibelongtonow? userflynnincapacitated. troncreatortoo, but' a small gust of animated wind swept up from below, building itself up as it got to the highest point of the scraper, finally brushing over her and bringing her back. "I must calculate carefully." Arria looked down at the baton. "I cannot fail my user." To date, this would be the fourth time the same question ran through her circuits.

Now that Kevin Flynn was no longer with them, her purpose was somewhat flawed with no one telling her what to do. Especially now that shes not the only program of her kind walking around this system. Arria's thumb lightly graced the buttons that lay among the center of the baton as her other fingers continued to hold tightly. In the distance, music emanated from the tallest building in the system; the end of line club. it was lightly dull, but enough so that she could tell whomever was attending tonight with castor was having a good time. Before she got here, music was a foreign thing and scared her just as everything else did the first few milicycles of her existence on the grid. But castor always did know how to please the crowd and calm her down, showing that it was as normal as seeing what was before ones eyes, and should be embraced - just like the games - a form of entertainment. Now, she couldn't get enough of it and putting two and two together she needed castor for the music, and lightcycle upgrades needed to get a new edge on the other combatants. Nothing too illegal though, as she was fully against things of that nature, hackers included.

"I guess.." Arria trailed off, speaking aloud to herself, turning her head slightly to glance up at the end of line club off in the distance. Do user's find themselves in the same predicaments too, when it comes to operation? destiny? "I'll just play in the games until I find the proper conclusion."

[TRON]

Everything almost seemed too much at a lull in Tron City. He knew that it was completely wrong of him to think in this way, but he tended to be a bit bored with the way things were happening now. He wasn't doing what he was supposed to do. Tron was made to be a security program and fight off other programs or viruses from taking over either the system or the user's world he had never seen. With everything going so smoothly with both users and programs becoming united in the games and the system in general, there was nothing to fight off anymore. He wasn't particularly made to run an entire system, just protect it. With Kevin Flynn, he was just doing what he wanted him to so they could create a system that was worth while. Not run it from his own view. Tron so desperately wished Sam were around more often and offered him more guidance to fix any bugs that he saw or change something that wasn't what he wished, but Sam was an infant in this matter. He barely knew what to do as well as Tron. It seemed that it was really up to him to be a leader. It made him a bit uneasy to say the least. Kevin Flynn was no longer around and Alan1 had left Tron long ago. He did his best to go with whatever Sam said, but again, he really didn't know this digital frontier like his father.

There were times when Tron couldn't handle the pressures of being a leader and seemingly fighting for no one. He had been around for so many lightcycles that he sometimes felt like a User himself. There were things he could control that most other programs could not. Memories with users that ripped a hole in his circutry. Any program could be so lucky... or cursed. Digital lightning flashed in front of him as the elevator carried his distant conciousness and body up to the top of the tower. For once in his everlasting life, he felt alone and lost. What now? He wished he was a new program again, fighting for a sole purpose he was given in the energy that filled his body. That purpose seemed insignificant now for nothing seemed to be in the way like there had been so many times before. The elevator doors opened and a wind struck his face as he walked out over the surface of the building, his hair slapping lightly against the sides of his face. He wanted to be alone to meditate and perhaps find the strength which he so desperately needed right now. Glancing upward, he spotted a program at the edge, staring off into the distance. What out there that was so interesting was not important. It was her own business and he wasn't the type to pry. Perhaps meditating would have to wait and merely faking that he was powerful and confident would have to do for now. Tron attempted to straighten his back and put the thought of inadquacies away from the look in his eyes. He was better than this. He was stronger than these thoughts that plauged his mind. For a moment, he stood watching, unsure of what his next move would be. Perhaps nothing would be the best course of action. Tron took a step back toward the elevator without breaking his eyes from her lit form. Even as he pulled away from someone, he was a soilder, and not a king.

[ARRIA]

Hopefully one day she would find that she wasn't the only program in the system to find themselves in the same place. No where to go, lost in electric limbo. Arria keep's trying to tell herself that it's alright and that one such as her should be blessed. After all, they would not be here today if it weren't for the users advanced ways, creating such life in one of the most unsuspecting ways. Arria lowered her head to glance at the baton one last time until something from behind called out for her attention. Light graced the floor of where she stood and only grew bigger as she realized what was happening. The elevator she used to get here was now occupied by someone else, someone who reached the roof just as she had. '4..3..2..notaloneanymore?' maybe it was a glitch that she needed to report to the administration? she heard only the doors shifting open, but nothing more. no sound of footsteps, no response in words towards her. nothing. Arria stood fixed on her position, only left to turn her head slowly toward the elevator, enough to look through her peripheral vision and see what her ears could not. A tall program, with perfect posture.

"Oh." Arria whispered, before spinning her baton in the palm of her hand and then sliding it into it's small holster upon her right thigh. She turned her body to face the other program. It was only proper to look whomever you were talking to in the eye, or so Kevin Flynn made her aware of. "My apologies, I didn't know if others came-" What was this? If only she had a real heart, it would have probably skipped many times already at the sight she had before her. "-here." She finally finished after what felt like forever. Could it be? it was Tron, the program she looked up to, but what on the system could he be doing here of all places? Didn't he have some important things to be done? But no, he was here and they were alone together, albeit awkwardly. From what she could tell with the built expression upon his features, something had to be wrong and the position he was in made it appear as if he was ready to walk away. Oh how she wanted to say something, but what? What in that moment would be appropriate.

"Tron." She muttered, shifting her body, making it look as if she were standing at attention to him. "If I am invading your personal space, words can't express how sorry I am." Arria looked at him, taking in his soft features, almost blurting out her last chosen words. The last thing she would want to have happen is a cold shoulder response and the program leaving. it would tear her up seeing how much she messed up around her hero, but deep down in her circuitry she knew well enough tron would never be so rude. he was better than that, a proper gentleman as users would say. and that was why she looked up to him.

[TRON]

Tron's hand was outstretched to lay his hand on the elevator pad so they would close, but her head turned around and he was discovered before he had the chance to escape. He was not in a good light at the moment, so to speak. Tron was supposed to be a strong leader and have all the answers, but he felt like he had more return questions than answers these days. That was the problem with how old he was. Growth could occur with programs and with Kevin Flynn's programming, growth was a constant. He was no longer the one track mind that he had been before. If users were a mystery like they had been long ago, he would have stayed on his path. But when users come into a program's world, their jobs become inadequate for their tastes and they drive to do more because if users can visit them, the status of their world could change as well. It wasn't keystrokes that kept them at their work any longer.

He stared at the program that was now facing him. Tron was unsure what to do in this instance. He had not been planning it. The circuits in his brain buzzed with chatter amongst themselves, trying to figure out what to do next. Taking her in, he noted that she was Arria. He knew everyone's name that had a disc. His energy glowed bright as tidbits of information flooded his mind. She was one of Flynn's programs and still at an early state. All programs were created by him in this system besides himself, the isos, and the users. Most of them did as they pleased, basically forgetting that Kevin Flynn was basically their father. The creator. Their minds were so advanced that they simply could just move about the system without ever thinking about him. Although Tron was not his program, he thought about Flynn every day.

She was also the program he had figured out about earlier in the sense that she was the one who modified her bike. Her mind was getting more open, it seemed. Enough to play around with things she wasn't supposed to. Tron straightened his back even further after he realized this, trying to be more powerful and demeaning. He was generally like this, but not fully to this extent. Keeping up appearances like he was some general in a user's war was hard work. Of course he wanted to laugh and play on the grid more often than not, but Clu took up all that. Tron needed to be more responsible otherwise people might see the carelessness TWO leaders would have and strike out. Making up his mind, he stepped forward, the wind hitting his face a bit harder now that it was all around him and not one sided in the elevator. Even the wind felt the need to rebel against him. Either that or push itself further than what it should be just so he would pay attention. Running his fingers through his hair, the wind seemed to catch the point and proceeded to dim to a light breeze.

Tron lowered his eyes for a moment when she was struck in awe. He was thankful that someone around here still found him to be a legend rather than some stuck up leader. It was as Clu called him anyway. His eyes traveled back up to her figure standing there before him. "Please." He rose his hands to show he was relaxed at the thought of her being in his place. He was not as tight up as people thought him to be. "No apologies necessary, Arria. Four hundred programs can fit on this rooftop. It is big enough for the both of us." He walked forward a few more steps so he was within comfortable talking distance from her instead of yelling across a rooftop. Placing his hands behind his back, one of the wearier and relaxed poses he could display in front of others, he glanced around. "How is your lightcycle?" He inquired, wanting to know if she had made the changes asked of her.

[ARRIA]

Arria watched as the program before her entered somewhat of a trance, if only for a few seconds. Light flickered ever so slightly as if it were dancing amongst his battle suit, flooding his circuitry with information. The girl's chest inflated then released, motioning in a rhythm of nervous breathing. Even though programs didn't need oxygen, it was a simulation she was imprinted with for when she was graced upon seeing users, as a way to keep them calm and less intimidated by the appearance of a program. However it seemed to slowly become second nature for her to do so without thinking. All she could process in her mind at that moment was calculations on the chances of bumping into the one man she looked up to like this, of all places. Arria kept her eyes fixated on Tron, glancing him over from head to toe quickly, awaiting his response. "No apologies necessary, Arria." Her eyes went wide.

Tron knew who she was alright, but what exactly did he know about her? From what she could recollect, she never introduced herself to him before. Maybe he had seen her on the game grid in last few cycles? In that moment, she prayed to the creator that from what he may have seen, Arria didn't seem too faulty while combating. How she would love to go up against Tron one on one, even just a small sparing session to see how she compared to his level. From what she knew, no one could beat him. Not even Clu. 'Waitcluhe-' "How is your lightcycle?" Arria's simulated breathing quickly came to a halt as her eyes quickly fell to the floor. Her mouth drawn closed, speechless. A hint of disquisition flowed behind his question, it felt as though it peered deep into Arria's core. So that's what he was processing back to moments ago, when he looked to be in deep thought. Arria's cheeks suddenly flushed a light pink out of embarrassment, or what she recalled could be considered so.

"It's..." she started, still staring a hole into the floor. So he knew what she had done? Well, of course he had known. It was Tron after all, and nothing seems to get past him. How could she have been so moronic? It wasn't long ago she was taken up to Clu for altering her lightcycles coding, so word must travel fast between the administration and it's peers. Tron must have learnt it from them or some other similar source. What could she say? From what she remembered, Clu never dashed away what she had worked on with a single flick of his finger, nor demanded she erase all she had done. He just let it be, no matter how much she questioned him in her head. Unless he asked so of her without actually saying anything at all. Arria started again as she raised her glance to the baton that rested on her thigh. "It is fine." She rose her head as she finished, slowly.

How exactly was she to reply to such a question? In response, it was fine and she would tell him so, but what if he expected more from her? Her expression turned into something of a faint pout, eyes set on his. "I-I hope your not mad? All I did was alter the brake response time to a locality of point two microcycles! I... I just wanted to stop and turn faster." Arria lowered her eyes once again. "I... I know it was wrong, but Clu didn't seem to mind."

[TRON]

Tron had forgotten the reason why he came up here in the first place. It must have been recycled in his memories. He would search for it later, but it would be rude to search memory banks while in front of someone else, attempting to have some sort of a conversation. At least he didn't feel down any longer, but he couldn't remember he was feeling low in the first place. Now he just felt like the leader he was supposed to be around programs. That was the way it should be. When he spoke of her name, she looked shocked. Why wouldn't he know her face and name? Looking through files of recent grid activity helped him achieve this simple knowledge. Especially things Clu dealt with.

Knowing it was rude to have said her name, he lowered his eyes as he passed her, coming closer to the edge of the building. It was second nature to address people by their names, but he just mistook this program at already having been introduced to him. No, they had never met personally before. There was no use apologizing. If she had said something about it, he would have. There was no need in the current state the two were in. It would only add more awkward silences between them.

He had taken her off guard with his question, there was no doubt about that. The only sound he could hear was the wind and the occasional rumble of thunder. She finally pitched in, perhaps needing to collect herself before speaking. Tron did not wish to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. "I am glad..." He said instead of giving her some sort of lesson in law. What she had done was harmless, even Tron knew that. It was Clu that infuriated him so. Arria tried to explain herself quickly and Tron turned around from the edge to look at her with a concerned look. "I am not mad. Please, it's fine. Quite interesting, actually. How did you manage that?" He asked, trying to seem a little more at ease. Everyone tended to like the way Clu spoke to them, but liked how Tron ran it in the political sense. Clu was the celebrity that was campaigning him. Tron wanted to attempt to be more easy going and approachable as a friend. "I remember when bikes would turn on a dime. They essentially made a downgrade to the brake system in order for the games to be more challenging. As well as the levels." He reminisced without meaning to, a half grin appearing on his face at the thought.

[ARRIA]

A small laugh quickly escaped Arria. It felt as though a thousand bricks were lifted off her shoulders now, thanks to tron. As she began to smile, she bit both her lips lightly at the thought of him wanting to know just how exactly she managed to do such a thing. Arria's light blue eyes drifted from tron over to the End of Line club. She couldn't exactly tell him it all started with the beloved and enriched program Castor now could she? With his help on obtaining a back dated license, all she had to do was fiddle with some coding embedded in the white noise, along with a few tricks she learned from kevin back when he messed with a few hacking programs for what have you."Secrets are made to be found out with time." arria spoke with a quick nod while still holding her smile.

With Tron not being mad or upset, Arria did feel more at ease. The tension she had moments ago melted away. Ah, yes, the old system Tron was copied from. She had heard about it only once, but not in great detail. "Yes?" She sighed. "I remember compiling information about the sort cycles ago, before I became... well, solidified here. Don't know too much, but, i've always wondered what it was like there." her tone was causal, but emphasized more on the word 'there,' acting as if she dreamed about it from time to time. still glancing over to the tallest building in the system, arria looked as if she was in a daydream. by the way tron reminisced, it sparked something in her. wishing she could be something more. here she was standing next to her idol, talking to him, and as she kept her cool she wondered what it would be like to walk in the other programs shoes - to have interacted on a physical level with the creator.

Snapping out of it, arria quickly jumped forward toward tron in an excited manner with a skip, stopping directly in front of the program. She looked happy, peering deep into his eyes with both her hands clasped together at her chest in a very inclined way. "Are disk battles the same?" she asked excitedly. "I've been meaning to get better at that myself, you see... so..." Arria drifted off, letting her eyes slowly fall of the much taller program. How could she not find the right words, or would she say the wrong ones? She didn't want to sound like a child in worship, but it was all that came to mind. "So I can be like you." She said lightly, almost in a whisper. Quickly her cheeks flushed pink as she was now embarrassed.