[ More foliage lines the path as they head deeper into the park. Beds of flowers and pockets of trees.

Millions, though, available for civilian pursuits. He can only imagine Daisy and the rest of his team's horror at the thought. The same concerns don't strike him, after his years working on and beside an android. It's more nuanced than all the films would suggest. And it helps that Markus' behaviour seems to align with his former "purpose," as a friendly figure.

Everything tracks with what he knows from his experience and what's to be expected of the pursuit of artificial intelligence. Human-centric, to the last. Not all of them adhere to that path, no, of course not. It begs bigger questions regarding core drives, deviation from programming, and independent thought that seem a bit much, without offering intelligence in return. ]

I see. [ He drags a hand across his jaw. Calm isn't the word for him — more like he's barely contained, buzzing with energy in every gesture. ] We were much further behind you, but the rest follows.

[ tipping his head this way and that. ] I helped program one of the first androids, Aida. Stood for Artificial Intelligent Digital Assistant, but she preferred to be called Ophelia — for obvious reasons. [ "artificial" isn't super nice... ] Designed with the purpose of aiding humans. [ a brief hesitation. ] Mostly adhered to that.

[ So they're working off similar baselines, at least. It positions them well for fitting pieces together. ]