[Marlene Lovechild]

Every Friday, starting several weeks ago, a strange girl visited the university's library.

She wore a very proper black and white dress, with white sleeves and a frilly shirt underneath. She was barely 5'3'' tall, but despite that, had a very heavy step. Her skin was pale, and her hands, cold. She spoke with an even, measured voice, with a bit of a reverb to it. The librarians learned her name, and why she was coming here every Friday. She requested books. Very odd ones too. Not science journals or textbooks. She sought after cheap romance novels. The seriousness with which these books were often requested made them giggle. But the girl appeared to be immune to their ridicule. With a sizeable stack of these books, she walked to the back of the library, and left it only when the place closed down.

Marlene visited this place for a purpose, indeed.

When she first showed up, she requested books that described human emotion. One of the librarians recommended her to read these books, as a joke. A joke the girl took literally. And so, every Friday, she showed up to read those. Hoping to catch a glimpse of how humans acted, and why. It was something she yearned to know. Her purpose depended on it. And so, she studied, from these ill-conceived, and unlikely sources. Today was no different. Having picked a stack of books, the girl walked past the bookshelves, into the reading part of the library. Today, however, an accident would occur. She saw a tall silhouette swerving out from behind a bookshelf far too late.

Impact. Flesh against... something hard. Bumping into Marlene was like bumping into a metal safe. She didn't even flinch. But the stack of books collapsed and fell down on the floor, and on the hapless person who ran into her. Some of them opened up, others remained closed. The titles or chapters of some of these were rather embarrassing. "It was a dark and glistening night..." Slowly, the girl looked up, assessing the person, with her unblinking gaze. It was rare for a person to remain standing, after running into her. Still, she needed to make sure.

"Hello. Are you alright?"

Marlene did not seem perturbed by the impact.

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]It had been four years since Zen had read any kind of manga what-so-ever and after his recent splurge in Akihabara his granddad strictly forbade anymore purchases of Manga. Luckily for the golden boi the Library at U.A.U seemed to have shelves upon shelves of every kind of Manga he could ever want to read. At first Zenkai was going to start off reading all of the shonen manga he had missed but after discovering his favorite ones had been turned into anime he felt the need to watch them instead, action seens always looked better on the screen than on paper.

Currently the Titan had been on a romance bender, he had always had a soft spot for those kinds of stories. He'd never actually experienced love before so he enjoyed reading about it and experiencing it vicariously through the characters in the stories. It all seemed so cute, while ever story was a bit different the courting, the heart breaks, the struggles, it never failed to give him a warm feeling inside. Zenkai wasn't stupid though the stories were just works of fiction, real life romance was way too complicated and way too much work for Zen to ever think it could be worth the trouble. Besides, in every manga he had red, part of the falling in love part was opening up to the other person and Zen DEFINITELY wasn't about li-

The enlightened on was knocked out of his train of thought when he ran into a metal pole, dropping his book right on top of it. "The fuck...?" Zenkai let out a small annoyed groan as he lifted his Manga off of the top of the pole revealing crimson hair. it took Zen a second to realize that the metal pole that he had run into wasn't a pole at all but a small girl and a stack of books. The most surprising part of it all was that she was built like a fucking tank. Most people Zen bumped into usually fell on their ass, but neither of them did, leaving them uncomfortably close to one another.

Taking a step back Zenkai looked down and began to pick up some of the dropped books, skimming over them and raising an eyebrow at their contents. He could respected the romance bit, hell that's what he was reading but the books this girl read were straight up smut. The golden boi handed over the books to the girl with a smirk on his face "So...wanking it on a Friday night at the library huh? Don't have anything better to do?"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

With the Babel tower of books having been dropped onto the floor, it behooved both of them to pick it up.

Marlene did not expect any assistance, but it was offered anyway. The giant fellow being eager to offer assistance. Marlene read a few comic books that started exactly like this. Usually the guy in those stuttered, blushed, and expressed other forms of flustration. This one did not. He noticed the contents, though. And even called her out for being a pervert of some kind or another. The automaton girl half-considered to do what people in those comics she read, did, and slap him across the aisle. Not because she was angry, but it seemed like a very personable thing to do. She did not. Instead, looking up at him, not a hint of blush on her pale face.

"No, it is not what I am here for." - Marlene said without a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Her tone was very neutral, unusually so. She put the pile of books on the table next to her.

"I seek to understand emotion, better. The librarian recommended me these books." - she nodded towards the pile, the top title being something corny like "In the Night Comes the Stranger". Her eyes shifted towards the book that Zenkai was reading. With how short she was compared to him, it was easy to see the title from down below. From it, Marlene made an educated guess on what it was about. 

"Are you interested in the same subject?" - the girl asked curiously. "In one of the books I read, running into someone is how the story begins." - she said, pulling one of the books out and browsing through its pages.

"Your reaction is all wrong, though. You are supposed to blush and be embarrassed. Why do you not feel the need to?"

Such strange questions, and an equally odd train of thought. Yet she seemed genuine in her inquiries. Marlene tilted her head up, eyes unblinking. She waited for an answer.

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Most people reacted to Zen's comments by turning red from embarrassment or anger, the girl in front of him did neither. In fact, his comments didn't seem to elicit any emotional reaction, she just insisted that he was wrong in his assumptions and corrected him. It was almost as if she was a robot, though he had never met a robot before and he was fairly certain robots didn't come this pretty. It was also little weird that the librarian would recommend smut to someone studying human emotion but after a second of contemplation Zenkai decided it made sense. The feelings surrounding love and lust were essential human emotions and was something that most of the human race actively chased for the majority of their lives so, if one wanted to learn about humans, that was a pretty good place to start.

Zenkai looked at the cover of his book after she had read it and suggested they were studying the same thing. "Love is a battlefield" It was a cute little manga about two students who were presidents of opposing clubs obviously in love with each other, trying to outsmart each other into getting them to admit their feelings first since they were both insecure as hell. It was currently his favorite thing to binge "Yeah, I guess I am, Recreation rather than Research though...And the whole running into one another schtick is a pretty common trope of the genre, I think they call it a meet cute or some shit like that? It's a way to get the characters to meet one another in a forceful way I guess?"

His crimson haired cohorts next question took the golden boi by surprise. She was just as blunt as he was and in a way it was pretty endearing. Zenkai couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the accusation "Oh, That's easy. I'm not embarrassed, or insecure...Or shy" the titan bapped Marlene's head gently with his book. "And I'm not so absorbed by your beauty that I can't remember how to speak. Don't get me wrong, you're cute, but I'm the type to get people flustered, not get flustered myself" It was an easier and kinder explanation than just flat out saying he didn't really give a fuck about strangers.

To prove his point Zenkai bent down to eye level with his newest book buddy and reached out to brush a stray lock of red hair out of the girl's pale face, in a blatant attempt to rile her up. "Zenkai Hatake" The titan spoke as he brushed the stray lock behind her ear "And this would be the part of the Manga where you tell me your name"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

Bap.

Marlene got bapped with a book! The motion made her eye the book she was bapped with, trying to determine the purpose of that gesture. Was it a way to show that one was not insecure or shy? Was it something humans did often? But at the same time, was it not considered an invasion of one's space? So many questions. Marlene read about these things in a psychology book, and could not make heads or tails with it. Where was the line when something endearing became an insult? Or the other way around? Thinking about it almost made Marlene miss being called cute. Almost.

"Thank you. You are very kind." - the automaton girl said, as her eyes went up and down over his body, trying to find something to compliment. It was how things worked, was it not? Something about treating others, how they treated you. His hair style was what attracted attention first. Though, it looked like that of her aunt's. No, that won't do. She knew that compliments differed by gender. Calling a boy or a girl pretty, for example, prompted different reactions. After a little pause, she added: "You are also very sturdy." - she complimented the fellow on not falling over, when running into her. Sturdiness was a good quality in a male, correct?

"My name is Marlene Lovechild. I am a first-year student here. What is it that you are reading?" - the automaton girl asked, after she introduced herself, as was expected of her. It was much easier when people voiced what they expected of her, rather than have her guess. She stood still, when Zenkai brought himself down to her height level, and brushed a lock of her hair away. He'd feel that it felt artificial. Plastic of some kind. She did not pull away, lacking the instinct to do so. However, she brought the book she held to the side of his face.

Bap.

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Sturdy was not a compliment Zenkai thought they'd ever hear. It wasn't that it wasn't true, they was a very sturdy boi, but it was definitely not a regular compliment than anyone would give someone unless they were flustered or didn't know how to compliment someone else. Considering Marlene's porcelain cheeks showed no sign of any shade of red they opted for the latter. This girl was sounding more and more like a robot with every passing second, which actually made sense considering the school they were in. Though Zen couldn't help but feel a little bad for Marlene, a quirk that turned someone into a robot seemed like a kind of shitty quirk.

Their suspicions were only confirmed when they brushed the automaton's hair out of her eyes, synthetic, like a wig or a doll's hair as fake as a recently divorced suburban mom's bosoms. The golden boi might have made a comment about if had Marlene not bapped the side of his face with the book she was holding. It was, adorable? Oddly endearing? It was obvious that the student was mimicking what Zen did to her. Honestly, the robot was getting more interesting the more he interacted with her.

Zen didn't bother moving Marlene's book from his cheek and instead bapped her once again with his own manga "Kind and sturdy? You know, I'll take it" He smirked before continuing, looking into his fellow freshmen's eyes looking for any kind of life. "Love is a Battlefield, It's about to Student's trying to trick each other into admitting they're in love with one another, it's pretty cute" with his other hand Zen reached out and booped Marlene's nose "what are you reading? Fifty shades of grey? Or something less lewd than that? Or is it more of the mushy romantic type stuff that lonely house wives read to liven up their days?" Zenkai continued to stare at the girl as he added "why are you researching emotion anyway?"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

Marlene's eyes were made of glass.

They were attentive, alright. They moved back and forth, as if scanning Zenkai's face expression. They focused on his eyes. As he blinked, so did she, a moment or two later. It was a motion he did not see her do before. The automaton was obviously capable of it. Only ... it seemed to require a conscious effort to do so. But she did not divert her gaze. The two were staring at each other. Had it not been an empty library, onlookers would've considered it odd. And then...

Bap.

Marlene returned the favor, bapping the big guy with her book, again. The conversation went about books. Zenkai told her about his. The expression on the automaton's face turned thoughtful, for a moment, as she processed this new information. "Strange premise. If they love each other, why would they not say so to one another? It would save everyone time and effort." - Marlene said, before giving it another thought. "Unless it is a courting ritual of some kind. The book I read right now is titled Naked Came the Stranger. It is very straightforward. Stay-at-home wife finds plumber attractive. They have sex."

She summarized the book in two sentences. The quality of it could tell one that the assortment of literature had little to no value on learning how humans function... And that the librarian was pulling a practical joke on a naive machine that did not know better. The boop to her nose distracted the automaton girl briefly, making both of her eyes focus on the tip of her nose. Which made her otherwise emotionless face appear silly. Her skin was lukewarm, and felt like silicone. Though, appearance-wise, very lifelike. 

As for her objectives in trying to acquire knowledge, Marlene responded.

"I wish to learn about emotions so that I could imitate them better. Humans would be deceived into coming closer, and by the time they discover the ruse, it would be too late." 

The automaton said it with a dead serious tone. An uneasy silence followed. Then, suddenly, she reached forward with her hand. Her finger, metallic and sharp, under a thin layer of artificial skin, flicked against the tip of Zenkai's nose. 

"That was a joke."

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]If the two of them were anywhere else but the nearly empty library there was no doubt that someone would have thought the two of them were flirting. Zenkai was aware of this but didn't exactly care, he was enjoying playing around with the robot. She had no real idea how to act like a human and the golden boi was pretty certain that she'd never actually be able to develop emotions which made her the perfect person for Zen to mess around with, at least, for entertainment purposes.

"Because that wouldn't be fun to read, there wouldn't be any drama, any hijinks, any tension, that's what people want to read about" Zenkai chuckled as she bapped him once again with her book before explaining it's premise. Yup, the librarian had recommended her smut, very graphic and very obvious smut. "Yeeeaaahhh...You're not going to learn anything from those books besides different words for body parts and sex" Zen couldn't help but grin at the practical joke that was played, respect to the Librarian.

It felt a little strange to look at the Marlene's realistic skin while touching it. The visuals didn't match the feel of it, it felt fake regardless of how life-like it looked. It threw him for a loop but not as much as the joke. It was weird, it was dark and it was made all the better by the tone in which it was delivered, punctuated by her own boop to his nose.

The titan let out a loud laugh at the joke before trying to take the book out of Marlene's hand, opening it and placing it on her head. "Alright killer robot" The titan grinned as attempted to wrap his arm around Marlene's shoulder "we're going to go get you some books that ACTUALLY help you learn about human emotion" The titan tried to move but unlike most human girls, Marlene was built like a tank and he wasn't about to force her to move unless she agreed to come with him. "Lucky for you, you ran into me and I'll set you on the right path. Let's get you actual books about human romance and not just guides to various sex positions...Don't know how much that's going to help you...Unless you actually want to do the hanky panky "

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[Marlene Lovechild]

Marlene picked up the book placed on the top of her head, and looked at it, as Zenkai explained that the books she spent a few days reading were next to useless to her goal. A very ... believable frown appeared on the automaton's otherwise neutral poker-face. She closed the book, loudly, slamming the pages against one another. And put the book away, to the rest of the pile. "I have received poor recommendations, then." - she said, thinning her lips. "I assumed the librarian was an expert, not a rank amateur. How very silly... of me."

Though her voice remained neutral, Marlene certainly sounded a bit stingy, there.

She did not resist Zenkai's attempt to drag her along, but she did walk at her own pace. He could have dragged her if he wanted to, with some effort. He was a pretty strong fellow. And almost two feet taller than her, too. Her shoulder felt sharp underneath that dress of hers. One could guess a layer of silicone, but it was thin. One could tell for certain that there was a lot of metal put into the dainty doll-like frame of hers. The young man promised to help her pick actual books to help study human emotion, which is what the automaton needed. She had no reason to distrust him, unlike a certain librarian she could mention. He seemed helpful, and not at all disturbed by Marlene's apparent nature. It was a rare enough thing, for which the girl was thankful for. As Zen promised to put her on the right path, she nodded.

"I appreciate your help. I hope to learn much from you. You seem very emotional." - Marlene said, in the reference to the outburst of laughter earlier, despite the fact a library was a place one was supposed to keep quiet in. She remained unperturbed to the off-hand implication of her wanting to do the 'hanky-panky'. Which, if her analysis was correct, was one of a million euphemisms humans came up with to avoid directly calling the process.

"I am capable of performing the deed. It is not what I am looking to do, at this time. What books would you recommend to me, instead?"

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]The sound of the book slamming shut didn't make Zenkai flinch but it didn't mean he wasn't surprised. The crimson haired automaton had previously never shown emotion before in his presence but apparently that didn't mean she was incapable of it. Her actions and terse language were unmistakably made out of anger and if she showed anger she was probably able to show other emotions as well. Of course, this meant that Zen had an additional objective instead of just showing her where all the good books were. He needed to get her to show him more emotions.

"Hey now, no need to be a grumpy gus! The Librarian was probably playing a joke on you! You asked for human emotion and well...The emotions around sex are as human as it gets. I don't know if they thought you'd take it serious" Zen tried to lighten the mood by bringing the young researcher closer with one arm and tousling synthetic hair with his free hand. "Not everyone tells people it's a joke after they tell you one."

with Marlene's hair properly messed up the golden boi led her through the rows and rows of books, taking the long way around so they had more time to talk "Oh, I certainly have a lot of emotions that I can show you. Though I'm definitely not the most emotional person at U.A.U., I'll try and be a good teacher though" The titan grinned as he rubbed Marlene's boney metallic shoulder before letting his hand wander down towards her waist only stopping because was literally too tall to make it comfortable for either of them. Still, there would be other chances he could take to make her blush.

Eventually the two of them arrived at the Manga section and the titan was able to explain their strategy "well, since you're not looking for a library liaison I guess I've got no choice but to show you the proper books" Zen gently moved Marlene to the romance manga's bending down so he was right behind her, his lips gently brushing against her ear. It was a move they'd seen in a manga and one they felt should be extremely effective. For an Added effect, the titan grabbed Marlene's hand and helped her trace a figure over each of the books he pointed out"Love is a battleground is pretty decent, Vegetable crate is full of drama, Jump and sandals is super cute and adorable, The truth in may will make even your mechanical tushy cry but for you, I think Aharen the incomprehensible would be the best start for you, the main character is pretty similar to you"

Now was the moment to ham it up, Marlene seemed to have only read the Manga where the boy gets flustered so Zen figured it was time to show her the other side of the coin. The titan bent down and wrapped his arms around around Marline's waist while he rested his head on her shoulder "If you want to learn about human emotion, Manga is where it's at, not only can you read about how their feeling, you can see it in their faces and movements as well, it's way better than reading about how someone quivers when the plumber dips their plunger in the woman's toilet"

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[newclass=".ZenkaiExposition b"]color: #0a47ff;[/newclass]

[Marlene Lovechild]

Marlene's new friend's behavior had changed.

He was being very handsy, allowing himself to invade her personal space, and letting his hands go below than just the shoulders. The automaton girl paid it no heed, for a while. While the sudden looming, hugging, and other notions would have made most girls extremely uncomfortable, she did not feel threatened by it. With Zen being so close, he could hear and feel small whirrs and ticking sounds coming from underneath her clothes, and her skin. It was like holding on to a human-shaped clock, in a way. Even when she moved, there were small whirrs coming from the joints, telling the story of what was hidden beneath. 

Nevertheless, she was aware of the human concepts of appropriate behavior. When she felt her ear being touched by his lips, the girl inclined her head a bit forward, and then back, suddenly. The back of her metal head meeting his lips and teeth. Bump. 

"Please, do not stand so close. We are not yet that well-acquainted for it to be appropriate." - Marlene said. She did not sound angry, though her words did come across as chiding. "Or am I to take your actions as a declaration of intent?" - she added a question, bluntly. To be honest with herself, the machine girl did not know how to react to such behavior. None of the humans she knew ever behaved in such a way, before. And the books she read so far were not of much help. Marlene only had the rules of human etiquette to rely on, at this time.

Still, she allowed her hand to be guided toward the books, and fished out the issue of Aharen the Incomprehensible. It was recommended, and her new acquaintance did say the main heroine was similar to herself. Did he refer to the child on the cover page? If Marlene had the capacity for it, she might have felt a bit demeaned by the comparison. Her eyebrow quirked a bit.

"What is this book about?" - the girl asked, turning her head to face Zen. The head turned to an angle a bit too uncomfortable, for a human.

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]If Zenkai had more social awareness he probably would have realized that he was being a freak. Unfortunately the Golden Boi was rather oblivious to how real people flirted and figured it had to be something similar to the manga he had read. Coupled with the fact the gigantic freshman thought he was hot shit made for a rather unpleasant attitude and creepy approach to rustling the robot's feathers. Rightly so this sudden breach of personal space was met with an abrupt and brutal backlash as the automaton bashed the back of her head into his mouth. The titan let out a groan as he began to taste blood from where his teeth cut his lip.

"Yup, yup, I definitely deserved that, my bad" Zen rubbed his jaw gingerly "Should have probably seen that coming, sorry" He was a bit disappointed that he didn't evoke any emotions out of her with his antics, even if it was anger. Her words seemed to go back to it's regular neutral tone, even when asking if he was declaring his intent on...Romantic interest? It was...An interesting idea. Zen had never actually dated anyone before, once he had come to the age where he'd consider such things since he was living in a monastery, living amongst men he wasn't particularly attracted to. A Robot that barely felt anything and probably wouldn't ask too many questions seemed like the safest option if he were to dip his toe into the dating pool of undergrads.

"Y'know what, yeah, you can take them as a declaration" The titan smirked as he continued to rub his mouth and jaw. It had stopped hurting long ago but he used his hand to cover the blush he knew was forming on his cheeks after admitting something so stupid. "Sounds like it could be fun"

The golden boi was thankful that he had an easy subject change in the form of explaining the manga's plot. It felt foreign to them to have to ask someone out and he wasn't sure he particular enjoyed the strange feeling associated with it. "It's about a girl who was shunned by her classmates for being weird and clingy who meets a boy who tries to help her get out of her shell. It's not a perfect analogy for you but I think it's a good start while I try and figure out a manga where a robot falls in love." Zen grinned as he grabbed a few volumes off the shelf for Marlene, bapping her on the head with the last one he picked out. "Sound good?"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

"Your apology is accepted."

Marlene did not sound angry, or upset. Or disappointed, even. It was very hard for her to do it. When he did announce that his romantic intentions were, in fact, intentions, the automaton girl began thinking. She started processing what she just heard. Making friends was difficult in the academy. It was even harder back home, when approaching her old acquaintances from a different life. But this fellow, and so quickly... they barely knew each other. Was her mother's work so aesthetically pleasing? The opportunities for learning to be human would be greatly expanded. By all means, it was... a glorious success. 

"... As is your declaration of intent."

A shadow of a smile appeared on her features.

Opening the manga, she started to look through the pages. Unlike most robots, who just browsed through the book in a second, she took time to look at every image, and read every line. Either she took her time, or she wasn't capable of the "speed-reading" shown by others of 'her kind'. She looked at the expressions, the words being said, and the circumstances. Almost missing whatever it was that Zenkai was talking about. Almost. 

"I have never heard of a manga where a machine falls in love." - Marlene said, almost absent-mindedly. Inside of her mind, she already began scanning her memories, to figure out if she had ever experienced an emotion that could be described in a similar manner. She had do, if she were supposedly to return any romantic affections, were she not? There was ... very little that would match. The closest thing to it was the feeling of odd contentness, back when her creator was happy with the job she was doing. As clumsy at that was. Now, Marlene's expression took on a more serious note.

"I will need help with that."

The feeling, or the book?

Probably, both. 

[Zenkai Hatake]

[attr="class","ZenkaiBackground]

[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]The titan blinked a few times as Marlene accepted both his apology and 'declaration of intent' in one fell swoop. It was a bit of a shock for Zenkai, he had never dated someone before and from all the manga he had read...It shouldn't have been this easy. She was supposed to reject him or tell him that he needed to try harder or something, not just flat out accept his advances. He wasn't even sure what to do right now, they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend just yet, dating didn't automatically mean that...Right? It was a bit confusing for Zen and he wasn't exactly sure how to react to it. He should be happy right? So why didn't he feel happy? He just felt a pit in his stomach and his heart rate increase. He felt hot and anxious, it wasn't the feeling he expected to have.

The titan returned Marlene's smile as he tried to calm himself down while she read through the book. The golden boi was grateful that Marlene didn't seem capable of speed reading like all the robots he'd seen in media. It gave him the time he needed to push the feelings he was experiencing down and out of his mind, allowing him too go back to his regular self.

"Oh, I'm certain there is at least one or two out there that have that storyline, there's like a billion different romance Manga out there, I seriously doubt they haven't covered that subject yet." Zen grinned as he pulled out another manga reading it over "I think I remember one but I can't really recall the name of it...though those robots definitely showed more emotion...and undergarments"

Zenkai was pulled out of his search as Marlene asked for help, was he not already helping her? what else could she possibly need help with? "Oh...Yeah...Sure...Help with what?" The titan asked, looking down at his new romantic interest "Might take me a while to find the book if that's what you mean"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

"More undergarments?"

Marlene looked at Zenkai, her expression slightly incredulous. She looked at herself, as if inspecting the dress she was wearing. It was very conservative - a long double-skirt, leggings, shirt and everything. Very fancy. Her mother's gift for graduation. "Were they wearing winter clothes?" - she asked. Assuming that whatever those more emotional robots from the manga had was even more conservative, somehow. Maybe she should investigate that, sometime.

Turning around, fully, Marlene now observed Zenkai. Now he acted more like in some of those books she had read. He seemed flustered, despite being such a big and confident fellow. Well, if he were to assume the role of the shyer and sheepish partner in this play, it behooved the automaton girl to take the lead. And unlike beings of flesh, plagued by their own insecurities, the machine had no such weaknesses. Still, it paid to be prepared. Seeing Zenkai's confusion, Marlene explained:

"It is simple. I have not been to a date before. It would be a new experience."

She kept the book she was given, the one about Aharen the incomprehensible. She would read it in full, later. Instead, she moved over to a different shelf. One that was about psychology, self-help books, and all kinds of relationship advice. Conveniently, it was placed not too far away from the manga shelves, next to where the section ended. Looking over the books, she fished one out, and turned to Zen, showing the book she had in hand. The title of the book was as follows:

'Dating and Relationships - for Dummies.' 

She fished out another copy, and approached Zen. Handing it over to him, silently.