The masterminds behind the attack were here!

And they were strong. Marlene watched one of them lob a sizeable concrete slab at Jack. He dodged, but it could've been bad. A projectile of such size and velocity could damage even her own metallic body. Splitting up against this caliber of enemy was dangerous, she thought. That would land them a defeat in detail. At the same time, the automaton did not have enough data to determine if the three of them could win even if they fought together. Her eyes fell on Thea, again. 

"Do you know what each of them does? One of them has a sword."

She would wait for her companion's tactical analysis, before taking an action. Once having received it, she would remain where she is. The lack of reach was fairly detrimental, as Marlene discovered. Still, there was something she could do. Picking up a slab of concrete, still big enough, though smaller than the one lobbed at them previously, Marlene spun herself in place and let it loose. It flew through the air like a concrete shuriken, going for the fellow with the sword. Her rationale was that hitting a sword with a slab of concrete would not be good for the sword.

Until Thea came up with a better plan, Marlene would stay relatively put. So that when that plan comes around, she is not too deep into the engagement. 

'Hm. How very frustrating it must be, when one's human does not comply.'

Zen's train of thought often evaded Marlene. First offering her to do something and promising help, then saying he wouldn't! Very frustrating indeed, for a machine, if they could feel such things. Instead she just stared at him with a hint of indignation, being stuck in this T-pose position, arms wide to not fall over. Fortunately, instructions came soon enough, pulling Marlene out of the limbo of indicisiveness. And a smooch, to the nose. The big boy really seemed to like her button nose, of all other things. 

Then he called her a dork again, too!

"Accessing memory storage. Appropriate reply found. No u."

She took his arm, and tried to mimick the motion he made. His was very complex, engaging the hips, the ankles, and all the joints in one's own leg, simultaneously, while pushing with the other. It was a complex motion that required plenty of practice. Marlene was unable to perform just that, at the time. But maybe she could use her rigidity to her own advantage instead. She put her feet together to form a T, with the horisontal part of it behind behind. She used her back foot to push herself forward, and the other one locked in place, to not wobble. The motion managed to propel her a few feet forward.

*CLANK!*

She dug the back foot into the ice again, and stopped dead in her tracks. Then repeated the motion. She managed to move on the ice alright. Just... slowly. And not very gracefully either. 

Marlene was being repaired.

It wasn't done in an instant, and a few tries had to be made, but Morgan seemed to be getting the hang of it. The more she worked, she would discover that although intricate and infinitely complex for a clockwork mechanism, the basic principles behind each element remained remarkably bog-standard. Almost as if she were designed for the ease of repair. After she replaced and fixed the gears in the correct manner, everything seemed to click into place. 

And the automaton watched her every step of the way, with those unblinking eyes.

'She is very fast.' - Marlene thought to herself, watching her. 'And kind. She fixed me. Mother will not know of the accident.'

When told to check the machinery, Marlene moved her fingers again. Everything seemed to be working normally. Carefully, she lifted the forearm and held it in front of herself, while watching the exposed cylinders move back and forth. All that was needed now was to re-seal the silicone skin, and she'd be set to go.

"Everything appears to be fixed, thank you." - her voice, though neutral, had a slight reverb of gratitude to it. "You saved me from much trouble back home. Is there anything I could do for you, in return?"

When hearing the suggestion, Marlene stayed silent for a second.

'Embarrassment. That is something I should be feeling right now.'

And maybe she did, which was the reason why she did not answer immediately. But when she did, it felt forced, like squeezing out an answer out of herself: 

"Yes. That would be more efficient." - she admitted. Without going into detail as to why she did not request instructions prior to making an attempt. Maybe she thought she'd succeed by default. Pride? Who knows. But now that she plummeted into the ice, face-first, Marlene was ready to receive proper instructions. When offered a hand, she would take it, and try to get back up. She succeeded, her joints locked into place, preventing the blades from sliding to the sides.

Moving them, however, was a different thing altogether. Because moving one's feet meant a potential risk of losing balance, again.

"What do I do now?" - Marlene asked, looking like a mannequin on skates, frozen in place like a statue. "Push me." - the automaton girl demanded of her would-be boyfriend. Maybe if she gained velocity, balancing on skates would be easier. It worked that way with bicycles, did it not? She looked at Zenkai, both expecting instructions and a push of some kind. Oh, and by the way...

"I am not a dork." 

Zenkai was very lucky to be dating Marlene.

Any other girl would have become a burning cinder from embarrassment right now, from him yelling out what she was, to showering her with over-the-top praise and affection, while announcing her presense, enough for all fo China to know she was here. The petite automaton took this ordeal stoically, knowing full well that it was a bit too late to stop Zenkai.

"Thank you for blowing my cover, Zenkai. Infiltrating humanity will be that much harder now that I have been exposed." - Marlene said dryly, letting the meaning of her words stew in the air for a few moments, before clarifying: "That was a joke."

Hoping for her attempts at humor to have defused the situation, at least for a brief moment, and when she was finally put back on the ground, Marlene looked back at Sumi, to try and explain the situation more coherently, and with much less gushing. 

"I apologize for my ..." - Marlene took a pause, to reassess the status of the relationship and the word she should be using to describe Zen with. "... boyfriend's behavior. He is a very kind person, sometimes exceedingly so. Your offer was very kind, too. But the description given to me was correct. I do not think it can be helped. If you could assist someone else in my stead, I would be grateful."

Marlene bowed a little, politely. When Zenkai started talking about how she desperately needed new clothes though, he'd feel a sharp metal elbow against his ribs. Hard enough for him to feel it. For anyone else, it would have probably resulted in a broken rib and a punctured lung. Fortunately, this one was sturdy enough to take it.

"This is my favorite dress. It is the first my mother gifted me, so it is very special. If you wish to make me a gift, though, you should purchase it using your own funds. Not mooch it from our generous hostess."

Having turned to Sumi again, Marlene extended a hand to her, for a handshake. 

"Would you like to be my friend? I would like to be yours."

"You want to learn how to use firearms. And you're asking me."

"Yes. That is the correct summation of my request."

For a brief moment, one would think there was a slight tinge of sarcasm in the machine's voice. Was it sarcasm? Or some other emotion associated with stating the obvious, or repeating oneself after having made oneself clear once. The secret suspicions, red flags, and other things that went through Marlene's prospective mentor's head, though, went completely above her head. What she wanted was to learn. But she had to jump through a few hoops first. Mr. Browning did not seem to jump at the idea immediately, or at all. He asked for her reasons, first.

She would give them to him.

"My fists have an effective range of approximately five feet. My speed does not exceed that of a trained regular human. Should I encounter an enemy with increased mobility and the means of attacking at range, they would be able to molest me unopposed." 

The automaton girl outlined the hypothetical situation. 

"Having a firearm would level the field. Few individuals can outrun a bullet. Being proficient with one would make my task of subjugating humans that much easier."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air after that last line, before Marlene decided to break it.

"That was a joke."

Like everyone else, Marlene had received the invitation.

The automaton girl was ... uncertain what to make of it. The lady that invited her was someone she never knew or met personally, making an invitation to such an assembly very ... unexpected. But not unwelcomed. She was hardly the person to be invited anywhere, and the occasion to engage in socializing with other students was conducive to the purpose for her creation. Mother did not mind either. She likely wanted her 'daughter' out of the house, so that she could engage in undisturbed alcoholism. 

Still, Marlene was waiting for a call. 

She and Zen were seeing each other for a little while now. It was customary for the man to call and invite a woman to a congregation. So said the book on manners and courting etiquette that she read. Alas, there was no call. Perhaps it was presumptuous of her to expect one in the first place. As the time drew closer, Marlene assumed none was going to come, and chose to go on her own. The choice of clothes was not a problem - she only had one favorite dress. Black and white, very proper, almost maid-like in appearance. Black stockings, well-shined shoes. A frilly white shirt to go along with the dress. Her mother's perfume. 

At the aforementioned time, the automaton girl arrived at the pier, where the boat was. She walked towards it, heavy thuds against wooden planks with every step. Water was not something she preferred, given what she was. But, at the very least, she was in no danger of drowning, should push come to shove. There were come people already, among them Marlene could guess the familiar hulking figure of Zenkai. 'So he did choose to come.' - she noted to herself. Wondering if she should have felt upset or not, in this situation. But there was just... nothing. Except for maybe a slight appreciation that there was a person she knew, and who she could spend time with. But first things first. 

"Good evening. My name is Marlene Lovechild. I have received your invitation. Thank you for having me." - her tone was neutral, and the automaton girl was very polite. She even gave the lady meeting them a small curtsey at the end, slightly tilting up the edges of her dress. Her unblinking eyes briefly fixed on Sumi, matching the face to the name. 

"Sumi Okita, correct? This is for you."

Marlene presented the girl with a small giftbox,  tied with a cute ribbon. Inside there was a chocolate bar, and a small wind-up toy mouse, with a key in its back, a tail made of a spring, two wheels, and whiskers made out of string. When wound up, it would roll around in a small circle and make squeaking noises. Marlene made it herself. She just felt it was rude to show up without a small gift to the host, of some kind. Tis how she was raised. If allowed on board, she would walk over, and the boat would incline a tiny bit to the side under her weight, when her foot reached the edge of the deck.