[There’s a lag before Rinzler’s one-word answer comes through, short enough to be explained by a momentary distraction or quirk of the network, but not short enough to be unnoticeable.
Alan is beginning to wish they were having this conversation face-to-face. At least Rinzler’s sound tends to be a reliable tell.]
If you do report in, can you let me know first? I’d like to check in with you afterwards.
[The request feels pathetic. Alan can’t stop Rinzler from reporting to Clu alone. All he can do is try and make sure the program is still whole after it's done.]
the ones in this month wouldn't count, sadly! But heck yeah, long thread~
[The lag this time is slightly less. Still, no less difficult. It's a hard request. Clu might condone Rinzler keeping contact with his user, but reporting on the admin's actions trips a full hex of flags' worth sick disloyalty. Even if, technically, he would only be reporting on his own...
Relevant facts. Relevant data. Would Alan-one, or Clu, come to harm from the action? Only if his user planned to intervene already. (Or if Rinzler were incapable of confirming function after.) The former condition evaluates to a cautious unlikely; Alan-one would need more warning to set up a trap. The second potential... also low. (Rinzler hopes.) And not providing data came with its own risks.]
Can try.
[No promises. But... that should be all right. He could ask Clu.
[It’s small, but it’s something. Part of Alan says that if he really gave a damn, he wouldn’t let it happen at all—wouldn’t let Clu peer into Rinzler’s code after everything he’s done, even with a promise that Alan has only heard about secondhand.
But he can’t make decisions for Rinzler. He’s trying to learn from his mistakes, trying to distance himself from whatever it is inside him that keeps deciding that if Rinzler won’t make the correct choice, then he’ll make it for him.
[Alan-one's thanks is unwarranted. Alan-one's instruction well beside the point. Still, there's a whisper of relief as the tangled priority chains loosen. A flicker of gratitude, a fraction of surprise on top of that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
i'm one comment away from being able to use this for AC o9
Alan is beginning to wish they were having this conversation face-to-face. At least Rinzler’s sound tends to be a reliable tell.]
If you do report in, can you let me know first? I’d like to check in with you afterwards.
[The request feels pathetic. Alan can’t stop Rinzler from reporting to Clu alone. All he can do is try and make sure the program is still whole after it's done.]
the ones in this month wouldn't count, sadly! But heck yeah, long thread~
Relevant facts. Relevant data. Would Alan-one, or Clu, come to harm from the action? Only if his user planned to intervene already. (Or if Rinzler were incapable of confirming function after.) The former condition evaluates to a cautious unlikely; Alan-one would need more warning to set up a trap. The second potential... also low. (Rinzler hopes.) And not providing data came with its own risks.]
Can try.
[No promises. But... that should be all right. He could ask Clu.
...
He really, really shouldn't.]
no subject
[It’s small, but it’s something. Part of Alan says that if he really gave a damn, he wouldn’t let it happen at all—wouldn’t let Clu peer into Rinzler’s code after everything he’s done, even with a promise that Alan has only heard about secondhand.
But he can’t make decisions for Rinzler. He’s trying to learn from his mistakes, trying to distance himself from whatever it is inside him that keeps deciding that if Rinzler won’t make the correct choice, then he’ll make it for him.
That doesn’t make it easy, though.]
I know I’ve told you this before, but stay safe.
I’ll do my best to do the same.
no subject
Rinzler had expected him to press.]
Acknowledged. [A beat.]
Won't fail.
[Not the command, and not his user. Not again.]