Connor blamed himself for not catching the suspect. He was the one who suggested to go back to DPD instead of following him back there. He thought they had enough time, that everything would go smoothly. He was too confident and he messed everything up. He couldn't sit calmly at his desk, he was angry with himself and guilt didn't let him rest.
Welcoming party for Kara was going to start in three hours, but he couldn't enjoy it. He couldn't think of anything else than his failure. They had a perfect chance and they let it slip without it going back. Being angry, he didn't even notice, when Hank watched him with a little worried face.
"Connor, don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault." He said.
"Then whose? Whose, Hank? I could have expected that." This fast respond was full of anger and guilt.
The android didn't look at his partner, he was looking at the floor, like it was the most interesting thing in the world. His will didn't let him look up and see Hank's face that would show him he wasn't mad at him. But he wanted to know and feel it was his fault.
He wasn't expecting words he heard next.
"Everyone makes mistakes."
And even more the person who said them.
Niles looked at Connor with his cold eyes, his voice as emotionless, mechanical as always. However, the fact he said something like that, really surprised him, so he watched him for a moment, not being able to believe.
He looked away, when Niles did it first, almost like those words never left his mouth. Maybe they really didn't, maybe it happened in Connor's head? He quickly threw away this thought as he saw lieutenant's surprised expression.
When he awoken from the feeling, he looked at a clock and raised his arms to stretch his muscles. His bones made a specific sound, making Connor glance at him and furrow his brows a bit. He never liked this sound.
"Our shift is over. Come on, Connor. You have to prepare for a party."
Connor rolled his eyes, laughing shortly and stood up, forgetting about remorse for a second. He glared with a corner of his eye at RK900, who probably stayed at DPD at night.
He pushed his chair to the desk and said to the android:
"Bye, Niles."
And he didn't expect that from himself. For a last few days he never said goodbye to him, he maybe greeted him twice. Most of the time he ignored him but he noticed the android was more and more neutral to him, he wasn't reminding him about his priorities. That's why Connor even with his biases, finally let go. Niles showed he didn't expect it as well.
· · ·
"White or black shirt?" Connor asked, watching his reflection in the mirror.
Even if he didn't have to care for his appearance, he wanted to show his better side. He looked at Hank, who stood at bathroom's door and was glancing at him.
"Black." He answered eventually.
This colour matched everything. And the most important, it was harder to see dirt on it - no one knew what may happen tonight. Androids couldn't get drunk, but they could have fun together.
It was thirteen minutes to eight o'clock, when Connor said he was ready. He knew there was much time left, but he was aware that North's house was a place which decorating should be done with every pair of hands possible.
Hank offered he will drive him, but he insisted on going by taxi and after a few minutes he was on his way to North. Connor wasn't seen often on parties, he used his job as an excuse, but the truth was he just wasn't the type to be part of those events. But now circumstances were different and he couldn't decline meeting with Kara, who he befriended even after how they first met. Some time passed after the revolution, every argument and not so nice things have been blurred by time - not including cases with androids involved, which were still finding their way to police. At least not that many how they were before the revolution.
Eventually, Connor arrived to North's home, got out of a taxi and walked to the door to knock. He had to wait a minute, before someone finally let him in.
"Hi, Connor." North greeted him, closing the door. "You're a bit early, but it's okay", she announce with a smile.
"Hello, North. I know, I thought you'd want some help." Connor answered.
He took of his shoes and walked inside the home, guided by her. They stopped in the kitchen to see... a lot of drinks based on thirium.
"You'll help me bring them to the living room, alright? Josh and Simon are arranging the furniture and checking the light to make a better climate."
"Good. Sounds like fun." Connor announced, smiling and picking up as many drinks as he could.
"Markus will be here in twenty five minutes, so we have some time left." North said, going with drinks she took to the living room.
They found mentioned friends there, who were just plugging projectors to the socket.
They left drinks next to the table standing near the wall.
"Hey, Josh, Simon." Connor greeted, smiling.
They both looked up at him and returned the gesture. They greeted him too and returned to testing the lights emitated by projectors.
The living room looked fabulous already. It was clean, there was enough space in the middle, and half covered windows let in only a bit of sunsets' light, filling the room with nice semidarkness. With North, they brought the rest of drinks. In the meantime, Ralph arrived, eventually accepting an invitation.
The most important guests haven't arrived yet, but it wasn't a problem. Everyone knew they'll come soon, probably equally at half past eight. And they really did. At exactly this hour every present person in the house heard a knock and shortly after they all were standing in the corridor, watching four androids coming in.
On their faces could be seen honest, happy smiles. Everyone started to hug and greet friendly each other. Connor stood near the wall and watched his friends, after all, he still didn't feel as freely. Feeling of gulit added itself, literally bullying him, even if he was seeing androids' happy faces. Everyone there was like a family and Connor thought, he didn't belong.
Then, Kara woke him up from his thoughts.
"Hello." She greeted him with the same small as others and invited him into a hug, raising her arms a little.
How could he not accept? Smile on his face widened and he embraced her. In a second, Alice stood next to him, so he hugged her as well.
When all of them greeted and enjoyed with quick conversations, they came into the living room, where the party was supposed to begin officially. Simon connected with stereo and turned on a playlist that has been chosen specially for tonight.
"I see you weren't picky choosing drinks." Kara joked, looking at the bottles standing nearby the table.
"We're celebrating your return, why'd we should be?" North said, taking a couple of mentioned drinks.
They clinged each other's bottles, like glasses of wine in a gesture of toast. They took a few sips and looked at each other with a smile. If something ruined that moment, it would be sad, wouldn't it. Luckily, it didn't look like something was going to interrupt, they could enjoy one another's company, slowly downing their bottles. An alcohol based on thirium couldn't damage anything in their biocomponents, they couldn't get drunk too, but the taste alone gave them feeling of being more human.
"Damn, North, isn't it too strong?" Josh pointed out.
"Huh, mr. not fun. You won't be drunk anyway." She answered.
"But this thing's burning." He announced, putting his bottle away.
The rest of them only laughed warmly.
"Josh's right." Markus said, smiling in amusement. "It's really burnig."
"You're weak." She answered, ending the topic and laughing as well.
Markus and Simon talked happily, visibly enjoying each other's company. Kara and North danced to the rhythm of music, but even being alone on the home made parquet, the atmosphere was nice. No one thought it was stiff, because it wasn't. Ralph found himself in Luther's and Josh's company. Alice was eating sweets, which were bought specially for her, and Connor was leaning towards the wall, slowly sipping his drink.
· · ·
"Okay, right. So I have something fun for us. Nothing too fancy, but at least something."
North gathered everyone in a circle to sit and explain what she invented. Alice has already fallen asleep in a spare room, leaving "adults" by themselves.
"Kara can change her hair colour, so we all can do that, can't we?" She said, smoothly reaching her aim. They looked at her impatiently. "I thought we could have a little fun with it. We'll be changing our hair colour one by one, we're gonna check what suits whom. Who knows, maybe someone'd like to leave something?" After the last sentence, she laughed, seeing her companions' faces.
There was silence for a moment, interweaving with music still coming out of the speakers.
"Of course, we've nothing to loose." Markus told with a smile.
Right, what could go wrong? Discovering new colours could be very interesting experience, nobody thought about it earlier. Only Kara had some idea about this.
"If I weren't changing my appearance because I had to run, I'd probably be fascinated." Kara announced, smiling widely. "Come on, it's really fun."
"Alright, I'm first." North said fast.
Her hair after a moment smoothly went from strawberry blonde to platin and she watched her friends with smile, showing her new face proudly.
The first person to react was Josh, laughing aloud. Markus and Simon repeated. However, it was sincere laugh, which didn't mean to irritate North. She chuckled herself.
"Guess, it's not for me."
"Definitely, believe me." Josh said, pretending to wipe a tear of amusement.
"Then what'll you tell about it?" She asked, her hair changing colour again.
She chose black this time, which added some sharpness to her appearance.
"Now you look like a punk." Simon said, making them all laugh from this comment.
"Uh, duh! It was my goal." she started defending herself.
"But it suits you." Markus announced.
"So it stays." North said, smiling. "Then, Josh, what do you have to offer?"
It totally was a try of revenge and everyone were aware of that, chuckling quietly.
Josh eventually shrugged, then his hair went to blonde with an effect of gradient. And at that moment every person, who had eyes, would tell the same - it completely didn't look good. He just looked terrible, what caused laughs, Josh joined shortly after. He returned to his natural colour and shaked his head, still amused. He sipped his android-ish alcohol and chose Luther as a next victim.
"Guess you don't have much options either." He said.
Luther shaked his head resigned, knowing he will look as idiotic as Josh a moment earlier. He looked at his friends' faces and laughed.
"Okay, okay, don't look at me like that."
His hair after a second wasn't brown, but blonde what made his friends laugh hysterically. Only Kara just chuckled, not wanting to make Luther sad, even if it was only for fun.
"Please, I have to see more." North stammered through laugher.
"Sorry, I was made mainly for physical work so I don't have many to choose." The android answered, smiling and changing his hair colour to brown again.
Then he nodded towards Markus, who rolled his eyes.
"You want blonde, red or black?" He asked, amused with only an image created in his head.
"Everything!" North shouted immediately.
Markus looked at her with pity, like on a child, who asked the most stupid question in its short existence. But he didn't resist, his hair changed to blonde and everyone held their breathes, only to start to laugh again. At this night was so much laugher and Connor was glad he could be a part of it. His non-human heart melted from happiness, seeing so much luck. He didn't regret that he deciced to come there.
Markus' hair changed its colour again, and now they were ginger-red.
"Jesus Christ. CyberLife had to have fun, creating these colours." Simon said, looking at the android.
"I wish I was there." Kara announced.
"How do you think their conversation looked like?" North wondered.
"'Let's create these colours in a way that makes androids look like idiots'." Markus joked, chuckling.
"Or 'hey, what are you doing?', 'oh, nothing, I'm just making clauns from androids'." Josh added.
"Or maybe something more like 'alright, let's make everyone shit their pants, when they find this option'." North said.
"They shitted their pants themselves." Simon told. "Imagine some guy with tears in his eyes and trembling like a worm, while choosing colours for our models."
The room was filled with loud, hysterical laugh now, infecting with positive energy. It was a really nice feeling and Connor wanted it to last forever. However, he was aware that with returning to work the next day, everything will turn upside down only because of Niles' presence.
Connor shook his head, wanting to get rid of the negative thought and concentrating on his friends again.
"Simon, your turn." Markus said.
He only shrugged and brushed his hair with his fingers, at the same time changing its colour from blonde to brown.
North and Josh almost in unison made a sound of disappointment.
"Simon, are you joking? It's not fair you look good." North announced.
"What can I say? It's all because of this face." Blond, well, now brown-haired, answered, grinning.
Even if these words really left his mouth, they all knew it's not what he was thinking. Simon was always modest, but they were having fun - he decided to put away the disicions, which he'd normally choose for a while.
He tried to not pay attention to Markus' glares towards him as well, he was really impressed by this change. He couldn't admit it out loud, but Simon looked just amazing in brown hair. He was jealous, but on the other hand he was just admiring him.
"Hey, where's Ralph?" Kara noticed, looking around hesitantly.
"It's okay, he went check if Alice's still sleeping." Luther explained and chuckled.
"He's cunning, he hid from justice." North stated, her sight landing on Connor.
And he already knew what was going on. He chuckled, looking at his impatient companions, who immediately noticed North's look.
"Don't look at me like that, it's stressful." Connor joked. "RA9, how did it happen?"
This rhetorical question caused some quiet giggles so he smiled a little. Then his hair colour went blonde and everyone was silent.
"Okay, I feel awkward." Connor announced jokingly.
"Do white." North said, ignoring his statement.
And he "did", from blonde changing to dirty white.
"Ey, it's not fair." Markus stated.
"Now black." North said again.
He did what he was asked for again and his hair went straight from white to black. Do you feel the contrast?
"Markus' right, it's not fair. Why do you and Simon have to look good in everything?" Josh asked.
"Say it's all because of the face!" Simon whispered yelling.
So Connor announced with a laugh:
"It's all because of the face."
And no one expected him to use Simon's voice. Because, yes, he's just done that, what made everyone uncontrollably laugh in spasms. The truth was, no one had a clue Connor could do something like that, he's never told he has this option. So everyone laughed in surprise from this unexpected thing.
"It was creepy." Simon stated, calming down after a while.
Connor only shrugged, smiling in amusement.