The guitar player glanced up at the two new faces in the crowd - a face and a half, perhaps, as one was almost entirely covered and had only his eyes visible, curiously watching the performance.

He nodded at them to the rhythm of the music, welcoming them to the crowd without saying a word and without stopping the flow of the music.

Not for a single moment did he linger on any exceptions in Cain's appearance and the crowd has parted to make room for them, focused on the music just as Lillian said they would.

Feeling accepted in this new group of strangers, Cain relaxed and looked over to Lillian, seeing her give a reassuring smile before he turned his full attention back to the musician.

Music sounded so different in reality than through a person's memory; there was something almost physical about it, in how each strum and pluck of the strings seemed to reverberate through every cavity within his body, amplifying their influence several times over.

Although he couldn't quite grasp what this 'influence' was. Cain was certain something was happening but couldn't quite label it in his mind. He knew through memories that music has changed how people think and feel, but to such a great variety that he couldn't deduce the exact effect.

But there was no doubt it was doing something, as if wiping away the concerns nesting within him, almost forcing him to focus on the musical tones and scales and nothing else.

It felt...rather pleasant.

A few moments later the music stopped and was replaced by the sound of the audience clapping and cheering, with some even throwing coins and bills into the open guitar case at the player's feet.

Cain saw Lillian approach the musician among the people, putting some money in the case and thanking him for the performance before turning back. "Well?" she hummed cheerfully, eager to know the android's impression.

"It was..." he lingered as they turned to resume their walking down the path. The lingering word turned into silence, as for once Cain appeared to be struggling to properly articulate his thoughts. "It... was lovely," he eventually decided on a single descriptive, but even then, his tone of voice was laced with doubt, still mulling over whether this word best describes what he felt.

Lillian chuckled and gave him a little pat on the back. "It's okay, most humans can't quite make sense of that feeling," she smiled at him, "but looks like you were having a nice time."

He looked down and nodded slowly. "That's true. I can see now why people associate music so positively," he looked over his shoulder, seeing the guitarist prepping up for another performance. "There's something...special, about it."

"Nicely put."

The two went around the park and through its many winding paths for several more hours, exploring just about every inch of it and watching the occasional performances, strolling couples and even some occasional drones piloted over the treetops with a soft, buzzing hum.

As the hours went by and the sun made its way down, turning the bright blue sky just a tad darker with a hint of red hue, a slight chill graced the air as the temperatures began to gradually drop.

Feeling the change, Lillian wrapped up in her jacket, wishing she would have brought a warmer coat.

"It's getting colder," Cain noticed the change too, looking at the Professor. "Looks like you're not quite dressed for the weather. Should we head ba-?"

"N-no!" Lillian immediately tensed up, looking back at him. "The day's not over yet."

Taken aback by her sudden reaction, Cain stopped in his tracks and stared down in silent confusion. "We've seen quite a lot already. It would be a shame to end this day with you getting sick," he calmly argued.

Lillian huffed in response. "I won't get sick!" she insisted, stuffing her hands in her jacket's pockets as a sign of protest. "Besides, there's still one more thing I want to show you in this park."

"Really? Where is it?"

The Professor shook her head. "Not where. When."

Cain was still confused but seeing that Lillian refused to reveal any other ounce of information he let go of the issue and decided to wait and see what she has in store.

They went through some of the paths a second time as the sun lazily moved down towards the horizon, with Lillian mostly walking him through small thickets of woods. While it was a quiet and peaceful route, Cain couldn't help but wonder why she'd intentionally lead them through colder places, where the sun doesn't reach. He still refrained from asking again, since it appeared as though Lillian decided to set logic aside for now.

He followed in silence, admiring the lush foliage surrounding them and the sounds echoing through it, of chirping birds and chattering squirrels, all ruffling through the canopies.

After what felt like walking in circles for a while Lillian finally walked out of the shaded path and Cain noticed she was heading back to the boardwalk by the pond. "It looks just about the same," he said as he followed her to the wooden fence surrounding the small dock.

Lillian smiled and pointed at the clear view of the horizon behind him. First just a flare of orange light as he turned around, once his optics adjusted themselves to the direct sunlight Cain saw the sun itself - now a bright orange orb - slowly descending over the horizon, carving strikes of golden yellow and fiery red into the late afternoon sky.

It was like time stood still. He couldn't focus on anything else around them, neither sounds nor sights. It was simply a giant ball of flaming gas moving past the curvature of the Earth and yet it evoked something so inexplicable within him, on par how the music did.

"Magical, isn't it?" Lillian's words just barely pierced through the near trance-like state Cain was in.

With the glass dome in the natural reserve back in Neosansus being placed so high, he only ever caught a glimpse of the sun around high noon and of the skies changing colors in the following hours, none of which could ever compare to this. "It's amazing," his voice was full of awe and wonder.

Lillian smiled, not wanting to ruin the moment. The two watched the sun crawling down the darkening sky, until it disappeared and left behind just a halo of reddish glow.

"Alright, now I'm really getting cold," she admitted once no longer spellbound by the sun and its lingering warmth, shivering under her jacket and tightening it around her body.

"It looks like people are taking their leave, too," Cain added after looking around a little before turning to Lillian. "We should head back."

She moved away from the fence with a content sigh. "Yeah, this day reached its peak. There isn't much to see here after dark," Lillian nodded and stepped off the boardwalk with Cain, walking to the entrance where the car was parked.

The heat turned up as soon as they strapped in and in no time, they were on their way back to the complex, managing to stay ahead of traffic in the short route leading there.

"So, how would you sum your day off?" Lillian wondered as the towering block of buildings came into view.

Cain kept looking out the window of the car, but he didn't seem to be as focused as before, when trying to make something of the passing images outside. This time it was more like he was just...staring.

He remained silent until they were in the complex's parking. While Lillian thought he simply didn't hear her at first, when she looked at him once they stepped out of the car, she saw that he took his scarf off now that they were safe from civilian eyes.

He was smiling.

"It was fun."

"Odd, I thought Samuel would still be on shift," Cain pointed out once he and Lillian passed a different member of the security team on their way back through the same gate they left from.

"Yeah, there aren't a lot of things that he'd leave his post for," Lillian wondered about the change of personnel herself, "it's well past lunch time, no patrols or early training scheduled...Unless-"

As if to answer their concerns, thundering footsteps were heard shortly after they arrived in the complex's lobby, connecting all the different departments.

Even before turning around they could recognize the deep, mechanized voice that sounded like a radio transmission. "Back from your little vacation, soldier?"

While Lillian appeared to be reluctant to look back, Cain made a quick turnaround to face the other android - just slightly taller but about twice his mass - wearing uniform in dark, muted green.

Abel's next-to-human appearance, the black sclera in particular, was enough to make Cain feel uneasy.

"You know that's the farthest from my programming, Abel," he answered, not appreciating how he was addressed. "Your deployment has been longer than anticipated."

The hulking android smiled, although with the bare, rigid lower jaw it resembled more to something between a smirk and a scowl. "We've exceeded all estimates on the trial run, so much that they put me on the first field run immediately after," despite lacking some emotional range in his voice as well, there was no denying that it sounded somewhat like a brag, "no use in going back and forth if everything checks out."

"Dear me, those military elites sure are in a rush," Lillian stepped up this time, narrowing her eyes at the militant machine. She crossed her arms, looking uncharacteristically upset. "So, what was your kill count?"

"Why don't you take a guess?"

Lillian huffed and opened her mouth in intended protest but was soon stopped by another familiar voice. "Don't start this again, you two," Samuel stepped up from behind Abel, waving at the returning duo, "don't let that ruin the end of your day off."

Cain looked over to Lillian, surprised to see her so agitated. He had his own disagreements with his combative counterpart, but this was the first he has ever seen how she really feels about him. He knew Abel wasn't as observant of facial gestures as he was, making him wonder if he was even aware of how negative Lillian's view of him was.

Before he could bring any of this up, Samuel broke the uncomfortable silence that settled between them, taking a step forward and turning around to face Abel. "Hey, shouldn't you be heading to Mike's workshop? These bullet-holes won't fix themselves. But I heard they're working on it," he added under his breath.

"You're just eager to get to training, aren't you?" Abel turned his attention to the security officer. "Regardless, you're right. The assessment should've concluded by now. I will see you later," he parted with the trio and turned to the aforementioned workshop, to have his "battle damage" taken care of.

Samuel watched him go, rubbing the back of his neck and looking over to Lillian, who was still looking upset. He let out a low sigh and turned to Cain. "Why don't you head to Isaac's office to return his coat? I'm sure he'd love to hear about what you've been through."

Suddenly aware again that he was still wearing the long coat, realizing that he indeed got used to it, Cain looked between Samuel and Lillian, unable to overlook the hint of concern on their faces.

"I should be going back to my post, so I'll walk Lillian back to her room, and she can get some rest. She doesn't possess such a strong battery as you do." Samuel joked and patted Lillian's head, drawing a chuckle from her.

"He's right, it's been a long day," Lillian agreed, knowing her forced smile won't convince him at the slightest, "I'm sure Isaac would be more than happy to hear from you, personally."

Cain nodded slowly and parted with the two, turning the other way towards the founder's office.

"You'll have to let this go, better sooner than later."

Startled by his serious tone, Lillian lowered her head and pulled her jacket closer around her. "That's not what this program is meant for," she huffed, pouting.

"I know," Samuel answered, recalling several other similar conversations like this one ever since the A.B.E.L prototype became field-operational, "but think about it, you made an A.I that can learn pretty much everything, from human behavior to combat maneuvers, and-" he had to stopped once Lillian gave him a short yet spiteful glance, strong enough to feel through his bulletproof vest.

She frowned and looked away again, her hardened expression soon turning to a saddened one. "I can't stand the thought that it's applied to something that's meant to kill others..."

"That's not accurate," the officer argued, "it's that programming that lets Abel make humane decisions instead of engaging in the emotionless killing everything in sight," it wasn't the first time he was repeating that, "he actually makes sure there are as little casualties as possible, on both sides."

"He's still a walking killing machine," that wasn't the first time Lillian has stated that argument either, "even as a single prototype he's a disaster waiting to happen, and I don't want my program to be associated with it."

Samuel took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly. "You know...Cain is capable of generating enough electricity to kill a human, too," his voice turned grim. He hoped he wouldn't have to bring it up, but while Lillian's frustration was understandable, seeing her being so spiteful towards Abel was just a plain shame, "but he has a system of restraints, in both software and hardware, that prevent him from doing so. Right?"

Lillian turned noticeably paler in mere seconds. "Ri...Right."

"Well, Abel has some very strict restraints too, and every move he's making is widely monitored," he explained, "this 'walking killing machine' can't aim his sights at a rock without someone knowing about it, and if he does something out of line there are enough safety and override protocols that can remotely shut his down completely even if he was on the moon."

The Professor glanced at him again, and Sam rolled his eyes. "Alright, maybe not the moon, but pretty much from anywhere on Earth."

She sighed and looked down again, remaining quite until they arrived at the living quarters and soon after at her room.

"Did you two at least have a nice time on your day off?" Samuel asked before parting ways, hoping to not leave with the bitter taste of that conversation.

Lillian looked up at him for a second, her stare blank, but soon smiled again upon recalling the rest of that eventful day.

"Yes. It was a fun day."