Streets of Hope

Do you miss shaving?

"Such a strange question; seemingly mundane and yet carrying something more essential, more intrinsic to the human experience, at its core...

I do miss it, on occasion. I've never intentionally showered in centuries, and my manual razor and sharpening strap have more than likely gone forgotten in my old affairs in Kent. I suppose they've been discarded by now; more than likely thrown in some landfill, the metal parts rusted away and the leather all but decomposed. A piece of my old routine, gone forever.

On the other hand, only the first few years of my existence as an automaton carried the peculiar melancholy of the recently transferred. My oil-and-sawdust baths stopped having airs of the Strange or Alien, tedium settled in and, well... I daresay I forgot all but the dimmest shades of my morning routine as a flesh-and-blood man. I soon had other things to worry about than the expression of my innermost humanity, and it does seem as though I've passed the test of time. I still value food, I still enjoy quiet evenings and yes, I still do reminisce on shaving from time to time - and I generally remain as I was before my demise.

I believe I shall endure quite well without the comforting morning routine which is still yours; there are many more things that add the spark of life to those old clicking gears of mine. A job well done and the camaraderie it instills, the young ones' irrepressible energy, miss Lowell's arms... All this, and all of Hope along with it.

Plus, I get to be the only man alive who keeps a drawer filled with removable mustaches. For all of my efforts to remain human in spirit, I do enjoy the quirks of my armature. I'd compare it to having one of your bespoke gaming computers: I haven't settled with a custom hairstyle or facial hair design; I've gone for a custom body!"

He parts with a small but obviously proud smile, his oil-painted eyes somehow shimmering with lifelike mirth.

"Clank Master Race, to coin a phrase."