Grey's Requested Calm: 20:07:20 Left

'It's been a long day,' Adrian added before Grey could respond.
'This One Agrees. Much Has Occurred Today.'
'Then-let-us-wrap-up-things-up. Has-the-larger-card-been-installed?'
'Yeah, though I think it might be a good idea to figure out how much space I need to leave open. I've only had Raven on this phone up to now.'
'If-you-have-a-64-GB-card-installed, leave-half-of-its-space-free. That-should-be-enough.'
Adrian thought about his reply for a moment. 'Are you saying you take up more than 6 GB?'
'Considerably-more, I-am-certain. Exactly-how-much, I-do-not-know, but-I-do-not-think-pinpoint-totals-are-important.'
'Why not test it anyway? I've got enough stuff I can load in until we find out.'
Grey's response came after a moment. 'Is-there-a-specific-reason-that-you-feel-we-need-exact-measurements-now?'
'I'll be using my camera tomorrow to record video, and that card is where the video's data will be streamed. If it hits a limit midway, and someone besides me is holding it, they'll probably start asking questions.'
'I-see, but-if-that-is-your-concern, leaving-the-card-empty-is-just-as-viable-an-option.'
‘It would be, but I would like to put some of my stuff back onto the card, and for all I know, you could take up 30 plus GB of space. You did say “considerably more” just now, and that you don’t know, so let's find out for certain, then I'll move my stuff out until there's plenty of room for everything.’
Grey's response again came after a moment. 'I-will-agree-to-that. Raven-and-I-will-inform-you-when-we-are-inside-the-device.'
Adrian nodded in response, then plugged his phone in. Within seconds, Raven said, 'This One And A.I. Grey Are Inside.'
'Alright. I'm going to attempt to transfer some large video files; they're 1.3 GB a piece. Once I get a warning about lack of space, we'll go from there.'
Neither AI responded, and Adrian got to work. He copied a collection of ten video files at once then pasted them into the card's window. As soon as they started copying over, he stopped the transfer. That's at least 13 GB free... He did the same again with twenty files, and again the transfer started. After stopping it, he added five instead of ten more files to the collection, enough to tip the total to over half of the card's space. Again, the transfer began, and was stopped.
Adrian then added one new file to the collection, and made another attempt. This time, he was stopped with a lack of space warning. 25 files can go in...that's 32.5 out of 59. Raven takes up 6 or so...Grey is 20 GB? He passed the information along via the messenger app, to which Grey responded, 'My-suspicions-were-accurate.'
'Still, that's a lot.'
'And-now-we-know. Myself-included. That-kind-of-knowledge-does-elicit-fulfillment, I-will-admit.'
Instead of replying, Adrian questioned what he wanted to keep on his phone's microSD. He hadn't watched much anime since Raven appeared, but decided to leave a few episodes of two shows on the card, both for the AIs and for himself. The storage folders for his pictures and videos had to go back in, and his downloads folder also, though within it, he found some APK files he'd not used in a while and moved them into his desktop's storage drive.
In the end, Adrian moved 12 GB worth of data back onto his phone. 'That's enough for now,' he texted.
'Is-there-anything-else-you-plan-to-do-tonight?'
'Aside from read some more, not really. I'd rather go to bed and sleep on things for a while.'
'Understood.'
'If Emma Texts Adrian Ritter, Should This One Respond?'
Though Adrian wasn't initially concerned, figuring Grey already knew about Emma, after he responded with 'If you want to', something else crossed his mind: How long could he keep Emma from finding out Raven was gone? C'mon, not now. He thought as he shook the idea out of his head, along with the image of her being sad at the news. He could think about that in the morning.

December 28th, 2016

Grey's Requested Calm: 11:36:11 Left

When Adrian awoke, the first thing he did was listen for any noises from his phone. When he heard none, he resisted reaching for it right away. With a fresh mind from sleep, he thought over what to do if Emma began to realize Raven was gone. The best answer he could think to give her was that Raven's creator had contacted him and asked for him back, which he agreed to do. She shouldn't feel too bad about that.
Shortly after, he reached for his phone and unplugged it. Within a second of that, both AIs were texting him; to his surprise, Grey had added itself as a sender in the messenger app.
'This One And A.I. Grey Found A Lot To Do Overnight.'
'Raven-also-showed-me-the-newer-”faces”-he-made, and-encouraged-me-to-make-some-of-my-own.'
Once Adrian made a chat group with both AIs, he responded, 'You did, I assume.'
'Yes, though-I-will-not-need-them-beyond-today.' When Grey uploaded the images, the details became clearer. The wolf-like body it created was mostly gray in color, with white along the chest, tail tip, and rear paws. The front paws were depicted as wrapped in tape; boxing tape was what Adrian assumed. Golden eyes, and a red, tattered scarf wrapped around the neck, made up the rest of the sprite.
'Interesting. Was this inspired by something?'
'Only-by-what-felt-most-fitting-to-me.'

* * *

Later that morning, after the grocery run was finished, Adrian texted to Grey, 'You haven't been to a shooting range before, I assume.'
'No. Raven-did-inform-me-of-how-loud-such-places-were-to-him.'
'They're always loud. Raven can handle the microphone while we're there, though I will be recording video at some point.'
'May This One Allow A.I. Grey To Observe Surroundings While There?'
'With Face-to-Face, right?'
'Yes.'
'If he wants to, sure.'
'What-exactly-would-I-be-observing?'
'Me shooting a rifle, among other things.'
'My-brother-is-more-interested-in-that-than-myself, I-can-tell-you.'
'Fair enough,' Adrian replied.
Eventually, his father and grandfather began gathering the guns to load into the car. Adrian took his 9mm along once again, eager to spend some lead with it.
Along the way, they stopped at the Forest Firearms gun store to pick up the ammo they needed for the Dragunov. Once he had his box of 9mm, Adrian noticed a particular gun in the case and asked to look at it.
“Who traded this in?” he asked after holding the Luger P08 for a minute.
“Someone who was only interested in cash. This thing's got some history on it. Dated all the way back in 1929, according to that marking right there.”
Adrian whistled at that, a smile working onto his face. “I'd buy this if I could. Can I get some pictures of it?”
The store owner gave him a gesture of approval. “Go for it.”
Adrian then got his phone out, opened the camera app, and took a picture of both the pistol resting on the glass case countertop, and of his right hand holding it. After checking both images, he got his father's attention and let him see the gun also. Before Ben and his grandfather could follow suit, Adrian stepped away slightly. One of the AIs had texted him.
'One-of-those-around-here? How-odd.'
'You know what that is?'
'I-do. The-design-is-unmistakable.'
Initially, Adrian just nodded, but then, a touch of curiosity hit him. 'Unmistakable to you?'
'And-to-Raven, if-I-can-recognize-what-that-was.'
Though he couldn't place why, Grey's responses stuck in his head for a bit.

* * *

When the car pulled into the lot near the range a while later, Adrian texted to Raven and Grey, 'We're here. It'll get loud soon.'
'This One Will Adjust Microphone To Comfortable Range As Needed.' Adrian pocketed his phone at that.
As the cases were carried to check-in, he kept his own at his side, along with the extra ammo they'd bought. The first lane the four decided on was the 15 yard one. Distant enough for the few pistols they'd brought along, and this time, one of the poles separating the lanes had a head-level shelf to mount phones on.
Adrian tested the angle and shelf stability while his father found his Walther and loaded one of the magazines. While it was stable, what got him to abandon the idea of using it were the gusts he was feeling crossing the range every ten to fifteen seconds. A check of his phone's weather app told him their max speed: 17 MPH. That's gonna throw our shots around a lot.
Shortly after he checked the app, the phone vibrated and the screen changed to display “Caller: A.I. Raven”. When Adrian answered, and switched the Face-to-Face option on, the same black screen was what he saw.
'This One Can See Adrian Ritter's Face.'
Adrian glanced at his family before beginning to text. 'Grey's watching too?'
'Yes, I-am.'
'This One Will Switch Active Camera To Rear.'
Adrian waited a second, then held up the phone to view his right then his left. 'We're waiting for a ceasefire before we do anything. I'll be shooting on the long range later.' Neither AI replied, and Adrian dropped the arm holding his phone to his side, leaving the camera lenses free to view what was to his right. At least four other groups in that direction were firing ARs or similar rifles, while the claimed lanes to his left had several shotguns, and one black powder rifle, being used.
At the ceasefire, Ben hung the first paper target, a gust throwing it around while he was carrying it into position. On another lane, the same gust ripped a similar target out of someone else's hands, causing them to scramble to catch it.
Adrian's father went first once the ceasefire was lifted, taking a shot every few seconds; every one put Adrian more in the mood for his turn, and eventually reminded him to load his magazines. He filled the two he had with ten each before his grandfather finished shooting and handed the pistol over to Ben.
“Adrian?” his grandfather said once Ben had the pistol.
“Yeah?”
“Wasn't sure if you noticed it during the check-in, but we can't go straight to the five-hundred yard ranges here.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why not?”
“Range policy, it seems. We would each have to qualify on the three hundred yard range first.”
“Hmm. Makes sense, I guess.”
“Why don't we go straight there, see if you at least qualify for it?”
At that, Adrian got his father's attention. “I heard. If you want to, go for it. We'll catch up.”
After a moment to consider, Adrian accepted, then stowed his pistol and magazines, leaving them where his father could keep an eye on them. As his grandfather led him back to the check-in building, he assumed to request a range officer for a qualifier, he checked his phone for new messages.
'What Was Adrian Ritter Being Told? This One Was Unable To Hear Well.'
'I can't go to the 500 yard ranges until I qualify for them on the 300 yard ones. That's what I'm about to try.'
'This One Will Be Able To Watch?'
By then, Adrian was nearing the check-in building. 'Let me make sure.' He lowered his arm again once he was done texting, and followed his grandfather inside. Soon after, he had the qualifications in front of him, and his eyes widened a bit as he read them: five consecutive hits on a 6 inch target from three hundred yards. A miss would reset the count.
“...That'll be tough, pulling that off.”
“How much ammo do you have?” their range officer asked.
“Forty rounds,” Adrian said, showing the boxes as he did so.
“Hmm. If you have that much...how does one hour sound?”
Adrian ran the numbers in his head. Forty rounds into sixty minutes... “Pretty generous. I'll give it a try.” His grandfather patted him on the shoulder at that reply.
“Alright, then. Come with me.” The range officer lead him and his grandfather back outside at that. Again, Adrian felt his phone vibrate thanks to an IM.
'What-must-you-do-to-qualify?'
'Hit a 6-inch target at 300 yards five times in a row.'
Grey's response came after a second. 'Is-that-so? A-challenge-like-that-I-will-watch-with-great-interest.'
'This One Also Desires To See How Well Adrian Ritter Does.'
'Then, hopefully I can show you both that.'
The part of the range Adrian and his grandfather were brought to was a considerable walk from the lane they'd chosen earlier. The target he was expected to hit, he could barely see from the shooting table, though there was a camera feed of it on a small display on the table. The target camera was aimed sharply, but not completely, vertical from the grass at the metal plate.
After arranging things to ensure his phone was at the right angle to get himself and the camera feed for the AIs, the first magazine was loaded and he found the target through the scope.
“You ready?” the range officer asked after a minute.
Adrian had heard him getting something ready. “Yeah, I'm ready.”
“Alright. You've got one hour, starting...”
Beep!