The New Client

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    When morning rolled around, Luke was already up and finishing up his preparations. Boxes full of tools and equipment, stacked neatly outside his apartment building. The young techy grumbling over this and that as he checked off lists both mental and physical to make sure everything was as it should be. Blueprints were rolled up and sticking out of a backpack slung over his shoulder. He wasn't changed into his work clothes just yet, just to make it easier to travel, but that was the only thing about him that wasn't in full on 'work-mode.'

    It didn't matter if Soren and Mike were there before seven, at seven on the dot, or a few minutes late, Luke would only give fifteen minutes of breathing room after the clock hit seven before he hurried things along. He wasn't going to wait, he had a job to do and that was all there was too it. 

    A cart was flagged down, and Luke paid them for the journey, loading in all the equipment and supplies with or without help, and then clambering in to find a seat up near the front of the cart to plop down and catch a few more hours of sleep. When dealing with house calls, it was always best to grab whatever you could. You never knew how much energy you were going to need when dealing with a new client. 

    They could be fine. They could be a bumbling fucking oaf. Or they could be a massive piece of shit. Always a roll of the dice. You know that old saying; Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Except you do. It's listed right on the back of the box. Plain as day. Which is why Luke always contacted clients before hand. You always gotta check the fuckin' box. Unfortunately, he got absolute jack diddly from the call he made, which didn't lend him any confidence. Whatever they might actually be like, Luke was already bracing for the worst. 

    If Soren and Grant wanted to shoot the shit or follow his example, that was their choice. But he wasn't taking part, and any attempts to converse with him or try to prod at him would be met with a mixture of death glares and a really, really hard punch to whatever extremity was closest.

    Don't fuck with a sleeping tech-head.

    Along the quiet road, the weather was actually pretty nice. Some of the towns they passed through were quaint, and the trails further away from the capital had a faint smell of rain attached to them. At some point, they even passed a traveling duo of some bright eyed young archer girl and a stoic looking swordsman. Other than those two, though. The trail was peaceful and quiet. 

    When the treeline broke away, the cart carrying the trio would find itself in an expansive meadow, like an ocean of grass flowing before them, each blade bowing in the gentle wind. Luke would even open his eyes for a few brief minutes before returning into a comfortable slumber. These were the scenes that made his life worthwhile. That broke the dark harshness of his childhood and pushed him forwards towards the future. Showed to him, proved to him, that his life had finally found better footing. 

    And it was good.

    When they finally arrived at their destination, the first sight the traveling bunch would be met with would be a large, towering structure, overlooking the grand stone wall that surrounded it. With begrudging reluctance, Luke would hop out of the cart and exchange a few words with the guards that meandered about in front of the gate. After a few minutes, the young man would give a signalling wave to the cart, and it would move forwards once again, the gates opening up and revealing a neatly tended courtyard. 

    Luke jumped back into the cart when it passed him, setting back down in his original spot as the horse plodded along the stone path. The young techy would mutter something about 'being on your best behavior' but it was more to himself than directed at anyone else. The cart rounded a fancy looking fountain and come to a final stop in front of an ornate looking front door, the steps leading up seemingly crafted more delicately than literally any building in Hurricane Keep. They were in an entirely different world now, and Luke started wondering if it was too late for second thoughts. 

    When an a maid gussied up in the most stereotypical outfit in the world came out to greet them, he accepted that the time had long since passed. Luke nudged Grant with a grin, silver eyes gleaming mischievously. "She's kinda cute, eh?"

    Before he could hear a reply, the boy had already vaulted over the side of the cart and gone to great her, giving a polite nod. The girl seemed genuinely surprised at Luke's appearance, but even more so that he had brought along company. When Luke motioned for Soren to start moving the heavy shit though, it seemed to settle in a bit better. Regardless, Luke already had a feeling that he was going to need to do some explaining once he finally met his client. 

    Luke slung his bags over his shoulders, used one hand to grab a toolkit, and another to grab a bag of parts, and led the trio after the maid, into the grand foyer of the... castle? Mansion? Estate? You know what, let's just go with all of the above. At this point, it would be far easier. Regardless, Luke had only one thought on his mind. 

    This is going to be a long day.

[Sora-No]

Click here for Character Sheet

    

    Mike was chilling in his hotel room, just kind of blasting music. Well, blasting is a bit hyperbolic. What he was doing was more playing it loud enough that he couldn't hear anything else, but quiet enough that no one outside of his hotel room could hear it. Respectful deafness. No need to worry about noise complaints if there are none. And hey, not like you could hear their complaints anyways, right?

    Mike currently was leaning against the bed's mantle, playing his guitar. Since he didn't bring an amp, he couldn't hear what the hell he was playing, more just appealing to his own senses. He knows he's hitting the right spots, it's more just to give his body something to do. And besides, he wasn't acting too smart, anyways. Going past the point of 'hey they don't need to know this' straight to giving them straight adronitis dealing with him. Boy oh boy isn't it fucking grand.

    Whatever.

    He'd turn off his music, about to head to bed, when he checked his phone. Oh, a notification. He doesn't get those often. Oh, and a text? Holy fucking shit boys he's hitting new territory. Wait. It's just a text from Io, never mind. The quips in the text aside, he shut his phone, attempting to head to bed. Holy fuck 50 gold an hour. Why? What made these shits so expensive? Was he fucking handling tech for someone living in a castle or something?

    In the morning, he'd arrive, in a plain red hoodie, a single hole near the end of the right sleeve. Other than that, he wore a black shirt and faded jeans, with the same pair of shoes he was wearing yesterday on. He had a small one-strap bag on his back, filled with simple things. Mostly drinks and snacks. He wants to save this money, honestly. Especially if it's an overnight thing. Wait, is he paid through the night? Does he get to make money by fucking sleeping? Oh god he should ask Io.

    He'd finish packing the things into the cart, giving Soren a hello. When they all went into the cart, he went to ask Io. Only for him to fucking pass out. Fucking hell. Whatever, it's fine. Throughout the ride, he'd have most of his snacks, and would be drinking through a single energy drink the entire way there. When they arrived, he'd take a look, his brain screaming.

    Holy fuck he was right.

    He'd take a look at the maid, giving a chuckle, "You're not wrong," Was he going to talk to her, though, was the million dollar question. Which, as you could guess, was an absolute fucking no. He'd let Mr. Tech Boss Man handle that, while he hopped out, grabbing some of the boxes and heading into the humble abode of the fucking millionaire guy.

    He'd follow Io into the room, mentally wondering how much this shit would cost. Like shit, if he accidentally breaks something in here, he's going to have to sell his fucking arm to pay for it? Probably, looking at it. God, the man probably has gold toilet paper with this much money. Wait, on second thought, probably not. While it may be the biggest way to say 'hey fuckfaces I'm rich' it's also not smart because it probably does its job hella ineffectively.

    He's just going to keep his mouth shut for the moment.

[Soren]

Soren's night was relatively peaceful. His plants were watered and fed, and he was already prepped for the next day. Admittedly, there wasn't much to prepare for. Dawn broke, staining hishome with a golden light. Soren was up before then, part of his internal clock synced with the birds outside. He made sure that his plants were happy and healthy, leaving meat for the ones that ate meat and telling them to be good while he was out. He did hear something about positively talking to your plants helped them stay healthy, but he wasn't sure how true that was.

Soren was easily at the location Luke said to meet. Seeing the horsedrawn carriage as well as Grant appearing and loading up, giving him a nod. "Don't mind me.", he said, not getting onto the carriage. If either were confused, he would simply flutter the ends of his wings to remind them he didn't actually need to ride with them. He would actually be alongside them or above them, depending on the terrain.

Soren waited a little after Luke had spurred the horse to move before launching himself into the sky so he didn't startle the creature. He flew above the forestry, almost easily blending in with the birds that crossed below. When the treeline was gone and leading into a meadow, Soren lowered himself so that he was next to them, but high enough to flap his wings and not hit the cart or the ground.

By the time they neared the mansion, Soren let out a whistle. "An aristocratic client? Interesting." He didn't really follow the two's gaze. Soren wasn't one to look around at someone to chase tail, even if it was tempting. He landed, wings in an irregular beat as he was righting himself and letting his feet touch the ground. Soren waited for Mike and Luke to grab their things, picking up whatever was left behind.

"Ah yes there you are." An expectant tone came from at the top of the stairs that lead up to the front doors. She was dressed in elegant attire, setting the scenery back a good few hundred years. The woman wasn't totally human. Her head had a scaly veil that draped around her head and rested at her shoulders. Her eyes were naturally narrowed, golden irises dashed out with slits. Her fingertips ended with blacked claws, her skin was dappled with scales. Her gaze was naturally as cold as her blood, scanning over the three individually. "I wasn't expecting you to bring friends.", she said. Her personal comment was that they looked like a couple kids and the bird man was some party animal bum. But for all she knew this item may not have been a one man job. "Well. If that's all of you here for the job, then follow me. We placed the trinket in a case to preserve it."

SPOILER: Click to show

NPC font: 8258b6

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "This is still a one man job. The feathered one is here to help lift and move equipment, and the kid is here learning under me so he can become a proper technician. Unfortunately, that's kind of a requirement for many people who want to break into a career. Consider him an apprentice of sorts." Grant was far from an apprentice, but it was a better explanation than any. He... loathed dealing with the upper class. There was a definite gap between him and the wealthy, and no matter how hard he tried to escape it, it was in his DNA. 

    Luke did his best to not cringe at the weird veil thing. Gods, some faunus had the weirdest fucking features. Made his skin crawl. Some had multiple eyes, some had multiple arms, and then some had the weird gods forsaken features that this one had. He wasn't going to make any comments or start shit, she was a paying customer, but he really hoped that it didn't flair up or anything like that. He might end up puking. 

    "Soren, make sure to be careful with all that equipment. There's some fragile shit in there and I don't need it all getting broken." Luke shifted the bags on his shoulder and followed after the client, motioning for Grant to stay close. He didn't need the guy getting into trouble or breaking shit. Especially seeing as the guy was going to be pretending to be Luke's apprentice. 

    Ok, so, maybe Grant was technically going to be learning this shit anyways like a apprentice. But Luke was really just going to be giving some pointers and shit to make him, you know, work for the money. Like an actual job? 

    "Before we see the item, can you show me to a side room, preferably a bathroom, so I can change into something more preferable to work in. As you can guess, with the long travel here, I opted to wait until we arrived here. Trust me, won't take more than a few minutes. Besides-" Luke motioned to Soren and Mike "-They'll need to bring all the equipment over anyways, so we'll end up waiting regardless."

    "If you're in a rush, though, you can have your maid lead me there, and back once I'm all ready. Saves time while they get everything moved up, and I get all set and ready to go." Luke folded his arms over his chest. He wasn't being rude, at least, not trying to be. He was just trying to be as quick and efficient as he could. Besides, he needed to piss after such a long journey and this was the best way to figure out where a bathroom was without just outright going 'HEY BITCH, I NEED T' FUCKIN' PEE!!!'

[Soren]

Her gaze would have remained critical, but his reasoning passed regardless. She made her way down the hall, ignoring whether or not they were following. "No problem, 'boss'.", Soren said, easily staying away from anything that looked breakable and expensive while holding the equipment with ease.

"Yes, there's a bathroom in the secondary hall to the right, Rena can escort you to and from so none of you get lost. The estate is quite large, so it's easy for newcomers to lose their way.", she said, her tone sounded bored. She stopped in front of a pair of grand looking doors, leading into what looked like a museum of artifacts. "Lyndon, my butler, will be keeping an eye on your progress. The object is at the only pedestal without a glass case." She gestured to another door at the side of the room. "You may use my study over there as a work space, unless you need more room, Rena or Lyndon can escort you to the workshop." Whatever this job was, the client herself didn't seem all that entertained by having what looked like some raggedy children showing to claim as mechanics.

"Uh, Ma'am, might I ask your name in case we call you in to see the object when it's finished?", Soren piped up, keeping polite as to not incur the wrath of those fangs. "Oh yes how rude of me. Sheraleigh- That would be Mistress Sheraleigh to all of you.", her tone was stern. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting I must attend." She left almost immediately, her steps flowing so smoothly as if she were a ghost. Soren placed the equipment down close to the door, no point holding it for too long right? "Is the study large enough?", he asked Luke.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Luke put on a cheerful smile and nodded along. Inside though, he was positively fucking LIVID. If he didn't have so much pure, forceful control over himself right now, he'd be shaking with unadulterated rage. This, this woman right here, was why he didn't like people in the upper class. Why he didn't like people who's status placed them miles above him. She was so condescending and dismissive. She was the one that contacted him. He had a proven track record to vouch for his success, and she was just shitting all over that. 

    It was official. Luke hated this woman. 

    But he couldn't say anything about that. He wasn't here to make peace or make friends, he was here for a job. And he'll be fucking damned if he didn't do his job to the best of his ability, bitch or no bitch. He might be aggressive. He might be spiteful. But when it came to his job, he had fucking standards and nothing was going to get in the way of that. 

    When 'Mistress' Sheraleigh wandered off, leaving them to their own devices, Luke would let out all his pent up emotions in one big exhale. "Soren, thank the gods you're such a goodie two-shoes because I have a big fucking job for you right now. I... will level with you. I came from the bottom of the bottom of the lower class, so this shit, all this shit right here? It's setting off a lot of-" he shook his hand in the air. "-A lot of little ticks that I picked up when I was young. But, I have a job to do, and nothing will stop me from doing that job, come hell or high water. However, I don't trust myself, so I need to rely on you to be the diplomat for our group. You're a proper guy, good personality, so I'm going to do something I don't do- ever..." 

    Luke sucked in a deep breath, and let it out nice and slow, closing his eyes before he spoke. "I'm going to depend on you." 

    With that being said, Luke went to the study to inspect it. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. It was comfortable enough to work in as long as he had to. However, he went over to one of the boxes and lightly booted it. Not even hard enough to move it, just... a frustrated tap. 

    "The way she spoke about it on the ResLink made it sound bigger and more important. Even the document hyped it up to be something I was going to need heavy equipment for." Luke turned and rubbed his chin, pacing around the room, slowly and methodically. "Hmm... right, so either she's hyped this up far too much and it's a simple little thing, or- it's size is deceptive and it's actually far more intricate and complicated." 

    The young man tapped his fingers against his thigh, continuing to pace around. Finally, he stopped pacing, stopped tapping, and stopped rubbing his chin. Luke placed both hands on his hips and let out a long, drawn out exhale. 

    "Alright, until proven otherwise I'll work off the basis that it's the latter option of the two. Prepare for the worst, and what not. However, if it's a simple little thing, I'm going to make sure to spruce that shitty little thing up so absolutely hard I'll have exceeded going one-hundred percent on a job into one-hundred-fifty percent and show her up!" Luke raised his fists and clenched them tight as he spoke, getting himself riled up like he was giving a personal pep talk. 

    "Ok, Soren, get all the equipment moved into the study, I'll be in to set it all up when I'm back. In the meantime..." Luke turned back to the Maid, giving her a polite nod. First shocker of the day, by the way. "...Rena, was it? Do you mind leading the way so I can get changed?" 

[Soren]

"Yeah, I can do that.", Soren said. On the outside he seemed pretty calm. But internally? Cue the mental waterworks, by gods it would be embarrassing if anyone saw this. The mental image to put is that the bird man has sparkling teary-eyes and glitter around his frame with a large bubble lettering spelling out "dependable" around somewhere. "Afraid I don't know much on technology to give even the slightest gander as to what that thing is." Instead of trying to identify a gadget, Soren just started to move things over, Rena opening the doors for him so he could move in and out of the study with ease.

"Right this way, sir." She dipped in her step while turning, a slight curtsy and then made her way down the hall. The estate was heavily decorated, pottery with cracks lined in gold and holding exotic looking flowers inside. Pillars of pure white interrupted between the pots as well as an occasional painting or glass case that showed off a relic. She stopped eventually at a singular door, twisting the handle and opening it for Luke, making way so he could pass by her. "I will wait here if you need any assistance.", she said, closing the door behind him after he walked into the room.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rena font: 49fcd8

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Luke followed behind the girl, taking in the sights. He'd probably never be in a place like this again, so might as well drink it all in. He thought of striking up a conversation with Rena along the way, but before he really could try, they had already arrived at the door. "Thanks for showing me the way. Just give me a moment and I'll be right out. Oh, uh, and you can drop the formalities with 'sir' and shit. I'm just some tech head, I'm not nobility." 

    The young techy slipped inside the grand bathroom, just... pausing and staring with wide eyed shock at how fucking... massive it was. The tub alone was like a small pool rather than a bath tub. The whole room itself had this... golden glow about it while the tiles beneath Luke's feet were shined and polished to perfection. And the fucking TOILET man. It was literally like a throne. Of course, for the tailed people, it had a small gap for them, but gods, the only way it could look more gaudy would be if it were covered in rhinestones.
    
    He was sure the fur lined seat came pretty damn close to how costly that'd be, though. 

    After Luke broke free of his stunned trance and... relieved himself, he got changed and folded his clothes neatly into his bag. After washing his hands in the fancy ass sink, made from a giant gods damn seashell might he add, he would pop out of the bathroom and give a small, joking twirl, following it up with a stunning pose. 

    "So, how do I look?" Luke flashed a cheeky little grin. He'd exchanged his shirt and jacket for a white tanktop, pants exchanged for heavy, olive colored overalls covered in pockets, tucked and bloused over steel toed work boots. Fingerless gloves were traded in for work gloves that went halfway up his forearms. Atop his head were a pair of dark-lensed welding goggles. Luke laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know, definitely still raggedy compared to what you all might be used to, but do I look a little more like a proper tech head now?"
    
    The last little bit was in reference towards the seeming disdain his client had showed towards him and his compatriots. Maybe he should have dressed in his work clothes ahead of time? She'd still probably make comments, though. If not towards Luke, then towards his groupies, and then roping back to Luke to use said groupies as a way to, once again, make a comment on Luke. 

    Such was life when dealing with the upper class. 

    Luke let Rena lead the way, this time taking the opportunity to try and strike up a conversation, learn more about the people he was going to be dealing with for perhaps more than a day. There were a few questions bouncing around in his head, and he was trying to pick out which one he wanted to say before they reached the room. It was like trying to pick the best dialogue option in a video game. The young man held a certainty that if he just went the lazy route and ask 'so tell me about yourself' he'd only get some quick, flat replies. 

    "So, uh, tell me about this place? How long have you worked here and, you know, how is it? I mean, I've never exactly known the high life like this, so it's gotta be a bit nice. I mean, gods, that bathroom was massive." Luke figured this might be the best way to knock out two birds with one stone. Gets the girl talking, and helps him learn about the place where he's working in. "Your... Mistress seems like an interesting character. I assume she's a little different when new people are around?"

[Soren]

"It is required for our formalities within our occupation-" Rena had to stop herself from saying 'sir'. "I will do my best to refrain.", she said, bowing her head. Although the boy's entrance was satirical, Rena had to treat it as it was a serious question. "Very good- uh... Might I ask your name?"

"The estate has been around for several generations. Mistress Sheraleigh has only recently inherited it from her father's recent passing. The staff themselves work quite hard to maintain the pristine appearance you see around you." Rena gestured to a painting of a reptilian man who wore a lavish suit, a stern look on his face as she explained. A few seconds of silence happened after Luke's second question. "You must forgive the Mistress. She's much kinder than she lets on.", Rena said. Of course it could be things that Luke's all heard before 'oh they're not like that normally!' or 'they're much nicer once you get to know them' or something. "It is quite difficult for her to show her emotions, but she is truly someone that is caring of others."

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "My name's Io. Nice t' meet you." To be honest, he was hoping to get a laugh out of her. Grant would have certainly laughed. Still, he wasn't going to let that get him down. He listened to Rena explain everything and mused over just how much fucking money its owner must have. Luke wouldn't even know what he would do with that much money. As cheesy as it might sound, he... probably would just give most of it away, keep enough to lived modestly and comfortably. 

    He wasn't big on the giant, flashy mansions full of super expensive bullshit. Luke would certainly buy some expensive equipment to work with and for his gizmos, but other than that... he... liked how he lived right now. "Honestly... this is... kinda crazy to me. If I'm being honest with you, I'm just some punk kid from fuck all no where, and my reputation has pulled me so far as to be working for someone who's worlds above me while I'm still trying to get off the ground floor..." 

    Luke caught himself and laughed nervously. "Eheh, don't uh, don't tell Soren or Grant that I got all sappy like this." 

    The young man continued to study the place. All his life, he'd hated the upper class. The ones who made his life pure hell. The one's who... no, he wasn't going to think like that, not now. Truth be told, he still hated being here. He felt uncomfortable, out of place, and it just kept burning into him. He was out of place. A muddy stain on an otherwise perfect and clean portrait. He liked himself, he liked how he lived, but right here, right now, he felt like a pebble next to a mountain. Without realizing it, he found himself muttering. "I certainly don't belong here..." under his breath.

    The techy shook his head and pulled himself out of his thoughts, continuing to follow after Rena. "So, you know the Hauntfest right? Do you all celebrate it here? If not, you should try to go. It's pretty fucking amazing. My favorite event of the year, honestly. The scenery, the stories that come from it, the costumes."

    Luke paused and stopped himself, waving his hand dismissively. He was getting carried away. He just met Rena, and he was already going on and on. It was something that he tended to do a lot when he talked about his interests. Just losing himself in how much he loved this or that and all the little intricacies. Rena was one hundred going to be lacking in interest, he should have just held onto it and waited until he got back to Soren and Grant. 

    He'd remain quiet until they arrived back to the room, Luke ducking into the Study and setting up all the equipment he'd need. "Grant, come on over here. You're acting apprentice here so make sure to pay attention. Rena, can you please go get the device for me? Oh, and Soren, thanks for helping with the heavy lifting. Go ahead and take five."

    As Luke started setting up, a dog Faunus, specifically a Scottish Terrier, in a nicely kept suit came in, carrying a tray with multiple cups of piping hot tea on it. Luke would pause and look over at it with a blink of surprise. 

    "Greetings, good sirs. Allow me to politely introduce myself." The dog man had a monocle over one eye, but both seemed to be hidden under the graying, bushy eyebrows. The fur along his muzzle covered his mouth, and wiggled as he spoke almost cartoonishly. "I'm the estate's butler, you may call me Lyndon. I'd like to thank you for coming out to look at the device. I whipped up some tea for you all to enjoy, but please do be careful, it's quite hot. Oh, and Rena, I made sure to whip up a cup for you, extra cream and sugar, just how you like it." 

    The few times his eyes were visible, Lyndon bore a bit of a gentle, cheery glint. 

    "Oh, er, thank you." Luke hesitantly took it, placing it down onto the table to enjoy when it cooled down. "But, for future reference, I'll have coffee. I'm not bashing the tea though, that's honestly really cool of you." 

    Lyndon gave a slight nod of his head, going around and handing them off to Soren, Grant, and Rena, before returning to the entrance to the study. "I'll make sure to return in a bit with scones, should you all wish."

    "Yea- er, yes please. Thank you." Wait was Luke being... polite? Wait, am I being... polite? Luke felt weird towards this man, but for some reason he just... had an urge to try and be more... proper around him. The old man was honestly pretty nice. It was weird. 

    Luke looked towards Soren. He had a feeling the two of them would probably get along quite well. They were both big, soft nerds, it seemed. Whatever the case, It seemed on the spectrum, the 'Mistress' was the worst, Lyndon was definitely the best, and Rena was somewhere in the middle. Interesting. 

[Sora-No]

Click here for Character Sheet

    Mike found himself following along with Io and Soren, doing his best to keep quiet. But, while Soren may be like 'okay be nice to this lady or I die' and Io is straight keeping in whatever thoughts he's got in his head about this, looking calm overall, Mike had other reasons for being so calm. And, to be honest, the reasoning, when explained, would make him seem to be more of a fucking weirdo than he actually is.

    He found it fucking hilarious.

    Honestly, he hadn't seen someone pull off every single rich person cliche within fourteen seconds of talking. Like holy shit, she's acting as if they're just simple ruffians. And, while she may be half right, she's also half wrong. And the fact that she can't tell the difference is also quite hilarious to him. He wondered what would happen if she ran out of money... how long would she last not knowing the difference between normal and 'avoid'.

    While he did find it comical, he felt as if he was just watching this shit from afar, like it was through a screen. The person pulled off the rich motif so well he felt as if it was fake, and this place was so stupidly expensive that it could fit in a comedy of some kind. He was just an observer, following along with the others and helping out with what was going on. But, other than that, he wasn't doing anything really big. But, he has no fucking complaints. He's getting paid big money for this shit, so he can't sit here and bitch for not having to do much.

    He'd help Soren with the things, giving a small smirk and a remark, "Neat. Dependable is helpful when we're both just the strong arms of the group." He'd give a chuckle, picking up a box and walking into the study. The place was glamorous overall, but the size was at least normal compared to the rest of this ridiculously sized fucking mansion/castle/money-burning-establishment-of-overcompensation.

    He'd put it down, talking as he did so, "Hell, I haven't seen any place this fancy, either." He'd go to continue, giving a pause as he almost remarked the very 'mistress' that the nice maid that brought them here worked for and sat right there. He'd clear his throat, talking once again, "I lived a... mediocre rise life?" He'd give a chuckle. "Even if mediocre is subjective, it's whatever."

    He'd lean on a wall, pulling out his phone and waiting for Io to get out of the bathroom. Fuck. He did need to go to the bathroom. When Io had left and changed, he'd give a shrug, a chuckle leaving his mouth, "Don't ask me, my guy, I'm literally dead in the fashion industry. Give me a hoodie and my shit's set." He'd walk into the bathroom, scooting by Io and into the bathroom, looking around in awe of the size of the fucking bathroom. How in the fuck do you make it look like bankruptcy for him in just a single fucking room? Goddamn.

    When he left, he heard the remark, he'd give a small snicker, following the group and hoping more shit started moving and everyone started doing shit. He was bored. He's hyped on caffeine. Let him fucking live, for fuck's sake. He'd go to fall asleep but his eye is caught in the glint of all the fucking GOLD in the fucking place.

    He'd follow the group, hands in his pockets. Looking around, overall a disinterested look on his face. Sure, this place was way too fucking huge. And yes, he doesn't fucking fit in here. He knew it was going to be that way the second he saw the fucking place from the outside. But the more he walks through here, the more he can notice that this shit's expensive. Bam. There. Moving the fuck on. Goddamn.

    He'd perk up as Io called his name, walking over. "Yo." He didn't know even what he was supposed to do. While Luke had his knowledge of the job, all Mike knew was 'hey come along for this job, get moneys.' He wasn't given any more information other than that.

    The butler showed up, Mike giving the guy a genuine smile. "Thanks, that'd be great." The guy looked like if you turned a puppy into a human being- SHIT SHIT SHIT. He meant that the person looked kind and would be kind no matter what. But not the fact that guy was a faunus. Fucking hell, he accepts faunus, but they're ruining his metaphors and similes. So, essentially, he still accepts them and it's more of him mentally trying to humor himself.

    He didn't touch the tea, looking at Io. "So, what are we actually fixing? Since I'm going to be apprenticing, I'd like to know what I'm going to learn how to fix." Yeah, he was mostly in the dark, bear with him.

[Soren]

"The Mistress' family hosts a party during the holiday. It changes every year, last year was a masquerade.", Rena said. She paused to turn to Luke, dipping into another curtsy. "Very well, I won't mention this to anyone else."

Luke returned and pretty much told Soren that he could hang out until he was needed to do something again. It wasn't even long until a butler came carting in with tea. Soren was about to find a corner to simply perch at before Lyndon handed him a cup in its saucer. "Oh sweet, thanks for the tea.", Soren said, holding the tea in his palm and absorbing its warmth. Soren took a sniff over the tea, it was fragrant with the steam carrying its scent further. "What kind of tea is this, sir?" If it weren't for formalities, Soren would have also called this butler 'Pops'.

The lynx faunus looked over at Lyndon, a smile pulling the tufts on her cheeks a little higher. "Thank you sir." Even around other staff, Rena was formal. She settled next to the door, blowing on the tea to cool it before taking a sip. "This tea is the Mistress' favourite, a blend of lavender and chamomile, dusted with sugar." The tea itself was sugary sweet, lavender taking up most of its taste and fragrance.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Ho-ho? What did I tell you about being so stiff around me, Rena dearest? Come now , you're too young to be living life like a wooden board." Luke was vibrating in the corner as he watched this interaction. Lyndon was like a big... fluffy grandpa and Luke just wanted to hug the man. HE NEVER HUGGED ANYONE. But Lyndon was just so soft! He was the goodest boy. Er. Goodest... man? Is that racist to use doggo terms for a dog faunus? That feels kind of racist. BUT HE WAS SO FUCKING NICE!?

    Luke just sat and stewed in his own confused feelings, trying to figure out how he felt towards this and what was or wasn't racist when it came to this whole ordeal. While that went down, Lyndon approached Mike, leaning forwards and seeming to study the boy.

    "So you're this young man's apprentice?" Lyndon mused, rubbing his chin. Before Mike could answer, he perked up. "Lovely. I look forwards to seeing you develop nicely in your endeavours, young man. It's never too late to learn a useful trade, I'd say!" 

    Yeah, Mike's Puppy assessment was... pretty spot on it seemed. Lyndon let out a jolly laugh and slowly left the study, returning a few minutes later to drop the device in the still confused Luke's hands. The action dragged Luke out of his thoughts just in time to stop himself from dropping it in a panic. "It always warms my heart to see bright young gentlemen such as yourselves making a name in this world."

    "If you require anything what-so ever, don't hesitate to ask me, or-" Lyndon sidled up alongside Rena, placing a hand atop her head and warmly ruffling her hair. "-young Rena here. Perhaps her being around youngsters her own age will be good for her. Oh, and Rena dear, do remember what I said about loosening up. I don't need any of the groundskeepers mistaking you for firewood, ho-ho!" 

    "I'll make sure to make this puppy shine as bright as the day it was built." Luke state proudly. When he was dealing with the Mistress, it made him want to run off spite. But with Lyndon, he just had this warm fuzzy feeling in his heart that made him want to do his best to make him... happy or... proud... 

    It... reminded him a lot of Io. 

    Lyndon let out another cheerful laugh and nodded. "Well, do your best. I will return soon with your scones. Rena will still be here if you need anything. If, for some reason, you need me for anything, feel free to have her contact me." 

    "No problem. Thanks again for the tea." Luke would turn from Lyndon for now, dragging Grant over as he starting cracking into the device. It seemed as though his assumption on it being a deceptively complex device was correct. So this was going to keep him working for a nice long while. "Alright, Grant, see these wires? These right here are perfectly intact, good condition, connections are solid. but look, see when I move these- you see those discolored wires there? Those ones are no good, look you can even tell on this black one, the copper has started oxidizing and it's cut right through the weakened rubber lining.

    So, normally I would leave the good wires in, and gut the bad, but right here it shows me that there might be more subtle compromises in even the good wiring. Plus, with the good wires blocking access to the bad, I don't have much of a choice but to gut them. Pay attention now because this is a very delicate process. I don't want to ruin the connection points when I remove the wiring, so instead of just ripping them out, I got to carefully snip them and try to ease the tips out of place." Luke would already be diving into the process. The inside of the device was honestly a big mess. It was some sort of... complicated Swiss army knife type thing. Luke hadn't seen anything like this before, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

    His mind was already deconstructing and reconstructing it piece by piece, no matter how messy it all looked inside. The... tools and knives would need to be sharpened, not replaced, given they were so intricate and likely highly specialized to this singular device. Luke definitely had a long road ahead it seemed. 

    Lyndon would watch Mike and Luke for a time, then turn his attention to Soren as the young birdman sat in the corner. "Well now, seeing as you're not doing anything at the present, why don't you come along with me. I can't have you lazing about now can I? We have some chores around the premises you can lend a hand in. Have to make you work for your pay somehow, young man!" 

    "Make sure to shut the door behind you!" Luke would call from his workplace. Welp, Soren, good luck. 

[Sora-No]

Click here for Character Sheet

    
    Mike would give a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. Geez, this guy was a fucking grandpa through and through. Wholesome as hell, just that good grandpa that everyone enjoyed having around no matter what. As funny as jokester asshole grandpa is, wholesome grandpa is also just as good. He didn't really know how he felt about it. On the one hand, he knows that the person is accommodating and being super fucking nice, but on the other hand it's kind of awkward to get this treatment from someone he had just met literally fifteen seconds ago.

    He'd give a smile and a nod at Lyndon's words, "Thanks, I'll do my best." This was kind of awkward for him. He couldn't really put his foot down on it. But the person just met him and is already dumping kindness on him like the ALS Icebucket challenge came out of the grave and haunted him with water so frigid you're entire body will shrivel up like a corpse. Well, it is that time of the year, the wonderful spook-time.

    Jokes aside, though, he found it almost alien. Sure, the whole 'rich motif' was everywhere, and he can see the fact that the butler is in the same cliche of being the nice and wise grandpa that everyone can't help to admire. But it's not normal for him to be treated like this before he even said a word. Sure, him and look shot the shit and were kind to each other, but it wasn't 'oh my god I've adopted you now please do your best so I can be proud' type of kind. Or maybe he's being hyperbolic. Who fucking knows. Though his head was in a strange 'what do' stage, his face was still being genuine and his muscle memory of being a 'good person' were kicking in.

    At the moment, he didn't have a feel on this Rena fellow either. Sure, she seemed like the one to follow orders and know what to say and how to say it, but other than that he doesn't have much. Well, maybe it's because she's more reserved and it's less knowing what to say as it is having loyalty to the person that owns the place.

    But everything shot back into reality as Luke started talking, letting his focus go on to that. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what he could guess was Soren and Lyndon about to leave, and gave a small exhale, putting his attention back on what needs to get done. Which gave him a small idea. Well, it's obvious each would need to be sharpened, right? Well, possibly he could Construct something to sharpen the shit?

    Maybe?

    He'd interrupt Luke as he started messing with the wires, inquiring with, "Hey, could I see that tool real quick?" If Luke so let him, he'd hold it, looking it over with both hands before opening up his left hand, warm green light moving on his hands. In his hand would be a blade sharpener, with a separate coarse and smooth edge to run the blades through. "Here." He'd offer the light-created tool, "Maybe that'll make the sharpening easier?"

    His overall tone had more... shifted. While he did have his normal smirk on his face, his overall aura was more reserved, keeping himself back a distance to more figure out what's going on. Things are moving quickly for him. Walking up and not even knowing what he was doing, then figuring out he's an apprentice of sorts, and then having sincere kindness put in so well that it's giving Mike mixed feelings. Boy oh boy he's just attempting to focus on what Luke's doing.

    He should probably be playing music or some shit right now. Bah whatever.

[Soren]

"But Sir Lyndon..", Rena started,"The Mistress insists on formality with all parties." She didn't seem to want to go against the Lady's orders even if she wasn't there to watch.

Soren sipped on the tea some more, placing the cup on the saucer as the butler neared him. In all fairness, Soren wasn't expecting to get paid for this at all. Not really his job, he was just in to help a brother out. "I suppose it'll give me something to do. Sitting around doing nothing is boring. I'd sooner fall asleep if I wasn't doing something." Soren finished off the rest of his tea quickly, seemingly unphased by the heat it still had. Of course, he was a being of fire, born from the embers and forged from the molten slag of his ancestors. Well, at least that was one way to put it. Simply, he came from a line of ignis magi, if that wasn't already blaringly obvious. Back to the present! Soren placed the cup and saucer on the tray, stepping away and stretching his arms. His wings would get a stretch when he wasn't around so many fragile and expensive-looking things. "Alright, ready when you are.", he said, preparing for whatever Lyndon had in store.