The New Client

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "No buts, dear. You're a lovely young woman, and you're a proper maid, but when it comes to making friends..." Lyndon approached Rena and gently pet her head, ruffling her hair teasingly. "Listen, let me deal with the Mistress, for now you can drop the formalities with these young gentleman... and especially me! I don't want to hear another 'Sir Lyndon' out of you!'" 

    Luke snickered from his corner at Lyndon chastising the young girl. The guy was such a total dad. But that wasn't his problem right now. Currently, he needed to focus on the electronics here. His trusted multitool was in hand as he carefully freed the wires from their mounts, thankfully without causing any damage to the original components. 

    Thank the gods. He didn't want to have to just replace the whole damn thing. 

    Next came the actual components. Luke removed the blade portions and handed them off to Grant. "Seeing as you got a fancy sharpener there, make yourself useful and sharpen these fucks. You can also take care of polishing them too, I assume?" 

    Luke smirked at Grant. Sure, he told the redhead to pay attention to stuff, but that didn't mean that was all the guy would be doing. In the background, Lyndon returned to Soren as the young bird boy stretched out. 

    "Alright, well, first things first, let us head down to the kitchen and see if they need any help, shall we?" Lyndon's eyes were visible for a moment, gleaming cheerfully. While his smile couldn't readily be seen, his eyes did well enough to broadcast that for Soren.

    The old butler lead the birdboy out of the study, shutting the door behind him as Luke had requested. All that remained were Grant, Luke, and Rena. One hell of a party. Luke mulled over it all for a moment as he set to work checking out the systems to make sure there wasn't anything overly damaged. He'd spend a great deal of time taking out anything that had so much as a scratch. The techy told Lyndon he'd make the thing shine, so he was going to make the fucking thing shine. 

    After a half hour or so, Luke would sweep all of the damaged components into a small box. He'd sell them for scrap. Make some good spending change off it too, seeing they were from an older device. The young man set down the last of the tools for Grant to clean, sharpen, and shine, and before he set to work cleaning the whole thing out, he'd cast his glance back to Rena. 

    "So... how'd you come to be working for the Mistress? Like, you know, what was your life like so far?" Luke turned back to the device, working out some of the old grime with a neutral expression. "Speaking of which, you're a half-n-half. Was it your dad that was the faunus or your mom?"

    Luke dug out a small dropper full of a clear liquid and dripped it in, reaching in with a small foam covered pole. It helped clean off a lot of the old grime and oxidized spots, helping bring back more of a pretty looking shine to the internals. It wasn't super shiny, it still needed to be polished, but at least it was clean now. Luke smiled, he was making progress. 

[Sora-No]

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    Mike would give a chuckle, talking after Lyndon, "Yeah, don't worry, none of us here are of high enough of a stature to care if you add a 'sir' or 'madam' before our name or not." He didn't look back or anything, just kind of said it with no eye contact at all. Focusing on what he's got to do. The person knows his name, right? He doesn't honestly remember. He would reach back into his bag, pulling out his earbuds and music player. Cause he'd like some music at the moment. Just to keep him in the mood.

    Io handed him the blades, with him taking it and giving a nod, keeping one ear bud out. At the polish, he's give a chuckle, "Actually, yeah, though not with any of these dumb party tricks." He'd look at Soren as he sharpened, his hand smooth and concise over the blade, then would move to the second side of the edge, moving through the coarse side three times on each as he spoke, "Soren, when you get back from the kitchen, could you bring me some salt, some white vinegar, and some flour?"

    He'd continue sharpening each side of the edge, giving it a couple runs through the soft edge after every fifteen times through the coarse edge. His music played relatively loud, only enough for snare to be heard out of his earbuds if someone were close enough. He'd do this in complete silence, nodding his head to the beat.

    After Io had asked the question, he'd give a chuckle, "Well, if you want, we can just play the 'Question Game'" He'd put one of the tools he had finished sharpening and grabbed another, continuing to talk, "Someone asks another person a question, of any type, and then the person that answers then gets to ask another in the group a question." He'd give a shrug, "Usually it works in big groups, but small groups means the questions can be more in-depth and shit, you know?

    He didn't know.

[Soren]

"Y-yes s- Lyndon." Rena seemed to just be embarrassed and uncomfortable at the same time. It was a light scolding from Lyndon, not like it was anything worth fearing. It was more the chance of slipping up around the Mistress that scared her. She's only heard rumours and tales of what punishments came from slip-ups. Rena just wasn't sure what tales were just stories to scare new staff and keep them in line.

"I was desperate to look for a job that paid well that didn't pay in blood.", Rena said simply. "Life here isn't that chaotic. People rarely step out of line here, and it's usually quite peaceful. Rena kept to her 'post', watching the two from where she was. "My mother was a full faunus, my dad was the human in the relationship." She seemed indifferent about their difference.

---

"Ahah, sure. I just hope that the Mistress and whoever else eats here likes spicy foods if I step in with cooking!" Soren followed Lyndon to the Kitchen. There were several chefs sorting out snacks from the looks of things. It wasn't quite time for a large meal, but even then it didn't seem like there were many guests for a banquet. "Sssssssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooooo..... What's cookin'? Or are we not going to be making dishes?", he asked as the butler walked ahead.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Luke looked at Grant and cocked a brow. He had a feeling he knew what Mike was planning with those material and he was going to cut that off right quick. Luke simply grabbed some high quality polish and placed it on the table in front of the redhead. "I get it if you want to do something quick and cheap but i'm not skimping out on this project, get me?" 

    The techy took a few drops of the polish itself and started to actually buff the metal- both inside and outside. Before he made it look pretty nice and clean, now he was making it straight up shine. Luke listened to Rena talk, nodding a bit as she touched on why she decided to work here. "I get that. It's the whole reason why I became a tech-head instead of... other avenues while growing up. I can relate to the calm life as well. I told Grant here when we first met that I came from... kind of a shitty place. So when I moved to Hurricane Keep it was almost like a breath of fresh air."

    Luke use a damp cloth to gently wipe the whole shell down, making sure it was nice and clean and sparkly. Then he set to work to checking all the lights that dotted the entire device. The whole thing was a complex and intricate little thing, with green lights contrasting a bronze shell. The blades themselves were incredibly nice looking and well made as well, with some of the blades having green gemstones laid into the metal. 

    They were going to have to be careful with everything.

    "Were your parents nice?" Luke cast his glance back to the girl, then flicked his goggles down as he dug  into actually piecing the electronics back together inside the gizmo. It was going to take a lot of soldering and a lot of trial and error. "I never actually knew my parents. Well, technically I knew my mother through a few stories, but I grew up in foster care."

    The young man dripped solder onto the tips of the wires, solidifying the connections and continuing to work, bit by bit. He'd been through this process hundreds, thousands of times before and it showed in his steady, quick hands. Luke tapped Grant's leg with his foot.

    "You can pay attention to this if you want." He stated calmly, moving onto the next group of wires. "But essentially I learned from my social worker that my mother had been a prostitute, and I was the result of a client not using protection. Don't know why she went through with the pregnancy, but hey, I'm here now cus of it so I can't exactly complain."

    "Anyways, she od'ed, and they found me when a neighbor complained about a baby crying. I never knew either of my parents, not my mom, not my dad. I don't really care to know though. It's not like meeting my dad will bring upon some great revelation that will better me as a person. He was just some guy who wanted to get his rocks off." 

    Luke finished up soldering the wires and went into a case, pulling out a small device, setting it down. Before using it, he inserted the power cell back into the device, and then grabbed two handheld metal prongs from the device, holding them by their rubber handles and touching them against each little contact to make sure power was flowing through them. When he was satisfied, he pulled the power sell back out and put the device back in its container. 

    The young techy lifted his goggles, silver gaze glancing in Grant's when he suggested playing the question game. It was probably the best thing they had to kill time right now, so the young man gave a shrug and went back to fiddling with the gizmo.

    "Yeah, sure, that sounds like a good plan." He stated casually. "You go first, seeing as you came up with the idea and all."

---

   
     Lyndon quietly led Soren down the halls, letting out a small laugh as Soren made his quip about spicy food. Well now, he shouldn't be exactly surprised. The young man certainly seemed like the type. 

    "Oh-ho? Well, I can't say anyone besides the head chef likes anything with heat, but don't worry, you won't be cooking anything. I have a different idea for you, young man." The faunus laughed and pushed open the swinging doors into the kitchen, nodding to the staff as he Led Soren over to a stack full of vegetables. 

    Lyndon pulled on an apron and handed one to Soren, along with a peeler. "Here you go. You'll peel the vegetables and I'll chop them. This way we can maximize productivity between the two of us, wouldn't you say?"

    The old man's eyes seemed to gleam a bit as he turned and started chopping away at a few vegetables that were already pre-pealed. His hand moved lightning fast, almost matching a machine in speed and accuracy. Just a rapid assortment of tapping from the blade striking the chopping board filled the air. 

    After a little while, the old man would speak again. "So, Soren, was it? Tell me, your friend has already found his purpose it seemed, and your redheaded fellow is looking to find his own place. But what about you? What goal do you dream of attaining?"

[Sora-No]

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    Mike would be silently listening to Io and Rena, pausing his music. Time for talking and shit. Yay. And hoo boy, these people did not have fun times. Well, Rena had parents and shit, but jesus fuck that's a big yikes for Io. Most people in that situation would've just keeled over and fucking rotted instead of actually being productive. Those chances are extremely slim, and Io literally said 'fuck your statistics' and went ham. Good on him.

    He'd give a small chuckle, "Yeah, I got kind of lucky and skirted along the 'normal' status of life." He'd open the polish, pulling out a small rag out of his bag and using the two items to polish one of the blades, "I mean, my father left before I was born, but I still had my mother, so everything kind of worked out. Had some problems with some of her boyfriends throughout the years, but other than that everything worked out." He'd give another chuckle, "Apparently my pops was some kind of bigwig mage who didn't want anything to do with anyone, and just went off to fuck knows where. Don't even know the fucker's name."

    It's quite comical for him. There may be a million things he wouldn't talk about, but that part was quite easy for him to let out. He didn't care about it much, anyways. It was a medial detail in his mediocre life. It wasn't that big of a deal. Though, the small amount of vagueness that was there he wouldn't elaborate on.

    Well, unless it pops up in the Question Game.

    He'd give a shrug, putting down the now polished blade and moving to the next one that was sharpened, "Yeah, I can do that much." He'd think, then give a small chuckle, "I always like to start with the people I know the least, so for me that'd be you, Rena. Let's see..." He'd think for a bit, wondering what he should ask. After a bit, he'd ask, a small smile on his face, "Who's the person that inspires you the most in life? Like, you don't have to mention a 'why' if you don't want to, but who do you look up to, who was it that helped shape you into who you are today?"

[Soren]

"That is quite unfortunate. My parents, however, are in much better health and background. My mother works as a tailor, my father as a toy maker. Both live quite modest lives." Rena thought a little after her last line. She hadn't written to them in a while since work got so busy lately. She snapped out of that thought, listening onto Mike's idea and then waiting to listen on the prompt.

Someone that inspired her most in life? "I suppose Sir Lyndon and the Mistress." That answer was a given, no? "My parents as well. Al of them keep such a calm but they are much stronger people than they let on. All of them have a hidden strength that could be unleashed in the right instant, yet they keep an air around them that does not seem to give off the slightest trace of that strength..." Was she making any sense? Probably not. But that was her answer, take it or leave it. "I believe I have to ask a question now? If so then... Io was it? Hmm..." Rena paused to muse on a question, she wasn't super great at these social ice breaker things. "Who is your idol in life?", she asked, might as well extend the question given to her since she didn't have one better.

---

"Oh?" Probably safer for everyone anyways. His heat tolerance was extreme, so personal bias for spice wouldn't fare well for most. Soren strapped on the apron, completely ignoring that it was a pale rose pink with a frilly lace fringe around it. He then took the peeler from the butler and flipped it around. It didn't feel right in his hand, although it may be because he's so used to using his dagger-spear for most things. But he dealt with it. It'd be rude for him to ask to use his weapon. "Sounds fair!" Soren wasn't bad at peeling either, so it was an easy enough task that at least kept him busy. Soren got into a similar rhythm to Lyndon's cutting, so that whenever he finished a vegetable, the next was there waiting to get chopped up. "Ah, in comparison to them, I intend to work for the Phoenix Guard. I know my fire skills are not up to par to try to join even their more basic ranks yet. But I'll get there."

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Skip." Luke immediately dodged out of that question like he were in the Matrix. The young man took a breath and slowly let it out. I probably should... give them something. "Look, there's just some... I dunno, shit in my life and I... don't exactly know you or Grant well enough for me to... dump all that kinda stuff on you."

    "Sorry."

    Luke went quiet for a time, as he focused on the project at hand. It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that his head perked up and he realized that he was supposed to ask someone a question. Shit, this is why he just likes doing normal conversations, having to make a fucking game out of it makes it difficult for everyone involved. 

    "Shit, sorry, forgot it was my turn." Luke sucked in a breath and made a small 'hmm' noise as he thought. "I'm gonna do two questions and you two can skip me next while I work on this fucker. Before either of you complain-" Luke made a few fake coughs "-Grant-" more fake coughs "-Let me give you my rebuttal. Fuck you, I do what I want."

    Luke knew that of the two, if either of them were to complain, it would be Grant. Rena just seemed to be all awkward and not knowing what to do.

    "Rena, I can't imagine you want to be a maid all your life. Sure, you might, but I still gotta ask, what do you dream of being. What's your dream job?" A spark came from the device and Luke let out a small flurry of curses, digging into it quickly. "And- Grant- I know when someone's bullshitting me, and I've humored you this long, so do me a solid- what's your real name?" 

    The sparks stopped and Luke muttered a low set of curses as he dug around, grunting and getting everything back into working order. Old tech was fucking finicky. But, who cares. Whenever his redheaded compatriot would finish sharpening and shining, Luke would take them and slot them back into place. 

    Fucking complicated piece of shit bargain brand swiss army knife.

---

    Lyndon hummed and continued to chop up the vegetables. Whenever Soren finished peeling, he would take them, throw 'em on the board, and then slide them into a waiting pot with the rest of the finely chopped Vegetables. One of the other staff went past with scones, taking them to the study for Rena, Luke, and Grant, but they would pause and place a small plate down for Soren when he was done.

    The old faunus took note of Soren's dreams and let out a pleased chuckle. "Noble ambitions for one so young. I remember when I was a lad I dreamed of being a great and mighty hero wearing shining armor. Of course, now I'm a butler, but that's not to say I didn't have some experience."

    "You seem to be a kind hearted and genuine young lad, I expect you'll be looking after your two friends faithfully." Lyndon finished chopping the latest vegetable. "Tell me, seeing as you have such noble ambitions, I must ask..."

    "... Would you like to spar with this old man?" 

[Sora-No]

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    Mike would hear him say skip, and would raise an eyebrow. Oh? Really now? Well. Hmm. On second thought, he would've probably done the same. Especially since it's not something he expected Rena to even answer. It's a hella personal question and he thought he'd go with a hardcore one right off the bat. Welp. Fuck.

    He'd put both his hands up, a laugh leaving his mouth, "Hey, no complaints from me, there are some questions I wouldn't answer, either." He'd give a laugh, grabbing another blade and polishing it, listening in to Io's question to Rena. Another doozy of a question. Just hardcore ones right off the bat. He might want to lighten his up when he asks a question.

    Oh fuck.

    See, he thought that would be a question. Well, especially since Io and him both talked about his name didn't fit him. But, once again, it's whatever. He'd give a small laugh, "See, I'd say skip as well, but since it's such a small thing as a name, I'm not going to really push it." He'd give a shrug, "Name's Mike. As for the rest of it, that wasn't part of the question and you can promptly go fuck yourself." He'd give a laugh, continuing to polish his shit, "Though, I'm guessing I'm not getting your real name in return, am I?" He'd give a small chuckle, looking to Rena.

    "Since we're all going for super thought-provoking questions, I might as well go with a simple one for everyone." He'd give a small chuckle, "Favorite type of food? My personal favorite is pizza, but that's because you can do a million different things with it so you don't have to worry about it going old on you." He'd continue polishing, watching the other two for their answers.

[Soren]

"Ah, I haven't thought much on that. I simply wanted a job with good pay so that I may help my parents live more comfortably.", Rena said simply. She had dreams, yes, but not lately. Being a maid wasn't so bad though. The living conditions were fair, and her workload was fairly easy. "I used to want to be a jewelry maker, but things snagged into my fur and quickly deterred me from such a goal." A good look at Rena and her fur was thick and fluffy naturally. Her tufts stuck out of her sleeves as well as made her cheeks look extra puffy.

Rena's ears twitched slightly on the talk of names. She wouldn't tell the Mistress for the sake of not stressing her out, but if she did know, Shelaleigh would not like knowing that the commissioned were using a fake name. She shoved the thought away, listening to the next question. "My favourite food? Smoked elk backstrip. The town I'm from had locally hunted meats, the butcher would often give children a free piece of smoked backstrip."

---

Soren looked up and took the plate, giving the server a nod and a "Thank you." before they went off. He bit into it, enjoying it's flavour in his mouth for a moment. "Wow this is amazing!" He quickly scarfed down the rest of the scone and looked for a sink he could wash his hands and face off from the crumbs. After his hands were dried up, he came back to the butler. "A spar? I'd love to have one! Just uh, you sure you'd be okay?" He didn't want to hurt the man after all.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "I don't feel comfortable saying that right now. Look, I like you, and you're a person I definitely wouldn't mind being friends with, but I just... don't trust you enough yet, feel me?" Luke didn't look away from his project as he spoke. "Trust is... a big thing with me. I've had a lot of people fuck me over in my life, and I just..." 

    Luke let out a sigh and shook his head, pausing in his work just to think. This was the first time anyone else had picked out his name as a fake, but he supposed that because he and Mike shared the whole 'fake name' thing, they could easily tell one another were hiding their real names from each other. 

    "I use my last name, Eldon, for jobs. So it's usually 'Mr. Eldon.' or 'Technician Eldon.' Shit like that. Don't call me that though." The young man went quiet for a few moments, just silently working on the project and not saying much else. His mind was all mixed up now, trying to figure out what the fuck to do now. It's not just him. Rena now knows that shit too. And I don't even know if I'll be around long enough to want to trust her or befriend her. "Look, maybe when Soren's back I'll tell you. Just... give me some time. Maybe to get to know you- all three of you- to figure myself out."
   
    The techy buried himself into his work, letting Rena tell them what she had originally dreamed of doing as a job. He would pause and look back at her, tilting his head slightly, his silver eyes studying the girl. "I think it'd suit you."

    Luke turned back to the project. "I dunno, I feel like there would be a way for you to figure out how to do that. Maybe special tools or gloves. I guess having fur like yours would make it easy for shit to get stuck, but I also think that if you really tried you could think up something."

    The boy didn't push the matter though. He simply stated some thoughts, and then let them sit. The girl was satisfied where she was so he wasn't going to push her or anything like that. It wasn't his place, and he knew how hard it could be to find a good job you were comfortable with that also provided the same things that this place provided. 

    He started the fiddle with the internals a bit more, making sure everything was all neat and giving it a brief test. One of the blades that was installed popped out when he pressed a button, which was good and showed that it worked... but the button didn't retract it. So that meant he had to go in and figure out what the problem was and get it un-fucking-jammed. This thing is definitely making me work for it, that's for sure.

    "I like really spicy food. Curry, spicy chicken, shit like that. I also really like nachos. Oh, fuck, and fries. Oh gods, cheesy fries... dude spicy cheesy fries? Let's just combine all the good shit from each into one, and call that my favorite food." Luke chuckled for a moment, then spat out a curse as the device sparked in his face. "PIECE OF FUCKING- Grr... anyways, nice pick on your part, Rena. Same to you, Mike. Can't go wrong with pizza." 

    "I suppose that makes it my turn again." Seeing as Rena didn't ask anything. "Alright. Rena, question for you then. What's your favorite memory? It can either be a childhood thing or a current thing. Just, you know, gush about it." 

    The blade retracted and Luke let out a relieved sigh. If this was his device, he'd be hitting the fucking thing, but it wasn't his device so he has to behave. Dammit dog man, why do you have to be so friendly and likable? Luke would pause as one of the servants entered and dropped off the plate of scones. Looked like Soren was keeping Lyndon busy with whatever they were doing. Well, whatever.
    
    Free scones.
    

---

    "Ho-ho! Young man, you have quite the sense of humor." Lyndon's eyes sparkled with a mischievous joy. "Come now, follow me to the courtyard. Whenever they bring in new guards I like to spar with them there. Test their metal, I'm sure you can understand."

    The old faunus led Soren out of the kitchen and through the halls, keeping his hands behind his back as they walked. A few birds flitted past outside the window, singing their songs, and Lyndon would pause to take in a peaceful breath. Drinking it all in happily. The land out here was quiet and beautiful. 

    "I've worked these grounds ever since the mistress was a young child. I've served this family proudly and with distinction, and have seen many people come and go. Many workers retire or pass away. Buried many of the previous estate heads that I was so loyal to. I sometime worry about what will happen after I'm gone, when the young mistress has to do the same to me." The butler nodded his head and continued to walk. "It's why I test every guard that comes here, making sure they're up to my standards, both morally and physically. I have a good nose for these types of things. I guess you can say I can smell lies. It definitely helps having your friend the Bartender giving me files on every man I hire, ho-ho!"

    The faunus would laugh cheerfully as they continued down the halls. "I served alongside that man when we were just young brats. He was always a quiet and stern sort, but he always seemed to know something no one else did. We defeated many dangerous bandit leaders, and defended many outposts. I trust his judgement more than anyone else." 

    With that bombshell being dropped, Lyndon led Soren outside into a wide open courtyard. Aside from the beautiful garden and trimmed grass yard, there was a small dirt clearing in a rectangular form. It was designed and tended to in a way that didn't ruin the overall aesthetic, and held a few shelves, weapon holders, and chests. The old butler went to one of the shelves and pulled off two amulets, one with a red gem, one blue. 

    Lyndon put the red one on Soren, and a green aura pulsed around him once, twice, and then the gem glowed bright. The butler did the same with the blue amulet. "These will protect us from harming one another irreparably. When the damage taken exceeds a certain point, it will stop glowing and your aura will break. They can also be adjusted and fine tuned so that one hit anywhere will break it, which is good for fencing." 

    The faunus went to one of the chests, throwing it open and reaching in as he continued to speak. "It's adjusted so that it works in tune with your body, if you were to take a fatal hit without it, then it will register that and break. Now that the explanation is over..."

    Lyndon turned away, activating his own arcane weapon. The weapon grew into a heavy and ornate looking two-handed weapon, with a massive head. Surprise, the kind and sweet butler has a giant fucking warhammer and he can wield it like it's nothing. "...shall we begin?"

[Sora-No]

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    Mike would listen, finishing the last of the tools. When Luke finished, he'd give a nod. It made sense, honestly. Hell, there are many details he wouldn't give about his life, no matter if the guy was nice or not. Even if shit is tight, that doesn't mean that time is no longer required to figure out if the person is good enough to chill with.

    "Look, no sweat. Take your time. Waiting is always better than firing it off without knowing the repercussions." He'd hand Luke the blades, sharpened and polished extremely well. There wasn't even a nick on these little bitches. "Believe me, I'm fine with my name being out of people's mouth but other than that-" He'd give a 'so-so' hand gesture, along with a long 'ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh'.

    "Oh yeah, all amazing choices for food. Like shit I'd kill for any of those, honestly. Even if I have to part with my dear, sweet pizza for even a couple of seconds." He'd make sure it sounded extremely hyperbolic, before a small laugh left his mouth.

    He'd reach into his bag, pulling out an energy drink. Because when it comes to snacks and drinks, he'd prefer to just use his own shit. Though fuck he's digging into these scones. He would let the blade sharpener he made dissipate, disappearing into nothingness, just as it had entered.

    He'd honestly kind of wondering what other people have got hidden. Like, he has his shit, sure, but at the same time, there isn't much he'd deny answering if asked. But some people are either not answering or attempting to disappear during the conversation, and it's honestly giving him inquiries as to what these people actually are like or what they've experienced. Cause so far he's only heard small tidbits of the big oof called life.

[Soren]

"If you require the other staff and I to leave when you do mention, we will do so.", she said. Even if Luke was including her in it, she was treating it as if this was a moment in passing.

Then Luke continued to speak, Rena simply nodding her head until he asked a question. Her favourite memory? Well, she had many. It was hard to choose really. Rena bowed her head to the servant as they handed her a plate with a scone, taking a bite and thinking more on the question. What memory stood out more than others? She wasn't sure, there were a few she would consider equal amounts of enjoyable that only varied with her age.

"I have many memories I consider fond. I'm afraid I cannot simply choose one.", she mumbled. Though, Rena didn't want to bore Luke or Mike to tears with whatever soft memories she had.

---

Just how old was this man? He made it sound like he's at least a hundred, yet acts chipper and as if he was as young as Soren. Lyndon's lifestyle must be pretty dang active for him to live as long and retain such a youthful air.

Soren followed Lyndon out, looking around the pristine scenery with blooming bushes lining the parameter of the grassy lawns. All had a neat trim, larger bushes shaped into representational creatures and forms.

With how Lyndon spoke of himself, he's sharp in senses and that nose smelled more than pheromones and fear. Soren took it as a warning, not directly geared towards him but in general. "It's good to know that the estate is in good hands- erm... paws..?" Soren let out a laugh, trying to shrug off the poorly made joke.

Upon wearing the amulet, Soren watched it but couldn't help but grin. "I know of many things that are used to detect health before. This is going to be so cool!" Soren looked up to see Lyndon pull something out and watched it morph into a war hammer. "Oh now we're talking!" soren reached back and a flash of gold revealed a dagger he pulled out of a loop hidden under his top. A twirl around and a toss up and it extended into a spear, Soren catching it and swirling it before stabbing the staffend in the ground. "Now I gotta ask one thing first. Rules? Weapons only or is magic allowed?" Soren didn't care either way, he just wanted to know the rules of the match first.

The match hadn't even started and word of the spar had already spread among the estate. Some servants that weren't too busy were rushing to the windows overlooking the area where Lyndon and Soren were, quickened whispers and silent bets made between each other. Interest piqued some of the guards as well, who snuck towards the sides of the windows to peek in on the incoming action.

After Soren had gotten his answer, he readied his spear by pointing it towards Lyndon. "Ready when you are, old man!"

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "No it's... fine." Luke sighed and pulled his hands away from his device to rub his neck. The young man eyed both Mike and Rena silently. Good thing Soren isn't here, that guy would be all over this. How much do I even want to tell them? He sighed and went back to working, reinstalling all of the freshly sharpened, cleaned, and shined tools back into the device. "Look, trust is... a big thing for me, aight? I... need to know you a little better, feel me? I dunno, probably a good thing we're doing this game."

    The device sparked again and Luke resisted the urge to lift the thing up and bash it on the desk a couple times. Thank gods the gloves were thick and heavy enough to protect him from getting burned to shit. Still hurt though. That was the trade off- thick enough to protect from burns, but thin enough to still work with. Any thicker and he might be protected fully, but his fingers wouldn't be able to do many fine movements. 

    I don't know if this piece of shit is better than a large device. I imagine the large device would be easier to work with. Luke remained quiet for a time, listening to Rena ramble on. Yeesh, this girl man. She's either a nervous wreck or she's just cripplingly awkward. 

    Maybe the butler had a point about her needing friends her own age.

    "Listen, if you're scared of being judged for them or something, don't sweat it. Hell, if you can't pick one then pick, I dunno, three. Just something that you feel strongly towards. Something that gets your heart feeling soft and nostalgic." Luke tapped Mike's shin again. "You know what I'm talking about right?"
    
    "You know what, just to make it easier for her, why don't you pick one too." Luke closed the device and powered it up. At first it all seemed to be working fine. Luke nearly sliced off a finger when a blade sprung out, but otherwise it was all pretty good... and then there was a loud pop and it flickered, sparked, and started smoking again. Luke let out a flurry of curse words, as well as some things that should never be repeated by anyone, much less heard.

    Time to crack it open and see what the fuck went wrong. 

---

    Lyndon laughed and spun his hammer around over head with one hand, stopping after a few rotations to clap it back down into his free hand. Both hands worked the handle in anticipation. The young man was lively and excitable. Good! Lyndon loved his fiery spirit. It's one of the things that made him so proud of youth like him. 

    When Soren mentioned magic, the old faunus's ears perked up and he let out yet another laugh. Up above, some of the guards murmured hesitantly. "Oh believe me child, if it's true that your magical ability isn't that strong, it'd be unfair for me to allow the use of magical abilities. Besides, I'd rather not ruin the perfectly tended yard, ho-ho!"

    From the way a few of the older guards showed relief, it was probably better not to have Lyndon use his powers. Sure, Lyndon could have just let Soren use his powers but not use his own, but Lyndon wanted to see him pushed to his limits in a good, fair spar. Which means it's either they both have them or neither of them do.

    Plus his statement on the yard still stood. 

    "Perhaps later we can work on your magical abilities. I'd be honored to train a bright young man such as yourself." Lyndon called cheerfully. Once again two guards shared a look in the background, as well as a few shaken glances from staff. 

    Lyndon hunched his stance and dug his feet into the ground. His form was flawless and made the old man look powerful. Like a looming beast, despite his age. "Alright, boy, don't let me down. Show me that fire of yours." 

    Lyndon's voice became much more harsh, like a military commander instead of a butler. With a single bark, all of the guards that were standing around flinched reflexively. "BEGIN!" 

[Sora-No]

Click here for Character Sheet

    Mike would listen, pulling out his music player and looking through what songs he wanted to play. Like, sure this conversation was great, but between the awkward silences and thinking of questions he wanted something playing in the background. The silence at times was kind of stressful cause- he wants to do something, but at the same time he's got to wait his turn. So it's just the everloving cycle of fucking angst.
    
    Mike would give a chuckle as Io offered for him to name one. "Wow, now I have to think of one. Thanks." He'd give a small laugh, thinking for a moment. He didn't have many big ones that came to mind. And even less that he wanted to explicitly mention, saying how he couldn't trust their reactions or even how he would be able to say it. He didn't trust himself or other people to go spitting that out.

    "Hmm..." He thought for a bit, then would give a small laugh, "Well, at the time I was sixteen, maybe seventeen, and I was working at a small mechanic shop. Technically I couldn't work there, but at the same time I was one of the most depended on person there. But that's beside the point." He'd continue, thinking a little bit more about it and giving another small chuckle, a smile on his face.

    "Well, I meet this chick there who needed her vehicle fixed, and we hit if off pretty quickly. You know, sarcastic, good sense of humor, a genuinely decent human being. As surprising as that is when you're that young." He'd continue, leaning back and putting his hands on the back of his neck. "So, I invite this chick to stop by for dinner if she wanted to hang out. At my mother's house, too, which made it really awkward in the first place."

    "Of course, my mother picked up on this because A.) she can read minds and B.) she can capitalize on my awkwardness at any time with a dick-like flair." He'd give a small chuckle at that, "So, I'm here, I made dinner, we're all sitting here in an awkward silence on a small ass table, figuring out what is supposed to happen or what to talk about. My mother gives me a look, and I know- I just know-  she's got something fucked up under her sleeve. So she finishes chewing her food, gives a sigh, and just goes-"

    "So, how's your boyfriend doing?"

    "Mind you, I'm sitting here with that weird teenager anxiety that's building up, and this came so far out of left field that I honestly just start dying of laughter. The chick started to, as well, and we couldn't stop laughing. They cracked jokes, I called them pricks, it was great." He'd give a chuckle, then a sigh, continuing, a nice big grin on his face.

    "So, that night ends, and the next day I finish fixing her car and send her on her way. A couple weeks go by with no contact, no nothing. Then, out of the blue, I get a knock on my door." He'd give another chuckle, "So, I open up this door, expecting some fucking stranger I was going to flat out ignore after I opened the door for them. And it was this gigantic ass muscular fucking asshole."

    "He starts yelling at me about 'messing with his girl' and all of that, and my mother hears this, walking over to the door and giving a soft ass smile." He stops, giving a second for him to stop laughing before he continues. "She just goes 'Oh, so this must be that boyfriend of yours, Mike'." He makes a gesture, a grin on his face. "Dude goes straight fucking cold-faced. Stammered so much I thought the man was a 13 year old that was asked about his search history. He turns, walks away. I shut the door." He says the next part through breathless laughs. "Second that door shuts, me and my mother fucking explode with laughter. Like, we couldn't fucking contain ourselves." He'd let himself stop laughing, giving a small sigh.

    "Never talked to that girl again, though. Would've loved to hear what her reaction was when her beefcake wannabe told her what happened." He'd give a shrug. "But yeah. There."

[Soren]

Rena listened to Mike's story. While it was all good and fun it wasn't exactly her kind of humour. She kept thinking on various memories, realising more and more that her life had little drama and strife in it. Luke wasn't likely to tell his story, in fact his past was a very touchy subject to him so of course Rena probably had to share now. "Of the memories I have, some of my most fond are simplistic in a way. For one, I remember just simply cloud gazing in a flowery meadow with a soft summer breeze." Of course, on days she had little to no work, she could do that in the gardens here. "My life in general is pretty simple, and I haven't been met with too many hardships to differentiate most of my memories in such an order." Which was true, Rena's life was pretty normal and blessed. No major conflicts in the village she came from. Everyone knew everyone there, and word spread quickly if someone was in trouble anyways. And working here at the estate was fair, simple tasks split among many and good staff to work with.

Rena's attention seemed to be caught up by some more maids rushing by with their frilly lace aprons rustling against their skirts. She stopped them to ask what was going on. "Sir Lyndon has initiated a spar! We haven't seen one in ages!" Rena blinked as they went to crowd around a window in the direction of the spar. She walked back into the room and into the study, just past Luke and Mike. "Oh? It seems he's going against your friend."

---

"Y'know, that's totally fair. Wouldn't want the Lady of the House hissing at me for setting such a grand landscape on fire!" Soren's stance widened slowly, lowering his body to the ground while his wings slowly began to stretch out. It wasn't meant to make him look bigger, that was only what came with what he was preparing himself for. It was a staring contest between the two until Lyndon gave the signal. Soren's wings immediately flashed a quick orange and pressed down, pushing him off the ground almost like he was a large, feathery bullet. He was closing distance, carefully watching Lyndon's movements so he can dodge or deflect that big hammer of his. As Soren landed, he sprung quickly to the side, and twisted around to swing his spear, aiming to slash at the butler.