It Started With A Smile, And A Wad Of Cash

[Bobbie]

Her fingers wrapped around the glass, Danielle scratched at the slippery surface with her thumb nail, identifying a little chip in the glass. It was used and damaged, this bar seemed to have that theme going for it. It was fitting for R0y to be in here too then... perhaps even for Alphonse and Danielle herself.

She hummed and nodded as Alphonse gave his answer, her eyes only drifting away from the robot for a moment to take another sip of her drink that was well past its mid-mark now. Tilting the glass, she eyed its contents, gauging how much longer it would take until it was finished - of course, she could gulp it down, it was certainly tasty enough to get away with that, but she hadn’t decided that she wanted her beverage to be finished just yet. “I see,” her attention went back to their subject of discussion.

The expression on the boyish woman’s face shifted into a puzzled frown as R0y seemed to be addressing her in some form, but she couldn’t figure out just what ‘roy roo’ was supposed to mean... “I suppose it can be sort of cute.” As she uttered that, the uncertainty in her voice was very evidence. Sure, cute, but also a little frustrating if that was all he could say, and how was anyone supposed to interpret his words if his entire language comprised of... well... one word? On the other hand, it was not unlike a pet that was unable to speak any human language, and a pet was certainly something that she could love with all her heart... R0y did not have a living beating heart like an animal, but he has so far displayed care for his creator, curiosity in his manner and excitement in his tone. That was all excluding the utilitarian benefits that such a machine could bring with it. “Yes,” she decided, “he makes a cute companion to have around. Perhaps if his language could be extended a little further... You can probably insert some sort of dictionary into his system that allows him to recognise and produce more words.”

Finally, she picked up her glass and finished off the pipsi that remained in her glass in two or three gulps. As she did, Danielle considered his question - it seemed that he packed as lightly as she did. Interestingly, she hadn’t bothered to unpack her own things yet either. “My things are also packed... I didn’t arrive very long ago. All I need to do is make a stop at the bank before I go anywhere.”

Staring into her own reflection, she turned the glass in her fingers, her other hand resting in her lap. “I also need to burn something that was mistakenly brought here with my luggage from my last adventure.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

Al watched Danny consider about R0y and his very peculiar method of communication, how did she see the robot? To Al he was a good friend, one of his first working inventions that was worked upon and improved over time. The robot was a working proof that he could attain his dream, it wasn’t truly sentient, but he had spent countless long hours programming in responses giving the machine all it needed to operate. Even with his ability to learn and add new responses to stimuli he was still no true intelligence… may be in a couple of years.

“I’ll get around to fixing it then.” He spoke with a smile; it should be a simple task it was just making the time to do it. His eyes never left the young woman as he took a few more gulps of his own drink, one that was not as worn as the one resting in Danny’s hands, but it still showed the signs of its age. Scratches on the outside from where it was dried using an improper cloth mainly and the faded sticker on the outside that used to be the old Pipsi logo before they rebranded.

“I can come with you to the bank if you want, or I can go to my room and pack up ready for in the morning if you are okay with that. I’ve only been here a few days, so it won’t be too hard.” The man confirmed as Roy waved.

“Roy Roooy Ro.” He chirped cheerily as his hand waved and his other arm flexed to show how strong he was despite not having traditional muscles. The robot with a drawn-on smile nodded before putting his gun show down, for a robot he was very expressive.

Al chuckled and nodded before taking one last big swig of his drink, emptying the glass. He grinned the warmest smile he could as he looked between the pair. “Yes Roy, you can keep carrying my heavy bags. Don’t worry.” He spoke softly before placing the empty glass back on the table and leaning back into the back of the booth he was sat in. The buzz of conversation was warm and welcome. It was alive with people talking about their dreams and what they can do to see them, he had sparked a real positive vibe in the bar.

“Shall we get going then? I can meet you at the Wellerman in the morning with R0y.” Al spoke, his eyes closed as he basked in the vibe of the bar around him.

---

Post: 9

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey: efff9b

[Bobbie]

Danny turned the look at Al for a moment and shrugged lightly. It didn’t really matter to her if he joined her in her visit to the bank or not, though she wouldn’t mind the company. “Do you like marshmallows?” she asked, turning to look at R0y once more as he went on chirping, then back at the redhead.

“If you do and you’re not afraid of fire, then you should join me.” As she stood up, she paused when she realised how that sounded. “I’m not planning to set the bank on fire... but, as I said, I need to burn something afterward.” Her eyes fixed on him, she waited for him to slip out of the booth after her. “Come with me,” she felt a little bit obliged to start working straight away - that meant the two could not part ways even for a second. She is his bodyguard now! Therefore, it would be unacceptable for them to meet up again tomorrow morning. On the other hand, she figured little harm could come of giving this dying young man some fun experiences - not that she considered herself a particularly fun person, but... Rosalina seemed to think she was. Sure, she was serious and perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but that didn't mean she couldn't offer some nice company. However, this raised another issue... After the visit to the bank and the burning of... that ugly thing... whose hotel should we stay at?

Of course, ideally it would be his, as if she could cancel her booking at the hotel and get her money back before spending a single night there, that would be fantastic, but who was she to ask for such a thing?

“Where are you staying?” Her tone was serious with a hint of curiosity as she looked at R0y. Once both Al and his robot were ready, she made her way to the exit, offering a polite nod to Madam Saleen as thanks for her good service. Having decided to lug the money around with her, as it was far too valuable to her to leave it in a hotel room, unguarded, she didn’t need to make a stop to pick anything up and could head straight to the bank with her new companion... companions, if you count the machine.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

Alphonse and R0y were making their way out of the bar, the young man doing his best to keep a strong pace as he used a cane to help him maintain a good balance, The weakness in his entire body did inhibit his movement somewhat but nothing major enough to warrant a wheelchair, yet. As Danny turned the young man stopped and R0y carefully supported his master in case it was a spell of fatigue. “Marshmallows? Fire? No… and no, I can come along if you want.” He said with a soft smile, wondering what she meant, even after reassurance she wasn’t about to commit arson on a bank.

“I’m booked in at the Golden Swan hotel not far from the port.” He said as he begun to follow the woman, doing the same as she to give Madam Saleen one last thankful smile. One that he would give to any owner of a fine establishment that treat him so well and changed what was left of his life for the better.

The man and his robotic companion followed Danny out of the bar after that and on toward the bank, moving as quickly as they could with Alphonse’s condition. The late afternoon air was warm and filled with the taste of the open sea, He could hear the waves faintly beneath the hustle and bustle of the town. The breeze caressed his bare cheek with a coolness that made the arching sun feel not as harsh as it pretended to be. All in all the walk whilst slow was nice.

R0y spent the entire time being close to his creator, always in a position to help and keep him upright. He even interposed himself between groups of people and Al so he would not be swept away in the tide of humans that pushed against them.

---

Post: 10

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey: efff9b

[Bobbie]

As she walked out of the bar, Danny made sure not to walk at too fast a pace for him. It wasn’t that she thought he couldn’t keep up, but she simply didn’t want to make him uncomfortable in having to exert himself in doing so. He looked like he had enough to focus his energy on, that would be an extra and unnecessary burden.

“No?” She hummed pensively, a little disappointed that it removed the possibility of roasting marshmallows over the grand bonfire she planned to start. She even had a packet of her favourite nougat-filled cookies. “Okay, let’s just start with the bank then.” With a sigh, she patted her pocket to make sure its contents were still securely inside.

“The Golden Swan hotel, is that a good hotel?” she asked, wondering if it was as expensive as it sounded. Being so close to the port, it probably housed a lot of travellers, which would mean a huge advantage in terms of profits - there was no way a hotel at such a convenient location would not abuse that and overcharge clients. The question that remained was whether it was worth the price.

Walking through the street at their leisurely pace, Danielle tilted her head back and took a breath of fresh air as the breeze blew past them. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a good day for a fire anyway, she wouldn’t want any unintentional blazes happening due to the wind. As they walked, she noticed the trusty sidekick of this man stay so close and she moved to his other side in similar fashion, slightly ahead to keep Alphonse guarded from the front while R0y clearly had his back covered.

As they reached their destination, she reached into her pocket to take out several folded papers and quickly flipped through them while she counted them, all cheques of considerable amounts that one could easily assume a noble would possess, but not somebody as plain and scruffy-looking as Danielle.

“Okay, as long as…” she paused as she was about to call R0y ‘that thing’, having forgotten his name for a brief moment until it came back to her. “R0y is allowed in, there should be a waiting area, or … well... I suppose you can wait for me outside if you’re enjoying the breeze.” She said, though her hesitation that preceded the second option made it clear that she would rather Alphonse picked the first so that she could keep an eye on him and be close by in case anything happened.

With that, she entered the bank to deposit the hefty amounts into her account.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

The walk was nice, something that Alphonse enjoyed in shorter spurts due to his energy reserves always being low as his body used everything to keep him going and fight off his genetic disease. He hobbled along with his walking cane and R0y close by following Danny towards the bank. “Yeah, it is very good. My Rooms come with a butler… it surprised me at first and I spent the first two days sending him away.” The young man chuckled as the memory of R0y doing his best to shoo the old butler out.

“If you need a place to stay I’m sure I can sleep on the sofa, and you can have the bed… you might have to share with R0y though.” Al joked with a bright and warm smile. The robot looked alert and shook its head and waved his metallic hands. “Roooooooooooy! Roy rooy roy.” It chirped, trying to clear the air between it and Danielle.

“I know buddy, you don’t sleep in beds.” He spoke to calm his robotic companion down.

Eventually they arrived at the bank and Danny gave Al the option of following or staying outside with R0y. With a smile and a paused moment of thought the young man nodded towards a bench that was in the open. “I’ll sit in the sun for a bit, I’m enjoying the outside air.” The young roboticist announced before shifting over to take a seat on the bench, once he was down a small sigh of relief escaped his mouth. “Take as long as you need!”

---

Post: 11

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey: efff9b

[Bobbie]

“A butler?” Danielle was quite surprised to hear that and she soon nodded with a pensive hum. “I guess that makes the price seem a little less unreasonably steep…” she muttered to herself, though it would still be something she would never pay for. No, she needed every beri she could save.

As the kind young man offered her a place, she looked at him, her surprise developing into pure shock in a mere instant. “No, I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Shaking her head, she then shrugged, “If you’d like protection in your room, I could stay, but I’ll take the sofa myself,” she offered, wondering if he did want her bodyguard services to be provided in such an ongoing manner. Her attention then shifted to the robot who seemed to be having some kind of robotic mid-life crisis with its metal limbs flailing about madly and its head shaking wildly. Is this what a robot tantrum looks like?

Staring at the robot, Danielle had a frown on her face, quite taken aback by R0y’s response, as if Danielle had the plague. First of all, that was surely not the case, and secondly, even if she did, she was certain that it would not spread to a robot.

Outside the bank, once they finally arrived, Danielle respected Alphonse’s decision and she headed inside to do what she needed to do, depositing the cheques of large amounts, payments received in return for stolen paintings, into her account. Thankfully, there was not a long queue and she was out faster than anticipated. Stepping out of the bank’s entrance only moments later, she turned to spot Alphonse and R0y on their bench, enjoying the sun that they were basking in, then she walked over to them to cast a shadow on them with her tall figure.

“Would you like me to accompany you to your hotel?” She offered, debating on whether to sit down beside them on the bench or not. They looked so comfortable there. “I’m sure we can have my luggage delivered if you do - if not, then I suppose I should go and pick it up and perhaps we can meet at the Wellerman in the morning.”

Watching her new employer, she left the decision up to him. There were no fixed hours included in their contract, so as far as she was concerned, he was her only focus for the full 24 hours of each of the coming days until she received her reward. She was quite alright with that, it wasn’t unlike her usual treasure hunts, this one simply had some company along the way and a pre-determined plan that was guided by this man and his robot that she now redirected her gaze toward… R0y…

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

Protection in his own room? No no, all that Al would need protecting from in his own room is his own fatigue making him drop tools on his feet. He smiled and shook his head at the idea of needing protection. “If you need a place to sleep before tomorrow the Sofa Is fine.”

The entire time that Danielle was in the bank the young man sat on the bench and watched the world go by, hearing the hustle and bustle of the population of Louge Town and the tourists that were here to see the place that the last pirate king was executed at. He saw families happily walking together, shoppers carrying their hauls around as they made their way about their lives. Each of these people had something Al didn’t, and it made him appreciate what he did have. Time. They could do all of this and not worry about not waking up the next day, or just passing out in the street and never opening their eyes again.

So the sounds of nature, the sounds of people and the distant waves in the port were something he was taking a few moments to treasure, all with his companion R0y. The robot that was happily standing next to his creator with that bulbus head with the drawn-on smile and eyes. Alphonse was so in his own world he didn’t see Danny come out of the bank… Roy did though.

“Roy!” He chirped waving a hand vigorously to the young woman, causing Al to snap his eyes open in a small shock and look around before letting his eyes settle on the woman with a bright smile. “If you want to, I’ve never had a sleep over before.” Alphonse mused with a short chuckle.

With the help of R0y Al stood up tall and leaned on his cane for a moment before nodding. R0y took the stare and nodded his drawn-on smile to the bodyguard. “Roy~.”

“He wants you to come.” Al translated. “If you ever want a break don’t be scared to just say, I can always stay in my room or cabin or something so you can relax.” He added as he started to walk to lead the group to the hotel. One that wasn’t all that far away truth be told.

---

Post: 12

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey: efff9b

[Bobbie]

Danielle watched the fragile man before her, resisting the urge to help him in any way, simply because she thought that would be patronising as he didn’t ask for her help. Besides, he had enough help from his trusty robot. As he mentioned a sleep over, the blonde smiled - it was funny that he’d mention that. As a child, she had never had one either, not one of her own. They never appealed to her in the general hair-braiding understanding of the concept.

With the extra encouragement from R0y, however, graciously translated by the robot’s creator, Danielle smiled and nodded. “I will come with you then.” She agreed and started to walk with him at a slow, leisurely pace.

Although she was silent, she was considering his words and a thoughtful hum escaped her. “You know what they say, there’s no rest for the wicked.” The woman chuckled, turning her head to look at him. She stood with her concealed eye on his side, so she was on his left. While it limited her vision of him, it ensured that she would have better vision of the rest of their surroundings and any unexpected threat thrown their way. “I won’t need a break. Rosalina means far too much for me to sit well with the thought that I’m not doing everything in my power to have her hand in marriage for even just a second.”

Danielle had a harsh way about her, her mannerisms often coming across as aggressive or unfeeling, but this was not the case when she was speaking of her beloved. Rosalina deserved the most caring and tender form of attention and Danielle has always planned to give her that.

It didn’t take long for the large sign of the Golden Swan hotel to come into view and the treasure huntress turned bodyguard tilted her head back to stare up at it for a moment. It was an attractive sign, though she wasn’t quite sure what sort of crowd it was intended to attract, exactly. It was flashy… it called out to those who had a lot of money to spend, anyone who had something to prove or someone to impress, or someone like Al, who didn’t have the time in his life to concern himself with the more long-term challenges, such as financial status even only five years down the line. Yes, Danielle had a harsh way about her… but she was a sensitive soul and what she genuinely felt for others was often not reflected so openly in her actions and words.

A few more minutes of walking and they were at the entrance to the hotel.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

All walked along the busy street with his robotic companion hovering close by just in case his creator grew faint or too tired to keep going and needed to take a break. That however was not needed as Al managed to keep his strength throughout the entire walk, through the grand gilded double doors into the lavish red carpeted reception that looked fit for only the elite of the elite to step foot in. As he pushed through the door a serving man bowed to himself and then to R0y, proffering up a tray that held cups of water for the guests. “Water for the sir?” The butler uttered, kindly with a smile.

Al nodded and paused to take a glass and drain its contents before looking back to Danielle. “Come on, they don’t bite.” He spoke with a warm smile to encourage the bodyguard to enter. As he did the empty glass tumbler was placed back on the tray and he nodded to the serving man. “Thank you.” He spoke before shifting along towards the elevator that would take them to his penthouse suite.

The butler looked to the bodyguard and failed to contain a frown as he pushed the tray out to Danielle. He was clearly upset at something regarding the tomboy, and it was barely being masked. “And water for yourself Ma’am.” He said doing his best to contain any vitriol for her.

Alphonse was busy waving to the young lady receptionist as he pressed the button for the elevator. “Thanks! I had a great day! I hired my bodyguard and found a ship that will take me on the journey!” He replied to her, she had spoken but quietly and could barely be heard past the rude butler. “Danny will be staying in my room, so I will send for someone to get all of their bags once I get settled upstairs.”

---

Post: 13

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey: efff9b

[Bobbie]

As Al urged Danielle inside the hotel, she hesitated a little bit. Sure, they didn’t bite, but this was a place she generally didn’t belong and many people had a tendency of picking up on that. As she walked into the building, past the fancy entrance façade, her gaze wandered to scan her surroundings. It was just as impressive as one might think it would be based on an outside glance, if not more. The butler, however, was really the cherry on top of the cake, a service that Danielle genuinely thought was dead these days.

It was nice to see that Al was treated so kindly by the staff. The butler seemed nice enough, although her opinion quickly changed as she herself was greeted by the man as well in a much less welcoming manner. While Al went on ahead, Danielle’s face twisted into a frown at the tone of the butler, but she had no idea what she had done to this stranger to make him so angry toward her. Perhaps her appearance offended him somehow… It was a surprise to her that he realised she was a woman, aware that her manner and appearance communicated the opposite to most.

“No. Thank you.” She replied, despite being quite thirsty. She figured she could wait until they were upstairs to drink what could be assumed safe, and not as deadly as this man's glare. While she had trouble not returning the same hostile tone that she was spoken to with, she also decided not to dwell on it too much. Seeing that neither one of the pair seemed to be enjoying the other’s company, she was civil and nodded to him, before she kept moving forward and went to Al just as he spoke her name.

Nodding in agreement, she glanced at the receptionist, wondering if she’d receive the same treatment as from the butler. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

The receptionist nodded to Danielle with a bright smile and warm eyes. “Of course, hun, y’all ever need anything do not hesitate to ask! Y’all just call when y’all ready to send for those bags, ya hear?” She spoke with a heavy twang betraying the uniform she wore that made her look to be a fine lady. A kind wave followed her words as her eyes slowly peered down to some paperwork that was on her desk that was neatly stacked in such a way to keep it in a perfect order.

Al looked back as R0y pressed a button that called the elevator down to the reception. “You’ll love the room! It is massive.” He spoke with an excitement that seemed to rattle the room with a warm energy, he was excited to add and complete a sleep over from his bucket list.

“Roooooy!” The bot chimed as he swayed on the spot, waiting for the elevator. “Roy roooy royroy.” He added which made Alphonse chuckle lightly and shake his head at what was said. Being the robots builder he understood what was being said even with the busted voice modulator, it was a talent he picked up when he first learned to create robots.

“No Roy. I don’t think we will play spin the bottle.” He said before actually laughing for a moment that became a vicious coughing that made his entire body convulse as he did his best to lean his weight on the walking cane. R0y was like a flash, spinning around and placing an arm under his creator to prop him up and the over to gently rub his back. It seemed to help as the coughing fit stopped and Al took a moment to regain his breath.

The elevator dinged and the attendant inside opened both of the doors to see the scene and stepped forward to lend a hand. “Mr Whitaker, are you okay?” He asked as Al stood up more and made a move to get onto the elevator.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just laughed a little too much again.” The sick man spoke between laboured breathes, a false smile on his face to put everyone at ease.

---

Post: 14

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey:efff9b
Receptionist: a55eff
Elevator Attendant: 00c2ff

[Bobbie]

The extreme contrast between the receptionist’s greeting and the butler’s shocked Danielle and she hesitated while she just stared at the woman with such an accent that mismatched with her appearance so heavily. “Thank you,” she replied, politely. “I can leave the address with you right now but you can take your time.”

The new bodyguard who seemed lacking in physical features to offer any real protection brought out a pamphlet from her inner jacket pocket that features the inn at which she had left her bags, an address included. “Here’s the place, my room is number seven, under the name Danny Skye.” Slipping the pamphlet onto the desk for the receptionist to take and make use of as necessary, she nodded and thanked the woman once more before hurrying after Al to the lift.

“Is it? Well, that’s not a surprise, this entire establishment is very well-kept…” she muttered and glanced back toward the mean butler once more. If this hotel could afford all of these extra services, then surely the rooms must be huge with astonishing views.

Then her attention was redirected toward the robot who spoke gibberish to Danielle, yet Alphonse seemed to understand his language with ease. Raising her eyebrow, she wondered how his words could be translated to the spoken statement as she compared the syllables in her head, but Al’s coughing fit pulled her out of her calculations and made her frown. Seeing as how the robot rushed to tend to his creator's needs, Danielle stayed out of the way and simply waited for it to pass, only stepping in once the elevator doors opened by placing a hand on the door to ensure it would remain open long enough for everyone to get on.

After Al was on, Danielle entered the elevator and let out a soft sigh as she saw right through the sick and dying man’s smile. She considered herself lucky… she did not have many run-ins with death. She didn’t recognise the sadness in his eyes or the pretense behind his smile because of experience, but simply observation.

The question that lingered in her mind was how could such a fragile young man be offered the chance to live his last few months when simple laughter and enjoyment came at such a cost? Another sigh escaped her as her eye was now fixed on the closed elevator door as the mechanism lurched and carried them upward. “We can play some games,” she offered with a shrug, glancing at R0y as she wondered what knowledge of games was programmed into his system. Surely a good time could be had without the risk of an early death.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Kami-Gaz]

Once the elevator had made its initial lurch into motion Alphonse let his eye rest on Danny, She made a suggestion to play some games up in the room to pass the time between now and dinner, and potentially bed time. “Games do sound fun, I don’t have any with me… just tinkering tools for R0y and some other things I’ve been working on.” Al explained just as the elevator shuddered to a stop at their floor and the attendant moved to open the door for Alphonse and his companions.

“We’re at your floor Mr. Whitaker, Sir Roy.” The attendant spoke, only the names her knew before turning to Danny and nodding. “Ma’am. Please enjoy your night.” He added after R0y and Alphonse had filtered off of his elevator.

“Thank you, Mr Beckman, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Al replied with the best smile he could give and flipped a coin to the man who was running the elevator as a tip. This netted Alphonse a smile in return as the doors were shut and the elevator headed back down to the ground floor. With a quick shift in gaze Al pulled a key from his pocket as he hobbled forward with his cane to the only door on the corridor. To his room.

“Roooy!” The robot spoke out before pushing forward and doing his best to open the door for Al. Once it was open the bot stuck a head in swivelled its gaze then stood straight before pushing the door open. “Roy roooy roy~.” He chattered, making Al chuckle in reply.

“It’s okay Roy! Danny can take over room checking now.” Al replied to the dome headed robot, who shifted his drawn-on gaze to the bodyguard before entering the room first with his loud clanking footsteps. Al followed with a soft sigh but a warm smile. “Sorry about the mess. I stayed up late last night to tinker on Andrew.”

The room was massive, a fantastic and grand penthouse suite with gilded furniture, a deep red carpet that was covered in a tarp, the main dining table was also covered, and parts of a robot were strewn all over. The half-built robot waved its one arm to the pair as its eyes lit up. “Welcome Home Alphonse, Roy. I see you have hired a bodyguard.” The coppery coloured robot spoke, in a rather eloquent and refined accent. The torso sat on the table fully built but it only had a head and a right arm attached at this moment in time. “Al, whilst you were gone the maid came in and screamed, she dropped some of her cleaning supplies and stained the carpet six and a half inches to your right. She promised to apologise in person.”

“Hey Andrew, thanks for keeping an eye on the room while I was out.”

“ROOOOY!” The bulbus head robot called as it charged over to the minor stain on the carpet and pointed at it. “Roy Roy!”

“Roy, please refrain from yelling profanities, we have a guest!” AnDRW spoke before Al did, shaking his head in a condescending manner to the earlier bot iteration. Al just did his best to hide his smile as he walked over to the sofa and sat himself down with a content sigh.

“Danny, meet Andrew, he is my first attempt at a combat butler robot. He has a way to go but will be ready soon!” Al spoke as he nodded to the singular chair across from his own, the coffee table between them. Roy was already on his knees doing his best to try and clean the stain in the background, mumbling away to himself the entire time.

---

Post: 14

Alphonse: c81212

Madam Saleen:    ffd1f6

R0y: 818181

Big Baby Man:  8494dc

Willard Wellerfellar: d8b000
Johnny W. Hiskey: efff9b
Receptionist: a55eff
Elevator Attendant: 00c2ff
AnDRW: 7f5004

[Bobbie]

Danielle shrugged, “We won’t need anything elaborate. Something simple to bet with and a few common items will do,” she explained, though she didn’t have any particular games in mind. How hard could it be to sort out a simple game with household items?

As the elevator doors were opened, Danielle nodded and thanked the attendant before getting off the lift with her company. Reaching Alphonse’s room, Danielle followed the robot in and did a quick check of her own, as if not trusting R0y to do a good job of it himself. When Alphonse suggested that she could take over that task, she simply nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry about the mess…” she then muttered, although she would be lying if she said she hadn’t already noticed little bits and pieces lying about that she had to actively avoid in order not to trip on or hurt her foot. She tried her best to hide the annoyance in her tone, but Danielle was not particularly skilled in being subtle in that regard. Thankfully, another voice cut in before this could be addressed.

Danielle looked at Andrew, staring at him for a moment. It was really something astonishing, she had never actually seen technology this advanced, let alone interact with it as if it were another human being. R0y was one thing, but to have an incomplete structure of a human torso, fully aware and conscious, perfectly capable of making such a cohesive report left her in awe.

R0y’s emotive response to the stain on the carpet caused Danielle to pivot on her heel as her gaze followed the first robot, then the second robot scolded him for foul language. Her brow was raised involuntarily as she couldn’t, for the life of her, understand how the language uttered by this creation with such limited vocabulary could be understood as profanities.

“It’s… quite alright,” she uttered, soberly, as if she could somehow save R0y from a second scolding, then she shook her head lightly and turned to Alphonse. “Certainly a very interesting project… you’ve kept yourself very busy.”

Taking another moment to just take all the scenery in, she took a deep breath, having to rotate her body and not her head alone to really take in the entire room, due to the eye patch. “Alright, so… what kind of games do we know how to play? Got any dice, or anything six sided and some ink, cards, or… cups?”

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Danielle: #fffd17