fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Tae, as always, was fine. Whether he truly was or not, Phoenix truly couldn’t tell. It wasn’t like he was a human, full of minute, unconscious signs that told the truth. Especially not when he was putting on a mostly impeccable robotic facade, one inherently void of any telltale emotions or vocal quirks. So she had no choice but to take his words at face value when he said he wanted to keep going. The woman nodded a bit, the hair of her wig gently swaying with the motion. She supposed that ultimately, she – with the help of Rhys’ judgment – could order him to stop any time it looked like he was pushing himself too far. But she hoped that whatever sense of self-preservation was programmed into him would be enough to keep him from stretching himself too thin on his own, without their intervention.
“Okay. We’ll go do some repairs and get back to it then.” She confirmed the plan out loud, to which Rhys nodded silently, evidently having no qualms for the time being. However, despite Phoenix’s agreement with the course of action, apparently her reservation was not hidden from Tae. Her expression seemed to give her worry away, as she felt the android’s cool touch on her forehead. Heat rose to her face, colour blooming in her cheeks as he reassured her gently. Not only did the gesture catch her off-guard, but it was not one that anyone had done to her since she was probably a child. Embarrassed, Phoenix looked away as the robot withdrew his hand, catching himself in his mistake.
“Uh, yeah, let’s go… I’ll show you guys where the repair area is.” Rhys laughed, a bit sheepishly out of the awkwardness of witnessing a somewhat intimate moment. But the man shrugged it off easily enough and led them away to where they would get Tae fixed up.
Phoenix fell in line last, still slightly flustered. Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t the first act of affection she’d gotten from Tae since they activated Lai.Pro. His gestures were appreciated, especially in these unexpectedly trying times. However, she couldn’t deny that it felt… a little weird. The intentions behind his actions – and, of course, the actions themselves – were naturally very human, very emotional in their own right. But in contrast, his touch lacked the physical warmth and sensation of another person. Yet, the fact that it all felt a bit odd and alien didn’t detract from her enjoyment of these displays of caring. If anything, Phoenix enjoyed them just as much as if she were to receive them from a human being.
But she was overthinking it. A lot. The woman took in a deep breath, cleansing her mind of these extraneous thoughts as she exhaled. Now was no time to be getting caught up on one, innocent touch. There was work to be done; fights to be had.
But Rhys was confident they could keep climbing into better rings, so Phoenix decided to trust in his word. Besides, by the time they were finished their fourth fight of the night she was too exhausted to worry about “what ifs” any longer. At least for today.
Her concern for Tae naturally eclipsed those thoughts anyway. In addition to the holes in his arm and the damage to his leg, he’d gotten some dents in his knuckles and a sizable gash in his lower back. It would cost more than the initial $50 that Rhys quoted after their first fight. And of course, it would cost them in time, too. Quick, half-assed fixes wouldn’t do if they wanted to be successful in more advanced rings, against better opponents. But they couldn’t afford to dawdle too much either – the clock was always ticking, the seconds forever slipping by. While she didn’t think that getting all the repairs done well and climbing up in the bot fighting world was impossible, Phoenix knew it wouldn’t be easy. Their debut night had been successful, sure, but it was already taxing on all of them. By the time they walked out of the warehouse the morning sun was creeping over the horizon, and obviously neither she nor Rhys had slept. They’d have to go home, get a bit of rest, fix up Tae, and try to get into a better ring for tonight. If that was even on the table.
This timeline weighed heavily on Phoenix’s tired mind. But perhaps thankfully, Rhys and Tae were in higher spirits. The latter especially was quite gleeful, and seemed happier than ever once he’d limped his way into the car. “I didn’t do a single thing.” The woman smiled, fatigued but still amused at the fact she was getting praised. “Honestly, it’s been all you. You did it, Tae.” As he excitedly requested to calculate the money they’d raked in, she laughed lightly and nodded. “Sure, sure. Here.” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a stack of bills and handed them over. It was somewhere around $975 last she checked, but she did lose track a bit in the craziness of it all. Still, she knew they’d spent some of the money on repairs after Rhys ran out of his own cash, and the odds in the fights after Jezebelle weren’t quite as skewed against them. Nevertheless, it was a great turnout – more than she could make in a night doing much else.
As Tae got to work, Phoenix studied him for a moment. In contrast to his high spirits, he was in rough-looking shape. Clothes ripped, hand messed up, leg crippled. She was glad that he didn’t feel pain and didn’t seem to mind at all. But somehow, she still couldn’t shake the sense of guilt she felt. For basically all of her adult life, she’d fought her own battles and fended for herself – letting someone put themselves on the line for her was not something she was used to. Especially since she couldn’t repay him in any tangible way.
But like always, the woman kept her thoughts to herself as they arrived at her building and made their way back up. Fortunately they were able to cover up most of the obvious damage on Tae, so he just looked like someone with a limp as they made their way up to her apartment. On top of that, there was only one or two people out and about by the time they returned, and they seemed to want to keep to themselves anyway.
When they got to her home, she closed the door behind them with a heavy sigh. Phoenix pulled off her wig and the rest of her disguise, glad to finally be free of it all. As Rhys stretched and took off his coat, Tae made his way to the kitchen. There, he offered to cook them a meal and get a place set up for Rhys to sleep on the couch if he was staying over. “Tae...” The woman laughed, shaking her head. Honestly, she was kind of at a loss for words. “You’ve done more than your share of hard work for the day. Rhys and I can fend for ourselves; and besides, you should probably rest up, right? We’ll be fighting somewhere again tonight, and you should be at full power for when we do. You can save your energy for more important things.”
Rhys, who had taken out his own PET, looked up and rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Well… not gonna lie, I’d love to try Tae’s food. A nice bowl of pasta sounds real nice right about now.” He sat down on a chair and laughed a bit. “And I haven’t had a bed made for me since I was a kid, so that’d be kind of a nice treat, y’know…?”
Phoenix’s mouth opened, ready to argue. But her lips relaxed and she sighed instead. If it made both of them happy, and it’s what they wanted, who was she to get in the way of that? “You guys… do what you like.” She put her hands up and made her way over to her drawers, where she took out some clothes to sleep in. “I’m not really hungry, so I think I’ll just take a quick shower and get some rest. But thanks for the offer, Tae.” With a wad of clothes in hand, she walked towards the bathroom and paused next to the kitchen. “I really do appreciate everything you’ve done. I just don’t want you to overwork yourself or anything on my behalf.” A short pause hung in the air as she stood there for a moment, as if she wanted to say something more. However, she turned and continued on her way to the shower without another word.
While his friend washed up, Rhys rummaged through a bag he’d brought up from his car. Having anticipated a long night, he had packed some clean clothes for today. After changing, he sat down on the couch and began to get in touch with a number of people. When Phoenix emerged from the bathroom he glanced over. “Oh, hey. So I’ve managed to switch most of my shifts at work this week, but a couple of ‘em depend if my boss will give me the time off on short notice. If I can’t get ‘em off I don’t think I can go with you guys to the rings, but I can support you from work or wherever I happen to have to be.”
“Oh… thanks, Rhys.” She sat down next to him. “I hope all of this isn’t too inconvenient for you. The last thing I want to do is cause any more trouble in your life.” Her eyes fell into her lap. He’d done so much for her already – and for Tae, too.
Shaking his head, he waved a hand dismissively. “Ah, no worries. Like I said, I’m really into all this. So if it makes you feel better, think of it as just me being selfish. Tagging along for the ride.” Rhys grinned and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Anyway, why don’t you get some rest? You’ve had a lot going on, so you must be pretty pooped. I’m still runnin’ on some adrenaline, so I think I’ll take a look at Tae and see what kind of stuff we need. Then we'll be ready later.”
As much as she wished she could keep going, she knew she needed the sleep right now. “All right, but I’ll wake up in few hours so we can do our repairs and assess the situation.”
“Pfft, ‘assess the situation’, eh? You’re starting to sound like the robot around here.” Rhys chuckled.
Phoenix grabbed one of the pillows on the couch and lightly tossed it into his face as she stood up. Evidently too tired to retort, she made her way over to where Tae was. Standing at his side, she observed his damaged body before meeting his eyes. Strangely, she had the unusual urge to give him a hug. Something, anything other than words to show how much she appreciated him and everything she’d done for her so far. But a hug would be weird – even if Rhys wasn’t around. So instead, she placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, tired but sincere. “… I don’t know if I’ll ever really get used to someone doing so much for me. I know you’re… different from humans, but if there’s something I could do to repay you for your help, tell me.” Suddenly, she remembered her original intention of returning him to his owner, and felt a pang of sorrow. But still, she added, “I mean, hopefully there’s something I could do for you before we find your real master, at least...”
Trailing off, Phoenix cleared her throat gave him a little pat before her hand fell back at her side. “Anyway, you guys can wake me if I’m not up by noon.” With that, she made her way to her bed and promptly got settled under the covers. The sounds from Rhys and Tae continuing on with their business kept her awake for a short time, but it wasn’t long before her exhaustion pulled her into a deep sleep.
Once Rhys was fed and settled, he sat down with Tae and examined the damages more closely, now that they were in the comfort and quiet of Phoenix's home. He searched and scrolled through various parts from various suppliers, compiling a list of which ones were most important and most cost effective for their current purposes. With Tae's help and consultation, of course. For the most part the man just brought up suggestions and asked which ones the android thought would be best for now, and put the list together for later. Eventually, when everything they needed was selected, he made a few quick calls and ordered them to be picked up later. Following that he lay down fell asleep, his own fatigue taking over quickly.
But the difference between him and Phoenix was that Rhys woke up to an alarm around 11:00 in the morning and got up, whereas the woman remained fast asleep. Deciding not to disturb her or Tae, he gathered his things and scribbled a note for her to find. Leaving it on her bedside table, he quietly crept out and made his way to his car. When Phoenix finally awoke about an hour later, she frowned deeply when she noticed her friend suddenly absent. Sitting up, she saw the paper nearby and picked it up.
“Okay. We’ll go do some repairs and get back to it then.” She confirmed the plan out loud, to which Rhys nodded silently, evidently having no qualms for the time being. However, despite Phoenix’s agreement with the course of action, apparently her reservation was not hidden from Tae. Her expression seemed to give her worry away, as she felt the android’s cool touch on her forehead. Heat rose to her face, colour blooming in her cheeks as he reassured her gently. Not only did the gesture catch her off-guard, but it was not one that anyone had done to her since she was probably a child. Embarrassed, Phoenix looked away as the robot withdrew his hand, catching himself in his mistake.
“Uh, yeah, let’s go… I’ll show you guys where the repair area is.” Rhys laughed, a bit sheepishly out of the awkwardness of witnessing a somewhat intimate moment. But the man shrugged it off easily enough and led them away to where they would get Tae fixed up.
Phoenix fell in line last, still slightly flustered. Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t the first act of affection she’d gotten from Tae since they activated Lai.Pro. His gestures were appreciated, especially in these unexpectedly trying times. However, she couldn’t deny that it felt… a little weird. The intentions behind his actions – and, of course, the actions themselves – were naturally very human, very emotional in their own right. But in contrast, his touch lacked the physical warmth and sensation of another person. Yet, the fact that it all felt a bit odd and alien didn’t detract from her enjoyment of these displays of caring. If anything, Phoenix enjoyed them just as much as if she were to receive them from a human being.
But she was overthinking it. A lot. The woman took in a deep breath, cleansing her mind of these extraneous thoughts as she exhaled. Now was no time to be getting caught up on one, innocent touch. There was work to be done; fights to be had.
*~*~*~*~*
After doing some makeshift repairs, the trio started the process over again. They got a fight set up, paid their money, got down to business, and won every time. As expected, none of them posed a terribly big challenge to Tae. By the time the third fight rolled around, Phoenix actually felt fairly comfortable. Now that she knew what to expect, she was able to uphold her act a little better, and worry a whole lot less. Even as the damages to Tae gradually added up, she didn’t feel nearly as on edge as she did during their inaugural fight. However, that wasn’t to say she was completely carefree. Now that she’d come to terms with the world of bot fighting in itself, her mind moved onto other issues. Namely, getting into a bigger, better ring. The hype around her and Tae seemed to build as they continued fighting, but all of the videos and gossip weren’t necessarily a guarantee they’d get anywhere. Or at least, it didn’t feel like it.
But Rhys was confident they could keep climbing into better rings, so Phoenix decided to trust in his word. Besides, by the time they were finished their fourth fight of the night she was too exhausted to worry about “what ifs” any longer. At least for today.
Her concern for Tae naturally eclipsed those thoughts anyway. In addition to the holes in his arm and the damage to his leg, he’d gotten some dents in his knuckles and a sizable gash in his lower back. It would cost more than the initial $50 that Rhys quoted after their first fight. And of course, it would cost them in time, too. Quick, half-assed fixes wouldn’t do if they wanted to be successful in more advanced rings, against better opponents. But they couldn’t afford to dawdle too much either – the clock was always ticking, the seconds forever slipping by. While she didn’t think that getting all the repairs done well and climbing up in the bot fighting world was impossible, Phoenix knew it wouldn’t be easy. Their debut night had been successful, sure, but it was already taxing on all of them. By the time they walked out of the warehouse the morning sun was creeping over the horizon, and obviously neither she nor Rhys had slept. They’d have to go home, get a bit of rest, fix up Tae, and try to get into a better ring for tonight. If that was even on the table.
This timeline weighed heavily on Phoenix’s tired mind. But perhaps thankfully, Rhys and Tae were in higher spirits. The latter especially was quite gleeful, and seemed happier than ever once he’d limped his way into the car. “I didn’t do a single thing.” The woman smiled, fatigued but still amused at the fact she was getting praised. “Honestly, it’s been all you. You did it, Tae.” As he excitedly requested to calculate the money they’d raked in, she laughed lightly and nodded. “Sure, sure. Here.” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a stack of bills and handed them over. It was somewhere around $975 last she checked, but she did lose track a bit in the craziness of it all. Still, she knew they’d spent some of the money on repairs after Rhys ran out of his own cash, and the odds in the fights after Jezebelle weren’t quite as skewed against them. Nevertheless, it was a great turnout – more than she could make in a night doing much else.
As Tae got to work, Phoenix studied him for a moment. In contrast to his high spirits, he was in rough-looking shape. Clothes ripped, hand messed up, leg crippled. She was glad that he didn’t feel pain and didn’t seem to mind at all. But somehow, she still couldn’t shake the sense of guilt she felt. For basically all of her adult life, she’d fought her own battles and fended for herself – letting someone put themselves on the line for her was not something she was used to. Especially since she couldn’t repay him in any tangible way.
But like always, the woman kept her thoughts to herself as they arrived at her building and made their way back up. Fortunately they were able to cover up most of the obvious damage on Tae, so he just looked like someone with a limp as they made their way up to her apartment. On top of that, there was only one or two people out and about by the time they returned, and they seemed to want to keep to themselves anyway.
When they got to her home, she closed the door behind them with a heavy sigh. Phoenix pulled off her wig and the rest of her disguise, glad to finally be free of it all. As Rhys stretched and took off his coat, Tae made his way to the kitchen. There, he offered to cook them a meal and get a place set up for Rhys to sleep on the couch if he was staying over. “Tae...” The woman laughed, shaking her head. Honestly, she was kind of at a loss for words. “You’ve done more than your share of hard work for the day. Rhys and I can fend for ourselves; and besides, you should probably rest up, right? We’ll be fighting somewhere again tonight, and you should be at full power for when we do. You can save your energy for more important things.”
Rhys, who had taken out his own PET, looked up and rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Well… not gonna lie, I’d love to try Tae’s food. A nice bowl of pasta sounds real nice right about now.” He sat down on a chair and laughed a bit. “And I haven’t had a bed made for me since I was a kid, so that’d be kind of a nice treat, y’know…?”
Phoenix’s mouth opened, ready to argue. But her lips relaxed and she sighed instead. If it made both of them happy, and it’s what they wanted, who was she to get in the way of that? “You guys… do what you like.” She put her hands up and made her way over to her drawers, where she took out some clothes to sleep in. “I’m not really hungry, so I think I’ll just take a quick shower and get some rest. But thanks for the offer, Tae.” With a wad of clothes in hand, she walked towards the bathroom and paused next to the kitchen. “I really do appreciate everything you’ve done. I just don’t want you to overwork yourself or anything on my behalf.” A short pause hung in the air as she stood there for a moment, as if she wanted to say something more. However, she turned and continued on her way to the shower without another word.
While his friend washed up, Rhys rummaged through a bag he’d brought up from his car. Having anticipated a long night, he had packed some clean clothes for today. After changing, he sat down on the couch and began to get in touch with a number of people. When Phoenix emerged from the bathroom he glanced over. “Oh, hey. So I’ve managed to switch most of my shifts at work this week, but a couple of ‘em depend if my boss will give me the time off on short notice. If I can’t get ‘em off I don’t think I can go with you guys to the rings, but I can support you from work or wherever I happen to have to be.”
“Oh… thanks, Rhys.” She sat down next to him. “I hope all of this isn’t too inconvenient for you. The last thing I want to do is cause any more trouble in your life.” Her eyes fell into her lap. He’d done so much for her already – and for Tae, too.
Shaking his head, he waved a hand dismissively. “Ah, no worries. Like I said, I’m really into all this. So if it makes you feel better, think of it as just me being selfish. Tagging along for the ride.” Rhys grinned and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Anyway, why don’t you get some rest? You’ve had a lot going on, so you must be pretty pooped. I’m still runnin’ on some adrenaline, so I think I’ll take a look at Tae and see what kind of stuff we need. Then we'll be ready later.”
As much as she wished she could keep going, she knew she needed the sleep right now. “All right, but I’ll wake up in few hours so we can do our repairs and assess the situation.”
“Pfft, ‘assess the situation’, eh? You’re starting to sound like the robot around here.” Rhys chuckled.
Phoenix grabbed one of the pillows on the couch and lightly tossed it into his face as she stood up. Evidently too tired to retort, she made her way over to where Tae was. Standing at his side, she observed his damaged body before meeting his eyes. Strangely, she had the unusual urge to give him a hug. Something, anything other than words to show how much she appreciated him and everything she’d done for her so far. But a hug would be weird – even if Rhys wasn’t around. So instead, she placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, tired but sincere. “… I don’t know if I’ll ever really get used to someone doing so much for me. I know you’re… different from humans, but if there’s something I could do to repay you for your help, tell me.” Suddenly, she remembered her original intention of returning him to his owner, and felt a pang of sorrow. But still, she added, “I mean, hopefully there’s something I could do for you before we find your real master, at least...”
Trailing off, Phoenix cleared her throat gave him a little pat before her hand fell back at her side. “Anyway, you guys can wake me if I’m not up by noon.” With that, she made her way to her bed and promptly got settled under the covers. The sounds from Rhys and Tae continuing on with their business kept her awake for a short time, but it wasn’t long before her exhaustion pulled her into a deep sleep.
Once Rhys was fed and settled, he sat down with Tae and examined the damages more closely, now that they were in the comfort and quiet of Phoenix's home. He searched and scrolled through various parts from various suppliers, compiling a list of which ones were most important and most cost effective for their current purposes. With Tae's help and consultation, of course. For the most part the man just brought up suggestions and asked which ones the android thought would be best for now, and put the list together for later. Eventually, when everything they needed was selected, he made a few quick calls and ordered them to be picked up later. Following that he lay down fell asleep, his own fatigue taking over quickly.
But the difference between him and Phoenix was that Rhys woke up to an alarm around 11:00 in the morning and got up, whereas the woman remained fast asleep. Deciding not to disturb her or Tae, he gathered his things and scribbled a note for her to find. Leaving it on her bedside table, he quietly crept out and made his way to his car. When Phoenix finally awoke about an hour later, she frowned deeply when she noticed her friend suddenly absent. Sitting up, she saw the paper nearby and picked it up.
'Hey - gone out to pick up parts + get some stuff from home. Hope it's ok I stay for a couple days. I'll bring some food over. - Rhys'
Setting it down, she glanced at the clock and cursed a bit. He didn't wake her up like she'd asked, but after everything she supposed she couldn't get mad at him for a little thing like that. Sighing gently, she got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, deciding she might as well eat something while she waited for him to come back.
