"You have got to be kidding me." Orette couldn't describe the picture she was looking at.
Her eyes darted at the man sitting near a waterfall with a book in his hand and a small coffee table to his side.
The robot reached where Ivan had been and bowed as a knight would to a king.
"You have got to be kidding me," Orette mumbled under her breath as she saw the side tables had refreshments and a small tea set.
She looked at Ivan with utter disbelief and anger.
"Your robot almost tried to kill me." She said, controlling her rage. "It almost sliced me in half, I tell you, half! And...and not just that."
She stumbles back to the ground, almost falling over and stands in front of him.
"I have a broken ankle." She shows off her ankle by lifting it. "A broken back, my hands." She displays the front of her hands, "Are all injured and this small bruise." She then displays her arms, but to her surprise, there was no injury.
"What?" she said in disbelief, "I swear there was a cut, I saw blood_"
Ivan, suddenly, closed his book.
"Anderoid."
"Excuse me?" Orette looked at him as he stepped up and walked towards the robot.
He gently placed his arm across the metal body of the robot. "This is called an anderoid, and like us it has a name." Ivan stroked the metal and paused when the anderoid made an amusing noise.
"Wha~", Orette was still and silent. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Um, so." But she took courage and began to utter. "What's its name?"
"Martini," Ivan replied.
"Wha-"
"Martini."
"Yeah, I know but_"
"It's a nice name, don't you think?"
Orette stared back at the anderoid 'Martini'. "So it's a 'she'? I thought it would be a he."
"That's sexist."
"No_I just." Orette turned back to the anderoid named Martini. "How do you generally specify the gender?"
"You don't." Orette turned back to Ivan. "They don't have a gender. That's just how they are."
"That's just how they are," Orette repeated what she just heard. "So you aren't going to let that be."
"That's right. Martini and I have decided to give her the pronoun of she and her. She likes it."
The anderoid made another noise to which Orette didn't need explaining. The thought of them deciding their gender was astonishing. But the moment completely ended. In a blink of a second, Orette faced down to her palms to see them being completely healed.
The red mesh skin was no more, nor were the black burned stains. Then a quick realisation hit her. She moved her shoulders back and forth and tried to move her feet.
There, it wasn't. The pain that had cast her down. It was no more.
"How?" She muttered to herself. Her eyes then met Ivan's, to which it made her realise this was why he had sent the mutant anderoid towards her.
This was never about training, nor about strength; it was about duality.
"Now that you're back in shape." Ivan stumbled on the silence. "It's time to damage you." He pulled his cane and walked past her. The anderoid behind him, leaving a disbelief Orette behind.
Only for her to grind her teeth and walk behind them.
___________________________ .☘︎ ݁˖ ___________________________ [1]
"The children are safe and secured. They are healed and menned...however." Morticia looked uneasy towards the screen. "A few military men caught on to one of the syrium's powers."
"Hmm. Was it the chaotic child?" Said the man from the screen.
Morticia spoke after a minute of silence. "It was Ivan."
"Good heavens." The man sighed at the name. "At least tell me he wiped out their memories."
"Nope," Morticia replied in an instant. "The child was with him when it occurred. But I can assure you that those people were very hostile."
The man stayed silent because, like it or not, he knew any consequences were his fault. "I'm listening."
"Our orders were simple: find the kids and give us their location. And we can handle the rest."
"And what did they do?"
"They went a bit too far."
"The kids or the military?" The man asked in a stern tone.
"Both."
With his hands on his head, the man sighed again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and demanded to speak to Ivan at once.
"Sorry, but I don't think that's possible." Said Morticia. "Ivan already began his successor's training. He won't be back any time soon."
"Won't be back...but didn't you just rescue the kids, like yesterday?" the man asked hesitantly.
"Yes."
"And he began training his pupil?"
"Yes."
"Has-has he gone mad!?"
"Yes."
"Good heavens." The man sighed again. "What about the rest of them? How are they?" Now his voice was full of concern.
"I already told you. The kids are safe and secured. Lorenzo is trying to talk past one of them, you know the_."
"Tyrant one. I know. Does she still have a foul mouth? I was hoping she would change."
"Welllllll~" Morticia looked sideways. "Lorenzo!" She pointed at a tall man with a face mask wrapped around his face, "Will tell you the details."
She hurried towards the man and pushed him in front of the screen. The man resisted but couldn't nudge since the man on the screen was already looking at him.
"Quin!" Lorenzo hurled in surprise. "Didn't know you would miss us_"
"Shut your inevitable mouth," Quin responded immediately. "Your Russian friend has already caused a huge problem, not for me but for the entire existence of our cause. Tell me, Lorenzo, how we ever find the solution of our problem?"
Lorenzo's mouth didn't open; it didn't move. His eyes just stared at a black silhouette where the only colour shown was yellow, illuminating from Quin's eyes and his body outline.
For once, Lorenzo was glad he couldn't see Quin's face. This self-centred man could not bear to stand the fear of Quin's stare.
"Should we call your friend?" Quin asked with ease.
Lorenzo nodded.
"Good. Will you get him?"
Lorenzo nodded again.
"I hope it's not going to be a problem?"
Lorenzo stayed silent. He didn't move, or more like he didn't dare to move a muscle.
"Well, I'll take your silence as a yes." For once, Quin's voice cheered as he instantly closed his screen.
Morticia came into the picture and patted the traumatised man beside her, uttering the words, "There, there. I'm here."
For a second, Lorenzo breaks down into tears. "Why...why me?" He begins to cry.
"Shhh shh. It's fine, it's okay, Quin is gone now."
"He wasn't harsh with you, why me?" Lorenzo stomps his foot like a bratty child.
"Cause unlike you, I don't cause trouble for my friends who are basically my family."
Lorenzo stares at Morticia with a stern expression.
"This is about the MFB match."
"Yep."
"Oh god." Lorenzo turns away. "How could I possibly have known that you people love footba-"
[1] Use it when needed to separate settings or points of view.