Anything to Eat? ((Kumachan!!))

[Anonymous]

Tired and hungry. Tired and hungry.

Axel walked down the street, his head facing down. He didn't have enough money for something good to eat. The money he had wasn't enough. He sighed. Because of the mask, his breathing was loud and his voice electronic sounding. He sounded much more frightful than he really was. He didn't like being scary; he just wanted to be normal. He just wanted food.

A thought occured to him. 'What if I steal food?' He thought. It was a somewhat dangerous idea, but the growing hunger in his stomach made him consider it. He looked at the houses as he walked by. Which one should he get it from? He wished there was a better way. He didn't like doing things like this; he didn't want to get in trouble.

It was dark and late. There wasn't a soul in sight. That made sure that nobody would catch him; but, he wasn't so sure about the owner(s) of the house. He looked up at a 2-story house that was closest to him. He no longer felt like looking around for somewhere to steal from. This was good. He was tired and hungry, so this was fine.

Axel looked around, then circled the house. He found a window on the bottom floor. Better than crashing down the door. He tried to move it, pleased to find it unlocked. He entered the house without much noise; minus his breathing. The sound of it was softer now, to ensure that nobody would take much notice in it. He found himself in what appeared to be the dining room. He rushed into the kitchen quietly and found the fridge. He peered into it, taking what he wanted to eat, searching. Suddenly he heard a small noise behind him. He looked over his shoulder.

Oh. Andriods.

He tried to ignore the one that had come accross him. He didn't want trouble. He just hoped it wouldn't do something weird and stir the owner so he would come downstairs to find him and the food raided. Axel really didn't like stealing, and being caught would suck. Really, really bad. He didn't know who the owner of the house was, but he desprately hoped it wasn't someone who would be the type to beat him with a stick. Or send something/someone after him. He just wished he hadn't been forced into this situation to begin with.

Axel didn't mind androids if they weren't out to get him. He didn't want to destroy the poor thing if it went after him, but he might not have a choice. He slowly looked back into the fridge and started gathering food again. He had limited time, and he would make the most of it.

He sighed lightly. It just wasn't fair.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps it was the android's outer shell that made it seem less threatening than it was. This android was in the shape of a young girl, dressed in a pale grey maid uniform with a skirt that hung about her knees, trimmed in lace. Her slender hands were clasped in front of her, slightly illuminated blue eyes watching the stranger as he raided the fridge. It was probably those eyes that gave her away, as they looked a little like lights in her face, which was certainly not normal for a human. Or it could be her passive, doll like expression, devoid of emotion or reflection of thoughts. Then again, the two seam lines running from forehead to chin, parallel to one another, was possibly the most obvious feature. They weren't necessary, of course...her master could easily have given her a perfect face. But it seemed that humans did not like their androids to look too human...master always had to give them traits that labled them as machines.

She took a small, dainty step forward, her shiny black dress shoes clacking ever so slightly on the tile.
"That course of action is not advisable. Guests are not permitted in the kitchen after hours."
Her voice was soft but eerily devoid of life, as one might expect from a machine. There was a slight whirring, the sound of her mechanical brain 'thinking'.
"And you are not a guest. You are required to leave immediately. I have notified the security drone of your presence."
And right on que, there was a shuffling sound from above them, where there were far more androids to be found, and where one was 'waking' to it's duty...protecting the home of it's master. This maidbot girl may not give Axel pause with her seemingly delicate construction, but the security drone that deftly made it's way down the stairs and into the foyer would certainly make Axel think twice about disobeying the girl's request. For from around her came the drone, called via wireless connection by the maid, and it had the shape of a rather large dog.
It held it's head high and proud, with a long, slightly boxy head, all the better to house a devastating pair of jaws, lined with metal teeth that could do far more damage than any normal creature.
"[font=fixedsys:r5uecdk6]Intruder detected. Identity...Unknown. Requesting identification. Please respond.[/font:r5uecdk6]"
Two glowing red eyes, truly a set of scanning lasers, were focused entirely on Axel, but they were having difficulty identifying him thanks to his mask. Thus it had asked him to identify himself...perhaps a strange step, considering Axel was an intruder, but the android was simply following protocol. After all, if this were one of the master's acquaintences, it would be a grand error to kill him without first being positive of his identity.

[Anonymous]

Axel saw the large, dog-like android and knew he was screwed. He knew, at that very moment, that he had chosen the wrong house. This was the worst situation. He really wished he had picked some other place. This wasn't good. He might die!

He took a sharp intake of breath. He didn't know what to do at this point. 'Well, might as well do something...not harmful.' He slowly put some extra food back into the fridge and was left only with 2 food items. He closed the fridge and backed away from the androids slowly. He said, "You ask for my identity?" He was slowly going towards the window. "Axel!" He said simply.

To escape the giant dog-thing, he yelled and crashed through the window that had closed earlier after he broke in. He climbed up the side of the house onto the roof using the gloves he had designed. They allowed him to be much like a geko and climb up surfaces. He didn't want the dog killing him outside the window. In fact, he just wanted to get away. He waited on the rooftop. Normally he would have just run off then and there, but he dropped a glove on the ground outside the window. He shivered slightly. He didn't want to die. Or get hurt.

[Anonymous]

"[font=fixedsys:3w1umj06]Halt intruder. Do not move. This is your final warning[/font:3w1umj06]."
A warning that apparently came too late, as the stranger dove through the window through which he had originally entered. The security drone lunged for him with all the liquid grace of a great cat, rather than a mechanical dog, and landed deftly outside the window...only to peer up as the man scaled the walls. A task it could not do, but it did not matter. Every android in the entire house was now on alert, and via their link to one another, they all knew the intruder was on the roof.

The maidbot turned calmly and went to the counter to begin making coffee. The master had been woken, so it was her duty to prepare coffee for him. Just following protocol. Meanwhile the security drone was circling the house in quick strides, its laser-eyes always pointed upward, scanning, watching, should the man try and make a break for it. There was no way a human would be able to outrun it.

In the upper story, Tristan was being forcibly torn from his peaceful slumber by one of his nurse droids, whom was persistently shaking him, despite his growled warnings to quit it.
"Master, you must wake. There is an intruder on the roof."
"If they're on the damn roof, then they're not intruding!"
"He was inside the house. Now he is on the roof."
"Then leave him up there and let me sleep!"
"It is too dangerous. His identity is Axel X, a deadly weapons manufacturer."
"Maybe if he blew us up, I could get some peace!"
"That option is not valid. Please wake."
Since he was being shaken enough to addle his brain, he finally gave in and sat up, blond hair ruffled up in every direction, especially smooshed on one side of his head.
"Fine, fine. Get me on the roof already."
As he spoke, he was swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing a bit stiffly. Damn but waking up was always the worst...nothing wanted to work the way he wanted it to. Hobbling across the wood floors, he snatched up a thick robe.
"Master, that course of action is not advisable. One of us should-"
"My house, my roof, my problem. I'm gonna talk to the guy."

Seeming to know better than to argue, the nurse droid bowed.
"Very well master. Instead, we will bring him inside for interrogation."
A grunt was the only response she got from Tristan, who was evidently still a bit grumpy. Turning, she strode calmly from the room, passing the maidbot on her way in (and with coffee no less), into the labratory. Words were not exchanged, for the androids could all communicate wirelessly through their collective networked 'brains'.
Moments later, and there was a male android effortlessly hefting himself onto the roof where the fugitive lay in hiding.
"Mr Axel, our master would like to have a word with you regarding the breaking and entering of his home. If you would be so kind as to come with me, we may avoid having to bring the master up here in the cold so as to speak with you."
This droid seemed more human than the others, for his voice had inflection and tone, and he even smiled a bit as he held out his hand as a gesture of peace. The seam lines on his face started under his eyes and went down to his chin, and his dark green hair was tied back in a long ponytail. His outfit was white, almost doctor-like in design, all crisp lines and simple cuts.

[Anonymous]

Axel stiffened as the droid entered his little space on the roof. He was still rather scared, due to his little encounter with the security dog. He looked down at the food he held in his arms. He was going through all this for a little bite to eat? Hunger drives people to things they shouldn't do.

He replied in his electronic sounding voice, which was rather deep and seemed unfitting for a person his age, "Alright, as long as nobody's going to maime me."

 He figured it was better than being killed by a dog. He followed the droid, reaching up to his mask for a moment and adjusting his vision to normal sight. When he was frightened, the mask had changed his vision to target- in case he decided he wasn't going to be so friendly. He really hoped the owner wouldn't just kill him once he went inside, or send his dog to kill him. He just hoped it was a decent person. Who was understanding to some level.

[Anonymous]

"Of course you won't be maimed. Were that the case, we would simply have come up here and done it, rather than bringing you inside. The master would not be pleased with blood all over his equipment and floor."
Good point, though the way he said it so calmly made it a tad bit creepier than usual. His hand was still out to Axel, and since the human seemed unwilling to take it, he simply reached out a bit further and snagged the young man's arm himself.
"Please do not struggle. I am going to lower you to the window, where another will help you inside. You picked an awkward place to hide, as there is no door to get up here."
His grip on Axel's arm was firm but not so much as to be painful. He simply did not want to drop the human to an unpleasant death...or perhaps many broken bones and ruptured organs, should he survive.
Swinging Axel calmly over the edge of the roof, the android left his other arm free so that he could keep hold of the food he had stolen, holding him now by the upper arm and lowering him so that his legs dangled just outside an open window, at which point another android, another nurse droid, helped to guide him into the window and pull him inside.
Moments later, and the male android was gracefully lowering himself back inside the window as well, and he closed it behind him - not as an agressive action, but rather to keep the cold out.

Standing in the main lab, waiting with a big mug of coffee in his hands, was Tristan. He'd managed to get his hair a bit more under control thanks to a brush, though he'd left it loose down around his shoulders. And still he was all bundled up in that puffy blue robe, his sky blue eyes more awake than they were a little while ago. Ah the wonders of coffee...
As soon as the stranger was back on his feet and inside again, Tristan smiled at him as if this were not such an awkward state of affairs.
"Heya! Good evening, I guess? Heheh...so you're Axel, right? I....er....is that food?"
"He was raiding the kitchen." The maidbot who had first spotted Axel spoke up.
"Oh. Well then...guess that answers the 'why were you in my house' question, doesn't it? Heheh, well, I'm Tristan Nash, owner of this house and yadda yadda...nice to meet you and all the formalities I'm too groggy to care about right now. I guess this is where I let you plead your case to me about why I shouldn't do something terrible to you, yeah?"

[Anonymous]

Axel wasn't particularly disturbed by the creepy way the robot said that. He wasn't scared of much, besides things that were obviously going to kill him. His feet landed softly on the floor next to the window. He looked at the owner of the house. He held the food out towards him. "Yes, I am Axel. I apologise for taking this food. I didn't take anything else; I promise." He went onto his knees. "Look, I don't think I have anything that you would want. I don't have money or anything. If you wish to do something terrible to me, I understand." He got from his pockets the little money he owned, and said, "If it pleases you, take this. Just...I don't want to die."

[Anonymous]

Well, he did believe the man on that point...had anything else been taken, he'd have been notified. The green haired android calmly took the food items as Axel held them out, leaving momentarily to return them to the refridgerator.
What happened next, however, Tristan was entirely unprepared for. The guy was...actually on his knees. Aah...when I said plead, I didn't think he'd actually go this far...

"Wow guy, you're really serious about this huh?"
Walking up to Axel's kneeling form, Tristan calmly crouched to better be on eye - or was that mask lens? - level with him. He shook his head at the money and chuckled.
"Relax, I'm not a murderer. Well, not yet anyway. And even if I were, I doubt I'd kill you over some food. I'd make you a house slave before I killed you, I'm pretty sure."
The grin was back on his face again, and he seemed to be amused at the entire state of affairs, though he sobered up a bit with his next words.
"Do you not have a place to go? Are you a refugee then?"
It was common knowledge that Teinar was refugee central, and people coming in with nothing but the clothes on their back was not uncommon.
"You know, you can always ask for help. Most people aren't entirely unwilling to help out unfortunates wandering about the city."

[Anonymous]

Axel shook his head at the question. "No, I don't have a place to go...Well, I do, but I'm not welcome there." He brought his head up from its lowered position. "Sorry again for stealing. I didn't have enough money to get the food I needed." He tilted his head slightly. "This is rather akward, as I broke into your house, but...may I ask you to help me?" He added with a tad bit of humor, "I'll be your house slave if it puts a roof over my head." He looked at the droids around and said, "By the way, did you create these?"

[Anonymous]

Tristan grinned again, a pretty common occurance for his face, only this time it was more of the reassuring sort.
"Well, that makes you a sort of refugee then. Don't worry about it too much."
At the offer though, Tristan out right laughed, and then gave a bit of a mishchievous smirk.
"Well then! No way I can pass up the offer of a house slave!"
Standing again, he stuffed his slender hands into the big pockets of his robe, bare toes curling a bit on the cold floor.
"Alright, you can stay for a bit. And yeah, all these androids are 100% Tristan Nash originals! Not bad, eh? Ah...Holly! Holly-oh! Sheesh, you're always right behind me..." Turning a bit, he faced the little maidbot again and handed her the now empty mug.
"Go downstairs and make some more coffee for me, and some food for Axel, okay?"
The maidbot, Holly, bowed and then turned on her heel, almost silently sweeping out of the lab and down the stairs.

The nurse droid who had woken Tristan then spoke up.
"Sir, I do not believe this is advisable."
"What? I'm allowed to help people sometimes."
"Not that. You have only gotten three hours of sleep. You should go back to bed for the time being."
Tristan just waved her off as he waited for Axel to get up and follow him downstairs.
"Pff, like I could actually go to sleep after all this excitement."
"We could always use a tranquilizer."
That actually made Tristan stop mid stride, and he turned to glower at her over his shoulder.
"That's not even funny Isabel. Sheesh."
"I simply wish to make sure you are well." She bowed her head a bit, and just the the green haired android returned to the lab.
"Your caffeine intake is also a bit troublesome. You just sent Holly to make more, didn't you? In the last 24 hours, you've already consumed-"
"Argh, both of you quit it! Alright, I'll have decaf! And I'll go to sleep once Axel eats! Happy now? Bolts and buckets you guys are masters of naggery!!" Throwing up his arms in defeat, Tristan groaned rather dramatically. Not wanting to get caught in any more arguments he couldn't win, Tristan wasted no time in grabbing Axel's hand and half dragging him back to the kitchen, where Holly was undoubtedly preparing a meal for them now.

[Anonymous]

Axel grinned madly behind the mask he had. He was really happy to find someone that would help him, even if only for a few days. He chuckled when the droids nagged him about various things that were apparently not good for him. When Tristan pulled him by the hand into the kitchen, he remembered his glove outside. He figured it didn't matter at the moment. He said, "It's quite nice of you to help me. Thank you." He sat down in a chair in the kitchen and said, "These droids are pretty cool, you said you made them?"

[Anonymous]

As they entered the kitchen, Tristan released Axel, if only to go and stare at his broken window. Well, that was troublesome...guess one of the droids will have to fix it in the morning. Just then, a huge metallic head with lots of teeth popped out of the window from the outside.
"Gaah!!"
Tristan jumped back a good foot, before cussing in a most un-gentleman like way.
"What the hell Sifer?!? Good job giving me a minor heart attack!" He swatted the mechanical dog's head as if it'd have some sort of affect on the android. The very same one that had been chasing Axel about until just recently, no less.
"[font=fixedsys:3v2kmx6w]Apologies. I have retrieved items from the fugitive.[/font:3v2kmx6w]"
It's mechanical voice spoke without the movement of those jaws, in which Axel's gloves were held. It deposited them into Tristan's hands before leaping through the window and positioning himself below it - after all, now that it was broken, there was an even greater chance someone would try and sneak in. It was not going to let that happen.

Sighing heavily, Tristan rolled his eyes.
"Well, good job, I think. Here Axel, I figure you're the only 'fugitive' in the house at the moment." Handing them back to his guest of sorts, Tristan flopped into the seat next to him, laying against the table and making grabby hands in Holly's general direction. The maidbot turned as if on que, and set a large mug of coffee in front of him.
"Isabel and Morgan advised me to make decaf."
Tristan snorted, but chugged the coffee (black naturally) all the same.
"Guess I'll just pretend it has caffeine in it..."
"What shall I make for you master?"
Tristan shrugged as he set the mug down with a satisfied sigh, nearly half the black liquid already gone.
"Well since Axel broke into my house with hunger, I figure make whatever doesn't take too long."
"Understood." The small bot calmly moved over to the stove and began preparing their meal, and as she did so Tristan rested his head in his hand, studying Axel's odd mask idly as he waited for the other man to speak up.
"No problem, I don't mind guests. And thanks, glad you like em. It's what I do- I'm an android engineer. Pretty much been making them since I was in diapers, I took over the family business from my father, as it were. The little maid girl is Holly, the nurse upstairs was Isabel, and the doctor with the green hair is Morgan. The security dog is Sifer, sorry he chased you. I have a few others, but they're out at the moment getting supplies and the like. Usually it's just me and them, so it'll be nice to have another living creature to talk to, heheh." Again he grinned, naturally a pretty chipper person it would seem.

[Anonymous]

Axel simply turned his head when Tristan's attack dog jumped though the window.He accepted the gloves and put them in his pocket. "That's quite interesting. The only things I've ever created are some weapons, my gloves, and this mask. The mask was needed, however...I wouldn't be alive without it." He admired the aroma of food cooking. He was happy to smell that food that he didn't think he would have gotten. He continued, "I can't breathe well in the normal atmosphere, so I must wear this to breathe properly."

[Anonymous]

"I was wondering about that. Normally masks are only worn outside the city." Sitting up straighter, Tristan scootched his chair closer to Axel so he could get a better look at the breathing apparatus, leaning over a bit with his head cocked to the side. Very curious...were his lungs bad? Perhaps he couldn't properly collect oxygen from the atmosphere...or perhaps he was over sensitive? Had to have all the air perfectly filtered all the time? Hmm...well he couldn't be entirely sure what the mask did exactly unless he either asked or took it apart....and he'd much rather take it apart, though that seemed unlikely since apparently the poor guy needed it just to breathe.
"Must be tough. Clever though, you did a good job. It's not overly elaborate but is still efficient."
Sometimes he couldn't help himself, building and designing was in his blood after all. Alas, he was forced to stop oogling the mask as Holly placed two plates of food down before the young men, bowing slightly after she was done and silently excusing herself from the dining room to allow them to eat without a spectator.
Not particularly hungry himself, Tristan picked at his food, but was keeping a close eye on Axel, highly curious as to just how someone with a mask such as that would eat.

[Anonymous]

Axel chuckled lightly. "Thank you. However, It's more elaborate than you think." He looked at the plate of food happily and said, "First good meal I've had in a while." He gathered a fork of food and brought it to his mouth. A hole just large enough opened in his mask, allowing him to put the food in his mouth without taking the mask off. "I got onto the roof with these." He held up one of the gloves. "They allow a person to grip a slick or otherwise non-adhesive surface and climb on it." He finished his food very quickly. He thanked Tristan for the food and said, "Well...it's rather late..where shall I sleep?"

[Anonymous]

Tristan simply chuckled at that.
"I'm sure it is. I just mean it doesn't have any needlessly elaborate elements."
And then he was forced to sit back and watch as Axel ate, or rather inhaled, all that food. Hungry much? And what the heck, there was a food port in the mask...so not fair! Not even a peak...this was going to prove infuriatingly frustrating to his desperate need to know, the curiosity already crawling up his throat. Great...

Luckily Axel distracted him with talk of the gloves, which Tristan was more than happy to pounce upon. Studying the glove closely, he wished he had his glasses with him so he could get a really good look at all the finer details.
"Very cool...huh, must be useful..."
His voice was noticably distracted as he continued to look the gloves over, but he snapped out of it as Axel asked about a place to sleep.
"Oh, right...hmm..."
Handing the glove back to Axel, he pondered for a moment.
"Well I don't usually have guests, so there's not really a spare room anywhere. I suppose you can hijack the sofa? Ah-"
As he made to stand, he could not seem to get his lower body to cooperate, for though he placed his hands on the table and made an upward movement with his torso, he remained planted in the chair.
"Dammit..." He muttered under his breath, jaw tense now as he gripped the table in a white-knuckle grip.
"Isabel! Isabel!"
His voice carried easily enough, but in the meantime as he awaited her arrival, he smiled sheepishly at Axel, who was no doubt a bit confused.
"Er, sorry, my legs went numb...happens sometimes, I'll have Isabel grab my wheelchair. Ick. Anyway in the meantime, you can get settled on the couch, and I'll have Holly hijack some blankets from the spare closet for you."

[Anonymous]

Axel jumped slightly when Tristan almost fell, but grabbed the table. He nodded at the explaination. "Thanks again." He tilted his head at Tristan. "That stinks...hope you don't hurt yourself." He had a sincerety to that last part, kind of feeling his pain. He knew that feeling of not being able to do something others could, or having something that made you different than everyone else. He sighed and lay on the couch. "Good night, Tristan. See you in the morning..." His voice trailed off and the faint light coming from the lenses of his mask dimmed then shut off. His breathing was slowed, and he was asleep. He could almost shut himself off to sleep, sometimes, if he was tired enough.

[Anonymous]

Tristan laughed, though it was a terse sound, and more hollow than it should have been.
"Yeah, me too I guess."
Unfortunately I don't have to do anything but age in order to hurt myself....argh...Bu t he knew what Axel was trying to say, and he was grateful, it just sucked having to show this side of himself to his guest. He watched as Axel got up and left, just as Isabel passed him by in order to come into the kitchen.
"I need the damned contraption."
She knew he meant the wheelchair, and turned quietly to retrieve it for him. He'd have to use it until his legs returned to a proper working condition, which could take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours.
"G'night Axel!" He called back just as Isabel returned with his wheelchair, folded neatly and fresh out of it's hiding spot behind a bookcase.

Although Axel had long since passed out cold, Holly came by to drape a few fuzzy blankets over his body, just as she had been asked. With the window broken, it was quite cold in the house, and they didn't want their guest catching a cold. Holly also had orders to make whatever Axel wished for breakfast when he woke, and as such had herself stationed in the kitchen, where she was on stand-by mode, eyes closed as though she were sleeping.
Tristan himself was brought up to bed with the help of his other two androids, and after a bit of fussing and discomfort, finally went back to sleep. Despite all their bickering, Tristan was the one who had programed them, and their job was to help improve his health. He was stubborn, but he knew they were right when they said he shuold get more sleep, or drink less caffeine. But it was hard to justify laying around and doing nothing when you knew you may not live to your 30th birthday.

[Anonymous]

Axel awoke somewhat early. He sat up and yawned. He coughed, and it made him sound rather ill. His mask was being irritating. Once in a while, it didn't cooperate with him, so he fixed it.

He was slightly startled when the droid at the kitchen greeted him and asked what he wanted for breakfast. He told what he wanted and looked up the stairs leading to the upper floor. He wanted to get a look around the lab. He needed to fix his mask, anyway. Wasn't that a good enough excuse?

When he entered, he was very quiet about his breathing and movement. He scanned the lab for tools he might need, and found them with some searching around. Carefully, he took off his mask. He was facing away from Tristan. It let out a faint hiss as he took it off. There was another part to the mask beneath it, covering his face up to below his eyes. He started working on the outer part, then took off the breathing part. He gasped quietly for a second, and his breathing sounded normal. However, He felt like someone high on a mountain not getting enough air. He coughed loudly and hoped it didn't wake Tristan up. Probabaly did, though. His messy brown hair hung down to his shoulders, and it managed to look good, even when messy. His face couldn't be seen from where Tristan was.

[Anonymous]

Holly went about preparing the meal she had been instructed to make, and did not think much of the fact Axel was wandering off. Sifer watched the stranger from his perch on the kitchen floor, but he too chose not to shadow the man. After all, master did not seem to find him a threat, and the others were upstairs along with him.

The entire top floor, minus the bedroom in which Tristan still slept, was devoted to machinery and computers. Everything had been streamlined and compacted to the smallest possible size, so as to be able to fit the most amount of equipment into the large room as physically possible and then some. Much of the equipment involved metal tables surrounded by tool benches and mechanical arms, very much like a mad scientist's lab. But humans were not often the creatures strapped to such tables; more often it was androids being worked upon. The only person frequently found on one of those cold metallic surfaces was Tristan...

Axel would have found reasonably useful tools easily enough, as there were so many in the room, and of all sorts. And despite the noise Axel made, Tristan's bedroom door remained closed...but that was not to say Axel didn't have company.
"Good morning, Axel."
Morgan's voice came from directly behind him, and it seemed the androids had a knack for moving silently about the house. He was the green hair 'doctor bot' whom had helped Axel get back indoors the night before.
"You do not sound well. Are you ill?"