Gray irises regained their bright green color, as quietly whirring eyelids fluttered open. The world around Joliet was little more than blocky pixels of singular colors, slowly coming into focus as she came back online. Soon, she could make out her quaint surroundings. Her eyes scanned over rock walls covered in various paintings, ranging between minimal and detailed. Shelving lined the walls, housing power tools and other such gadgets. Nearby table tops were covered in miscellaneous computers and utility drawers, and messy cabling littered the floor and ceiling. Steam rose up from a cup of coffee on a nearby table, where she also noted a croissant, a hefty bite taken out of it. Each new thing she laid eyes on prompted her scanner to lock onto the object and pull up information about it.

Coffee

Status : 71 ° C

And then she saw him. Popping up from fixing her foot was an energetic Tenmei, grinning from ear to ear with a pair of pliers in his hand. "Ooh, you're finally awake! Fixed your foot for ya." Joliet shrieked, making him flinch and drop his pliers on the ground as he, too, let out a high-pitched scream. Searching frantically with quickened breath, her scanner examined items within arm's length.

Power drill

Status : 18 volts – active

Joliet's hand shot out and snatched the drill, aiming it at him. "Why did you fix me?!" she cried.

Tenmei held up his hands in surrender. "Huh? I just thought —"

"Who are you?!"

The drill bit needled into the tip of his nose, pressing in against the cartilage. With crossed eyes, he gulped and stammered, "T-Tenmei! Tenmei Kakyoin!"

Digging through the files in her memory bank, a brief recollection flashed through her cortex. Now she had questions. But I was in an alley… they shocked me… how did I…? Her lowered eyes glanced up at Tenmei, and she kept the drill bit pressed against his nose. Tenmei quivered, keeping his hands up, his gaze averted out of fear. "How and why did you bring me here?" she interrogated.

Tenmei gulped. "I…I…uhhh…well," he stuttered, stumbling through attempts to formulate an answer. "I found you in the junkyard and —"

"The junkyard?"

"Yeah, you were in a pile of scrap. I thought I'd bring you back to the quarry and fix you up a bit. Good thing you were in one piece and still working, or I'd have one heck of a job on my hands. Not that I mind, of course. Tech stuff's my specialty!"

Furrowing her brow, Joliet eventually relented, lowering the drill and letting it hang loosely at her side. Tenmei's hands slowly crept down to his sides, the threat of the drill removed, though his hands still trembled with fear.

This skinny nobody didn't seem to have other motives for repairing her, like most illegal android owners she'd heard about. But the filth of her surroundings kept her on guard. This wasn't an environment she was comfortable in, and it only stoked her suspicions further. Joliet glared at him, still finding it hard to believe that he was just fixing her out of the kindness of his heart.

Tenmei finally relaxed, meandering over to the square table with his croissant. He lifted it to his mouth, and stuffed it into his maw, loudly smacking his lips as he chewed. Then, he brought his coffee cup to his lips and slurped the liquid into his mouth. All the while, he huffed and puffed, breathing like he'd just run a marathon.

Joliet's nose scrunched in disgust, and her troubled expression soured further. "Eugh. I guess dining etiquette isn't one of your specialties then?"

Tenmei looked over, speaking around a mouth full of croissant. "Wot?"

She rolled her eyes and averted her gaze. "Nevermind." Setting the drill on the workbench, Joliet's mind lingered on a single thought: the fact that she was on the cusp of death and somebody just happened to come along and save her by coincidence. Was it just luck? Or was it something more?

Wasting no more time stewing on it, she plopped herself into a chair across from him, ready to snap if she didn't get a plausible answer and fast. "Alright, let's cut to the chase." she said solemnly.

Tenmei's mouth was still full. "Huh?"

"What's the real reason you fixed me? You obviously aren't from the capital, what with your ridiculous get-up you've got going on." She waved a hand up and down at him, gesturing to his mangled outfit.

He swallowed his food and looked down at himself, equal parts puzzled and offended. Maybe it was the obvious jagged cuts giving away the fact he'd made his shirt into a crop-top that bothered her? Or maybe it was the utility gloves? Or the small hooded vest? Tenmei gasped. What if she was talking about his tool belt? "But… I always dress like this."

"Clearly, you can't afford to buy things from a real clothing department. Secondly, what business is it of yours trying to save my life?"

"Wha—"

"What makes you think I wanted to be repaired?"

Tenmei's face wrinkled with perplexity, complete with a raised brow and gloved fingers scratching his head. "Uhhhh…?"

"For your information, if you're planning to use me for some nefarious purpose, I have news for you. I'm not some tool you can whip out of that ugly belt of yours. And I'm most certainly not at the disposal of the working class." Tenmei recoiled a bit as she stood from her seat, and leaned over the table, jabbing a condemning finger directly into his sternum. "What, did you think I was just some business A.I. at your service 24/7? Think again. I just so happen to have connections with real people still working in the legal system. So go ahead. Try something, I dare you. Because the minute you do—"

Just then, voices echoed through the quarry, startling her. Looking off in the direction they were coming from, the fury burning in Joliet's eyes was fully extinguished. Fear shot through her circuits like lightning as she rose from her seat with her hands drawn up to her chest. "Y-you're not alone?!" The chair fell back onto the stone floor.

"Not at all," he answered simply, smiling at her. "This is Quiet Riot hideout. I'm never alone. Which, you know, is an excellent perk for someone like me. I practically grew up here."

While he rambled, Joliet retreated to the workbench not paying him any attention. What if the men making their way into the area had connections to the same group that attacked her? What if they attacked her? Hold on. What if it wasn't Tenmei's idea to take her from the junkyard and repair her? What if they ordered it because, in actuality, they did have plans to use her? Or worse… collect ransom from her father. Then again, what if they were part of the hate groups? If that were the case, she was definitely in deep shit.

Tenmei rambled as Joliet frantically ripped a grey-blue curtain off of the walls, twisting it in an attempt to fashion a makeshift dress. "...and I told her it was perfectly okay to drizzle chocolate syrup on the cherry filling. But not too much, because I'm not really a fan of chocolate, y'know? Ehh, I guess chocolate cherries are okay, though. Man, those were really good pancakes! I kinda want to go back and…"

Joliet looked over her shoulder as she tied the curtain around herself, gritting her teeth with irritation. My god, is he still talking?!

"...I keep telling Léon and Avdol that I am perfectly capable of melee combat, but noooo! Even the boss doesn't take me seriously. He just thinks I cram a thousand things in my backpack and call it a day." Tenmei crossed his arms, and sat erect with his eyes closed. " Au contraire! I may be able to cart a bunch of junk around, but Never Enough is way more than that, and it's high time I prove my usefulness outside of mechanics and hauling everyone around in my sack like a bus, dangit!" With smiling eyes, he placed a hand on the back of his neck. "Woo! I really needed to get that off my chest, haha."

An awkward silence descended upon the pair, as Joliet looked at Tenmei, utterly baffled. "…what?"

Footsteps scuffed along the dirt just before two men entered the area. Appearing in the walkway, the once faceless voices were now visible, and their visages eased the fear in Joliet's heart. Neither of them looked like the men from a few nights ago, though her guard remained up. They could have something to do with it.

"Didn't have any, my ass!" Angus complained, stepping into Tenmei's work area. Joliet froze, clinging to the workbench at the far end of the room. Angus began to put on a hot pot of coffee whilst he grabbed a mug from the lower cabinet.

Between more loud slurps of his coffee, Tenmei waved. "Hi, boss. Hi, Léon."

"Hey," Léon replied, then turned back to Angus. "Are you really that surprised? Those damn things are nasty. Nobody eats that shit. Well, except you."

Joliet's eyes darted to the shadowy corner of the room, mere feet from the workbench. She began to sidle slowly towards it, shifting her eyes back and forth between her captors and the spot she hoped would serve as a perfect place to hide.

"Which is precisely why it's bullshit they're getting so hard to find!" Angus threw his hands up in the air. "I'm telling you, Léon, coffee flavored circus peanuts are the best damn thing that's ever happened in this world. You hear me? Take that away, I'm getting the gang together and we're gonna storm the capital!"

Léon scoffed. "Whoa, whoa, what's this we stuff?" He rummaged through Tenmei's fridge for a bottle of soda, snagging one and opening it with a snap and a hiss. "I'm not getting caught up in a riot over some gross candy. You can start shit with the imperial forces if you want, I'm sticking to this quiet, little hell-hole where I belong."

The look Angus gave Léon in return was roiling with anger, and he bellowed his response from the depths of his chest. "You'll storm the capital if I say you'll storm the capital!"

Léon chuffed, lifting the bottle to his lips and tilting it back. "Yeah, sure."

"Hey, boss!" Tenmei interjected, his voice full of excitement, which caused Joliet to freeze up with fear. "Can I riot with you guys?"

"No!" Angus barked.

Tenmei blew a disappointed raspberry and leaned his cheek into his palm. "Awww…"

Joliet urged herself to remain calm, keeping her breathing steady as she continued her slow journey towards the shaded corner where she could take refuge.

"Tenmei, why would you want to fuck with the Imperial Legion?" Léon inquired, exasperation in his voice. "Only idiots do that."

"You're an idiot." Avdol cut in, suddenly appearing in the entryway.

Léon blustered for a moment, before leveling the neck of his soda bottle at Avdol. "Hey, I got enough problems! Like hell I'm crossing paths with the upper class." He lifted the bottle back to his lips, prepared to take a sip.

Just as Joliet neared the shadowy corner, she ran her hands along one of the many desks, steadying herself as she began to crouch down. Her palm traveled across splinter-laden wood… before colliding directly into the drill she'd set down only moments before, sending it to the ground with a resounding CRASH!

Every eye in the room turned to her in an instant. Léon stared at her with incredulity. Avdol's mouth hung open in shock. Angus crossed his arms and stared, not nearly as surprised as the others. Tenmei simply looked.

A shiver shot up Joliet's spine, eyes as wide as saucers as she stood half-crouched and frozen by the workbench. Her hand clutched at the knot where she'd tied the curtain over her shoulder, and her nails dug into the fabric anxiously. The entire room was quiet, save for the generator, computers, and fridge running by the walkway.

Tenmei's voice broke the discomforting silence as he gestured to her and spoke cheerfully. "Oh! Didn't the boss tell you guys? I found her at the junkyard yesterday morning! She's incredibly intelligent for an A.I." He cringed, realizing how he worded it, turning around to hold out a pacifying hand to Joliet. "Uhh, no offense. I just mean that it normally takes A.I.s a really long time to adjust to their environment and learn things."

Joliet could hardly muster the courage to answer, despite how much she loathed Tenmei's implication. Every circuit in her body screamed at her to stay still. After all, maybe if she didn't say anything, they wouldn't notice her. But the other part of her knew that wasn't true. She'd been caught, and now she had to face the consequences.

Léon sat his bottle down on the table and turned to Tenmei. "Alright, who is she?"

Tenmei smiled. "Oh! This is… uhhh…" his smile drooped as he prodded his chin with his index finger. "...actually, I never asked for her name."

Joliet slowly rose to her full height and looked between the four strangers, feeling like a caged animal as they leered at her. "It's only proper etiquette that you ask me by name before you think of introducing me to anyone," she said, finally managing to get words past her lips. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that?"

The very mention of Tenmei's parents made him frown. His eyes became downcast, and Joliet watched as Léon suddenly stiffened. He squeezed the bottle in his hand, on the verge of erupting like a volcano. "Hey!" he thundered, slamming his drink on the table, causing Joliet to nearly jump out of her skin. "Some of us don't have parents, did you ever think of that before opening your fucking mouth?!"

Fear swallowed Joliet as she took the brunt of his rage. Her back collided into the wall behind her, and she realized that she'd been instinctively backing away from Léon. Her heart felt like it had stopped beating.

"Léon!" Avdol scolded.

Ignoring Avdol, he kept stoking the fires to an argument. "How about you take your own advice about 'proper etiquette' and apologize to my little bro, you heartless bitch."

The venom of his words stoked a sudden flame in her heart. All the fear melted away in the face of a much brighter anger, and she surged out of her corner, leveling a finger at Léon. "Excusez moi?! Do you have any idea who you're speaking to? Or are you too thick-headed to realize?!"

Léon crossed his arms and scoffed. "Honestly, I couldn't care less."

Joliet clenched her fist and stomped her bare foot. "Grrr! Are people outside the capital's district really this dense?!" She looked at all of them in disbelief, holding out her arms in expectation. When she only gets apathy or confusion in response, she rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "For crying out loud, I'm the Empereur's daughter, Joliet Jousset!"

A pallor settled across everyone's skin, and though she couldn't hear his thoughts, she saw Léon's thoughts in his eyes: "Oh. Shit."

"You?" Avdol questioned, pointing at her. "But... how come you're out here? Everyone knows that people from the capital rarely ever set foot on our turf, let alone the royal family."

Angus hummed in thought. "Where'd you say you found her again, Tenmei?"

Tenmei looked up from the table, his despondence vanishing in an instant. "Huh? Oh. The scrapyard."

"The one on the city outskirts? That scrapyard?"

"Yeah, why?"

Angus's metal hand clapped against his head. "How the hell did a fully assembled android end up there?"

Joliet sighed with relief. Either they're really good at playing stupid, or they genuinely don't have anything to do with what happened the other night. Maybe if I cooperate, they can help me get home. Something tells me I'd better approach this carefully. She stepped over to the tipped over chair and stood there, expecting Angus and Avdol to pick it up for her. She placed a hand on her hip and looked between the two men expectantly.

"What…" Léon asked in a bothered tone.

Joliet rolled her eyes. "Will someone set this chair up for me?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Léon exclaimed in annoyance. "Just do it yourself."

Despite Léon's protests, Avdol did as she requested, setting the chair upright and dragging it out for her to sit.

Joliet smiled. "Merci. It's good to see that someone has manners around here." Quietly, her joints whirred as she took a seat, keeping her head held high. For a minute, she and Léon locked eyes. His gaze greeted her with nothing but contempt, and what he gave, she returned tenfold. "I assume you have a perfectly good reason for staring at me? Or are you just predisposed to boorishness?"

Léon leaned back and placed his shoes on the table. Mud sprinkled from the soles of his boots and littered the surface as Joliet grimaced. There was an old, chewed wad of gum stuck on the bottom of his boot in particular that irked her the most. Nevermind the gaping puncture hole beneath his heel. "I'm just looking," he answered matter-of-factly, "you're the one with a staring problem, JoJo."

"Do not call me JoJo." she spat venomously. "You don't get to call me that. And besides, I believe you're the one staring at me."

Léon held up his hands faux-defensively. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've never met a bot claiming to be royalty."

Joliet threw a hand over her mouth, gasping. Avdol, Tenmei, and Angus all gawked at him in utter shock, all of them protesting against his insult in unison.

"Léon," Avdol hissed, "what the hell's the matter with you? You just called the princess a slur!"

"I know you have your reasons for hating A.I.'s," Tenmei chimed in, "but keep in mind: they have positronic brains, which allows them to process human emotions like everyone else. They're not exempt from getting their feelings hurt."

Joliet glanced sideways at Tenmei for but a moment, cocking an eyebrow curiously. So this Tenmei person actually cares about androids? Like Uncle Stroheim?

Léon brought his feet down off of the table and looked at everyone as though he'd not done a single thing wrong. "And? Why are you guys upset about this? She took a jab at you by mentioning your parents. Besides, it's not like their emotions are actually real. It's just technology that we made possible because everyone is all about convenience. Nobody wants to work for what they want. They just want to own an establishment and make a robot do all the work. Meanwhile, my mom's constantly stressed out because debt collectors won't fuck off and leave us alone, and nobody wants to hire human beings anymore. It's fucking pathetic!"

Anger flared in Joliet's eyes as she shot up from her seat. "You think that just because you played God that we don't deserve to have the same rights? I'm pleased to see that you're not just stupid, but hypocritical as well. Why shouldn't we have the same privileges as you?!"

Léon also rose from his seat abruptly to meet her gaze with contempt. "Because there are decent people out here that aren't privileged enough to own their own homes, that have children to feed, and taxes up the ass! How can they survive if they can't work and live on the streets with nothing to their name? Why should the government convince them that one of the only ways to get by is to join the Imperial Legion? It's bullshit!"

"I thought you liked the military androids, though?" Avdol said.

Léon flushed with embarrassment at this seeming contradiction and waved a dismissive hand. "I mean, they're cool and stuff, but… if their original purpose was to serve in the military, then they should've just kept it that way and left the lower class out of it. Maybe then I'd have a decent job that pays me just enough to support my family."

"Urgh!" Joliet exclaimed. "How many times do I have to tell you: I am not a working class A.I. I'm not here to steal your jobs or make your lives more miserable. I'm not even supposed to be… wherever this is. So, great. You smuggled me out of a junkyard and repaired me, fine. Perhaps now you can grant me permission to return to my own place of misery?"

Airy laughter erupted from Léon's nostrils, followed by him grinning like a jackass and chuckling under his breath.

"Is something humorous about that?" she asked.

"Hey," Angus interrupted, "everybody shut up and listen! This whole ordeal has me rethinking our plans. Looks like we won't be needing little miss android for the operation after all."

Joliet turned to Angus with wide eyes. "Operation? What operation?!" So, they were going to use me! She looked around at the group of men surrounding her. "Who are you people?!"

"Whoops, where are my manners?" Angus tipped his brown fedora. "Name's Angus Thunderstrike. American born-and-bred raised French. Grew up on the streets as a kid after my parents died, and now I'm the proud leader of Quiet Riot."

Avdol gave Joliet a slight bow. "Abbas Avdol. Lieutenant."

Lieutenant? Lieutenant of what?

He gestured with his thumb to Léon and Tenmei. "You've met my best friend, Léon. Sorry about him, he can be a little rude sometimes."

"Hmph. I've noticed." Joliet deadpanned.

Léon mocked her by feigning a wide, disingenuous smile as he held an unlit cigarette. In no time flat, it became a foul sneer rife with disdain. He lit up his cigarette and took a drag.

"And I'm Tenmei!" he said, waving cheerfully.

"You already told me your name." she said.

"Oh, I did?"

"Now, will someone please answer my question? Who and what is Quiet Riot?"

Léon gestured to his surroundings. "You're looking at it."

Of course, he answered it. But she didn't want to talk to him, she was mostly asking Avdol, Tenmei, or Angus. You know, people that seemed to be much more reasonable and less prejudiced. "Okay…? But that doesn't tell me anything."

Avdol, Tenmei, and Léon all looked to Angus. His eyes darted from person to person. "What?"

"Permission to reveal ourselves to miss Joliet, boss." Tenmei said with a legionnaire salute. His gloved fingernails touched his forehead, as the palm of his hand faced outward.

Angus waved his hand dismissively. "Nahh, best not to bring that up just yet. Avdol, why don't you make our guest here a little more comfortable while I run over some things with the boys real quick?"

Avdol nodded. "Sure thing." He extended a hand out to help Joliet up. She glanced at it, then at him, appreciative of the kind gesture, and wondering why it was so difficult for others to display the same kindness that he was. Her eyes shot daggers at Léon, who either didn't buy her royalty, or insisted on ignoring it. Stepping foot out of the room was like she had taken a breath of fresh air. Being cooped up in there with the likes of him for another minute would only drive her crazy.

.

.

"Look, Angus," Léon said, "about yesterday, I —"

"When I say keep your ass at the quarry…" Angus began softly, before his voice suddenly spiked in volume. "...I mean keep your ass at the quarry! Now I don't know what to believe." He scoffs, before his tone shifts to mocking. "'But Angus! We weren't really there, it was clones . We just wanted to go down to When In Rome Arcade and not follow very thorough, very direct orders!'"

Léon rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I get it. It's my fault. But I'm telling you: last night, I was walking through the Industrial dist —"

"Which makes you a shit-for-brains."

"...district." he finished, trying not to get annoyed. "And Motorhead attacked me…"

Angus chuckled. "What'd you think was gonna happen, they'd roll out the red carpet and invite you in for a glass of champagne?"

"Angus, can I… can I please tell the story?" Léon asked desperately, receiving only silence in response. "Anyway, they had a me."

Tenmei perked up, looking over at Léon, who continued his story. "Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but this thing had a stand that looked exactly like mine. It's like it really was me that I was fighting! Angus…" Léon stood up from his chair and leaned over the table. "...I know you think I fucked up, and I did, okay? You're right. Don't blame Tenmei or Avdol, because I'm the one that left when I should've stayed. I'll take the fall for that, but I swear to god…" he looked him dead in the eye, "...I wasn't there. We weren't there. We didn't kill anyone."

Léon pleaded with his eyes for Angus to believe what he was saying. Pouring fresh coffee into his mug, Angus sipped it, both savoring the taste and giving Léon's confession some thought.

"Also," Tenmei said, breaking the silence, "I didn't know Joliet was the princess. Now the army will be after us…"

"Don't say that." Léon snapped. "Look, man, it's not your fault. How could you have known who she was? I didn't even know France had a princess. A bot for one, at that. Still…" he sat back down, bringing his hands behind his head as he leaned back in the chair with a crooked grin on his face, "...she's kinda hot."

Half-lidded and smiling smugly, Tenmei slowly leaned forward in his seat with his impish gaze on Léon. "Someone sure got over Roxette fast."

"Huh?! What're you talking about? All I'm saying is that she's hot. I'm not dating a bot. Trust me, dude. I'm not her type, and she's not mine."

"Uh-huh, sure."

The coffee cup clacked on the tabletop as Angus took a seat in the chair where Joliet had been sitting mere moments ago. "Hate to interrupt the little elementary school sleepover talk you got goin' on here, but it's time we got down to business."

Léon and Tenmei gave their boss their undivided attention. "Geil's got a shipment coming in later this morning at the waterfront," Angus said. "I've caught word from a source of mine that his cargo is slam full of military weaponry and whatnot. Now, I don't know how the rest of the gang feels about our selection of arms, but I say it couldn't hurt to have some new toys to play with."

Léon and Tenmei exchanged looks with one another. The boss did have a point. What was the harm in having more?