After a little while, Nox heard a commotion up ahead. A mechanical whirring, followed by a sharp metallic clatter.
Before he could react, a small bot, about the size of a shoebox, skidded out from a dark corner next to a few disposal bins, sparks flickering from its heavily dented and rusted frame.
It twitched, tried to move, then collapsed onto its side, its one flickering eye barely holding on—though it seemed to have spotted Nox.
A voice crackled from its speaker. "W-would... appreciate... assistance... before... before... total system failure."
Nebular hummed in his ear. "Oh, look, Nox. A fellow piece of junk in distress."
Nox raised an eyebrow, stepping closer. "Huh, guess we're not the only ones having a rough day."
The bot twitched again, its voice distorting. "System integrity... 12%... permanent shutdown imminent… requiring assistance..."
Nox kneeled down, bending toward the small, rusted robot. "Hey there, little buddy. What happened to you?"
The bot's flickering eye struggled to focus on him, its voice crackling. "M-malfunction... owner d-disposed... in alley... n-not... worth repairs."
Nox glanced at the trail of oil the robot left behind. "Oh little buddy, isn't he cute, Neb?"
Nebular flickered yellow through his pocket, her tone flat. "If by 'cute' you mean 'one spark away from exploding,' then sure, absolutely adorable."
The robot used all its might to shift upright again and started stuttering, barely being able to move in a straight line. "Request... manual... Repair... Ple--ee-eas..."
Nox looked down both sides of the alleyway. "This could be something for Millio, though I doubt I have time for a visit right now."
Nebular hummed, her glow still pulsing. "Or you could just leave it, you know. Scrap bots like this get tossed all the time."
The little robot whirred weakly, its flickering eye dimming further. "D-does not... wish to be... scrap..."
Nox raised an eyebrow, tilting his head a little. "Oh come on, Neb, have a heart. Look at that guy, he's… adorable. I'm gonna keep him!"
Nebular sighed dramatically, her glow now a fiery red. "Great. Another stray. You do realize you're running an unofficial shelter at this point, right?"
Nox chuckled. "You know, per definition you're also a stray, right? Could have left you at the junkyard as well. Also, I'm having a feeling he might be useful in the future."
Nebular's flicker shifted toward green, her tone amused but dry. "Oh, how generous of you, Nox. Rescuing lost causes and giving them purpose. What a hero."
The bot whirred weakly, its voice glitching. "D-designation... unknown... awaiting new parameters."
With a groan, Nox picked up the rusted robot. "Let's hope your oil's not gonna mess up my whole outfit or else I'm gonna make you a wash machine-bot."
The bot beeped weakly, its flickering eye adjusting. "Acknowledged... prioritizing... wash cycle function..."
Nebular snickered in his ear. "Oh never mind, perhaps I like this one. Already taking orders better than you do."
Nox's eyes flared up as he held the robot tightly with both arms, smirking. "I know! I'm gonna name you Adobe. You like that, fella?"
The bot whirred, its eye flickering brighter for a moment. "A-Adobe... name registered... new designation accepted."
Nebular mock-gasped in his ear. "You're officially a dad, Nox."
With a little bit of effort, Nox managed to carry the robot with one arm, tucking it under his side.
He patted the flat head of it. "Maybe Zee can fix you up a little."
Adobe beeped softly, its system barely holding on. "Repair... request acknowledged... entering standby mode..."
Nebular huffed, her tone teasing. "Great. Can't wait to see Zee's face when you show up with yet another 'brilliant' idea."
"Neb, don't be so jealous and negative all the time. It's not even that far anymore, it's like two streets away. You're such a drama queen, you know that?"
She pulsated in anger. "Because carrying a half-broken, oil-leaking robot through the streets is completely normal behavior."
Adobe beeped weakly. "N-normal... behavior... confirmed."
Nox shrugged. "Since when have I ever cherished normal behavior, Neb? Sometimes you gotta be a bit special to be good, like your new friend here. Okay, let's get going before he really ruins my coat!"
Nebular sighed, flickering green. "Fine, fine. Let's go before your 'special' new friend turns your coat into an abstract oil painting."
Adobe whirred softly, settling into standby mode as Nox picked up the pace, the neon-lit streets of Vetrice stretching ahead.
After a few corners, the group that was now consisting of Nox, Nebular in his pocket, and Adobe under his arm, approached Zee's place.
Adobe's eye flickered, adjusting its systems. "Unit Adobe... processing... calculating… new unit hub detected… purpose..." It paused, then twitched. "ERROR… PURPOSE unknown… REQUESTING ASSIGNMENT."
Nox sighed, shifting Adobe under his arm. "How about this—your first assignment is to not leak oil on my coat. Think you can handle that?"
Nebular flickered blue. "Destination just ahead – Zee's door."
Nox took a look at the relatively big and rusted door. This one was more industrial and heartless than the one in his apartment. It was also less moldy and way more stable, so perhaps for the better of it.
"Doors, ugh. I can't really take the window route through my apartment with you, Adobe… guess I'm gonna need to do something I usually never do."
His dramatic flare ended with him simply using the doorbell. The buzzer rang out, echoing through the metal frame. Nox shifted uncomfortably, tapping his foot.
"Ugh, this feels wrong. People who use doorbells are the same kind of people who fold their laundry right after it's dry."
The speaker suddenly erupted with Zee's voice crackling through, barely audible. "Hello? Who is there?"
Before Nox could think of something sly or funny as usual and throw it at Zee's head, Adobe started to try to communicate with the speaker. "H-Hello dear robo comrade… inquiring about shelter… rep—"
Nox held his paw over Adobe's speaker and cleared his throat. "Hmm mkm, Coreline Package delivering another problem right toward your front door! Just, uh, this time oilier than expected."
The speaker sat in silence for a moment. "Nox? Wait what—oily?..."
From inside, there was a brief buzzing sound before the door opened, revealing the staircase and an elevator that nobody dared to use anymore.
The group went toward the second floor up a stone staircase. Graffiti painted on the walls depicted gang slogans like "join the Phantom-Wolfs" or symbols, some of which were unmistakably from the Bloodhounds.
As they approached the second floor, Zee's door swung open, revealing her—glasses slightly askew, fur ruffled up, and an energy drink in hand. Her sharp green eyes immediately locked onto Nox as her tail flickered lazily behind her.
Nox drifted down to the rusted robot off his arm that was now stained in oil.
Adobe was now standing between Zee and Nox, glancing at them periodically, like they were his parents.
There was a beat of silence while Nox scratched the back of his head and let out an uncomfortable chuckle.
"Nox?" Zee's tone was neutral, unreadable. "What the hell is that now all about? I don't know if I'm more surprised with you ACTUALLY using the doorbell or you having yet ANOTHER companion with you."
Nox showcased the little robot, pointing at it with both paws like it was some sort of treasure. "Ladies and gentlecats, may I introduce you… drum roll please… Adobe!"
Zee squinted, taking a slow sip of her energy drink as she processed what she was looking at. "Adobe?" She repeated flatly. "Like the software?"
Adobe's eye flickered, its voice crackling, raising an arm as if in a classroom full of students. "Correction: Quote: he's adorable… therefore the name – Adobe. Version 1.0.2, former Semi-advanced mechanic unit, now repurposed for..." It looked down at the floor and back toward Nox, who was stained in oil. "Repurposed for… not leaking any oil. Awaiting new parameters… and repairs."
Zee lowered her drink, staring at it, then back at Nox. "Oh, you will need to work on that a little. Tell me, where do you keep finding these things?"
Nox shrugged. "Guess these things keep finding me. It's got some malfunctions—can you fix them?"
Zee tilted her head, giving Nox a deadpan look. "Do I look like a mechanic to you?"
Nox grinned, poking Adobe slightly with his shoe. "Well, you look like someone who knows her way around tech."
Zee crossed her arms, sighing. "Yeah—software, code, data. Not rusty tin cans with oil malfunctions."
Adobe beeped weakly, its eye flickering. "Activate cleaning protocol?"
A grin formed all over her face. "Oh, and by the way, I found out the location and time of the trade. I know, I'm the best, so you're welcome."
Nox took a moment to inspect the damage in Adobe's hull—its interior was slightly exposed, leaking a few cables and pipes that seemed damaged. The head, or what counted as one, had a spyglass-like design, and its hands were plier-like.
"Alright then, let's try to at least fix the oil leaks and exterior damage he's having before we talk about this Syndicate stuff. I've had enough trouble for one day."
Her smirk faded as she groaned, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, I hate tinkering, but fine. Bring him in, but if he leaks all over my floor, I'm charging you for damages."
Nox grinned, stepping inside. "Oh, come on, Zee. Think of it as a bonding activity."
She shot him a sharp look, eyes narrowing. "Yeah, bonding over an oil spill."