"...I shall strive to seize it!"

“If you feel like talking to me again in the future, search for Battler Ushiromiya in your contact list. Or if you’d rather find me personally, I live in a mansion at Golden Ward. It has a pretty rose garden on the entrance, can’t miss it!”

Sure, that is assuming Nero has time to do a full track of a ward the size of your average medium sized city. However, Battler figures that he can reserve the right of giving more accurate instructions to people who actively want to meet him.

“Anyway, I’ve got to go, I have my things to do at home. See you!”

“Indeed, it most certainly will be!” He agreed, more than delighted at having his ego boosted. Sure, he didn’t know this man very well, but praise was praise, as far as Nero was concerned! 

“I’ll be sure to remember that! If you ever have need of assistance in any matters technological, don’t hesitate to ask! There is no challenge that I cannot handle when it comes to such things!” Nero told him, puffing his chest out in pride. The man was being a bit vague in terms of directions, but Garleans such as Nero were physically the most capable Spoken race in all of Hydaelyn, and as such, he had stamina for days. Finding the mansion would be mere child’s play for a man such as himself, should he desire to. 

His phone went off, and he looked at it briefly, grinning.

“Ah, it seems someone else requires my services! Have a good day, Battler!” He told the man, before heading out to head off to work his next job. 

If Nero wishes for funding to put those ideas into practice, Battler would be more than willing to serve as a patron. However, it wouldn’t be good if he pressed it already. Let Nero get more used to things, see if the idea of collaborating with Peridot would work and all.

Once he is done with book returning, Battler decides to do a final check on Nero before going home. “Yo! How are things doing up there?”

Nero’s mind was once again alive with ideas on what he could create. Sure, he’d preach that it was for improving the city, but deep inside, it was also just another excuse to upstage his eternal rival. (He would never admit to that, however.) And what better way to improve a city than to offer speedy public transport that could take you practically anywhere within the blink of an eye? No need to wait, no need to share space with strangers... it would be so very perfect!

It would only be a matter of obtaining the materials, and perhaps getting some assistance. The city was massive, and Nero, sadly, could not be in multiple places at the exact same time. At least, not yet. Maybe, someday, he’d come up with something that would let him make mindless copies of himself to send out to do his dirty work. 

By the time the mage is done with his business, Nero was done with his. He slid off the platform, dusted himself off, wiped his face thoroughly, and put on his trademark smirk. 

“All is well and good! The job is done, and I’ll be collecting my due soon. Not sure what I’ll do next after, but I am Nero tol Scaeva, and will certainly be able to figure it out!” He answered.

He’d leave the more detailed conversations on the topic to those who actually understand of that stuff, though. And in the same way, he’d leave Nero with the quest to fix the lights. He takes the chance to go back to the reason he came to this section to begin with.

It only takes a couple minutes for him to find the book return booth. He signs down the register, then decides to check around the area. Perhaps there might be another book here that interests him.

…He must admit, though, the noise of Nero’s work coming from the background is kinda annyoing.

“Well, to be fair, it would seem that, unless you originally hail from my world, you are not likely to have even heard the term before, let alone know what it is! I doubt this ‘Peridot’ you mentioned is from my world, so therefore, I sincerely doubt she has the slightest clue what magitek is! I should very much like to show her the marvels made possible by it... who knows, if we work together, perhaps we could set up a proper teleportation network in the city! Or translate all of these old books to electronic versions-no more fussing about paper or having to drop everything to return a book you’re finished with! Just a few taps, and you’re all set!” 

Clearly, Nero was more than delighted to be able to tinker and build things, especially without Garlond’s ever-present and all-consuming shadow lingering over him. (Not that Battler knew about that last part, and not that the mage needed to know about that last part!) With renewed zeal and a delighted grin plastered on his face, Nero returned to his work, which was now progressing much smoother, thanks to Battler’s creations.

Perhaps, when he was done, he might look at some of the books here... and perhaps, with enough convincing, he could coax the owner of this particular library to allow Nero to convert said books to electronic versions of themselves. At the very least, should the library be burned (Nero really had no way to predict what was going to happen in this strange realm at this rate), the books would be saved, no?

But first, he had a job to finish, and Nero tol Scaeva did not leave things half-done. Quite the opposite-he would go the extra mile! Such was his nature. (And no, it had nothing to do with his internal inferiority complex, how dare you even think such thoughts!)

“I dunno if that would work well. Look at how much you had to describe for me to be able of pulling off these wires. It’s not like I’m going to memorize all of that! And a shop would require you to manage far more items, no?”

He goes a quick check at his phone, then produces a business card on his fingers. “Instead, I think you’d do better at contacting this place for a business partnership. Facet Five, the most popular place in Spirale for electronic things. I have no idea if what they provide is identical to your competence or not. Maybe you could offer things they don’t!”

“Well, if a lowborn such as myself can claw his way out of his blood status and make his way into a very respected position in the Garlean army, what’s stopping you from working together with me?” He asked, before shrugging as Battler continued to explain himself. So, if he didn’t want to be a supplier, that was fine-

“If memory and information are your concerns, I assure you, it would be mere child’s play for me to provide any necessary samples and information you might need-”

Nero is cut off by a business card being given to him. He blinks, and brings it closer to his face.

“Hm, I feel I’ve heard this name before, once or twice. A popular shop indeed...” He mused, shrugging yet again. “You are most definitely right-I sincerely doubt this shop even knows what magitek is, let alone sells any magitek products... and working for this ‘Peridot’ might not be so bad... I wouldn’t have to concern myself with managing matters such as other employees’ pay, the rent of the location...” He further mused, before his trademark smirk crossed his face.

“Why thank you, my good sir, for pointing this out to me properly. This ‘Facet Five’ could stand a good master of both Garlean and Allagan technology, I’m sure of it!” He beamed. And yet another chance to make my mark without Garlond’s wretched influence standing in my way! He doesn’t say. 

“Ah, but first, I must finish this, and finish it well!” He reminded himself, before moving his little platform to the next area, scaling it, and then returning to his current request. This might be fun after all, he thought. 

In any case, the sorcerer quickly pulls a note pad out of his pocket alongside a pen, then jolts down all the info Nero is giving him about these wires. There is no way he would memorize all of that just by listening! He nods along to indicate that he is listening, and once Nero is done with his exposition…

“I believe that should be enough.” He replies. He takes a deep breath, and the next thing Nero would notice is a swarm of golden butterflies brought forth to the room. They dance at high speed in the air, as they come to turn into all the wire types that the Garlean currently needs. Black and red, white, silver and copper, just as specified. Wire nuts follow soon after.

By the end of it, there should be meters of each wire type available for use, all neatly arranged for Nero’s convenience. “Ta-daaaa!! Hope this is what you need!”

The Garlean third eye-both a curse and a gift all at the same time, especially for Nero. He couldn’t call being born with the sensitivity to aether that he had thanks to the little organ, so the only possibility he could think of was that all of his time working in such close proximity to the varying components of magitek (especially the fuel-ceruleum was a dangerous thing without proper protection, and Nero, in his eternal stubbornness, would sometimes be too close to the fumes for his own good without the proper protection in question) had altered his third eye and made it even more sensitive to aether... something that had bitten him in the arse more than once. And might again, if he were not careful.

But none of that was important at the moment. What was important was getting the job done so Nero could get paid, damnit. Nothing in the world was truly free, and anything worth getting had to be worked for-a truth Nero knew all too well. (And also, part of the multitude of reasons he wanted to punch Garlond in his stupid face-Nero infintely deserved more praise than he ever did, but bloodlines meant so much more than actual effort-!)

Nero took a deep breath to calm down. Garlond wasn’t here. This was his chance to carve out his legacy. And he was going to relish in every last second of it. 

“Good to hear-” Nero cuts himself off upon seeing the dazzling display out of the corner of his actual eye, and turns to watch it-the strange, golden butterflies (though intuition and his third eye both told him they were purely magic and nothing else) coming together and coalescing into exactly what he needed. He flashed a delighted grin.

“Why, it is perfect, my good sir! This will be more than enough!” He exclaimed, before returning to his work and swiftly finishing everything that he could reach from his current location. He then slid off the platform, and faced Battler.

“Hmm... I am thinking of opening a shop that sells all sorts of electronic things. How would you feel about providing supplies, or otherwise working there? You, of course, would be given your fair due.” He offered.

…Unfortunately, talking about electricity wires is far less fascinating. His face groans with each new sort of wire that Nero adds to the list, each of them only reinforcing Battler’s original conception about what this sort of work would entail to him.

His magic has a conceptual origin and application, you see. It’s far easier for him to use his magic to create things comprehensible enough through imagination and common sense than those that require detailed expertise. He could easily make the light bulbs stay endlessly turned on because the concepts of ‘light bulb’ and 'light’ are empirical enough to grasp. And yet… The things that would realistically be involved with turning a light bulb on confuse him a lot.

“Uhhhh…I think that, if you want to ensure quality and success for this, that you’ll need to give me more detailed specifications for all of that stuff. You know, stuff like width, composition, how much of a current it can handle, etc. Can you tell me those or should I check the internet?”

“Well, to be fair, I do have a bit of an unfair advantage when it comes to being able to sense things such as magic... all pure-blooded Garleans, such as myself, have an extrasensory organ called a third eye. I will admit, my specialty is more along the lines of magitek-Garlemald’s trademark technology-so the exact working of it is unknown to me, but I do know what it does, and it is rather helpful... for the most part.” Except when it renders you far more vulnerable to the Void and a brutal assault from an artificially-intelligent superweapon. He didn’t say that last bit-the mage had no need to know of such weakness.

The technology of this realm, for the most part, was far more primitive compared to what Nero was used to working with. It hadn’t taken him very long at all to figure out how it all worked, and he was slowly starting to make a name for himself as the outsider who could repair, rebuild, or do pretty much anything he desired with technology. There was an old saying amongst merchants-you can buy anything you like, provided you have the coin-and sadly, Nero was forced to be willing to subscribe to that logic if he wanted to survive (for the current moment, at the very least... he hoped to be able to open and run a very successful business as soon as possible) in this strange realm. Hence why he was here, scratching out rust and rebuilding these ruined fixtures. 

Nero himself had no ability to use magic on his own-the one major downside to his lineage, as far as he was concerned (at least, the one that was a problem all the time instead of once in an era or two)-but he knew damn well how to compensate with magitek. Not to mention his raw physical strength and overall genius, especially when it came to said magitek. Once he reclaimed his creations, he would be very happy, to say the least. He hoped he could get it back soon, and not just for the sake of his wounded pride-somewhere, nagging in the back of his mind, he knew this utopia was a falsehood. Something was bound to go wrong, and he wanted to be ready to face it with all he could muster.

But that didn’t matter at the current moment. (Heh, current. Electricity jokes. Again, irrelevant, but he couldn’t help the little crack internally.) No, right now, he had a job to do, so he could bloody well get paid. 

“Hm, I suppose that is fair enough. For most of what you need, you could just look at a partially-stripped-back section of each type of wire and make it work, correct? As for how much it can handle... thankfully, the units of this realm line up very well with the units of my world, which makes it very easy for me to fill in the rest of the pieces with my own knowledge.” Nero worked and stripped back until he had a six-inch piece of each type of wire, with three inches of that exposed, revealing the copper within the rubber insulation, ready to cut. He then cut the sections, before exposing more to make it easier to reattach once he had the proper materials. He placed the sections on an extension of the platform that was a bit lower-much easier for Battler to reach.

“I will give the owner a slight bit of credit-these fixtures are designed to take the most efficient type of bulb available to him. Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs for short. A mere nine fulmens-oh, my apologies, in this world, that would be watts-it certainly saves him quite a bit of coin! The wiring setup is rather standard for what I’ve seen for internal systems in this island, which means the wires, by the time they reach this point, are meant to manipulate 120 viris-ah, again, I apologize, in this world, that would be volts-with standard operation.” 

He looked over to Battler.

“Is there any other information you need, besides what you can see with the little samples and what I have told you?” He asked.

It’s probable that Nero meant it in the legal and professional senses, but those depend on someone putting charges on someone else, no? As long as Battler didn’t bother talking about it, Nero should be safe of such repercussions.

And good thing for that, because, if it depended on Battler himself to set lighting equipment up by human means, he’d be completely flabbergasted by the task. There are so many wires going up and down, and they have to connect at specific spots, all while the correct current passes by them… It’s too much stuff for an untrained guy like him.

And yet, he can at least comprehend the basic principles of being an electrician, which is why, when Nero asks him about creating wires… “Yup! I think I could do that! Any specific color or pathway I should obey?”

“Ah, so I am correct-you are some sort of mage!” Nero chuckled. “Still, you do not give off proper aether, and you are obviously not a pure-blooded Garlean, such as myself, which leads me to one conclusion-you are originally from an entirely different world to my own! How fascinating! But I’m getting off-topic.” He reigned himself back in. 

Really, Nero’s main concern was avoiding getting into trouble in such a weakened state. If he had his proper, fully-powered armor and weaponry, he honestly wouldn’t really care, but he didn’t have such luxuries at the moment, so he was attempting to be careful... for the moment, at the very least. (Oh, how he wanted his creations back...)

And none of that was to say about Nero’s current highest priority-cleaning up one of the absolute worst messes he’d ever seen. Thankfully, the damage didn’t seem to extend very far beyond the fixtures themselves, but the fixtures themselves were beyond salvaging. The only hopes they had were either being thrown away and forgotten or maybe being melted down and recast. 

“Thankfully, the damage does not seem to go very far beyond the fixtures themselves. However, the fixtures themselves are beyond redemption. I will need all of the main types of wires-current wires, which are the black and red ones-” He points to ones he has trimmed back to the point of functionality- “-neutral wires, which are the white ones-” He also points to those specific ones- “-and, most importantly, grounding wires, which are these silver and copper ones.” He points to the remaining wires. 

“Also, if you could manage some wire nuts, that would be helpful, as they will make connecting the wires to the new fixtures I was given infinitely easier.” He further requests, showing one of the little yellow cap-looking things. He then sighs, looking at the small box of fixtures he was given.

“This savage clearly does not understand the workings of modern technology... There’s no way he gave me enough materials. I may have to beg your assistance over these next few hours in order to ensure quality and success.” He admits, letting his arms relax for the moment. 

But Battler had books to be returned to the magic section, and he wouldn’t be one to dishonor the due date duty, so here he is, walking around a hazardous area where anything could fall over his head at any moment-

Yup. Just like that. Thankfully, it’s nothing he can’t prevent with a superhuman reaction time and a simple levitation magic. The piece of rust is gently guided to the floor, with Battler sighing in relief. That’s when he hears someone calling for him. Probably the professional handling the current renovation, he presumes.

“Oh, yeah, I’m doing just fine! Thanks for the concern, though!” He replies. Perhaps, were he still a human, he’d hold a grudge towards Nero due to almost killing him, but as a witch, such a feeling would be inconsequential. “…Do you need any help with the ‘replace’ part, though?”

Did Nero believe he should be doing something far grander than mere lighting system repairs? Oh, most definitely. But did he have much choice in the matter? Sadly, no, he did not. At least his Garlean strength made this infinitely easier. 

What would possess a man to enter a construction zone so recklessly, Nero wondered briefly, before remembering this was a library. Perhaps the man in question was returning books that were due on this exact day. That was the only logical conclusion Nero could come to in this situation. 

Thankfully, nothing serious came of the rogue piece of rust flying off, powered by Nero’s Garlean strength. It had to be some sort of magic that allowed the not-Hyur to react in time. Not one the former Tribunus necessarily recognized, but Nero was more than capable of deductive reasoning, especially one so easily deciphered. 

“Ah, good to hear! It would be a bit troublesome if you sustained any degree of injury, for many reasons!” He said, returning properly to his work. However, at the mystery man’s offer, Nero stopped, and looked back over. “Hmmm... well, that would depend on what exactly you’re capable of! Can you create detailed things, such as intricate wiring?” He asked in turn.

His search was fruitless today. None of the residents in the lower floors of which he reached were any helpful with his queries. Most of which were very hostile or even avoided him outright. He didn’t want to push it any further and resigned back to the upper floors where he encounters a rather unexpected face.

“Nero tol Scaeva.” He frowns, eyeing warily at the taller man before him. He didn’t budge from his place, staring at him with calculated ease. He knows of his positon in Cid’s company, hearing many tales from the Warrior of Light of their rather domestic and harmless disputes between the two Garleans that he finds no need to feel threatened of him. Still, he had every right to be wary still. The man exuded an air of mischief that he could not place a finger on what.

“’Tis good to see you faring well… I suppose even you aren’t safe from whatever will this island possesses.” He crosses his arms and looks up at him. “How long have you been here?”

Nero tended to ignore the lower levels of the Fibonacci Ward-he did not want to be reminded of his own lowly past, nor be assaulted for any reason whatsoever. He was not Garlond-he was not the type to just throw himself into harm’s way and be stupidly altruistic. Honestly, it was only sheer dumb luck that Garlond was still somehow alive... at least, as far as he knew. 

But still... his sheer boredom led him to do some things. Namely, repairs and reconstructions of anything that he could get his desperate hands on. People did seem to appreciate that, though they didn’t always make it known. Any way he looked at it, the little deeds made Nero happy, and that was enough for the former Tribunus. 

“Indeed, the one and only!” He confirmed, chuckling as he watched the smaller Elezen surveyed him, as if verifying that, yes indeed, it was Nero tol Scaeva, former enemy turned ally. How much the little brat knew of what transpired during the events of dealing with Omega, Nero did not know for sure, but the lack of any real hostility at least assured Nero that the scholar wasn’t likely to try to harm him. 

“Indeed, I am very much alive and well. Wrongfully stripped of my creations by means that I do not understand, mind you, but nonetheless alive and well.” He admitted. “As for how long I have been here... oh, about a few months? It isn’t always easy to discern the flow of time in this parallel dimension, even for someone of my genius. I also do not know why or how I was brought here, and why the powers that govern this dimension saw it fit to strip me of what is rightfully mine!” His annoyance was reinforced at the end by several angry tapping-the-air gestures with his right index finger. 

“...Have you managed to discern anything yourself? And, out of curiosity, how long have you been here?”

Did he actually care that much about Alphinaud? No, he did not. But was the brat a useful ally to have in this situation? Very much so. And, as much as it pained him to admit it, Nero needed help in this situation. Even if it was from a former enemy turned ally. 

There was a saying Nero had heard around the island-the devil finds work for idle hands. And, as he continued to be bored and bored and even more bored, he began to understand the proper meaning of that phrase. He was struggling to find suitable work for the likes of him, and it was starting to drive him mad. 

In fact, he was getting so bored that, if he wasn’t actively on some sort of job, he was starting to gather together literally anything that he could use to build... something. Even he wasn’t sure what he was aiming to build at this point. His hands just itched to create something, literally anything! His mind was as restless as it ever had been, and he’d be damned if he didn’t do something. He didn’t want to go mad, like Livia, or dare he even think it... Nael van Darnus. 

No, he dared not dwell on the madness of that one. That was a whole other level of complete and utter absolute terror, and not just because of the fact she was likely, at some point, tempered by the Elder Primal within Dalamud. Between the two, he’d take his fellow Tribunus over the mad Legatus any day. 

But dwelling on his more insane allies was pointless, and was doing very little to alleviate his immense boredom. He needed something to do... but the question then became... what?

As he tinkered with one of his many small piles of metal scraps that he’d accumulated, he pondered the question over and over again... and then, the answer hit him like a ten-tonze magitek missile at terminal velocity. (No, he did not know what that felt like, but he could imagine what it would feel like, and that was more than enough in the pureblooded Garlean’s humble opinion, thank you very much!)

Why not open a shop of some kind? He could sell things he made, sell other things that he hadn’t made (if he felt like it), offer repairs (for a price, of course), and finally cure his wretched boredom! Not to mention finally having a consistent source of income... oh, he liked the idea the more he thought about it. Yes, he very much liked the idea as he continued to think about it. A demonic smirk came across his face. 

He arrived before it opened, and got to work fixing the lights first... and he could see why the owner was so desperate for him to come and fix the lights. They were so filthy, so disgusting, that it was a miracle they hadn’t fallen to pieces already. So long neglected... this was going to take a while, even with Nero’s Garlean strength on his side. 

By the time it had opened, Nero had restored the lights in the main lobby area, and part of the section of magics of sorts. As someone incapable of magic innately, Nero, quite frankly, couldn’t give a damn what laid within-what use was it to him anyways? He nonetheless resumed his work, and was fighting to clean out a particularly stubborn bit of rust-

“Ah, there you are! At long last! None can best Nero tol Scaeva at anything!” He said to himself, delighted that he’d finally chipped the bit off... wait... he’d sent it flying... albeit unintentionally, but he’d still sent it flying...

He turned his head, still laying down on his back on some scaffolding he had been given to use, grimacing slightly when he saw that, indeed, someone had been in the trajectory path of the decently-sized, decent-velocity chunk of rust he’d just chipped off....

Only for it to be stopped midway by some sort of unseen force... well, a force that couldn’t be seen with normal eyes. However, being a pureblooded Garlean, Nero had that wonderful Third Eye, and as such, could perceive that the force was something akin to the magicks of his homeworld, but not exactly the same. He was intrigued, to say the least. 

“Please do forgive me, my good sir! There really was no other way to get this wretched rust loose, so I could actually repair the fixture... and at this point, repair means replace... but still, that was quite the little magic trick you pulled off there! I assume you are unharmed?” He sort-of apologized-he wasn’t entirely repentant, but he was curious, and that was enough to make him give some semblance of an apology. 

As he strode out into what he understood was called the Fibonacci Ward, he began surveying the area for anything to do. There was a lot of interesting and beautiful-looking stuff to mess with in this area-

Nero blinked a few times as he caught sight of an all-too-familiar... nuisance. Well, former nuisance... he supposed now their relationship was that of reluctant allies. Only getting along because they were useful to one another. He knew the brat was one of the Leveilleur twins-the grandchildren of that oh-so-annoying but long-dead Archon that had thwarted the White Raven’s attempt at conquest... although, to be fair, the plan was a bit... much. And when the truth about Dalamud was revealed, it made Nero question just how much of the scheme was truly Nael’s own will. Eikons were dangerous creatures, with their ability to enthrall being one of the many reasons as to why. 

Hm... if Nero remembered correctly, the boy’s name was Alphinaud, and, between the two of them, he was far more civil and diplomatic. And, in all likelihood, he had probably been weakened as well. Unlike his bomb-waiting-to-detonate of a sister, Alphinaud would likely be able to recognize that they were in a similar situation, and be more willing to work with the Garlean to make it out alive and well.

Nero shrugged, and sighed. No use in delaying any further, he supposed. With confidence, he strode over in the direction of the young man. 

“Good evening! I do so hope that it finds you well!” He greeted, hoping that he would be received well.

The children had taken to Nero’s schematics surprisingly well.... though the self-proclaimed genius did have to spent an absolutely asinine amount of time explaining the terminology. It didn’t surprise him, necessarily, but it did annoy him. Once the little brats understood what he was saying, things came together very, very, very quickly.

The stronger children were charged with moving and holding the pieces in place. The smaller ones were charged with fastening it all together. Nero supervised it all, and was grinning madly by the time it was finished. 

A crude, scrapped-together replica of a magitek anti-personnel cannon. Four in total. Snow shaped into suitable ammunition for the replica cannons, stacked in piles. A child standing at each cannon, ready to load and fire at the former Tribunus’s command. All that remained was to wait for an unsuspecting victim to walk within range. 

It took all of five minutes before a small swarm of other children entered within range. Maintaining his devious expression, Nero looked to the swarm, and then, to his little allies. He then pointed at the swarm, and snapped his fingers-the cue he’d taught them to mean fire. 

And fire they did. 

A proper snowball fight soon ensued, with the non-occupied children creating and throwing their own snowballs, and the “rebels” (as Nero was now playfully thinking of them as) were doing the same. Nero occasionally joined in with his own snowballs, but mostly observed and gave orders. It was honestly very, very, very fun. Even Livia might enjoy this... if she were here. 

Of course, Nero and the brats he commanded achieved victory relatively quickly. The other group of children ran away, and Nero felt rather proud of his accomplishment-

“Excuse me, but are you the one in charge of these children?”

Nero raised an eyebrow at the sound of a feminine voice. A middle-aged, Hyur-esque woman approached him, clearly rather angry. He could only assume it was directed at him. 

What else is new, he thought, someone’s frustrated with me. 

He shrugged.

“Not truly. I have helped and guided them in the construction and usage of these little cannons, but none of them are actually mine.” He answered.

“How dare you order such a brutal assault on my poor baby-”

He groaned, and leveled a deadpan look at her.

“You should know by now that the world is rife with danger. Your ‘poor baby’, as you put it, is bound to get hurt every so often. He just happened to be in the wrong place and the wrong time, and it’s simply frozen water. It’s not going to truly harm your brat, so don’t even bother trying to preach to me, whoever you are.” He interjected, before turning on his heel and beginning to walk away. He could vaguely hear her ranting and raving, but quickly tuned her out.

Some entitled savage did not get to tell him what to do, and he had no interest in listening to her pointless shrieking. So, he left the area, leaving her to howl, probably now at the children for listening to a stranger and attacking her child. Ugh, how pathetic. He was Nero tol Scaeva, magitek genius extraordinaire-above such mad ramblings. 

Nero was going on a casual walk when he felt the air begin to chill. Another day, another walk, and he noticed the snow beginning to fall. A childish yet demonic grin came across his face. As a son of Garlemald, he knew the cold very well. Some of his first creations had been things such as automatic snowball-firing guns and remote control drones that also spat out snow at whoever he decided was worthy of being pelted by the machinations of his genius. 

What would he build this time, he wondered. He had all the time in the world to do so, given the lack of threats to his life (as far as he knew of, at least), the lack of Cid nan bloody Garlond, and just overall peace. A magnificent replica of the snowball gun? Or a remote control turret to rain down frozen hell upon whoever he felt like targeting? There were plenty of materials, if one knew where to look-

Then, he saw a small group of young, Hyur-esque children all gathered around a small scrap heap. Some were arriving, pulling other scrap pieces with them. He knew exactly what he was going to do now. Oh, how proud Cid would be-helping innocent children achieve some cute little dream, he thought bitterly for a moment. He shoved the thought aside, and strode confidently over to the children. They all strained their necks to look up at him as he crossed his arms. 

“Well, what do we have here? A lot of untapped potential... what were you all hoping to make with these little bits and pieces?” He asked. It took a few seconds, but finally, a young girl worked up the courage to talk to him. 

“Umm... we were gonna... use this stuff to make a really big snow... thing. We... we honestly aren’t really sure what we want to do with it. Just something reeaaallllyyyy big!” She admitted. Nero chuckled, took off his helmet dramatically (followed by his sunglasses, because such was his nature), and knelt down to their level. 

“Well, fortunately for you all, you have the great fortune of having the genius of yours truly, Nero tol Scaeva, on your side! We will make something that will triumph over any other creation of snow and ice your little heads could even remotely begin to imagine!” He told them. The children all collectively gasped.

“You’re gonna help us out, mister?!” The girl who had previously spoken asked in disbelief.

“It would be mere child’s play! Now, let’s see what we have here...” He answered, before standing back up and walking closer to the pile. It was nothing too extraordinary-a small variety of assorted bits and pieces, likely raided from nearby garbage dumps. Some metal, some plastic, but all had potential in Nero’s eyes. 

He walked over, picked up a nearby stick, and motioned for the children to come over. They all swarmed around him, and he got down on his knees. 

“We will all need to work together for this to succeed. Watch what I do, and then, we will delegate tasks as needed. Then, we will relish in our success!” He encouraged.

“Um... what does delegate mean?” Another child asked.

He was looking around. The night was pretty uneventful but he felt useless if it he didn’t at least try to look for anything obscure or out of the norm. He saw this man but paid no mind to him, mostly because the stranger didn’t seem like a threat. But as he approached, Damian glared at the man, hand gripping the knife in one of his pockets, just in case he tried to pull anything funny. But this air of threat diminished quickly once the man spoke, and Damian groaned in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

“I can defend myself better than any grown man could, including your own.” He snaps back, narrowing his eyes. “Mind your own damn business.”

Nero did often work best alone, as when he was alone, no one could distract him from... whatever he was doing at that moment. Usually, that involved inventing and/or improving whatever he was working on. (Why yes, one time, he made an overpowered toaster that could toast ten loaves of bread at once out of sheer boredom because a genius’s mind could never truly be stopped while he was awake.) But that was besides the point.

Nero was also quite skilled in combat himself, being a Tribunus Laticlavius. Even with naught more than a toy and his wits, Nero could most certainly handle himself. And, deep inside, he knew how it felt to constantly be forced to fend for one’s self with the world seemingly out to shun and thwart you. As such, he did not like the idea of seeing orphans fighting for their lives... though he’d never admit it.

...And, of course, he got a response of annoyance instead of fear. Figures-even in his self-made armor, he wasn’t at full intimidation level. Now, if he had a proper weapon, that might be a different story, but he didn’t have his favored gunhammer, so it wasn’t as if there was anything to do. Even his gunblade might be enough to put a sense of fear in the boy... though, in all honesty, Nero wasn’t really aiming for such right now. That was more Livia’s prerogative... madwoman that she was. 

“Oh, don’t be so sure that you’re better than me-you don’t even know my name, let alone what I’m capable of! Granted, I don’t have my proper weapons thanks to whatever cruel forces govern this island, but I still know combat very well, young man!” He gently chided. He folded his arms, and shrugged.

“Not that I am discounting the possibility that you know how to fight. I of all people know that age and gender has little implication on capability. Just out of curiosity, would you be willing to demonstrate what you can do? We’re surrounded by plenty of training dummies, so to speak.” He added, gesturing towards a small array of decently-sized trees nearby. 

“Oh, but where are my manners? Nero tol Scaeva, Tribunus Laticlavius and magitek genius extraordinare, at your service!” He introduced, giving a dramatic bow.

Though this place was borderline perfectly peaceful, Nero had seen a few crimes take place (and dealt with them in his own way-namely, clever traps that he set to knock them unconscious and trap them until someone else could deal with them-Nero had higher priorities, thank you very much), and though he’d never, ever confess to it, Nero did slightly worry for the boy. He knew exactly how it felt to be left to fend for one’s self, after all.

He cleared his throat loudly, in hopes of getting the boy’s attention.

“Excuse me, young man,” He began, casually striding over- “but isn’t it a bit late for you to be out here, all by yourself? Forgive me if I sound like some sort of mother hen, but the city is rather dangerous at night!” He finished.