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  The work is original and my own on these ptforms, any creation outside of them and this one will be considered pgiarism

  The next day, both woke up quite early. Even though the inner sounds of the mansion were quite noticeable in the morning, it still felt strange for them to fall asleep and wake up in a pce so different from what they were used to.

  Aidan woke up a few moments before Sophie, who stretched with exaggerated effort. For a moment, she found it odd to be lying in such a comfortable bed.

  "Oh? Finally awake," Aidan greeted, noticing her in the bed next to his.

  "Looks like it..." Sophie mumbled, stretching her arms. "Did you get any sleep?"

  "Not really, it was weird... like—"

  "—Lying on a cloud?" she finished.

  "Yeah, or something even softer," he replied, noticing the difference.

  "So this really wasn't just a dream, huh..."

  "Nope, 100% real. And just in case you were wondering, we weren’t turned in. So, you can rex a bit," Aidan said, closing his book.

  "You never know."

  Right after waking up, she dropped to the floor and started doing some push-ups using her single arm, with her prosthetic resting on her back.

  It didn’t take long for Jasper, the mansion's butler, to hear sounds coming from the young guests' room. Noting the time on his pocket watch, he gently knocked on the door and opened it.

  "Good morning, young master, miss. I didn’t expect you to be up so early," Jasper greeted with a respectful bow.

  "Young master? That sounds kind of formal," Aidan commented, surprised by the title.

  "Indeed. Just a formality, though it might be confusing since I address others the same way. Perhaps ‘Master Aidan’ is more fitting? What do you think?" the butler suggested.

  "That sounds even more fancy..." he muttered, uncomfortable.

  "Oh come on, Master Aidan, don’t be so shy," Sophie teased.

  "Shut it!" he shot back, throwing a pillow at her.

  "I assumed you’d sleep a bit longer—young folks and all—but it’s good to see you're up early. I’ll go prepare breakfast. Wash your hands, I’ll serve it shortly," Jasper instructed.

  "I have to ask, Jasper—how busy is our day going to be today?" Aidan asked, curious.

  "Sharp question, young man. I can't give you a full answer, but I’ll say this—when Miss Verónica sets her mind on something, she sees it through. So be ready for anything. Same goes for Master Jacob... though he's often off in his own world," the butler warned.

  Aidan was momentarily filled with excitement, while Sophie sighed, still indifferent.

  After giving his morning instructions, Jasper took his leave to prepare breakfast and continue with his duties.

  Lost in thought, Sophie approached the window and looked outside. Besides the beautiful garden, she could see another house beyond the wall a few meters away—one even rger than the mansion they were staying in.

  "So this is it. We're really here," she muttered, still trying to accept reality.

  "Definitely. You can keep trying to convince yourself otherwise, but it won’t change the facts," Aidan said.

  "Well, if that’s the case... At least we get free food, right?"

  "Seriously? That’s the only upside you see?" he replied, baffled.

  "Oh, of course! The honor of being taken in by two nobles! How could I possibly forget?" Sophie said with heavy sarcasm.

  "Don’t push your luck. Who knows what could happen tomorrow... or even ter today," he warned.

  "Whatever. Let’s just go. I hope there’s something sweet. That’s the best way to start the day."

  [...]

  After a quick morning wash, the two waited until Jasper returned a few minutes ter to let them know breakfast was ready. He also guided them to the dining room.

  Upon descending, they saw a table already set with porcein ptes, each with a small stack of pancakes and a buttered toast, along with a cup of tea to accompany the meal.

  Everything was fresh and warm—Jasper was nothing if not punctual, always among the first in the house to wake and begin his duties.

  As soon as the teens sat down, Verónica entered the dining room, walking slowly in her pajamas and carrying herself quite casually.

  "Yaaawn Morning, Jas..." she greeted mid-yawn. "I’m gonna need something strong today."

  "As expected, it’s already served. Extra strong coffee with double sugar."

  He handed her a full cup on a saucer.

  "Thanks..." she said, sipping the hot drink. "Hm? What? Is there something on my face?" she asked, noticing the teens staring at her.

  Sophie simply started eating, while Aidan awkwardly raised his cup to hide.

  "Uff, that’s just what I needed to start the day. And you two—Jas probably told you already, but just to be clear, we’ve got a busy day ahead," she said, pointing at the teens. "Be ready."

  "Can’t wait!" Aidan replied, still clueless.

  "What exactly are we doing?" Sophie asked.

  "First, the basics. You’ll need clothes. I assume you don’t pn to wear those rags forever?" she said, eyeing their outfits. "Also, it wouldn’t hurt to adopt some hygienic habits into your lives. Even if you look clean, I haven’t forgotten you came from a sewer. Besides that, you’ll both need a guild registration."

  "Registration?" they echoed, confused.

  "You’re no longer orphans, but in Eswain you’d still be nobodies without a proper guild record. You need it to avoid trouble when walking around. The good news is—I know someone who can help, and that’ll save us some time," Verónica expined.

  "I thought the guild only registered merchants, magic users, adventurers, and knights," Aidan said, guessing.

  "That’s usually the case, but they also register civilians. And I’d rather avoid the risk of you two doing whatever you want and stirring up problems elsewhere. Well—one of you, most likely."

  They both looked at Sophie. Verónica still remembered being robbed by her, and Aidan knew her well enough to suspect the same.

  "What?" she said defensively, becoming the center of attention.

  While she tried to py dumb, Jacob entered the room. Like Verónica, he was dressed casually, staggering a little from exhaustion. Even after a good night’s sleep, it hadn’t made up for all his sleepless nights.

  "Good morning, dear," Verónica greeted.

  "Mhm... Morning..." he mumbled.

  "Greetings, Master Jacob," Aidan said enthusiastically.

  "Hm..." Sophie just nodded silently.

  He squinted slightly, not recognizing the two teens.

  "Huh? Who are these two?" he asked his wife.

  "New projects. Don’t worry about it."

  "Oh! Right! The two kids! Adrian and Stel!" he excimed, getting both names wrong.

  "Aidan and Sophie," Aidan corrected.

  "Yeah, that. That’s what I was thinking the whole time," Jacob cimed.

  "What? You’ve got pns for them too?" Verónica asked.

  "Yeah. He can help me, but I’ll need to borrow her for a moment."

  "Me too?" Sophie asked.

  "Huh? Seriously? What are we doing?" Aidan asked again, brimming with excitement.

  "Before you get into that, dear—eat your breakfast first. I don’t want you fainting again," Verónica cut him off, dragging him to a chair.

  Before he could eborate on his pns, he was pulled toward his morning meal. Now that everyone was gathered, they were finally able to enjoy a pleasant breakfast together.

  [...]

  After a while, Jacob took the two teens back to his workshop. Unlike the rest of the mansion, this was the one pce Jasper wasn’t allowed to tidy. Jacob insisted that his mess had its own “organization,” and if anything were moved, he’d be lost.

  "Hmm... Let’s see... Where is it..."

  He rummaged through a pile of books, searching for one in particur to help illustrate something to them. After a moment, he found it—slightly dusty.

  "Here... Take a look."

  He showed them a page with the image of a mechanical arm, simir in design to Sophie’s.

  "Looks like an old model," Aidan observed.

  "Exactly. Just like your partner’s. When they switched from copper to white iron, I thought it was rusted. But I was wrong. Turns out, it’s more deteriorated than I expected," Jacob expined, setting the book aside.

  "What do you mean?" Aidan asked, curious.

  "It’s easier to show than expin... Hm..."

  He pushed aside books from one of the tables to clear space.

  "Please, lie down here for a moment," he said, patting the surface.

  "For what?" Sophie asked.

  "Just come, don’t worry," he reassured her.

  She hesitated, until Aidan nudged her to comply. Reluctantly, Sophie y down.

  Jacob inspected her bronze prosthetic. With special lenses fitted over his gsses, he examined it more closely.

  "As I suspected... Rust isn’t the issue—it’s corrosion," he noted. "See those tiny bluish spots? Those aren’t wear marks, they’re signs of corrosion."

  "You're right... That’s why the oil wasn’t working well," Aidan realized.

  Jacob grabbed a small wrench and began turning some screws, making the fingers twitch slightly.

  "Hey!" Sophie excimed.

  "Sophie, just go with it. It’s not every day someone like Master Jacob offers to check a device like this—or in this case, your prosthetic," Aidan told her.

  "It’s pretty outdated. Even soaking it in fresh oil won’t help anymore. The runic support is nearly dead, and so are the joints in the hand. It’ll need to be repced—and maybe even the connector, too," Jacob expined.

  "Well, I don’t think that’s necessary," Sophie objected.

  "Sophie... Don’t be afraid. I’m sure Master Jacob knows what he’s doing," Aidan said, trying to reassure her.

  "Yeah... To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve ever looked at one like this up close," Jacob admitted.

  That only made Sophie more uneasy.

  "Come on, Aidan! Don’t give me that look—I said it’s fine! Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?" she asked.

  "I can’t say for sure. The corrosion might’ve reached the connector already. The good news is, we can repce it. But if we leave it be, it could spread to your body—specifically your bones and nerves. I don’t have to expin how painful that would be. Not to mention there’d probably be some blood if it keeps getting worse..."

  Jacob id out the possible risks in detail, making Sophie even more concerned.

  "Why didn’t you tell me something like this could happen?" Aidan asked directly.

  "I did, but you never listened. Besides, where were we supposed to find the right materials for a new one? And would you have trusted me to do the modifications?" Sophie fired back.

  "No need to argue. Even if this isn’t something I normally do, the repcement can be done quickly," Jacob interjected to calm them.

  "In that case, go ahead," Sophie said, changing her mind.

  "It’s not that simple."

  He reached for a green vial on a shelf inside an old dispy case.

  "First, drink a bit of this. It’ll help ease the tension in your shoulder," he said, handing her the open bottle.

  "And this is?" she asked, eyeing the contents.

  "A heavily diluted sleep potion extract. It won’t knock you out—it’ll just rex your body so you won’t feel any pain. Just a precaution for now," Jacob expined.

  Still hesitant, she stared at the potion with suspicion.

  "If you're that scared, I can hold your hand if you want," Aidan teased.

  "Shut up!"

  Taking it personally, she downed the potion in one gulp and y back on the table.

  "Feeling kinda weird..." she muttered as the effects kicked in.

  "It's normal the first time you take it. An old friend made it for me. When I can’t rex or think clearly about my work, I usually take a small drop—but you were brave enough to drink the whole bottle... maybe I should’ve warned you," he remarked carelessly.

  "Maybe?!" Sophie said in a slurred tone.

  "Don’t worry, the process will take as long as the potion sts. Until then, try not to look too much, so you don’t get distressed," he suggested.

  With her body rexed, she lost focus for a moment while Jacob continued with the procedure.

  Even though he cked knowledge of the human body, he was an expert in machines and runic creations. It didn’t take long for him to understand Sophie’s prosthetic and manage to detach it from her body.

  He noticed that the connector had already been corroded by the copper prosthesis, so he checked his stock and managed to find a spare. With a meticulous look, he realized that there was no need to alter the access tube linking the prosthetic to her upper nerves—such a connection could be made naturally by a rune expert or a skilled healer.

  His medical care was rather palliative, so as a precaution, he used clean cloths in case there was any unexpected bleeding—luckily for both him and Sophie, that wasn’t the case.

  Carefully, he managed to remove the connector from the fitting tube, which hadn’t been affected by the corrosion. Then, using a special oil, he eased in the new connector.

  Once done, he used new, small screws and tightened everything without causing any damage—a perfect repcement with no issues. Aidan was watching the whole process intently. Even he couldn’t have worked with such dedication and delicacy as that professional.

  "Finished. Looks like you're much stronger than I expected," she praised while wiping her forehead.

  As expected, the potion’s effect wore off. Sophie found it strange—she had anticipated at least some pain or discomfort.

  "That’s it?" she asked, pcing her hand on the connector.

  "The condition of your arm isn’t that arming. There are cases that would require a full team to perform this procedure—and even guild permission. The tube is already the ideal size for the bone in your shoulder, so it didn’t need to be repced or expanded. Luckily, I had a spare connector in my stock, so I swapped it out. But you’ll need to avoid using it for a week until it’s fully secure. I also noticed that the fitting point was altered to a smaller one," Jacob expined as he observed the modification.

  "It was, but only temporarily. We didn’t have the resources, and the tube’s been like that since she was a child, so I had to improvise to make the prosthetic fit," Aidan replied.

  "Maybe it would be a good idea to ask Veronica to check your condition ter. Perhaps a small magical reinforcement could help relieve some tension. Your bone and nerves are intact—that’s at least good news. It was intriguing, but I don’t think I’d make a good healer, let alone a prosthetic surgeon," he added, having completed the unexpected task.

  Wanting to understand what exactly had happened to Sophie’s prosthesis, Aidan briefly took hold of one of Jacob’s tools and dismantled it into parts within seconds.

  "You seem familiar with this," Jacob commented, noticing the boy’s agility.

  "To be honest, it’s not the first time I’ve had to reassemble her arm. But my knowledge of its composition is still limited..." he replied, examining it more closely.

  "So? How long until it’s fixed?"

  "Fixed? That’d be impossible under these conditions. We can reuse some parts, but if we were to repce the corroded pieces..."

  "It would still be useless since the other parts are pretty worn out," Aidan added, noticing the same.

  "Exactly. Maybe it’ll take less time—perhaps a week—but we’re talking about recreating an authentic prosthesis, not repairing an old one. The good news is the parts can be acquired, but we’d need someone to assemble them... fortunately, I think we have the right person here, don’t we, young man?"

  "M-me?" Aidan showed signs of nervousness.

  "Him? Seriously? The same guy who almost got me killed several times?" Sophie questioned.

  "Some prosthetic or runic tool users have specialized engineers—‘favorites’ might be the better word. He knows you well, so he’ll understand your preferences. He can start working here tomorrow. I’ll see if I can get the parts," Jacob suggested.

  "Here? In your workshop?!"

  "Absolutely. I’d like to see the process up close. As I mentioned, I don’t understand much about prosthetic assembly. Not many people commission things like this—but now, I can observe it more directly."

  And so, he accepted the task with a smile on his face. Being observed by one of the men he admired most in Eswain would be a great honor. Sophie, on the other hand, grew even more concerned—not about being without her prosthesis, but because of her companion.

  She knew that the more motivated he got, the more unstoppable he became. She also knew she’d be pestered for quite some time until he achieved the perfection he so obsessively sought—prompting her to let out a brief sigh.

  Following user suggestions, the lines that previously used dashes ( - ) were repced by quotation marks ( " " ) I will try this format temporarily

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