#robert fiss

[jauntyrabbit]

"Well it is getting rather late and I've got school tomorrow. Don't want to be tired!" Shojo tripped considerably less coming down the stairs but she did truly stumble when they reached the bottom. She kept her smile on anyway like a pro. "Thank you again so much, Mr. Fiss. You've been such a gracious host," she said, being the perfect party guest. Walle chirped at him and smiled, nuzzling Shojo a little. "I think Walle could use a nap too," she joked.

“Oh right, I forget about that schooling thing sometimes…” Robert snuffled and stepped down from the stairs, walking to the door and opening it. “Well, it was nice to have you again. Always a pleasure. And if you find anything else out, don’t hesitate to tell me.” He smiled at all three of his guests, stopping at Shojo. “And you be careful. Those fainting spells are dangerous, missy.”

“Y-y-yes yes, she’ll be just fine,” Jaunty insisted, tugging Shojo along as he hastily made it to the door. The sooner they left, the better. He needed to get back to the manor. Now. “Come on, miss Shojo! Wouldn’t want you late for school. I’ll t-take you there if you just hurry up…”

Jaunty turned to smile at Robert, grabbing the doorknob. “We had a lovely time, mister Fiss. Can’t wait to do it again. Somet-time soon, definitely!” He then shut the door behind himself, urging both Shojo and Walle along.

[jauntyrabbit]

Hearing Jaunty snapped her back to the present day and she smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. A little rest goes a long way," she said, swinging her legs back to the floor and standing up. She almost forget to stumble as she walked towards the door to keep up the ruse. Walle jumped from Jaunty's arms to Shojo's shoulders and Shojo took up Jaunty's arm to go back down the stairs. "Mr. Fiss is very hospitable, wouldn't you agree, Jaunty?"

When Walle jumped away from Jaunty, he stumbled slightly and scoffed. But, he was happy to see Shojo walking steadily again, now assured that a little rest was all she needed. “Yes, very hospitable.” He smiled at Robert, taking a few steps back to the door. “B-but even so, we should probably get going…”

“So soon?” Robert stood, and coughed quietly. “Shojo hasn’t had hardly any time to rest. Are you sure she’ll be alright?” In response, Jaunty nodded his head slowly and awkwardly. “…Hm. Well… Alright then. I’ll walk you to the door.” A little suspicious, Robert passed the two in the doorway and made his way back down he stairs.

[jauntyrabbit]

Shojo smiled at him and blushed a little. "Me too. He makes me so happy. I don't know what I'd do without him," she said, sighing dreamily. "He makes me want to stay so that I can see him again.." Her eyes wander away, looking around at the blankets and things in the room. Walle followed Jaunty, having a little trouble on the staircase, and scowled at him. He was still a little peeved at Jaunty kicking him aside.

Robert’s smile widened when he saw how happy Shojo was. It was always nice to see a girl who had found someone she could love. “I’m so glad for you two. Maybe you can bring him over sometime, let me have a look at him.” He laughed quietly, then stopped when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Jaunty entered the room a few seconds later, carrying Walle in his arms when he realized the creature couldn’t climb as fast as he could. “Hello, mister Fiss; Shojo.” He gave Shojo an odd look, his eyes darting back toward the door as he spoke. “Are you feeling alright? Do you think you’re w-well enough to walk back home?”

[jauntyrabbit]

A flicker of fear passed through Shojo's face but she shook it off quickly. "On the contrary, I think a human and a robot could certainly work out. It's just like any other relationship," she said. "I'm, um, actually with a bot right now. I'm sort of in love with him." She decided to be honest with him this time, thinking maybe the conversation will keep him here longer. Walle continued to scratch at the door, chirping at Jaunty to open it. If only he had hands of his own!

“Oh, you do?” Robert smiled at Shojo, appreciating her optimism. He had seen a few human-robot couples in his time, and they had all ended the same way. It was really quite sad. “I’m very happy for you both. I hope things work out. I really do.” He placed a hand over hers, giving her a reassuring look.

Jaunty walked over to Walle, and lightly kicked the creature away from the door. “I told you, it’s rude. Besides, w-we should check on miss Shojo.” He turned to go up the stairs, then stopped, going back to pick up the jar and stuffing it up into his hat. It barely fit, but it wasn’t very noticeable. “Come on, Walle. Let’s go.” He then walked up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

[jauntyrabbit]

"Thank you, Mr. Fiss. I'm feeling better already," Shojo replies, putting her hands on her lap. "Jaunty certainly is handsome but he's already made it rather clear that he has no interest in me as anything more than a friend." Walle looked at Jaunty through the orange liquid. He picked it up with his tail and set it aside with the intention of bringing it back to the manor. He turned back to the Jaunty and chirped, scurrying over to a nearby door. Could this lead to the basement?

Robert quietly listened to Shojo speak, nodding his head solemnly. “I apologize. I’d just assumed the two of you were together. But I guess relationships between humans and robots rarely work out…” He coughed into his hand, then snuffled. “At least you two are friends, right?”

Jaunty frowned when Walle took the jar from him, watching the little creature scamper over to a door. “We can’t go in there, Walle. It’s rude.” He gave Walle a weak smile, then went back to the chest. Carefully, he rearranged the items back in the bottom and closed it. He didn’t want to take anything that wasn’t his. Except that jar of liquid. There was just something about it that made him want it…

[jauntyrabbit]

Shojo sits down on the bed, bringing her feet up to rest. "Oh, no, I don't need anything like that. I'd love come company though," she said, patting the bed next to her legs. "Being around robots all day can be so tiring, am I right?" Walle propped up on the chest to look inside himself. He didn't know what a clue was but he certainly liked the sound of the word.

“Company?” Robert chuckled quietly at the notion. “I’m sure you would prefer the company of that handsome robot of yours over an old man like me…” Hearing that Jaunty was the cause of her being so tired made him raise an eyebrow. “Hmm… Well, I suppose I can stay here for a bit. To make sure you’re alright.” Careful, so as not to disturb Shojo, he sat at the edge of the bed.

Downstairs, it was difficult for Jaunty to keep himself from jabbering away. He was just so excited to find so many interesting artifacts! Rummaging around through the chest, he looked over a few old maps, thumbed through a stack of small books, and inspected some weird baubles and trinkets littered across the bottom. Lastly, he picked up a large mason jar full of an iridescent, orange liquid. “Huh… What do you think this is, Walle?”

[jauntyrabbit]

"Oh yes this will be fi.." Shojo put her hand to her forehead again and held on to Robert as her knees pretended to buckle once again. She needed to give Jaunty as much time as possible. "Oh no! I don't think I can stand anymore," she proclaims with a voice softer than satin. Walle continued to scratch at the chest, chirping to Jaunty as a plea to open it.

“Oh, careful now!” Robert caught Shojo and held her steady, slowly walking her over to the bed. “Here, why don’t you lie down. I could get you some aspirin, if you need it?” He wasn’t sure if Shojo’s fainting spells were caused from fatigue or headaches. Or both.

Jaunty bit his lip as he watched Walle continue to scratch away. He gave one last look at the stairs, then took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do this. But we’ve got to keep quiet. Quiet.” Slowly, he leaned forward and opened the chest, his eyes going wide as he looked at its contents. “Walle, I think we’ve just found a clue…”

[jauntyrabbit]

Shojo held on to Robert the whole, long way up the stairs, stumbling on every other step. A few of them were actually real as the stairs tired her out but she kept smiling sweetly at him. "I really appreciate this, Mr. Fiss. I'm afraid I've been dealing with a lot lately and I guess it shows, huh?" Downstairs Walle scuttled over to the wooden chest and clawed at it. He chirped at Jaunty to come over and help.

“It’s no problem, really. I just want you to be well. Can’t have you dying in my living room, can we?” Robert was patient with Shojo as much as she was patient with him on the staircase. When he had made it to the top, he led her to a room at the end of the hallway and opened the door. Inside was a cozy and lightly furnished room with a huge bed against one wall. “I hope this will be okay.”

Jaunty noticed Walle scratching at the chest and he walked over. “Walle, I don’t think we should be in there…” He glanced at the stairs, seeing that Robert and Shojo were on the second floor. “It’s pr-private.”