A tired Noir gets up from his bed, from the looks of it his room seems to be neat with only the bare minimum needed. Gets not exactly luxury yet it's home. Getting up he walks to a different room in the house. It's the bathroom. First he hops into the shower, getting out he dries himself off, brushes his teeth, washes his face, ties his hair, adds a nice fragrance, and finally puts on his clothes. Ready for the day, he looks into the cracked bathroom mirror. No pose, no emotion… just a plain look as if it's just another day. Leaving the bathroom he walks past Nora's room where he hears a noise. Curious, he opens the door and checks inside the room. There he sees Nora as she tinkers with the Sentinel. Her focus is unworldly, and her gaze unmatched.
"I guess she's been up all night?" Said Noir quietly. "Well I guess I should get to work too." With that Noir closes the door and leaves.
Outside the now fully white light lit simplistic city, Noir is seen on the side of some road with a brown slightly torn blanket at his side. Laid out on the blanket is different machines and things of many kinds. None exactly special yet seem unordinary, well to the people of this city they do. As people pass he looks at them saying the words.
"Hey would you care to check out my devices."
One by one people pass as he reuses the same words. Eventually after some pressure someone decides to check them out. It was a woman with a 6ft man. The two look at the layed out gadgets. Then before a further analysis the man points at one.
"What does this do" he asks Noir.
"Oh that is a floor cleaning robot."
"So it cleans floors?"
" yep watch."
Noir grabs the mechanism placing it on the ground and powering it on. After he powers it on it begins to move. Steadily and unpredictably.
"Wow so how does it clean?"
"Well you see it moves picking up any trash in a vacuum that it can see."
As Noir explains the machine to the couple the robot suddenly begins to spin around.
"What is it doing?" Asked the man.
Noir not knowing what to think answers the man with the first words that comes to his mind.
"It's ummm, it's searching the area for dust… seems to be a lot of dust outside."
Then before Noir knew it the machine starts to zoom onto the street. Noir is surprised by this as the couple looks in shock.
Skkkrt… Crashhh
Eventually the machine is run over by a passing vehicle. In the street destroyed. Noir and the couple look in shock.
"Oh my" said the woman
Yet Noir not letting this chance slip looks at the two and says.
"Well would you like to look at another?"
"N-no I'm fine"
"How about I give you my card?" He says pulling out what seems to be a business card with his face all over it.
"Hey baby, let's just get out of here." the woman says looking at Noir with concern and pity.
As the two leaves Noir screams towards them.
"I'll give you a discount… uhhhh 50 credits off." They continue walking.
"How about this toy?" Noir brings out what seems to be a doll of a black haired girl with buttons for eyes.
"If you have a little girl then this may intrigue your fancy."
Yet despite his forceful nature before Noir could even try,it seems that the couple have already left. Letting out a sigh Noir takes a seat on the blanket with all the junk he has piled up. As he does he suddenly hears the chatter of people from a distance… It seems to be two women.
"Look, it's him." the 1st woman says as she stairs at Noir.
"Yeah hes the brother."
"The sibling outsiders…"
"First the two were found in the unknown, Taken in by that guard, im sure that man made their lives hell."
"Then if I remember correctly he died leaving those two with a huge debt?"
"Truly a ugly sight."
With their harsh words Noir glances at them. Seeing his piercing eyes, they awkwardly escape. It was not long before he let out another sigh.
"Well it's not like anything they said was wrong… people will speak however they like… it's just how this place is… just how stagnant this life is."
As Noir speaks as he stairs up to the white tile sky, bright white lights are all he could stare at. No clouds, No blue sky… in fact it seems as if he doesn't even know what those things are. Yet he does something unexpected, he raises his hand up and says.
"What is it like above. Above this layer and the next? Is it a paradise, is it worse?"
Then he remembered something. A scene with a younger version of him and a even younger Nora. They seem to be laying on a bed reading a book of some kind together. Noir actually does the reading as Nora simply watches the pictures in the pages.
"So after all was done He went in the elevator. It was a long way up. Once he reached the end, he was there. A horizon of beauty. A ground which seemed close to gray. And finally a never ending field of water."
"A never ending field of water?" Nora said, interrupting the story.
"Yep."
"But water isn't infinite."
"Well if you let me finish we may see the answer to that question."
Nora fell annoyingly silent. When she does Noir continues.
"It's water was salty, the taste of it was nothing but man made despite it being made from the earth… what was it called… the man heard its name before… it was the Ocean."
"The Ocean? Ani is it real!?" Asked Nora?
"Well… its just a book so it may just be false info, but if it was real, I would definitely want to see it."
"The Ocean… Yeah me too, I wanna see it too."
Then as the two lay down, as they do Nora looks at Noir's arm… she sees a bruise.
"Ani…" She says.
"Yeah what is it sis?" He says in a happy tone.
"Its nothing…"
The two fell into a deep silence… then they heard a loud voice echoing through the residence.
"NOIR!!!" The voice said in a loud yet scary tone.
Noir after hearing the voice gets out of the bed. Yet as he does Nora grabs his hand.
"Ani…" She says as her hand shakes.
"Dont worry sis Ill be right back."
Ungripping her hand he leaves the room.
Back in the present Noir enters the building to his and Nora's home. Walking up the stairs he arrives face to face with the door entrance… Yet once he does he sees something which shocks him. On the door is a paper.
"This place should be abandoned? We shouldn't have to pay rent?"
Then he takes a closer look at the paper… the contents leaves him even more shocked. It was a note or more of a letter, yet it only contained a few words that read.
"1 month"
And along with that letter was… a hidden picture of Nora walking down the street.
"What the hell is this?!!" Noir says not able to understand what he sees.
Quickly Noir takes out what looks to be a slightly more advanced cellphone and starts to dial a certain number.
Ring Ring Ring
Someone picks up.
"Oh Noir what a pleasant surprise!"
Its a male voice, a smug male voice at that.
"Cut the bullshit… what the hell is this on my door!"
The man sighs.
"Its exactly what you think it is."
"To hell with you!!! YOU SAID I HAD UNTIL I TURN 30!!!"
"Oh yes but I didn't specifically say that… You see things have changed now, with the old head of my family dead and you not making nearly enough to even scratch that ignorant man's debt, I believe I should make it easier for you."
"Huh?"
"You see I hear your sister is 14 now correct?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Well you know how this part of the city, Also known as Ward 5-7 is always overlooked by the Director, you could probably commit murder here and it would go unnoticed… well the 7th ward is strictly well visited among the normal people outside of this hell… Do you know why?"
Noir thinks for a moment, trying to find the answer… then it dawned on him.
"You don't mean…"
"Yes you're right… slave purchasing." He continues. "Inside that ward Host a very not good part, it's a part where for a high price you can buy a slave. Their existence stays only in your home and nobody can find out about them. Good cleaners and such, although some uncaring people use them as stress relievers… A doll face like your sister could do wonders in a slave like field, then maybe in a good 2 years we could see that debt of yours relieved"
Noir too stunned to speak just keeps his cellphone close to his ear as he grips it tightly.
"What? Noir, Dont tell me your mad, hey im doing this for your own sake… I mean, you are the reason your in this situation in the first place."
He remembers something he doesn't want to.
"Shut the hell up!!!"
"Dont worry though I don't expect you to gather any huge amount in only that much time, but if you have another idea on how to immediately clear your debt, im all ears. You were the type to come up with the strangest things… with that I think ill go, see ya Noir."
Then the man hung up, leaving Noir feeling helpless as he takes the paper from the door and into his pockets, opening up the door to his home as he does.
Entering he sees the same picture and everything. The same messy living room. The same messy bedrooms and all. He weakly walks past Nora's room before quietly looking inside. Inside he once again sees her still diligently working on the Sentinel.
"Hey Ani, you're back late." Nora says. Surprising Noir.
"You realized I was here?"
"I heard the door open."
"I… I see."
Noir begins to remember the conversation with the man on the phone.
"Well you seem to be doing all right!" He says in a bright tone.
"Yeah well as I look at it more it seems that whoever built it was not just smart but also probably a genius, it uses a skeletal system similar to a humans for ease of movement, and on top of that it has a lot of different built in devices for what I'm guessing is simple practical use."
"W-well that's nice."
"Ani…" Nora says with a serious voice.
"Yeah whats up sis?"
"Is there something wrong… your acting different…"
Noir after hearing her words falls down in a short silence before saying.
"Well… It's nothing! Just heard some people from other wards talk about us."
Nora sighs.
"Ani, don't let people get into your head, let them say what they want… Other than that though, it's a shame we can't sell this thing."
"I thought you would be against selling it?"
"I kinda still am but… maybe it could clear our debt."
Noir hearing his sisters words looks down in despair.
Well I mean Ani if I do end up fixing it, we could use it to keeping this place clean and being a nice house guard."
"House guard huh… Yeah, let's go with that… well night Nora, don't work too hard on that thing."
Then he leaves with Nora still working away. What does he feel? Disappointment… Disappointment in himself.