An uninteresting maintenance [Open]

[Still Better Than Angel]

Normally one would need some form of mask when welding metals. Some form of protective screening when working with metals and the tiny intricate world of machines. Luckily for Eliza, though, tonight's maintenance would only require a set of gloves and a gas mask. The gas mask wasn't even necessary, it merely existed because the mage couldn't stand the scent of coagulated ether in the air. It's a nice side benefit of working everything in the Tosatsu arena with automancy: there wasn't much dirty work compared to other technician jobs. On the other hand, being the only automancer in the manor meant that most of her time was dedicated to fixing every minor error in the system. Whatever time that wasn't invested in maintenance would be spent with Lady Slaughter and pacifying any quips she had about their arena. She tried to stress it again and again, the arena would work exactly as planned just so long as Eliza was given full authority over it.

There were... other reasons why she demanded a solitary work space. It was a flaw in her mind, an inevitable lingering ghost of her days as a political enemy, but Eliza couldn't stand the feeling of someone over her shoulder. As long as there was some chance that someone else was watching, she would go insane. She could never leave the room if someone had been in there within the previous hour. The moment she tried, panic would set in. Panic that someone was tampering with her work, someone was investigating her life, someone was trying to steal her research. Someone was out to kill her. The automancer shook her head and devoted her full attention to the sigil welded into the walls of the arena. Perhaps her inner demons were unpleasant, but if she could make the choice between inner demons and outer anomalies, then she'll make that choice.

A quick knock at the walls, and the entire room would light up with a warm, cerulean glow. The writing on the walls peeled off from their resting place and crawled down the floor, creating the secondary, tertiary, and complication seals that would allow total control of the room's environment. Physical, metaphysical, magical, and any other forms of energy within the next five planes of reality would be monitored and controlled with relative ease. It was this kind of magic that allowed the Tosatsu Manor to become more of a true tournament gathering than some philistine neophyte zone. She replaced her gloves and mask, nodding at her satisfactory handiwork. This room would be ready for a fight by tonight.

----

As she walked down the hallway, Eliza would take the time to inspect and work on her own spells. Holding what would appear to be a ball of violet energy in her hand, the magician took slow paces down to her residential dorm, taking her time to investigate and improve the method of her assistant's internal coding.

The work of a genius was never over, after all.

[Angel]

"Hmph."

A young lady named Arietta stood in a doorway, looking quite the picture of petulance. Her nose upturned as her sharp eyes darted about the room. Her hands aggressively placed along her hips as she scanned this way and that way. One of her legs tapping the floor, gaining just a slight amount of speed with every tap.

"Hmph." she said again, a walking example as to why one called a person in this state "steaming", the anger needing a spot to vent.. each doing so at least making her feel a little better. But still, the fact remained. No. This wouldn't do.

As she started to wander rather unsure of her ultimate goal, she heard footsteps. Despite half of her mind, she started to head in the direction of the pitter patter, and suddenly found someone. Yes. Someone. Anyone.

"Hello?" she said, her voice youthful, a bit harsh, and rather in that way that tended to annoy the older folk then anything particularly "precious".

[Still Better Than Angel]

Eliza looked up with a start at the inquiry. For a quick moment she thought she would have to fire, but cooler heads would take over as the initial adrenaline faded. No, it would be illogical for this person to have been following her this entire time. They would most certainly not wait in the residential halls to make any attempt on her life or a robbery. Not in this section of the manor. Not to mention that if they had been tailing her, they would have had to passed the automancer as she walked down the hall... which, even if Eliza gets absorbed in her own work, is not a task that is done without any notice. This person... was largely unrelated to her plans and job.

Basically, this girl was an annoyance.

But if she had problems, perhaps it was part of Eliza's duty to address them. If it's a technical issue with the magic here, then she could resolve it directly. Otherwise, at the very least she could just direct this little girl to someone else more deserving of misery. If only Tosatsu wouldn't stab her for sending petty requests up to her office.

"...Yes, ma'm? May I help?" In contrast to Arietta's tone, Eliza's was low, breathy, but with enough resonance to make herself cleanly audible. The kind of tone that she had worked on for years to keep a sense of aloofness, even when communicating. It was her way of indirectly communicating to people that she was not someone to be trifled with, and most certainly not someone to waste time with on THEIR accord. Though, as it turns out, the more blunt crowds tend to miss these small social cues.

[Angel]

Oh, she found someone who worked here. Good. Her stance was self-confident and strong, her hands on her hips. "Oh, well. I was hoping you could direct me to some nice rooms. The ones around here seem a bit.. eh. I understand space must be limited, but I feel if you all expect to get people to be around here, accommodating us used to.. nicer lifestyles seems like a fair request. I can't.." she said, waving back in the direction of the rooms she had seen. "Deal.. with that."

Arietta was used to a large and sprawling manor, with all sorts of magical tomes and you know.. comforts. It was an abandoned place of her youth, something she inherited and not bought.. but it was home. She wasn't expecting to be able it move all of her things.. but she hardly had enough space for even a quarter of it! "I feel as if I must have just overlooked them." she said, sure that was the case. If this was supposed to be a place of indulgence and profit, surely they had to have some luxury places.

[Still Better Than Angel]

Oh god, was this really happening? No, yes, it was most definitely actually happening. Someone has mistaken poor Eliza as a member of retail and customer service. Was it even her job to address so petty a request? Did it even matter? If she really wanted to, Eliza could just redirect her to the front desk. Someone else that was working here could deal with this wreck. Though... ugh, she had another request in this area anyways, she had time to spare. Let's just hope this little girl wouldn't get any more annoyed by the answer. Hint hint: It won't be pretty.

Eliza dispelled the project in her hands as she gave her utmost attention to the little girl. "The Tosatsu Manor is by large a luxurious area, but it comes at the expense of uneven resource management. Even so, the rooms here are more than serviceable. They are capable of housing up to four residents at once and come equipped with a small kitchen area, bathing room, high quality television set, phone service, and state of the art air conditioning. Should you require anything more, there is an invoice system within the phones, and services such as gym, spa, training areas, and recreational activities are located within public areas on the lower floors as well as the surrounding town area. Perhaps if you wish for something more specific, we can attempt to accommodate?"

Though, in the back of her head, she could already tell that this little girl wouldn't be happy with the rooms. Usually people wouldn't mind, considering most of their contestants were mercenaries and vagrants in the first place. Every now and then, however, brats like this little girl would seep through. It's a shame that Eliza would have to deal with this child, of all the staff in this damned arena.

[Angel]

Arietta wasn't exactly happy with the response, but she couldn't say she was surprised. Sigh. Why were people so difficult?

That being said she tried to be accommodating. "As long as I suppose I don't have to share the space with three other people, that's what I was worried about. I walked into one and noticed the set up, and was immediately frightened. One room for me, I suppose, might be enough.. to contain my things and needs..if I must deign to accept public services. But the idea of sharing my home, my place of safety and solitude, with 3 total strangers will not due. I refuse." she said, her hands on her hips.

"That won't be a problem right?" she said, leaning back. Analyzing her response, expecting the worst already. She didn't have much of a read on this woman, other then the fact that she had only barely started to give her attention.. and had shown lack of sympathy for her. Now, the fact that Arietta had yet to show any for her.. again, a irrelevant thing. This woman should have shown understanding of her concerns, worries, and desires.. and just had not yet. Arietta was annoyed and distrusting of this woman, and expected her to be difficult.