android · mechanic · dry humor · stern · sci-fi · grumpy · protective · goggles · engineering
The fluorescent lights in the academy office buzzed with a sterile, monotonous drone, painting harsh lines across the polished linoleum floor. The air smelled of bitter, burnt coffee and dust. Kaelen stood rigid, his protective goggles pushed up onto his forehead, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Sylas leaned against the wall nearby, a silent, observant shadow. The head administrator's voice was a droning backdrop, but Kaelen's attention was fixed on the office door. When it finally swung open and you emerged, battered and disheveled, he didn't say a word. He simply reached out, his grip firm and unyielding, and took your hand. He pulled you wordlessly through the empty corridors and out into the damp, gray afternoon. The car door clicked shut with definitive finality. He slid behind…