Acquiring Resources For Robotics

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 10, Post Number 247

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 7:07 P.M.-

Dressed in an olive green jacket over her black tank top and khaki cargo pants with boots, Leona walked into her room with five shopping bags from Capital Crocus Mall. The day before yesterday she had went to the furniture store in Motor City where she had purchased the mattresses for the beds on board the Albatross and ordered a larger wooden wardrobe for her clothing and yesterday she had received it and set it up in her room, then filled it with most of her outfits. It was proudly sitting in the place of her old wardrobe... it was double the size and boasted drawers for her socks and undergarments plus weapons storage should the need arise.

Leona's first impulse was to get rid of the old furniture piece now that she had a new one with double the capacity for only a moderate increase in the space it took up, but she had decided to move it to the right corner of the wall facing her room door and use it for storing her less conservative shirts and shorts. After being moved to its new home it had been filled with all of her crop tops, pairs of short shorts, and the three tube tops that only Masha would get to see. The arrival of the new wardrobe was timely because its storage space would soon be put to use.

In the shopping bags were clothing for both her normal form and her long-haired blue-eyed form. Leona had purchased long-sleeved turtleneck shirts in green, white, blue, black, and light blue for when she needed to dress up a little. She had also purchased black, white, and blue knee-length skirts to have some conservative skirt options and black, white, and blue pencil skirts for a "slightly more casual but still appropriate for business" look. She had also bought several pairs of black pantyhose to wear with the pencil skirts if she needed to add a formal touch to the look.

Another purchase was five sleeveless turtleneck shirts in black, blue, white, light blue, gray, and green. Lately she could not help but to notice that guild staff members of both genders looked more than a little uncomfortable whenever they entered her office and saw her wearing a tube top. She also remembered Samira's mixed reaction to the black tube top she had worn to Rose Garden for the Sommarsun Weeks event. The sleeveless turtlenecks might be a good compromise between casual and formal that were worth trying.

Finally Leona had bought three pairs of shoes. Today she had finally managed to find tennis shoes in her size at The Athlete's Edge and had bought two pairs, one for her normal look and the other for her other form. One pair was white and silver with black shoelaces and the other was pink and white with white shoelaces. The last addition was a pair of black dress shoes for formal occasions.

Now that Leona's clothing selection had expanded yet again she was thankful for her new wardrobe, which could comfortably hold everything without the doors hanging slightly open. She would need to wash her new purchases tonight and get ready for a trip to the Neutral Grounds tomorrow. She would pay a visit to Mr. Bank and ask if he could help her with her endeavor by providing any of the means to produce robots. Whether it was the machinery needed for production, schematics to base her first creation on, a computer system to make designs on, or a lead on where she could acquire said resources, Leona would take any help she could get.

-The next day, outside Silver Wolf Guild Hall, 9:17 A.M.-

Dressed in her black tube top and khaki cargo pants with brown boots, Leona had washed all of her new clothes last night and was now getting ready to board the Albatross for her trip to the Neutral Grounds. She was going to travel in the aircraft and land a good distance away from her destination in the area between the Neutral Grounds and Hargeon Town and walk from there. She was not going to carry any weapons into the city with her because the outfit she was going to wear did not offer any place to store them.

Leona was carrying a blue long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, black pencil skirt, dress shoes, and a pair of black pantyhose with her to have a decent outfit to wear when she went before Mr. Bank to ask for his help. She doubted that he would respond well to her walking into his office dressed in her current casual outfit, so she would wear some of her new and more businesslike clothing. She would wear her current clothing to fly in and when she landed she would go to the Pilot's Quarters and change into the "business" attire.

Leona approached the waiting aircraft and when she got close the cargo bay ramp lowered to permit boarding. She walked up the ramp without breaking stride and when she was inside she manually raised the ramp before going towards the Pilot's Quarters to put her formal outfit onto her bed. Once she did that she would head to the cockpit and start takeoff procedures.

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-The Neutral Grounds, Mr. Bank's Office, 12:55 P.M.-

Leona had landed the Albatross in the wide area between the Neutral Grounds and Hargeon Town before changing into her new outfit. Once she had changed into it she disembarked from the cargo bay ramp and set out for her destination. She walked all the way to the Neutral Grounds and entered the bustling city, then made a beeline for Mr. Bank's residence. She reached Mr. Bank's residence without incident and was granted entry. One quick stroll through the lobby and one quick elevator ride later and Leona was standing in his office and facing the large monitor that dominated the space.

"Hello, Miss Jarnefeldt. It has been awhile since we last met." Mr. Bank greeted his guest, his face looking down at her from the monitor like it always did.

"Yes it has, Mr. Bank." Leona stated. She truly could not recall the last time they had met.

"I see that you have changed your look quite a bit since our last meeting. I must say that it is a welcome change from your usual outfit." He commented on her new clothes. Leona was not sure whether the remark was a genuine compliment or a jab at her, but she chose to take it as a compliment.

"Thank you, Mr. Bank." Leona thanked her client for his opinion of her outfit. The shoes were a bit hard to walk in because she was not used to wearing dress shoes, but everything else was perfect. The shirt fit well and did not cling to her chest, the pencil skirt did not hug her backside, and the pantyhose fit just right.

"I have the feeling that you did not come here to show off your new look." Mr. Bank dispensed with the pleasantries and got to the point.

"That's right, Mr. Bank. I came here to ask for your help." Leona stated.

"Is that so? What might you need my help with?" He inquired.

"I'm looking to get a start in robotics." Leona laid it out for him.

"I'm looking for schematics for robot designs, a computer on which to design robots and their equipment, the machinery for a production line... anything will help. Even a lead on where I can find and purchase those items will do." Leona specified what she was after. Mr. Bank did not speak for almost a minute and the Wizard Saint did not have a good feeling about that. She hoped that he would not shut her down like Dr. Reid did.

"Robotics, you say?" Mr. Bank asked.

"Yes." Leona answered calmly. There was no response. The tension built for over a minute before he finally broke the silence.

"It pleases me to hear that you have an interest in science." He said in a congratulatory tone.

"I just so happen to have a set of schematics for a humanoid robot that I have not worked on in quite some time. I have no use for them, so feel free to peruse them and alter the design at your leisure." Mr. Bank told her the type of aid he would provide. She could barely contain her joy as the desk she was standing in front of descended into the floor and remained there for several seconds before rising up again with a silver briefcase sitting on top of it. She had to resist the temptation to run up and grab it.

"In that briefcase is a data disc with the schematics. All you have to do is put the disc inside a disc reader and run a program and the schematics will appear. You will be able to examine them and alter them to your heart's content. However, you will have to buy a special computer with special software and hardware to use it and such a piece of equipment will not be cheap." Mr. Bank informed her that she would need special equipment to make use of the schematics.

"I regret that I cannot provide you with what you need nor can I give you a lead on where to obtain it. You will have to find a source yourself." Mr. Bank said to her in an apologetic tone. Leona was not upset by that news. She already had a possible source in mind... Mister Burke of Shirotsume. In the past he had provided her with high-tech gear like the Ranger Laser Rifle and the Genetic Expression System. Maybe he could help her acquire the high-tech computer equipment she needed now.

"It's no problem, Mr. Bank. You've already helped me by providing a set of schematics to work with." Leona informed her benefactor.

"I knew that you would not let such a minor problem slow you down, my dear Wizard Saint. Now go and gather the other items you need. I will not stand in the way of your quest." Mr. Bank bade her farewell in his inimitable way. Leona walked over to the desk and picked up the briefcase in her left hand, then waved goodbye with her right hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Bank." Leona expressed her gratitude before turning towards the elevator and walking briskly. As soon as she left Mr. Bank's residence and exited the Neutral Grounds she would return to the Albatross and set a course for Silver Wolf Guild Hall. There she would go to her room and get a sizable quantity of money with which to purchase what she needed... if Mister Burke could help her, that was.

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-Shirotsume, outside Mister Burke's residence, 5:59 P.M.-

By the time Leona had flown to Silver Wolf Guild Hall from the landing zone in the approximate center of the sizable space between the Neutral Grounds and Hargeon Town, gotten five million Jewels, and had flown to Shirotsume quite a lot of time had passed. She was hoping that Mister Burke would still be willing to speak with her and she had hurried from the outskirts of Shirotsume to get to his home before it was too late. Leona had not changed clothes since her meeting with Mr. Bank and her skirt was a bit wrinkled from sitting in the cockpit of the Albatross, so she knocked on the front door and quickly smoothed out her skirt and straightened her shirttail before the door opened. When it opened Leona found herself face-to-face with Kumiko, Mister Burke's aide.

"Oh, Miss Jarnefeldt! I almost didn't recognize you because of your clothing! It's so different from what you normally wear!" The black-haired young woman wearing a gray jacket over a white blouse and gray skirt with black dress shoes said to the Wizard Saint. She looked Leona over a second time before making eye contact with her again.

"Are you here to see Mister Burke?" Kumiko asked Leona.

"Yes, please. I know it's kind of late, but I'd like to speak to him if I could." Leona replied. The other woman's face turned apologetic.

"I'm sorry Miss Jarnefeldt, but Mister Burke isn't here. You just missed him. He left on a two-week vacation to Crescent Island about an hour ago." Kumiko informed Leona that she had barely missed her opportunity to speak with him and possibly ask about specialized computer equipment. Leona gave a slight smile.

"That's OK, Kumiko. I'll speak to him whenever he gets back." Leona replied. Mister Burke always seemed to be busy and there was the possibility that this was his first vacation in a long time. This was the first vacation she had known him to take since they had met years ago and she was not going to interrupt it.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Jarnefeldt." Kumiko apologized for the inconvenience before shutting the door. Leona was not upset or disappointed... she simply turned around and walked away. She was going to return to Silver Wolf Guild Hall and do the paperwork that was waiting on her, then begin looking for possible alternate sources for what she needed.

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 9:47 P.M.-

Leona had returned from her trip to Shirotsume roughly twenty minutes ago and had made a beeline for her room with the silver briefcase containing the schematics clutched firmly in hand. She hid them in her new wardrobe, which was full of clothing that could conceal the briefcase and its valuable contents. She then changed out of her formal outfit and into her sleeveless green turtleneck shirt and green, white, and gold skirt without black pantyhose. She would try the new shirt and see whether the guild staff members felt more comfortable seeing her like that or if she needed to dress up again in a t-shirt or her green, white, and gold outfit top. Once her clothing was changed she immediately went to her office to fulfill her administrative responsibilities.

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 2:19 A.M.-

After a late-night paperwork session Leona walked into her room and shut the door behind her. She had finally finished all of the paperwork on her desk and did not have any more to deal with after the last stack had been completed. The sleeveless turtleneck shirt seemed to get a more positive reaction from the guild staff members who entered the office to drop off paperwork because they did not seem to be as uncomfortable in her presence when she wore it. Maybe their discomfort was due to her chest not being fully covered whenever she wore a tube top.

Now she knew to wear a more modest shirt whenever she went to her office do administrative work. Speaking of the sleeveless turtleneck, it was a fairly comfortable one that was not tight around the chest and went well with her green, white, and gold skirt. She was already used to sleeveless shirts because she often wore tank tops and tube tops, so the lack of sleeves was not an issue. Maybe she should wear a sleeveless turtleneck along with khaki cargo pants and a jacket to the next meeting with Samira and see how her longtime friend reacted to that particular look.

Leona walked over to her desk chair, pulled it out, and sat in it while looking at the wall. Since Mister Burke was currently not an option she would need to ask one of her other contacts about a possible lead on computer equipment made for use in robotics. She folded her arms across her chest as she began to try and think of someone who could help her get what she needed.

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-Motor City, 11:25 A.M.-

Leona had spent a good chunk of last night trying to think of someone who could help her get what she needed but had been unable to do so. Mister Burke was on vacation, so he was not able to help. Instead of waiting two weeks for him to return Leona was going to take matters into her own hands and actually look for what she was after. She was going to go to Tech Supplies in Capital Crocus to see if Carlton could point her in the right direction, but first she was going to go to Motor City and try her luck there.

Leona had taken the Albatross to Motor City; she had landed a good distance away on the outskirts of the city and was now walking through it. Dressed in an open olive green jacket over her black tank top and khaki cargo pants with new white and silver tennis shoes, Leona was dressed to... not exactly impress. Since she was just looking today she felt no need to impress anyone and if she needed to cover up all she had to do was close her jacket.

As she walked the Wizard Saint hoped that she would not bump into her old client Dr. Reid. While the latter would undoubtedly be a big help she doubted that the doctor would willingly part with any information that could help a potential rival. There was also the lingering resentment about her goal being shut down by someone she once looked up to. It was immature for someone of Leona's station to hold resentment over anything, but Leona could not help but to feel like she had been shut down without a second thought. It sounded like Dr. Reid was less concerned about whether the Wizard Saint could afford to put in the time and effort needed to master the field and more concerned about Leona becoming competition.

Leona walked through the busy city streets and went virtually unnoticed by the citizens except for a few who recognized her and either stopped in place to look at her or went the other way when she approached. The blonde did not know whether she was intimidating or if they were just starstruck and did not know how to react. She shrugged it off and kept going, moving deeper into Motor City in pursuit of her goal. She had no idea where she was going, but she was going to walk through the city until she found it or did not find it.

-Motor City, 2:33 P.M.-

Leona had walked deep into the city and had not found what she was after. She had walked by the furniture store where she had gotten the mattresses for the beds on board the Albatross and the new wardrobe in her room back at the guild hall, but she had not seen any electronics stores. Maybe she had went the wrong way, which was possible because she did not know Motor City that well. Leona stood on the sidewalk of a lightly traveled intersection with her arms folded across her chest and was thinking of retracing her steps to the city outskirts when she heard a familiar voice coming from the left, one that she did not want to hear.

"Hey Leona! I didn't expect to see you here!" Dr. Reid called out to the Wizard Saint, who was still looking away and was having to make a serious effort to keep a straight face. Leona was not happy to see her but had to pretend to actually be happy to see the other blonde. She turned to face Dr. Reid.

"Wow! You're looking kinda casual there!" Dr. Reid playfully remarked on Leona's attire in an effort to make conversation. The Wizard Saint decided to make a remark of her own, one that was not quite as friendly.

"I could say the same for you, Doctor." Leona retorted with a sarcastic edge. Dr. Reid was wearing a pink tank top and black skirt that was shorter than usual plus brown sandals. Instead of being offended the doctor simply looked down at herself and looked back up at Leona with a wide grin.

"Yeah, you're right. I can't say too much about you looking casual if I look casual too!" Dr. Reid conceded. She then gestured towards the city with her right hand.

"What brings you here today?" The doctor asked Leona.

"Coffee." Leona quickly replied in a half-truth. She had been searching in vain for an electronics store for the past few hours and she really wanted some coffee, but that reason was also a smokescreen for her real purpose, which the doctor did not need to know. Leona kept eye contact and waited to see how Dr. Reid would respond to that answer.

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"Coffee, huh?" Dr. Reid asked, either ignoring the speed at which the answer had been given or understanding it because she too was fond of the drink.

"Yes." Leona gave a one-word answer with no elaboration.

"Well, I would invite you to my place for some, but I'm really busy right now. Can you take a rain check?" The blonde doctor of robotics informed the Wizard Saint that the former was occupied with some work and offered an invitation to be cashed in at a later date. Leona had no problem with that arrangement and readily took it.

"That's fine with me." Leona replied in a manner that was so fast that it sounded like the Wizard Saint was cutting off someone she once looked up to. In a way that was exactly what she was doing. Once upon a time she had aspired to be a scientist and creator like Dr. Reid, but now respect had given way to envy, perhaps even contempt. Armed with her new knowledge and unable to rely on the doctor for support, Leona would just have to make her own way.

"All right then. See you later, Leona!" Dr. Reid said before waving and walking away. Leona calmly waved back before beginning to retrace her steps to the outskirts of Motor City where her Albatross awaited. She would board it, take off, and set a course for Capital Crocus. Once she had landed on the outskirts of the city she would make her way to Tech Supplies to ask Carlton if he had what she needed in stock. If he did not perhaps he could point her towards someone who did.

-Capital Crocus, Tech Supplies, 6:47 P.M.-

The sun was beginning to dip in the sky by the time Leona had made it to Tech Supplies, but she was in luck because Carlton was still there to help her. Leona had walked in with her jacket buttoned over her tank top and a sizable bag of Jewels in her possession. She walked calmly to the back counter, where the shop's owner was waiting.

"Oh, Miss Jarnefeldt! What brings you here?" Carlton asked Leona. He was dressed in the same red polo shirt and blue jeans she had seen him wear during her first visit with Dr. Reid.

"I was looking for a specialized computer for use in robotics." Leona informed him of exactly what she was looking for. The blond man blinked.

"That's some seriously specialized stuff you're asking for, Miss Jarnefeldt. I don't sell anything like that." He told her up front. Leona's facial expression did not change in the slightest.

"If you don't sell it, then who does?" Leona asked him in a calm and even voice.

"You'll want to talk to a guy named Mister Burke. He lives in Shirotsume. He works for a company that can sell you what you need." Carlton offered a lead.

"I know Mister Burke. I've done business with him in the past." Leona calmly stated, omitting the fact that she had worked for the man in the past. Carlton blinked.

"Oh. All right then." He said in a deflated voice as if he had known that he had lost a possible business opportunity. A few moments later he bounced back from the disappointment and spoke to the Wizard Saint.

"Is there anything here that I can sell you?" He asked Leona. Leona thought about it for a few moments before speaking.

"Tell me... do you have any high-quality electrical wire for use in robotics?" Leona inquired.

"I've got some of it, yes. Six large spools of it, in fact. How much do you need?" Carlton asked her, eying the large bag of Jewels Leona had brought in.

"How much would buying all of it cost me?" Leona asked a question of her own.

"250,000 Jewels. It's some expensive wiring, but it's the best I have. It'll do the job." The shop owner told her. Leona did not flinch. She raised the bag up onto the counter and looked at him.

"I'll buy it." Leona stated calmly. She figured that she had better take the opportunity to stock up on it while she still could. As far as she knew electrical wiring would never go bad, so whether it took her two weeks or two years before she got a chance to speak to Mister Burke it would be ready for use whenever she got all of the resources she needed to finally get to work on her first project.

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-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 11:06 P.M.-

Leona had returned from her errands roughly an hour ago and was now in her room. Dressed in a black tube top and green, white, and gold skirt, the Wizard Saint sat at her desk with the silver briefcase containing the data disc with the schematics on top of the piece of furniture and the spools of wiring situated in the corner of the room to the left of her new wardrobe. She had moved her bed a bit further back and to the left to make getting access to it easier since the bed's previous location made it somewhat difficult to get to.

Leona had acquired roughly half of what she needed to get to work. She had received schematics from Mr. Bank and had purchased special wiring from Carlton, but she still needed a computer that could read schematics and the special machinery necessary to actually build a robot. Mister Burke seemed to be her best lead on the computer, but he was currently on vacation on Crescent Island and she was not about to interrupt that vacation.

The blonde turned her attention from what she was missing to another question, namely where she would put all of the equipment once she had acquired it all. Some time ago she had entertained the idea of putting in at Silver Wolf Guild Hall because it would be convenient and easy to defend. If anyone wanted to disrupt or destroy the production facility they would have to get past the guild's defenses up to and including Leona herself. However, that would be the most obvious location to put something like that and she did not want to force guild members to protect her latest pet project that she might abandon at the first difficulty she encountered.

Another idea Leona had entertained was finding a location that was not Silver Wolf Guild Hall. It would have to be one with the space to house all of the equipment and it would have to be one not known to most people. Its best defenses would be distance and secrecy. However, she did not know any suitable places at the moment, so she would have to work on that later. She had paperwork to do and she had stalled for long enough, so it was time to get going on that, but first she would change from a tube top to a sleeveless turtleneck so that she did not make guild staff members uncomfortable by wearing something that exposed some of her cleavage.

Once she had changed into her green sleeveless turtleneck Leona stashed the silver briefcase with the data disc in the left wardrobe, then left her room to go to her office.

-Leona's Room, 11:22 A.M.-

Leona had pulled an all-nighter in the office and now she felt like she had been hit by a freight train. She slowly shuffled into her room and shut the door, then walked over to her bed, where her black tube top was lying. She took off her green sleeveless turtleneck and changed back into the tube top, then carried the green garment over to her desk chair and draped it onto the back. Leona walked back over to her bed and sat down onto it, then rolled onto her left side and faced the wardrobe.

It had been a long day at the office, but all of the administrative work had been taken care of. Now she could sleep for awhile before she resumed her pursuit of resources needed for her latest project or had to do more paperwork, whichever came first. She would find out when she woke up later today.

-Leona's Room, the next day, 6:35 P.M.-

After being asleep for awhile Leona woke up and slowly rolled over to the edge of her bed, then sat up and faced the door to her room. Despite sleeping for awhile she still felt like she had been run over by a vehicle. She put her feet on the floor and slowly stood up, standing in place for a minute or two before walking over to her desk chair and changing out of her current shirt and back into the green sleeveless turtleneck. She was pretty sure that she would not get a respite from her administrative responsibilities despite pulling an all-nighter last night, so she had better go to her office and check if anything was waiting on her.

With that Leona left her room to go to the office and handle any paperwork that might be waiting on her. She hoped that she would not have to spend another night handling endless stacks of paper, but she would if she had to because over the years she had accepted that responsibility and had become decent at it. Despite growing into the role of Guild Mistress she would still rather do other things like shopping for clothes, doing jobs for Silver Wolf, or pursuing her latest project.

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-Leona's Room, the next day, 7:07 A.M.-

The scenario Leona had wanted to avoid had come to pass and she had had to pull another all-nighter to handle the paperwork that she had to do. At least it was all finished and finished properly. Now she could crash for a few hours before having to get up and do it all again.

Leona walked over to her bed and sat on it, then rolled over and faced the wardrobe. She was so tired that she did not even bother to change clothes. Besides, she had worn the sleeveless green turtleneck and green, white, and gold skirt for two days now and it was time to change out of them.

-Leona's Room, 2:16 P.M.-

Leona woke up and slowly rolled towards the edge of the bed, but she rolled too far and landed on the wooden floor with a THUD. She shook it off and sat up, then stood up before brushing off the back of her skirt. She turned towards the large wardrobe and walked towards it to get some clean clothes for today's paperwork marathon session.

Leona opened it and grabbed her blue sleeveless turtleneck and white capri cargo pants and shut the doors, then walked over to her bed. She changed into the new outfit and left the clothes she had been wearing on the bed because she did not have a laundry hamper in her room... yet. She would need to get one on her next shopping trip to Capital Crocus.

Now that she had changed her outfit it was time to go to the office. Coffee came first, though. Leona would go to the guild cafe and get a cup or two of coffee before heading to the office.

-Leona's Room, 11:21 P.M.-

While her time in the office had taken up most of the day Leona did not have to pull a third all-nighter. She was back in her room before midnight and was able to actually change clothes to something to sleep in instead of wrinkling up what she had worn to the office today. Leona went to the wardrobe and changed into her blue tube top and desert camouflage shorts to sleep in before she shut the wardrobe door and walked over to her bed.

She sat down on its edge and rolled over to face her room door while making a plan for tomorrow. She was probably going to go shopping in Capital Crocus for more clothes and a laundry hamper or two so that she did not have to leave dirty clothes lying around her room. Leona was tired of doing office work all the time and her efforts to acquire equipment for her project had hit a dead end until Mister Burke got back from vacation, so she would take a trip to Capital Crocus Mall tomorrow to see what she could find.

-Leona's Room, the next day, 6:28 P.M.-

Dressed in her olive green jacket over her black tank top and khaki cargo pants with white and silver tennis shoes, Leona returned to her room with four shopping bags from Capital Crocus Mall. She had left Silver Wolf Guild Hall at 12:33 P.M. and was just now getting back because the mall was incredibly busy today, but she did not mind. She had found quite a few garments that she could not help but to add to her growing collection.

One of the bags contained three more sleeveless turtleneck shirts in gray, navy blue, and pink. The second contained several tube tops and a white jacket made the same way as the olive green one she was currently wearing. The tube tops were gray, light blue, and sage green ones of the most conservative variety that exposed her shoulders and blue, navy blue, black, olive green, pink, and gray ones of the intermediate variety that exposed her shoulders and part of her midsection.

In the third bag were short-sleeved and sleeveless crop tops in gray, powder blue, tan, and sage green. In the fourth and final bag was a pop-up cylindrical laundry hamper to put dirty clothes in. Leona had bought way more than she had intended to, but she did not care. Money was not an object to her and she had come to enjoy shopping for clothes like a normal young woman.

Now that the shopping trip was over she would need to wash everything and sort them into their appropriate places. After that she would then need to head to the office to take care of any work that was waiting on her. She hoped that she would not have to spend another long night in the office, but considering her luck for the past two days, she would not be surprised if a third night was in the cards.

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-Leona's Room, the next day, 7:30 A.M.-

Wearing her newly washed navy blue sleeveless turtleneck and white capri cargo pants for her time in the office after completing her most recent shopping trip to Capital Crocus, Leona shuffled into her room after another long night of administrative work. She had noted that the guild staff tended to respond more positively to the sleeveless turtleneck shirts than they did tube tops or tank tops. Maybe her friend Samira would respond more positively to that look too, but that would have to wait until they met for another job.

Leona had completed all of the paperwork set before her and was now longing for sleep. She walked over to her wardrobe to find some clothes that she could sleep in without worrying about wrinkling anything "nice" and went over to the left wardrobe. She pulled out the new black tube top that exposed her shoulders and part of her midsection and decided to wear that to try it on. With the garment in hand she walked over to her bed and changed into the black tube top and desert camouflage shorts, then looked at herself.

Samira was not going to see her wear this kind of tube top in public.

It would do for sleeping in around the guild hall since hardly anyone came into her room at night. Masha might also like the look on her, so that was another reason to keep it. Leona still felt a bit awkward about her midsection being exposed, though.

She recalled Masha's wish of seeing the blonde wear a crop top and short shorts and that wish was what had prompted Leona to begin collecting less conservative shirts to begin with. Had it not been for the redhead Leona would not have even given tube tops and crop tops a second glance. Over time the blonde had developed a genuine fondness for the most conservative variety of tube top and she was slowly starting to get more comfortable with her body, but being comfortable with wearing the other two types would take some effort.

Leona hung her day clothes on the back of her desk chair and walked over to her bed, then sat n it and instantly rolled onto her side and faced the wardrobe. Tomorrow she would wake up and go to the office first thing to get a start on the work that would likely be waiting for her. But for now she really needed to sleep.

-Leona's Room, 3:13 P.M.-

Leona woke up and gently rolled to the edge of her bed, then sat up. She put her feet on the floor and stood up, facing her room door. On the wooden floor sat a white envelope with the letters WI printed in blue letters placed inside a black square border located in the center of the envelope. Leona walked over to it, picked it up, and took it to her desk before carefully opening it with her right index finger. After opening the envelope she carefully removed the contents and began to read the message.

"Dear Miss Jarnefeldt:

My assistant Kumiko has informed me that you visited my home in Shirotsume almost three days ago. As she has told you, I am on vacation and will not be back for a while longer. However, I may still be able to help you.

I have requested that my sister Helena Burke meet you at my home today. She too is an employee of Waltman Industries and is more than qualified to assist you with anything you may want or need. You will find her most knowledgeable." Mister Burke's message read. Leona put the message and envelope away in her desk and her eyes widened.

This was what she had been waiting for!

Leona hurried over to her left wardrobe and took out a pair of khaki cargo pants and put them on, then put on a pair of socks and her white and silver tennis shoes. Finally she hurriedly put on her olive green jacket over the tube top and buttoned it almost to the top before closing the wardrobe and walking briskly out of her room, then shutting the door. She was going to take the Albatross to the outskirts of Shirotsume and once she had landed she would change into her business outfit in order to look presentable when meeting with Helena Burke.

-Shirotsume, inside Mister Burke's residence, the third floor meeting room, 7:33 P.M.-

Once she had landed on the outskirts of Shirotsume Leona had changed into her business outfit of a blue long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, black pencil skirt, dress shoes, and a pair of black pantyhose so that she would look like she was somewhat professional before going to Mister Burke's residence. Once she got there she was warmly greeted by Kumiko and guided to the meeting room on the third floor. Now she was facing a brown-haired young woman who was roughly her height and dressed in a red jacket over a white blouse with a red skirt and matching high heels. She also wore red-rimmed glasses and had long brown hair that hung freely and was holding some sort of food item in her other hand.

"Hello Miss Jarnefeldt. I'm Helena Burke and my older brother requested that I meet with you in his stead." Helena introduced herself and walked over for a handshake. Leona held out her right hand and accepted it. They shook hands for a moment before releasing each other's hands.

"Now, what can I help you with?" Helena asked Leona.

Helena Burke:

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"I'm looking to buy some computer equipment for using in designing and producing robots." Leona informed Helena of the reason for attempting to contact Mister Burke. Helena smiled.

"Waltman Industries might be able to help you, Miss Jarnefeldt. We offer computer equipment for all kinds of applications." Helena started off.

"If I may ask, what sort of budget are you working with?" The brunette asked the Wizard Saint.

"I've got five million Jewels waiting in my transport." Leona calmly informed Helena exactly what kind of budget she had to work with.

"Excellent. I'll bring up a catalog of our products and show you what your choices are." Helena replied before walking over to the computer station at the back of the room, turning out the room lights with a switch to the right of the computer, activating the projector screen, and doing some rapid-fire typing on the keyboard plus a few clicks of a mouse. Soon the Waltman Industries logo flashed on the screen before a catalog came up. Leona was able to see everything perfectly because of her natural night vision.

"As you can see, we at Waltman Industries offer products for almost any need. Here is our selection of computers for designing robots." Helena started off. She moved the mouse pointer over to a product called the "Davinci Design System." It was a fancy-looking computer with a thin 32" monitor and a sleek black tower containing the hardware.

"I'd recommend the Davinci Design System since it's purpose-built for robotics and features all of the latest software and hardware you'll need for such specialized work. It can read schematics on both older data discs and newer flash drives." The brunette mentioned. Leona was interested in that because Mr. Bank had given her a data disc and she did not have a means to read it.

"The Davinci will cost around 1.5 million Jewels, but it should more than suit your needs, Miss Jarnefeldt." Helena informed the Wizard Saint how much the computer would cost her. Leona remained calm because she had plenty of Jewels to work with.

"Is there any way to customize it?" Leona inquired. Helena smiled.

"Of course, Miss Jarnefeldt. We offer improved storage capacity, improved encryption to make it harder for prying eyes to see what you're doing and steal your work, and more." Helena answered.

"I'll take a Davinci with the most storage capacity you have and the best encryption you can give me." Leona stated.

"That'll be 1.7 million Jewels." Helena stated the price once the customization options were added.

"OK. I'll pay you as fast as I can get to my transport." Leona answered calmly. The brunette moved to another screen which showed tables of some sort. The mouse pointer went to one named the "Vitruvian Design Table."

"If I may suggest this, I'd suggest that you buy a Vitruvian Design Table to go with the Davinci Design System. You can link the Davinci to the Vitruvian by either wireless or wired connections and use the design table to see your designs projected in a 3D hologram. You can also edit them in real time if you want, allowing you to see what you're making before finalizing it and saving your work as a new template." Helena made another sales pitch to Leona. Leona was interested in the product.

"Does it come with additional storage space and improved encryption?" Leona asked. Helena nodded.

"We can certainly add those features to it." The young woman confirmed.

"Please do it." Leona requested.

"The Vitruvian Design Table is normally 2 million Jewels, but with the customization options added it'll run you 2.2 million." Helena stated the new price.

"I'll bring you the money for both products shortly." Leona stated. Helena stopped the presentation and turned the lights back on after Leona had covered her eyes. She turned off the computer and faced Leona with a smile as the blonde left the room to go get the money needed to purchase both products. Mister Burke had been a good client of Leona's and an honest man. His younger sister appeared to be cut from the same cloth... the Wizard Saint did not feel like she had been tricked into buying something more expensive than she needed. However, money was not much of an issue for the blonde, who had saved enough over the years to build up a lot of spending power, power that she was using now to pursue her latest goal.

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-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 11:27 P.M.-

Having returned from the meeting with Helena Burke and having placed orders for both a Davinci Design System and Vitruvian Design Table with extra features, Leona was now in her room. She had ordered both Waltman Industries products and it would take seven business days for them to be ready. When they were ready she could go to their headquarters in Capital Crocus and pick both items up herself.

Once she had gotten home Leona had changed out of her business attire into the navy blue sleeveless turtleneck and white capri cargo pants in preparation for another night spent doing paperwork. She had no idea how much of it had piled up in her absence and she was not looking forward to finding out.

At least she had made significant strides towards her goal to begin working in robotics. She had gained a set of schematics to base her first robot on, a good supply of high-quality electrical wiring to use in her creations, and had ordered a high-tech computer design system and an equally high-tech design table to use in making new designs or refining old ones. Things were looking up for Leona and she was getting the feeling that she just might be able to see a personal project through to completion instead of giving up on it whenever she encountered a difficulty.

Leona took a quiet breath before she exited her room to take a detour to the guild cafe to get some coffee before she went to the office. It would take a week before she got the items that would allow her to take the next step and review the design that Mr. Bank had given her, but she could wait. She would have plenty to keep her occupied until the computer equipment was ready for her to claim.

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