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CHAPTER 21: ERROR: PEACEFUL ENDING...?

4. Meeting...

The VICE HEAD of the MECH DIV was a young lady who reminded Steven of the stern aunt who'd always give someone a hard time at family gatherings. Except, instead of yelling about "manners", she seemed more inclined to discuss the mechanical intricacies of a nuclear reactor.

She wore bronze-rimmed glasses that looked as though they could double as precision instruments, and her lab clothes gave off a vibe that said, "I'm ready to join any experiment, just try and stop me."

"So..." the VICE HEAD began, peering over her glasses at Alejandro. "Alejandro, I understand your family situation. Your family is hyper fixated on their mining business, and they want you to focus on the economic side of the job, rather than the engineering side. For them, engineering is the work they delegate to the less economically... sufficient... working class hires. But what if you were to wow them while representing the MECH div? Maybe they'll change their mind."

Alejandro's face went dark, and Steven could almost see storm clouds gathering in his eyes. "You don't know anything about my family."

Steven resisted the urge to whistle a happy tune.

The VICE HEAD pulled out something that would make any tech geek drool—a mech armor suit embedded with nano-technology and geo-elemental compatibility.

"What if... you wear this during your battle. It'll be like us sponsoring you. This is a mech armor suit with nano-tech, so it can be worn in a moment's notice. It perfectly complements your cultivation technique! And it's state of the art tech." She held it out in front of Alejandro's eyes.

"I-" Alejandro started, tearing his eyes away from the suit.

Finally, he said softly: "I-I'll wear it."

"What about me?" Steven's head popped out.

The VICE HEAD's gaze flicked onto Steven like he was a hair she'd found in her morning cereal. She scrutinized the boy, who didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. "Ah... I wasn't informed we had... someone else." She looked Steven up and down again, probably wondering if the kid was capable of lifting a screwdriver without injuring himself. And worse, even though Steven's face was a bit cute, for some reason, she couldn't help but feel the urge to punch it once or twice. "A-are you a good fighter?"

Steven couldn't believe it. Of course he was?

"Sorry, Alejandro," Steven said, his voice dripping with cheerfulness, "Could the VICE HEAD and I have a short, private chat? I need to show her my letters of recommendation."

Alejandro shrugged and sauntered out, leaving Steven alone with the VICE HEAD, who looked about as thrilled as a cat facing a bath.

After Alejandro left, the room was filled with whispers, shouts, clashes, and clangs.

"C-come in!" the VICE HEAD finally stammered, her face pulled into what might have been a smile.

Alejandro walked back in. He noticed Steven and the VICE HEAD talking peacefully, with the VICE HEAD having quite the 'persuaded?' look on her face.

"Y-yes," the VICE HEAD smiled weakly, "I suppose we do have other accommodations! Alright now, please get a move along. I have a meeting soon!"

She shoo-ed Alejandro and Steven out.

Steven and Alejandro started walking down the halls. The two boys found themselves walking down the maze of the mech division halls, with Dieze pointing Steven to the 'way out ->', and Alejandro silently following them. (Which was honestly kinda odd, cause it looked like Alejandro was slightly lost, too.)