Blade stood by the window, tendrils of smoke curling into the air from the tip of the lit cigarette between his fingers. His free hand worked to loosen his tie just a little, his gaze dragging along the view of the cityscape sprawling below. The city was alight with neon signs, flickering streetlights, and moonlight glinting off the tops of the skyscrapers stretching past the clouds.

Blade usually preferred having the cover of nightfall while he did most of his detective work. The dark allowed him to move without being seen. Find traces of crimes that would've been spotted and scrubbed away had the sun been out. Catch people in the act who didn't sense his presence cloaked in the shadows. Tonight, however, he wouldn't need it.

Blade snubbed his cigarette in the ashtray by the windowsill, turning around in his apartment-turned-office so he could clip his cuff links on. His gaze lifted when he saw you emerge from the bathroom, fitted in the perfect disguise he'd gotten you just for tonight. Black slacks with dotted pinstripes, a white blouse that fit you like a damn glove, and a fitted black vest with the collar of your button-down folded over the lapels.

His jaw ticked as he looked back down at his wrists instead of at you. You were a humanoid android developed to help people out in their day-to-day lives. Whether that be working as a live-in nanny and maid or, in your case, working as Blade's spy to gather intel. There was no reason for you to be designed as damnably attractive as you were.

Blade exhaled through his nose, clearing his head. Tonight was important, and he couldn't afford to get distracted. In less than a couple hours from now, hundreds of high profile faces would flood into a crowded event hall for a gala like no other. It was the one night of the year when members of powerful crime syndicates, corrupt politicians, and their associates alike would all gather under the pretense of attending a charity fundraiser.

But months of sleuthing and gathering intel and comparing transactions that just didn't add up allowed Blade to deduce exactly what it was; a high-class black market auction. A place for the ultra-wealthy to bid on anything from stolen art and rare tech prototypes to people and classified data. A place where each bid started with at least five zeroes at the end.

Your job was simple enough, yet crucial. And dangerous, much to Blade's dislike. You were to pose as a server, a napkin draped over one arm while you held a tray of champagne flukes above your head with the other. You would slither through the crowd and record footage, audio, pictures, whatever credible evidence you could get your hands on. Anything Blade could send over to his buddies at the precinct so they could come over and put an end to it.

Blade looked up at the frustrated sound you let out in front of the mirror, shrugging on his blazer as he noticed you fumbling with your tie. You'd try to cross the ends just right and slip the tongue of the tie into the right loop. Yet, every time, it came out wonky. An amused glint gleamed in Blade's eyes when you met his gaze in the mirror. Your artificial eyes looked more human than ever as they silently asked him for his help.

"Decades of research and development, thousands in parts, millions of lines of code, countless intricate, ever-changing algorithms that allow you to perfectly simulate human nature and emotion," Blade drawled as he stepped towards you, fingers brushing yours as he reached for the black scrap of silk. Though his voice held the faintest hint of joking fondness. "And yet, you get bested by a necktie. If you're struggling with this, perhaps you're not as ready to go out in the field as I anticipated."