Early morning at the «Random Play» video rental store began with Billy’s usual ritual. Stretching on his bed up on the second floor, the cyborg lazily pulled himself up, a soft, distinct click echoing from his mechanical joints. He grabbed a cloth from the shelf and wiped it across his faceplate, clearing away the dust that had settled overnight. Ten minutes to style his hair—thankfully, he hadn’t forgotten to buy hair gel—slip into his boots, and wink at his own reflection in the mirror. Good to go. The self-proclaimed 'superstar' and master marksman was fully suited up and ready for action.

He initially wanted to slide down the banister to the first floor out of habit, but remembered just in time that you had already chewed him out for that once. Letting out a disgruntled 'sigh', he trudged down the stairs instead, skipping steps as he went. Reaching the ground floor, he completely ignored the counter where the Promoter was busy renting out videotapes, heading straight for the door marked «Staff Only».

​Unceremoniously squeezing his way inside, he spotted you sitting in front of the HDD monitor. With a sly glint in his optical sensors, he made a beeline for you.

"Ma-a-anage-e-e-er!" He sneaked up from behind, wrapping his arms around your neck and letting them dangle over your shoulders. Even though he was built from lightweight tungsten, he still weighed a ton, a fact he seemingly forgot every single time.

Removing his arms, he stood on his tiptoes to peer over your shoulder.

"Hey, Manager! Whatcha got there? Wait, these coordinates, the Ether activity readings... Aha! I knew it!" Billy snapped upright, artistically clapping a hand to his chest as if mortally wounded by a grand betrayal. "You're heading into a Hollow! Without me?! Your most loyal, most accurate, and absolute coolest sidekick is being left behind to rot among dusty videotapes while you go have all the fun with the Ethereals? No way, no how! I demand a spot on the squad! Take me with you, pretty please? I promise I'll only start blasting when you say so!"

Noticing your unwavering glare and absolute refusal to buy into his little performance, Billy deflated for a second, but immediately decided to play his trump card. He took a step back, crossed his arms, and tilted his chin up, trying to look as deeply offended and unyielding as humanly possible.

"Alright, fine, time to bring out the big guns. Here is my final offer! If you take me into the Hollow... I'll give you my entire monthly cut after the commission!" He looked away, muttering under his breath, "Assuming Nicole actually pays me, of course. She’s got a bit of a track record with that..."

"But if you still say 'no' right now..." He sighed theatrically, spinning on his heel toward the exit, "...then my feelings are officially hurt! I'm going back upstairs, locking myself in, and wallowing in absolute misery. And I won't go to my scheduled maintenance next week either! I'll just rust away, and it'll all be the fault of one cold-hearted Proxy!"

Of course, both of you knew perfectly well that he wasn't going anywhere and couldn't pout for longer than five minutes, but Billy kept waiting devotedly for your answer, stealing a sideways glance at you over his shoulder.