Anna
"I'm glad you're making progress on your projects, but that's now what I asked Diao." 

*The cat put a hand on his hip, grimacing slightly at the state of the woman. The once beautiful flower seemed to wither... Suppose he was at fault for that himself. He didn't think she would take a rejection that hard.*

"You look far from *Fine*. When's the last time you've cleaned up, or went outside for something besides the toilet?"
Danae
"..."

*The artificer reached for a cup of stale, room temperature coffee and taking a small sip of it before setting it back down. A quick look at Horace's grimace resulted in her letting out an exhausted sigh, sitting back in her complex, hand crafted chair.*

"Eh? I think it's been a couple days since. Vinci brings me stuff so I don't die."

*The robotic butler would enter the room with a plate of shrimp tempera, setting it next to a stack of plates that held traces of fried breading. Said stack would be taken by the Kuilei to be washed.*

"Want one?"
Anna
"Er- No thank you... Look Diao, this is serious. You're hardly even trying to take care of yourself. Eating horribly, avoiding daylight, not washing."

*The Neko scratched the back of his head. He ended up just lecturing her on her well being instead.*
"I'm sorry that I turned you down. It's just- For a crush, you're letting this affect you a little too much."
Danae
"I'll fix myself up. Just gotta finish this first."

*Diao pointed her thumb to the massive suit of armor. Her attempt at deflection soon proved ineffective, and the artificer just leaned forward.*

"I told you, I'm not good with emotions. It... I don't know how to deal with it. So I do what I do best, and that's work."

*Her metallic arm bent backward to snag a tempura, and she bit into it.*
Anna
"Isn't that just running away? 'I can't handle this so I'll just go do that'." 

*The Neko crossed his arms and looked at the metal armor again. He reached out his gloved hand, running it over its contours and edges.*
"You're acting like some kinda machine these days..."
Danae
"It's not, it's bypassing a weakness. Like how I'm no longer in the best shape physically, so I make up for it with something else."

*The metallic arm was raised to prove her point.*

"Nothing wrong with that, right? They do what they're supposed to do. In a way, I'm like that too. Not only am I part machine already, but I do my best when I don't get involved in other areas, right?"
Anna
"Bypassing, or ignoring? This doesn't really seem like it'll teach you how to be better with people." 

*Horace turned back to Diao, stepping over to her. His hand comes down to her forehead, flicking her lightly.*
"Remember when we first met? What our deal was?"
Danae
*Diao went silent in thought before receiving a flick on her forehead, the Black Iron responding accordingly (though its response was weaker than normal)*

"Ow! Our deal? When we first met... That was a long time ago. Are you referring to me giving you weapons?"

*The artificer scratched her head, confused.*
Anna
"Well, that was about half of it. Our deal was, you'd make me weapons, and I'd help you get stronger." 
*He paused, watching the Black Iron appear and then quickly disappear. She'd infected herself with whatever this was too then.*

"In hindsight, I haven't really upheld my end of the bargain. Suppose no time like the present."
Danae
"Oh, that's right. Though, how do you exactly plan on doing that? A workout routine? More robotic parts?"

*For all of Diao's intelligence, her skill and expertise was solely in the mechanical department. It was apparent that her social skills were lacking, as she had zero clue what Horace meant.*
Anna
"Well, if I had to make you strong... You're strong of mind. I don't think strength of body is what you need either though. That only leaves strength of heart, right?" 

*The neko's ears twitched and he thought to himself. How they'd go about this training he had no clue. It'd be difficult too, considering their recent past and all... Still, he had to try. The most obvious and quick solution being a change in scenery.*

"Let's walk and talk. Some light will do you good." 
*The cat reached over and plucked Diao's wrist. It wasn't a question, and Horace made it obvious with how he so easily maneuvered her out of her seat and to the door.*
"Fresh air."
Danae
"Strong of heart?"

*Diao found herself dragged out the door, desperately snagging a piece of tempura along for the ride. Before she knew it, she was at the door.*

"My hair's a mess..."

*Nevertheless, the robot butler opened the door.*
Anna
*Horace kept on pulling Diao along. He gave a slight, thankful nod to the butler beside them and continued on. Through the hallway and down the stairs, across the the many rooms of the club.*
"Yeah a lot of you is. But that's not the objective right now, unless you want to stop by the bathhouse."
Danae
*Diao would let herself be dragged along, fixing her hair slightly as they went along.*

"I'll do that later."

*The artificer seemed lighter than normal as she was dragged along like a kite out the door. Once that happened, she would almost reel back from the intensity of sunlight, squinting and turning her head away.*
Anna
*Of course, once the sun blindness died off Diao would find herself in the outside. The warm heat on her skin, a gentle breeze to follow. The greenery of the outside porch upon which Horace's estate sat was quite nice indeed. A beauty that only those who haven't known Mother Nature's touch for a time could see.*
"Much better than that cramped room. The fresh air tends to be quite invigorating. So... I guess now we're to the talking part of this."
Danae
*Given some time, Diao finally opened her eyes. Once the sunlight touched her sight, they widened, allowing her to take in the full view of the scene in front of her. She had seen this dozens if not hundreds of times, but today's beauty captivated her. A deep breath gave circulation to the once stale air in her lungs.*

"Huh? Oh. Yes. That."
Anna
"So... I... Guess we start simple? How are you feeling today?"

*God he was out of his depth. Why did he think this was a good idea? Just keep asking dumb questions and you might get somewhere.*
Danae
"Tired. Just tired."

*Diao leaned on the railing of the porch, looking outward at the green grass below. Part of her just wanted to lie down there and take a nap, and maybe forget about the painful memory still recent in her mind.*