It was too early.<br/><br/>His thoughts fell into the well-worn pattern of morning rationale; it was far too early to be awake. No one should be awake, really. At the very least, no one should be heading to the Market District. It made no sense that he needed to get up now, just to go and open the shop so that no one could come in. He really should just sleep a little longer...<br/><br/>The long arm curled into the scrawny chest, gripping the thin sheets to pull them tight around his shoulders. He snuggled into the pillow, heaving a deep sigh, and prepared to let himself slide back into the warm embrace of sleep.<br/><br/><span style="color: #40BFBF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Good morning, Master."</span></span>Through his lids, the activated lights nearly blinded him. His brow furrowed and his eyes remained shut, face pushing deeper into the pillow. It was too early. This shouldn't be happening yet. In a voice muffled by huskiness and cushion, he answered,<span style="color: #FFBF40"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Not yet, Gil."</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #40BFBF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Per your orders, sir, I must inform you that I cannot accept that answer."</span></span>The voice responded calmly, the dulcet tones as polite and soft as ever, if a little higher than one would expect of an android modeled to appear male. Without another word, the warm blankets were snatched unceremoniously from the newly-wakened young man and his body immediately contracted tighter into its sleep-ball, brow furrowing deeper. A beat passed, but before the figure in the bed could respond the voice continued,<span style="color: #40BFBF"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Per those same orders, I must inform you that I am required to douse you with chilled water if you do not rise, Master."</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF40"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Bloody - "</span></span>the lump of human finally sat up in a jolt, eyes snapping open.<span style="color: #FFBF40"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"Fine,</span> I'm up. You happy?"</span></span>One long-fingered hand came up and tousled his raven locks, the shaggy bang falling in long strands around his eyes and cheekbones while the rest settled closely around his neck. His thickly-lashed eyes, colored the pale amber of good liquor, still sparked with sleepy irritation as they lit upon the source. Gil -or model GIL3882038- stood almost a solid foot taller than he, something made obvious as the android hovered over the side of the bed. The robot's hair, long enough to reach the middle of his back and a gold so pale it was almost white, had been left to lay about his slender shoulders and long torso, a few shorter pieces framing his thin face in a rather feminine style. But then, the dark-haired young man had reasoned, most things about the 'bot were pretty feminine.<br/><br/>With another gurgle of discontent, he slung his legs over the side of his bed and stood, feeling the pops in his knees and spine as his arms stretched over his head and brushed the ceiling. Within a few minutes, he had left his personal quarters wearing a dark sweater a few sizes to big and pants that did not seem much better, his hair tangle-free but still hanging in unstyled locks. He was well aware the contrast he struck to the humanoid robot behind him; Gil wore a stylish suit vest and matching slacks, solid black with matching shoes and a white button-up shirt, everything pristine as usual.<br/><br/>The two strode only a few moments (in moody silence) until they reached a comparatively small shopfront. The entrance was blocked by a close-knit grid of bright blue lasers, but as Xen approached they fizzled into nothing and he didn't even break stride. There were only a few people in the Market District so early in the morning, and most of them were merely sipping their nutri-bevs or on their way to their own jobs. Xen thought for the umpteenth time since opening his shop almost four years ago that it really<span style="font-style: italic">was</span>too early.<br/><br/>Lights around the shop blinked into life, forming the words "Discount Tech" in mostly-working neon. The lanky young man ducked behind the counter in the far corner of the little shop, his eyes glancing lazily at the shelves piled high with useless junk. Bits of cut or frayed wire, the coating running every color in the spectrum, poked out from behind thick metal plates that had a few bolts missing or a fault-line. Small devices, most likely lasers or some other form of activated accessory, lay in disorganized heaps alongside the occasional tangle of alloy. There were even a few android limbs scattered without rhyme or reason, prompting passers-by to leave with concerned expressions as a disembodied hand or foot reached to them from the cluttered shelves. Absently, Xen disengaged the lasers protecting the counter with a wave of his hand and slipped a thin silver bracelet over his left wrist, then collapsed into one of the two chairs in the entire place. He'd wake up any moment now, and then maybe this morning wouldn't seem quite as pointless as the rest of them.<br/><br/>Silently, his android perched in the remaining chair, one shrouded in shadows in the corner.