Madi Plays Nice?

Ayden followed Mr. Roslen to the side, where he was told to sit down while Mr. Roslen headed out back. Isabella sat next to him and asked: "Why are you so quiet?"

"Just thinking about how useless I am sometimes. For the past few days, I have relied on nothing but you. You protected me from Greg, and even now, you are watching out for me. Kinda…. Well Makes me wonder what I need to do to not be protected by a girl anymore." Ayden replied honestly. He was never one to lie about how he was feeling.

Isabella nodded and felt maybe Ayden needed a push in the right direction. "Just work hard. Follow the routines I have set up for you, and then practice, practice, practice. Not only will you make a name for yourself, but you will also be able to shield those you care about behind you with just your name. Esports is at a place in this day and age that many look up to. A single one of the pro players can make a ton of money just by flashing a smile at the camera. Their skills and abilities prove their worth. They can go to places full of confidence with their head raised high. You just need to do the same. Use this chance to show you are someone who is not easily messed with."

Ayden looked up at Isabella and then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Isabella sat there in silence as Ayden took it all in. He took a deep breath before nodding his head. "You are right. My actions up until now have always been subservient. I need to really start standing up for myself like I do in game. The game allows me to unleash a different me that has always been aching to come out, and now…. Now I will try to bring that other me into real life once I have the ability to…."

"That is the way to go. But to be honest, Ayden….. You seem the same both in game and out." Isabella teased, causing Ayden to shrug. To him, he could see the difference, even if it was only slightly different.

"Here we are!" Mr. Roselen came back in. "These are the arms, and these are the plugs. The plugs are good because they are standard sockets and will fit even the most expensive cybernetics, so if you ever decide to change them out, you will not need to worry about getting new plugs. Now I must want you. Once you chop your limbs off, you can never put them back on."

"Yes, I understand." Ayden chuckled. He knew that once his legs and arms were cut off, they would be tossed out. This was just how things worked here.

"Okay, then let me take a full cast of your hands so your fingerprints will stay the same. Do not worry. We incinerate all body parts, so you will not need to worry about anyone being able to access your personal data. Do you wish to have this surgery done now? If you do, we can take you back now and put you under, but it will take a few hours." Mr. Roselen was pulling out all the stops as he wanted to make up for his bad hiring. He could not afford to lose this job!

Ayden looked at the time. While it would be cutting it close, he still nodded his head. "Mm…. let me look at these first." Ayden picked up both the legs and arms. He checked them over, and they seemed quite solid. He only had the arms and legs he had at the house to compare them to, but from the looks of it, they were decent. They were nowhere near as high grade as the others, but they would do what he needed to for the time being until he had completed his rework on the ones Madi had given him.

After fully inspecting them, Ayden placed them back down. "I am ready if you can start now." He wondered how Madi would react when he finally showed her that he had gotten cybernetics.

"Good! Then please follow me." Mr. Roselen smiled and picked up the plugs and cybernetics, and ushered Ayden to the back room where they would begin the casting. While Ayden was undergoing preparations for surgery, Isabella leaned against the couch and pressed her finger against her temple.

In a classroom, Madi frowned when a call came through. "What the hell do you want?"

"I just brought your brother in to get fitted for plugs and a mid-tier set of cybernetics for his training. I wanted to let you know ahead of time so you would not freak out on me. This is all needed for his job. He is about to undergo surgery now." Isabella replied. She decided to call the Little Undertaker and explain to her what was going on so she wouldn't get an ear full later on.

"Oh?" Madi was quite surprised. But then her brow wrinkled as she asked: "You're not at some shady back alley, are you?"

"What do you take me!? Of course not. Ayden is on my team and has already signed the contracts. As his boss and teammate, I need to make sure he is fully prepared. I am at one of my family's shops. We have some of the best surgeons. " Isabella actually took offense to this question. She never did things in a shady manner when it came to the esport team she wanted to build up.

"Alright. Hold your panties. I said I would not do anything as long as you do not hurt my brother, so I will leave it at that." Madi paused for a moment as she gritted her teeth and said: "Thanks. My brother has always wanted cybernetics. He always talked about them, and even though I got him some, it would be years before he actually used them, so I am glad one of his dreams have come true."

Isabella was silent. She never expected the bro-con Little Undertaker to thank her. She couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, no matter what happens if your brother gets hurt in any way, I will take full responsibility for it as his employer. Also…. We need to come up with an excuse for you having cybernetics…."