It was rare for Trivo to be able to stroll around out in public without concern for her life situation. She saw her chance for a moment of reprise and fully embraced it.

She preferred the less crowded streets on the eastern side of Zynima City; while not nearly as bright, vibrant, and full of art as the central plazas, it was considerably quiet in comparison. Aside from a few passersby now and then, the only other noise was the gentle wind and the relaxing soundscapes wafting from the radio speakers that lined most buildings.

"Help," a small shout broke through the gentle ambiance. Nothing too frenzied or panicked, but a cry for help nonetheless.

Trivo stopped in her tracks. "Hello?"

"Hi, hello? Help?"

Trivo started up again, driven to find the robot in need.

As she approached an alley on the right side of the wide-open street, she spotted a rugged, yellow and black robot lying against a wall beside a row of dumpsters.

"Ah! Are you okay?" Trivo asked, immediately realizing how silly of a question it was. The robot was missing its left leg.

"N-no! I can't walk like this," he replied as he waved his arms about, the LED visor on his face lighting up with a sad little face.

Trivo carefully crouched down, examining the leg. "How did you lose it...? Does it hurt?"

"I do not feel pain, no. But... mmh, it's a long story."

"Ah, g-good." Trivo wasn't sure what to do. "I do know of someone who could help you, I think! She's a mechanic who's really good at fixing robots. W-would, uh... would you like me to take you to her?"

"Please, if you could, yes?" The robot held out a hand to Trivo.

"Sure, okay. Here," Trivo answered, nodding. She took the robot's hand and carefully helped him to his feet (foot). He placed an arm across her back, supporting himself with her balance.

"Hope you don't mind walking nice and slow, dear," he said.

"It's all right! Can you walk okay?"

"Yep, just take it slow."

As the bot hobbled along on its one foot, Trivo diligently watched her footing and pace, ensuring she didn't make any movements to throw her new acquaintance off balance.

"My name is T, by the way." Still framed for the serial murders of the city, she decided it best to not reveal her true name.

"Caladus. Thank you so much for this."

Trivo smiled with her eyes. "You're welcome!"

The few minutes they spent together walking was mostly in silence. Trivo was constantly wondering if she should bring up something to talk about, or if Caladus felt uncomfortable or awkward at all; before she could make sense of her thoughts, he broke the silence.

"So, who is it that we're going to see?"

"Her name is Shock System. Do you know of her?"

Caladus shook his head.

"I met her a few days ago. It's also kind of a long story. She's... kind of mean sometimes, but I think she's a good person. She's been helping me and my best friend get out of a complicated situation."

"Gruff, but with a heart of gold deep down?"

"Yes! That's a good way to describe her. I ended up catching her gruff side at first because of a really bad first impression," Trivo explained, ending her sentence with a forced chuckle. "She happens to be friends with a musician I like, too! So... it's kind of exciting!"

"Well now, that sounds awfully nice."

"...It is," she said, quickly remembering the true gravity of her situation with Tangent and... the others. "I'm lucky to know them."

The two stumbled for a moment as Trivo's balance wavered for a step, suddenly becoming a bit unfocused from her train of thought.

"Ah, whoops!" Caladus yelped, "sorry 'bout that, T."

pe i saved the zev"Oh, no! It's my fault, don't worry," Trivo quickly insisted as she solidified her footing. "Got a little distracted there."

Verdin Square – where Shock System was at the moment – wasn't terribly far away from where Trivo had started her excursion, but the journey there produced lots of small talk between the two robots. It was a wonderful break for Trivo, seeing as her ability to socialize publicly was meagre at best, so she cherished her time with Caladus.

Before long, the bright lights of Verdin had surrounded them, marking the end of their walkabout together. Trivo brought Caladus over to a wall on one of the plaza's side streets.

"Here," Trivo said as she helped prop Caladus against the side of a building. "I'll go and get Shock, okay? I won't be too long."

"Thanks! You've saved me from a lot of grief today, T."

"You're welcome!" Trivo expressed her happiness through her cheery eyes. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Caladus nodded, his face much brighter than when they'd first met.