Airing Out (Destiny, Robot sneezing)

[Wig_Powder]

This is a sequel of sorts to the Destiny fic I wrote last year, as I got a new idea for a story based on what little knowledge of the game canon I have. I'll go into more detail at the end of the story, but for now, the only context you need to know is that in Destiny 2, the last basion of Humanity, The Last City, was taken over by the bad guys (collectively known as The Darkness). Eventually, the player and the other characters in the game fight back and reclaim the city, though there's a lot of rebuilding to do. And while we don't get to see him in action, there's a small clip in a cutscene that suggests that Arcite was part of the fight, a detail that briefly comes up in my story.

The story will be posted in two parts, one today and one tomorrow. I don't tend to do this if the story is already complete, but in this case, my ending point for today is the perfect cliffhanger, and sometimes I can't resist building suspense, even if it's only for twelve hours or so.

~~~

“Guardian Eryl!” Lord Shaxx called out, his booming voice so strong that it was difficult to tell if he was shouting from across the square or only from a foot or two away, “I have a request of you!”

Eryl immediately turned around and made her way over to the Titan. “Of course, Lord Shaxx. What is it?”

“As helpful as you’ve been in fighting back our enemies, we do need a little help getting the Last City back in order,” Shaxx said, lowering his voice to a softer level as she approached, “Therefore, I was wondering if you might take a few days off from travelling the galaxy and help us clear away rubble from what used to be the Hall of Guardians. Arcite and I would be most grateful for your assistance.”

Eryl had been inclined to say yes anyway, but the mention of the Quartermaster was enough to make her nod enthusiastically. “I’d be happy to. How long do you think it will take?”

“It’s difficult to say,” Shaxx responded, “It depends on how many other people and Frames I can get to help out. But I’d say the actual clearing of debris will probably take at least a week. I wouldn’t dream of keeping you for that long, of course; you can decide how long you can spare to help us out.”

Eryl grinned. “I can probably stay for at least three days,” she said, “Maybe longer if the Darkness decide to stay in their pits licking their wounds.”

“Marvelous!” Shaxx said, “I’ll join you when I can, but duty—and bureaucracy—calls. Even so, I’m sure between you, Arcite, and anyone else I can recruit, we can make a good dent in the mess by evening.”

“Then I guess we’d better get started,” Eryl said, “Are there any supplies you think I should fetch?”

Nine minutes later, Eryl was standing in the ruined Hall of Guardians, wearing some medium armor to protect her against sharp debris and her Pallas ring to give her a little extra strength. Surprisingly, Arcite hadn’t arrived yet; no doubt he was tied up with either Crucible business or another Guardian wanting to buy new weapons or turn in a bounty. Knowing he’d turn up eventually, however, Eryl set to work, picking up the closest piece of stone and hauling it over to the large skip that had been set up at the edge of the room. As she did so, she took stock of the mess and shook her head. Despite Shaxx’s enthusiasm, she had a feeling it would take at least ten days to clear all the rubble away, a month or more to rebuild the walls, and three months at a minimum to fully restore the hall to a point where it could be safely used. Still, she’d do her part to speed up the process, and with Arcite there to chat with while she did so, she didn’t think the task would be all that arduous.

Eryl was just dumping her third piece of rubble when she spotted a familiar silhouette entering from the hole in the opposite side of the hall. “Arcite!” she called out, grinning and raising a hand, “There you are! I hope you don’t mind that I started without you.”

“Certainly not,” Arcite responded as he made his way towards her, “The sooner we can restore the hall, the better. Waiting for others to arrive is not an efficient use of time.” Then, before Eryl could respond to that, he added “And yes, Hunter, I am aware that that was banter rather than an actual concern.”

Eryl chuckled. “Glad to see that you’re in good spirits. All right, why don’t you tackle these heavier chunks, and I’ll pick up any of the smaller stones you leave behind. Then, when my arms get tired, I can start sweeping up the broken glass while you move on to a different area.”

Arcite inclined his head. “That seems like a reasonable strategy. Let’s begin, then.”

With that, he moved over to a piece of wall that probably weighed a quarter of a ton, if not more, and lifted it as easily as Eryl lifting a full bag of supplies. Eryl allowed herself a few seconds to be impressed, then picked up a stone of her own and followed him towards the skip. “Everything going all right with you, Arcite?” she asked as she did so, “Are you still in demand as a quartermaster, or have you been given a new assignment until you get your desk back?”

“At the moment, nobody seems entirely sure what to do with me,” Arcite admitted, shoving the debris into the skip and turning around to grab another piece, “Since our return from the Farm, there has been an increased need for weaponry. Simultaneously, however, there has been a sharp decrease in people coming to purchase weapons from me. I don’t take it personally, but it does mean I’m constantly looking for ways to make myself useful, and I imagine most of the inhabitants feel the same way. Except for the Sweeper Bots, I suppose; they, at least, can feel like they’re really earning their keep through all this.”

Eryl gave a sympathetic nod. “Well, if it’ll help, I’d be glad to up my training sessions with you to daily lessons whenever I’m in the city. That way, you’ll fill up at least two hours in your schedule.”

Arcite turned his head to nod back at her before lifting the debris chunk. “That would be greatly appreciated. And I’m sure Shaxx will be glad to see you improving yourself as well so you can vanquish our enemies more efficiently.”

Eryl rolled her eyes good-naturedly, though even she wasn’t sure if it was in relation to Shaxx’s enthusiasm for combat or Arcite’s tendency to see things as a task to be completed rather than an engaging event. Perhaps one day she’d be able to get him to change his viewpoint, but in the meantime, she’d just enjoy his company in whatever form she could get it.

The two of them worked in silence for a few minutes, Arcite out of habit while Eryl was trying to conserve her breath. Then, just as the two of them had finished clearing the corner they’d been working on and were moving to a section a little closer to the skip, Arcite abruptly stopped in his tracks. Eryl stopped as well and looked at him curiously, wondering if his speakers had picked up something she couldn’t hear. Seconds later, however, Arcite’s body quivered slightly, his head bobbing downwards while his faceplate briefly flashed red. “Eh-GZZTT-sscchhhh!”

Eryl was a bit taken aback by the sound; partly because it was unexpected, but mostly because she actually recognized it. She hadn’t heard it in over a year, but given the circumstances it had been in, it was a difficult sound to forget. “You all right, Arcite?” she asked immediately, resting her hand on his shoulder piece.

Arcite was silent for a moment as he lifted his head. Then he said “I believe so. I don’t feel the sluggishness or heat that I felt the last time I had an expulsion like that, so I don’t think I’ve contracted another virus. That being said, I have no explanation for what brought this expulsion on.”

“I’m as confused as you are,” Eryl said, “Do you want to visit a technician to make sure your system is clean?”

Arcite shook his head. “While I’ll probably visit them once we’ve finished here just to determine the cause of the expulsion, I see no reason to do so just yet. While the interruption is unusual, it’s a minor irritation that isn’t hampering my work at present. I’d like to be able to report to Shaxx that we were at least able to fill up this skip before ending our work for the day.”

“If that’s what you want,” Eryl said, stepping away from him to grab another smaller section of wall, “But in return, promise me that if you start feeling off, that you’ll let me know and maybe take a small break to try to regain some equilibrium.”

“Of course,” Arcite said, striding past her to grab a much larger chunk, “It wouldn’t do for either of us to overexert ourselves.” Satisfied that the Frame had at least some sense of self-preservation, Eryl returned to work as well. The expulsion was still a bit concerning, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. If Arcite wasn’t bothered by it, then she probably shouldn’t be, either.

Just as it started to feel like the two of them were getting back into a rhythm, however, it happened again. This time, Arcite was in the process of carrying yet another large section of broken wall to the skip when he lurched to a halt, his fingers noticeably tightening around his load before shuddering again. “Uh-GZZTT-schhhh!” Fortunately, he maintained his grip on the stone, but Eryl couldn’t help but feel that it had been a little too close for comfort. She waited until Arcite had tossed away the stone, then said;

“Are you sure you’re feeling all right? Maybe you should lift smaller stones, just to be on the safe side.”

“I assure you, Hunter, that I still feel no symptoms of a virus other than these expulsions,” Arcite said, “However, your suggestion is a sound one; while this latest incident suggests that I can maintain my grip on anything I’m holding when an expulsion strikes, there’s always a chance I could accidentally injure myself or someone else.”

Eryl nodded. “My thoughts exactly. It may take a little longer to fill the skip, but this way, we can still deal with a decent amount of the mess. Do you want to take over stone-clearing duty while I start sweeping up glass, or shall we keep tackling the stones together?”

“I’ll follow along with your preferences,” Arcite responded, “If you need to give your muscles a rest, feel free to start sweeping. You don’t need to attempt to keep up with me for the sake of appearances. After all, Guardians may be the best of us, but even they have their limitations.”

Eryl chose to take his words as a well-meaning attempt to be considerate of her, and nodded again. “I think I can handle a few more rocks. Why don’t we work at opposite corners, in order to try to clear up as much of the room as we can?”

***

Arcite had to admit, he was growing increasingly concerned with the situation. He truly didn’t believe that there was a virus in his systems, but he currently couldn’t think of any other reason for these expulsions, which seemed to be happening with increasing frequency. What’s more, a new sensation had begun after about the eighth expulsion; a low but noticeable buzz in the back of his head that would last for several seconds before fading away. It was similar to the warnings that popped up when a Frame took serious damage, though Arcite had been cautious enough during his fighting days that he’d never actually experienced such a thing for himself. But why would he be receiving such a warning now? He wasn’t overexerting himself, and he certainly hadn’t been hit by anything. Was this some sort of aftereffect from his participation in the fight to reclaim the city? They hadn’t had time to fully swap out his vendor programming with the combat files, and while they had changed them back as soon as the city was secure, perhaps having the two running simultaneously could cause issues. Shaxx had said that he’d noticed Arcite handling the weapons with more reverence than usual…

Just as he was making a note of this to report to the technicians when he went in to be looked at, he felt his joints locking up in preparation for yet another expulsion. “Eh-GZZTT-sshhh!” The buzz flared up again, this time accompanied by an imbalance in the unlocking subroutine. His left side loosened up as soon as the expulsion had passed, but his right remained frozen until the buzzing subsided. At that point, it unlocked quickly, causing Arcite to stagger slightly. Fortunately, he didn’t drop the stones he was holding, but this latest development was concerning enough that he decided to follow Guardian Eryl’s lead and swap to sweeping up the floor. If this imbalance persisted, or some new glitch appeared, he would have to leave the Hunter to work alone while he visited the technicians. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but given her repeatedly stated concern for him, he could at least be reassured that she wouldn’t be upset by his departure.

As he deposited the stones in the skip, he remembered his promise to the Guardian, and turned to face her. “I believe I’ll be joining you in the sweeping for the time being. It appears my expulsions are causing temporary balance issues.”

The Hunter’s head immediately shot up, looking him over intently before she spoke. “Maybe you should sit down for a bit,” she said, “That’s what Humans do when they feel dizzy. Water can help, too; is there some sort of coolant you can consume?”

Arcite shook his head. “Coolant is only added during maintenance,” he said, “As for sitting down, that might be a good idea. However, I want to wait to see if it happens again before doing so, since that will allow me to experiment with sweeping techniques to see which ones are most efficient.”

Guardian Eryl seemed skeptical, but eventually sighed and nodded. “If that’s what you want. But I’m going to force you to sit down after your next expulsion, and you’d better not offer up any resistance.”

“I can’t promise that,” Arcite said, “‘Offering up resistance’ is part of my core programming. But a reminder that this is for my greater good, both from my memory banks and from you, should be enough to override that.”

With that, he looked around to find a broom, allowing the Guardian to return to her own sweeping. As he did so, he found himself once again puzzling over the Hunter’s attitude. To most inhabitants of the Last City, Frames were a tool to be used, something to be maintained to ensure a decent quality of life but otherwise not worth dwelling on much. Those who didn’t, like Lord Shaxx, generally had spent a long time interacting with Frames and thus were more likely to acknowledge the little nuances of genuine personality that developed in each Frame’s programming over time. Even then, however, they were likely to revert to giving orders and expecting them to be carried out if things started getting busy. Guardian Eryl, on the other hand, always spoke to him about matters outside of the Crucible or his other duties, and seemed genuinely interested in his responses. Not to mention that when they trained together, she’d check to make sure she hadn’t injured him; he’d told her multiple times that that was practically impossible given the low energy levels of the guns and the sturdiness of his chassis, but she did it anyway. It was refreshing, but he still couldn’t figure out why she’d take the time to do so.

(He’d even mentioned this to Shaxx at one point, who’d just laughed and said that it was her way of showing her appreciation and admiration. He’d also said something about “indulging her crush”, which Arcite assumed had something to do with her chosen battle style. And if he was able to help her improve said style, he was glad to be of assistance.)

Once Arcite had obtained the broom, he returned to his designated cleaning area and started sweeping up the glass and other nearby bits of refuse. While he’d never been programmed to be a Sweeper Bot, it wasn’t exactly a difficult skill to master, and he soon had amassed a decent pile of detritus at his feet. As he bent down to brush the pile into a dustpan, he felt the surge that accompanied one of his expulsions, and tried to straighten up before his circuits locked, not wanting the imbalance from before to cause him to fall over. He ended up being only partially successful. “Uh-GZZTT-ksshhhhh!”

Once again, his joints didn’t unlock at the same time. This time, however, instead of unlocking from left to right, they unlocked from the top down. What this meant was that his upper half abruptly shot upwards as soon as the expulsion was complete, followed a moment later by his legs reactivating. It happened too quickly for Arcite to regain proper equilibrium, leading to him stumbling backwards by two steps. As he did so, he felt something bump against his back, and automatically whipped around to identify it, hands coming up in an offensive position. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t a threat, just one of the banners that had somehow remained partially hanging on the ceiling. But the combination of running into the banner and his hand coming into contact with it as he turned had jostled the fabric sufficiently enough that one of the supports snapped, sending the cloth swaying and depositing a load of debris down on the ground, pelting Arcite in the process.

Ordinarily, Arcite would have brushed himself off, chided himself for his carelessness, and then proceeded with more caution. This time, however, his system went completely haywire. Even as he felt his body preparing for another expulsion, the buzz briefly returned before transitioning into an actively blaring alert. His vision began to distort, and he felt a rush of heat, his fans going into overdrive to try to cool him. As he struggled to make sense of everything going on, he found himself desperately hoping that this next expulsion would help somehow—that perhaps it would expel whatever was causing these issues. Instead, he found himself frozen in place as the expulsions came in a burst of five, rather than the single ones that had been plaguing him since starting work in the hall. “Ah-GZZTT-tshhh! Et-GZZTT-schhh! Ih-GZZTT-kshh! Uh-GZZTT-chhh! Eh-hehh-GZTT-KISSHHH!!!”

With each expulsion, his vision stuttered, the alarm blaring louder and louder, and it even felt as though he was losing sensation in his limbs. Finally, he felt yet another surge, but instead of resulting in an expulsion, an uncomfortable sensation similar to a shock rushed through his system, and his subroutines immediately cut out. The last thing he heard before everything went dark was Guardian Eryl's voice, sounding sharp and…was that fear?

“Arcite? Arcite!!”

[Wig_Powder]

The next thing Arcite was fully able to register was a sensation of being jolted back to alertness. But instead of the normal startup routines, it felt like all his internals were activating at once, with every system switched to their highest capacity. Perhaps that was why the lights seemed so blinding.

Once his optic sensors had properly adjusted themselves, he sat up, taking in his surroundings. He quickly determined he was sitting on a repair table, and that three people were standing close by, watching him. One was Lord Shaxx, who gave a pleased “Ah!” as Arcite looked his way. One was Terdaso, one of the Frame technicians, who was making notes on a tablet. And the last was Guardian Eryl, who twitched as though she wanted to rush forward but instead restrained herself, glancing over to Shaxx. It was hard to tell if Shaxx noticed, as all his attention was focused on Arcite. “I should have had more faith in your work, Terdaso. Though I suppose we need to make sure he’s truly back to normal. How are you feeling, Arcite?”

Arcite quickly did a self-diagnostic, flexing his fingers and bending his legs to make sure everything was in working order. There was no stiffness or excessive looseness, both the external and the internal temperature read and felt normal, and he was able to quickly call up the specs of the last twenty guns he had processed, the results of the last dozen Crucible matches, and most importantly, the events of the past twenty-four hours. He couldn’t repress a flinch as he remembered the sudden malfunction, but still answered Shaxx’s question as promptly as he could. “As far as I can tell, everything appears to be functioning properly, though I will have to fully exercise my joints to be sure.”

“You can do that in a few minutes,” Terdaso said, stepping forward with a scanner, “Now that you’re reactivated, I need to run a second set of scans and diagnostics. Though all evidence suggests that you really have made it through with no damage.”

As Terdaso got to work, Guardian Eryl moved forward as well, resting her hand on Arcite’s shoulder piece even though he was perfectly capable of holding still for the tests. “I’m glad you’re all right,” she said, “Based on the way your faceplate was flashing and how you just collapsed, I genuinely thought your internals had been completely fried.”

"Apparently not,” Arcite said, even as he felt an unsettled twinge in his core at the idea, “But that just leads to the all-important question; what led to my collapse? I had showed no signs of any malfunctions before going into the Hall.”

“Based on the state of your filters when I opened you up, it appears that the dust you were kicking up accumulated in your system,” Terdaso responded, “And despite a truly valiant attempt to expel it, getting a load of the stuff dropped on you was the final straw. Your circuits overheated, resulting in an RSOD.”

Arcite felt his gears thrum uncomfortably at Terdaso’s term. He was familiar with the Red Screen of Death moniker, a safety measure built into Frames to immediately shut them down right at the edge of catastrophic failure, prioritizing memory preservation above all else. Then, if the resources were there, a technician could look over the damage and make repairs. It was a concerning event, but generally something a Frame could come back from with minimal issues. If they began to happen on a regular basis, however…

“Is my shutdown indicative of a larger issue?” he asked, hating the way his voice involuntarily rose in pitch as he spoke, “Am I…in decline?”

He felt Guardian Eryl increase the pressure on his shoulder piece, and even through the helmet, he cold tell that Shaxx was tensing up in preparation for the answer. Thankfully, Terdaso didn’t keep them in suspense. “Yes and no. But to answer the most important question…no, you aren’t ‘in decline’, in that sense. As long as you keep coming in for regular maintenance and stick to vending instead of combat, I think you’ll be around for quite a while yet.”

Arcite’s gears stopped thrumming, and he could feel the tension coiling out of him. The Hunter’s pressure eased as well, and he heard her sigh heavily, as though she’d just removed a heavy load from her back. “You have, however, been active long enough that your parts are starting to get worn out,” Terdaso continued, “As a result, it can’t filter out the dust the way it could back when you were a Combat Frame. Combine that with the shutdown you just experienced, and I’m guessing your system is going to be much more sensitive to dust from here on out. And before you ask, swapping in new parts can only do so much. The best option is to just try to avoid areas with high concentrations of dust.”

“But most of the Last City remains in disrepair,” Arcite said, feeling another thrum of concern, “Meaning that large amounts of dust will be in the air on a regular basis. How am I supposed to assist the Vanguard until everything has been rebuilt?”

“I may have a solution to that, actually,” Shaxx said, “We’d been talking about upgrading our defenses to ensure that the city won’t fall again, yes?” When Arcite nodded, Shaxx continued, “Well, what better way to get a sense of what needs improving than to look down on the city from above? The Hall of Guardians might be a mess, but the top of the Tower is still in decent condition. I can easily get a console installed in a corner up there, allowing you to look over the City to make plans while I deal with Crucible and Vanguard matters. And if you need a break from that, I can have you monitor Redjack activity around current and potential Crucible sites, as well as keeping tabs on our Guardians in the field. Not to mention I’ll still need your help with paperwork, which you can do from the console as well.”

The more Shaxx spoke, the more pleased Arcite was with the idea. It would allow him to feel useful again, his old programming could be utilized a bit more, and not only would the dust generated from rebuilding be unlikely to reach him at the top of the Tower, but any dust that did get into his system would most likely be easily removed, either by an expulsion or by the constant breezes that passed across the city. As soon as Shaxx was finished speaking, he nodded eagerly. “I believe that is the perfect solution, Lord Shaxx,” he said, “I can begin as soon as the console is installed.”

“That’s the spirit!” Shaxx said approvingly, “I’ll put in the order as soon as we’re done here.”

Fortunately, Terdaso’s examinations didn’t take all that much longer. Once the scanners showed an all clear, Arcite was instructed to stand, sit, kneel, walk around the room, and then run from one end of the room to the other three times, all of which he managed with no difficulty. With that, Terdaso declared him fit for duty, and Shaxx promptly took his leave. As Arcite prepared to leave as well (he was going to head back to the storerooms to resume an inventory of their available guns and ammunition), Guardian Eryl moved to accompany him. “I hope we can still keep up our training sessions, despite this new development,” she said, “Assuming both you and Shaxx are willing, I can scout for a mostly dust-free location for us to practice in.”

Arcite nodded. “I have no objections to that. As long as Shaxx agrees, we can begin once you’ve found a suitable place and I’ve adjusted to my new location and duties.”

“Works for me.” the Guardian said with a smile. Then her face became a little more serious. “I really am glad you’re all right, Arcite,” she said, briefly putting her hand on his shoulder piece again, “When I saw you collapse, I assumed the worst. And then when Terdaso opened you up and we saw all the dust caking your internals…” she looked pained at the memory, “…I was so afraid that I’d killed you.”

Arcite felt a jolt of surprise at that, and looked at her in confusion. “Why would you have thought that? None of us knew I had developed this sensitivity, and the incident that led to my shutdown was entirely my own fault. You have nothing to blame yourself for.”

“I know that, logically,” the Hunter said, “But when you’re actually in the moment, and you’re the only one present, you can’t help but feel responsible. I kept wondering if I should have insisted you go to get looked over, or if I could have realized that it was the dust that was setting you off before it overloaded you.”

Arcite hesitated for a moment, then reached out and lightly touched her shoulder in turn. “You were focused on your own cleaning efforts, so it makes sense that your mind didn’t dedicate too much attention to my problem. As for your first point…the fault is on my end more than yours. I disregarded the warning signals my body was sending out, and should have gone to the technicians when I began having balance issues. I have no intention of holding you accountable for what happened. In fact, I believe I should be thanking you. I imagine you rushed for help the second you saw me collapse, and it’s entirely possible that you prevented permanent damage to me due to your quick response. I will forever be grateful to you for that.”

Eryl let out a sigh, the relief evident in both her face and in her posture. “Thank you, Arcite. Even though we know you’re all right now, I still needed to hear something like that.”

“I’m happy to be of service,” Arcite said, “If you believe it would be of further help, I can ask Shaxx if he feels the same way.”

“Would you?” Eryl asked, “I’d appreciate that. Hearing two forms of confirmation that I wasn’t at fault would probably be enough for me to drive away the doubts for good.”

“I’ll speak with him this evening, then,” Arcite promised, “And relay his response to you the next time we meet.”

Eryl gave him another smile, and then turned her head back to look at the path in front of them. Arcite was following suit when he suddenly stopped in his tracks as something registered with him. Eryl promptly stopped as well and turned back to him. “What is it?” she said, “Another expulsion? Or something else? Should we go back to Terdaso?”

“No, no,” Arcite said quickly, “I just…realized something. As my memory processors were stowing away our conversation, it abruptly occurred to me that I had dropped the titles from your name. Frames generally don’t do such a thing until they’ve grown very familiar with the individuals in question, or unless they’re told to do so by their owner. It’s happened to me with Shaxx and the other members of the Vanguard, but this is the first time it’s happened when referring to, if you’ll pardon the expression, a more run-of-the-mill Guardian.”

As he spoke, he saw Eryl's eyes widen, her smile gradually getting wider and wider. She put a hand to her chest and said, somewhat breathlessly, “I don’t know what the protocol is, but if you’re comfortable with it, you have my permission to drop the titles when speaking to or about me.”

Arcite gave a brief nod. “As you prefer, Eryl.”

Her smile somehow seemed to get even bigger at that. “I do. I really, really do.” Then she put her hand on Arcite’s shoulder piece one more time, giving it a firm squeeze. “I’ve got to go check to see if there’s been any reports of Darkness activity, since I’ve been ignoring my comms for the past three hours. See you later, Arcite, and look after yourself.”

“You as well, Eryl.” Arcite said. He watched her hurry off, a little confused but overall pleased with the interaction. The behavior of Humans and other organics remained odd to him, but as long as they were satisfied with him, then he’d be satisfied

in turn. With that, he resumed his walk back to the storerooms, feeling oddly content, despite his newfound sensitivity. It just seemed like between Shaxx, the technicians, and Eryl, he’d be able to deal with this new imposition with hardly any hassle. He’d just have to do his best to prove to them that their efforts had been worth it.

~~~

And that's my explaination for how Arcite went from standing behind a desk to working behind a console at the top of a tower. Hey, it's as plausible a reason as any.