"Phew, sorry for being late! Or maybe thanks for waiting for me? Which do you think sounds better?" A well-built man clad in a flower-patterned polo shirt of coral and teal-hued blossoms dotting a black backdrop and khaki pants greeted. He placed himself beside our siren. And although his flame-like hair and musculature remained imposing as always - his cheerful tone and colorful outfit turned him into what I can best describe as a "bro."

"Nash, I want to be as professional as possible, but you gotta rethink your greetings, man."

"Oh. So the second one, right?"

"Yes." I could hear a disgruntled sigh come from across the table following our exchange which I promptly ignored with an inner chuckle.

"That aside, though, so, like, what were you guys talking about earlier? It seemed kinda important." Nash asked, glancing around the room and eyeing the three of us with intrigue.

"...Nothing in particular. Just small talk to pass the time." His other half answered after a brief silence. But with her tinged complexion and gaze that she directed everywhere besides her partner, it did little to quell his curiosity. The floral fellow raised an eyebrow as he further scrutinized the siren's dishonest words. But the endearingly meek expressions and movements she made that accompanied said deceit absolved her of any offenses committed.

The jury finds you not guilty and agrees to come to your aid in your time of need.

"It really wasn't anything, don't worry. Besides, there are some things even Lily would keep quiet to you about." I commented with a smile that belonged behind a cash register to reassure Nash's suspicions which seemed to worsen after seeing my dubiously spotless face.

"Indeed, there are more pressing matters as of right now, so can we skip the inconsequential discussion for the time being?" Myla joined and gave a sound reason to direct attention away from Lily's verses that she reserved for our ears alone. Nash still looked a bit confused, looking back and forth between the three of us and our strange responses. But after a moment of contemplation and an audible Eh? Along with a shrug, he gave up on the chase giving our quiet client some room to breathe.

This is the most emotion I've seen come from her, and considering the reasoning, I don't know how to feel.

"Right, on to business," I said, placing my hands together, and with one final breath, it was time to begin the pitch. My time during my previous job always came in handy for this, as persuading clientele had specific steps. In this case, since we've already established a personal tie with the customer,

And a genuine one at that.

It felt weird having to analyze these types of things with people I began regarding more as friends than patrons - but any good salesman knows to be or at least act empathetic. Luckily this time around, I actually was.

"To start with, we do wanna apologize again for the out-of-the-blue call, especially since it seems you were out and about with your folks today."

"Oh," He began, a bit surprised at my lowered gaze and apologetic tone, "That's fine since, if you guys would call on such short notice, there's gotta be a good reason, right?"

"Indeed we do. We kept it hidden from you both as my partner refused to disclose our intentions for the sake of melodrama." My dear partner added as she stood up from her seat.

"Surprise, she means surprise." I shot back with a slight furrow in my brows while still maintaining a pleasant face. I sat up from the soft cushioning and joined Myla in front of the table, sharing a brief look of displeasure with each other before facing our pair.

"Anyway, to keep things short and simple, we're here because after looking over it again, we don't think what we were able to do for you was enough, and we want another chance to really set things straight." I started with a flourish of hand gestures, trying to get their attention which they now placed onto us with leaned postures and widened eyes.

"Yes, and while you achieved more than what we asked from both of you during our stint at the ball - we didn't fully consider everything regarding your situation. This misstep resulted in us only superficially solving the issue."

"We're not saying you didn't succeed. We'd do anything but downplay what you were able to accomplish without us directly telling you what to do. It's just we gave you an improper, or more fittingly, incomplete answer." Myla and I alternated, slowly reaching our conclusion as the couple in front of us listened to our reasoning.

I'd make a joke here about wishing we were always like this, but where'd the fun be in that world?

"So, in short. We want to rectify our mistakes and keep our promises to the two of you, not just as your surveyors - but as people you can look to for a shoulder." Once I finished, I first noticed Nash's expression. It was the first time I saw him with even a vaguely concerned expression. It made me wonder if perhaps he shared in Lily's earlier anxieties but was able to keep up a front to conceal them.

"We're ready to hear you out." A silvery voice chimed from the short silence, the approval not coming from the young fellow but from our earlier apprehensive client. Nash was also caught off guard by Lily's willingness, most likely knowing about her unease in our meeting. However, at that moment, Lily looked at her partner with conviction in her glittering orbs. It reassured Nash, who, after witnessing his better half's confidence, looked back to us with a nod, albeit still carrying a hint of tension.

Well, they've definitely got the relying on each for assurance down.

Still, I had to thank her - since she had finished setting the stage for us with her certitude-driven gaze. It was a strange feeling - there was a mix of soothing relief and an energizing sense of accomplishment, as if finally, after making a bevy of mistakes and not doing anything but ask questions over and over again without ever acting, I could finally correct and make up for them all with a distinct flair and bravado to boot. It was like I could see each piece falling to place so perfectly now, be it our clients and their natures, how they act, react and what they want to change. Or how their issues bared many similarities and intersected - while remaining specific to themselves. And how we had to consider that for our proposed solution. Taking notes from the oversights of our previous orchestration to create something that should, no, will work without a shadow of a doubt as long as they're up for the task. And even if they aren't, that's why we're here, why our first goal was to make sure they knew we were always nearby if they needed us. This was it, the culmination of everything we learned and should've done from the start, my new perspective regarding our work catalyzing it all, and now, here in front of our peculiar pair, the words that would leave my mouth and actualize into the world for them to hear would be the zenith of our labor,

I'm starting to sound too theatrical and grandiose. But come on, give me this one. I've had a long week. Now, on to finish this,

I finally opened my eyes after mulling over everything and looking back and appreciating our craft. And how, as I revealed an ablaze spirit behind my shut eyelids to the couple, I took a breath to speak.

"We'll elaborate later, but to keep things short, Nash, you'll start a vlog during your stay overseas." Instead of my passionate and enthusiastic voice reaching their ears. It seems the ship I was commandeering high and mightily just moments prior hit an iceberg as a glacial voice pierced the living room.

"Eh?" Surprise rang out following her statement. However, it came not from the ones receiving the information but from my own lips. The three turned to me with confusion, my exclamation drawing more attention than my dear partner's declaration.

"Why are you acting so surprised? You're the one who came up with the idea-"

"You stole my line, dammit!" I cut her off with a simultaneously blaring and disrespected tone, looking straight into her perplexed eyes that slowly turned to exasperation.

"For the love of- You cannot be serious."

"I sure as hell am! We talked about this. I'd get to tell them!"

"Yes, and I did give you a chance, but you got lost smirking to yourself for an entire minute."

Oh.

"Oh."

"I wonder how someone with three more years of life experience can act so childish..." Myla added with her face and dismay in her palm.

"Look, age has no bearing on wanting to have a moment-"

"Uh, guys? When's that elaborating gonna come along?" Ending our scuffle was the voice of Nash, sounding and looking less concerned now and more bewildered - either at our proposed idea or the fact that two grown adults whose job it is to create and maintain healthy and conducive relationships seem to be struggling to practice their own doctrines.

"Haaaa...Give me a minute." I responded despairingly, losing all traces of my earlier punch - though I admit part of it was to play into the bit. Seeing that her ever-so-reliable partner was out of commission, Myla picked up the slack. And after a miffed sigh that sounded like someone who had come to terms with their problematic partnership, she elaborated.

"To begin with, we had to draw an outline of the situation. The crux of the issue is obvious enough, but going into specifics, Lily, the weight of expectations bears down on you when you try to interact with others. And as for Nash, while you have the resolve to mingle, frankly, you make quite a mess of yourself when you do." I let out a cough once she finished, raising my head and recovering from my earlier blues to become presentable once more before resuming.

"So pretty much one of you doesn't know how to open up, and the other doesn't know what to do once he has made his opening. But, that aside, what's important is that our solution aims to fix both of those simultaneously."

"That's nice, but that still doesn't explain why the answer would be so out-of-left-field." Nash brought up the first of the many questions a sensible person should have with such a prompt, to which I smirked as, being a rational person myself,

Hey, don't look at me like that. It's true.

We already had our answers ready.

"Well, first and foremost, it's something you two can work on while apart - with Nash handling the filming and traveling while Lily can do the editing."

"This allows you to rely on and watch over one another's progress. And in terms of the filming itself, Nash, you're experienced with a camera, and the opportunity to capture a foreign backdrop would make for a good starting point." Myla continued - our tag-team dynamic still not being enough to quell their reservations. Particularly our siren, whose role to play we had now revealed, had a hand to her lips and blinked rapidly in confusion.

"On the other side of things, Lily, since Nash will handle the filming aspect, you're in charge of editing the videos. It also helps since that means you won't have to take the spotlight, so, no need for people to see you."

"I'm still struggling to see why you decided on this. But, even past that, I have absolutely no idea how to pull off something like that..." There it was. That was the signal. While, at the time, becoming all smug-like and almost laughing would seem inappropriate, as it all came together in what now felt like a carefully crafted piece of rhetoric completed itself. I looked at my dear partner with a nod, and, in turn, she gave her own as she turned on the tablet she had behind her - a rhythmic ringing resounding in the room as a new voice echoed through.

"Hellooooo? It took you guys long enough! It was awkward just sitting there waiting at a black screen, y'know?" A cheery, feminine tone came first - immediately followed by a deeper, male one that sounded as though the two were speaking from the same device.

"D-Diana! Don't say that - they asked us to convince them and-"

"Oh, don't be so uptight! They told us they needed friends!" The man sighed after that, though once he began speaking again, it was as if I could hear a smile in his words. Two people appeared on the tablet, a man and a woman, who looked to be young adults with youthful visages and animated movements. The male had jet-black hair and an exasperated half-smile directed at his lively blonde ponytailed counterpart.

"Alright. Hey, guys. I'm Caine Connors, and this girl over here is Diana Daniels. Nice meeting you."

"Yep! Nice meetin' 'ya, even if just through a screen." Reaping what one sows usually carries a negative connotation, but who's to say every farmer plants harmful seeds? These two were the very first of my clients going back many months when I started working at aiAI. Their squabble was simple, but it taught me the basics of my work as a surveyor and served as a proper introduction to what has become my livelihood. But that wasn't the trait that made them meaningful. No, it was the fact that they participated in a particular hobby, one that allowed them to be our answer to the pair's question of the how in our scheme.

"Right! These two are clients-turned-acquaintances of ours, but we can work on the introductions later. For now-" A scream pierced from the tablet Myla had in her hands, not out of fear or panic but excitement as an equally high-pitched voice spoke.

"Is that her? She looks awesome! What the hell, guys? You said she was a model and all, but-"

"Diana- They said she was anxious, remember- though, I do get where you're coming from, there's a time and place!" The two interrupted me with their comments, but it seemed to work out as the couple they were praising now seemed more embarrassed and at ease than before.

I already miss the quiet composure of the earlier tag team.

"Uh, right. Guys, if you wanna keep talking, just take the stage." I decided it would be best to leave the reveal to them. And with a faint snicker of eagerness before a response sounded.

"So, like, we're not exactly vloggers, but..."

"We're really active online. And, well, we're well-versed with the landscape and how everything works. So when we heard from Bridger and Myla about you guys," Caine continued before abruptly being cut off by his partner.

"Come on! A couple who's about to be separated starting a vlogging channel together while apart? That's absolutely the kind of stuff they'd eat up! Not to mention your professions alone would be a selling point!" I arched forward a bit to look at their faces to see Diana holding out two thumbs-ups accompanying her encouragement to our clients. I turned back to our listeners to observe a mixed reaction.

Which, considering our sample size, is a bit problematic.

Nash seemed pleasantly surprised with the two. Not only did they present themselves in a friendly, almost chummy way, but they also had the qualifications and know-how to alleviate his earlier wariness. On the other hand, Lily remained silently unconvinced as she eyed the young pair on the screen.

"Now, of course - while this makes getting a platform a lot easier. There's still the editing aspect to consider, and how Lily, you have zero experience in that field." Our siren perked up, nodding along with my words as her black mane bobbed up and down, an unbefittingly pessimistic expression on her glowing face.

"That being said, we didn't fail to take this into consideration. And as reluctant as I am to ask them for help," I cut Myla off with a nervous laugh and a hand to my forehead.

"Come on. Hype him at least a little bit."

"...Right. We luckily had a colleague in the tech department that was knowledgeable on basic video editing."

"And with a little convincing from one of the higher-ups, well..." As I ended my sentence prematurely, a notification dinged from the tablet my dear partner was holding. And after a moment came another male voice - joining the cacophony of our helpers on this mission.

"Ugh, it's supposed to be my afternoon break right now, guys." A man adorning an outfit akin to ours but dyed a lustrous lime arrived on the digital scene. And with an unenthused introduction, the bearded techie had come to our aid.

"Nevermind, the lack of fanfare worked out."

"Good to see you agree." Myla quipped back as we both showed our faces to our coworker with dissatisfaction. He began to stutter, struggling to eke out a reply before airing out a sigh and conceding.

"Fine, hey there, uh, Livia Lindville and Nash Newland, right? Call me J.C. I've got a handle on most of the situation, so all I gotta do is teach you simple editing?"

"Pretty much. You should have enough downtime to handle at least that, right?" I asked from behind the camera's line of sight, but my mocking grin was more than audible in my tone.

"Out of all the times to act so smug-" Just as he was about to respond to me, however, Lily stood from her seat to approach the screen with a fascinated expression.

"Are you sure you can teach me..? I'm not trying to question your experience. It's just - you sound troubled by the proposition, and I'm not very confident in my abilities." While her intention seemed to be to apologize, all her sheepish eyes did was persuade our reluctant techie, whom I could hear struggling to find his words in response to her expression.

"A-Alright, I get it. Don't worry. It's not too difficult to grasp, just a bit tedious. But you better pay me back for this, Bridger." He said the latter half of his statement with a scalding heat instead of the former's warmth.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll stop bothering you in the mornings, sound good?"

"Deal. I take everything back. Thank you for the opportunity to teach you."

Guess I'll have to find something new to do before work - time to download some money-hungry mobile games. Ha! Then again, you can't give me ads if I'm outside without wifi.

"Right then, that's all the time we've got for today, folks! Diana, Caine, J.C.? Any closing remarks?" I asked, slapping my hands together.

"Oh, damn, already? Welp, I guess here's to seeing you guys again soon!" The lively young woman on the screen said with a raised arm which her partner swiftly held down.

"They haven't decided yet! Don't pressure them like that."

"Oops, I forgot-"

"Um, guys? We're still on a schedule here, you kno-"

"Crap, I'm gonna have to pirate that editing software again - ain't no way I'm paying a stupid fee..." An annoyed mumble joined the jumble of voices that crowded what was supposed to be a smooth farewell.

"Oh, come on, guys- Myla?"

"Understood." My dear partner replied as she shut off the device with no other instructions and looked at me plainly.

"I was about to ask you to try and ask them to make things short, but that works too."

She did that like it was on instinct. A master of ending conversations fast, you have quite the repertoire Myla.

"Okay, with all that out of the way, now, after our guest stars' appearances, whaddya think?" I asked with a persuading smile, walking to my partner's side, who had turned off and lowered her tablet. The pair was silent, but this time it wasn't a weighted and apprehensive silence that coated the air but one that carried astonishment.

"I mean, like, damn! I'm speechless. I don't know if it's out of amazement or confusion, but you guys seem to really wanna push this plan." Our floral lad began, agape eyes and flared-out hands joining his mixed exclamation.

"You sound very confident in it, but I still don't see the entire reason to jump through so many hoops..." Lily continued, far more subdued and contemplative in her stance in comparison to her significant other. It didn't take someone versed in reading body language to ascertain the mood of our pair. The atmosphere was heavy with hesitance and puzzlement, but what's a good pitch without a good hook? Now all that was left to do was to finally reel them in.