Introductions be damned. We don't have time today.

Okay, maybe a short one is in order.

We have a lot of work to do today, both out and about and here in our offices. And the usual reprieve and atmosphere were replaced with hectic tension and a refusal to pause. That's all the time we have for introductions, folks. So let's get going.

A pair of headphones sat on my ears as a computerized voice spoke the words my equally robotic partner was writing. This was in the attempts of multitasking as I also organized the files we had to compile and send to the higher-ups on our way out. But even through the soft muffs, I could make out Myla on the phone as she finished the report I was listening to in real-time.

"We're heading out right now. Yes. Once I finish this, it'll be proofread and done." She spoke, holding her phone between her ear and shoulder as she did.

Suddenly, amidst the chaos, the door opened, and a man lined with red came in with an equally astir expression, "Alright, so I've packed everything we need for the day. Outfits, file folders, your devices, and I also gave the keys to the front desk as you told me to." He spoke as he counted on his fingers and closed the door.

"Thanks. Oh, and mind grabbing that folder on the table?"

"Ah, sure," He picked it up and quickly skimmed through it, "Though I can't help but think I'm to blame for today's workload..." I couldn't quite make out his voice through the text-to-speech and just replied for the sake of doing so.

"Uhuh, yep," I said as I continued scrutinizing Myla's print.

For some reason, this made him recoil, which my partner quickly noticed.

"Alright, thank you." She took a hand off her keyboard and placed her phone down before looking at him, "Don't mind him. He's currently deaf. So, why do you assume that?" I heard as I finally opened up one of my ears.

"Well, I just think you guys are getting more work under the pretense that there are three of you now."

"Nah, nothing like that. The executives just like bullying us." I reassured him, though I doubt that actually did much, "Oh, and Myla, you forgot to note that we decided we would just meet the two here at the building, probably in our office."

"Oh, shoot. Thanks for the reminder." She replied before swiftly returning to her work, the click-clack of the keyboard not ceasing.

"Sure, but we're still not done. You can finish that in the elevator, right? If so, let's go." I got up from my seat, jogging some folders, and quickly walked to the exit.

Keith seemed to panic as he had just sat down seconds ago while Myla quietly followed, exiting as I held the door open.

Our apprentice took the hint and quickly tailed Myla, holding a few folders to his chest, as did I.

I closed the door and booked it for the elevator my cohorts were already in, our work not ending even as we descended. Myla remained quiet as she finished the rest of the report, so I turned to Keith with my query.

"How many appointments do we have for today again?"

"Let's see..." He opened the folder, "We've got four routine checks, six matches to be done, and three counseling calls..." He said with worry in his tone.

I placed my hands and then my head onto the metal bars as I dreaded the mere thought of the work. "And where are we going?"

"Luckily, the first ones are all in the city, but the rest are in four different neighborhoods..." This time Myla reacted, closing her laptop and sighing before looking up at me.

"Hmm? Your collars upturned." She told me as she held her computer to her side.

"Ah, thanks." Keith seemed to calm down a bit, seeing as we did as well, but even then, a few seconds was all we could spare as the doors opened, and we were off to it again.

We walked briskly out of the elevator toward the exit, held open by our receptionist, who carried both the car keys and a hurried expression.

"The car's parked outside for you, here." She exclaimed, handing the keys to my partner.

"Thank you."

"We owe ya one!" I shouted as we all entered the started-up vehicle.

Myla handed me her laptop, and I checked the glovebox making sure everything was in order.

"Even the receptionist is helping, huh?" Keith commented as we exited the lot, entering the highway before he could finish one question.

"Her? Yeah, she helps when things are slow in her post."

"Or if others' posts are too fast," Myla added, clearly acquainted with the assistance.

"Why is today so busy anyway?" Our apprentice asked.

"Well, sometimes clients become available in the most inconvenient ways, and stuff like this happens," I replied as Myla drove quickly through the roads, though not compromising our comfort.

"Even back at my actual workplace, things never got this hectic."

"It's just one of those days," I responded before returning to work, "Our first stop is just a match request, right?" To which Keith nodded.

"Turn my laptop back on, get the application ready, and Keith, start reading the client's file to us," Myla ordered, concise and focused.

"Yes, ma'am." And as he did, in a flash, we already found ourselves parked right beside a towering building within the urban jungle.

The hustle and bustle of the cityscape echoed through the stairways of our client's apartment, a reminder we were just one of many busy bees in the concrete hive.

We reached our target floor and began moving through the open-air corridors in search of their door.

"Five-One-Four, Five-One-Four...There!" I exclaimed, getting ready in front of the door beside Myla - ringing the doorbell as I did.

"Uh, guys, shouldn't we have a quick plan before we go in or-"

"Hush, game face. Now." I said in an admittedly uncharacteristic tone but compromises in character are made for some situations.

We all readied our best smiles, and right on cue, the door opened to a young man soon to find love. At least, that was the pitch.

"Alright! Don't fiddle with the files - and we'll be back next week. Thanks for your time again." I bid farewell to our client, sparing no formalities even with our limited time, as he closed the door with a smile.

"...Right! Off to the races again!" I exclaimed after a short silence as we darted back to the stairwell.

"Okay, next clients are...There you are." Keith opened the folder, his reading of their file following the rustling of dozens of stacked papers.

"Alright, you pick up anything weird from him?" And as he explained, we discussed our observations regarding the client - not a moment to be wasted.

"Aside from the peculiar fashion sense? Nothing. Have you checked if his devices have been registered into the database?" Perhaps a brief moment to throw a quip was allowed, but nevertheless.

"Working on it now," I replied as I turned on Myla's tablet to check - all the while, she wrote down and checked on my notes.

"You guys are getting all of this, right?" Keith asked as he also continued to relay information.

"For the most part," I said, trying to execute three tasks at once as we climbed back down.

We exited back into concrete shores and asphalt paths, the sun remaining high as our job was far from over. And once we entered back into the car without the tiniest sign of an entr'acte - I realized that today's schedule would make it impossible to perform our second task of observing Keith.

"Ah, screw it. We'll figure it out later." I exclaimed, hurriedly turning on the car's GPS and opening our schedule folder.

"Figure out what?" Our apprentice asked, having only entered.

"Don't mind me. Could you repeat what you were saying while we were going down the stairs earlier?"

"Oh, I could just read your previous report. Seeing as our next appointment will be a routine visit." Keith suggested, getting a nod from both of us.

"Case file number 5968-"

"Ugh, them..."

"Of course, today could get worse..." Myla and I groaned, even just the file number eliciting a reaction from us.

"Did- did I say something wrong?" Our apprentice asked as I inputted our next destination.

"Nothing, don't worry. It's just these two have a tendency to fight and argue,"

"In front of us and in public..." Myla cut me off but with good reason.

"But it's never anything serious. It's just a pain to deal with...Aha! We're doing this at a library too. Great." I spoke, my words weighed with so much sarcasm they could sink.

"Oh...Any reason they're still together?"

"Yeah, to remind us that even if they pay us exuberance, it always feels like we're underpaid with some clients..." And that sarcasm continued.

"It had to be today of all days..." My partner commented, pressing the gas instead of letting her chagrin show.

Keith and I shared a quick look of worry but allowed our normally calm and composed member a moment.

Fast forwarding a bit, and by that, I mean an entire run-around of the city consisting of heated arguments and enough cafes to put an average young adult's daily itinerary to shame, along with three trips to different suburbs that felt like a cross-country trek where sightseeing consisted of a lot of Calibri and Times New Roman, we were on the final stretch of our travels.

We had one more client to go as the sky began to shift from azure to vermillion, and yet we were now only getting to eat as we spent our break on our devices in an attempt to lessen the rest of our burden.

"Both clients displayed genuine affection for each other and concern for one another's problems. However, we also noted a lack of action regarding our last meeting's suggestions. As such, we may request further follow-up meetings in the future." Keith read Myla's jotted-down notes as I inputted them into digital form as he held a folder in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

"Alright...If anything doing this should at least let us go home without overtime..." I commented as I typed away, giving our apprentice time to take a bite, as when he spoke, I used the pause to do the same.

Myla did similarly, haphazardly commandeering our vehicle one-handed as she fueled herself for the final part of our voyage, "This last one is a counseling call, correct?" And even so, she would continue to pitch in.

"Yes, should I reread their file?"

"It's alright. Just finish what you're doing." She replied as she made the turn out of the highway and into the rows of homes.

We were exhausted. A good four hours past our break, and we had only eaten now, our eyelids felt as heavy as the remaining work we had left once we returned to our office, and as we entered the picturesque neighborhood, our limit was nearing.

"It's on Road 57, a house with a blue roof and beige walls." I repeated as we slowed down and began scanning the area,"...That one." And as we spotted it from a distance, I closed the laptop and brought down my visor to get ready.

As Myla began to drive by the sidewalk to park as I opened the glovebox looking for a folder and a hair comb - the mix of information and presentation important in any counseling call.

Myla wordlessly pulled the handbrake and twisted the key, turning off the car and signaling us to exit. We did as we were silently told and straightened our outfits and faces before waiting in front of the home's yard.

"So these two are arguing over their kid, right?" I asked, quickly flipping through the pages of our file folder.

"More how they treat her. They can't decide on a specific parenting style." Myla replied, flicking her finger across her tablet's screen.

"A common issue among parents, huh. We'll hear them out and see if we can find a compromise. How old is the kid again?"

"Currently three, and this couple has been with aiAI for five."

"I see. Surprised that they only brought this up now, but that's just how it is. Anything else?" We continued with no room for any jokes or jabs in our exchange.

"Nothing. But we should still be careful as we're not just dealing with the two's relationship here." Myla replied, turning off her tablet and holding it to her side.

"Roger." And as I closed the folder, we began walking to the front door.

But as soon as we set foot on the limestone pathing - we were stopped, "Guys, wait." We turned to see an earlier silent Keith looking at us with concern and a raised voice.

We both looked at him as he mulled over his following words, "We still have like five minutes, so I just want to make sure. Are you guys, like, going in like that?" And yet his query did little to change our expressions of confusion.

"Okay, let me rephrase that," He restarted with a breath, "Are you ready to go in there?" But even then, our heads only tilted further in puzzlement.

"Alright, look. I know this might be a little out of line for me to say as an apprentice, but if I were those clients, I'd hope that the surveyors who'd come and visit me would be warm and accepting, and it's not that you two aren't that, far from it. But it just seems like you're tired and might not be able to keep that up, and I'm just worried about you and the parents, you know?" And with what sounded like an entire day's worth of bottled-up words, Keith finally articulated his thoughts.

But instead of answering him outright, Myla and I couldn't help but look at each other at the moment and, for the first time today, and maybe even in a long while, shared a genuine smile of endearment.

We looked back at our apprentice with those same expressions and laughed before I told him our reply.

"You worry way too much." And with that, we turned back around and finished our final appointment.

While the sound of the car's engine, along with the subtle turn of rubber on asphalt, was a sound that accompanied me countless times now, today, it felt particularly soothing.

Same with the soft brush of the wind along the roadside trees, swaying and flowing along the moving clouds in the dusk-born sky - the sun's rays now warm instead of blistering.

And as I relaxed with my back reclined, letting the warmth of the computer on my lap contrast with the cool of the air-conditioning, I couldn't decide whether to enjoy the pleasant scenery or let myself drift into a peaceful slumber.

Sure, we still had work left over, but our diligence more than allowed us some leeway and time to relax - at least on the way back. And it was almost comedic to think that now and earlier were part of the same day.

Ah, I've missed getting to do that.

I thought as I finally got to take some time and appreciate the little details that surrounded me - no longer blinded by a hectic atmosphere. It wasn't an unheard-of occurrence. In fact, it was practically a monthly ritual, with an unlucky pair of surveyors getting drafted on more or less random. And it went about as swimmingly as today, though we probably had the better end of it considering our labor pool advantage.

And while I can probably speak for the three of us when I say we're all more than willing to collapse and fall asleep, we were down but far from out.

Ah, I've decided on what I wanna do for the trip back.

I straightened my seat and posture before stretching, once finished looking at my dear partner, who looked just as tired, "It was kind of a given, but man, you suck with kids, huh?" And decided some teasing was precisely what this peaceful atmosphere needed.

"Well, I apologize." She snapped back, "I didn't consider they'd ask for us to demonstrate some of our tips with their child...Is my face genuinely that scary?" My dear partner asked, still not accepting her incompatibility with the minds of tomorrow.

"First off, yes. Second, it was for proof of concept, so you better be thankful the kid took a liking to me, at least."

"As peculiar as you are, I never expected you to boast about your childish mentality. No wonder you could interact with the girl so well." She shot back, exasperated but too stubborn to let me have the last laugh.

"Getting called young at my age? I'll consider that a compliment. Thank you very much." I replied smugly and without care, earning a well-deserved sigh back from Myla, who conceded to driving silently.

However, one who turned not-so-silent was our third member, who seemed to derive some entertainment from our useless bantering.

I turned back to him, eyes weary but bright as he leaned on the window, "Good to see you in high spirits. And thanks for the concern earlier, but we've dealt with worse, m'kay?"

"Oh, that's good to hear," He perked up, giving us a smile, "But, I'm more impressed by something else," He added, causing Myla and I to prick up our ears.

"I'm just surprised," Our apprentice began, "Seeing you two transition so effortlessly from so unflinchingly serious and efficient to nonchalant and comical without so much as a pause is impressive. I see that now and I saw it earlier when you told me not to overthink things." He finished, not sparing a word in his praise and looking truly enthused by our actions.

"I just found it neat, I guess." He added on, but we were still mulling over his previous statement.

Sure, we were adaptable to some extent, but I never considered it anything to be proud of. If I had to put it,

"You just get used to it," Myla spoke for me, putting it briefly and yet perfectly.

"Pretty much," I surmised, "With enough time working with anyone, it's actually hard not to eventually figure things out." Keith's expression turned curious, attempting to figure out what exactly we meant.

"As opposed as we are, even I have to admit that learning to not fuss about things when necessary and balancing it with, dare I say it, entertaining banter, is part of why we work well." Myla continued.

"Yep. That's just how it is. Once you get used to working with someone well enough, even the wildest days become another Tuesday for you without even realizing it." I elaborated while turning away from him to think.

"...With enough time together, huh? You guys never fail to impress..." Our apprentice whispered something to himself, but as I faced him, his words were whisked away by the rest of the humdrum ambiance, only a satisfied expression left in its place.

As much as I wanted to ask, I knew well enough that his smile meant he was more than happy to withhold his current feelings, leaving us once again in the dark, with today giving us no new information on his plans either - except maybe another peculiar observation and intrigue from him.