Claret talked about the bathroom undergoing renovations, which made a lot of sense. Five had to wonder what else was different than the original floor plan, and he made a note to ask Claret later on if she had the blueprint for the apartment's original state. He intended to secure what was here, but the original blueprint would help him find if anything was particularly weaker due to renovations, or so was his hope anyway.

After she went off on her own, she would call out that the blue towels were his. Blue... she just so happened to pick his favorite color. It was interesting and rather eerie, but he wasn't going to complain one bit.

"Ah, thank you! It's really appreciated." He'd call back out to her before turning his attention to his bags.

Getting on one knee as he knelt, Five would start to go through the things he had packed. One of the bags would have various tools and supplies in it. Hammers, wrenches, tape measures, and the like. He also had very secure locks that he managed to grab from the Kenne Estate, being the same state of the art locks they used on their own doors. With Claret's permission, he hoped to install them on any and all entrances. They'd certainly be a lot safer than the ones she currently had, and he made sure to bring things for the (small) windows she had as well. He also had a plethora of smaller, hard to spot cameras he wanted to install on various areas to watch the outside of the home, which would connect directly to his laptop feed. He and Claret would be able to monitor quite a lot of things together that way.

He'd remove his laptop and camera from the bag, setting them gently on the floor nearby when Claret practically sang his name. Curious, he would look up from his spot on the floor as she came near. Soon, she'd hold something up, and his heart just fucking froze when he saw the image of her on what he realized was his phone.

In a panic, he started to pat his hoodie and pants pockets, figuring that was what he felt like he had forgotten earlier. The mad fool had left his phone in the bathroom while he was getting changed.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit-

Five's thoughts started racing, and he was starting to visibly fluster as his face turned red. This was the most unexpected situation. This was the worst situation. How does a high class assassin and spy leave his damn phone in the bathroom of his client without even realizing it? He was so distracted since he got here, and now she had his phone and discovered that he had seen certain photos of her.

"I-I... it's... I-...”

Use your damn words, man.

But there was no talking his way out of this, was there?

”I-It’s… r-research…?”

Research. Right. That would totally explain why he had a picture of her as his phone background.

”T-that I started… conducting… years in advance...” He stammered out, not wanting to lie to her despite how absolutely EMBARRASSED he was right now. God, he must’ve looked so pathetic to her right now. What if she thought he was a creep? What if she thought he was no better than the guy that was trying to get to her? He intended to do his job and then leave it at that, but man were things extremely complicated and he just wanted to find a way out of this.

All of the embarrassment made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

”I-I didn’t think I’d… ever meet you, honestly. I’m a fan, and wanted to act normal around you...” He continued. ”I-I realize it’s probably really weird… and I can leave if you prefer and do my job from elsewhere.”

Five was wondering if that offer was more for her or for himself at this point. His heart was racing so fast and he was afraid he was going to have a heart attack at this rate.

Maybe spending a bit of time with her was a treat in itself, as short lived as it potentially was. He wouldn’t blame her for booting him right out.

Claret

God, every time she called him cute, he felt like he could explode from sheer happiness. Still, he would do his best to not show that outwardly, clearing his throat once more as to try and not stammer over his words. Maintaining his composure was important, as despite showing her what he was able to actually do, he didn't want to come off as too weak or unimpressive by any means in front of her.

"Ah, right. I should probably get out of this jumpsuit..." He said, looking at the clothing that now just covered his legs while the top half hung from his waist. "You said the bathroom was just over there, right?"

Five would point with this thumb behind him, towards the direction that Claret had previously showed him in her mini-tour of the home. While he probably didn't need the bathroom just to take the jumpsuit off, he felt like it would've been the preferable choice to just 'stripping' down in front of her in the open. All it would really do is serve to give her more room to flirt anyway, not that he minded terribly at all.

Claret

The coolest person she ever met? Somehow, that carried a lot of weight when she must've met thousands of people with the kind of life that she had, online or not. Claret moved to take his hands in hers, and Five felt himself blush again as she held them and how close in proximity she was. She was smiling huge, so sincerely. It was absolutely breathtaking to see how happy and excited she was at something that he could do. The sight of her made his heart skip a beat.

"I-I... It's stuff I'd been practicing. I'm still trying to learn other things, but I'm more than happy to show you once I figure them out."

It was awfully dangerous to try and show her things he was practicing before he got an actual idea of how to control them. Needless to say, they were cool but completely unnecessary things he was trying out, but you never know when something might actually prove to be practical one day.

The knife would move out of Five's sheathe once more, floating around behind him as he looked at Claret.

"I'm able to do this even when I'm not actively using my hands. I just need to be thinking about it, since if I lose focus..."

The knife started to fall towards the ground as he thought more about her for a moment, his heartbeat quickening. The knife would stop just before it hit the ground, before moving its way back up to rest in his sheathe again.

"I'd lose control." He finished. "That said... Renbu is something everyone is capable of. If we're going to spend a lot of time together, maybe I can try and teach you a thing or two. Maybe you'll come up with something pretty awesome for yourself."

Claret

What could he do as a bodyguard? How to answer that...

"While we all begin with a similar training regimen, each member of the Kenne excels in different things. We're meant to master the battlefield in various ways, but there's particular areas where one shines brighter." He began. "For example, my sister Four... while we can all use a gun, she's a master of firearms. One of my brothers and another sister synergizes extremely well, their strength lying in their ability to work together. Things like that."

And One was an asshole, but that wasn't something he had to tell Claret yet.

"As for myself... I'm good at a few things. I'm the stealthiest of all of us. Meaning recon and the like is my expertise. I'm confident in my combat ability, enough that I forego the use of guns when I can."

Five would unzip his jumpsuit, letting the top half hang from his waist as he lifted the hoodie and shirt that covered his torso to reveal his knife. He would draw the blade to show Claret carefully.

"So much that I prefer this."

A blade about eight inches in length was visible. The entire weapon was made of a finely crafted silver and titanium alloy. The hilt had a lion motif to it, and the number "5" was inscribed where the blade began. He supposed the proper term for such a longer blade was a dirk, but semantics.

"I hope you won't ever have to see... but I daresay I'm as dangerous with this as some people are with a gun. Of course, that'll be handy too, should it be necessary..."

Five would sheathe the blade, looking back at Claret.

"My final area of expertise is strategizing on the fly. It's important to read a situation and think of any solutions to a problem, no matter how quickly they pop up. So I promise you that I will dedicate everything, body and soul, to protecting you."

He had talked a lot, which wasn't the most usual thing. But Claret was just easy to talk to. He just hoped he wouldn't scare her in the end, as all things considered, he was a dangerous criminal to the rest of the world.

Claret

Five frowned as Claret refused to let him pay for things. Yeah, she had a point. He was doing his job just by being here for her. But if he was going to be holed up with her for an unknown amount of time, sooner or later it might induce financial strain, right? He figured he could try bringing it up again at a later point. She did say she liked the company, and he did give her money online unknowingly, so maybe that was enough for now.

Five's head turned quickly to the door as he heard a knock, preparing to reach for the knife under his clothing as Claret rushed for the door. Luckily, it seemed to be something she was expecting. McDonalds for delivery. Five sighed in relief, thankful he didn't have to stab a bitch in the face and hiding his weapon once more before Lord Byron jumped up on his legs again. The little guy was awfully affectionate towards him already, not that Five had any problems with that.

Five would bend down and carefully pick Lord Byron up, giving the boy head pats and pets galore once more as he held him close to his chest. Damn, he felt like this alone was worth taking this job on. It had been a long time since he got to pet such a cute dog.

Claret brought the food to the counter, asking if he was hungry. She had thought ahead and got some for him too, which Five thought was pretty touching.

"Ah, come to think of it... I forgot to eat breakfast this morning." He admitted, a bit embarrassed since he had been up so early. A lot on his mind. He saw the McDonald's and walked towards the counter, Lord and Emperor Byron in tow. No matter how much money you had, you could never go wrong with McDonald's breakfast, that was for sure. "Oh, that's more than perfect. Thank you, Claret, I really appreciate it."

There he was being extremely grateful for ordinary things again.

Claret

A plumber? Of all repairman trades that was the last thing he wanted to look like. But maybe it was accurate, as he dealt with life's shit on a daily basis. Still, he took he joke in stride. It was a good thing he likely wouldn't have to wear this outfit again, at least not for a while. He wondered how often they'd be going outside anyway, but since she had a dog something told him rather often.

Five gave Lord Byron some final, loving belly rubs before standing up as Claret made her way into the living space. Getting a look at her home now, he was in actual awe. While she might not have thought of it as much, it was incredible compared to the empty white of his room. Sure, the other parts of the Kenne Estate were nice, but he didn't actively spend any time there like he was soon to be doing here.

The darker environment was easier on the eyes too, a stark contrast to his room.

"A little heavier than I'm used to, but not too bad. Made it on time and that's what matters."

Her home didn't look like it would be difficult to secure at all. The only real worry was the front door, due to the smaller windows and the fact she lived semi-underground. This would be a lot easier than he thought, and far less time consuming.

"This is a really nice place." He said, taking everything in. He seemed to be enjoying it.

Claret

5:00 AM.

Like clockwork, Five's eyes opened up to the sound of his alarm. His eyes hurt a bit, and the cold reality of his room would set in as he felt the chilly air from all around him. Groaning a bit, he would push himself up to sit up in his bed, the darkness in his room immediately illuminating to show the pearl white emptiness that he was so used to.

He hardly slept much last night, but his body was too trained to get up early by this point. Pushing off of his bed, his feet would touch the cold ground as he started to walk towards his closet. Going through his closet, he would fish out some clothing. Nothing fancy, just a black shirt, dark blue hoodie, and some black jeans. Today, he wasn't going to be dressed up in a suit, as he had to play it more casual just in case Claret was still being watched.

The threat couldn't be allowed to know what was going on in its entirety.

Grabbing his knife and sheathe, Five would clip it to his belt and hide it under his clothing before he closed the closet. He'd sit down over on the chair by his desk, putting on his socks and boots and tightening them, before sitting up with a sigh. He had a lot of time to kill, and he would look over at his laptop.

7:00 AM.

Five's laptop would close, and he would get up from the seat. Stretching a bit, he would look at the time, figuring he should head out soon. He'd put on a quick disguise over his clothes, looking like a generic repairman. Grabbing his bags from his bed, Five would leave the room, locking it behind him before he started heading down the hall towards the entrance.

Out in the entrance hall, Four and Six were standing there waiting for him. Five saw them, stopping near them as Six began to speak.

"Five! So it's true then, you're going away for a while?"
"Work is work, Six. Five here's on some throwaway assignment. The get up he's wearing is something else though."

Five shot a look at Four, sighing and looking between the two of them while she laughed at his disguise.

"Yeah. I don't know how long I'll be gone. Could be a few days. Could be a few months. It's different than what I'm used to."

Six looked at Five sadly, and Four would smirk. "A bodyguard for an unknown amount of time. Mother must not think very highly of you. Or One for that matter."

Yeah.

"I hear she's pretty, Five. I hope you wouldn't try to stretch it out longer than necessary."
"I'm not-"
"Just be sure to focus on the job."
"...Yeah. Take care of yourselves. Four, watch after Six for me."

Five would ruffle Six's hair before grabbing his bags and heading out the front. One and the others were nowhere to be seen, but after Four decided she should run her mouth, he probably felt like that was a good thing.

Placing his bags in his car, Five would get into the driver's seat. A jet black Aston Martin DB11. A little too fancy for what he was doing, but it was probably the most lowkey car he was able to get his hands on. Looking back at the entrance, he would see Six waving to him and shouting for him to be safe, and Five would give him a reassuring smile as he drove off.

He would text Claret to let her know he was on the way.

7:56 AM.

Five's car pulled up in front of Claret's place. After making sure he got the address right, he'd shut the car off and exit it, getting his bags from the back seat. Taking a deep breath and trying not to think about the previous night too much, Five would make his way to Claret's front door and knock despite his nervousness. She might be confused at the grey jumpsuit and all, but it was better to look like he was there for some business until he made it inside safely.

Claret