[color=f7976a][b]LÊ BẰNG KIỀU[/b][/color][hr]
He fought the urge to rid himself of the sweat, directing his vigilance to ensure his serene smile didn’t turn to a grimace as they toured. Facility after facility, the uneven pressure between his soles made the walk more tiresome. The clack of his cane against polished road remained mostly even, the slightest variation in rhythm only noticeable to Bang himself. Hopefully.

[color=f7976a][i]Somehow it was easier when my foot was just metal,[/i][/color] he sighed inwardly. Another bead of moisture ran down his temple.

The view of the city itself did somewhat compensate him for the ordeal. He could imagine himself sitting in a shaded pavilion with a cup of coffee, reading through a paper as his fellow students roamed outside. Ah, how peaceful that would be. Something to keep him feeling close to home, despite the empty streets, the way the lack of traffic and life seemed to echo onto itself. As their guide paused to speak at length about the hospitality available to the student body, Bang took the opportunity to pull out a chair and rest his feet. In his right shoe, his single toe flexed tiredly.

[color=f7976a][i]Not that there’s any need for this to be a home,[/i][/color] he supposed. [i][color=f7976a]If anything, this is just another workplace.[/color][/i]

--

A childish grin adorned his face as he watched the orchestra. It really was a Technologist sentiment, wasn’t it, feeling the need to embellish even the most mundane and unnecessary of tasks. Apart from creating a distracting whirlwind of brass that was always out the corner of his eye, was it functionally any different from just playing a particularly loud record player? Probably, if the priority here was spectacle rather than a listening experience.

He made his way to the catering area, remarking on the students he passed on the way. A pair conversing in German, which he couldn’t understand. A Middle Eastern fellow clearly not enjoying his drink. The Russian girl near the fellow, the smile on her face a far cry from the bored expression Bang had noticed during the tour. How nice that she was finally enjoying herself. His eyes lingered on the girl, her bare shoulders and exposed neck, only hurrying away once he’d decided that enough blood had rushed to his face. He still had a main objective for the night: testing the limits of this all-you-can-eat service. A little easier said than done when his cane left him with only one free hand. The boy uttered a gracious ‘thank you’ to the chef as a bowl was slid towards him. Aromatic, red, filled to the brim and just waiting for half its contents to get spilled to the shiny floor. He stared at the bowl and tapped his cane once, seemingly anxious. The sensible thing would be to ask one of the waiters for assistance, but Bang chose to look at this as a potential for connection.

He turned to the student next to him. [color=f7976a]“Ah, please excuse me. I’d hate to be an inconvenience but… would you be able to help me take this to one of the dining tables?”[/color]