Sophie was speechless at her own father. He had never gone on a business trip. Not once. Why would he suddenly be going on one?

As she kept mulling over what happened, she nodded along. "That's okay with you? Right, Isaac?" She was hoping he would see the glee she was feeling.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, with a blank expression. "That's fine."

"Great," Sebastian expressed, eating the food expertly. "It is the day after tomorrow, so make sure your folks know that. I don't want to sound protective, but, if there is any harm caused to her, something will happen."

Sophie thought he was bluffing, but the straightforwardness of his face made her think otherwise.

Isaac nodded along. Sebastian had finished his dinner. "Good night," he said, making a beeline for his room.

There was a momentary silence, before she asked Isaac, "Do you think he knows?"

Isaac hesitated, and nodded his head. "By the way, does your father always look so down?" She shook her head.

"He's been weird, these past couple days. Anyway, want me to take you home?" They both laughed, warmly side glancing at each other.

"Shouldn't I be the one to ask you?" he asked, though he didn't seem upset. She let the silence sink in. "Yes," he meekly offered. "After I finish."

Sebastian had gone to sleep almost instantly, but he did not wake up feeling refreshed. Rather, he felt as if something was missing. He felt his fingers twitching, ready to hold something, to work.

And then he remembered work, and how he had taken the day off yesterday. That was the first day, in several years, where he wasn't bothered by something.

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He got up, at a time before even the Sun rose, and left after leaving a note. He needed to do something with his hands.

He started smoking almost immediately after he left the house. He didn't stop at just one, but rather three. And that was when he was in front of the factory.

After he entered it, he realised that this was the emptiest it had ever been. There was not a single person he could even speak to.

And so, he started building, using pieces that were strewn around the place. None of them were supposed to really connect in the way he made them connect.

A couple hours was all it took for him to build something gigantic. It served no purpose, and even blocked most paths through. Still, anyone that came through the door stopped in their tracks, if only to watch Sebastian build it.

No one, not even Sebastian, knew what he was making. But, it all worked out, as a weirdly beautiful masterpiece was formed.

It was massive. The only way it would make it out of the factory in one piece was if the wall came down. An entire wall, top to bottom, left and right.

It wasn't just a ball of parts, all loosely connected. No, they were connected in ways that made no sense until it was done.

It was like a walking Panda, with legs strong enough to lift it, and a body heavy enough for it to lean.

"Sebastian!" someone called. The only person who was shaking, pointing at him, his own boss. "Meet me in my office!" He stormed into his own office. Before he closed the door, he yelled out, "The rest of you! Tear it down!"

Sebastian had quickly gone into the office, absentminded. He wasn't sure why he did that.

"Take a seat." He did, staring innocently into his own boss's eyes. He would have chuckled to himself, but the situation didn't call for that. Still, he didn't even know his boss's name. "Thank you for making this easy," he told Sebastian, looking away from him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, hoping. It was pretty ridiculous, hoping for something that had no right to happen.

"You're fired." The news was far too sudden, but he took it in stride. Hopefully it looked that way. "I've been meaning to do it for a bit, now. Of course, you will receive your pay, along with your bonus, but no more than that. Now, go," he added, after placing some envelopes on the desk.

Sebastian took it, before heading for the only thing he could. He couldn't go back home; couldn't pretend everything was fine. Couldn't head anywhere he knew, because he had had his job for so long. If he asked to stay, then what would they think of Sophie?

So he came to the conclusion of the airport, where he could fly somewhere else. Participate in a competition. Wasn't competitiveness a good thing?

Strangely enough, that was the only thing that could have made him smile. He would not be beaten, when it came to his hands.