Nine

The Strongest

Name
Nine Mouseling​

Age
n/a (Adult Appearance)

Gender
Male

Race
Automaton

Demeanor
The Fool

Theme
♫

Voice
Headcanon
♪

Nickname
n/a

DOB
11/08

height
5'10 - 177 cm

Occupation
Butler/Proxy

Role
Guilty 
by  Association

"Interesting story.. How he worked. "

Bio

Nine is one of Jacques' clockwork servants, characterized by his generally positive demeanor, though he can be somewhat air-headed. While well-meaning, he often struggles with reliability, but his loyalty remains steadfast. Unfortunately, Jacques subjects Nine to frequent criticism and negative reinforcement for his shortcomings, creating a cycle of anxiety that leads to further mistakes. This pattern of abuse leaves Nine wary of his surroundings, perpetuating his errors, which only invites more criticism.

Despite his frequent blunders, Nine is not unintelligent; his innocent nature and tendency to find himself in trouble stem from either faulty wiring or the consequences of being rebuilt too many times. As the youngest among the servants, he commands little respect from his peers, who often chastise him for his straightforwardness and lack of foresight. Their teasing suggests that he brings many of his problems upon himself.

Yet, despite being the group's primary target for frustration, Nine remains Jacques' most relied-upon servant. Jacques appears to have a personal investment in him, entrusting him with numerous errands. This bond, even amidst adversity, showcases Nine's unwavering loyalty to Jacques, which, although simple in nature, is unmatched in strength.​

Likes

  • Jacques
  • His robot family
  • Oliver
  • Scarves
  • Money

Dislikes

  • Peter
  • Dogs

Hobbies

  • Cleaning
  • Working
  • Small talk with his fellow automatons

Stats

CHARISMA  
KINDNESS    
INTELLECT
HONESTY    
COURAGE    
​HUMOUR

Trivia

  • Despite his name, Nine is the first automaton servant Jacques ever created.​
  • His chronic mistakes stem from being the earliest model, while later automatons are more reliable.
  • Nine’s name has no numeric significance; it’s simply a name Jacques likes.
  • He is often assigned various specific tasks, unlike the other automatons, who follow routines.
  • Notably, Nine harbors a dislike for dogs, the irony given his role as the estate's postman.
  • is experiences with Jacques have rendered him the swiftest of the automatons.
  • The concept of Nine has been in existence since 2006, while his physical design was finalized in September 2020.

Relations

Jacques Lebeau
Master

If there were a favorite servant, Nine would likely hold that distinction, or at least come very close. As the first robotic servant created by Jacques, Nine is often entrusted with a variety of tasks. Despite his frequent errors, Jacques regards him as the most dependable of all his automatons. Perhaps Jacques appreciates Nine's mischievous, childlike nature, which stands in stark contrast to a life that offered little room for such traits—or perhaps it is due to Nine's ability to exhibit the most human-like behaviors. Nevertheless, this does not shield Nine from regular punishment. He is painstakingly rebuilt time and again rather than discarded, highlighting the high regard in which Jacques holds him, particularly given his perfectionist tendencies.

Oliver Holliday
Friend

Nine is not programmed to care for Oliver as he does for Jacques, yet he serves Oliver with equal dedication, despite no protocols requiring it. Unlike Jacques, Oliver does not punish Nine, placing him in a favorable light. Nine enjoys explaining the workings of the Lebeau estate to Oliver, finding comfort in teaching him the rules and routines of daily life. This allows Nine to interact without fear of disappointment or reprimand. Although he never openly complains about his treatment, the absence of punishment brings him ease. However, Oliver’s proximity to Jacques may alter this dynamic.

Peter Kovsky
RuFFIAN

Like many of Jacques' adversaries, the automaton servants instinctively display a distaste and suspicion toward Peter. Jacques' animosity toward Peter is enough for Nine to share the same sentiment. While some of the other servants hold mixed opinions regarding Peter and Jacques' treatment of their new permanent houseguest, Nine's viewpoint closely aligns with Jacques. He often believes that Peter deserves the repercussions of his actions—a belief that is often reflected in Nine's own experiences with his own foolish mistakes. However, this dynamic may shift as Nine continues to learn.

Bijou Mouseling
Friend/coworker

Among the servants, Bijou is likely the one with whom Nine finds the most compatibility. Her pleasant demeanor creates a welcoming atmosphere that Nine appreciates. In a world that often berates him for his shortcomings, Bijou serves as a warm presence amid the coldness surrounding him. She is empathetic toward the struggles of the servants and frequently offers comfort in a motherly manner, while also recognizing the challenges Jacques has faced that have shaped him. Bijou conveys the same information to Nine as Umbral and the others do, but where they deliver it with a harshness that underscores Nine's perceived incompetence, Bijou's approach is akin to a sweet treat that alleviates the bitterness of reality's harsh truths.

Umbral Mouseling
Friend/coworker

Umbral stands in stark contrast to Bijou, embodying a cold, calculating, and unfeeling nature from Nine's perspective. Despite being the first servant created, Nine feels a lack of respect from Umbral. Umbral often contemplates whether Nine's shortcomings stem from poor manufacturing or repeated destruction; however, such thoughts would imply blame on Jacques, which his programming does not permit. Deep down, Nine likely desires to gain Umbral's approval, but until he can overcome his frequent missteps, that aspiration feels unattainable. If Umbral were equipped with even a modicum of empathy for Nine's struggles, their relationship could potentially evolve into a friendship. Nevertheless, a fundamental loyalty exists among all the servants, as it is inherent in their design.

A robot who can dream
 written by falconkpd


​He was cold; a sensation that was rare to him. No sky? No land? Just cold…?

As Nine came to his senses he found himself standing on an ice cold metal platform suspended above a flaming field, which lay thousands of feet below. The platform, going approximately 50 years across in all directions, clung to his feet with frost as he tried to step forward. Using all of his strength, he freed one foot, then the other. He started walking, but to where, he had no idea.

“NINE, FRONT AND CENTER” 

The booming voice made the blonde boy jump. He whirled around to see his master, Jacques, standing at the opposite end of the platform. Immediately, he sprinted to him, fighting the frost that slowed his steps down. 

Finally stopping mere feet before the Master, Nine snapped to attention. 

“Run Calibration One…You’re sloppy”

Calibration One? What did that mean? 

Immediately, the icy platform warmed to a neutral temperature, allowing his steps to move freely.

“What-...?” He looked at the floor, shook a foot and returned to his stance.

“Restart power source” LeBeau’s command came. This time, the flaming field below the platform faded, then re-lit, turning the inferno into a green glow.

“What…? What is this…?” Nine asked, confused. As he looked around, he noticed that Jacques’s apparition had disappeared as if he was never there.

“Master? Where did you go?”

Once again, a voice came from the opposite end of the platform, but this time, it wasn’t the commanding draw of his creator…It was soft crying.

A small boy sat upon his knees, sobbing over a broken toy doll. The sight made Nine feel an instinctual need to approach the child and offer help, not out of programming, but out of something…Brotherly.

“Hey- hey…It’s okay…” Nine’s soft voice cooed to the brown haired child as he knelt down.

“N-No it isn’t Nine…” The boy looked up, his yellow eyes wet with tears. It was his creator, his master, but as a young boy. Sniffling, he continued, “I broke you again…”

“Shhhh” Nine whispered, lifting the boy into his arms to comfort him. Even though he was supposed to be an unfeeling automaton built to serve his master, he felt something natural; a heartbeat in his own chest as he gripped the sobbing child.

“It’s okay…I love you so much” he whispered, nuzzling into Jacques’s brunette hair.

“I made you say that, don’t…force it…” the younger version of Nine’s master muttered through sobs.

“No it’s- it’s okay because you’re my fa-”

Nine gasped and cut himself off before he could finish his sentence. Was this boy he had an innate desire truly his creator? His-

“Father…”

The word escaped the blonde’s lips. The child’s eyes glanced up to meet his, asking meekly,

“What did you say?”

“Y-You created me. So uh- that means…You’re my father…I guess?”

Jacques buried his face into Nine’s chest, and in an incomprehensible transition, the child turned into the adult version of LeBeau that Nine knew. Muffled into Nine’s clothing, LeBeau’s voice muttered, “You’re my first…and I know I’ve been hard on you, but you’re special- you’re…good enough”

Good Enough

“Good enough- that should do it” came Jacques’s voice from the world of the awake. Nine’s eyes opened and flicked about, his mechanical irises dilating at the light penetrating into them.

“Well that was easy enough to repair” the master brushed his hands against one another to wipe away the grease and bloodlike oil away. Nine’s stab wound was gone, just like the dozens before it.

“Master LeBeau, you-...” 

“Oh stop Nine, you always react like this when you wake up from maintenance. You should be 100%..For now” 

Jacques delivered a menacing glare to his Mouseling as if silently commanding him to get back to work, to which Nine lifted himself from the maintenance table and bowed.

“Yes of course…I’ll return to my duties, Fa-, Master LeBeau”

“What did you say?”

Nine shook his head and cleared his throat with a very humanlike grunt, “N-Nothing, sir…Just a dry voicebox”

“That’s what I thought. Go on…”

With that, Nine pirouetted on his toe and about faced to head to the exit of the lab.

…

“You’re good enough” Jacques  whispered to the broken doll still resting in his drawer, bearing the same blonde hair as his first, and favorite creation.