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Post by Ashe on May 19, 2019 17:38:55 GMT -6
Shopping list:
Lizard Laser Disk - 15
Spider Laser Disk - 15
Snake Laser Disk - 25
Cat Laser Disk - 30
Crow Laser Disk - 40
Fox Laser Disk - 50
Bat Laser Disk - 60
Hologram Sample: Reptile Feather - 250
Hologram Sample: Steam - 300
Soul Thumb - 75
Total: 860
Barter Rank 2
Attempted discount: -86
Goal total: 774
Ashe was here for two things. Two things only. He had Inyala with him as always, and had given her strict instructions to help guide him on this quest. Only let him get the two things. He had somehow managed to keep a Living Liquid Steel all these years without it running amuck (also without himself gaining any benefit from it) and it was time to actually do something with it. He'd heard ages ago that Kapper had new and intriguing items in stock, so here he was, ready to inspect these new items. Two things. The words echoed in his mind. What Ashe really wanted was some sort of hologram card? Stick it in and it changed the creature's shape. The Steel could probably change into any creature by now, he figured, but there was just something about this Steam card. And, in order to train it, there were these thumb drives... That supposedly contained souls? How the hell...? It was beyond Ashe's comprehension. He walked into the shop, pausing to take it all in. A few changes since last time. He started to browse, Inyala peering over his shoulder just waiting for him to mess up so she could yell at him. He shushed her and decided this was a better task to discuss with the shopkeep. So he walked to the counter and greeted Kapper. "Hey there, long time no see. I hear you have a variety of disks for the LLS..."
Ashe: +1 Inyala: +1
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Post by NPC on May 19, 2019 20:24:05 GMT -6
Kapper was bent down, working on some sort of mechanical contraption whenever the customer came in. He quietly sits down his tools, all in perfect rows, and then looks up at the tall individual, and then creature that was with him. He sneered somewhat; living beings were not allowed in his shop, after all. "I do." He said, his tail held up high, and twitching a bit at the tip. "Could you leave your..." He squinted at it for a moment. "Living Creature at the door?" There was no doubt that this individual had a good reason for not following the rules of his shop, but surely if the creature was quite restrained, it wouldn't be dangerous to leave at the door either. "Then we can go over the wares." He was reasonable, and did not believe in throwing people out of his shop, but he also valued order, and rules.
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Post by Ashe on May 20, 2019 17:32:58 GMT -6
Ashe was a little shocked when Kapper sneered at him. He'd never been treated like that in any shop, and it shocked him so much he almost didn't catch what Kapper was saying. He blinked, running the words through his mind. Living creature...? What in the? He hadn't brought a pet in her- Oh. He meant Inyala. Ashe snapped back, pieces falling into place. Suddenly it made sense. He didn't even think of Inyala as a creature, a pet, and since she stayed on his shoulder when they were in the city (she was small, and easily stepped on), she was even more 'out of sight out of mind.' "Oh, right, sorry."
Inyala seemed to catch on faster than Ashe did, and jumped down to the floor, almost guiltily. She was pretty sure she ruined any chance of a pleasant visit, and while she felt bad that she hindered her master, she also fought hard to resist the urge to set something on fire on her way out... That man wasn't human, either!
Ashe led her back to the door and opened it for her. Sure, Kapper had said leave her at the door, but Ashe didn't want to have a physical reminder right there reminding Kapper that he'd broken the rules. And besides, he couldn't be sure Inyala wouldn't get bored and practice her ember skills. She was loyal and obedient, but still. "Wait for me at the fountain," He told her, then shut the door and slunk back to the counter. "My sincerest apologies, Kapper. She's my familiar, like my shadow. Goes with me everywhere. Anyway." He cleared his throat, hoping he sill wanted to do business. "About those disks."
Ashe: +2
Inyala: +2
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Post by NPC on May 20, 2019 17:52:05 GMT -6
Kapper immediately gave a polite nod and then turned around. Kapper was quite pleased with the polite attitude of the customer. Bygones aside, he was quite pleased with the turn of events, having partially expected an argument. "Understandable. The living liquid steel section is right over here." He did enjoy polite attitudes, after all. "My Living Liquid Steels have plenty of useful forms to choose from, I trust that you already have one?" He had gathered that from the customer being interested in the disks only, from the sound of it. "There are many forms to choose from, each with a disk for just the purpose. Each is listed here, with an example image." He explained, showing the customer to the area where the disks were labelled and showed a basic form for each. "Each form has a variety of practical uses." He continues, his tail held up high. In addition, his eyes sparkled when he looked at another of his inventions. Perhaps the customer would like this as well. "I have perfected this thumb drive, when inserted into the Liquid Living Steel, it will proceed to exhibit what is colloquially termed as a 'soul'. It is programmed to allow the Living Liquid Steel to gain loyalty to you, like a regular animal." He explained, picking one up to show how it could be opened to show a port. "I suggest it in addition to any disks for forms that catch your fancy." He was quite polite, all previous bygones forgotten by this point.
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Post by Ashe on May 20, 2019 18:04:37 GMT -6
Ashe followed Kapper over to the living liquid steel section, noting the pride in the man's voice as he spoke about his inventions. "Yeah, I have a Living Liquid Steel of my own at home. I'd planned on getting something for it, but never have... until now..." Ashe thought it was all quite interesting, but now would probably not be a good time to mention that machines weren't really Ashe's MO. He'd gotten clock work avians, a dragon, the steel thing, a bionic Dash claw, and a TROD, all with ideas and plans and goals... Just to realize he didn't know what he was doing with machines. Gears and coolant tubes and oiled hinges... He was out of his depth. He'd even had a Lizard disk once before, but he'd sold it when he needed cash and realized he wasn't going to do anything with it.
Ashe looked at each image shown, comparing them. Oh, a spider form? A bat form? He really, really liked those. And the others... Each one having practical uses... He wanted to ask about the transformation rate - how quickly could you change its forms? Where did you insert the disks? Before he could ask, Kapper continued about the thumb drive with the soul thing. That held more confusion for him than anything else. But how to ask without seeming rude...? "What is the difference, between a machine that does something because you tell it to, and a machine that does something because it's loyal to your command?" Ashe asked. There had to be a difference. It sounded so cool! But he simply could not fathom an answer.
Ashe: +3
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Post by NPC on May 20, 2019 18:12:38 GMT -6
Kapper listened, nodding. Perhaps there was a reason that he usually had his own TRoD out here with the customers, while he normally tinkered in the back. However, he wasn't terrible with customers, not in his own opinion. "Our disks certainly increase the usability of the living liquid steel." He was quite surprised that someone had bought one of his steels without also having bought a disk, but such things were sure to happen. Not everyone in the City was mechanically inclined, or interested in such things. "A machine has no partiality. A machine will do whatever it is told without argumentation. However, it will do whatever it is told without argumentation, without any determination between an owner and what could very well be a non-owner." Most people got their machines to do things to non-standard 'commands' to keep this sort of thing from occurring, but not always. "The living liquid steel's soul thumb can make it... Ah, 'love you'. It will slowly get to the point to where it prefers your commands over that of others." While he preferred the company of machines, not everyone found them as impartial and comforting, and instead felt them cold and unfeeling. "In addition, it is more comfortable to those who feel robots can be too... Cold." That was what they were made for, despite his own feelings about the matter.
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Post by Ashe on May 22, 2019 17:01:28 GMT -6
Ashe's eyes widened slightly as the realization dawned on him. Kapper's explanation made a lot of sense, when he put it that way. Not that he'd had anyone attempt it, thankfully, he could understand someone else coming in and taking over. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember having any of his machines paired with his voice specifically, save for the TROD and that was with a chip in his head, so it wasn't like they were locked down as his. Made them easier to sell, but also easier for sabotage. "Alright, you definitely sold me on the soul thumb drive. Can't have my Living Liquid Steel turning on me, once I give it a cool disk." Part of Ashe liked the thought of the robots mindlessly following tasks. It was basic, simple, didn't require much thought or maintenance. But in reality, he wasn't quite sure what to do with machines like that. He worked much better with living things he could actively predict, actions and reactions. Unfailing mechanical obedience was out of his depth.
"About what they can turn into..." Ashe started, referencing the LLS and its mods. "Disks versus holograms. Is there any benefit to one over the other?" He'd seen the samples of the disks, and he was after one of the holograms specifically (and so deeply tempted by the pretty cool disks), but... why were they different?
Ashe: +4
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Post by NPC on May 22, 2019 17:42:35 GMT -6
Kapper finished his explanation and then seemed quite pleased with the outcome. "Excellent. Only one will be needed per living liquid steel." The tip of his tail twitched, but this time it seemed to be an indication of a much better mood. "Disks are utilized for much smaller forms, such as the crow, fox, and spider. These utilize just the living liquid steel's own mass. However, the holograms are utilized for bigger forms; such as the reptile feather form... They have the same consistency of the regular liquid steel forms from the disks, but the hologram makes up for the deficit in mass to make the form larger." Both were equally good but utilized for different situations, the deciding factor tended to be what forms the operator preferred.
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Post by Ashe on May 22, 2019 18:21:25 GMT -6
"Got'cha." It made sense, but Ashe wasn't sure he could comprehend the difference until he saw it in person. Hologram making up for mass, but having the same consistency? That just sounded really weird. He couldn't imagine it. But, technically, the Living Liquid Steel was made up of a bunch of tiny robots, not liquid, so there was that.
Yep, Ashe was definitely more into the organic stuff. But he still wanted this. It would be a fun toy to play with... Not that he would ever refer to a robot as a toy, especially not in Kapper's presence. But something he could tinker with, poke around with and see what made it work. That kind of toy.
Now came the hard part... Could he stick to the original plan and just get the two items? He was already teetering...
One last look at the spider and bat forms sent him over the edge.
"You know what, I think I want a complete set," Ashe told Kapper. "One of each disk and hologram. And the soul thumb drive." What the hell. The credits weren't going to spend themselves.
Ashe: +5
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Post by NPC on May 22, 2019 20:30:27 GMT -6
Kapper put his hands together and then spoke. "Splendid, I'll get them packed up for you." He did so with the practiced care that he took with all of his robotics parts, though with a speed that certainly came with experience. "If this is what you'd like today, your total will be eight-hundred and sixty credits today." Kapper walked over to the counter for the ease of the transaction. He was quite short, but he stepped up on his stool quite quickly, sitting the carefully bagged items on the counter. Up at this height, he didn't have to look up far to look into the taller individual's eyes. He liked it better this way, he disliked being looked down upon for any longer than it had to be that way.
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Post by Ashe on May 23, 2019 16:32:18 GMT -6
Ashe watched, noting the care, and yet speed, used to gather one of everything. A very practiced hand that knew the value, but had also been around such merchandise day in and day out. He followed the shopkeep to the counter, adding up the totals in his head. Eight hundred and sixty was the straight price... Dare Ashe push for a discount, after bringing Inyala in? It seemed like Kapper had forgiven him, and perhaps Kapper would like how Ashe had enjoyed his wares, and buying a whole set...? But Ashe could also imagine a little push would set the shopkeep straight back into a foul mood. He had to tread lightly. He'd make an attempt, and if Spirit willed it...
"Don't suppose there's a 'complete set' discount on these?" He asked, keeping his voice light, prepared to play it off as a joke if he had to. His hand lightly touched the bag of disks, then went to his pocket to pull out his bag of credits. While he wasn't intimidated by the little Kapper, he did have a respect for him. Ashe had been a part of the war like a decade ago, after all, and had joined the side against the machines, so he knew the capabilities.
Ashe: +6
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Post by NPC on May 23, 2019 17:00:02 GMT -6
Kapper looked on, of course, at the humanoid. Practically glancing him up and down; he thinks that he may remember him. "Did you fight on my side during the war? I remember your face." He tapped the underside of his chin thoughtfully. "For your service on my side and good manners, I can bring it down to seven-hundred and seventy-five." Kapper did not make habits out of this; but he did have a soft spot for those that fought on his side. He also remembered the individual sending his creature out without question when being asked.
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Post by Ashe on May 23, 2019 19:45:01 GMT -6
Ashe didn't answer that, simply taking the discount without protest. He gives a grateful smile to Kapper, looking for all the world like this was the best news he'd received today. "Really? Awesome, thank you!" Ashe quickly counted out the credits from the bag and set them on the counter, in piles as he talked. That was such a great deal, he'd be silly to pass it up...or say anything that could make him change his mind. "There you go, Seven Hundred and Seventy-five." The amount counted, he scooted the credits toward the shopkeep and picked up the bag containing his disks and holograms. "Pleasure as always, doing business with you, Kapper. See you next time!"
With that, he departed the shop. What had started out a bit risky had turned out all for the better. Even such a big chunk of change didn't make too much of a dent in Ashe's riches... Question was, what shop would be next? First, he had to regroup with Inyala, maybe take these purchases home...
Ashe +7
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Post by NPC on May 23, 2019 20:42:49 GMT -6
Kapper received the coinage and counted it out quickly, and then nodded. "Yes, pleasure with you as well." He said. After the customer was gone, he gently pulled out the items that he had been working on previously, and began tinkering again. Hopefully he would be done soon; he wasn't exactly keen on running the front of the shop when there were other things to be done, but this had to be worked on up here and not in the back, after all.
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