(Setting) Blue Light Pawn Shop
| > Towards the back, there was a glass display case with the more valuable looking things, a few augs and parts for very high caliber rifles and some armor too. What looked like should have been gun racks against the wall held some sports memorabilia and Idol merchandise.
> There seemed to be a lone CRT monitor as well, angled so that nobody was really able to look at it comfortably if they were approaching like a normal person. What looked like static crackled on the screen
| > Barely peeping behind what looks like the cash register bobbed a head, up and down. Maybe they were the shop keeper. But it didn't look like they were paying much attention, either. They seemed to be fiddling with some kind of paperwork, or lighting incense. or maybe even both
| >A slender figure made its' way into the shop, a tall woman with long black hair that contrasted her pale skin. A small pause followed her entrance, the same kind one makes after forgetting just why you walked into the kitchen in the first place; annoying, isn't it?
>...So the figure stood among the memorabilia, and she gazed at the memorabilia, and she stared at the--ah, the keeper, the place was not empty after all.
"Busy night?"
>She commented, making way towards the counter.
| >>1055436
"Ze night is as busy as it needs to be, mademoiselle."
> His head perks up, faded grey hair now visible. He pauses briefly and slowly begins to shuffle, turning around to face the counter. An old man is staring back, two polished Lapis Lazuli spheres where his eyes should be glittering in the light. They are striking against his dark skin.
"I sometimes forget my ahh.. manners. Are you looking for something in particular? or are you searching for selling an item?"
| >>1055485
"Nothing on the shelves shiny enough for me, and I don't suppose you got anything like a backroom, however.."
>That 'however' preluded a small leather bag being brought up and onto the counter, making a 'thud' noise upon contact before revealing a cybernetic arm inside, one a little too bulky to be hers.
"Can't remember the manufacturer, but I know it's a PSS-270 model, I was wondering if I was lucky enough for you to have one of these back there"
| >>1055560
> The man's gaze stays locked forwards as he reaches out and gingerly begins to touch the bag. He finds where the opening is and starts feeling the arm up and down, nodding as he does.
> "I must ask, you are not working with the gendarmerie correct? It is a matter of client protection and privacy."
> He sets the arm back into the bag with care. His hands move to just underneath the counter as he waits for the answer
| >>1055564
"Moi? Jamais!"
>She clearly joked, indifferent to whether this was well received or not
"Never have, likely never will"
>With a *need* to confirm the most obvious of suspicions she waved a hand in front of the keeper, fishing for any reaction out of the old man
| >>1055566
> A smile shines on his face. He doesn't seem to notice the waving in front of his face at all. A switch can be heard clicking and whirring then starts. The doors seem to have locked, and a faint electrical hum can be heard. The TV now can be seen easily and an eye can be seen on the screen. The shelving moves, showing a small selection of augs and rifles
"Magnifiqué. Then we can proceed. Our tabib is not in, but we can still do sales. A 270 modèle... we may have one"
| >>1055567
>And the smile is reciprocated, thought not by the smile itself but by the new display of merchandise, accompanied by a whistle.
"Talk about lowkey, I hope you don't mind me telling clients about this place, do tell me if it's a problem though"
>Any reservations she might have had about the shop were gone with the old shelves
"A PSS-270"
>She corrected
"Not trying to be anal about it but if the darn thing is a letter off you're likely to see me... To hear me tomorrow"
| >>1055571
"If we do not have one such in stock, we can make ze arrangements necessary for you, inshallah. Un moment"
> He pulls out a small binder and flips through the various pages, running his hands along a page every so often. As he does, he then fully moves his face squarely at the woman.
"I always appreciate new people coming into the shop. I appreciate you bringing us new clientele, mademoiselle."
| >>1055580
"Then you shall have it, just know I can't speak for them in matters of behaviour, all I can guarantee is not telling any loose lips about this place"
>She let him browse through his pages without pressure nor hurry taking a small stroll to check out the new displays. Her light steps telling on her specific interest towards the augs.
| >>1055653
"You have a fondness for the high-spec augs, I see. None of the displays are quite catching your interest. I don't keep our best out for all to examine. Zat is what ma binder is for."
> He keeps staring at her, accurately tracking where she is. The Eye on the TV monitor draws into focus. The pupil contracts. The shop keep stops his search
"Ah... i see we have one such arm, a left handed model. It seems to be in the possession of tabib, who is away at ze moment"
| >>1055655
"Too bad I'm a visual shopper, would love to gander at the high-end stuff one day"
>She let go of a breathe she forgot she was holding at the mention of the arm
"Can you believe I forgot to ask for it to be left handed? I'm so glad that's what you got"
>And as so, she found herself back at the counter
"When will 'tabib' be back here? Preferably with the piece"
| >>1055830
> He gives a very loud and hearty laugh at hearing 'Visual shopper'. He even claps in approval. He then gets back to work and pulls out the page from binder. The writing is written in some kind of script with a very shimmery ink. He draws a pen from a shelf under the counter and begins writing on it.
"Thank you the laugh mademoiselle, it makes my old heart soar like a hawk. Now then, the piece can be sold, but we cannot do the... how do you say... install today, désole"
| NIGGER
| >>1055989
>She seemed surprised if not a little flattered at the reaction she got out of him, then waves off his concerns as he lays out the details for the purchase.
"No need, I got my own little workshop so all I'll need is the arm"
>And so she leaned against the counter just to peek at the order or receipt being written. Something about it being handwritten rather than typed gave the place more authenticity.
| >>1056010
"Bonne... Let me fill out ze contract fully. First, I will need a nom before i can give the asking price. Just a formality"
> He uses the pen to start writing new lines on the contract. Despite the apparent lack of eyes, he is writing with zero issue. The contract is definitely not in english or an asian script. Only numbers can be made out, but without context, it's hard to tell what they mean
| >>1056059
>A little too distracted by the peculiar writing she almost found herself giving an absent minded response
"Ho--Espoir,if it's just about formalities then put me down as espoir, s'il vous plaît"
>And a sigh
"Never been a fan of paperwork, much less when it's done on actual paper"
| >>1056221
> He writes the name down next to some script before continuing to write from right-to-left. It's a little eerie how well he is doing it.
"Espoir... we have you now in case ahh... you wish to return with the product. Now as for the price, given what we paid and other circumstance, it's value sits at 7468$. Is this price to your liking?"
> He turns and fully locks not-eyes to eyes with her. His resolve is unwavering
| >>1056284
>The single one thing that could get her eyes off his writing was the uncanny stare he now gave her, catching her off guard but certainly not out of breath.
"Is haggling liked around these parts?"
>While she clearly joked it didn't really hide too well her disappointment regarding the price,not that it was the old man's fault.
"I was hoping the old thing wouldn't go over five, but that's fine.. I don't suppose you can call it at seven grand, maybe?"
Refresh
| > Tucked away in the seedier parts of the Neon District of Glitch City, one could find a plethora of different kinds of shops for the person who either is living on the edges or for some reason wants to. One of these such shops happened to be the Blue Light Pawn shop.
> Nestled inside, were cramped rows of weird novelties and knick-knacks. Old stereos, TVs and projectors, if it could be sold for any amount of cash, it was probably in here with a seemingly arbitrary price tag