(no subject)

[covert_bandage]

The people who turn to the Followers of the Apocalypse for medical assistance in Freeside are usually in a bad way, economically speaking. The Followers provide what care they can and charge the ones who can afford it to subsidize the ones who can't. The poorer ones tend to provide barter goods after the fact, when they've got goods to spare- meat, eggs, gathered plants, animal hides for sale, things like that. It's an awkward setup, but it's functioned so far, and occasionally it functions pretty well when somebody like the King comes by in need of treatment and drops a sizable pile of caps in their lap.

And then there are days like today, when a grateful Freesider went out hunting after their treatment and came back to pay, not with the usual tanned gecko hides, but with a whole sack of animal corpses from a species Arcade would've sworn had gone extinct decades ago.

Honestly, who pays with snakes?

Arcade's just gonna be over here, with his vodka and his book of chess strategies and his other book of transcribed pages from the first book. It beats figuring out what he's supposed to do with snake parts.

Comments

[g00d_d0ggie]

Don't look now, Arcade, but a small hovering robot is reading over your shoulder.

[covert_bandage]

The sense of something hovering there sets the hairs on the back of his neck to prickling; very carefully, Arcade reaches for his glass, tilting it a little to get a look at the reflection on its surface-

Ah. That's not what he expected.

"You know," he says conversationally without looking up, "just hovering unannounced like that is a good way to get in trouble. Do you mind coming around to where I can see you, please?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

The little robot buzzes around to the other side of the table, looking contrite. "... --- .-. .-. -.--"

( SORRY )

[covert_bandage]

"That's okay." Arcade relaxes a little further at the sight. "Not everybody has the same reaction to all flying robots. You might want to take that into account next time."

He peers a little more closely at the newcomer.

"You know, there's something vaguely familiar about your make."

[g00d_d0ggie]

"-.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / -.- -. --- .-- / .- .-.. -.-- -..-?" the little robot inquires.

( DO YOU KNOW ALYX? )

[covert_bandage]

"Can't say that I do," says Arcade, after a moment's translation. "Should I?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

".- .-.. -.-- -..- / -... ..- .. .-.. - / -- .," says the robot. ".- -. -.. / -.. ----- --."

( ALYX BUILT ME. AND D0G. )

[covert_bandage]

"Ah, got it," says Arcade. "I don't think I've met any... D0G? ... I don't think I've met him either."

'D-zero-gee' is how he pronounces it. Morse code doesn't really convey that it's supposed to be said as a single word.

[g00d_d0ggie]

The little robot holds up one finger in a 'hold on a second' gesture, then scoots off.

He returns a few minutes later with a much, much larger robot in tow.

[covert_bandage]

"... okay then," says Arcade, blinking. "That's another story. You're with that woman who was working on the scanner drone, aren't you."

[g00d_d0ggie]

The big robot nods eagerly.

[covert_bandage]

"I see," says Arcade. "Just out of curiosity, how many robots does she have?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

The big robot holds up two fingers.

(The scanner drones don't count. They don't have brains.)

[covert_bandage]

"Gotcha. And she built you two all by herself?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

The big robot points to himself and nods, then points to the little robot and makes a 'so-so' gesture. Alyx had a lot of Cybertronian help with Skitch.

[covert_bandage]

"That explains the design differences," Arcade says. "Are robots particularly common where you two come from?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

Headshake.

[covert_bandage]

"So it's more of a hobby for Alyx," says Arcade. "Huh. That's interesting. You two must come in pretty useful."

[g00d_d0ggie]

They both nod, looking quite pleased with themselves despite having no facial features to speak of.

[covert_bandage]

"How's she doing, anyway?" Arcade inquires. "I haven't seen her in a while."

[g00d_d0ggie]

Whurp. The big robot points toward the corner booth where Alyx is currently eating a small mountain of Chinese food. Ask her yourself, she's much more articulate than these two.

[covert_bandage]

"Ah, I see." Arcade comes to his feet and starts making his way towards the table. "Hey there."

[vance_prime]

"Hm?" Alyx swallows a mouthful of chow mein and looks up. "Oh, hi."

[covert_bandage]

"You're... Alyx, right?" says Arcade. "I met your robots just now. Or rather, they came by to visit."

[vance_prime]

"Yeah, they tend to do that when they get bored," she says with a wry smile. "They weren't bothering you, were they?"