2022-05-19: Your Future, For Sale
- Cast: Asciel Colette, Leito Igaguri, Yuliana Kafim, Lina Lombardi, Lily Jung, Julia Ampere, Milly Ashford, Gary Biaggi
- Where: Isaac City, Saudi Arabia
- Date: U.C. 0096 05 19
- Summary: A fairy lurks over gathering throngs at a Chrome trade show.
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
In the northern sands of Arabia, a desolate landscape stands, one that, for thousands of years, saw little life beyond passing scorpions and caravans of camels. Today...it looks scarce different, save for periodically spaced structures peeking up, huge iron towers with four-way gates at each end, where trains and cargo trucks pass in and out like the marching of ants.
Beneath these sands lies an entirely different world. Carved from a colossal cavern that long stood dormant, Isaac City crowds within, a dizzying enclosed landscape of harsh industrial piping and vivid neon lights. Glimmering silver manors suspended from the cavern's ceiling overlook a city whose orderly, methodical layout from above hides countless ducts and alleyways in which all sorts of shady ongoings commence. It's a disorienting, maybe unsettling sort of place, yet it's flaunted as the Chrome Corporation's shining jewel, a mechanical oasis beneath the sands.
For the past week, a trade show's being hosted in one of the central convention centers, with room after room holding conferences and presentations showcasing all sorts of products, from pharmaceuticals to weapons of war to automobiles and everything in between.
...Properly, Chrome itself only handles the medical side, but tracing back the companies presenting everything else leads predominantly to 'subsidiary of Chrome' or 'majority shareholding held by Chrome' or 'personally owned company of one of Chrome's executives'. It's a showcase of power and glamor held by that most mercenarily profit-seeking iron fists of this world - a fist that gradually reaches skyward, day by day.
...And amidst it all, a fairy seems to lurk. Digital advertisement boards occasionally switch to one featuring the somewhat well known online entertainer, Asciel Colette, beaming cozily above what seems to be some sort of smart home device. It's a little bit animated, each time it appears...but then shifts to peeking around this way and that, assessing the passing crowds for faces that catch her fancy...
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
Travel from the OCU to Saudi Arabia is easy enough, if odd. Why Nergal tasked Leito Igaguri with going that far out for a trade show, he doesn't know, but he's happy to take a look.
He knows absolutely nothing about Chrome, Isaac City, or the fact this is seedy as hell. They left him to his own devices, here.
At the trade show, with his hotel for the night secured, Leito is an odd man out. Bumbling, nervous, and overly good-natured. He asks quite a few questions about every product he visits so that he can report back, but seems to have a distaste for the military ones he's reporting on.
At one point, he looks up to the ad board with Asciel on it. It's like he's talking to someone when talking to himself, despite clearly being alone. "It feels like we're being watched, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
All sorts of agreements can happen, in a place like this. And Captain Yuliana Dispersal is an upstanding officer of the REA -- which, of course, means she does a little discreet dealing on the side. It's all very legal, you understand, and no one could criticise her for attending a trade show on her own time, even in a place like this.
If she happens to get some deals sorted here -- that's her business.
Like the way she shakes hands with someone at the back of one of those presentations...
"Of course, I have full faith in your pharmaceutical achievements," the teal-haired woman assures her dear friend. She's dressed in a dark suit, though it's broken up by a colourful blue-and-pink shawl, wrapped about her neck. "I'll rely on you to handle it."
(Her voice isn't quite the same as noted terrorist Verdiska -- because she uses a vocal pattern scrambler in her transmissions, when she's acting in that capacity. But even though it's not obscured by a dark fascinator now, her face...)
Yuliana leaves the room easily; enough people in the crowd part around her that Yuliana never has terribly much trouble getting around, during events like these. Her hand comes up, to brush at the bangs covering half her face, as she looks up at the various advertisement boards in the hall.
And there's a voice, in the crowd...
Emptiness approaches. The emotional tenor of the room goes dead, in arm's reach of an Indonesian woman, even as the voices talking in the hall are still entirely audible. Like hers, as she strolls up by Leito: "That's probably because you are, dear. Is this your first trade show?" Her voice is friendly enough, even if there's no empathic trace betraying what she's feeling, underneath her smile. She reaches up, with a hand -- short, painted-blue nails -- to gesture, to one of the digital advertisements. "You slip a camera behind the screen, and use the recognition data to tell the tenor of the crowd. Where are people stopping? What are they passing by? These are all terribly important factors to consider, when selling a product."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina had only been in Saudi Arabia a couple times before, but not for any big show like this. Concord Defense Solutions had set up a small table, but one of the other employees was manning it for now, leaving Lina with free rein of the show floor.
While she was enjoying the show, she didn't forget the reason she was here, and was taking any opportunity she could to get some small talk and a passed business card out there. Sure, it was seedy as hell, but these were her people. This is where she felt the most free.
"Yes, and remember, Concord has the solution!" Leaving off one booth with the CEO-approved tagline, she finds herself rushing across the floor, wondering where she could find a bite to eat. "Of course we're being watched, there's cameras everywhere." Lina had noticed Leito's remark, but somehow had not noticed the presence of Asciel.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
The old man slowly removes the cigar from his mouth, and looks up at the various boards above him. A perfectly circled puff of smoke escapes him, before he reaches a finger down into his collar and pulls a bit on his perfectly tied tie. Not to loosen it, but just to get a bit better of a breath. He's on the chubby side, and one would hardly call him a specimen of human perfection. Rotunde perhaps, is a better word. Dressed in a pinstripe business suit that, regardless of his somewhat chubbier bearing, actually looks pretty good on him. And it works with the somewhat flattering short beard he has on him.
The head of the Jung Concern considers one of the ads, showing the massive chrome logo, before spotting the quick movement of something upon the billboard itself - as Asciel's virtual self passes. The man then puts the cigar back into his mouth and brings his hand from is tie to his small rimmed hat and tilts it down a bit to keep walking towards the further reaches of the Trade Show itself.
He's joined by two men in black clothing, one carrying a briefcase that's tied to their wrist with a cuff, and the other keeps sweeping their eyes about. It's clear that the chubby man has an escort. And no doubt, in a place such as this, that's hardly uncommon.
The chubby man stops in front of one of the smaller arms suppliers, and pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket to show to the one manning it. Close enough to one of the billboards that were the virtual fairy watchful, she might catch what's upon it.
The arms supplier shaking their head no, before a bit of money is passed between the two of them.
Gary_Biaggi teleports in.
<Pose Tracker> Julia Ampere has posed.
Some may consider it strange for a known criminal to walk boldly among the crowds of a large event such as this, no matter how clever or stylish she may (believe herself to) be... but to those, the energy thief Julia Ampere would point out that there probably isn't anyone here who hasn't committed their fair share of criminal activity.
So, it's fine. They're all bound by that common, ironclad code of 'I won't tell if you won't'. Because of that, Julia can continue to stroll proudly and confidently through the convention center. ...Though she probably still would be either way.
She cuts an impressive figure through the crowds, tall and slender at six feet tall, in a long, sleek indigo coat with golden trim and silver hair that flows down to her hips featuring a purple streak along the right side.
You could say she's here for espionage, to spy on the up and coming technologies and get a feeling for what's going on, what she might have to deal with... but in reality, she's just extremely curious. And when there's something she's curious about, she simply must indulge it. A ravenous mind like hers isn't satisfied with just leaving things be. She isn't particularly interested in weapons and military equipment, though - instead, her focus often drifts toward electronics and industrial technology.
She pauses in her perusal, though, her attention drawn to a small gathering. She approaches, her hands in her pockets. That man, he seems...
...way too unguarded for a place like this. Now that's curious.
"You could say the products aren't just what's on the podiums." She comments, adding her own two cents before flashing Leito a smile. "...You look a little out of place here. Careful you don't get eaten alive, hm?"
<Pose Tracker> Gary Biaggi has posed.
Speaking of known criminals walking through the crowd, through the crowded one red headed man may fit that bill. Red hair free flowing, a white shemaugh hanging loose from his neck over his red tank top and to put it all togethersome cargo pants. In some ways he almost looks like AEU Lieutenant Gary Biaggi but no, no military officer would be allowed to have a goatee, even if it isn't fully grown in.
Ali Al-Sachez is happy to be stretching his legs through the trade show, his eyes glance here and there as he casually strolls through the trade floors he stops hearing the name Concord and approaches Lina slowly, looking her over as if measuring her up in so many different ways.
After intentionally standing there for a moment to long he finally speaks up, "So tell me what type of solutions does Concord actually have?"
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina jumps a bit and turns to the red haired man, pulling out a business card from her jacket pocket and handing it over.
CONCORD DEFENSE SOLUTIONS
LINA LOMBARDI
MOBILE SUIT CONTRACTOR
"We're not the biggest outfit in Moralia, but we've got the most talent! We can supply you with arms, equipment, and even soldiers like me! Heck, we'll even bring our own mobile suits into the fray to pass the savings on to you! And something about our insurance."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Milly Ashford doesn't want to be here at all, but that doesn't mean she can't play along.
Today, Milly Ashford has... a date! You'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise, because he's about 15 years her senior and primarily *exhibiting* here. The marriage interview, such as it is, is a fully secondary element of this.
"So you... work with a Euro Britannian Chrome subsidiary doing medical device manufacture?" Milly asks, sounding decidedly un-Milly; she sounds tentative, even nervous. "And I'm here because..."
"*Connections*. Even downgraded, the Ashford name still carries some weight in heavy manufacturing -- not as much as the Graftons, of course, but combined I'm sure it'll be enough -- and if we pool our resources, we might be able to do an end run around Chrome and take full control of the branch." He's all smiles as he says, "And naturally, having a lovely young lady like you at my side in the process would make it so much the better..."
Milly suppresses a scowl with a decidedly grimace-like smile before looking away. "... where does she *find* these people," she mutters to herself, just above a breath.
"Did you say something, dearest?"
"Oh, no. Not at *all* -- just something in my throat!" Milly offers back. Okay, she tells herself: this looked bad from the start, but now we're at urgent sabotage.
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
Indeed, just as Yuliana describes- there's cameras and microphones and analytics going on intensely at this event. Which booths are getting the most traffic? At what times? ...What are people whispering under their breaths right after big presentations? How many affiliates are negotiating under the table - and is it more profitable to let tham than it is to move in for a shakedown?
Quite a bit of this data's all pouring into Asciel's auxiliary servers. It's nice to know, nice to have handy in her little library - and it's part of her duty to assess all of this information. ...but...like...right -now-? It can wait a little bit, can't it?
Especially when she hears a slightly familiar voice in front of one of her curious peeking moments. It wouldn't match the public appearances of Verdiska...but it would line up with that one oh so ominous opponent she faced in China.
The signboard tries to switch over to another advertisement. This one for some sort of academic program, in case you literally want to send your children to a hole in the ground for higher education. But the warm, cyan-haired visage of Asciel remains, flickering a little as an overlay atop this.
"Now now, it doesn't have to be that impersonal. The same tracking that can be used for market analytics could be seized to meet people, can't it?" Asciel chimes in, butting head-first into that conversation, leaning forward as though she'd try to push her face through the screen at the imminently near Leito, Yuliana, and Julia. "Hehe...don't mind me. I'm Asciel, sponsor for the Neith smart home device! It's a whole promotional thing, but this crowd's a biiiiit of a poor fit to be all amped up by getting to talk to a streamer while live~"
A bit of a bead of sweat runs down Asciel's cheek from overhearing Lina and Gary. "Aaaah, I'm in one of the military sections, I take it? I perpetually wonder, is this sort of event, like...fun, for an arms dealer? Or is it just the one that has the most...weight, so to speak?"
Speaking of fun, her eyes flit over to the staggering lack of it Milly is clearly having with her escort - and Asciel briefly leaves her original board blank, only to pop right back up in one of those holographic projection windows, inches from Milly and her date's face, getting partiiiicularly stern towards the latter. Pouty and puffy-faced. "Hiii! I'm gonna butt in juuuuuuust a little bit. Yes, you, mister! As someone who's very invested in proper boundaries, you oughta know that getting all 'oh my lovely' and 'ah my cute dear' on this sort of affair is terribly tactless! Perhaps if you really care about her, you could stand to maybe read a liiiittle deeper into how stifling this must be for your date."
...the approach to Mr. Jung is a bit more subtle, catching this negotiation from the corner of her selected camera's gaze. A security guard's quickly notified - a sturdy and broad-shouldered man with a suit and sunglasses, making his way towards this exchange...
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
Leito is approached by multiple people. He looks around, bewildered, before reasserting his 'confidence' and speaking up. He feels off. Something (or someone) in his head is giving him warning signs about Yuliana. "A-ah...yes, I've never been to a trade show before. Quite a bit of interesting things being marketed! Why the company picked me...well, that's for me to f-find out, I guess?"
Julia tells him to be careful. "Ah, I don't taste very good..." He tries to joke, not fully aware that he is amidst hyenas.
And then Asciel actutally speaks up! Leito's eyes widen, but he responds with fascination. "A-ah, a streamer. Does that mean you play video games on the internet...?"
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
Mr. Jung, not having found what he's looking for, steps away. The exchange of money performed in order to ensure the request is kept more on the low-down, the chubby gentleman turns and begins to move over towards a different booth. This is bringing him towards Lina Lombardi's position. After all, it appears they are a Mobile Suit contractor - much like the previous contractor he was attempting to contact.
As the security guard starts making their way towards Mr. Jung, it seems the collision is going to go unnoticed at first. Asciel's influence on this unseen.
With Lina currently surrounded and somewhat occupied conversing with someone, the man halts and patiently waits for a moment - catching the virtual avatar of Asciel's just jumping screens again.
"Excuse me, but does your Contracting agency stock any of these parts by chance?" He inquires with her, taking out the list once more and showing it to Lina while giving her the kind of stare that suggests to not be too loud on the topic.
<Pose Tracker> Gary Biaggi has posed.
Ali takes the card and examines it closely, even running a finger across the card to feel the texture of it as if he is gaining some extra insight into the company and the person before him. Finally he reads it and considers for a moment before he raises the next question, "So does your company provide references? If I wanted to find out from a third party on the quality of the service you are selling I would expect to be able to get references or at least more information on your company's past work." There is a seriousneess to his tone as he speaks and his eyes tend to drift down to the card at the beginning of his question but by the end he is meeting her eyes.
The voice of Asciel draws his attention and he blinks for a moment and tilts his head, "That thing looks familliar." The moment he takes to try and remember how and why and where Asciel may be from is enough to get asked a question about fun. The red hair man can simply smile and nod his head, " I would say I am having a good time, I am hanging out with people like minded. I am doing what I want to be doing and ...oh your gone. "
Yes the long winded explanation he was giving to Asciel was enough time for her to blink away to another monitor, leaving Ali sorta unsure on whether he should continue before he shakes his head and looks back Lina, "Apologies, I seemed to allow myself get distracted by something flashy."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina, still not noticing Asciel, nods at the man, pointing to the contact information on the bottom of her card. "So, you can just go to our portal here, and you'll be able to get plenty of testimonials from our satisfied clients. The boss is also happy to answer any questions you might have about securing our services!"
She turns to the larger man and takes the list, poring over it. She wasn't really part of the supply division, but she had at least a passing familiarity with what they dealt with. The stuff on the list didn't seem to ring a bell, however. "Hmm, I can't recall any of this off the top of my head, but you can contact our technical department yourself and they can see if we've got anything in stock. If not, we'd be happy to refer you to any of our partners!" She pulls out yet another business card and hands it to him.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
Yuliana has good ears -- humanly good, mind you, she's a normal human except for all the ways she isn't -- which means she catches the murmur in the crowd which triangulates some of the other patrons as Britannian.
This matters to her much more than certain visitors being supervillains, by and large. The Captain is of course familiar with Julia Ampere, Noted Electricity Thief; there's a reason why she jumped so cleanly to cable hooking as a solution to her power plant problem, the other day. But she's hardly menacing anyone today, so that's all water under the bridge, isn't it?
Okay, maybe 'upstanding' is the wrong word to describe Yuliana, who is perfectly happy to take a few bribes and look the other way sometimes. Though, of course, she's done plenty of work apprehending scurrilous criminals, as well. Some of the people here know that very well!
(Including, perhaps, Asciel herself.)
"Ho-oh, there we go," she smiles, as she gestures, with long fingers, to Asciel's face. It's the sort of motion which might have stroked her cheek, if not for the fact that her fingers don't make contact with the screen, and the fact that Asciel doesn't really have a face. "What wonderful interactivity they've developed here. Though, that's something of an old-fashioned interpretation, isn't it?" She asides, to Leito, before she looks back to Asciel. "I wonder if you've even still been loaded with the capacity to play chess... after all, those days are long gone."
She rests her hand on her hip, and raises her other, waving to the Britannians who Asciel so helpfully called out. "Excuse me, young lady -- would you come here a moment?" She asks -- sounding entirely polite, in any case. She waves off the man she's travelling with, with a vague, "I'm sure you can see to your business for a moment."
If she manages to call Milly over, she will have the most innocuous question: "If you wouldn't mind, you're just the person to settle the question. What does a streamer get up to, in this day and age?" A totally normal question to ask a teenager! After all, Yuliana looks in her late twenties, so -- basically ancient.
<Pose Tracker> Julia Ampere has posed.
A monitor begins to speak to them - no, not a monitor, but the avatar displayed on it. Julia gives Asciel a curious look as she greets them. She's never seen anything like this outside of the other side of a computer or phone screen. To be greeted in person(well, the closest representation you can get)... it's a novel experience.
"Julia. A pleasure to meet you. I would offer a hand, but given the situation perhaps the spirit of the offer will have to suffice." Julia replies with a smile. "And I'm afraid so. With the exception of the charming ladies already present, I'm afraid you're likely to only meet stuffy old men who're only interested in how efficiently your technology can fill others full of holes. But if I must say, I, at least, am quite fascinated."
She glances briefly to Leito, as he jokes that he doesn't taste very good. She chuckles, at that.
"Believe me, they're not concerned about taste." She says with a dismissive gesture. "...But, if you have enough wits about you to joke, then you might be able to make it out of here alive. Financially, I mean."
And speaking of stuffy old men, Julia's attention is soon diverted toward a man acccompanied by a girl who is trying very hard not to display how unhappy she is to be here.
Fortunately, Asciel and Yuliana are already on the job - the former confronting the man directly, and the latter calling Milly over. With those two avenues already covered, Julia elects to throw her metaphorical hat into the ring via another method.
"Oh my, how uncouth. Is that what the Graftons are into...? If it were me, I would think that reflects quite poorly on the family..." She murmurs into the crowd. Gossip can be a very deadly weapon. And if it gets judging eyes directed toward her target... all the better.
Let him sweat.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"Me?" Marquess Grafton starts, as Asciel intrudes in his and Milly's marriage interview-adjacent activities. "Ex*cuse* me, you -- glorified mascot! How *dare* you intrude on my marriage interview! It was going perfectly fine! Besides, the lovely Lady Ashford has quite the reputation for effusive, showy displays of affection --"
Milly brings a hand to her forehead. Him having a meltdown in a way that totally scrams out his chances of accomplishing his business goals is fine as excuses to end the marriage interview but it's also profoundly embarrassing to even be adjacent to. She's almost *sympathetic* to the usual round of hectoring she gets from her mother, at this point -- if sucking up to nobles like *this* is what the Ashfords have to do, it'd almost be worth it to do it herself in the hopes future generations of Ashfords don't have to.
Besides -- she has an offramp! Perfect. "... Have fun arguing with a 'glorified mascot,' *sweetie*," Milly says, all smiles, before making her way over to Yuliana.
"Oh! Well, I don't know *too* much, but I do know the basics from reviewing budget requests from Ashford Academy's Streaming Club," Milly says, as she makes her way over. "The long tradition of streaming reactions to videos and games has kept going, but really the interchange with idol culture has made it much more about just presenting an interesting character. You'll see streamers who specialize in just about everything these days! I know there's someone who uses a virtual dragon-boy avatar who mostly reviews Britannian military case law, for instance."
Milly's not going to admit she's subbed to that one, but she is. Listen: sometimes you *already* have to read 100 pages of intellectual property law to know if your family could sue the Britannian government for damages and may as well hear it from a dragon with enormous ikemen energy.
Another noble leans in toward Julia, nodding. "Really, to be unmarried in his thirties, and not for want of trying... either the Graftons are *repellent* or they're *foundering* and I'm not sure which would be worse." "The Ashfords got demoted to petty nobles after Lady Marianne's death, you know. Age gap aside, to be scraping the bottom of the barrel that hard..."
Milly can hear the Euro Britannian contingent starting to gossip... you'd think she'd be bothered, but this is kind of tame for Ashford family-related gossip. She's heard worse. (In a couple cases she's started the rumor mill back up on worse *herself*, to squirm her way out of -- you guessed it -- another marriage interview.)
<Pose Tracker> Gary Biaggi has posed.
Ali suddenly rears his head back a little absolutely surprised at the response, of all the things for a PMC organization to offer actual testimonial. He takes a step back and pulls out his fphone and actually reviews the testimonials on the spot and the look of confusion on his face is obvious.
Finally he lets out a sigh and leans in towards Lina to ask her one final question, "Excuse me. Sorry to interupt just one last question. Is this company a legitimate PMC company that is trying to be on the up and up?" It is a real question, no more games or test from Mr. Sachez.
He straightens back up and looks at the tall man who was interacting with Lina, "My apologies I didn't mean to interupt, I was just confused is all." He stares back at the card trying to figure out what to do with it if the company was on the up and up, maybe give it to Laguna. That guy could always use a bit more protection
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"Well...it's hard to be COMPLETELY on the 'up and up' in this business, now is it? We are a legitimate PMC, but y'know, gotta eat to live, gotta kill to eat, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
The rotunde gentleman watches as Lina goes over the list, and eventually suggests she cannot help him. "That's unfortunate." The man answers her, taking the list back, and offering her a good bit of money in return for her time. "Thank your your time." He adds, as he takes the business card. "I will do so."
He takes out an expensive looking clip, and slides the business card into it. It's already loaded with a few, so he's clearly been on the lookout for a while now. He then tucks it back into one of his pockets and steps back a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina's eyes sparkle as she tucks the payment into her jacket. "Pleasure doin' business with ya!"
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
Just a little bit, Asciel might turn to stone at being designated things like a 'glorified mascot' or that her role is just 'playing video games on the internet'. ...Those are, like, true! But it's terribly lacking in poetry!
The marquess is met with Asciel determining that it'd be fun to waste his time, and she switches that specific little holo-window to something cleverly pre-recorded to ambiguously let bickering escalate and proliferate without needing to say anything specific - and the one with her full attention blips right back into view, awkwardly clipping through Yuliana's shoulders, the frame itself stretching upwards, miming a cat in its arc. "I kind of wish I could collaborate with someone like that! Though I find myself a little more interested in big picture legal stuff. Regulations and treaties more than the day to day case law. In my case though, I do a lot of Q&A with viewers, and follow-along methods for relaxation...anything that lets me feel like I'm really part of the lives watching me! Thus, here I am~ Getting myself out on the town, from the comfort of my own home!"
In -specific- comeback to Yuliana's challenge...a cute little 3D chessboard suddenly spins out from a mote of light. It's fully haptic! The magic of modern holographic interface technology! "Chess is a little bit basic for my tastes, but it's good for a quickie! I'm more into games of grand strategy, but that can take days to finish a match."
A similar construct pops out in front of Julia - but this time it's a hand. It'll buzz slightly to give the impression that people are sorta actually touching something, but obviously squeezing hard enough dispels the illusion. "Technology has always focused on puncturing people full of holes. I'm more interested in the ones that can fill those holes back up! That's always much, much harder, I'm afraid. Terrible, isn't it?~"
A third little window flickers to life overhead the exchanging of mercenary cards...and taking a peek at the details, including the contents of Mr. Jung's mysterious list. A little flash in Asciel's eyes, an effect like a raster scan, and a cute little ~vweep!~ upon completion. "Hehe. Do pardon my nosiness, but it sounds like ~someone~'s looking for something. I've been flicking through this convention out of boredom quite a bit, maybe I can be steering you in the right direction, mmm?~"
<Pose Tracker> Gary Biaggi has posed.
Seeing the large roll of money provided by the tall man to Lina suddenly catches Ali's interest as he leans forward trying to see the list but it is stuffed away before he makes out anything. Yes that is right Ali is all about privacy except when it's not his privacy and then he is as nosy as a high school student councel president trying to figure out who her vice president has a crush on. At the end though part acquisition isn't really his thing, best he could offer is escort services.
Leaning back he gives Lina another look trying to figure out exactly what to do about this PMC company trying to be legitimate, and well it's a bit obvious , " You said you had real pilots to talk to back at your booth right? I am guessing I could get more information from them then their.... PR asistant? Booth....lady? Anyways you guys do have actual pilots here right? " Yes the words were meant to be insulting.
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
Leito listens to the explanations, especially Milly's, about streaming, and nods interestedly. The motes of light from Asciel also have his eyes widened. "Most incredible...I've learned quite a bit!"
And then he checks his watch. A-ah, he had more to check out. "Please excuse me. T-thank you for your time."
And then Leito heads off. He'll head into the bathrooms at some point so that he can try and process this entire conference, and then get back to work.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina's customer service face suddenly drops as she points back to her card. "Mobile Suit Contractor, buddy. I AM one of the pilots. It ain't my fault the boss makes me put on the hard sell, alright?" She lets out a sigh. "Look, let's cut the 'service with a smile' crap. You're obviously on the market. I'm willing to talk business."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
The old man attempts to put the list away in time - and manages to do so when it comes to Ali Al-Saachez, but Asciel's raster-scan rapidly manages to catch the contents of the list in Mr. Jung's hand before it disappears into his pocket. He's startled a bit as that third window flickers to life, and he's taken a bit aback by the young woman interacting so directly with him.
"Hmm! What technology." He remarks, noticing how there is an interaction similar to this happening just a little bit away. Processing conversations, yet talking to one at a time. The chubby man's right hand finishes putting the list away for the moment, before it turns to his well shapen beard and he takes a moment to stroke through it.
"Hrrm... some kind of A.I., or boxed spirit?" He considers, showing a rather remarkably quick mind for what looks like a man aging well towards the days of retirement. "Sir?" One of the men with him asks, before Mr. Jung lets out a bemused and warm laughter.
Not aware that the list had been scanned, he approaches the screen and shows it to them properly this time. "Let's see then what you can do." Making sure the list is not visible to others. He gives her about three seconds to read it, before it gets put away again. "Just point me to where this can be found on this marketplace." He adds.
"My daughter could use a virtual assistant like this." He then remarks.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
Yuliana doesn't interrupt Julia's efforts to whisper rumours into the crowd, though she does grin like a knife to her once the waves of gossip start rolling outwards. "So you can be subtle when it suits you, hmm?" She asides, sotto voce. "Not bad."
Most of her attention is on Milly, though. A hand reaches up to rub at the back of her neck, in the wake of such an outpouring of information on how streaming works. Seriously? She asks, with a wordless sceptical expression. Dragon-boys..?
Parminder would understand this, she supposes. That man practically lives on the internet. He's not here right now though, because Yuliana gets first pickings on the unscrupulous contacts. That's just the privilege of being the leader!
(Which also explains why she's also sorting out a few deals for the Major -- like that one back there. But never mind that.)
"Wow," she says, after a moment. "Sounds like you're getting a pretty comprehensive second education from your extracurricular activities! Man, when I was in school, I just did dancing and the gamelan." And then she dropped out and got an apprenticeship instead! But this is not about that.
Milly, of course, is also Britannian -- but she doesn't seem to be here to advance any particular cause, and she's clearly a brand new adult to boot, so Yuliana doesn't see any particular reason drag her over the coals alongside her would-be beau.
She looks over at the chessboard, though, snickering behind a hand. "Really?" She asks, and without a moment's hesitation, reaches out to move 1.f3.
(It's the Barnes Opening, which is commonly regarded to be one of the worst opening moves in chess.)
Grinning lazily, Yuliana leans back, fixing Asciel with a fox-in-the-henhouse gaze. "Oh? And how much would you stake on your interest in smoothing over the potholes of the world, Ms. Performer? I must say, it's an interesting vein to take, promoting an event like this."
There are, of course, plenty of arms dealers here; perhaps Yuliana will even visit some, later. But right now, she's having a good time.
<Pose Tracker> Gary Biaggi has posed.
Ali may not be a super AI but he can multi task enough to pay attention to the Asciel being on the screens. He admits it is impressive and overhearing a comment about a daughter he blinks and his mind drifts to a certain Nergal officer and her own computerized best friend but he pushes it away for now. Business is business, that is for a different time. His full attention returns to the annoyed lady in front of him.
"Well you see, " Ali starts out before taking a deep breath, " I run a convoy business. I have some items that need to be protected while we move them to a small village on the border of the Republic of Krugis. I have reached out to the proper channels for help with protection, but they won't help. It turns out this village isn't in the greatest standing and so they are being denied the supplies they need to survive."
As he talks about it he begins to fidget and runs his hand through his hair a few times, " I need some protection to make sure that the convoy gets where it is needed and no one stops it. So I am here looking for people who don't really care about who gets in there way beccause I don't know who will try to stop us."
Taking a deep breath he shakes his head, " Probably not something you can really make the call on I am sure. I should just keep looking, maybe that computer search engine girl can help me find someone who can help me once done with their current customer."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
A smile returns to Lina's face, though she's clearly still out of customer relations mode. "So all you need is an escort. That's easy peasy for us! You're right in that I can't make the final call on the jobs we take, but I'd be more than glad to bring the job to the boss. There's no reason we wouldn't take it."
She crosses her arms and tilts her head, her smile now curling into a smirk. "And listen, it may seem like with the slick presentation that we're afraid to get our hands dirty. But look, we're advertising in a place like this, after all. We've got plenty of clients who, well, let's say weren't at liberty to give public statements. I won't pressure you, you've got a right to shop around as a customer. But we're over in the east wing if you're ready to talk."
<Pose Tracker> Julia Ampere has posed.
Leito departs, and Julia offers a wave. What a polite fellow. It might be for the best that he leaves this place so soon.
A construct appears in front of Julia. It's a hand! She regards it curiously, a gleam of interest in her eye. Now this is the sort of fascinating technology she came here to see. She reaches out to accept it, feeling the faint buzz of the haptic feedback and testing it for a moment before shaking and disengaging.
"Color me impressed once more, Miss Asciel. It would appear you have an answer to everything." Julia comments with a chuckle. "You aren't wrong. It is quite the shame, but destruction always has been much easier than creation.
The rumble of gossip begins to fill the crowd, and it's only because of the subtletly of the situation that a malicious grin doesn't cross Julia's face. She might as well encourage it further.
"It is quite the sorry display, isn't it? It positively reeks of desperation. Tsk, tsk." Julia adds, shaking her head. "I almost feel sorry for the young lady."
With her job done - and one of those monitors appearing to help the situation along, Julia detaches from the noble contingent to return to the developing group. As she does so, Yuliana has an aside for her.
Ah. She didn't realise there was a "fan" in attendance. Julia meets that knife-like grin with a pleasant smile of her own.
"It's an important talent for surviving Ravnui academia." She explains, lowering her voice as well. Her schooling in Ravnui probably isn't news to anyone. "...Compared to that, Britannian nobles are child's play, really. Worse than actual children, perhaps."
As for the various exciting types of streamer content available... Julia is more connected to internet culture than she cares to admit. She has to do something for white noise when she's working on projects back at headquarters.
"My... that sounds rather fascinating. They're getting quite creative these days, aren't they?" She observes, her attention turning toward the chess match between Yuliana and Asciel that's beginning to unfold.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"A lot of the theory comes from the same concepts -- things stay the same even as they get bigger," Milly remarks to Asciel, on the topic of law in areas big and small. "I don't know if that makes a lot of *sense*, admittedly. It seems like the bigger you get the more the rules should change... but that's why I'm not a lawyer, I suppose!"
The poor Marquess is now distracted from Milly entirely; the gossip mill has started getting back to *him*, and he's now having to untangle some actual questions about the Graftons' finances. This humiliation will probably lead to calling off the marriage interview sooner or later.
Milly watches him go, with a playful, "I lose more men that way..."
Then, back to Yuliana. "It's important that I can speak intelligently on a variety of topics. That's what my mother says, anyway!" Milly glances off to the side. Haha, no emotional subtext on this one for anyone because she's standing next to Yuliana! You will simply have to read the words on the page.
As Julia approaches, Milly seems *quite* excited to talk about the various shark tanks they've experienced. "Ravnui's that cutthroat, huh? I suppose that's what you get with that many educational institutions in a space that small... You'd have to be pretty willing to throw someone else under the bus for funding."
With an easy grin, she explains, "That's part of why I turn so many things into club funding bonuses as Student Council President. People behave better if they feel like they had a chance and blew it."
Given the context they're in, it'd have been easy to forget that Milly's a high schooler. Here comes a reminder!
"Oh, right -- introductions. Milly Ashford. My family operates the primary middle, high, and programmatic schools in Nagoya." She's got a big grin on her face as she says, "Thanks for giving the Marquess something to deal with. I was planning to embarrass him in front of the Highlands... but this is easier and raises fewer questions."
<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.
Computers have solved chess for a very long time, now. A blunder like the Barnes Opening is one that almost any algorithm would immediately capitalize on, and turn into one of the most efficient ways to gain checkmate in all of chess.
It is not the way Asciel plays it, though. Her pawns move conservatively in response, setting up as though Yuliana made a competent, long-term play. A 'safe' strategy, but one that keeps the queen open and free to move wherever it likes. Once the lines are developed, -then- the queen is out and about. But only then.
"Hmmm. The potholes of the world...If that is the analogy, hehe. I think that's a good way of phrasing it. Our default is to simply pave over them forever, no matter how arduous and fruitless the process. One dissatisfied with that would turn, instead, to addressing the cause of potholes - the sinkage of the earth beneath the structure, and stabilize this. But in the end-"
"You prevent such potholes by rigidly limiting and regimenting who can use which roads~ Ensuring they are used only as needed, and excising frivolous usage." Asciel's quite satisfied with what she's come up with for an answer there. The smuggest of smug little expressions lights up her face.
If her current display were physical, it might've knocked Yuliana over with how quickly it pivots around to face Milly. "Hohoh?~ There's a certainty in your eyes that captivates me. Gracefully navigating this terribly convoluted world of upper-eschelon intrigue with the determination of a lion. ...I think it's a little tragic how your clear brilliance is wasted on dealing with someone as embarrassing as your 'date'. Ahhh, to see you freed of such banal obligations would fill me with joy~"
Strike 2 on the smug-ometer. It's escalating very fast. Indeed, Asciel turns that projected hand into a cheery little peace-sign to Julia, and croons, "I'm here before you because of what I can answer! It's what I do most of my day. Unravel the tangles others present for me. Their questions and obstacles are my treasure, and Palladium Electronics (holding company for Chrome's logistics department) took notice, thus the sponsorship!~"
"The sponsorship for the -actual- virtual assistant, mind," Asciel puffs at Mr. Jung, displaying the little spherical black device that she's ostensibly here to market. "But I suppose it's true, everyone could use my help guiding them on their path! Were that I could be there for them all..." She does properly assess the list of strange requests. Technology a bit beyond the pale for this sort of exposition.
Machines that would exploit the 'fault' in human cognition. What absolutely ridiculous prospects. So ridiculous that they caused countless tragedies and called them 'miracles'.
"...I'm afraid I haven't heard of any of those things. 'Psychoframe'...is that some sort of video game accessory?~"
<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.
The old man tilts his head down when Asciel decides to speak out loud on the matter he was looking for. "Ah, perhaps this virtual assistant would not be so good for my daughter after all. It seems to lack the kind of kind of care and discreetness required of these sorts of events." The man already regrets this now. "Most unfortunate."
With that, he motions for his men and turns, aiming to depart from these event grounds. "I will seek elsewhere then." He proceeds to add, and steps away, with his people following him.
<Pose Tracker> Gary Biaggi has posed.
Ali nods his head at Lina, "I must continue to do my due diligence of looking about, however I have your card and if I find no one better I will certainly make sure to employ you for the job." He gives a friendly wave as he begins to head off to continue to look around for a group of mercenaries with little to no morales and even less questions. It would be best given what he plans to move across the desert.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
(Yuliana has absolutely no comment on sensitive men leaving the area, except, for 'good'. Poor Leito!)
Yuliana's hand comes to rest on her hip, as she glances between Asciel on the screen and Milly, standing there. "Law is an agreement between people," she supposes. "Because there's no objective measurement for 'right' or 'wrong', equity becomes the currency which order banks on. If there were different laws at a larger scale, I daresay it would be valid necessary for the average citizen to protest... because inequality rarely favours the less fortunate." She's patient enough, explaining this, though she slips in a second descriptor with some emphasis in the middle there, in a way which doesn't quite fit, as if her brain decided in the middle of her sentence that she needed to use a different word. Or, perhaps -- that there were two concepts, crowding in, at same time.
Yuliana might care more about this subject than is immediately apparent.
She wonders to Milly, though, when she hears what Mother Ashford believes about the situation: "What do you think?" It's the sort of direct challenge to a deferred expression which might be familiar. Judging by her chess match, Yuliana is just Like That.
"Oh, but I've heard some stories about academia," Yuliana asides, to Julia. "Quite the crucible, isn't it?" Of course, Yuliana prefers working in silence, so she's not very 'hip' to streaming culture; perhaps if she was steeped in academia herself, she'd be more cultured!
(She elects not to say where she heard these stories. A lady doesn't kiss and tell.)
Speaking of chess -- as soon as Asciel doesn't take the bait, Yuliana's strategy grows more and more erratic. "Is that so?" She wonders, to Asciel's philosophy on potholes. It may soon become clear that she knows only the bare minimum about chess -- how the pieces move, what the ultimate goal is. One may wonder how she blundered right into the very worst opening move, given that.
It's because she learned it to hurt someone.
Milly runs through her introductions -- and Yuliana, who has plenty of business in Japan and Britannia both, recognised the name the first time she heard it in the air. Even so, she looks suitably surprised. (And if she wasn't, who could tell?) "Well! That explains how you're learning quite so much, I suppose." She grins, in turn; the expression is warm. "It's nothing, really -- you just seemed to be stuck in a situation you'd rather not have been in. Even in a crowd like this, someone ought to step in, don't you think?" She glances over to Asciel and Julia, who both, in their fashions, also stepped in, before she looks back to Milly and extends her hand.
"Yuliana Dispersal." Captain, not that she says as much out loud; she's relatively prominent as an REA ace, though, so anyone with interest in the wider Federation might recognise the name.
(She has a firm and stable handshake -- the word might just be 'military' -- but she's not trying to shatter Milly's bones, or anything like that.)
Making another careless move on the chessboard, Yuliana comes back to Asciel. "So, then, is this another tangle? Solving and effect through strict allocation? Oh, I'm sympathetic to the answer, to be sure," she does not come from a particularly democratic republic, all in all, "but what shall you do when the emptiness cries out to be fed?"
She has an assignment coming up. It amounts to gentle correction -- insomuch as anything Yuliana does can be described as 'gentle'.
She is entirely aware of how she is being deployed as a resource, in situations like that.
"Oh, well," she sighs, a hand brushing through her bangs, flashing a hint of some old war-scar beneath it. "It's not as if the road has any particular opinion about that, I suppose. A road's a road!"
<Pose Tracker> Julia Ampere has posed.
Mysteriously, Julia doesn't comment about law. It seems it's something she's never troubled herself much with!
She studies Milly for a moment. She seems to be taking everything in stride, at least. Good. It also seems that she overheard her comment to Yuliana, though... but, Julia doesn't mind.
"Oh, yes, quite. Cunning, ruthlessness, and ambition... you could say you're tested on these just as much as anything else." Julia replies with a chuckle, addressing Milly and Yuliana both. "But don't get me wrong - once you get past all of that, the quality of education is top-notch, not to mention the variety. I'm quite grateful for the time I spent there - but I'm certain you can understand when I say that I do not miss it in the least."
Milly proudly explains the way she tries to subvert this, as Student Council President. Julia chuckles good-naturedly.
"That's quite an excellent idea. I certainly hope it works out for your school." She replies. As for introductions...
"Julia Ampere - I'm an electrician by trade, though I also dabble in robotics. Hence my interest in this fascinating get-together." She introduces herself.
It's not technically...incorrect. "And you're quite welcome - I'm simply glad I was able to assist. Time spent with men like that is simply squandered. It would be a shame to waste it."
And as for Asciel...
"My, my." Julia replies with a chuckle. That peace sign... so it can perform gestures, too. Fascinating. "There's certainly something to be said for having a knack for solving problems. Particularly if you can benefit from it, yourself. Is this technology you're using their work?"
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"Trust me," Milly offers to Asciel, "I'd be just as happy. This is the twenty-third. We're *really* getting to some of the very worst Britannia has to offer." At this point, Milly not only ranks as merely a petty noble, she's also got a reputation for being singularly offputting to dates. Milly has put a nonzero dent in Clovisland's gross income simply by doing irreparable harm to public perception of the place's suitability as a date spot. Marrying 'up' begs the question of why someone higher-rank would bother with Milly in the first place.
Milly thinks about Yuliana's take -- that different methodologies than 'as above, so below' will necessarily lead to inequality that crushes the less fortunate. "People are *inherently* unequal, so the laws should follow suit, though," Milly offers. This sounds like the bog standard Britannian position, at least. As for the question of how she feels about the notion of needing to be able to talk intelligently on a variety of topics... "I'd actually rather talk about people --" here, Milly again seems utterly normal, for Britannia -- "but I do think if you're going to say something about something, it's better to know what you're talking about than not."
Julia... actually seems pretty cool, Milly decides. "Usually I'm the one getting people out of this kind of jam -- but I can't say I mind it the other way around here. I'll remember this, Ms. Ampere. If you're ever in Nagoya for anything, call me!"