Alleys of Arshan -- 707

## Transcript

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PANDOR.

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Exploration commenced.

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707

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With a dark handkerchief covering half of his face and a cap resting upon his head, the hacker finds himself weaving seamlessly through bustling crowds and into the back alleyways deep within the shopping district. Although the entire area is new to him, the very motion of sneaking around and trying to blend in reminds him of his old missions. Never would he have thought he'd miss those wretched things, but this whole new world is full of surprises for him, it seems.

Seven keeps a watchful eye as he slowly walks through the backstreets, keeping himself peeled for any possible... individuals, that would tickle his fancy.

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PANDOR.

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As you walk through the alleyways of Precinct Arshan, you notice plenty of people -- and remarkably, none of them really seem to notice you. All of them seem quite wrapped up in their own day to day lives, but overall? There doesn't seem to be anyone who sticks out as suspicious or up to no good.

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Hm, that's odd... usually he would've had a few wandering eyes fixated on him by now. Despite this, Seven continues to push on, this time trying to look for anyone tinkering with any form of machinery or idly standing outside a shop of sorts. There has to be someone around here with what he needs... he just needs to dig a little deeper.

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PANDOR.

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What does stand out to you is a small repair shop, decorated with brass cogs and a faint purple glow behind them. The building is attached to another, larger building, though it looks in significantly worse repair than the repair shop itself. A woman with goggles and short hair seems to be unlocking the shop for the day.

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Ah, what a quaint little shop this is, enough to bring a smile behind that mask he's wearing. He's always had a soft spot for little antique shops or worn down buildings, after all. Seven takes a few steps towards the woman, then clears his throat to call for her attention.

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PANDOR.

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The woman whips around to see you, raising a bit of an eyebrow at his less than... normal... appearance. Her eyes flick up and down as she takes in this.... odd sight.

"Uhhh.... Hey?"

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"Heya, missy! What's your name? You work at this store right here, right? What're you guys selling? And buying?" His rather... cheery demeanor in stark contrast to his appearance will definitely get her furrowing her brows at this point.

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PANDOR.

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If anything, the cheery demeanor in connection with the strange appearance seems to unsettle her even further. She crosses her arms over her chest, brow furrowing a little deeper.

"Uh.... You tell me yours first, and then we'll talk."

She does, however, jerk her head towards the shop behind her.

"This is my repair shop. Nothing too fancy, but if you have anything broken, I can fix it up pretty easy."

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"Aw, man... I wish I could tell ya, but I just got here, so I can't really sell anything right now." To prove his point, Seven slowly pulls out both of his pockets to reveal... nothing. Poor lad. "Buuut! I do got a few talents up my sleeve, but I can't really show them unless you show your wares. I've been feeling a little on edge since I don't know anybody here, so... maybe you've got a little something that can protect me?"

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PANDOR.

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Alright, she doesn't seem to be leaving, but she does seem to have shifted a step back. After all, it's not every day a stranger with a handkerchief and a hat comes around her shop asking about... is he asking about weapons??

"I meant your name, stranger. As for the rest of that... I'm always looking to hire some good help, but if you're looking for anything to be hurting someone, you've got the wrong girl. I just fix things."

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"Oh! My bad!" Seven rubs the back of his neck, a cheeky smile on his face despite the handkerchief obscuring it. "You can call me Seven! Seven Zero Seven's the full one, but just Seven would do~"

He immediately shakes his head the moment she mentions hurting people, however. "Goodness me, I'd never! In fact, I'm much more afraid of people hurting me than the other way around... I'm kind of too frail and puny to even defend myself on my own, you see! That's why I'd really like to have a job... and some special wares, too..."

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Having a name to put to the face seems to put her at ease. Shockingly enough, she doesn't seem to balk at the fact you have given her a number as a name -- it doesn't phase her at all.

"Alright then, Seven. You can call me Arber."

And maybe it's just the fact that she has less to fear now that he's less of a stranger, but she relaxes a bit and extends a hand for him to shake.

"Mind showing me a bit of what you can do? And maybe while you're at it, you can tell me what you're looking for?"

With her free hand, she pushes open the door to the shop.

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No reaction to the name? Interesting. His grin grows even wider as he takes her hand and gives it a rather enthusiastic shake, still unexpected thanks to his rather shifty appearance.

"Nice to meet you too, Ms. Arber! I can maaaybe show off a talent or two if you want, though... " His voice grows a little quieter. "I'd prefer if we... talk about what I'm looking for inside. Just in case!"

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No reaction to the name! She seems more than content to accept Seven as your name. As she releases your hand, she steps into the store and shoves her hands into the pockets of her rather baggy overalls.

She hums, sounding just a little disconcerted by the implications behind your words.

"Oooookay. Well... Come on in, we can talk. People usually don't end up here too soon after we open, anyway."

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Poor Ms. Arber. She'll have to get used to this eventually... that is, if they were to keep seeing each other.

"Oh? Not many customers passing by, or something? I can maybe change that with my ~ advertisement skills ~ if you want~" Is he...? Yeah. He's doing jazz hands at her. Sigh.

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"I don't worry about it. People not stopping in just means things aren't broke. Less work for me, and I get paid just the same."

Her eyebrow quirks again at the strange hand gesture. No, she doesn't get it. Not at all.

"...Are you okay? Is that some kind of nervous tic?"

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Oh boy. Poor Seven. He simply lets out a quiet sigh as he shakes his head. "Nope! Not really! Anywaysss..." Wow, how smooth. As smooth as the way he walks right into her shop. On which he takes a sweet moment to look over for a while, quietly examining the various decorations and whatever items may be on display.

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PANDOR.

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Looking around, you see that while the store is horribly disorganized, this is clearly the place where a practiced professional works. All sorts of intricate machinery, tiny gears, and several things you can't name but look like they would be used in the hands of someone who really, really knows what they are doing. There isn't much in the way of decoration -- the vast majority of the store is taken up by workshop space, except for a front desk where people can drop off broken materials and, far in the back of the dimly lit shop, past all the scraps and parts and work benches, you can see a boarded up door.

"Anyways..." Arber interrupts you. "...You wanted to talk?

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A simple glance around the store has Seven gasping in awe, his eyes wide open as his vision darts from the various machines and disorganized parts scattered everywhere. It reminds him so much of home, in a way... seeing such an organized mess has his heart aching for home, wanting to see his precious babies again.

"Y-Yeah! III... basically wanna have a job if you'll allow it, in exchange for like... maybe... a little machine that can protect me or something? Just anything for some self defense?"

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Arber is quick to frown at that, as she leans back against the front desk.

"Hey, if you're good with stuff like this I'm happy to give you a job but... I'm just a repair shop here, Seven. I don't really make anything new, I'm not THAT good. Definitely not gonna have a... battle machine, or whatever you're looking for."

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"Phooeyyy..." Seven whines as his shoulders sag for a moment, clearly a little dejected from the lack of weaponry available to him. Oh well. "That's okay! At least I got a job now! Thooough... if I become your apprentice... will you mayhaps... tell me more about Epoche? Especially about the Arse Verbatim?"

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Clever joke, but as smart as Arber may be, that just totally went over her head.

"Arse.... Verbatim?"

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"Y'know! Arsehen? The Verbatim we're in right now?" Please. He's trying so hard.

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Well, if she's looked uncomfortable or confused now, you now know what she looks like when she's mad. Guess she's taken offense to whatever you just said.

"I'm sorry, but what the HELL did you just call me? Bold talk coming from someone who wants to be my apprentice."

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What? What?! Oh no. Oh no no. This wasn't part of the plan (whatever it may be.)

"N-No!! I was kidding! Kiddinggg! I'm sorry!! I'm just a newcomer around here and-" Seven sputters, even if he has no idea what he's apologizing about. "L-Look! How about I go do one of those talents I promised you about! What do you say, huh? Huuuh?" Lord.(edited)

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She's bordering on snarling at this point. With little to no fanfare, she stomps over to him, before holding up one finger very close to his face.

"One chance. You get ONE chance to show me something good, kid."

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Seven is trying so hard to keep his bowels squeezed and in tact, otherwise poor Arber may have to deal with another mess on the floor as well.

"S-Sure! Right! Okay! Do you- do you, uh, do you got anything that needs fixing right now? Any computer? Please?" Poor Seven.

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Begrudgingly, she storms away, moving back to one of the cluttered work benches. Rattling around a bit, she picks up what looks like one of the robots found whizzing around Precinct Arshan, sweeping up spills or trash. It's round, but flat -- almost disc-like.

"Here." She hisses, shoving it his way. "Damned thing wouldn't turn on yesterday and the Ranch Hand couldn't figure it out."

And with that, she will point furiously at a work bench and lean back against a wall to cross her arms and watch him work.

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Arber stomping off has him sweating like crazy, especially when she comes back and hands him-- a roomba...?

Seven blinks confusedly, staring down at this poor little robot before... hesitantly going over to the aforementioned work bench and seating himself down, still sweating like crazy as he gently places the robot down... and begins to inspect it. And pray to God that Arber will let him live, hopefully.

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PANDOR.

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He looks at the machinery and, while there are some parts that are harder for him to recognize, it doesn't take long to realize that there's a frayed wire somewhere in there. Poor little thing must have swept up something that hacked away a bit at the machinery. Overall not a difficult fix, if someone has a basic knowledge of robotics and machinery.

....Arber just continues to watch, tapping her foot.

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He tries his best to inspect the little robot as quickly as possible, without peeing himself from Arber's gaze right on his back. It's a rather tense procedure for Seven right now, though his eyes seems to light up once he finally realizes what's wrong. His hand slooowly reaches out to grab a screwdriver and another tool or two, trying his hardest to be careful and not set Arber off once again... as he finally gets to work, by slowly popping the little guy open.

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Well, look at you go. You're able to change out that wire with ease, and as Arber looks on, she lets out a small, quiet noise of approval. As you finish up your work, Arber kicks herself off the wall and comes over to the work table.

"Here. Let me..." And with that, she presses a power switch in the center of the machine and...

Ding! With a metallic melody, the ring around the power button lights up, spins, and remains glowing.

"...Well I'll be damned. Looks like you're not a total dumbass."

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Seven lets out a deep sigh as the tension in his body finally releases himself, wiping off the sweat from his brow as he slouches against the chair... and tenses up once more once Arber comes close. Still, he tries his best to smile at them, albeit nervously. "I, uh, did tell you that I have maaany talents to offer."

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She smiles, setting the little cleaning robot on the ground and watching as it sweeps swirls into the thin layer of dust peppered on the floor of the workshop.

"...You're a weird one, Seven. But you're pretty handy."

Hooking her thumbs in her pockets and cocking her head at you, her hostile demeanor seems to have faded.

"I have to admit I'm not the biggest expert on the city, but... I'll tell you what I can, as long as you keep helping me out. Obviously I don't really have a time that the shop opens since.... well, you know. But you can message me to see if I'm around before you head over. I'll put you to work, and we can chat. Deal?"

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Seven lets out another sigh of relief as he watches the little roomba whirr around the shop, deciding that he'll call it Arsehole (in secret) from now on, to remind him of the trouble he... inevitably put himself through. Sigh.

"Thanks, I get that a lot." He says so in a rather amused tone, which only grows more excited the moment Arber mentions the word 'help.' "W-Wait, really? You're gonna hire me for real?"

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She reaches up to adjust her goggles, any sort of frown she had before now replaced with a lopsided grin as she sticks her toe out in front of the device, forcing it to avert its course.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. That little guy was sitting there all day because I had higher priority things to work on. I could use the extra pair of hands around here. And you seem to know what's what."

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For a moment, his eyes seem to sparkle as he looks up at Arber, clearly more than thankful at the moment. "So you're gonna be... my robot senpai from now on? For realises?"

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This time she does laugh, a sort of snorty, loud chuckle.
"Kid, I have no idea what's coming out of your mouth half the time, but yes. I am being serious."
She offers a hand to shake, lopsided grin now extending all the way to her eyes.
"We got a deal, then?"

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Seven is absolutely beaming at this point, especially when he takes Arber's hand once more and shakes it veeery enthusiastically. "Yes we do ma'am! I won't disappoint!!" Hopefully. Who knows.

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The force of the handshake makes HER shake a little, but luckily she seems amused rather than perturbed.

"I hope you don't!!" she chuckles, and as the handshake fades, she puts her hands back into her pockets.

"I have a bit of running around to do today but... come back later? We can get you set up."

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"Sure!! I don't mind!! I gotta explore the city more and learn how to get back from here again, anyways~" Look who's happy like the adorable little dolt he is.

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And with that, Arber will go grab a box full of parts and hoist it onto her hip, flashing Seven a grin.

"Your Tempo should have a map. If you get lost, just let me know. See you next time, Seven!"

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PANDOR.

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EXPLORATION ENDED.