For Sale [Feliciano + Lutz]

[Lutz]

Although it was significantly smaller and less grand than the main bot distributors, the little shop was nonetheless equally sophisticated and modern. A compact building, it had been painted a dazzling white, and large windows covered nearly the entire store front: this month's display featured a female bot with a sweet face and long black hair, lying as if sleeping on a cream-colored cushion, surrounded by silk roses and framed by opaque pink curtains. The effect of the display was slightly diminished by the loud-colored signs in the windows, advertising "CHEAP!", "FACTORY NEW!", and "FREE DELIVERY!"

Truth-in-advertising laws being what they were, the owner of the shop, a thin middle-aged man currently wearing a tidy suit, could promise everything on the signs to his customers. The quality of the bots, on the other hand, was more of a gray area. The owner had signed a contract to sell the bots under his company's name, without any mention of D.E.R.P., and had agreed to assume responsibility for whatever "defects" might crop up. But of course, not everyone could afford the latest perfect bots. And that's where he came in.

The small warehouse attached to the back of his shop held dusty, casket-like boxes stacked upon each other. Bots of the kind that production had long since stopped on, for those who wanted a bot for housework but couldn't afford (or didn't want) the newer, pricier models that came with a personality. The owner sincerely doubted he'd ever sell these, but as if the factory would buy them back... they weren't worth much. What he mainly dealt in were "defects": bots that somehow ended up with limps, that had poor memories, that sometimes disliked following orders... those sorts of things. Of course the owner never bragged about such a thing, but it you were looking for a perfect model, plenty of the larger stores would be happy to sell you one, perhaps at double the price.

The silver sign in the window now read "OPEN", and the owner was taking advantage of the lack of customers to tidy up his shop just a little more. He'd gotten a new shipment last night, and had placed some of the nicer models out on display: a doll-like woman with chocolate-colored locks and a strong-looking blond man now rested beside the usual models. But his decision had resulted in packing material on the floor and stirred up dust all over the other cases. Humming quietly along with the music playing in the background, he polished the cases with a soft cloth, every now and then throwing glances out the window to see whether or not a passer-by was planning on coming in.


[[This is just exposition, but let me know if something I wrote isn't allowed~]]

[feliciano]

<sub>He had always been wary about bots, even if he had quickly learned that despite his suspicions, they were unfortunately... necessary, it seemed. A bot could do the work of a human being, would do its work routinely, and didn't ask for raises or get frustrated about erratic schedules- something Feliciano found out rather quickly when it came to a few of those he'd employed who were truly human.

Being a man who almost exclusively purchased bots for work, Feliciano was initially a bit skeptical when he'd found the shop that a friend had mentioned- 'might as well get them there if you don't need them for work', he said, 'you know what you're getting into right from the start'. Feliciano had wanted to wait and think, but- his uncle had insisted that he get some company in Antarctica, even if it wasn't human, and the money he sent only emphasized his point further.

The Italian took a minute to compose himself as he affirmed that this was, in fact, the shop his friend had spoken of- any other man would probably say that perhaps the display was exaggerated, but Feliciano was a businessman. He knew how to attract attention, and this did a good job of it, so what could he do but praise the owner's strategy? He hadn't dressed to impress- really, he'd been a bit scattered in picking his wardrobe today, but it wasn't as if he was going to some huge meeting, right?

Feliciano felt a bit embarrassed when he stepped in, if only because he noticed that who he assumed to be the owner looked quite well-dressed... and here he was in jeans with an untucked dress shirt, a heavy black coat hastily slung around his shoulders along with a red scarf. Feliciano started to slowly undo the scarf as he entered the building, briefly surveying the shop- this place seemed quite nice, really, why was he expecting something so awful? It was shamefully elitist of him to assume that a shop deserved less respect simply for having... 'lesser' wares.

Not one to simply browse around silently, Feliciano decided to inquire a bit. Some people simply bought what they wanted, paid their money, and left- Feliciano was a bit more social. Purchasing was an art, even if there was no haggling involved, and he certainly wasn't going to stop treating it like that now. Still scanning the displays- he had to think carefully if this was to be a household companion, after all- Feliciano decided to interrupt the music he could faintly hear in the background with a question, despite the nervous tone in his voice.

"Ah, pardon me if I am being rude, sir, but... where is your... most expensive bot?"

Silently berating himself for coming off as what he was certain was a pampered young socialite, Feliciano took a step back and waited to see if he was acknowledged or responded to, fidgeting slightly with his unfurled scarf in the meantime.</sub>

[Lutz]

As he continued to tidy up the minute amounts of dust around his shop, the owner's sharp ears caught the familiar squeak of the door hinges. Straightening up, he turned around from his work to greet the potential customer, who turned out to be a slender young man. Disappointingly, the visitor's casual dress didn't allow for the owner to gauge the man's finances, but the emotion didn't reach his face: he gave the other a short, polite bow, punctuated with a quiet "Welcome."

For a moment, the man seemed not to have heard him, but the owner's assumptions were soon corrected: the other had merely gone to have a look at the merchandise. Perhaps he had a shrewd buyer on his hands, or perhaps just a daydreamer... it was difficult to tell. In this kind of work, you got some strange types, especially once you stripped away the well-moneyed customers that flocked to the larger dealers. Nonetheless, the owner kept himself busy until the man spoke unmistakably and directly to him. And what a question it turned out to be. The man's eyes widened just a bit, and he hastily stowed his dust cloth.

"Oh, you aren't being rude, sir, not at all!" the man replied instantly, sweeping out from behind the sales counter; now that he had caught the scent of wealth, he was all politeness and propriety, and any doubts about this young man's intentions had vanished from his mind. "Any questions you might have, please don't hesitate to ask. Now... my most expensive bot..." The man tapped his chin almost theatrically, before his eyes fell on the most recent shipment. Beckoning the young man after him, he led the way to the two newest square cases.

"These ones arrived just yesterday - F.A.C.U. Enviro models, and those normally go for 70,000 units," he explained, gesturing to the man and the woman, both seemingly sound asleep in their boxes. "Now," he went on, "I'm obligated by contract to inform you that these bots are both 'Special' models, which means there'll be some deviation from the factory standards, but on the bright side, that means you get them at a discount!" He gave the customer a friendly smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But we can go into those details later - you wanted to know about the price, yes? I'll take 10,000 units off of the price, although if that's too much, perhaps we can arrange a payment plan. And, of course, I have less expensive models available too, but keep in mind, those won't be as recent or as human-like as these here."

If he could sell one of the two newest bots, now, that would be an achievement! It would be one of the largest sales he'd made yet. But the young man had yet to react to his sales pitch, so the owner of the shop grew more anxious. "If one of them strikes your fancy," he offered, unable to keep quiet, "I'll open the lid, you can have a closer look."

[feliciano]

<sub>Feliciano had anticipated a negative reaction, or at least a strongly neutral one- which made him all the more eager and cheerful when the man appeared to react quite positively to his inquiry. Given, the Italian was quite sure that he knew exactly why this shopkeeper was so eager, but it pleased him nonetheless, the brightest of smiles emerging on his face- a good mood was contagious, after all.

He listened to the man while still wringing his scarf out of habit, though once he was beckoned he loosely threw it back around his shoulders- not only so he could stop making an idiot of himself by displaying nervous habits, but leaving his hands open to gesture while talking was something that he preferred to be an option in every conversation. He offered a kind nod at the man in response to his mention of answering questions, and Feliciano felt surprisingly... giddy. He wasn't sure quite what was leading to his elation- was it the thrill of the unknown, the odd vain pleasure that came from wealth, or was it just some very disturbingly twisted form of guilt over what he was about to do?

Now wasn't the time to dwell on moral repercussions- it would be rude to back out of this now that he had gained the shopkeeper's attention, after all, and rudeness was a concept he didn't want to get near. When they had arrived at the two cases that Feliciano assumed must have been the most expensive in the shop's stock- they were certainly displayed to seem as such- he immediately began scanning them, though he nodded at the owner occasionally to acknowledge that he was listening.

Deviation... he wanted to chuckle. Why would he be driven off by the idea of something being deviant when he himself wasn't exactly normal? Feliciano was an artist, after all, and the idea of something odd and unexpected triumphed over the concept of day-to-day normality, even with the negative connotations hovering around a deviant bot.

Feliciano was quick to observe and quick to make decisions- this was no different. The woman was beautiful, certainly- well-crafted and well-shaped with a physique that models could dream of, but she just... didn't seem real, he supposed. Of course these bots were crafted to cater to people's fantasies and desires, but there was something uncanny about her that threw him off- or perhaps it was just how much he felt drawn to the man.

Feliciano could already guess what the female bot was likely programmed to do, but the man? He looked powerful, but refined, a sort of enigma that hooked Feliciano the minute he saw him. What was so deviant about this? Was he some sort of security model? A worker made for heavy lifting? He'd never find out if he didn't try.

"Ah, actually, sir- I think I have made my decision already. The blond, I think I would like him, si? Something about him is very fascinating, you could say. I can tell from here, you know?"

Taking a brief moment to dig for his wallet, Feliciano offered a laugh to fill the brief silence, before he again began speaking.

"60,000 units is a very reasonable price, signore, and I would be happy to pay it up front. No need to worry about installments or payment plans."

If he had been poorer, Feliciano probably would have been biting and arguing about even a difference of 10,000 units, but to him the numbers just rang off as that- numbers. There was no huge significance and weight behind 60,000 units to him, particularly when he had been gifted more than that in the last three months alone. Feliciano took a moment to see how the shopkeeper would respond, ceasing in his search for his wallet- and occasionally looking back at the model he had chosen.

He just had to wonder- what were you made for?</sub>

[Lutz]

His customer seemed an odd mixture of delight and anxiety, the shopkeeper noted, as the auburn-haired man wandered over to have a look at his nicest wares. Unable to think of any more clever sales tactics to deploy -- he'd already used his best ones -- the shopkeeper waited patiently, arms folded politely behind his back. The man didn't take much time at all to come to a decision, something that caught him a bit by surprise. Usually, people were far pickier about bots, especially expensive ones, because bots were an investment. Not just of the financial kind. You needed to know you'd be able to wake up in the morning and not feel at odds with the stranger you'd brought into your house.

Perhaps that was why he found the man's choice perplexing. Maybe it was just his customer's energetic and overly-polite disposition, but the shopkeeper had hazarded a guess that he might be a scaredy-cat. Although, that explained his choice in another way: if he needed security, the male bot certainly looked up for the job.

"The blond, you say? Excellent choice." The same polite smile as before rose to the shopkeeper's face. "I'll get his manual for you, and then we can discuss payment." But it seemed the customer had decided on that too; the smile on the shopkeeper's face wavered, if only out of shock. 60,000 units -- and all at once, too! He had been right about the man's wealth. This fellow could have easily afforded one of the top-end bots, if he could afford to drop such a massive sum all at once. Now he felt curious as to why he was selling him a defective bot instead. But no, no -- he wasn't going to question his luck. A sale like this happened maybe once in five years. The shopkeeper quickly composed himself

"If you insist, sir," he nodded politely. "I'll... take your payment here, and I can have him taken to your house or place of residence immediately." Reaching into a filing cabinet below his desk, he shuffled around for a moment before withdrawing the correct folio: a sturdy looking white manual, the cover labeled with sky-blue ink. This he gave to the young man, "Everything you need to know should be in here -- start up instructions, maintenance, all of that -- but if you have any questions, you can call my shop as well." He presented the man with his business card, which he'd had customized conveniently to be shaped like a bookmark.

"Of course, he's not one of the standard models, so he's not eligible for any upgrades, but if he ever needs repairs, things like that, I can put you in contact with some excellent shops." The shopkeeper fired off another smile. "Is there anything else, sir? Any questions or concerns you have, perhaps?" Inwardly, he prayed for none. He wanted this deal signed and finalized, and he wanted those credits in his account immediately.