Upgrading

Isaak got off the train into the station within the Neutral Grounds with his stomach in violent knots, his head spinning like a carousel set to turbo. Boats were bad for his vertigo, but trains were much worse. They moved faster, after all, so of course they'd effect him on a different scale. However, after a few seconds with his feet on the ground he felt the sickness abating. It leeched out of him slowly at first, then nearly disappeared in an instant. His eyebrows knit together curiously, his confusion obvious on his face. Then he remembered about where he was. The Neutral Grounds was a place where magic didn't work like it was supposed to, at least not in a way that could hurt anyone. That's what made them so neutral. As if to make sure, he tried to summon the light inside himself and found it dimmed exponentially. His senses were still mildly heightened, but otherwise he was just a normal human.

Isaak smirked at that, never really having experienced being mundane and powerless before. He'd always been a warrior, a powerful mage made for combat. It was...curious being average for once. But he didn't want to get too caught up in his new found normalcy, he was here for something specific and if he wasn't quick he'd get caught in a line just as he had in Hargeon. Speaking of, he pulled a pastry he'd bought in the port town from his satchel, also bought at the town, and bit into it. He savored the sweetness as he walked out of the station and into the town surrounding it.

As he walked, he noticed hordes of teenagers all migrating, for lack of a better word, towards the same location. He figured, with what he was here for, they would most likely be able to lead him to where he wanted to go. He trailed behind a group, joyfully eating his pastry, and soon found himself in front of a shop with a bright neon sign advertising the brand new iLacs in stock. He saw that there was, indeed, a line in front of the store but this one was much more palatable than the one in front of the passport authority. He could simply wait in line for this one.

So he took his space and looked around, admiring the homey look of the buildings and some other shop windows. After he finished his pastry, he couldn't help noticing echoing giggles coming from the group of teens ahead of him. He looked and noticed they were taking glances at him, quickly looking away, whispering among themselves and then giggling before repeating the process. He was content to ignore them but a girl approached him "So umm...are you like in line for an iLac?"

Isaak nodded, a bit confusedly and she spoke again "You're not from around here, I can tell that. But are you sure someone like you would be able to figure out how to use one?"

Isaak was even more confused, the crease between his brows deepening "I'm sorry, someone like me?"

"Someone, you know....old."

That made Isaak choke on air, his eyes bugging out of his head slightly as he sputtered. The girl and her friends burst into laughter as he tried to catch his breath. "I am not old! I'm only twenty!!"

That prompted another round of laughter and a chorus of "yeah sure" and "whatever you say". Isaak was about to argue further, but the line had shortened and they were able to enter the storefront. The group went in and Isaak followed, but was quickly swept up by an attendant and showed through all the various models of iLacs available. Isaak left out with an iLac, a service plan, and some accessories for the appliance not half an hour later.

He had half a mind to find the teens, try and regain some of his lost honor, but instead he headed back to the train station. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and this embarrassment as he could.