No Longer Boomer (D/aeluri)

”Why do you want me to have an iLac? I’ve done just fine without one for my entire life,” Aeluri grumbled. She walked moodily beside her gold-swathed mentee. It was too early to be out shopping for something she didn’t feel the need to buy. Not to mention she had gotten trashed with Iris the night before. It was a common occurance. While she had quite the high tolerance for alcohol, she still retained the slightest of headaches today. That’s how much of a banger it had been.

“MaKe YoUrSeLf SmAlL,” Aeluri mocked him under her breath. She was already shorter than him and didn’t take up much space. It was in her nature to navigate public spaces with a degree of stealth, though she was guilty of showing off on the occasion when she craved attention. He had nothing to worry about except being seen with her in public, which seemed to be an idea he despised.

The two entered the factory through sliding glass doors. Inside, a little reception desk sat near the far wall. A woman with glasses sat behind it, typing on a keyboard that was attached to a lacrima computer. The room was generally quiet, save for the soft gurgle of water in a miniature fountain in the corner. Aeluri was unnerved by the lack of magic in Neutral Grounds. She had become so accustomed to using the feline features and senses granted to her that being without them left her feeling like a weak newborn fawn. It was as if she were surrounded by a mesh bubble and only the faintest of stimuli graced her dull human senses. The feeling was horrible and only added to her sour attitude. Aeluri scowled at the room as a whole and waited for Louie to take the lead. He was the one who wanted her to get one of these iLacs so bad so he could be the one to do all the talking and work.

Aeluri rolled her eyes as Louie put on his friendly facade. He was so fake it was almost nauseating at times. It was pathetic how easily people fell for it too. Maybe she was just cynical, but anyone who was that friendly had to have ulterior motives. How could people not realize that? Perhaps the general public was more foolish than she thought.

Of course Louie would get her the fanciest version of the iLac. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from him. The receptionist tried to ask about payments, but was rushed on to the other parts. Louie played it off as Aeluri being the impatient one, to which she scowled. She was thrown under the bus in order for him to save face.

“Hmm,” Aeluri hummed, pondering for a moment. She had expected them to just give her one. There had been no thought given to customization at all. “Red will be fine,” she said flippantly with a dismissive wave of her hand, acting like she didn’t care. She was a little curious to see what all the other color options were, but the dark mage didn’t want anyone to think she gave it more than a few seconds of thought. Red was a color she tended to favor, so red it was.

“Excuse me for just a moment,” the receptionist said, retreating into a room behind the reception counter. She returned with a sleek black box in her hands. On the outsides, various images of the iLac were printed along with the words iLac X Pro. The receptionist placed it on the countertop in front of Aeluri. The dark mage found herself intrigued. Gently she slid the lid up and off of the box. Inside, nested in protective foam and plastic, was a shiny red iLac.

Aeluri felt her fingers twitch. She couldn’t help her instinct to touch and collect shiny and expensive things. Such a sleek looking object had her feeling possessive over it before she even touched it. This was her iLac now. Delicately it was removed from the box and turned over a few times. The red was a rich color with a metallic tint that glittered in the light. Aeluri loved it, but she would never let Louie know that. Her expression remained neutral.