No Gods Here (Juliet)

Today, the sun was shining, her crops were watered, her skin was clear, and Juliet was having a fabulous day.

Although it posed an uncanny threat to the majority of mages, Juliet had always enjoyed the Neutral Grounds. She did not require magic to accomplish her goals, as it was simply a means to an end: a helpful tool, of course, but something that could be done without, nonetheless. Furthermore, Juliet was not overtly obsessed with fighting and would rather not unless it were the most efficient course of action. In dealings with dark mages, combat was often the best decision, but for day to day tasks like this she had no use for magical enhancements to her own physical abilities. Whistling ever so lightly as she entered the gates of the Neutral Grounds, Juliet took a short breath as she felt her magical core mysteriously disappear, becoming unreachable in this peculiar area. It was no matter. Despite how unusually blank and empty her body felt, all of the effects of this place would quickly be reversed as soon as she managed to bring her entire person back outside of the boundaries. Knowing this, Juliet swiftly moved forwards, having already examined a map of the Neutral Grounds to avoid any fumbling around and becoming lost. Wasting time was absolutely not on Juliet's list of things to do, even if she would secretly have loved to spend more time taking in the sights available in this unusual location.

Her hair blew gently as a car drove past, smoke dissipating into her face and skin. Though she was not quite sent into a coughing fit, Juliet felt the solid particles cascade through her nose and settle into her lungs. With a momentarily wince that was barely even visible, Juliet continued on her way, making a mental note to purify the contents of her body later. Cigarette smoke was not the worst of substances that could weigh down her form with disadvantages in the long run. Drugs with highly addictive and effective properties were far more dangerous, for example. However, she was not here to have fumes blown into her face as she stood around wondering what sins were the least beneficial to involve herself in. Juliet refocused and began moving once again in the direction of the iLac factory. The devices had emerged years ago, and they were now being mass marketed and sold across Earthland. Despite the huge amounts of money the manufacturers were raking in, they still offered free iLacs at the site of the original factory.

Juliet was grateful for this opportunity; it wasn't exactly rare for giant conglomerates and multi billion jewel companies to deal with philanthropy on a large scale, but this was a bit of a smaller, ongoing project to ensure more of the common people could pick up an iLac for free. She planned to take complete advantage of all of the features it had to offer. Realizing that she had barely reached her destination just now, Juliet pulled a pleasant smile onto her face before entering the building. Despite its humble beginnings as a warehouse and manufacturing center, it now had a visitor's building at the front, complete with presentation rooms, spaces for conferences, etc. Striding up to the visitor's desk, Juliet greeted the woman in a low but perfectly audible tone. "Hello. I am here to get an iLac," she explained briefly, and without even looking up, the worker pointed to the left and told her that was the way to be headed. Dipping her head in understanding, Juliet thanked her before heading in the specified direction. It was not too far after following the path of the corridor that Juliet came into a wide area, filled with displays and counters, along with some shelves. In the corner, there was a door and on the other side of the far end of the room was a cash register, manned by a young woman with blonde hair.

Along the walls and within the miniature aisles milled people, apparently browsing what was offered in store. Juliet supposed that even with offering free ilacs, there was still plenty to buy, such as the newer, better versions, or upgrades and accessories. In addition, she had heard there were different programs able to be installed and was interested in seeing what the manufacturers had to offer. Even though she was not a technology guru by any means, Juliet did not shun it like many of her traditionalist friends back home. Still, she was new to the wonders of mechanics, electricity, and progress. For these reasons, and because she was not sure whether the factory was, in fact, still offering free iLacs (despite the many rumors she had heard) she headed over to the register and greeted the woman politely. "Hi, I was wondering where I could get a free iLac?" Even though she tried to temper her voice to make it sound as agreeable as possible, Juliet couldn't help but hope she hadn't sounded too blunt. It was the reason she was here- obtaining an iLac- and she wouldn't lie about it or any of that. The young woman seemed to understand immediately what she was saying, because she said in a very bright, helpful tone, "Of course! If you look over there on the left wall, there are several different models of iLac. The one farthest from the register is available for free in twelve different colors! Please enjoy, and feel free to ask if you have any more questions," to which Juliet smiled genuinely and thanked her quietly.

Walking over to that wall and searching for the iLac displayed there which was available for free did not come as too much of a chore. She noticed that it seemed to be one of the older models, which made the most sense. Still, Juliet was grateful to have the opportunity to get a free iLac regardless of whether or not it was the most updated, highest end variety. She tentatively clicked the button on the display, opening up a screen that prompted her to choose the color. A quick scroll through showed her several options. In particular, she was attracted to the taupe, the light pink, and the white. Unable to choose, Juliet mulled over the choices for a bit. Normally she went for black when it came to clothing and the like, including sections of red and occasionally accompanied by gold or white accents. That was because of her house colors. This was different, though. She wanted something that would remind her of the newer possibilities of technology and be a breath of fresh air, rather than another blast from the past. Just then, she noticed an option in the corner called "Chroma." It didn't seem to have a color swatch associated with it, and picking it revealed the ability to choose two colors! With a surprised smile, she chose both taupe and rose, and the preview updated to reveal a phone whose shiny, metallic body could shift colors gradually depending on the light and angle.

Happy with her selection, Juliet clicked buy and was satisfied to see that it was absolutely free. She picked up the box that popped out of the wall nearby and picked it up, her hands still clothed with short black gloves. Carrying the box over to the register, she greeted the same woman with another closed lip smile and a held out the package. Even though she didn't speak, her eyes were alight with an uncertainty that showed she wasn't some pompous noble ready to be waited on without a single word. Her clothes today were fairly casual, although still black and the glorious red of the Rothschilds. The employee silently scanned the iLac for her and handed her a receipt, even thought here had been no payment. Juliet guessed that they kept track of the number they gave away for marketing purposes, as if to say, this is how much charity we engage in every year, please be impressed! (But perhaps she was simply cynical and they wanted to see whether they had enough in stock left or a circumstance among that nature.) Regardless, Juliet accepted the box back with a bit of a looser smile and thanked the other female in a soft voice before heading towards the door.

In spite of everything, it had been an extremely successful trip. Juliet was accustomed to shopping by herself, and the tranquility of it, no matter whether venues were crowded or loud, had become a peaceful experience. She could simply get lost in her own mind and thoughts without having to pay attention to much of the rest of the world. Still with her head half up in the clouds, dreaming about the wonders of technology, Juliet slipped out of the factory and aimed a course back the direction she had arrived from. The gates of the Neutral Grounds would always be open, should she desire to return again, but for now, she wanted nothing more than to return to her apartment and play with her new iLac.