by Leonidas Jarnefeldt 27th April 2022, 3:06 pm
-The Neutral Grounds, outside the iLac Factory, 10:00 A.M.-
A day or so after getting his passport Leonidas had heard talk around his Capital Crocus neighborhood about a device called an "iLac", which was a wonder of technology that was both a communications device and a multimedia platform. Anyone who wanted one of the devices could get one from the Neutral Grounds, a city where magic was unable to be used. That detail did not bother him since he did not have any enemies in Fiore just yet, so the former desert dweller decided to get an iLac for himself, if only to have a way to call friends in case he ever made any friends in Fiore. Its multimedia capabilities might also come in handy to help pass the slow times in between jobs... not that there were going to be many of those slow times if he could help it.
A few minutes after arriving in the Neutral Grounds Leonidas had asked around the city where he could find the iLac Factory. It took another few minutes before he located a kind local who gave him detailed directions to the factory. After following them to the letter he was standing outside the single-story structure with two double doors and was about to go in. He took a quiet breath, then walked towards the factory doors. He reached the right one and pushed it open, then went inside.
-Inside the iLac Factory-
Leonaidas made sure the door behind him did not shut in anyone's face before he looked around him. Once he was sure that no one had gotten hit in the face he looked around the factory. It was a neat and clean facility with gray marble tile floor and velvet rope forming a maze that led to a counter manned by a redheaded young woman wearing a blue jacket over a white blouse and a blue knee-length skirt. No one else was waiting in line, so Leonidas took that as his cue to follow the maze to its end. Upon navigating it he ended up in front of the counter.
"Hi there! Are you here for an iLac?" The young woman asked him, showing no signs of being intimidated by his facial scar or his stature.
"Yes, please." Leonidas answered calmly.
"What color would you like?" She asked him. Leonidas paused for a few moments to think.
"What color choices do I have?" Leonidas asked her hesitantly. Instead of being insulted by the question she simply smiled at him.
"Any color you want. Mauve, chartreuse, cyan, fuchsia, pewter, navy blue, olive green, royal blue... the list goes on and on. As you can tell, we have a wide variety of options." The redhead began to list an impressive number of colors. Leonidas was sold when he heard the color "navy blue" was one of the numerous choices he could select from.
"I'd like a navy blue iLac, please." Leonidas requested. The young woman smiled.
"Certainly. Wait here just a few minutes and I'll go get it for you." She requested. Leonidas watched her walk through some double doors behind her and vanish into a vast area that looked like a warehouse. He stood patiently waiting for her to get back and as he waited he heard some upbeat synthesizer music playing on the loudspeakers overhead.
-Thirty-five minutes later-
It had been so long since the young woman left that Leonidas had wondered if she had gotten lost on the way to find his iLac, but she emerged from the back room triumphantly with a navy blue iLac in a box. She brought it over to the counter and set it down, then faced the waiting man.
"Sorry about the wait, but it took me awhile to find it! Now that I've brought it to you you have two more choices. You can take it home right away and read the manual that's in the box or I can demonstrate how it works right here in front of you!" The young woman offered him another choice. Leonidas crossed his arms over his chest and thought about it for a moment. It did not take very long for him to make his choice.
"I'd like the demonstration, please." Leonidas requested. She smiled and opened the box, then powered on the navy blue iLac for him. She then turned the device towards him where he could see it.
"OK, this is how it works..." The young woman began a lengthy and well-practiced rundown of the instructions on how to use the iLac. Leonidas listened closely and gave the young woman his undivided attention. He could always read the manual later, but since he had asked for a demonstration he was going to learn as much as he could about the device while he was still at the factory.
[Post Word Count: 808]
[Total Word Count: 808/500]
