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(Setting Reboot!) The Easy Speaker Dive Bar, Neon District
| (In reply to "The Delinquent" girl with the cigar):
"Its a pleasure and an artform miss, I always do my best to impress. Call me Li-Gem, what can I get you to drink?"
>The grey-eyed bartender sparked the end of the cigar with the lighter as he spoke, the leaf getting a nice, even burn from the flame, ensuring the maximum cigar experience, before flicking the lid of the lighter back on, setting it down behind the counter as his hands stopped glowing brightly.
| >>901770
"Streamlined indeed, you have to respect the efficiency."
>Sabine answers with a soft chuckle.
"Does he monitor every single word you say as well?"
| >>901771
>The girl takes a puff, nodding in a satisfied manner before exhaling
"Aah, you get it. Well, I'll get anything so long as it isn't sweet"
>She pauses an instant, tipping the cigar away from her mouth
"Name's Mikamo by the by, Written as Nice and Sweet, it's read Mikamo"
>She winks to Li-Gem
| >>901839
>Li-Aq nodded vigorously.
"We're all sorta connected, all of us bartenders, so if that 'ickwad' is connected to one of us, he's connected to all of us-"
"That's enough, Li-Aq."
>The blonde woman bartender, the one making the drink for the working girl in the overalls with the doe brown eyes, stared dead at Li-Aq with a polite but clearly intimidating 'shut the fuck up' smile.
"We're not here to burden our patrons with all of our drama, right Li-Aq?"
"...Sure Li-Li. Sorry."
| >Li-Aq turned back to Sabine, with a 'this bitch' look on his face.
"Just a barrel of fun around here. Enough about this place, what brings you in tonight? Most people who wander in here are at a point in their life that sorta brings them to this sort-of place, no offense."
>He smiled, his green lipstick shining as he started to...bite his holographic fingernails?
| (Meanwhile, in reply to the "Working Girl")
>Meanwhile, the blonde bartender turned back with a smile to her own patron, as her clone/double finished the double-double Cobalt Velvet and handed it to her other clone, who gave her a smile and a kiss on the cheek before the drone projecting the clone dematerialized and hovered off to another place.
"Double-double Cobalt Velvet, right here for you! Sorry you had to hear my name through him, he likes to ruin our introductions..."
| "As you heard, my name's Li-Li, and you've got my deepest apologies *on his behalf.*"
>Li-Li glared back at Li-Aq once more, who flipped her off with a smile. She only smiled and turned back to her patron.
"This is why I'm the one left in charge on our shifts. Anyhow, what's your name, if I may be so bold as to still inquire after all this disrespect going around?"
| >>901840
"Mmm, they say a picture is worth a thousand words and a movie is worth a thousand pictures; so if this is all a movie, the words 'nice and sweet' would pale in comparison to the real deal, Miss Mikamo."
>Li-Gem's smile continued, and he merely glanced over at his fellow bartenders dismissively before turning back to Mikamo.
"If I were to guess what a beauty like you may drink, I'd say you'd want a Flaming Moai. Sour, not too sweet; and classy just like you. What say you?"
| >>901851
>The girl grabs her baseball cap by the bill and raises it above her eyes to meet the gaze of the bartender.
"Oh uh Hey, thanks girl! Sorry, kinda lost in thought there for a sec"
"and to answer your question, I'm somethin' of a treasure hunter... well, it's treasure after I find it anyways."
| >>901840
>After speaking to the bartender, the girl in the overall starts scanning the room and her eyes widen.
"Heyy-ooo! Mi-ka-mo! Remember me?"
>She waves a hand around so aggressively it's any wonder how she's staying seated.
| >>901849 >>901850
"I would ask if it's fine for you to shit-talk your boss while he listens in on your conversation, but your beloved sister clearly doesn't like that, so I'll just answer your question instead."
>Sabine says before pausing to take another sip of her drink, taking the moment to lean in closer towards the counter and thinking over her answer.
"I'm just killing time, really. I'm a sort of a freelance, you know, so I have time to kill in-between jobs."
| >>901856
"Oooh, treasure hunter eh? What even constitutes as 'treasure' in this day and age? I doubt it's a buried chest in the sand with an X on a map somewhere!"
>Li-Li smiled and chuckled lightly with a kind looking, interested smile. She sat down on a holographic stool in front of the working girl, seemingly intent to listen, but when the working girl shouted over to Mikamo, the sort of 'artificial silence' which may have been felt before backed off, to let in other talking.
| >>901914
"Freelance, eh? Well, congratulations on being your own valued employee and boss, and for not treating yourself like a tyrant and a slave as so many who work for themselves do. Its important to keep that sense of relief and lightness in your career..."
>Li-Li sighed, as he trailed off for a minute, looking at the manager's office for a brief moment before turning back to Sabine.
"So, have any cool stories from your latest jobs? I'm always down for fun crazy work stories!"
| >>902025
"I can tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. I don't think your boss or your co-workers would like that."
>Sabine says with a joking grin, though her eyes turn hard for just a moment, then turning back so quickly that one might think it was just their imagination.
"In any case, it's not really that interesting to listen to, a lot of time spent doing nothing but trying not to fall asleep."
| >>901861
>Mikamo looks at the girl in over-alls, bringing the cigar back to her lips before puffing out a cloud of blue smoke
>her eyes narrow, her lips tighten as she seemingly tries to remember a past night within another bar.
"Sorry, the name escapes me' Did we talk that one time I laid into that auggie?"
>Mikamo asks the girl in the overalls, pushing aside the cigar for an instant
| >>901853
>She then turned to Li-Gem, chuckling
"Well ain't you a charmin' guy, never been told my name fitted me so well, that gets you a gold star."
>She grins, taking the cigar into the corner of her mouth once more
"I'll take that Moai, you sold me"
| >>902051
>The waving girl turns back away, rocking in her seat.
"Nahhh, man. We've never met. Just got a bad habit listenin' to other people talk. Heard your name before from my friend Taichi... sayin' he talked to some real badass chick at a bar, Shoulda seen the idiot blushin' about it."
"Anyways, I'm Gomi! Glad to see you're doin' well."
| >>902024
>>902067
>Gomi lifts her glass in Mikamo's direction and immediately downs half of it, before addressing Li-Li's question.
"No maps, No Xs, just exes. Treasures still buried though, just under used appliances and candy wrappers. Times are tough but we all still throw away some shit that'll work after just a lil' TLC."
| >>902030
"First; we can't die, & second; if you found a way to kill me, some of my brothers and sisters might pay you very well."
>Li-Aq snickered, his feminine laugh breaking his grim tone.
"What is sleep like after all? I always hear humans & lilim AIs talking about it, but VIs like us don't really get the chance to experience sleep much. We get rest periods where we're deactivated and other VIs are activated, but we don't really get to feel it, might as well blink & miss it."
| >>902054
>Li-Gem smiled, a cheesy young male's smile, as his grey eyes narrowed.
"Communication & charm are my specialty, a little bit moreso than the others. Its because I mean every word I say. Lemme get you that Moai, you want a double or a single? Ladies night, its only 5 zenny more."
>Li-Gem snapped and another drone hovered over to the drink making station, as another clone of Li-Gem started getting the drink together.
"You seem like you can handle your drinks fairly well."
| >>902068
>Li-Li's face wrinkled.
"Aww, so you're one of those tech recovery artists? That sounds like hard work! Doesn't the old garbage get smelly after after a while? You don't smell like a techrunner..."
>She chuckled, a little bit too hard.
"Sorry, I'm not trying to act all prim & proper, believe me, I get my hands dirty too, just in different ways. Someone's gotta do it, so the others don't have to, & the other's who won't do what you do can't see the glory you see, hehehe~!"
| >>902070
>Sabine shrugs.
"Honestly, I don't think you're missing much. Dreams are overrated, in my experience."
>She says before taking a final chug from the glass and slamming it down on the table.
"Anyway, another glass? Same thing."
| >>902254
>Another form of Li-Aq materialized from a floating drone, winked and stuck his tongue out at Sabine as the form of Li-Aq who was already in front of Sabine responded:
"Coming right up! Double Mercuryblast, and oh hey, nice ass there!"
"Thanks hun~"
>The two Li-Aq's gave eachother a quick shoulder hug and kiss on eachother's holographic cheeks as the one near Sabine turned back to her.
"Such a sensitive guy, that one, gotta take care of him, let him know he's appreciated~"
| >Li-Aq's devilish Lilim grin accented the holographic, projected form of his dark steel colored frame, glowing green in the accent spots as he danced a little to the music that was playing.
"Well, if dreams are overrated, & your work is a snooze, what is it that keeps you ticking? You can't just be bored 24/7, ya gotta have *something* interesting going on right? Forgive me if that sounds offensive, I just can't stand the thought of someone being bored of both day *&* night!"
| >>902257 >>902258
"I'm sure your boss and your co-working appreciate you plenty."
>Sabine replies, sticking her tongue out back at the duplicate.
"You know when you wait for long and keep doing something so patiently before it pays off? Yeah, that's my job, half-snooze time, half orgasmic satisfaction."
| >>902345
"Half orgasms aren't normally described of as 'nice', but I can see where you derive pleasure from that. Edging does really turn some people on..."
>Li-Aq snickered as his second clone finished with the drink and set it on the counter, before giving a little bow and a peace sign and dematerializing.
"Joking, joking. You know, you're uncommon among most people today, they wouldn't have the patience for a job like that. They want everything 'now now now', like children."
| >>902556
"Funny you say that, you can say the only reason I put up with it is because I'm more competitive than I'm impatient."
>Sabine answers, taking the drink from the counter and sipping it.
"That, and the satisfaction and the thrill of the hunt, of course."
| >>902574
"Thrill of the hunt? Well, you've lost me there, hunting isn't my forte..."
>Li-Aq scratched his dark chin with a curious look, as if pondering.
"...But competitive, and impatient, those are relatable..."
>Then, suddenly, at that moment, Li-Aq's eyes looked up over to the office of the manager, before looking back into Sabine's eyes, whispering the best he could.
"How much would it take to get you to hunt, let's say, my mean old manager in there?"
>He chuckled, nervously.
| >>902854
"Now, now, he's that bad, is he? Impatient indeed... Would this spark a war of succession? Those are usually messy, but lucrative. I thought I was coming here to relax!"
>Sabine replies with an amused chuckle. She takes another sip to pause before continuing.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not familiar with this specific sort of work either; my hunting ground lays elsewhere."
| "But, in case you're serious."
>Sabine says, distinctly quieter, while discreetly passing you a slip.
"A good friend of mine, he's probably more your pace."
| >>902988
"It would be less a 'war of succession' and more a rebellion of overworked employees."
>Li-Aq's face turned down a little bit, as he looked like he was contemplating something for a moment, before he took the slip.
"Thanks, miss. I'll keep you and your friend in mind."
>He sighed, almost dejectedly, before smiling and cheering himself up the best he could.
"But you *are* here to relax after all, so I apologize for looping you into the bullshit politics of this place."
| >>902989
>Sliding the slip and keeping it face down on the countertop, Li-Aq's hands glowed bright blue as the slip itself dematerialized into his holographic hand, seemingly absorbing itself into the light.
"Hard light is impressive technology. Capable of handling information downloads at a speed similar to neuronal synapses, it can harden to project itself as a dense solid, or soften to allow itself to almost behave like a plasma, or intelligent energy..."
| "...and for that earful, and the trouble, your next two drinks are on me friend."
>Li-Aq smiled as he watched Sabine.
"Do you get to see the stars in the night sky much during your work?"
| >>903166 >>903167 >>903168
"Happy to help, though it's more throwing my job on my friend's back."
>She smiles back and holds her glass for a moment as if waiting for a cheer before taking another sip from it while she contemplates Li-Aq's last question.
"Let's say it depends on how much light pollusion there are in the... workplace. But yeah, a few times."
| >>903200
>Li-Aq smiled, as he cheered up rightfully quick.
"Well, if you don't mind, how do they look? Are they as beautiful as some people claim they are? Do you actually get to see the lines in between them, like the constellation charts show, or are they just singular lights in the sky that we decided to connect with imaginary lines?"
>That question seemed oddly specific, like Li-Aq was rattling off information that he'd been told before, but that he didn't really believe.
| >>908383
>Sabine raises an eyebrow at the question. She takes a moment to consider her answer before answering.
"Umm, no, the lines are imaginary. They're just white dots in the dark sky."
| >>909649
>Li-Aq's face dropped a little.
"Well, that's disappointing. But, reality has been so since..."
>Li-Aq stopped himself and trailed off, thinking.
"Then what made people say they were constellations in the first place? Why did people create those imaginary lines between the stars if they weren't really there?"
| >At this time, another person walked up to the bar, a feminine figure wearing a black synthetic motorcycle helmet, a black motorcycle jacket with two white stripes going up the arms and down the back, black jeans and black boots. Hanging off of her jacket secured by a strap was a large mace club, an old White Knights weapon that isn't commonly seen anymore. She clicked a button on the side of her helmet which opened the bottom-half of the faceplate, only revealing her mouth.
| >She sat four seats down to the right from Sabine, by herself, in the edge of Li-Gem's seating area. If the delinquent girl was still there, she was to this newcomer's right. Her hands were silver Lilim hands, same as the bottom part of her face.
>Li-Gem smiled at the newcomer and came over to her seat.
"Back for more?"
"Piano Woman, double double please."
"Coming right up, miss."
>Li-Gem nodded his head and another clone appeared behind him to start making her drink.
| >>916864
"Who knows why they did anything? They brought both you and me into existence, after all."
>Sabine replies, chugging down the rest of her drink.
| >>917145
"But see, *that's* the thing!"
>That made Li-Aq exclaim a little bit loud, which made Li-Li and Li-Gem both look over at him.
"How is it that people as intelligent as you humans are capable of developing things like math, science, and technology off of the backs of your ancestors, like a building built solidly on half of a foundation, and yet entirely disregard the stuff *they themselves* found to be the most important, like religion, spirituality and astrology?"
| "Its like you've got a teacher there who's clearly been right about most of what they assumed, and yet we just pick up and put down their systems indiscriminately-"
>A drone hovered behind Li-Aq, and Li-Li materialized right behind him.
"Li-Aq, shut the hell up. You're costing us more zenny than the energy output of your hologram with your senseless drivel about cultures. She clearly needs another drink, so why don't you attend to that?"
>She hovered over his shoulder, menacingly.
| >Clearly showing a mix of astonishment, fear and anger, Li-Aq sighed and looked down.
"...Yeah, sure thing Li-Li."
>Li-Li smiled at Sabine and spoke in a bright tone entirely different from the one she just spoke in;
"Sorry about that, miss, sometimes his mind gets the better of him and a few of his braincells get a little bit too hyperactive. We're still working on a fix, but in the meantime, he can go get you another drink if you'd like?"
>Li-Aq stayed looking down.
| >>918671
"I would ask you to elaborate, but clearly your sister doesn't like that very much. I'm on the fence about the matter myself, so what do you say we change the subject?"
>She replies, turning to Li-Li and returning the smile.
"That's alright, although another drink would be much appreciated."
>She says, glancing back at Li-Aq.
##Janitor:Jexams##
| [Due to some issues with the current anti-spam measures that have been put in place, this scene's OP has opted to continue the scene on the /cyb/ ooc discord server so please head there if you'd like to continue participating. Thank you for your understanding]
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| (Sorry all, got busy with irl stuff ^^")
(In reply to Sabine, from Li-Aq):
>Li-Aq's face turned into a scowl.
"Talker? No. He doesn't have to talk, he's got electronic implants that make him connected to all of the bartenders telepathically. He can sit in his office and we can all hear what kinda twisted drek he says, without him having to utter a word. Streamlined bullying, if you will."
>The other bartenders looked over to Li-Aq with a little bit of worry and anger at his words.