|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:20 pm
Acting as if he hadn't seen Maia reach out, Toby tucked his hands into his pockets. In truth he had seen the move but it was probably time to start nudging her away from it.
"Well, you know how to do pasta." He still had to teach her how to make sauce. "Generally I like to eat every day, so we should be good." He was teasing, obviously.
Dari meanwhile offered Maia a smile and a nod.
When they finally entered the electronics store, Dari looked over the different sections' signs and then headed for the laptops. He began to inspect the specs for each, which to Toby just looked like a lot of numbers and letters heaved together. He the important stuff, but graphics cards and processor cores were out of his league. He just didn't care. That was why it was good to have Dari with them.
Dari was seeking a low-price laptop with enough power to run a decent game. Nobody here needed especially detailed HD graphics. Maia wasn't going to know the difference.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:36 pm
Maia gave an unhappy huff and moved ahead of Toby slightly as they walked. "Pasta won't keep me alive forever," she said. Nor was it healthy to eat pasta every meal, she thought. "I think I could make an omelet. I watched you do that."
When they entered the electronics store, Maia tagged along with Dari. "Are these any good?" she asked. "What kind is your computer?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:42 pm
One benefit to not needing food or utilities was that the supply of money built up in time. He did pay for partial electricity for Toby's house, but that was all. When he wanted a new computer, he simply found one. If he wanted to upgrade, he bought the parts. Money was not a foreign concept, but it was something Dari had gotten lucky with. He chose to spend smartly on his loved ones rather than horde it all or spend every penny. Money was an interesting concept.
"Some of these are good," Dari nodded, "Some are overpriced. Mine is an Asus. It's made for fast processing. For games. The brand isn't so important, though. Just the specs." Clearly Dari was interested. He was concentrating. His words were precise. Toby liked to call this 'robot mode' which was, in his mind, less offensive than 'alien mode' which implied that something was wrong with being alien. Damned if Dari didn't sound like the Earthly stereotypes, though!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:57 pm
"Specs?" Maia echoed. Dari seemed focused, this was clearly his favorite part of the mall trip; or at least, the part he was most interested in. "You play a lot of games," she observed. "I think I'll play less." The zombie game the boys had used to introduce her to video games had certainly caused her to lose interest in any shooting games. "Do you get lonely? Or do you play with people online?"
She looked at the computers, following Dari's line of sight. Huh. A bunch of numbers. They clearly meant something to Dari, though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:02 pm
"At times," Dari said with a nod, moving from one spec sheet to another, "As it turns out I can mimic humanity rather well if you can't see me."
"Personally, I think the man who was one a big blob of caviar is pretty good at mimicking humanity."
Dari smiled. "Thank you." Then he inspected the computer he had been looking at, experimentally tapped the keys and closed it to view the top. "What about this one?" It was just under four-hundred dollars and more than capable of internet-surfing, video-watching, and a fairly detailed game engine before it might overheat and collapse on itself. Somehow he doubted Maia was going to be playing anything that had to render a bunch of entities at once. That usually meant zombies, and it had become quite clear that Maia didn't like them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:12 pm
"All of humanity mimics humanity. So you aren't really that different," Maia said, shrugging. He'd learned things the same way any other child did, by spending time around other people. "I think it'd be better if they didn't, though." She thought the world would be more accepting of new things, if one person kept believing in things they had as a child. Instead of having an adult tell them it was wrong, silly, made up--humans mimicked humans.
"I think you're an improved version, Dari."
"It's a good one?" she asked, looking at the computer thoughtfully. "Alright, I'll buy it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:18 pm
Toby just looked to Maia. Well. That was either remarkably profound an observation or she was spewing smoke. He couldn't really be sure. Either way he was surprised. It had definitely sounded profound.
"Thank you," Dari repeated, and then stood. "I don't know if you-- I--..." His expression was unreadable behind his glasses. Toby recognized that he was thinking. "I don't see why not," the alien finally said with a shrug. She wouldn't be disappointed and it was more than most people got for a first computer. "Will you want a mouse? Headphones?" He paused then and waved a hand dismissively. He was getting ahead of himself. "If you decide you want accessories with use, we can come back to get them." This was not the only electronics store in the county. "We'll have to go up front. They'll need to get it from the back."
"The back of the front," Toby said.
"Potentially," Dari replied, smiling up at Toby.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:32 pm
"Well, maybe a mouse. That's how you control a computer, right? The touch pad mouses are hard!" It was difficult to control a machine with just a finger, she'd found. "I don't know what else I'd need, so next time we come I'll bring you along with so you can help me decide."
Maia stared for a moment, puzzled. Back of the front? What? "Alright," she agreed. She went to the front of the store and waited for the boys there. "You'll help me set it up at home?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:37 pm
"The plural of 'mouse' is 'mice,'" Dari said, and from anyone else it might have sounded like condescending correction. Dari had a certain softness about him, though, and the way he smiled said he meant no harm. He was just sharing information. "Of course," he said then and turned to a grinning employee. He opened his mouth to speak and then thought better of it.
"We have a laptop we want to buy," Toby said quickly. He had pulled a paper tag from the display before coming toward the front of the store and he offered it to the worker.
"Sure," the employee said with a nod, "I'll be right back." They disappeared then and Toby turned to Maia.
"If you want a mouse, you may want to get it now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:54 pm
"Should be meese. Like geese," Maia said, making a face. English was hard. She took Dari's hand and led him over to the computer mice. "Are there certain ones that won't work with my computer?" She asked, "Or are they okay for all computers?"
She looked at the mice in thought. It didn't matter what it looked like as long as It was functional.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:59 pm
Dari didn't question Maia taking his hand, although it was a bit squishy for a moment before he was able to re-pressurize. If anything surprised him he could only react afterward. The time it took to make eye contact and agree on a hand-shake, though, that was enough time, thankfully.
"No, these should all work," Dari said, looking over the display. There was one particular type, the least expensive, with a half-dozen different designs. A later model of the one he had, he thought. "They're wireless."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:11 pm
Maia picked one and carried it to the front desk. "C'mon Dari, after this we get to go home," she said. She'd certainly spent enough for one day! She wanted some For later in the month. She might be able to take the guys out to ice cream again.
"Are you coming shopping with us tomorrow? You'll try one of my cupcakes, won't you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:18 pm
Dari smiled and nodded. If Maia hadn't spent much time amongst humanity today had likely been a bit of an overload.
"I don't think I'll come shopping, but I will try one of your cupcakes," the alien said. Maia seemed to associate food with relationships. Toby did as well.
Said werewolf smiled when they returned and offered the mouse to the employee. Dari gently released Maia's hand so she could go and pay and looked around the store. How much of it could Toby not see? He had an idea of the range of colors, but not much else. He'd hated it at first, but now he found it interesting. He and Toby were insurmountably different, but they got along just fine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:33 pm
"Okay, a two person mission," Maia said. "Great! Toby and I are going to make them so I'm sure they'll be good." To be honest she was tired. And a bit overwhelmed by the amount of money she'd been given simply for existing. To have spent so much in one day... She was rich!
She paid for her things, looked to Toby and said, "Race you to the car?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:35 pm
"I'm sure they will be," Dari agreed.
With the purchases done, Toby turned to Maia and chuckled. He'd definitely have raced her if the car wasn't in another area entirely. She'd likely get lost, through no fault of her own. "Maybe next time. Do you want to walk inside or outside?" He took her newest bag, the heaviest yet, and put it under his arm for safekeeping.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
