Armor Collection Homepage

"Wha-? No no no no no!!" Um, shoot. It hadn't even occurred to SplashLady that her story could be interpreted in that fashion. "It's not because I got drunk or anything! The only thing I had to drink that entire time was some water that I myself conjured up! The reason it's kinda blurry to me is because the whole thing went by so fast. I barely had time to catch my breath between everything I was asked to do. Trust me, I'm not one to get drunk. Have to set a good example for my underage operator, after all!" Granted, said operator was currently sitting naked in a hot spring, but she could chalk that up to culture differences.

"Was it my finest hour? Heck no. But it definitely worked. I heard lots of people went to check it out afterward! I would've stayed and found out myself, but I was exhausted from running around refilling water tanks. That was actually my primary task, water maintenance. Which basically consisted of me pointing my trident at things and shooting water at anything that needed it...you see, I usually have a trident as my main weapon, but since I don't really need it in a place like this, I just left it at home, so to speak. The whole process was a lot more tiring than it sounds...that beach was bigger than I would've expected! I wouldn't have even worn a bikini, but it was important for me to blend in at least somewhat. Oh, right, I did get to blast a couple of drunk disorderly Navis away, with permission. That was pretty cool. Hmm...other than that, it was mostly uneventful, just running here and there to do my job. Or it would've been, if Showbizz herself hadn't mistaken the pictures for something else, and deleted them. So we had to do the photo shoot so there'd be photos for extra promotional material. Trust me, it was no vacation!" ...You know, she was lying surprisingly little considering how much she was talking about the blowout. Glossing over details, sure, but that was about it. Aside from the 'destruction' of the photos only being figurative instead of literal, anyway.

"Um, one more thing...I know you weren't trying to be rude or anything, but I AM a little hurt that you'd accuse me of...well, those things. I live on the straight and narrow, thank you very much!"
"Forgive me; I didn't mean to insult your honor. I'm sure you and your partner have professional interests in mind. It's just that when I'm asked to wear something like this," Armor responded, stepping out from behind the curtain with her hands spread to each side in order to drive home the point, "I can't help but assume there might be devious intentions in mind."

The cloth on the front seemed almost a necessity now; it was somewhat unbelievable that metal could be crafted so thin and still have room for comfortable padding inside. The armor seemed much smaller everywhere than it had on the rack. Speaking of racks, Armor's top was so open that it seemed as if there was a significant danger of her breasts spilling out. Both her hands and feet were bare, making her look exceptionally Spartan.

The suit showed off her attractive, yet muscular, body in a flattering (if not entirely wholesome) way, allowing SplashLady to see her chiseled abdomen and shapely features. Her skin was surprisingly tan considering she always wore so much armor. The lack of scars and blemishes spoke well to the effectiveness of her gear.

"Do you think I should go out in this? You're sure it will generate good publicity?"
"Honestly, I can't say I blame you...but trust me. If we weren't sincere in this, I never would've signed up for it!" ...Hmm. That armor sure didn't look quite as skimpy earlier. The time to change out had probably passed, however. "Well, when I did mine, I wasn't entirely sure it was a great idea...but sure enough, it worked like a charm! Besides, it could be worse. Imagine if that didn't fit or something! But I think you pull it off great! I'm sure everyone else will agree, too!" The mermaid Navi gave Armor a thumbs up to emphasize her point. "Now let's head off for the Electopian armor area!...Er, you'll need to take the lead for that, what with me having no idea where anything is and all..."
"I think that saying it fits is a little generous. Still, if you're sure it will work out, I'll give it a shot,"[color=#806517][/color] Armor sighed, walking ahead of SplashLady. As the back became visible, it became apparent that Armor ought to be pretty glad for the decorative cloth hanging over there as well. "Follow me, please."[color=#806517][/color]

The curator led SplashLady out of her office and into the main hall, already garnering some open-mouthed stares from the people who'd come to view her exhibits. She smiled at them as naturally as she could despite her red face, which it didn't appear was going to return to normal before the photoshoot. "You know, even when I'm by myself here at night, I never dress in anything less than light armor. I'd never imagined how cold the floor tiling must be against one's bare feet,"[color=#806517][/color] she remarked, resisting the urge to cradle herself with her arms for warmth.

----------------------------

The two arrived at the exhibit, where FeilongMan was still gathering additional viewers and PhotoMan was inspecting all angles to decide which would be the best for taking the shot. "Excellent, the two of you have arrived. Thank you again for accepting our offer," PhotoMan nodded, using one arm to show her to the proper standing place.

"Ah, well, your partner here was rather persuasive. She assured me that it would all work out,"[color=#806517][/color] Armor chuckled, taking her place as the crowd stared and whispered.

FeilongMan was one of the key starers, his gaping-mouthed expression especially distinct thanks to his giant jaws. "I-It's... stunning! And who knew that you had such perfect tone to go with your armor?!" he cried, overcome with emotion. "It's more splendid than I'd fantasiz- e-er, imagined! Expected!"

Armor smiled awkwardly at her friend, then cleared her throat. "Everyone, settle down. It's time to begin a special exhibition,"[color=#806517][/color] she announced to the whistling and cheering of the crowd. She closed her eyes and blushed as she waited for them to die down, but it didn't stop nearly as soon as she was hoping. As such, she cleared her throat again (this time more loudly), demanding attention. "These full, ornate armors are the result of generations of inspiration from the land of Electopia, a beautiful country revered for its artistic crafts and technological innovations. Each piece is as practical as it is-"[color=#806517][/color]

Someone in the audience chuckled, then immediately stopped as she shot them a death glare. "... As practical as it is beautiful."[color=#806517][/color]

PhotoMan had apparently gotten all of the shots he needed, thus returning to SplashLady. "Thank you again for your trouble. We now have many great shots to start off my portpholio. I knew that, due to her habit of wearing armor everywhere she goes, she must have a perfect abdomen. That mid-section will be an inspiration to everyone who sees these photos," her partner assured her. "Please, allow me to immediately provide you with the reward you requested, as well as a bonus for your excellent work."

*SplashLady gets: SlowGauge + 800z*

"Now that we've completed our objective here, we are free to pursue a new one. Do you have any ideas for where we ought to go next?"
"Er, hold up a sec." One would've thought SplashLady would've been the first to want to get out, but apparently not. "That's it? We're up and leaving like that? Isn't that going to look...unprofessional? What we should do is wait for Armor to finish, then head over and thank her, maybe get some contact information for, uh, whatever. If we just slink off, she'll probably get suspicious of us, and maybe even report this to Showbizz herself. And that's the last thing any of us need! If we're doing this, we're doing it right! All right?" She folded her arms across her chest, awaiting a response.
"I had considered this. You're right that it might seem unprofessional. At the same time, realize that this exhibition is likely to be rather longwi-... long," he mentioned calmly, turning back to watch Armor for a moment. "I suppose we can stay if you like, though. Just know that she'll be easy to contact regarding her cut of the profits."

"Let's take a moment to think about the inspirations that went into this early Electopian net navi breastplate. As you can see, the inspirations are mostly functional. Adornments are favored by all armor crafters, but they can never be the focus of practical armor; as such, they're usually developed late and added on after a few good pieces of prototype, or testing, armor. This is one such 'test armor,' designed only for function. While some may see it as rough and even question its usability, that's really the point of a test armor. Armorcrafting as a skill never really came into the question for early Electopians, and thus was largely forgotten. It was especially difficult to match the proper fit to non-standard navi bodies. As a result, most navis, rather than wearing personally crafted armor, ended up garbed in the generic brands supplied to all navis. In recent years, with the advent of mass customization, form is now just as important as function to many of the net's users. Armorsmiths are back in business, thinking about ways to achieve maximum comfort of fit while also providing great defense and superior design. This test armor is highly uncomfortable to wear, I assure you; most of you would hardly consider it armor. As such... "[color=#806517][/color]

"Just out of curiosity, though, which target would you like to pursue next?"
As much as Armor's speech was making her head spin, the idea of bolting on someone that got that undressed so they could take pictures of them really rubbed her the wrong way. "I dunno about you, but I'm not in a huge rush. We'll get to the others, don't you worry!"

That said, it was probably a good idea to start planning the next lucky subject. Materializing the SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS folder she had been given earlier, SplashLady read the other three over, eventually recalling something about one of them. 'Like I said before, I think non-Electopians will be easier. You said Strum was Netopian, right? Then I think she should be next. How does that sound?"
With a nod, PhotoMan materialized some handheld device, presumably used for his work. It looked a little funny, to see a navi holding something that looked so similar to a PET. "That is fine. Strum spends a lot of her time tied up in shows. Thankfully for us, this is not one such time. If we can get backstage, we can speak with her... I believe I can get us backstage using my authority as a reporter, but I may be wrong. We'll see," he responded, then turned back to watch Armor some more. SplashLady noticed his eyes were still clicking as they blinked, even as he failed to move around for pictures.

Armor's speech on Electopian armor went on and on, with FeilongMan holding on to every word and her voice continuing to exude enthusiasm and knowledge. Even despite her apparent interest in the subject, it felt as though SplashLady might fall asleep listening. It seemed likely that the crowd would be a lot thinner if it was made of only the people who cared enough about the subject to hear her talk...

...

...

...

Many words later, the speech finally wrapped up. The audience remaining, which was surprisingly large, clapped enthusiastically and flashed more photos, which she'd generously allowed them to take. PhotoMan had assured SplashLady earlier that their photos didn't invalidate the meaning of his own; he was sure that the superior quality of his would make them ideal for a gravure portfolio.

"I'm finished. You know, as you stand around in something like this for a while, it begins to feel more natural. My body feels so light without that heavy armor on... I'm beginning to think I've been missing out on something,"[color=#806517][/color] the curator chuckled, greeting SplashLady and PhotoMan once again. "I hope you both enjoyed the lecture as well."[color=#806517][/color]

PhotoMan nodded in a noncommittal way, declining to say anything.

"I hope that we'll be seeing the Showbizz Foundation around again some time; there's much of the collection you haven't seen yet, including some truly dazzling works of art in the Netopian crafts section."[color=#806517][/color]

"Hm hm hm! You've spoiled us all so much this time, we may have already seen the best there is to see," FeilongMan mused, stroking his beard. As Armor gave him the evil eye, he chuckled nervously and revised his statement. "T-The Electopian armors, I mean! Surely there is no greater craftsmanship on the net."

It seemed like the debate was about to kick off again. Discretely, PhotoMan passed SplashLady their next coordinates. SplashLady and PhotoMan supposed they might ought to leave before that started...

((Topic opening soon in NetVegas))
Phew, it was finally over. Fortunately for SplashLady, she knew enough not to show it. Instead, she just smiled and nodded at Armor, as the discussion began to heat up once again. Great...eh? Coordinates? Oh PhotoMan, you're such a life saver. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but we've got a busy schedule. We'll be in contact about the financial stuff at a later time. Until then, take care!" And, outta here! And none too soon...
((SplashLady gets:

Armor: 7 FXP
FeilongMan: 6 FXP
PhotoMan: 5 FXP))