Inside the shop

Cantering through the streets in a frenzy of cane and overlong legs, frantically dashing red penmarks through a holographic essay held right before his nose, a few clicks from his usual train station and getting farther - it was clear to all onlookers that Vincent Miles was having a Day.

Such a Day it was, Vincent didn't notice the awning behind his holoscreen until he'd nearly put his face clean through it. After detangling himself, he stepped back to squint through the window. "Suitachi's...Navi Shop?" he read, brow furrowing as he attempted to parse this. A shop for Navis? A shop of Navis? At any rate, it was distracting enough to be worth investigating.

One close call with a light fixture later, he'd managed to fold himself into the little shop. Bent at the waist and looming impressively over the stock binder, it began to dawn on Vincent that these were, could be upgrades for Dignity. He paged further, further, further, eyes lighting up as he read and read and...found the price lists.

He stopped reading pretty quickly after that.

Scrounging his pockets only turned up the meanest pocket change, barely enough for the absolute cheapest thing in the store. It was better than nothing, though, so Vincent mustered whatever dignity he'd managed to drag in with him and pointed to the open page. "One of these, please," he muttered sheepishly, and slid the tiny datachip over the counter.

<(Buying: LVL 1 Process Upgrade)>
<(Total: 100z)>

Suitachi glanced up as the bell jingled in a way that was not quite the usual sound, in time to witness the exceptionally tall, unstable-looking Vincent work his way into the shop and start perusing the options. The excited gleam of a new customer whose eyes outreached his pockets was not a new thing to the merchant, but short of window shoppers - horrid things - this one was perhaps one of the sharpest come-down's he'd witnessed in a while.

By the time Vincent finished searching his funds and approached the counter with the sales catalogue, Suitachi has donned a reassuring smile for the poor fellow.

"First time buying upgrades for your navi? Don't worry, everyone has to start somewhere! That's just the right amount for your first process upgrade!" He nodded in encouragement and made the transaction with a practiced hand. "There you go. hope your navi enjoys the little boost; they'll be after you for more in no time at all. Come back to Suitachi's when you're ready for more upgrading!" He gave Vincent a further wave of encouragement, and didn't voice the sentiment that he should probably comeback with more money next time. A new customer was still a new customer after all.

Vincent GET: PU v1
Vincent LOSE: 100z

Firmware already slotted in and loading itself into Dignity's systems, Vincent let the merchant rub his ego's metaphorical shoulders, murmuring a word of thanks. He made it to the door without further incident, only to stop dead upon reading the street signage. "How on earth did I wind up all the way out HERE?!" the man squawked, and reassured his earlier flail without missing a beat. It was, after all, one of those Days.

<(To Electown)>

((From -> Mikhail's Home))
----

Rather than carry the bulking speaker order around with him, Mikhail opted to stop by the navi shop first, and was humming the tune of his troupe's current piece to himself as he made his way in through the navi shop doors. He moved to the catalogue, while Pirouette appeared as her smaller hologram on the edge of the display, looking at her options. The ballet instructor gave a polite greeting to Suitachi as he arrived, but it was still a minute or two before the pair had finally worked out what Pirouette was putting the greatest priority on. Eventually Mikhail stepped across to the counter.

“Good morning. A few more upgrades this time than last, I believe. Let me see... We would like Customiser Expansions, versions five through ten, please, and also process upgrades, versions nine, ten and eleven.” He produced his card and held it across the counter as he spoke.

--
Buying:

NC Expansion V5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10: (2000+2250+2500+2750+3000+3250 = 15750z)
Process Upgrade V9, 10 and 11: (900+1000+1100 = 3000z)

Total: 18750z
Funds Remaining: 160z

Turning his head to Mikhail and giving him a nod, the shop owner would quickly grab the items he requested, bagged them up with a neat little red bow on the front and proceeded to swipe the card, the balance quickly brought up and subtracted from the purchase. "Thank you for your business and have a happy holiday." Suitachi would speak simply, handing back the card.

Mikhail Get: NC Expansions 5-10, Process upgrades 9-11
Mikhail Lose: 18,750z

Mikhail accepted the cutely wrapped collection and nodded as he slipped his card away again.
"My thanks, and a joyous season to you also." With another congenial smile, he turned to leave the store. Pirouette had already started chatting to him before the door opened and closed.

"Oh! You should visit the coffee shop here, yes? They are doing their seasonal mint drink again! You can install all of the upgrades, and I can request more work while you do! Do say we can enjoy the atmosphere a little, before we return, Mikhail!" A soft chuckle answered her enthusiasm as they departed.

----
((Returning (eventually) to -> Mikhail's Home))
((Pirouette, Branch to -> Her Next Mission))

((Jenny, from -> Her Home))

The door to the navi shop opened to admit the fairly nondescript teenage form of Jenny, with the clear energy of someone who had jogged to the store front, then had to stop and wait for the sliding door to open properly.

“Yeah, I know, it'll only take a minute! I just figure, if you're going to stick it out for a while, I can get you a little more ready, right?” she was talking halfway towards her PET, while she quickly scanned the product list and checked her own navi's details a second time. After only a few moments she came to the counter, offering a quick rainbow-braced smile.

“Hey there! Can I get an NC expansion, a First Barrier Part, and process upgrade. Ah, the NC expansion should be, um, version five, and the process one is number ten, I think.” She produced her card and handed it across as she spoke.

==
Buying:

NC Expansions V5: 2000z
First Barrier NCP: 2500z
Process Upgrade V10: 1000z
Total: 5500z
Funds Remaining: 960 z

Looking at the order and sliding the card, Suitachi was quick to nod, quickly grabbing the parts that he was requested of. Putting them in a plastic bag and sliding the card again to get the full balance, he slapped a bow atop the bag of navi upgrades, sliding both card and bag over with a nod. "Merry Netmas and enjoy."

Jenny LOSE: 5500z
Jenny GAIN: NC EXP v5, First Barrier and PU EXP v10

"Thanks! You too!" Jenny grabbed up her purchases and gave the shopkeeper another brief wave and a smile as she hurried out again.

((To -> A Cafe Nearby))

"Good, nobody around," Maru mumbled to herself as she looked around for any visitors of the store, before eyeing over the counter, "I'll take 3 Process Upgrades." She took a short glance at her PET, but VenusMan was nowhere to be seen on the screen. After all, he had been malfunctioning and was undergoing maintenance. "I'd like to pay without using my PET," Maru continued as she looked up at the salesman and took out a debit card from her pocket.

((Buying Process Upgrade 4, 5 & 6: Total of 1500z))

Finding a quiet moment in Suitachi's upgrade shop was a tricky business at the best of times, but luck was in and Maru managed to pick a moment when it seemed like there was no-one else about. the shopkeeper didn't seem put off by her furtive behaviour and instead just looked up at her from his paper, before standing with a short sigh.

"Right. That's no problem, we take all types of payment here. Except eggs and promises of children or souls. Zenny. Mostly we take zenny, but we take it in any form. What was it you wanted again? Right, right... Just a minute." He rummaged for a moment and brought out a handful of upgrades. "Which ones? Never mind." He squinted at Maru, as though appraising her aptitude, then nodded and fished three process upgrades out of the pile of different version numbers, and handed them across the counter. In the same action he took her card and processed it, then swept the other upgrades away into a drawer.

"There you are, all done. Enjoy your upgrades and come again."

Maru GET: PU v4, 5 and 6
Maru LOSE: 1500z

Maru's eyebrow arched upwards as the 'promise of children' was mentioned as invalid payment. But quickly decided that she did not want to reward it with a rebuttal or comment. Her curiosity, however, was piqued by Suitachi asking about 'which' Process Upgrades. "Is there an order to these things?" Maru asked herself while taking her card back from Suitachi and taking the upgrades into her hands, "They just look the same to me... I guess the runt can tell the difference." She pocketed the upgrades and looked up at Suitachi as he said his goodbye. "Thanks for the help," Maru replied and left the building.

Any and all peace and quiet in the shop would be immediately disrupted, as two Netopian high schoolers walked in, one of which would look familiar to Suitachi. "Welcome to Suitachi's!"

"So this is the shop you go to? It's a lot...er...plainer than I was expecting."

"Yeah, the layout's kinda boring. But he's got pretty good stock, and the prices aren't bad, either!"

"Is that so? Maybe I'll grab something for CourtMan, then. But how do you check his inventory? Do I need to download a list?"

"Nah, it's a little lower tech than that." Sabrina grabbed the binder from the counter, and carried it over to one of the tables. "Here it is!"

"A binder? Rather simple."

"Yeah, but it gets the job done. Check it out." The blue shirted girl opened it up to the first page. "See? Nice, big picture, and it even has customer reviews!"

"I'm not gonna lie. I'm surprised you come here, if you have to do so much reading."

"And just what is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, hee hee!"

Over the next 30 minutes, the two girls gave the various pages a good look, chatting about them, with their Navis playing the role of basic calculators. Eventually, they were satisfied with their decisions, and Sabrina returned the binder to its original spot. "Okay, we're ready!"

"You can go first. You're going to be the big spender, after all."

"That...may be a first for us. Me spending a ton, and you just getting a couple of small things."

"I know, right?"

"Ahem! All right Suitachi, prepare to be rich! I'll take 8 HPMemories, and 5 Process Upgrades!" She readied her PET for payment, as well as allowing the shopkeeper to see her already obtained upgrades...which were already numerous enough that her order would be quite expensive, indeed.

[Order of Purchase
1-HPMemory #13 - 6000z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
2-HPMemory #14 - 6250z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
3-HPMemory #15 - 6500z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
4-HPMemory #16 - 6750z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
5-HPMemory #17 - 7000z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
6-HPMemory #18 - 7250z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
7-HPMemory #19 - 7500z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
8-HPMemory #20 - 7750z (8 NC Upgrades also owned)
9-Process Upgrade #25 - 2500z
10-Process Upgrade #26 - 2600z
11-Process Upgrade #27 - 2700z
12-Process Upgrade #28 - 2800z
13-Process Upgrade #29 - 2900z

Total Spent - 68500z
Money Before Purchase - 73860z
Money After Purchase - 5360z]

As the pair entered, Suitachi cast one eye up from where he was reading, though he didn't try to appear too eager at first... but there was no escaping the distance sense of interest that emanated from the counter as Sabrina and her friend worked out their orders. By the time they approached, he was already standing at the counter with a welcoming smile.

"Welcome back! What can I get for you today?" the prospect of a generous return customer was matched by the enthusiasm with which he gave her PET a quick check to confirm its upgrade point, and then busied himself with the large order. The sizable pile of upgrades made an impressive monument on the counter in front of Sabrina as he processed the purchase.

"There you are! A pleasure doing business with you, as always! Enjoy your upgrades!" He nodded to her once more, then turned his attention to Sabrina's friend, checking if she had any requests of her own to make.

==
Sabrina GET: HPMem 13-20 (combined upgrade total now 28), PU v25-29
Sabrina LOSE: 68500z

((From -> A Nearby Cafe))

Jenny slowed to a more respectable walk again shortly before she reached the doors, but she was still a little flushed and breathing harder as she stepping back into the navi shop and made her way to the counter.

“Hi again... hahh... Um, could I get ah, the... version six customiser expansion, another copy of the 'First Barrier' customiser part, and the eleventh and twelfth process updates, please?” She fished for her purse and presented her card in between swallowing and taking deeper breaths.

==
Buying:

NC Expansions V6: 2250z
First Barrier NCP: 2500z
Process Upgrade V11, 12: 1100z, 1200z
Total: 7050z
Funds Remaining: 210 z

Raising an eyebrow at the girl running into his shop, he quickly processed her purchase, putting them in a small plastic bag for her to sort through once she left, her card being swiped and all the costs deducted from her account, he handed her card back and put a little chocolate mint on top of the bag. "Have a good day. Might wanna invest in some cardio, helps you get to your navi faster when you gotta make a run like this. Have a good day." He spoke bluntly, as he turned around to go through his stock. "Okay...need to buy some of these...this...that..."

Jenny Lose: 7050z
Jenny Get: PU 11 & 12, First Barrier NCP and NC Expansion #6

Jenny only took the time to raise a quizzical eyebrow at the shop-keeper as she took the bag.
"That's kinda rude for a store clerk, you know... Why do you think I choose to run over walking?" She shook her head as she took the back and put it away in her backpack, then made her way out of the store, breaking back into a run once she was away from the entrance.

((Return to -> The Cafe))

((From -> A Nearby Cafe, ten minutes later))

Jenny took a moment to straighten her shirt and run hands throughher hair before she steppe dup tot he doors of the navi shop again. It wasn't a terrible way of doing things, she supposed; Courser was doing the busting that he wanted to do, and getting his mind off... whatever it was that was bothering him, and she was being good and getting a decent amount of exercise against the tasty drinks that the cafe was supplying her with while she operated for him. It all worked out.

He crossed to the counter and double checked the list she'd scribbled down quickly after Courser had sent it to her, then pulled out her purse and fished out her card.

“Hey again... more upgrades! So, this time I need... the next two customiser expansions, that's seven and eight, another 'First Barrier' program part, a 'First Armour' program part, and the next two process upgrades as well. um, that's... versions thirteen and fourteen, please." She handed the card across and took the time after ordering to focus on breathing more deeply and evenly while she waited for her purchase.

==
Buying:

NC Expansion V7, V8 (2500 + 2750)
First Armour NCP (2500)
First Barrier NCP (2500)
PU Version 13 & 14: (1300), (1400)
Total: 12950z
Courser's funds: 13110z
Funds Remaining: 160z

Suitachi looked up from carrying a box to a shelf when Jenny came in, looking slightly less out of breath than the last time she had been there. The shopkeeper smiled to himself in small amusement and slid the box into a corner next to the shelf, brushed himself off and made his way back to behind the counter. "All right, let me get those for you, then," he said, taking the card and pinging it onto the counter to scan it with one hand, while moving about behind the counter and deftly picking out the upgrades with the other. Stacked on top of each other in front of Jenny in five seconds were the upgrades she requested.

"12,950 zenny in all... Alright, that looks right. Thanks for coming! Have a nice run," he smiled.

Jenny GET: NC Expansion x2 (#7-8), [FirstArmor] NCP, [FirstBarrier] NCP, Process Upgrade x2 (#13-14)
Jenny LOSE: 12950z (13110 -> 160)

Jenny Nodded and scooped the purchases away into her bag along with her purse, then waved as she headed for the door again.

"Thanks! See you later!!" She quickly started running again as she headed back to the cafe before someone else could grab her table.

((Return to -> The Cafe))