Inside the shop

"Oh well," Gale smiled with a subtle tilt of her head, "Had to ask. I just can't resist a sale..."

Mildly hesitant to use her recently acquired funds to pay for these upgrades, she did it anyways. She had to think of it as an investment. If she could make this amount of zenny with only a few fights, surely she'd be able to earn even more with a stronger navi. She walked away from the counter with her bag but when she stared at her purchases, she realized that she didn't know how to install any of them.

She noticed that the man who helped her earlier was still in the store and after another short tutorial session, she was set.

"Ohhh... You're so smart! Hehe! I don't know what I would have done without you!" Gale cheered, "Why don't you give me your number and I'll call you?"

The man seemed more than eager to drop his digits, which Gale entered into her PET under the name, "Tech Support". She repeated the number to him, gave him a quick hug and then promptly left the store to test out Tempest's new functions.

((Electown))

As Rei walked through the doors of the shop, he realized that he found himself coming here more often as of late. Even when he was trying to reserve money. Perhaps it was the fact that he felt his hard to achieve goals tedious, or perhaps it was the fact he gave in too easily to his spiders demands. Neither changed that fact that he was once again upgrading his navi.

"Hey there. I was looking to get another process upgrade for my navi. Should be 1500z, if i remember correctly." Rei said, preparing the money as he spoke. He was supposed to be working on restocking his own store supply, so he figured he would just be in and out as quick as he could.

((Purchasing: PU # 15: 1500z))

"1500z? Let's see...yep, looks right." Suitachi headed for a nearby shelf, and grabbed the upgrade, which he placed in a small bag and slid over to Rei. And 1500 zenny later..."All right, that'll do it. Have a nice day.

Rei GET: Process Upgrade #15
Rei LOSE: 1500z

"You too. Take care." Rei said, giving a slight wave as he took the upgrades and ran them through the PET. With a nod of successful installation, he turned with a smile and walked away from the counter.

Well she should be happy about this... I know she's been bothering me for these alterations for some time now. Better get to it

He thought to himself and he left the store to get down to business.

Stephine, walking through the doors as she pulled out a card that had all her Zenny on it, walked up to the front counter with a worried look, not sure if she had the money to pay for all this.

Uhm...hello sir. You run the navi shop, right? I've got a level 9 navi that I'm here to get an HP memory for. I think she's already got one installed, so it'll be 1500z, correct? And that would raise her level to 10 if I'm right, but I'd like to buy a processor edit with that please. She said as she placed the card on the counter and waited for Suitachi to process her order.

(second HP Mem (1500) + Level 9/10 processor edit (140)=1640z)

"... Yes, I run the Navi Shop. Otherwise I wouldn't be behind the counter," chuckled Suitachi, picking up the upgrades requested, and placing them on the counter. Swiping the card, he confirmed the purchase, and laid the card back down.

"Sixteen hundred and forty. Thank you, and have a nice day," said Suitachi.

Stephine GET: HP Memory [#2], Process Edit [Cap: 140]
Stephine LOSE: 1640z

Stephine nodded and gave her thanks to Suitachi before leaving, pressing buttons and the like as she hopped onto a bus to go somewhere.

Ellen stepped into the shop, wincing as she realized that the heater was running way too hot for comfort. "How do you people stand keeping it so hot?" she grumbled, walking up to the counter. "Just once I'd like to...er, never mind."

"No, keep going, I'm sure Suitachi'd love to hear it," Rachna said.

"Shut up," Ellen said, muting the PET and addressing Suitachi. "I'll take an HP memory, a Knockback Shot, and...hmm...five Process Upgrades," she said, providing the appropriate money.

((1000+1000+100+200+300+400+500 = 3500z))

"A little trouble with your Navi there, miss?" chuckled Suitachi, as he procured the upgrades requested by Ellen. Counting out the money provided, he nodded, and bagged up the purchases. "Thirty-five hundred. Thank you very much, and have a nice day."

Ellen GET: HP Memory [#1], Knockback Shot, Process Upgrade x5 [#1-5]
Ellen LOSE: 3500z

"She's nothing but a little trouble," Ellen commented under her breath as she gathered up the ugrades, nodded to Suitachi, and walked out.

"Hrmm... This is really annoying..." muttered Anyis to herself, sitting cross-legged in her PET while contemplating a few matters.

"I can't believe you're complaining even when I'm buying you upgrades...!" groaned Mill under his breath as he knelt down to look at some things on a low shelf.

"What? No! No, seriously, it's not that. Keep up the good work!" responded Anyis hastily, denying any sort of suggestions that she didn't want Mill to spend money on her. "I'm just thinking about... things."

"Did Djinni's... size bother you that much?" asked Mill, assuming the immediately obvious thing that'd annoy his Navi, but choosing his words very, very carefully all the same.

"Like hell it did!" barked Anyis as she crafted an icicle in her hand and chucked it at the intangible screen window in front of her. Was that response wholly truthful? Who knows. That was just a momentary flare-up of anger, thankfully, as she calmed down to continue speaking. "I'm just... thinking about the ghost stuff, since we haven't really done anything else today. You know, what happened with Euthenia."

"Ah, yeah... You'd probably like to figure out how that happened soon, wouldn't you?" thought Mill aloud. "Too bad it's not as simple as registering an SP to your core, as it appeared to be. You'd have been ghost free months ago if that was the case."

"Mm... It's gotta be close to that, though, there's really nothing else that could've been involved." sighed Anyis as she finally stood up to start pacing around. She came to a stop in front of the resident purple golem, who hadn't said a thing since Mill first left the apartment. "Well, Magna? You're the SP here, why haven't you fixed me yet?"

"..." Nope, nothing. The orange lights were on, so at least someone was home... maybe. Anyis had never actually witnessed Magna's lights being off, so that might've been entirely irrelevant. She clapped her hands together in front of him, trying to capture his attention, but Magna was just not going to respond. Maybe he was thinking too. Anyis's face still contorted into an annoyed frown either way, though.

"... Whoa, I have enough for the latest speed upgrade? It doesn't get more high-end than this..." said Mill suddenly, his voice full of surprise as he picked a small package off the shelf.

Anyis's prior irritation and resulting frown melted away in an instant as she heard those words, causing her to dash back to the PET's screen window confirm, "I want it!" in a very needy, child-like tone. Her gloved hands were clasped together in front of her in a begging position, and her eyes presented the best puppy-dog look she could offer.

"..." This wasn't new to him, granted, but it still amazed Mill that Anyis could throw away her ample pride so readily when it was a question of upgrades. As for how this submissive Anyis made Mill feel... He wasn't quite sure, and even if he was, he probably would not tell anyone. Instead of try to address that, Mill just snatched up a few other minor process upgrades and proceeded to the counter.

(Buying: Speed Upgrade 3, Process Upgrade 21, 22, 23)
(15000z + 2100z + 2200z + 2300z = 21600z)

Andrew walked into the navi shop while, similarly, having a conversation with his own navi. "Look, all I'm saying is that you're going to have to be careful that Icaro doesn't get too hurt for awhile. She can't look after you if she gets knocked out."

"I am fine," Eidolon answered in the closest approximation to emphatically that she could manage. She materialized as a small hologram hovering over the PET with her arms folded, as though that would emphasize her point.

"No you're not. Not as long as you're still trying your hardest to fall apart on me," Andrew countered. He sighed, although it wasn't clear to Eidolon whether it was at her condition or the more immediate issue of seeing all the shiny upgrades in the shop that he currently couldn't afford. Or maybe it was the other conversation going on all of halfway across the room, that seemed to have taken a turn from what Andrew could only assume to be breasts to...something about ghosts.

Whether he took issue with the general noise level or not, though, Andrew tried to tune it out for the time being. It wasn't really any of his business, after all. "I guess I'll just go with this today," he said, picking up a process upgrade.

Eidolon tilted her head to the side wordlessly.

"Oh don't give me that, it's all I can afford at the moment. I haven't had a decent paying restoration job in weeks."

More silence.

After a few seconds, Andrew resigned himself to just ignore Eidolon's silent protests for the moment and figure out what she was on about later. He approached the counter, presenting the upgrade along with nearly all of his on hand cash.

((Buying Process Upgrade 22: 2200z))

"Yes, yes...no, I want extra soy sauce, not less...listen. I want...EXTRA soy sauce. EXTRA. NOT less!" Looked like Suitachi was a little preoccupied to make any responses. Still, he was able to get the upgrades and take the cash with little problem.

Mill LOSE: 21600z
Mill GET: Speed Upgrade #3, Process Upgrades #21-23

Andrew LOSE: 2200z
Andrew GET: Procress Upgrade #22

"..." In a way, it was kind of impressive that Suitachi could flawlessly resolve these transactions while verbally dueling with what sounded like a take-out place over the phone. Yet, at the same time, it was just wholly weird. Mill opted to not comment as he hooked two fingers around the plastic bag containing his purchases.

"So? Can you wait for this upgrade until we get home?" asked Mill in a slightly teasing tone, though either way Mill needed a screwdriver to open his PET.

"No!" answered Anyis quickly, rejecting any and all of the foolishness her Operator may have been suggesting. "Install it now!"

"Now? But how am I..." responded Mill as he stuck his free hand in his pocket... to find a screwdriver sitting in it. Wait, wait, how was that in there?! Sure, Mill opened up the thermostat earlier to clean the dust out, but he finished that this morning. Why on earth did he just stick the screwdriver in his jacket pocket after that? Did this thing even pass item screening on the MetroLine? It probably counted as a weapon in the realm of mass transit... Crap.

"... Let's just go sit down at the park across the street. I'll get the upgrade installed there." announced Mill in a weak effort to be nonchalant, trying to downplay the screwdriver issue. As he thought more about it, though, Mill found that he was less worried about himself squeezing through MetroLine security, and more worried about the MetroLine security not catching him. What the heck were they doing...?

Mill quickly turned around to make his exit, but as he did Anyis, from her PET, managed to catch a glimpse of the other Navi present, standing atop her own PET through a hologram projector. "..." Anyis found herself wracking her memories, trying to unearth she didn't even know what because there was just... something about that other girl...

(Taking contraband across the street)

Andrew silently wondered just how bad the hearing of the guy on the other end had to be, or else how poor the quality of the call had to be, for "extra" soy sauce to be confused with "less". He shrugged, taking his upgrade and working on installing it while he walked out of the shop. It wasn't like process upgrades took any great amount of labor to install, after all. Their designer must have assumed after coming up with a version that required you to keep coming back for more with each small increase in combat effectiveness or survivability, a chip that could be popped in, ran, and been done with was easier than the replaceable parts that had comprised damn near everything else Andrew had upgraded his PET with.

Of course, with how he had thrown everything together over the years it had occurred to him occasionally that he should have sprung for a PET case that didn't require him to open it up to upgrade even the simplest things, or else to replace the battlechip loader with a later version that could also be used for those upgrades rather than adding it as another piece, but he had never actually done so. What didn't occur to him is that, with how easily everything inside the case could fall apart, opening it up while walking wasn't the best idea he had ever had...

Destin Obscura rushed into the shop after about an hour in traffic. "Hello. I would like to purchase a v4 HP Memory and a v14 Process Upgrade please."

Want:

[x1] HP Memory v4: 2500
[x1] PU v14: 1400

1400+2500=3900z

"Any news?" Na'im asked as he walked into the store while glancing over his back.

"Nothing," Djinni replied to him. The PET's screen was still darkened and no images were relayed to the outside world, but activity was still bustling within.

Musing over the reply, Na'im picked up the suitable upgrade for Djinni and walked over to the counter. "This one, please."

---

Process Upgrade 24 = 2400z
2616z - 2400z = 216z

"All right, one moment," he said, tending to both of his customers and picking out the upgrades that they requested. Suitachi racked up the numbers in his head, and rattled off, "Thirty-nine hundred, and twenty-four hundred. Should be okay. Thank you very much, and have a nice day."

Destin GET: HP Memory, Process Upgrade
Destin LOSE: 3900z

Na'im GET: Process Upgrade
Na'im LOSE: 2400z

Burt left his nephew and niece at the gumball machines while strolling up to the counter. "Alright, Suitachi, I have been through an absolute ordeal and I have like no money to give you for upgrades, so just out of the kindness of your heart, I need a speed upgrade v2 for free..." the professor requested, slapping one palm on the counter and looking over his half-rim glasses seriously.

After waiting a while to see if Suitachi fell for it, Burt shot him two hand-guns playfully. "Gotcha! You're what keep us Counterinfectualists going, Man! I wouldn't shortchange you. Here's ten thousand zenny for that big speed upgrade," the silly customer guffawed, putting the money down on the counter. "Nyahahaha! Nyaha...hoooo! But in all seriousness, if you want to take less than that, feel free," he coughed, moving one hand to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

((Paying 10000z for Speed Upgrade 2))

Destin Obscura's PET beeped and the screen turned red for a moment after Djinni spoke.



Destin pulled the PET from his belt and read the text scrawl. Then turned to the man next to him at the counter. "Are you the operator of a navi named Djinni? I-"

But his next words were cut short as another man came through and parted between them. Counterinfectualists? "Excuse me, are you Burt? We did a trade about a month or so ago and you told me that you'd enlighten me about this 'religion' of yours later on if I asked. I'm Destin."