ss_noanga | [Open] Arda Space Mall Vist

[Open] Arda Space Mall Vist

Who: All of you!
What: Space Mall time!
Where: Arda Space Mall; OOC info post
When: Day Ten and Day Eleven

Warnings: None?

The morning of Day Ten sees the Noanga drift within range of a space mall. Finally, a chance to get off ship... Even if they have to disguise themselves? Huh?

Navi-No helpfully supplies some disguise tech; it's not the best, but it will hide the fact that some of you are human (and or mechanical). The AI also points towards what seems to be a rather small hanger bay that has seen better days. Inside are several small shuttles known as 'Jumpers'. Characters can take them to visit to the mall, and will find they have 1000 Federation Credits to spend.

Interesting, neither kittens nor goose follow characters into a Jumper, and characters will find they are snubbed for an hour or so after returning.

The Arda Space Mall itself is a small but bustling space mall located within the Arda Asteroid Belt, around a red dwarf star also known as Arda. The belt itself is home to a thriving mining community, all employed by the GeniaMining Corporation. The Arda itself is located on an largeish asteroid and combines a space station's practical aesthetic with the local community mall’s comforts: food court, clothing outlets, hobby stores, some recreation, and a few other shops to round things out.

The average species within the community range from a human sized 6ft to roughly 15ft tall, and the mall's ceiling height is 20 feet to accommodate this.

Station security is handled by a team of Tardi-kin, but even so, the mall is full of drama - mostly from local teens wagging school, and at least one couple deciding the mall is the perfect place for a fight and the airing of dirty laundry.

But all of that is easy enough to ignore while you relax and enjoy somewhere that is not a run down spaceship.

Note: Humans and Mechanicals must disguise themselves as an alien species or risk detention by the Tardigrade Security Forces who'll assume them Terrans, and treat them as such.

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Æn'kae was not one to just go shopping. Particularly alone. But the thing was, he'd had a growing itch since arriving here. They needed a med-bay, or rather to get the run down existing one fuctional, which meant he was on the look out for parts and medical supplies. He wasn't exactly an engineer, but he'd worked on a run down ship before, he could dabble if it meant getting the job done. And he wouldn't mind warmer clothes for himself. That was secondary though. So he'd left Roj behind to check out the mall. (Mostly because when the kitten refused to follow to the hangar bay, she had sat down on her haunches stubbornly. She hadn't terrorized anything yet and seemed to actually like the kitten's company, so after a moment's debate he'd opted to trust her. For now.

Once there he almost turned on his heel to go back to the odd shaped shuttle. He could feel the creeping start of the sort of headache that usually accompanied too many people in too small of a space, and the sensory overload on top of it overwhelmed him. But he reminded himself of his purpose and pushed forward anyway. Even if this didn't seem to be the sort of place he would be able to find medical supplies, he might be able to find usable parts and definitely could find warmer clothes. Did he look as lost as he felt, though? Oh absolutely.

Day had mostly chosen to get off the ship because it was a space free of cats and the chaos that followed them. And somewhere outside, somewhere different, for all it was just going from one big enclosed space to another. He was still trying to not let the claustrophobia get out of control. But also he needed warmer clothes if the weather in the ship kept like that and he wanted to see if there were any parts to get more of the kitchen functional.

Though he wasn’t happy about having to disguise himself. As far as he was concerned he wasn’t human, but he knew that all that made him Warden wasn’t visible enough. Turquoise eyes might be unusual, but they didn’t scream ‘other’. Disguises then. He’d taken some branches from the forest and fashioned himself antlers, strip of cloth woven into a turban around his head to hide they weren’t real, leaves braided into his hair for good measure. Some pattern of spots drawn onto his skin and it should hopefully be enough.

Noting Æn'kae a bit ahead and how lost the other looked made it an easy decision to come over and join the other youth. “Not a fan of crowds?” he asked quietly, smiled. For all that Day would prefer the forest over a city any time, he had grown up in one, knew how to blend in with crowds, to handle markets of the less reputable kind.

Æn'kae gave a tight lipped smile. "I think Nukhar would have my hide for being so obvious," he replied with a small chuckle. "But ie. It's just a lot to take in all at once. You know?" He shrugged then. "It'll be worth it if I can find some medical supplies, or uh, at least warmer clothing." He considered a moment, recalling that Day like him, hadn't been handling the cold that well. "You here for something warmer too?"

“Ah, don’t worry too much. I’m very good at spotting such things.” He remembers abandoning a meeting with a source because the fellow had his shoelaces tied in a military-style knot and took a fraction too long to answer how he knew it. “A jacket at least. Some tools and bits to fix more of the kitchen appliance, I think half of them only got loose wires.” Faespace and here he was dragging all his mechanic knowledge out like it was Republics slums again. “Perhaps seeds, I’d rather have some foodsource that isn’t from a machine.” Still not trusting those.

Glancing at the security with a weariness suggesting bad past encounters he asked: “Want company? Pool resources? I’ve brought some things to barter, if that credits stop working.” Money that only existed as numbers and not a physical thing was something he never could get used to, so he’d packed a backpack with some balls from the ballpit, yarn, saplings from the forest. Whatever could be found aboard that others might be interested in.

He appreciated the efforts to ease his self esteem, but he knew full well how obvious he was being. Still. His smile softened slightly. "Ie. Even as small as the T'Rikhei was, they made space for a hydroponics bay for edible plants. And it's not like this ship is lacking space for it." Even picking one of the smallest rooms he'd found with a bed long enough for him to not end up curled up perpetually, the room was still far closer in size to that hydroponics bay than his old bunk.

He nodded then, relaxing a bit more at having company and something to focus on beyond the sensory overload. "Company sounds good. Thank you." He wasn't sure if this place looked to be setup for bartering in any capacity, but that would only come up if funds became an issue. Hopefully it wouldn't.

“And that forest inside is proof enough that things can grow there.” Just had to clear a little of space or relocate some of the soil into a better suited location. Though he planned to try and connect with the trees already there, do his best they wouldn’t be harmed. Or upset.

“Let’s see what they got here then.” He’d keep close to Æn'kae, make sure the other boy was never far from reach, should there be trouble. But a market was a market, regardless of where it was located or what wares it peddled. Easy enough for him to figure out the lay of it, steer their path towards a clothing retailer – one with what looked like the poorer clientele, since he had no idea what these credits were worth.

"My thoughts exactly. Wouldn't even need to set up extra equipment for it since the ship's environmentals emulate weather." Æn'kae replied, skirting them around a group that seemed to have rising tension between them, but still following the direction Day had picked. He'd rather not get any closer to that, thanks.

The fashion in the clothing store seemed to fall in line closer to what some of the younger groups they'd passed wore. He didn't care about fashion so much as warmth, however. While he did tend to veer to clothes in less vibrant shades, his main goal was checking to see what would fit the best, whatever the color or cut.

Daniel enjoyed colors, but for now function was more important. Warm, ideally waterproof too, sturdy enough to be mendable or not fall apart in the first place. And neither black nor white. He'd rather be cold than wear Republic colors. This here... he couldn't quite put words to it, but the clothes didn't seem made to last. "Are you finding anything? This seems all rather... cheap" Baffled him somewhat, Republic not having such things. The affordable things there had been reused ones, things with faults you had to fix yourself, simple basics.

Æn'kae shook his head no, wrinkling his nose. "I. Think I agree with you." The idea of flimsy clothing was absurd to him, yet that's what this seemed to be. "I um. I think we may need to see what else there is." Even if this was the only option, he'd rather put funds to something everyone could use than apparel that would only even briefly benefit him.

Day sighs. "Should've asked Jack for economics lessons, he'd know why." The small town they'd lived in only had a second-hand store and even that had better quality. Not that he minded, he felt bad enough they had to buy him clothes when he arrived without anything. "There is a second one at the other end of the mall, I just hope it won't be the opposite of this." Too specialized or expensive wouldn't help them either. "If it's between clothes and medical things, I rather you get what you need to help. My wires can wait, I can always start cannibalizing the other defunct stuff for spares."

Æn'kae shrugged and started the direction Day had indicated. "I think we'll just have to see what there is. It's sort of looking like we'll have more luck finding tech related items than medical supplies. So that'd be a step in the right direction at least." And if they were really lucky, once they were working correctly, it was possible the replicators could be programmed to handle medicines. Not that he was counting on that unless it happened.

"I'm not even an engineer, all my practice is from breaking things, not fixing them." he grumbles. His brother, Eden, had been the one to always tinker, to think of new things. Sure he could redo some faulty wires, get the stove working again, perhaps even a radio, but the truly broken tech would be beyond them. At least unless they needed one of these shuttles to explode. "If not we'll just have to collect all the yarn that keeps appearing and make our own." Not that he knew how to do that either.

"I'm not either really, but I know enough I should be able to help at least. I tended to get assigned to help anyone who was short-handed when there wasn't need for an extra medic. The T'Rikhei was from the Terrha Rihan War, and um, the old Riov called it quirky. The engineers used the same word, but somehow it sounded a lot more like profanities from them than her."

Æn'kae paused at the idea of collecting yarn. That must be about clothing again. "Huh. I wouldn't know where to begin with just that? We'd probably have better luck searching more of the empty rooms to see if clothes that might fit were left behind, or making something out of the extra blankets." While he knew how to make secure stitches, he didn't think he could make anything good enough to really be functional, but it still sounded better than just yarn.

"Yeah, Republic referred to mine as 'destruction of military property and hindering the war effort'. Among other things." He was proud of what he'd accomplished there, for all that it labelled him as a criminal. The laws had been wrong, unjust, the system broken.

"I'd suggest reading up on it, but that ships library is a disgrace." There'd been no books for him in Republic, so he could do without reading for pleasure, but the Gas Station had been crowded with them and it'd... been nice, in a way. "Don't know how to sew beyond patches. There wasn't time to learn." Mostly when he needed something urgent, they'd steal it - not proud of that one, for the people needed it themselves, but there'd been little choice.

Æn'kae could only nod in understanding. Even after other governments had legitimized the Rheilhhu, the Lleis Hveillh still counted it as a terrorist organization and had placed bounties accordingly. Æn'kae had been warned that after Skisan's rescue mission there was even one for him now. Not that it even came close to those for some of the other members of his team. Not that he wanted it at all.

"They may still have books in the computer system, but um. I think we'd have to figure that out first, and who knows what repairs it might need." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Elements permitting we'll find at least the basics that we need here." Just a jacket or robe and some basic salvaged electronics. That would be plenty to start with.

Day was simply glad that Æn'kae didn't react badly to knowing he was a criminal of sorts. Republic was a terrible broken place, but he still felt bad about breaking the laws. It wasn't supposed to be like that.

"Never really used computers, certainly don't know how to fix those." Breaking he could likely work out, but the more complicated parts a machine had the easier it was. First, the next store. Obviously in the pricier segment, though they had more of a focus on function. Question now was, would a vacuum-rated sari keep him warm? What did that even mean?

"I'm not exactly confident either, but maybe someone will be able to figure them out." Æn'kae acknowledged with a shrug. He might be able to manage basics with the sorts of computers he'd spent his life using, but he was limited with those, figuring out the inner workings of an entirely foreign system sounded. Daunting.

He chewed at his lip as he considered the clothing selections in this shop. While more expensive than the previous place, he could still manage an outfit and save the majority for odds and ends that might be useful for the ship. Maybe even sustenance that resembled food? Hey, he could hope. Of course, this all hinged on finding something warm and practical enough to wear that fit. He did pause on a piece of what was obviously formal wear, but only for a moment before moving on to a section with plainer looking attire. Hey, he could admire the appearance of the long jacket with the subtly toned but elaborate embroidery, while also knowing full well that same embroidery made it woefully impractical for their present situation. "Well uh, at least the clothes here seem to be better quality?"

“And still within the range of what we can afford with those credits.” Provided they were real and continued to exist, he wasn’t so sure on either end. Day had lingered at some dresses for a moment with a bit of longing, then ended up at plain coats and jackets too. The gas station had encouraged breaking societies norms and he thought dresses were beautiful – and so, so far from anything Republic – but he could never bring himself to buy such things if there was no other reason. “Though I’m not sure I know half the things these are rated for. Does it keep warm if it protects from the vacuum? And this temperature range is in ‘K’…” All he did was avoid anything majorly black or white. He’d rather have something colorful, anything else.

He took a moment to look over the section Day was referring to. "Well uh. I'm not familiar with any temperature scale we've used if I'm honest, but if it mentions vacuum too, it's probably pretty extreme. Vacuum rated would mean it could handle being in space. So uh it probably can handle the cold on the ship. But it seems like more than we need. I would look at ones that don't mention that and just uh. Feel the fabric to see if it seems like it would be comfortable and warm? Might be able to get something you like more for less."

Even as he spoke he shifted from the section they were in to the next to see if it would be more practical for everyday wear. Given that the first section had been formal and this one had been, well, he wasn't sure what to call it, but it certainly was some sort of category they didn't really need any more than they needed the first.

"Something I like..." he repeated quietly. That was a harder assignment than just giving him some criteria and find something he could afford - mostly because Day was still discovering his likes. But perhaps better to look in a different area, this one was at the upper range of prices. He didn't want to spend too much either, not when they still wanted to look for other things.

Next bit seemed to be more cloaks or ponchos than jackets, but he figured if they worked to keep the cold away they might also serve as a blanket in an emergency. "How do you know if a fabric will keep warm?" In his one winter it'd been more about staying dry and wearing 3 layers of clothes beneath.

Oh Æn'kae recognized that tone, most of his outfits had been picked out for him by others or just what he received by default after submitting a basic request. He was trying to not show how overwhelmed he was by the idea of making an actual decision here.

It meant he was fully ready to engage with the next question. "A few things are good indicators. While I mean, obviously some fabrics are warm when they don't seem like they would be." He paused and gave a nod back to the previous fabric. "Some are obvious. If it's thicker and a tighter weave, or if it seems to have a filling?" As he spoke he touched a few examples. He paused then and shrugged. "And I mean uh. If you can't tell, just uh... see if the shop will let you try it on, I guess?"

Talk to a shop attendant? Yeah, he'd rather go cold. One of these little hangups from his life before the gas station, an insecurity that he didn't need to have with his people skills. Little things.

He did listen to the explanation, nodded and gave his best to apply it to the selection they were looking at. One eventually caught his eye, something more like a blanket, in nice shades of green and blue, the back of the hood patterned like some animals eye-spots. And the price was... well, he could afford it with the credits they'd been given. Day had no idea if this was cheap or expensive or fair pricing. "I think I found something."

I only have how much?
Maya stares at the allowance given to her like she has something foul under her nose.

"1000 credits. Is that all?" The words are bitter and the dark elf's dark eyes cold. Then again, she is a Princess, and she's used to having far more to her name than this mere pittance of money. "Once, I could have bought half this asteroid with a glance."

She turns to the nearest person. "What would you do, if all your power was reduced to this?"

'This' being the credits in her hands and the derelict spaceship they call home.

At least the shuttles -Jumpers- are functional, though Maya doesn't trust one not to fall in some fashion.

Stellar Threads
There is desire in her eyes as fingers the cloak of shifting silk, and she will not deny she is tempted to charm everyone in the store into turning a blind eye to the fact she didn't pay for anything. That it would be easy then to make off with everything on the racks. It is tempting - the iridescence of the cloak alone is perfect for her, and the weave is tolerable enough. Nowhere near as fine as she'd like, of course, but beggars can't be choosers.

Her gaze cuts towards the poor soul she dragged into shopping. It's not Cayde - and more than ever she wishes he were here. "Do you ever wonder how much of what we wear is armour and how much is simply another mask?"

Not what's on her mind, of course. But... Maybe she should steal everything. At least then she'd have a decent wardrobe again!

Artifacts & Oddities
Maya ignores the goose stones - she doesn't want to think about the ship's unwelcome visitor that reminds her too much of the thing that once roamed the R2. Instead, she focuses on the ones that gleam with charm-runes. Some are etched poorly, some almost convincing, but none true charms. Her laugh is low, quiet, edged with bitterness as she counts out a few for herself. A small rebellion, but-

"Mother would have dismissed these as trinkets for children. Toys for those who could never wield the real thing." She turns, holding it up for the other person to see. "Yet toys can be far sharper than they appear. What do you think? Harmless bauble, or something more?"

Daniel has not expected any allowance in the first place, came with a backpack of collected tidbits to barter with. A thousand seems like an incomprehensible big sum, more than he ever got from Jack at the Gas Station. And while he likes Maya, her words remind him too much of June, the argument they had before he got taken.

"A 1000 notes is the price Republic puts on the life of a child that fails the Trial." he replies quietly, eyes distant. "It's what they send my mother, along with a note telling her I'd be shipped to a 'labor camp' to still serve the state in some capacity." Lies, followed by notes of unfortunate deaths in the camps. He'll look at Maya, bright blue eyes showing a rare hardness. "It'd been more than the household earned in 3 months. I've known families who rely on some of their kids failing to keep the others fed."

Æn'kae looked over from browsing to the coat of some sort that Day was considering. "It looks like it would be warm enough. So if you like it, you should go for it," he offered with a small smile and a shrug, carefully keeping his own thoughts on the intensely colorful cloth from entering any part of his reaction, since they didn't matter and might cause Day to pick something he liked less. In many ways he was awful at holding back his feelings, but at the end of the day, if a Rihanha (or a Vuhlkansu for that matter) wanted to keep something to themself, not many people would be able to figure it out.

"I'll admit I'm still a bit, hm. Overwhelmed, myself," he added, pushing through a few items.

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[Open] Arda Space Mall Vist

Æn'Kae | OTA

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Maya - OTA

I only have how much?

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