Now, though... now that he had gotten a decent paying job like the rest of the masses that made their home here, maybe he could look into something... like right now. He peered in through the open door, hesitating for only a moment more before putting his foot down. And in he went.

The change in general volume from the main-street to inside the shop was remarkable, at least, to a person with ears like his. It was relatively silent in here, except for the sound of something (someone?) humming to themselves, and a ratcheting noise from behind the side-counter, where a gnomish looking fellow was repairing a partially disconnected pet. The walls of the shop, a reflection of the shelves in the windows, were lined with standard models: cats, dogs, minidragons like the ones he'd seen before, basketball-sized globes and giant insects and things that he'd never seen before! A grin spread across Elsie's face, revealing a pair of fangs, and the excited curiosity to match a small boy in a candy store.

"Excuse me," he called as he approached the side-counter, leaning on the glass display case and smiling down (at his most pleasant) to the man behind it. "I was just wondering: I'm interested in purchasing a cyborpet, and I've heard that this place turns out the high-quality stuff. Do you have a list of prices that I could look at?"

The wee man--android, now that he was close enough to see the dull silver of his skin, looked over at him from his repairs, and opened his mouth to reply. The voice that Elsie heard, however, didn't come from the android, it came from behind his own shoulder. What's more, it wasn't a male voice at all!

"What, you think this is some kind of fast-food joint?"

The young man (Chyrith, though he certainly didn't look like one at the moment) whirled around to face a volleyball sized copper globe, which hovered about a foot from his face. He flinched involuntarily, surprised that he hadn't heard her (her?) coming. The hover-drone laughed at his surprise, obviously amused.

"Cat got your tongue, boy? You want prices, right?"

Elsie narrowed his eyes, immediately raising his guard at her acidic words, immediately feeling uncooperative, even if it went against getting what he'd come here for. "'Boy'? You call three-hundred a 'boy'? I'll bet I've seen more years then you have, tin-ball!" Okay, so he was overreacting. But he had been polite. And she started it, right?

"Maybe you've seen more years, but I'm sure I've seen more intelligence then you'll even dream of!" The drone's eyes glowed a little brighter, flashing for all the world like the eyes of an insubordinate young woman. "And I'd watch it, hairball," a number of claw-tipped tentacles dropped from the ventral side of her plating, and one snaked up to grab him by the ear. Elsie yelped as it pinched at the pointed tip. "You don't get places by calling people names! Now, you said you'd like a list of prices? Come this way." She floated off, her pincer-like claw still firmly gripping Elsie's ear and forcing him to follow along behind her.

"Owowow! Would you mind letting go?" He didn't dare try to free himself, for fear that she'd dig her little metal claws deeper.

They stopped behind the back-counter, and the drone promptly released him. "Why of course. No need for that squealing, here's the price list."

The Chyrith rubbed his ear, glaring at the little metal cyborpet sideways before snatching up a tablet and scrolling through it. "Hey," he said, looking up suddenly as something off of the list caught his eye, "what's this about 'custom cyborpets'?"

"Oh..." the drone swirled in a little circle, then paused at head-level again, staring at him out of one glowing blue eye. "Those are the models that Archimedes makes himself. Not that you deserve one, of course. They're against the back wall, there."

Hackles raised again, Elsie managed to divert himself before he earned himself another ear-pinching, or worse. Like the rest of the shop, the back wall was covered with examples of cyborpets, only these were much more exotic looking--if not in shape, then at least in colour--then those displayed across the rest of the small store. He blinked and then lowered his free hand from his ear to the counter, and leaned in to get a better look at a few of the models. Ire laid completely to rest, he whistled. "Those are pretty nice."

"Of course they are, what do you expect from a Master like Archimedes?"

"Uh..." Was he supposed to say something to that? He decided no, and looked back down at the price-list. "Well, they are. Can I order one?"

"And here I thought I could scare you away. You don't look like the kind with money. Kind of scruffy, actually."

"What?" Elsie glared at her again, his face going slightly pink. Scruffy? Scruffy! He'd show her scruffy!

"Cool your tootsies, hairball. Unless you're looking for a little of this again," and she held up two of her pincer-tentacles. Elsie glowered, then set the tablet down on the table with a degree of control he certainly wasn't feeling. The copper cyborpet made a shrugging gesture with the two pincers, dropped them, and then pointed with yet another at a console on the side of the counter. "Order form's there. If you've got the money, you've got the 'pet."

He squinted at her, not sure if she was going to start wise-cracking again, and then shrugged his own shoulders. "Fine. Good." He backed towards the console, retrieving his wallet and credit card without removing his gaze from her. Swiping the card through the machine and watching the prompts with one eye still on her, he continued, "but if I have to put up with the likes of you again..."

"What, you'll whine me to death?"

The Chyrith literally growled, finished punching in the requested info, and then stormed out of the shop.

"Desired model: IHD

Desired Class: A

Customized?: You betcha!"