So You're Buying Things From A Train, On A Train.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Who: Nita Callahan and YOU! (aka Open Post!)
Where: The Standard Car as is becoming standard for her...
When: Day two of Egret, late in the morning.
What: Nita buys many things from the shop.
Warnings: Not applicable this time! Except silliness, maybe.



Nita can be found at the shop-slash-vending-machine in the Standard Carriage, either waiting for someone or just tapping on the menu to see all her options.

"Let's see, what to get first? Well, I can always try getting something from home, see what information this train can work off of..."

(There will be toplevels for each section linked above! She's also ordering from 'most expensive per item' to 'lease expensive per item', so the food happens last. There is no tag order, so feel free to respond to what she's doing or ask her to move over and let YOUR character buy something!)

Comments

Small Item

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Okay! So how to work this machine is, it's mostly touch-based, with a little typing. So, starting at the bottom, not sure why it doesn't do weapons, but okay."

It's not as if that's going to stop her.

"What I'm going to get is a charm bracelet of mine from home."

She types that in, along with what she recalls as its last location.

"And-"

'Thank you for your purchase, it will be available to collect at the next station.'

Nita groans. "Well, that's a pain. Probably should have done that before we stopped. Anyway..."

People have an opening to interrupt her, now.

Re: Small Item

[afterburner]

"I guess a guitar doesn't count as a small item though, does it?" Clearly someone had Not Thought This Through. And that means Renee's making a number of faces.

"I suppose I could get an Ipod or something but I don't really feel like that's the same, you know?"

Getting Pete his Red Bull was a lot easier...

Re: Small Item

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Depends on how small guitars can get. Or if you want another stringed instrument?"

Nita could agree on electronics sounding different from hand-instruments, though.

[afterburner]

"I was thinking of your average acoustic guitar...pretty sure that's too big. I mean, I suppose I could ask for something smaller like a mandolin or a ukulele, but...the chords aren't exactly the same."

Might be worth asking for an instruction book, though. "Maybe I could get a combo packet for the same amount of points, but that might be pushing it..."

She might have to break down and ask someone crafty if they could make one for her.

[wizard_redfive]

"Paradisa wouldn't let you get weapons either."

Dairine suddenly pipes up from behind her sister. When did she get there? Who knows.

"Not that it stopped you from wishing up the materials and building ones yourself."

She also never had to worry about it. The majority of supplies she might need for a wizardry didn't really register as weaponry or even dangerous to most folks, castle included.

:D A surprise tag! /is pleased

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Guess between the two of us, Nautilus is the only exception."

Which sounds both weird to say out loud and absolutely on point for the Aeon, whose weirdness knew no bounds.

"... Wishing, though? Seriously?"

Nautilus only granted gifts some of the time; usually Bent-up nonsense was a result of the Wakened themselves.

Things are quiet. Time to tag

[wizard_redfive]

Dairine rolls her eyes, arms crossed.

"Yeah, I know it sounds childish. But that's how we got all our stuff in Paradisa."

"...Well, maybe not at the food. The kitchen was usually already stocked, but who knows? Maybe somebody wished that up as well."

Merchandise

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's second run of the shop takes a little longer.

"This one is supposed to get you something immediately, anyway. And the mascot's a bear."

Reminded of Tony's 'mission' for the children on the train, she selects that one, and out of the vending slot at the bottom of the machine comes a small, fluffy orange-hooded bear.

"Here. I've got to give this to someone, but if you want to hold it for now you can."

Next, remembering her offhand promise to Spinel, Nita selects the playing cards. The picture of the Voidtrecker Express on the back of them is the first thing she sees, but when she opens the pack and starts checking the cards, most of the fronts are normal.

"... If we're supposed to have these people on the train with us, where are they, then?"

And after that, there's the Souvenir... which, to Nita's clear surprise, isn't another stereoscope but a train engine ornament made of glass. The glass inside reflects light in such a way that it almost seems void-colored in and of itself.

"Oh... Well, that explains why it's just 'souvenir' and not something more specific. Anyone else want to try this one? Last time someone tried this option, it was a stereoscope with pictures of places this train has been."

[springforth]

Oof--well a bear it is. She grabs it with both hands to look it over (cute, orange) and shifts it to the crook of her arm. Using her free arm to lean on, Persephone peers over her shoulder at the cards.

"Can I look?" She holds out a hand, even as Nita goes for more things in the shop.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Uh, sure!"

Nita replies, absently passing the cards back as well.

"Maybe we can play Go Fish or something later."

[springforth]

"Go Fish. Do we have a chess board? I'm excellent at chess."

Flipping through the cards leads no further clues than when Nita did it, but it makes her feel like she's done something.

"So we don't have any of these people but we still go places and we still make stops? Is it run by shades perhaps?"

[mtsilver_conquor]

"I don't have enough points but when I have some to spare, I will."

Mostly because ok, that glass ornament looks pretty, and Eva is nothing if not a sucker for pretty things. "Though, not sure I'd want that, given the headaches we get if we look too long into the void."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"You can keep the ornament, if you want," Nita comments.

"And we could try to find a way to dilute the refraction effect, maybe?"

Since headache-causing ornaments would normally be something to avoid...

But, then again, alcohol and cigarettes were also available in the shop, so perhaps the train's thoughts about what promoted health and happiness were skewed.

[mtsilver_conquor]

"Uh, sure? Thank you?" She means it, even if she is a bit surprised.

"Thank you. And, yeah. Even if this isn't like the windows, it'd still be nice to be able to look at the windows now and again, even if it is all Distortions and Void Space."

It'd at least be something to look at that's 'new' and that is something that is both precious and in short supply.

Entertainment - Random

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita just plain takes her time this time, saying nothing while waiting for each of the four books.

In her head, the peridexis comments, /Are you sure thinking suggestions for each request is going to help you?/

I'll try anything at this point, she retorts.

The first book (Merry Little Void Train), she's left dubious as to whether the train is trolling her. It looks cute, if more than a little below her reading level, so she sets it aside and goes back for another.

The second book (Scalewood), Nita wonders aloud if the people portrayed are supposed to look strangely familiar, and sets it down separate from the first book. This one, she might start reading once she's done with all this.

The third book (Ten Thousand Blades: An Empire Shattered) - fourth in its series - provokes a wry comment from Nita wondering if this means the second and third in the series weren't as good. She's seen the first in the series for herself, by this point, and can point it out to anyone else interested.

Then there's the fourth book. My thrilling career as a Void Trecker. The Best Seller By Art Divino, it reads, and for a precious few minutes Nita thinks that this is going to be useful...

But then she starts flipping through it, and she's left laughing at both the inanity of the book's contents and her own enthusiasm. "Definitely trolling," she concludes, and offers the book for people to pass around and laugh at or critique in turn.

[pleple]

"Does anyone need a children's book here?" asks the eleven year old picking up the first book. She's certainly a bit older than the target for that one - especially at her reading level.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"We can't say that we know everyone's reading level here, so, maybe?" Nita points out.

And frankly, if Voidtreckers were supposedly well-known enough for there to be these kinds of books about them, then 'the loop' consisting of those worlds that knew about them had to be pretty large.

Any sign could potentially be useful, as annoying (or annoyingly cutesy) as those signs could be.

[pleple]

There were probably a few passengers who were... less than fully literate, perhaps. "Even then, an illiterate adult might appreciate a more academic learner, don't you think?" ...would they?

[radishlobbyist]

Wen Qing is here to be ordering medical textbooks but seeing Nita with an armful of books catches her attention.

"The books you got, are they what you had been hoping for?" she asks, peering at the cover of My thrilling career as a Void Trecker. "I'm planning to order a number of books but I don't have specific titles or authors and I doubt anyone would be able to help me with that, as they are very specific books. It would be helpful to know what I can expect from the train's tastes."

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita shakes her head, picking up the books to clear more space for Wen Qing to walk.

"No, but I bet the people already here might get a kick out of them. This was the 'random' function, anyway; there's an option for specific media right below it, though it takes more points per book."

Nita hefts the Merry Little Void Train book for emphasis. "If you ask me, I think it likes trolling people, just a little. Depends on what information you're after."

[radishlobbyist]

That earns her a blank look, followed by her forehead crinkling in confusion. "Trolling? I don't know that term, but I understand the contents of the books aren't very useful to you." Which only makes her forehead crinkle further. "I'm planning to ask for medical textbooks, which I'm going to use to update my knowledge of medicine. I would hope whoever or whatever operates the train is going to take my request seriously."

She gives the terminal a severe look, as if daring it not to do so.

Snacks

[unfavorableinstigation]

Lastly, Nita squares away both some promises she's made and her own curiosity.

First she gets the sweets - three orders: one to give to Buttercup (or just hand to her if she happens to be watching), one to give to Charlotte (even if Nita's not sure what outfit she's going to ask for yet), and one to share with the remaining crowd.

Or, if no one's interested, to keep for herself for late-night snacking. There's off-brand Three Musketeers in there, dammit!

Then, taking careful stock of the pile of things at her feet, she orders one 'Crisps' bag. There's no label, but Nita's not going to share it with anybody; chips are her comfort food.

At last, there's drinks. "Not sure what 'Purple' is, but if anyone wants to try it..."

For herself, she orders lemonade, though she's also willing to split that if anyone's got a glass.

"And that's most of the shop options for you! Anyone else want a turn?"

Re: Snacks

[thepowerofthor]

"Purple sounds like fun." Thor hovers a step back, curious, listening, watching.

"Yet more strangeness to learn. Thank You for being here. " He means for all of it, but words are doorways.

Re: Snacks

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita plucks the can out of the vending slot, turning to hand it to him.

"Happy to help!" she remarks. "Even if we're all stuck here, that doesn't mean we have to only share the parts of it that grind on us."

There can be happy times too, amusements - and discoveries.

Including, apparently, what Purple tastes like.

Re: Snacks

[thepowerofthor]

Thor opens it, and smells it. "This is odd, whatever it is." And then, without any more delay, he tossed back some of the drink...

And blinked, making a face. what in all the gods?

"Gods below, who drinks such a thing?" he stared at the drink and held it out to Nita again.

"It is a very good purple, but not something I would welcome..."