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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 8, 2010 22:19:41 GMT -5
Day 14, Open Thread
It's not that Spy Shot doesn't know where he is or how he got there. He clearly remembers the entire sequence of events that brought him here. He was sitting comfortably on a railing at street-level in his camera form, just watching the many and varied people of Pz-Zazz swarm by, when a mousy-looking alien with rather large ears plucked him from his perch. The alien glanced around surreptitiously then proceeded to roughly handle Spy Shot, his hands much too large to easily use a human-sized camera, even if he was smaller than your average Pz-Zazzian.
Spy Shot wasn't particularly perturbed at being manhandled – it wasn't the first time – and so he chose to remain silent and watchful, even as the alien man managed to accidentally snap a shot of his own face, flinching at the light of the flash. Spy Shot dutifully presented the captured image on his screen when the man flipped him over.
"Huh, some kind of camera," the man said. "They just keep making these things smaller, don't they?"
The alien then carried him to a small, dimly lit shop – J'ak J'eebz's Pawn Shop the sign above the door said – full of a variety of knickknacks, tied a bit of paper to him, and placed him on a shelf lining the wall behind the counter, amongst a variety of rather larger devices that also seemed to be cameras.
So he's perfectly clear on where he is and how he got here. What Spy Shot doesn't get is why he was brought here. Still, he planned to spend the day people-watching, so this isn’t a big deviation from his plans and for now he’s content to sit around and silently contemplate his current situation.
He’ll just wander off when he gets bored.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 10, 2010 23:41:18 GMT -5
Swindle waltzes into the pawn shop like he owns the place and steps up to the counter, making a show of perusing the merchandise. He leans nonchalantly against a shelf and asks the proprietor, "So, where are your guns?"
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 11, 2010 12:15:42 GMT -5
J'ak J'eebz puts on a show -though not a particularly convincing one - of looking startled by the question. "Guns? What guns? I'm not sure what you're talking about."
The alien eyes Swindle, sizing the bot up. He doesn't look like a cop. Not that his being a cop would necessarily be a problem, this is Pz-Zazz after all, he's just trying to figure out if he should be convincing Swindle to pay him for the opportunity to view his more illicit merchandise, or if he should be paying Swindle to keep his illegal dealings off the records.
Spy Shot is also carefully observing Swindle, particularly the bold faction symbol in the middle of his chest. A Decepticon! He hasn't met many Decepticons, and he isn't sure how to react. The last one he met he ended up flashing in the face, but he's not sure if that's an appropriate action at the moment. Perhaps he should ask.
For now, Spy Shot remains on the shelf as a camera, his own faction sigil in plain sight next to his name for anyone who looks close enough to read it. It is, after all, rather small.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 11, 2010 15:14:14 GMT -5
Swindle gives the guy a look. "J'ak- Can I call you J'ak? -You run a seedy pawn shop on Pz-Zazz. You sell guns here. I want to buy some. Of course, if you don't want my money, I'm sure one of your competitors will be glad to take it."
He ceases reclining against the shelf and resumes browsing the store. There's musical instruments, pawned by starving artists who couldn't hack it, various media players pawned by thieves, knick-knacks of all descriptions, a selection of cameras. . . One of which is very small, and looks rather low-tech by Pz-Zazzian standards. "Hmm."
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 11, 2010 16:23:38 GMT -5
J'ak is metaphorically cringing in his boots by the time Swindle finishes speaking. The robot positively oozes charisma and experience, neither of which spell a good outcome for a two-bit swindler like J'eebz. Still, he doesn't do well enough as a pawnbroker to turn down any customer.
"Hey now! Let's not be hasty! You don't wanna go to any of those guys! J'ak J'eebz's is where you wanna be! I got the best selection around!" Around what, he doesn't say.
Leaning on the counter, he can't resist pursuing the chance of a little bit more profit. "So, maybe I sell some guns. And maybe my memory's a little hazy about where I put 'em. Maybe a little... something would refresh my memory?"
He holds out a hand, rubbing his fingers in what he hopes is the universal sign for 'give me money'.
Spy Shot, in the meantime, has been advised to assume Swindle is hostile and take caution. His usual response to hostility is to run and hide, but that doesn't seem particularly prudent when Swindle is looking in his direction.
At Swindle's 'hmm', J'ak follows his line of view and glances at the shelf. "You, uh, looking for a camera, too?"
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 11, 2010 17:01:05 GMT -5
Swindle bursts out laughing when J'eeb'z asks him for money. "Nice try, J'ak, but amateur hour is over, okay? Here's some free advice, since you made me laugh. When someone says they already know something they're either telling the truth or they're fishing for information, and you just confirmed that you do have firearms here. Now press the button to flip the counter or show me into the back room or whatever and we can stop playing games. Because I'm out of your league. If you get any of my money it'll be because you've sold me your merchandise, not the privilege of looking at it."
Feeling J'eeb'z has been sufficiently chastened, he changes topics and points to Spy Shot. "Where did you get that one?" Because if someone on this planet has been to Earth, Swindle wants to know about it.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 11, 2010 18:34:03 GMT -5
J'ak shrinks in the face of Swindle's spiel and sheepishly reaches for a button beneath his counter. "Yes, sir."
Several display surfaces in the room proceed to swivel and flip around, revealing an exotic selection of weapons of various makes, sizes, functions, colours... J'eebz may be a sorry dealer in the face of a pro, but he wasn't lying about having a good selection. "Feel free to take a look, see what you like. Looking for anything in particular?"
He leaves Swindle time to look as he fetches Spy Shot down from the shelf. "Uh, this little thing? Oh, uh, some guy brought it in. Small guy, yeah." J'ak isn't exactly the best liar.
The pawnbroker frowns as he notices that lights on the back of the camera are still on. Fiddling with it for a moment, he finds the off button. The lights only stay off for a moment before Spy Shot flicks himself back on with a start. He's never had that happen to him before. When J'ak tries to shut him off again, he snaps back on with a picture of a frowning human face on his screen. Certain bots from his universe might have recognized the image as one Agent Seymour Simmons.
"Er," J'eebz says, staring down at the tiny camera.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 11, 2010 19:41:20 GMT -5
"See how easy that was?" Swindle says as he moves through the shop, picking weapons off shelves and depositing them in a neat row on the counter-top, mentally tallying the listed prices, the prices he's going to start the haggling at, and what he's actually willing to pay. Some of the stuff is actually high-quality, but he's not telling J'eebz that.
"Some small guy, huh?" He may as well have just told Swindle it was hot goods and offered him a discount. The Decepticon reaches out and snatches the camera from the pawnbroker between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up close to his face to get a better look at it. The first thing he notices is that it has English printed on it. The second is the Autobrand. Assuming Spy Shot hasn't taken this excellent opportunity to blind those huge purple eyes, he'll hand the camera back to J'eebz with a disdainful snort. "I'll take the little camera for one hundred shanix and you'll thank me for taking it off your hands at such a generous price."
If Spy Shot does flash at him, well, he'll probably drop the little guy and cover his eyes.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 11, 2010 20:39:47 GMT -5
There's a reason J'eebz never managed to graduate beyond a seedy pawn shop. He just never had the quick wits to make it big on the black market. His career is littered with missed business opportunities.
He's still staring at Spy Shot in confusion as Swindle snatches him away. While he's not entirely unfamiliar with AIs in technology, the little camera looked awfully primitive for it. He fumbles the camera as it's shoved back at him, giving it a nervous look. He's heard horror stories about disgruntled AIs, maybe it's best if he gets the thing off his hands as soon as possible. Besides, when you pick stuff up for free, one hundred shanix isn't a bad profit.
"Uh, yeah, sure. It's yours!" Maybe his customer will leave before he notices that the camera seems to be malfunctioning.
Spy Shot for his part is having a curiosity attack. Oh, he's keeping Skid'Z's in mind, but Swindle has yet to make any hostile motions towards him - he doesn't considered being picked up and manhandled hostile - and he's never had a chance to interact with a Decepticon up close. If there's one thing he has difficulty resisting, it's a novel situation. For the moment he'll keep playing good little camera, clearing off his screen, but the moment he feels threatened he'll make a break for it.
J'eebz clears his throat. "So, you got everything you're looking for?"
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 11, 2010 21:32:50 GMT -5
Swindle motions to the row of firearms on the counter. "I'll take those for 4,893 shanix, unless you feel like haggling." Swindle grins when he mentions haggling, as though to say 'Go ahead, make my day.'
Then he opens his drawer, withdraws 100 shanix and plunks the currency on the counter, before retrieving Spy Shot 6 and dropping the little Autobot into the interdimensional portal in his chest.
Welcome to Wonderland, camera boy.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 12, 2010 21:56:59 GMT -5
J'eebz gulps nervously. He's tempted to haggle, but something is telling him that if he tries he's only going to end up getting paid less.
"No, no, that sounds, uh, reasonable! Pleasure doing business with you." I hope to never see you in my shop again.
Spy Shot doesn't have time to react as Swindle snatches him up and drops him into a drawer in his chest. He then finds himself quite suddenly in a place that by all the laws of physics that he knows could not possibly fit inside Swindle's chest. He lands surprisingly gently on a pile of unidentified equipment and immediately transforms.
Climbing to the top of the pile, he looks out on rows and rows of neatly arranged cubicles filled with piles of various pieces of technology and whatnot, stretched out across a... well, it doesn't seem to be a room, because it just keeps on going and going and- there's a tiny speck in the distance, hardly visible, standing on a pile that rises above the wall of its cubicle. Straining his zoom as far as he can he can just make out... a small, teal camera-bot facing away from him.
He quickly glances over his shoulder and sure enough, at the very edge of his vision is a tiny, very familiar figure, looking over his shoulder away from Spy Shot.
Wherever he is, it is very, very strange. Better explore it!
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 12, 2010 22:17:30 GMT -5
"Pleasure doing business, J'ak," replies Swindle. Spy Shot can probably see a purple hand descend from heaven, scoop up some currency, and then disappear back from whence it came. A few moments later, it's raining weapons.
Back in normal space, Swindle leaves J'ak J'eebz's Pawn Shop and heads down the street, looking for other unwitting wholesalers and pondering how he can squeeze the most profit out of his captive Autobot.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 13, 2010 9:42:17 GMT -5
Spy Shot has made it on top of the cubicle walls and is busy jogging down them like a highway, chasing his own back and peering into the cubicles of stuff around him.
When the massive hand drops out of the blank nowhere above him, he pauses, watching as it grabs some money from a particular cubicle then recedes back into nothingness. He recognizes the hand as Swindle's and the little gears in his brain start turning. They turn faster as weapons begin to fall out of thin air, landing surprisingly softly in their respective cubicles, and he can identify them as the same weapons that Swindle lined up on the counter.
He decides that somewhere up above him must be his way out of this place. If only he had a way up there. All he can do for the moment is look around and wait.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 14, 2010 1:12:12 GMT -5
Swindle makes his way to a relatively upscale outdoor cafe, orders some Robot Space Coffee, and sits down to think. He's confident he can turn a profit off Spy Shot somehow, he's just not sure how at the moment. He can't auction him off to his fellow Decepticons, Shockwave would just confiscate him. Trying to ransom him back to the Autobots is likely to end poorly. Maybe turn the little camera-bot to the Dark Side? He shifts in his seat, tapping a finger on his table. That could work. Can't do it here though, the little 'bot could run off. The merchant finishes his coffee-analog and calls to a passing waitress, "Check, please!"
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 15, 2010 14:59:40 GMT -5
The majority of the things in Swindle's storage dimension are too large for Spy Shot to handle - which doesn't stop him from trying a few especially large and colourful buttons, resulting in a few holes in walls, some damaged equipment, an annoying buzzing noise, and several large glowing bubbles. One stash of guns, however, is curiously almost his size.
That is, they're almost the same size as him. Still, he hefts one up, peering it over. He's never had a gun before, just the lens in his chest, but he's seen plenty of other people with them. With the shooting end tilted slightly towards the floor, Spy Shot experimentally pulls the trigger. There's a sound like chirping insects, a big kaboom, and the little camera goes flying high into the air.
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