THE MOMENT
"This is no place for a child!" the trainer already accepted as much as he could; but, the white android and its underage companion were just too much. The week started fine until little by little, his patience was spent. It was only Thursday and he decided he was done. He sat outside his workshop and refused to go in, even when he had willing players ready to learn.
"Maybe we should try somewhere else?" the young girl suggested. At 11, she was insulted at being called a 'child'. But, she knew it was useless to try and argue with an NPC.
"Yeah, maybe you should!" the trainer sneered down at her.
"Do not use that tone with Lucy," the white android stepped in front of Lucy and stared at the trainer.
"It's fine, Wonder," Lucy giggled and grabbed Wonder's hand to lead her away. "He doesn't know what he's doing."
"Oh, I know little missy!" he growled. "I'm FED UP! Tired of you adventurers coming by and thinking you're the kings of the world. Ordering me around as if I can just give you the skill in the form of a physical object! It takes YEARS to master this craft!"
"You know what you're saying?" Lucy stopped and turned around. "Does that mean you're Awake!?"
"What is your favorite number?" Wonder asked him. He stayed quiet for a moment and stared each one of them in the eyes.
"That's for me to know and you lot to forget about. I'll say it one more time and send you on your way. LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed directly at Wonder. Lucy tugged at her hand again and she let herself be led away.
"Perhaps we will try a different trainer."
"That's right, keep moving!" he added with a hearty chuckle.
"Oh, wait!" a new voice called out as the pair left. They stopped and turned to see a pale teenage girl in a white suit with rainbow hair.
"Hi, I'm Monday," she did a short jog to catch up to them and introduced herself. "Are you trying to train?"
"I'm Lucy and this is Wonder," the girl introduced her friend. "We were trying to; but, this NPC seems rude." Monday giggled, and nodded.
"He is, sorry about that," she said.
"I don't need to be here anymore," the trainer grumbled and walked into the shop.
"We were going to find a trainer on another Server," Lucy added. Monday shook her head.
"You're welcome to; but, if you wait just a moment this one…,” she tilted her head toward the workshop. “...will help you out, he's my employee. Come on in.”
“We do not wish to cause him trouble; as Lucy said, he does not know any better.”
“Oh, are you guys new to the AlterNet?” Monday asked as she encouraged them to follow her inside.
“It's our first day,” Lucy nodded and led Wonder in. The interior consisted of a wooden counter and a layer of sawdust over everything. Wooden arms, and other pieces in various shapes and sizes, including some unusually small shields, lined the walls. The trainer stood behind the counter with his arms crossed over his leather apron, as if to reject the idea of business altogether.
Monday stood in front of the counter and summoned her Slate. The large pane of glass looked smokey grey to Lucy and Wonder for privacy, the same as theirs looked to each other. The teen interacted with taps and swipes as she continued the conversation.
“You might not have noticed it, or realized what it meant; this is known as an RP Server. It's for players that like a more “realistic” fantasy experience than is usually found in the AlterNet.” She finished with a wave and the Slate disappeared. The trainer dropped his arms and smiled at Wonder and Lucy.
“Welcome aspiring Hobbyists! Ready to learn the art of Doll Making? If you want to learn about Cosplaying or Kit Building, you'll have to visit other trainers. I'll be happy to point you the way!” He chuckled.
“Good to go,” Monday booked at them too.
“Did you make him mean on purpose?”
“Kind of,” Monday nodded. “Since it's an RP Server, I have to come and collect the money manually. But, he can only hold so much money before it starts getting recycled into nanos. I set a cut-off so that doesn't happen,” she said. “Once he's fed up enough money he stops doing business. It works out pretty well for the Server, I get a lot of repeat business. A surly trainer & shopkeeper is great for immersion.”