The Windowseat, Red Light Ring - 10:52pm

"Huh, I see." Michael said. That at least seemed grounded, if nothing else.

"Well, uh... Thanks." He intoned, feeling rather sheepish. How did one disengage from the first human contact they had received after being essentially transported to a new world? "I guess I'll get out of your hair."

He stood, gently scooping up Bella and depositing her onto the chair behind him.

"I really appreciate the information and the, uh." He gestured noncommittally at his eye, skating dangerously close to breaking his self imposed moratorium on thinking about certain events. "I'll be back as soon as I can get together the money to pay you back. Actually come to think of it, how much do i actually owe you?"

Bella seems content to be moved, if not a little confused as to why anyone would want to stop petting her and leave the shop. Cats are like that, though.

Tim sighs, debating how much of a good citizen he's going to be today. This isn't the first time he's treated someone like Michael, and some of those folks he let off the hook completely. (Although, he always had wondered if that was the best thing to do for people who really did need to get a job anyway.)

"The encryption might as well be free - ten seconds of labor is hardly worth charging you for and it's not like it's a unique just-for-you program, just a solid one. The coolant for your eye is like...let's call it 100 credits, so I can make some semblance of profit today."

He laughs quietly, although his expression is bitter.

"Not many customers lately, otherwise I'd probably just try to break even. Shockingly enough, nobody wants to get their 'ware tuned in a back alley shop in the Red Light Ring."

Michael chuckled, his voice slightly strained. "I mean for what it's worth, you certainly seem to be like, good at what you do. I mean I guess I'm not like an expert or anything but, you know." He trailed off, lapsing into thought.

"Alright" he intoned, nodding to himself. "Well, I guess I'll be off then. Thanks again. I'll message you when I have, you know, money."

So saying, he began to walk to the door, trying to inject a confidence he did not feel into his gait. He was in a new time, and a new place, and, he supposed, in a new body as well. An odd thing to consider, and so, he did his best not to. There would be time for an existential breakdown when he had his feet under him again.

Emerging out onto the busy neon soaked street, he looked up again, this time understanding the surreal skyline for what it was, and, steeling himself, he leaned against the outer wall of the shop. Bringing up his contact panel, he tapped the icon that would, theoretically at least, put him into contact with someone who could help.

As the application connected him, he considered the information he would need going forward, and looked up 'Aegis', as well as 'Currently airing films'. He figured that would be good information to have searching in the background.

Tim simply smiles at the compliment, remembering days when his shop was a real shop in the real parts of the city and people said that about him online. As Michael leaves, he shoots Caroline a quick text telling her to expect a call. She'll be livid that he just handed out her number, but hey - what are ex-boyfriends turned strained friends for if not for annoying the shit out of you.

Michael will find that it doesn't take long for Caroline to pick up. A bar pops up on his HUD showing the sound waves of the ambient noise on the other end. A small video icon appears next to a little red "x" that is presumably a "hang up" button, should he wish to engage in a video call.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end is feminine and smooth, almost unnaturally so. "This is Michael, I'm assuming."

Michael experienced a solid moment of complete stress induced failure to have thoughts, before realizing that he was talking to a person again. "Oh! Yeah, that would be me." He paused for a moment, combing his thoughts before determining that, yes, there was a slight hiccup.

"Tim uh, didn't actually tell me your name, but I hear you might be a good person to talk to about, well, getting my... new life off the ground?" He said with a shrug, trying not to let the bitterness he felt creep into the last few words.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Caroline pinches the bridge of her nose. "My name is Caroline. And yeah, I can help you get started."

There's a brief moment of "clacking" sounds, like a mechanical keyboard, before the voice resumes. She sounds a little puzzled.

"Are you a refugee, or is this another 'oops I crossed a corp and need to drop off the face of the planet' situation?"

A notification pops up in the corner of the screen, indicating the search is complete.
Datawave Results: Aegis

Micheal considered the question for a moment.

"Nice to meet you Caroline. To answer your question, well, I guess I'm sort of a... refugee from the past? I got body-swapped with someone I guess." He said, feeling a bit self conscious. "And I want to make sure I can like, eat, and pay Tim back and stuff, so, If you have any tips or anything, that would be awesome."

Looking through the blurb on Aegis, Tim noted wryly that even in a whole new world he still had people pointing out that he wasn't athletic, albeit in a deeply impersonal corporate way.

There's a beat of heavy silence before Caroline responds. There is a distinct strain in her voice.

"From the past? As in...time travel, I hope?"

Another notification pops up indicating that there are three theaters near you, all with different sensory specializations - whatever the fuck that means.

Currently Airing wrote:

{VIDITEK CINEMA}
Now Trending: Black as Pitch | In Ashes | Signs

{VirReCo Alley}
Now Trending: In Ashes | Pandora's Box

{Vault 2K}
Now Trending: Cloverfield | District 9 | Amityville Horror

All the movie names are presented as links to keep the notification compact and fairly discreet.