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Dragon Lady Goes Shopping

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A few days later the bell tinged and a small group of people stepped into the shop. Foremost was an older lady in a wheelchair. She was being pushed by younger female, a real doll Elvira thought, the type that used to call a china doll. The two women were accompanied by two huge males. Orcs, was the word that sprung to mind, or perhaps Ogres or Trolls, mountain was another. They were big, fierce looking, and pretty much identical, except that one was dark brown and the other one was pale white. How odd, a matched set.

Bodyguards no doubt.

It had been raining outside, as usual. They were losing their umbrellas when Elvira drew attention to herself.

“What can I do for you?” She said

Upon seeing Elvira the umbrellas were ignored. They were dropped to the floor with a moist clatter as everyone except for the old lady reached for a weapon. None were drawn but I suspected that they were all poised to draw pistols. When the entry bell had ‘dinged’, I had been in the shop immersed in a project. I was thus unable to ‘answer the door’ in a timely fashion. Elvira went in my stead. All of their customers were used to seeing my flying dragon.

These, it seemed, weren’t.

“I, I...” The older lady stuttered.

“Don’t be alarmed.” Elvira said. “This just a robot. Nothing to be concerned about. I make tele-operated cybernetic service robots. They look like Dragons. This one of them.”

“I tinker with robots when I’m not building wheelchairs.” I said from the doorway. I glided silently onto the salesroom floor, wiping my hands on a shop rag. I had the suspension on my mono-wheel set to low. That put me and the older woman at the same level, eye to eye, fancy that.

“Oh.” She said. “That’s very interesting.”

She nodded slightly to her companions. They all relaxed. The two men bent over to retrieve the dropped umbrellas. The young lady kept a weather eye on both me and the dragon.

“I’ve heard about your products. Rumor has it that they are special. I’ve come to see for myself.” The lady in the wheel chair said.

I nodded. I felt that I was being evaluated. Somehow I felt that I very much did NOT want to fail the evaluation. “That’s very kind. I think that I make some very fine wheel chairs. I can show them to you if you like.”

“I’m sure that you do.” the old lady said. “However, I’m not exactly interested in wheelchairs, not any more.”

“As you say, you make drones, such as that one?” She pointed to Elvira.

“Yes ma’am I do.” I said. “I’d be happy to demonstrate one to you if you qualify.” That MIGHT have been the wrong thing to say. The temperature seemed to have dropped precipitously. It had plummeted.

The Ogres frowned.

“What do you mean by qualify young man?” The Ryujin Ninkyo Dantai asked in full display.

“The drones are special.” I told her “I won’t make them for just anyone.”

“How does one ‘qualify’ as you put it?” The Ryujin asked.

“Two ways.” I said. “Either spend enough time with me that I can get to know you or be recommended to me by someone that I trust.”

“You don’t sell your products to just anyone with the money?” the Ryujin asked.

“No Ma’am.” I replied. “Not my drones. I’ll sell my wheelchairs to anyone, but the drones are reserved.”

“Perhaps a great deal of money? Everyone can be bought.” She continued.

“No Ma’am. There isn’t enough money to persuade me to sell them to someone I deem unworthy.” I said. “In fact the drones are not for sale. I give them to those in need or those deemed to be worthy, either deemed worthy by myself or by someone that I trust.”

“Perhaps force then?” The Ryujin nodded to her matched set of bodyguards. As if on cue the two huge men reached over their shoulders and drew massive Talwars. The blades hissed as they were withdrawn from their sheaths.

“No Ma’am. Not even force. Not even death.” I inspected the Talwars with a critical eye. “Nice swords.”

“Very impressive young man.” The Ryujin almost smiled.

She nodded to her entourage “My work here is done.”

And they left.

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To Be Continued

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I hope you are enjoying this
Yarn

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Perhaps you might also enjoy
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That's my Blog
in which I pontificate on Technology,
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In my Blog I write about,
and hopefully engage my readers in discussions about,
the possible lifestyles that we will encounter after
TEOTWAWKI happens.
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It WILL happen, one way or another,
probably something in between.
One thing is for sure and for certain though,
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So Come on Down!
Sit a spell.
I got the Coffee on.

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The Hobo Picture is a Public Domain image from
Samantha at the Worlds Fair
by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
Illustrated by
Baron C. De Grimm published by
Funk and Wagnall's Company 1893
Unless noted
All other Illustrations are from
Pixabay

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