Highline park, the park that used to be an abandoned railway, but was now Eisen’s favorite park in the whole of New York. Central Park was too crowded for his tastes, but Highline park was more his style. Elevated above the streets and woven into the concrete jungle, Eisen loved the mix of nature and human efforts to recycle old things.

The day was still young. Eisen had shown up to work only to learn that the office was closed and his manager decided to give everyone the day off. No fixing telephone wires today for him. He was a bit bitter that his boss hadn’t sent him a text, nor did either of his coworkers. Damnit, Maurice! What am I going to do with a free Wednesday? Eisen had been too lazy to go back home to waste it on his Nintendo Switch. He decided some exercise would do.

He’d gone into the office to get a change of clothes that he kept in his locker, and pulled out his navy blue ECKO Unltd sweatpants and sweatshirt and his red, white and blue headband. A jog through his favorite park in the morning would be sufficient to squeeze out his frustrations and figure out what to do today.

Eisen walked out of his office and to the bridge nearby, and spotted the M11 Bus coming down the street. He then braced himself and hopped off the bridge, using his ability to hover in the air above the bus until it came under him, then he hitched a ride on top of it. He sat calmly as the people on the sidewalks were too busy to look up at him and notice.

Soon Highline park was in view, another raised walkway above the streetcars, and as the bus came under it, Eisen spatially locked his soles and ascended. He spooked a lady walking her labradoodle, but largely ignored him as he began to jog in the other direction. The sun was already high in the sky and Eisen continued to jog. Other than the labradoodle lady, no one else was really walking the Highline on a Wednesday morning. Eisen felt the itch to put on some music, but as soon as the thought arose, he thought he heard the faint sound of a game he loved dearly.

On a nearby bench, Eisen had almost missed a bright pink backpack with a unicorn on it. Someone must have dropped it, so naturally, Eisen wanted to pick it up. Maybe being a good samaritan and finding whoever the bag belonged might help him out with his day. He unzipped the bag and took out the phone, still playing Tetris. Since it was unlocked, he’d have an easy time finding out who the phone belonged to.

“Oh nice. This Tetris has an autoplay feature!” He took a seat as the game caught his attention and he wanted to see how high of a score the game could go.

Today had been a slow one. Wednesdays tended to be.

Oli had only had one client today. An absolutely distraught, middle aged, woman who was convinced her husband was cheating. She knew there was 'proof' on his phone, but she didn't know the password. Easy enough. Hop from one phone to the other, navigate around the passcode and start looking. Oli wasn't able to find anything, and it wasn't because they weren't trying. The old man had nothing in there that was even the least bit suspicious. No lewd images, no saucy emails or texts, not even a sketchy hook up app.

The only thing that guy was hiding was a pretty crippling baseball card collecting addiction.

Regardless the lady, the client, made Oli check and double check. Eventually coming to terms with the fact that nothing was wrong. Well, aside from the baseball card spendings. She eventually paid Oli and left, leaving the mutant with a lot of free time on their hands. If the man really had been cheating there would have been the process of collecting the incriminating evidence and moving it to their clients phone.

But with no cheating done Oli had nothing else to do but wait for their next client...who wouldn't be arriving until the evening.

That was alright, a little downtime never hurt. They had a few games and movies downloaded and plenty of battery life left! Might as well enjoy it. The interior of their backpack was illuminated softly as the screen of the Samsung glowed, colorful blocks drifting down the screen. 

Oli really didn't know how much time had passed when they suddenly heard their bag being unzipped, and their phone being lifted. Immediately they began to panic, assuming they were being stolen. Quickly Oli turned on their front-facing camera, so they could 'see' who was holding them. A young man...oh no had their next client arrived early?

For the brief time Tetris was on the screen Eisen would see a rather high score, as if whoever had been playing was pretty good. But then suddenly the app closed, all on it's own. The phone returned to the home screen. The wallpaper on the home screen featured a rather polygonal figure...or at least this looked like a wallpaper until the avatar started moving and speaking.

"My deepest apologies! I had not been paying attention to the time!"

The figures eyes darted upward, at where the phone was displaying the current time. Huh...well if this was their client he was several hours early.

You're... They pause again, their eyes darting to the left of the screen. In Oli's perspective, the could see a notes file drifting alongside them. "You've been having some issues with your computer? No worries! I'll just need you to confirm your appointment number!'

Of all the things Eisen could have discovered on his day off, he would never have imagined finding a stranger with a phone that had Artificial Intelligence. A.I. was a future Eisen wished existed now but also wished would never spread, because he’d seen enough movies to know that the robots would wipe out the humans and he for sure didn’t know how to negotiate with robots on why he should be spared. Maybe this was his chance to make an artificial ally. He could build his base now, gain enough artificial influence and maybe, just maybe, the robots would give him a job burning all the human bodies or something. Anything to be useful.

>>“You're…” The phone’s voice continued and Eisen looked around him to make sure no one else would figure out that he was just about to make a deal with a potential apocalyptic harbinger.

>>"You've been having some issues with your computer? No worries! I'll just need you to confirm your appointment number!' The voice spoke, asking for an appointment number.

Eisen was lost for words. Issues with my computer? A number? Was this all codespeak for him to figure out? Maybe the word computer actually referred to his brain or something and if he answered improperly, the A.I. would know he was human trash that would need to be disposed of. If he gave the wrong number, too, that could ruin his chances. He had to watch his words.

“My harddrive is fully functional and completely up to date… uh. I mean, the cache is clear? Everything is fine in the processor! I am processing quite clearly and seeing the proper Oh’s and Eye’s.” Eisen winked. If he spoke in binary, that should help build his rapport with the android, right?

“An appointment isn’t necessary for my… system. No 404’s here.” He said as he quickly picked up the pink bag and began to walk with the phone. He thought he felt some eyes peering at him, trying to get in on his conversation with the A.I.

“How about you? Have you any issues with your… processing unit? It’s ok to share your codes with me. I’m a friendly.” Asking people how they were feeling usually helped build rapport. Eisen hoped the same was true with A.I., except he wasn’t quite sure if emotions were the same as code. Well. If anything, he had been planning on deleting his instagram and eradicating his digital fingerprint anyway, if this encounter went awry.

Oli was starting to suspect this guy wasn't their next client.

For starters he barely fit the description they were given, fair skinned and male presenting yes, but the person holding them right now did not look like he was forty-seven. And secondly he didn't have an appointment number.

The wild rambling was where things started to freak Oli out. The random computer jargon, the winking, the overly friendly voice...oh gosh. It all made sense! This guy was drunk, or under the influence of an illegal substance at...11am on a Wednesday...

And now they were walking. Oh no that wouldn't do.

The avatar on the screen suddenly looked slightly cross.

"Sir! I'm going to need you to return this phone and pink unicorn backpack to the bench you found it on! Failure to do this will result in me reporting my abduction to my supervisors!"

The way they talked was filled with the tone of a coffee-shop manager asking a trouble customer to leave, and yet they also sounded...nervous? Now that Eisen could hear Oli speak more it was clear their voice had fluctuations to it, like a normal human voice. No creepy one-note tone's here like Siri.

The avatar sighed, the polygonal eyes looking at Eisen.

"Sir, look, I'm just an IT repair-person, and you...clearly need some help. Would you like me to call someone? Maybe get you a ride home"

>>"Sir! I'm going to need you to return this phone and pink unicorn backpack to the bench you found it on! Failure to do this will result in me reporting my abduction to my supervisors!"

Eisen’s heart rate rose. Damnit He had totally screwed up and said something wrong. He should have said software instead of codes, that would probably have been less triggering to the A.I.

Eisen walked fasted in his nervousness. If he turned back now to return the backpack to the bench the A.I. might have already send a distress signal or something and the A.I.’s “supervisors” would probably be at that bench waiting for him. Or worse. They would already be chasing after him after realizing the bag was missing. He changed his power walking into a jog. He’d have to appease the A.I. and get it to promise him his safety before he gave it back. Though even that was a risk-- the A.I. could be really good at lying.

Eisen looked around for the nearest subway stop. If he went underground,, that should tamper with the A.I’s connection with its supervisors long enough for him to appease it, right?

“No, no. I told you I’m a friendly. No need to mention any abducting to any superiors.” Eisen knew he was acting kind of sketch by not listening to the A.I. directly, but he would rather deal with his currently known threat than the unidentified threat of the A.I’s superiors.

>>"Sir, look, I'm just an IT repair-person, and you...clearly need some help. Would you like me to call someone? Maybe get you a ride home"

The the A.I. identified itself as an I.T. and Eisen grew pretty confused. He stopped sprinting and slowed down his pace. The gears in his brain began to turn. AI’s having jobs… they were already invading society? Was it too late for humanity? MAybt eh A.I.’s had just revealed knowledge to Eisen that only a very few people knew about. The way its voice turned from a robotic to a regular sounding voice, this A.I. had pretended to be dumb to him earlier to mask its superiority. Or maybe it had changed its voice to put him into a disarmed state long enough to pounce. Eisen didn’t really know what to think anymore. This all got a bit more confusing to him.

“No, please don’t. Again, I’m a friendly! I am not a threat.” Eisen took out his I.D. for his telephone company. THe plastic rectangle had his picture on it, with him looking like he was about to sneeze. The I.D. camera guy wouldn’t let him retake the picture.

“I help your cousins, the telephone network. See? We’re partners.” Eisen made a peace sign to the camera, wondering if it could see him in real time. Don’t terminate me, please!

Oh gosh he was starting to run with them.

For a moment Oli considered trying to contact TETRA or any of their supervisors. Heck, half their clients were dangerous individuals who needed a lot of tech assistance. Oli was sure if they called someone would come running. But something about this guy...really didn't seem threatening? The more Oli listened to him ramble the more they were starting to think he was...scared? Maybe having a dissociative episode.

Plus if they called one of their more...unsavory clients, this guy might end up getting shot. Or worse.

That would be a last ditch effort...so what could they do?

The Avatar's eyes darted around, trying to take in everything the phone's camera could see. There was no nearby tech they could jump in and hide. Maybe they could vibrate the phone? Scare him into dropping it? But they really didn't want to crack their screen...

Suddenly the running stopped, and the man was rooting through his pockets. Suddenly an ID card was being shoved in front of their camera. Telephone line repair? That was kinda cool. Maybe if this guy didn't kill them they would ask him about it.

"Listen mister..." The polygonal figures eyes moved slightly, from the man to the card. They tried not to snicker, that was an unfortunate photo.

"Mister Eisenhower, I...get it. You're a 'friendly'. But what do you want? Please, do you want money? Free services? I'm sure I can offer you anything you'd like...just...please return me unharmed.

Oli's voice had a pretty strong pleading tone to it, worried that the man was just looking for the nearest river to chuck them in. The avatar present on the phone's screen looked up at Eisen, dark and jagged eyes begging. Slowly, they mimicked Eisen's peace sign, the avatar also holding up a hand in the gesture.

>>"Mister Eisenhower, I...get it. You're a 'friendly'. But what do you want? Please, do you want money? Free services? I'm sure I can offer you anything you'd like...just...please return me unharmed.”

The A.I. started calling him Mr and it sounded like it was asking him to spare it from danger. Wasn’t he the one at the mercy of the A.I. and its superiors? Eisen didn’t know if this was another trick to get him off his guard, but the fact that it gave him an offer was something he could at least try to accept. This was all uncharted territory for him and Eisen wasn’t that comfortable with mind games. The fact that the A.I. asked to be returned unharmed made Eisen believe it wasn’t actually that powerful. Or maybe it was trapped in some A.I. contract or something, that if he helped free it, he could potentially have a really strong friend. Or the A.I. was actually powerless in the hierarchy of A.I… the idea of an A.I. hierarchy made them seem more human and Eisen was unnerved at how humanlike the A.I. have truly become if classism existed within their A.I. society. A.I. was much further advanced than he’d previously thought.

At least he could inquire of the A.I’s services, as a self-proclaimed I.T., to see just how powerful the A.I. was. Eisen hoped it was a secretly powerful A.I. He so hoped.

“I don’t really have much that needs fixing-- not that I’m trying to insult you by saying I don’t have anything you can fix. I’m sure you could fix my Nintento Switch if it did break… but if you really want to know what i’d like…” Eisen looked around to make sure no one was listening. The lady with the labradoodle was long gone. A couple pusihg their twins in a stroller walked by, in the oppositie direction. Eisen waited til the sound of their gargling infants passed before he continued speaking to the A.I.

“I actually wanted to offer you my services. Y’know. Just in case we squishy lifeforms went crazy and you guys did want to wipe us all out, I wanted to make sure y’all knew that there’s still one squishy life form that’s loyal and potentially worth sparing. I wouldn’t stop you from taking over either, I promise.” Eisen put his hand up in the air to show he was being sincere, as if he were swearing an oath. He hoped that he hadn’t pitched his request too bluntly, but he wasn’t sure when he’d have the chance to secure his safety from an A.I. apocalypse again. He only other hope was if his Nintendo Switch had gained intelligence-- but even then he hadn’t been the best owner to it, having dropped it a couple times. Once, in the toilet even. No amount of rice could get the pee stink out of its buttons. It definitely wouldn’t forgive him if it remembered that incident.

He made another peace sign at the phone as he continued to walk further away from the bench. He was now starting to feel hungry, so his feet went on autopilot as he walked off the Highrise park trail and down the stairs to his favorite 7-11 to satisfy his stomach.

>> Y’know. Just in case we squishy lifeforms went crazy and you guys did want to wipe us all out, I wanted to make sure y’all knew that there’s still one squishy life form that’s loyal and potentially worth sparing. I wouldn’t stop you from taking over either, I promise.

Suddenly everything made sense. The mans nervous rambling about computers, him promising he was friendly, the comment about telephone wires being their 'cousin'. Oh my gosh, this poor man thought they were an evil robot! Like that one from the space movie! For a moment they felt bad, this guy must have been terrified. But then they started laughing. A bubbly, snorting, laugh. The polygonal avatar on the screen doubled over slightly, eyes squeezed shut. It took a bit, but eventually Oli was able to compose themself enough to explain.

"Hoo! Aha...Mr. Eisenhower, I'm not...I'm not a robot! I'm a mutant! I'm not actually a cell phone!

Oli let out a couple more giggles, wiping away virtual tears.

"I probably should have started with that...but in my defense you're the first person I've talked to outside of my supervisors and work clients in well...years! Everyone who talks to me already knows who I am and what I do!"

They were suddenly a lot less worried about being kidnapped or destroyed. Of course there was always the chance this guy had some strong anti-mutant opinions, but they doubted it. Most anti-mutant people Oli had met were old and bitter, Eisenhower seemed too...excitable. And even if he was Oli wasn't too concerned, some of Oli's repeat clients hated mutants. And yet they could still find uses for them.

Oli's avatar drifted slightly around their screen, camera lens trying to figure out where they were going. They were still technically on the clock, and wanted to be put back in their drop location, but they hesitated in asking again.

"You've got a Switch Mr. Eisenhower? That's neat! What do you play? I've been super into JumpMan Kart 8 lately!"

>>"Hoo! Aha...Mr. Eisenhower, I'm not...I'm not a robot! I'm a mutant! I'm not actually a cell phone!

Eisen paused for a solid minute and stared at the cellphone. The laughter and tears of the small face didn’t sting as much as the realization that he didn’t actually have a chance at saving himself from an A.I. takeover apocalypse. His shoulders slumped as he listened to the mutant on the other line go on about how they hadn't spoken to anyone else in years. He began to feel bad, now, recalling how he just abducted the little robot mutant from their bench and threw all his A.I. jargon at it.

A mutant, eh? Eisen scratched his head. This entire time, he was facechatting with another mutant.

>>"You've got a Switch Mr. Eisenhower? That's neat! What do you play? I've been super into JumpMan Kart 8 lately!"

"Nothing beats Fire Emblem, but JumpMan Kart 8 sounds neat. I'll probably get that on my next pay day." At least Eisen had made a new friend, sorta. And a new mutant friend at that. He wondered where this mutant was talking to him from right now. Maybe they could hang for the day. Who knew that playing good Samaritan would land him a new buddy?

"So, I'm actually off of work today... and well... Since you're not an A.I. planning on dooming the human race... do you wanna hang? An where are you calling me from, by the way?" Eisen asked nervously, not knowing how to really respond. He felt like a fool, but that wasn't anything new for him. He kept walking, his hungry belly pulling him to get a snack and a Slurpee from 7-11. The 7-11 logo beckoned him and he walked inside, still with the pink unicorn bookbag and talking loudly to the phone.

"I'm a mutant too by the way. So, no need to feel self-conscious or anything." He said out loud, not caring if any of the shop goers heard him. Plus, he was now curious about how exactly this mutant worked as an I.T. through this weird device. It didn't look like any app he was familiar with. Maybe he could download it and spook his sister!

Fire Emblem huh? Oli hadn't paid much attention to that series. From what they had gathered from internet discussion it was a puzzle game? Maybe an RTS game? And a huge part of it was dating? Maybe? They looked at the bag on Eisen's back, still thankful he had taken it along with them. It was a shame they hadn't brought their switch along with them today.

>> "So, I'm actually off of work today... and well... Since you're not an A.I. planning on dooming the human race... do you wanna hang?"

Oli frowns slightly. They were...technically still at work. They really didn't want to get in trouble for ditching, or missing their next client. Their eyes flicked up, looking above their head where the time was displayed on their screen. Well...they technically had time to hang out. And this guy was talking to them, about things not related to computers! Who knew when they would get an opportunity like this again!

They look at Eisen, smiling slightly.

"Yeah! I could hang! My next client isn't coming for a few more hours! So as long as we don't go too far..."

Oli perks up slightly.

"My name is ZERO-L-ONE by the way...or...uh..." the avatar scratches nervously at the back of their head. "Or...uh, Oli, if you prefer!"

The jingle welcoming them into the 7-11 got Oli's attention. Their eyes darting all around, trying to take in as much detail as their camera showed. There were so many snacks! And colors! And sounds!

>> "An where are you calling me from, by the way?"

"Looks like I'm calling you from inside a convenience store!" Oli said, misinterpreting Eisen's question.

And when Eisen told them that he was a mutant the last of their nerves vanished. Their attention turned back to the man carrying them. The avatar clapped their hands together excitedly.

"Wow! Really? I've never met another mutant before! At least...I don't think I have!"

Oli again went back to scanning the aisles of the 7-11, their gaze falling on the check out. The computer looked old, and the card reader was a brand they had possessed dozens of times!

"Mister Eisenhower! Once you have what you want set this phone down next to the card reader! I'll handle your purchase!" They smile, eyes squinting slightly. "In celebration of us meeting! In return you can tell me about your mutation!"

This hologram was really insistent on getting back to their bench. Eisen was still trying to catch himself up on what this dude was all about. He just waited for people to pick him up all day? Sounded kinda boring.

>>"Looks like I'm calling you from inside a convenience store!" 

“Uhh. Ok, little Oli dude.” The I.T. guy was a little smartass, but Eisen kinda liked them better for it. He still hadn’t answered his question though.

>>"Wow! Really? I've never met another mutant before! At least...I don't think I have!"

“Sounds like you really don’t go out much.” Eisen held out the camera so the little dude could see the 7-11.

“You want anything? I told you I don’t have work today, so I could hang out at your place. I could even wait til your work is over.” Eisen picked out a cheesydog, three taquitos, a bag of curly Cheetos and cheese Bugles, then he went for the grand prize, a Bloop Razzle Slurpee. Nothing said brunch better than cheese, cheese, cheese and a frozen sugary drink.

“You serious about the payment thing? Also, call me Eisen. Mr. Eisenhower is our long dead president.” Eisen placed his items at the checkout counter, where the old fart ringing his stuff took his sweet time. Eisen slurped long and hard on his Bloop Razzle. He was almost done with his Slurpee when the cashier rung it all up. $13.25. Eisen placed the phone on the counter.

"Also, if you want to know about what I can do it's better for me to show you. Right after I eat all this cheese!" Eisen said with a squeal and watched how the little I.T. dude would work his magic.

>> “Sounds like you really don’t go out much.”

Man...this guy had no idea how true that statement was. But it was his second suggestion, that the two could hang at Oli's place, that started making them nervous. The pink unicorn backpack Eisen was holding was technically their home, and they doubted the two could fit. But they really couldn’t tell this guy, a practical stranger, that. Oli wasn’t sure how much of their life was...confidential with TETRA. The last thing they wanted to do was get in trouble.

Oh crumb, he had asked if Oli wanted anything to eat. Oli was pulled from their thoughts, the avatar giving Eisen a nervous smile.

“That’s alright! I’m not super hungry!” Quickly jumping over the fact that they didn’t have to eat at all.

Soon Oli was being set down, the edge of their phone brushing against the card reader of the cash register. Oli smiled, the little avatar clapping their hands together. It had been such a boring morning they were excited to ‘get out’ and 'stretch their legs'. As the cashier began to ring up Eisen’s items Oli held a finger to their lips, clearly signaling to the man to keep quiet.

And then the avatar vanished from the phone.

Since Eisen was watching he was able to see a slight glow appear around the card reader, which faded after a few moments. When the two pieces of technology connected Oli could feel, in their own special way, the bridge between the two objects. Oli leapt from the phone to the card reader, taking only a moment to adjust to their new digital environment. Their actual target was the computer itself, connected with a cord to the reader.

The slight glow Eisen could see traveled up the wire and into the computer.

They drifted silently around their new space, noting how ancient the computer felt. It would hardly be a challenge, but it was still a nice exercise. Oli watched as the total ticked up, waiting for their moment to strike. Once the final item had been scanned, and the computer prompted a payment method to be picked, Oli simply tweaked the program, telling it that payment had been received and accepted.

The computers screen flickered a moment, but the cashier didn’t seem to care. Either because he was overworked and underpaid, or perhaps he was blaming the oddity on whatever was in his last cigarette.

Regardless the machine accepted the ‘payment’ and began to print the receipt. While this was happening Oli vacated the computer, the glowing trail following them, making their way back to their phone. As Oli returned their image did as well, although for a moment it looked low quality and glitchy as they readjusted to the more advanced technology. They gave Eisen a big smile and thumbs up.

The cashier handed Eisen his receipt and coughed out a ‘have a good one’ unaware of the tiny heist the two just completed. The only thing that was strange was the receipt, the line that identified the payment was blank.

Once the two had exited the building Oli’s avatar gave a little bow.

“Taadaa! Enjoy your snacks Mister Eisen!”

The first word that came to Eisen's mind was Dope

Watching the green trail of the little virtual dude on the phone disappear into the cash register machine was like watching those heist movies where the hackers broke into the databases of whatever they were hacking, except it was all happening in real time. In Eisen's amusement, he'd almost slurped his whole Bloop Razzle. The cashier barely even noticed what was happening right under his nose. Eisen grabbed the bag of cheesy goodness and nodded to the cashier before exiting the 7-11.

>>“Taadaa! Enjoy your snacks Mister Eisen!”

"How'd you do that, lil Oli? Do you take money from a filthy dumb millionaire and use his pennysworth to get my cheese bugles payment onto his credit card statement? If you can do all that, you must have a rockin' crib! We so have to hang!" Eisen hit the jackpot today. He imagined this Oli dude living with a luxury home in upstate New York with bubbling jacuzzi's, lava lamps and a VR entertainment system. It didn't make sense to Eisen how Oli could just stay an I.T. person.

Once he stepped outside, back into the outdoor air, Eisen began to walk straight up. Up, up, up- spatially locking the soles of his feet in turn so that he could walk up to the roof of the 7-11 as if on an invisible staircase. He didn't care if others below him stared- he'd learned that no one would really do or say anything anyway. Sometimes people would take photos or videos of him. One lady asked him to take her with him, but she was chunky so Eisen had to decline. He'd do this at least once every week when he'd come here. Eisen made sure to point the phone camera out to the street so Oli could see it grow further and further away the higher up Eisen went.

Up on the roof there was a lawn chair he had snuck up a month ago. The favorite part of his view from the 7-11 rooftop - which had a single satellite- was the view of the Highland rise. He enjoyed the people cross his favorite park. He could even see Oli's bench from here, so if need be they could run back.

Eisen plopped himself on the chair and leaned back, dropping a cheese curl into his mouth after every bite of a taquito. He made sure to use only his right hand to eat- he did not want cheese dust on Oli's phone.

"So, my mutation lets me lock things in mid air. It's fun for getting up hard to reach locations, but it doesn't pay the bills like yours does. I guess it helps, never being afraid of falling cause I can always catch myself as long as i'm wearing clothes." He relaxed a little and placed Oli's phone on his chest, so Oli could see the sky and not watch Eisen munching.

"You know, I used to work for some people who would kill to have a mutation like yours. Careful who you show that stuff to, little guy. If I were you, I probably shouldn't have done that money thing... I appreciate it and all, but it's hard to know know who to trust nowadays."

>> "How'd you do that, lil Oli? Do you take money from a filthy dumb millionaire and use his pennysworth to get my cheese bugles payment onto his credit card statement?"

There was a soft laughter from the phone, the avatar blushing slightly. Oli scratched at the back of their head in embarrassment, not used to receiving such high praise for such a simple job. Oli knew that Eisen might be uncomfortable with the whole...stealing thing. So they dodged around his question again.

"Well...my mutation makes it really easy for me to...uh...mess with technology."

Something pinged inside Oli's phone, their GPS coordinates. They weren't just walking side to side anymore...but...up? Eisen spun the phone around so Oli could see the ground getting smaller and smaller. Oli let out a yelp, 'bracing' their hands against the edge of the screen. Huh, they never thought they had a fear of heights but here they were.

"Oh gosh...please don't drop me Mister Eisen, my case isn't that tough!"

Luckily they had not been dropped and shattered upon the sidewalk. Oli was finally able to relax once Eisen sat down, setting the phone in a secure location.

>> "So, my mutation lets me lock things in mid air."

Oli could no longer 'see' Eisen. Their front facing camera was pointed outwards, looking over the city line, and their read facing camera was completely blocked by the man's chest. Regardless the avatar looked over their shoulder, trying to appear like they were looking at Eisen. More of a habit than anything.

"That's really neat! I bet that would be helpful when repairing telephone wires!"

They listened to Eisen's warning, their friendly smile not fading.

"I appreciate your concern, Mister Eisen, but you don't have to worry about me! The people I work for are super protective over me, I'm completely safe!" Oli's avatar sits down, appreciating the view. "And don't fret about that little stunt I pulled too! It's nearly untraceable, especially with such a minor thing as a 7-11 purchase!"

>>"I appreciate your concern, Mister Eisen, but you don't have to worry about me! The people I work for are super protective over me, I'm completely safe!" Oli's avatar sits down, appreciating the view. "And don't fret about that little stunt I pulled too! It's nearly untraceable, especially with such a minor thing as a 7-11 purchase!"

Eisen took a deep breath and remembered that this was a stranger he'd just met, and one who had many secrets surrounding them. He took a few more bites so that he could chew upon the situation before responding.

"You must be pretty valued, then." Oli would not be able to see Eisen frown a little. It had been a couple of years since anyone's really watched out for him. He'd been on his lonesome for a while, living in his apartment with his one-eyed cat, a grumpy landlady, and working for a telephone wire company in one of the busiest cities in the world. Sure, it was great living on his own, making his own decisions, going wherever he wanted, and eating whatever he wanted. Yet, some part of him ached to be back in the Underground... it was killed or be killed there, but at least he had people looking out for him. Never once had he felt unsafe, despite the gruesome things he'd seen. Now, he'd cut his ties and was like a kite in the wind, refusing to accept that he was just waiting for somewhere to land. To meet someone or someplace that he'd like to be tied down to.

Eisen picked up the camera and turned it to face him. He watched the little avatar look at him, smiling and friendly.

"Are you happy with what you do?" The words fell out of Eisen's mouth. He wasn't quite so sure why he had felt the need to ask, but some part of him wanted some confirmation that to be in a situation with those protecting him was a justified situation to long for. He didn't understand why he felt so strongly. This spot was the spot he used to get inspiration or think his days through. It felt strange to have someone with him in his daydream spot and Eisen felt like that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"I mean, you don't really have to answer that question... I just noticed you hadn't really left to use the bathroom or anything yet. And I'm not really sure if you're watching me from some luxury room with monitors all over and I'm keeping you from other things..." He fumbled, uncomfortable with the sudden level of intimacy he was experiencing, of someone giving their time totally to him, even though they had barely met and could been doing something else otherwise.