New Angeles

The Moon held special meaning to the people of New Angeles. Even people like Leo, who didn't tend to find meaning in much. They had a connection to it, more than most people. Anyone could look up at night and see the Moon, but only people in New Angeles could take a walk and go there. In theory, at least.

How long had it been since he'd looked up at the Moon? A long time. Well, before he'd been assigned to this project, anyway. Since then, he'd been looking up at it a lot.

Maybe that's why Leo found himself wandering through the Museum of Space travel, hands in his suit jacket pocket, expression difficult to read. The Moon had always been there, but how much did he know about it, really? As he leaned forward to stare at a pair of space boots, Leo grimaced. Not much more since coming here. Maybe they'd have something for his PAD in the gift shop...

The clackity-clack of high heels echoed through the Museum as Diana surveyed the exhibit. Her family put in a lot of money to this place, so it was natural that she decided to take a look at their investments. She lowered her smartspecs as she found someone looking...not completely at place. Neither a slack-jawed tourist, nor a child finding the wonders of the moon the first time before that wonder is crushed by mundane reality and late stage capitalism.

How interesting.

"Oh, do you like that pair sir?" She ambled next to him and glanced at the pair of...space boots.

Leo had heard the young woman approaching; it was hard to miss the high heels, after all. But the briefest of glances told him that while she was perhaps even more out of place than him with her designer everything, she wasn't a rival cleaner. Nothing to worry about.

And so it wasn't until she drew up next to him that she got a second, somewhat surprised, glance. Leo turned to her, straightening as he regarded her curiously, cybereye flashing. Estimation of her wealth went up. Beauty noted. Reason for talking to him... probably curiosity. People were strange.

He looked back at the boots. "I don't know. They're just boots." He looked back to the woman. "Sure, they're the first boots to touch the moon, but..." He waved his right hand dismissively; with glove on, its cybernetic nature wasn't obvious. "What do you think about them?"

"They're tacky, clunky, and not at all what I would wear on the moon." She smirked. "I do have the advantage of an oxygenated environment with artificial gravity though." She eyed him, her gae settling on his cybernetic eye. She didn't flinch, but she did pause there.

"It is a significant artefact. One we perhaps dismiss now, but for its time...well, it was ahead of its time actually."

Leo chuckled, deep and rough. "If Neil Armstrong had been wearing your shoes, maybe that first landing would have gone differently." He glanced down at her heels, then back to her eyes. His cybereye was a good model, very like a real one, except for the strange way it seemed to glimmer from time to time, as his focus changed.

Grunting, he waved a hand back at the moon boots. "Yeah. I guess. I thought maybe if I looked at them, I'd feel something. Something significant." Leo looked back to the stylish young woman. "So you've been on the moon. What's it like, up there?"

Laika

"Wan! Wan!" There was the sound of a good doggo heard somewhere in the museum as the two talked. She wagged her tail and roamed around her little pen, which was designed to look vaguely like the interior of a spacecraft, albeit with vastly more humane space than the cramped quarters of an actual old-fashioned craft.

The Laika clone didn't have to roam around in her pen for long, there was a small class of private school children who made their way over and immediately took an interest in the doggo.

Leo Knight wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:10 pm

Leo chuckled, deep and rough. "If Neil Armstrong had been wearing your shoes, maybe that first landing would have gone differently." He glanced down at her heels, then back to her eyes. His cybereye was a good model, very like a real one, except for the strange way it seemed to glimmer from time to time, as his focus changed.

Grunting, he waved a hand back at the moon boots. "Yeah. I guess. I thought maybe if I looked at them, I'd feel something. Something significant." Leo looked back to the stylish young woman. "So you've been on the moon. What's it like, up there?"

"Well, he might have broken an ankle." She let out a low laugh. "But then, who knows. Maybe even he could wear heels in low gravity." She glanced back at him. "Oh, I'm from the moon, actually. It's..nice. Depends on the neighborhood." She looked around, and continued in a soft voice. "In a way, just like any other place in New Angeles. Just watch your oxygen economy a bit better." She smiled. "I guess this place is a testament to a time when the moon wasn't so...mundance."

She suddenly heard barking. "Ooooh, a dog!"

"Maybe." Leo smirked. After a moment, he sighed. The thought he problem couldn't wear them as well as you came to mind, but the strange futility of flirting with a rich socialite who was probably young enough to be his daughter suddenly struck him. "So, what's living on the moon like? Pretty much like this?" He waved a hand around again, the smirk back.

The bark instantly got Leo's attention, his shoulders tensing, then relaxing. "What's a dog doing in a museum?"

Leo Knight wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 12, 2021 9:23 pm

"Maybe." Leo smirked. After a moment, he sighed. The thought he problem couldn't wear them as well as you came to mind, but the strange futility of flirting with a rich socialite who was probably young enough to be his daughter suddenly struck him. "So, what's living on the moon like? Pretty much like this?" He waved a hand around again, the smirk back.

The bark instantly got Leo's attention, his shoulders tensing, then relaxing. "What's a dog doing in a museum?"

"It's like every other place, I guess? Well, we don't have a sky, really. Unless it's something generated, in the better parts of town." She shrugged. "Not a lot of pets allowed, due to well, oxygen and air and stuff." She glanced around. "Oh, that's a dog from the past. Laika? From the Russian space program? You know!"

"Ummm..." Leo frowned. "I guess. Governments sent animals up before humans to see if it was safe, right?" His schooling hadn't exactly been complete.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "I bet they wouldn't bother with that now." A moment, and he shrugged. "You want to go see this historical dog?"

Leo Knight wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:48 pm

"Ummm..." Leo frowned. "I guess. Governments sent animals up before humans to see if it was safe, right?" His schooling hadn't exactly been complete.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "I bet they wouldn't bother with that now." A moment, and he shrugged. "You want to go see this historical dog?"

"OH yeah. Laika was among the first." She started moving towards the pen. "Ha, probably not. We have clones for that. Or 'roids. Or whatever." She waved at him to join her. "C'mon. We can probably pet him."

Laika

Laika got her share of pets from the children but soon enough their teacher probably had enough of the class idling around the dog pen. It was perhaps the least educational part of the museum, especially as they ignored the tragic backstory voiceover in the background. There was a lot of humming and hawing as the teacher pulled the group away.

"Wan! Wan!" Laika called out to them as they moved off, wagging her tail. She meandered side to side at the edge of the pen before looking at the approaching humans with eager eyes.

Diana Harper wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:59 am

"OH yeah. Laika was among the first." She started moving towards the pen. "Ha, probably not. We have clones for that. Or 'roids. Or whatever." She waved at him to join her. "C'mon. We can probably pet him."

A moment of consideration, and Leo's lips quirked, almost like a smile. "Yeah. Okay."

He followed the socialite over to the pen, but stood back, crossing his arms, letting her approach the dog; he felt she would probably enjoy it more than him. "He seems friendly." Leo offered.

Laika

Laika perked her nose and started sniffing the air with great enthusiasm as another set of humans approached for some company! She wagged her tail with anticipation as she opened her mouth to let her tongue out.

"Oh, who's a good boy? Yes you are! Yes, you." Diana seemed to melt into a puddle in front of the dog clone.

'Aw, he seems so cute!"

Laika

Laika is a good girl! However, despite what she was called, she still seemed to revel in the attention given by the next set of humans. She wagged her short tail profusely and even let out a pleased 'Wan!" as she clambered onto the side of the pen with her two front paws, standing on her hind legs in the effort.

"Yeah. Sure." Leo studied the dog, and the socialite. There was a long pause.

Finally, he sighed, smiling just a little. "You have any dogs yourself, miss?" He asked.