(Untitled)

[rt_5478]

Say what you will about mad scientists, but they always have access to really neat gadgets.

Such as, say, the quantum laptop Dave gave to Artie for Christmas this year. Artie's running it on a booth near the door. (He's not about to use it on Bar herself--he doesn't want to risk disrupting whatever mechanisms make her work

Comments

[realmrsreynolds]

Kakuro isn't too terribly familiar to ranchers from the 26th century.

"Hope you don't mind my interruptin'," Sallie almost drawls. "What's that?" she asks, pointing to the mass of numbers.

[rt_5478]

"Karuko," says Artie without looking up. "It's a Japanese logic puzzle. The numbers in each column and line have to add up to the number on the edge, without repeating any digits. It's quite challenging, when constructed properly."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Oh." It looks like someone mangled a math textbook, to Sallie, but she still smiles at the man. "Good for folk to have something to occupy themselves with."

Beat. "I can leave you alone with it...?"

[rt_5478]

And he finally looks up. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being terribly rude, aren't I? No, go ahead and sit down, if you like." He gestures with the stylus toward the opposite side of the booth.

[realmrsreynolds]

"I'm the one who interrupted you, don't worry on it."

Sitting down on the other side of the booth, Sallie offers a hand, "Sallie Reynolds."

[rt_5478]

"Arthur Meriono." He shakes her hand firmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Same here, Arthur," the silver-haired woman grins.

"You want anythin' from the Bar? Was about to order myself another apple..."

[rt_5478]

"Call me Artie, please. And some fresh fruit would be lovely, thank you."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Artie," Sallie repeats, her form of remembering folks' names.

She goes to stand, but a waitrat is nearby enough that he heads her way. "Some apples, please? And a couple pears."

Turning back to Artie, "Fruit's kind of expensive in my 'verse."

[rt_5478]

"Oh? Where are you from, exactly?"

He has a hunch that he already knows. One can't associate with Dave Davenport for any length of time without absorbing a great deal of science fiction, and there's only one mythos that uses the word "'verse" in that context.

[realmrsreynolds]

"I live on a planet called Shadow; year's 2520. If you've been about the bar for any length of time, you've probably run into a fair few that are from the same time I am."

[rt_5478]

"I can't say that I have, but this is only my fourth time here." He hesitates a moment. "Tell me, Ms. Reynolds... you wouldn't happen to be related to a Malcolm Reynolds, would you?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"Shi a," Sallie smiles politely. "Malcolm's my son. Have you seen him here already? My, he gets around."

[rt_5478]

Hypothesis confirmed.

"I only know him by reputation, ma'am. He's... quite well-known in some circles."

[realmrsreynolds]

This triggers a maternal stance that Artie probably wasn't suspecting.

"...You don't sound like you're from my neck of the 'verse, Artie," Sallie raises an eyebrow.

[rt_5478]

Oops.

"I'm not. Word gets around here. You know how it is..."