Lyre crossed from the dirty concrete of the TransPod station onto the polished faux marble floors of the shopping area concourse on the main level of thas downtown office building. Tha kept pace with the other pedestrians around her, though declined assistance from the FLO traffic control system. Tha planned instead to exit the stream shortly at a Starbux coffee shop.
 |
| Lyre |
Marcie was standing outside the coffee shop cradling a Grande Skinny Americano in a soyplast cup and watching the flow of commuters, waiting for a chance to step into the stream.
"... two children: Spoola age 3 and Fort age 5, husband Blair enjoys golf and boating ..." continued Charlotte.shurpa.
At 30 meters, Marcie noticed Lyre and smiled.
"Common interest product placement opportunity: Nesvog Shoe sale at noon today," said Charlotte.shurpa in a slightly faster-paced voice.
"Marcie! Good morning. How are you? Do you have to rush away?" said Lyre, stepping out of the FLO.
"So good to see you, Lyre. No, I'm not in a rush. Are you getting a coffee?" asked Marcie.
Lyre reached though the Starbux window and took tham coffee from a shurpa barrista, Grande half-sweet Hickory Malt, which Charlotte.shurpa had ordered and paid for ten minutes before.
"I know you love Nesvog shoes, Lyre, so I just have to tell you ..." said Marcie.
"Oh Marcie, I was just going to tell you about the Nesvog sale today at noon," said Lyre.
"That's so funny," laughed Marcie. "I guess our shurpas are in sync on this."
"Well I really do love the shoes, there's no problem there. But what happens to the bounty now, since we both mentioned it at the same time?" asked Lyre.
Charlotte.shurpa said telecranially to Lyre, "The Word Of Mouth Marketing contract stipulates that a bounty is awarded for the first mention of the product in a conversational session. In this case, Marcie mentioned Nesvog Shoes brand before you."
"It sounds like you get the bounty. This time. Next time you have to promise count to 10 and hold your breath," said Lyre, and they both laughed.
"But really, Marcie, are you doing a lot of product placements?" asked Lyre.
"Not very much," replied Marcie. "I mean I don't give it much thought. I set the bar pretty high so my shurpa doesn't even alert me unless there is a brand I really love, like Nesvog. I might be able to get something from Starbux for recommending this coffee, but why bother? I don't love it that much and you wouldn't believe me anyway. What does Starbux pay for a plug, anyway? Probably next to nothing."
"My shurpa says I'd get Cred 0.08923 for recommending this coffee to you," said Lyre. "But it changes all the time, and my rate would be different from yours."
"You have so much more credibility than me," said Marcie. "You're so beautiful and accomplished. So many important friends. I'd be surprised if you have to pay for your coffee at all. They probably pay you to just hold the cup. Isn't that right?"
"Thanks, but no. If only. I still have to pay for my own coffee," said Lyre. But I'll tell you something. I have a little thing going with my neighbour across the hall, Mrs. Zlinski. We leave for work about the same time, so I often see her in the hallway. Each time, I tell her why my toilet paper brand is better than thas, and tha tells my why thas is better. So we each get a bounty. It's not much, but it's something. And we get to wink at each other, which is nice."
"Oh, that's so sweet," said Marcie. "Oops, it's almost time. We'd better get to the office." Marcie and Lyre both stepped into the FLO stream at the first opening.
* * *
Two minutes later, at the foot of the escalator, about 20 meters ahead of Marcie and Lyre a ragged young man, apparently a migrant, lurched out from behind a pillar and blocked the stream. He stood in front of a middle-aged man in a trench coat. "Drive a Buick," he shouted forcefully into the man's face.
Before the trench coat man could respond, the migrant dodged behind him to the next person in the column, a woman with a shopping bag. "Drive a Buick!" he shouted again.
Next he moved to a young man with a shaved head and track suit standing just ahead of Marcie and Lyre. By this time the stream was confused, with people pressing from behind and trying to step around the stationary pedestrians. Someone shouted "Hey, get moving!" A red light mounted on the pillar illuminated and started spinning slowly.
"Drive a Buick" shouted the migrant again, and the track suit man shouted back, "Fuck you! Get out of the way!" Then tha shoved the migrant, who stumbled and fell, sprawled out on the floor and blocking several other columns of pedestrians.
Two shurpa security guards appeared and handcuffed the migrant while the stream parted around them and kept moving. "It's so annoying when they do that. Surely they can't get paid for that kind of behavior!" said Marcie, looking back at the man on the floor.
"The sad thing is I think they do." said Lyre. "Otherwise, why would they do it?"