Working progress (D0, Pregame, MA)

[Feature]

They hadn't got *that* much to do for a while. Or, well, not more than the usual. Soup, bathing and providing some company to the esteemed Gatehouse visitors - or residents - was always a given. But it was good to find something else to do outside the gates. And there hadn't been much of that... so maybe they could find something?

The worker's district should be a good guess. They remembered that... Tense guy. Folks often said they had decent job offers. For some reason they had been turned off other times - maybe something about the offers they were after being improper? But maybe he might have something for them now. Oh, and there was that 'private investigation' agency somewhere around, too! Maybe they could use someone... 'find something, get it and bring it back' was their kind of fun, and it did sound to them at least a bit like both 'private' and 'investigation'. So maybe?

For now, they just strolled around, a bouncy ball with a silly grin.

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

From up above a pair of eyes was idly watching the road. Or rather, one of them was. The other in a painful feat of physical control was reading a book. As the rather blissful looking Monodrone made his way down the street, the outwards facing eye alerting the book eye to confirm, and the both passed this information on to the brain.

It was time for a study break anyway. Throwing on her coat the investigator hurtles down the stairs, jumps across a few tables in the tavern below and launches herself into a forward roll into the street before calmly sidling next to Feature as they went about their business.

"Excuse me sir, do you have a few moments?"

[Feature]

They didn't really budge for a good few seconds. The words did come through eventually, leading the single eye to squint and their brow to furrow. Or... was that still part of their eyelid?

Sir?

They looked to one side - the wrong one - squinted again, as if looking for someone, then finally turned around to where Naila was, with an unfortunate forward step that meant he bumped eye-first into her.

"Ah.. ouch! Apologies, madam! You were looking for someone?" The sphere turned to one side then another again. "Ack... we're afraid whoever thar sir was, there's a 56% chance they haven't heard you and left..." They tilt their head slightly, as if trying to see farther in the crowd. The silly single-eyed smile turns to face her. "Ah... maybe we can help you find them? Then maybe you may help us find these Mellow and Drownd'em place? I heard they look for stuff!"

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

Naila isn't exactly the stockiest sentient in Sigil and she ends up rocking back for a moment before quickly recovering from the eye on detective violence.

"No apologies at all you probably couldn't se-...you were probably distracted. In fact, I can say with a surety you were distracted. Although Modrons do often just bump into things..."
She peers at Feature for a long moment.
"Regardless you are the 'sir' I was referring to, sir. However I am open to using a range of other honorifics, within reason." She still wasn't over the client who would only answer to 'daddy'.

"I was wondering if you would be able to answer a few questions. Would you describe yourself as sapient?"
Meanwhile another small part of her mind was repeatedly ramming up against 'Mellow and Drownd'em' Some kind of night club and swimming pool? An upbeat water cult? OP...or."

"Perhaps as a component of your answer you could confirm if you are seeking Marlow and Drooten? That would go some way towards the sapience issue."

[Feature]

snip

The monodrone raises its eyebrow - which looks a bit as if they were furrowing their brow and opening their eye wide. "We, a sir?" They shake their head. "No, no! Thank you, miss, but we're not nobles!" The smile widens a bit though. "You can call us Feature, if that's within reason!"

They purse their lips for a moment, seeming not to move at all, and Naila can hear a low whirring sound as if a machine was running. "Sentient... 88% on that. And Mellow and Drownd'em, they're supposed to be investi..."

Something clicks, and the big eye locks into one of Naila's. "Ah! 66% certain it could be Marlow and Drooten! We must have misheard. Would you happen to know them, then? I was hoping for something fun to do!"

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

"Well anyone can be sentient, that's not hard. Feature, I would like to know if you and monodrones are sapient, that's a much higher category of thought. For instance, do you know how to use tools to make other tools? Can you do algebra? Don't worry if you can't."

She does eye the eye with interest though, literally hearing them think. "I am actually Drooten, Naila Drooten, detective extraordinaire. Evidently you have...sort of heard of me." She extends a glove hand. "Was there something I could assist you with? Some devilishly hard case only I can crack?"

[Feature]

snip

"Ah! One! We can certainly do algebra! Also read a bit on differential calculus last year, as the books on Probability Theory kept saying that was important. Rather complicated here and there, but it makes sense when you get the hang of it, and..."

A long blink, the silly smile comes back with a vengeance and they extend their stick-and-joints hand to take Naila's own gloved ones. "That... wasn't the point, though, was it? Pleased to meet you, ms Drooten! And there is! We... suppose we do have a hard case!"

Their other hand touches the side of their orby body, and Naila can hear a tic-tac giggle.

"A hard case of boredom, after the third round of serving soup this afternoon! From what we heard of ms Droop'em and ms Marlow's business you search for things and facts, one? We were wondering... would you half-half need helpers?"

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

"Oh...you can? Fascinating. Well, you should be congratulated Feature, you appear to be sapient. Would you say that's unusual in a monodrone?"
She flips out a small notebook and starts quickly writing this down.

"The hard case...of boredom, I see. That is something I suffer from myself. There is no permanent cure so one must seek continuous treatment. And you are offering to." She cocks her head slightly. "Help? With the investigations?"

Her note taking pauses for a moment.
"Well. You should know we don't actually charge for our services so providing remuneration would be difficult. But if that isn't an obstacle."
Then the pen starts moving again.
"What would you say you bring to an investigation? What are your skills...other than mathematics?"

[Feature]

Snip

The question about other monodrones leads to another bout of low whirring. "Um. The others of us... well, we had rather specific functions. Sighting, reporting, noting down the procedures, applying them. At least some required algebra... half-half they did, at least?"

The furrowed brow-eyelid soon straightens up again, bringing back the silly smile with a vengeance. "No charges are not an obstacle, no! Do you also come for soup, then, Ms Drooten? We... don't think we remember seeing you there!"

The question on the monodrone's abilities brings back some whirring, although more intermitent this time, and the silly smile doesn't budge.

"Oh, we're good at fetching things! That, and redistributing them!" Some more whirring. "We also like fidgetting with mechanisms here and there... and well, as you said, maths. Especially probabilities! They help a lot in reaching conclusions - and in reminding us there's always a chance we're just plain wrong!"

The happy grin they hold while saying the last part is almost a bit frightening.

[Naila Drooten]

Snip

"But you don't have a specific function?...Would you say you identify as a Multidrone then?"
Perhaps there was a monodrone whose sole function was naming drones depending on their function.

Clearly her throat. "Uhh, well I am fortunate enough in that sometimes wealthier clients tip. Wealth isn't a concern but it does provide access to certain important things, like apple juice."

She takes all of Features' listed features in, making the occasional note.
"I see, well your skillset is unusual, but perhaps ideal for investigate work. We often have to fetch things, and reaching conclusions, well that is the entire purpose of the exercise."
Pausing for a moment.

"We don't actually do much maths, but there is no reason we can't start. Perhaps we could use probability to predict crimes occurring in the future? We might get the odd few wrong, but that could be covered by a minority report."