Would You Like Fries With That? (Open)

[SEER]

Being a program that worked off of massive amounts of data, Seer had many choice areas in which to hang out in. This gathering place for users, the "Bit Restuarant" was a fairly ideal place to get information on whatever users were concerned about as far as the grid went. It was also in an ideal area, right in the middle of the city. So once he felt he had had enough data from the users, he could go just about anywhere in Tron City without crossing from one end to the other. Today was one of his days for starting out here. As he rounded the corner that put the familiar building into his line of sight, it was increasingly obvious that it was a favorite of the users. Plenty of the non-programs were up and down the street. And no two looked the same.

"This is so cool!" Remarked one user to another. No, he couldn't quite tell simply from sight as to which was a user and which was a program most of the time. It was more of what they said, and how they said it. Whenever he saw a first-time user in Tron City, however, that that was a totally different story. The wide-eyed wonderment in which they had each time was a dead giveaway. He also noticed a few trends in user behavior, which is why he chose this burger place as one of his main places to go for information.

The building design itself, Seer had little to say about given it was Sam Flynn's design (and isn't told otherwise). It served its purpose well in any case. Once he stepped inside the building, his ears were hit with music. Not the same kind as Castor's MP3s, it wasn't appropriate for this sort of establishment. The program took a seat in one of the many booths in the building, close to the center, and waved off any of the workers that came by. He had little reason to partake in what the users were doing here after all and he had work to do. Placing his elbows on the table, he spared little effort in trying to cover up what was doing as he observed.

[Ellie Langley]

Ellie Langley, when not wandering the streets of Tron City, would often grab a soda and sit in this resturaunt, just to pass the time. Sam had created it with good intentions, she was sure, but the music was so out of place for what the world was...not that it was any kind of music she listened to anyway. Mostly indie bands and off the wall singers took up room on her iPod, which was the only user-made electronic she carried with her that still worked in the Grid. Her headphones were on as she sat by herself in one of the booths, going over spreads of cards, her eyes scanning quickly back and forth over them, her fingertips grazing their edges.

The cards were a big part of her life. Ellie trusted what they told her and more often than not was correct when it came to a simple telling of what the day had in store for her. Of course, being the master of your own fate could have something to do with the mysticism buried deep within her, but it was always nice to have something to rely on, to fall back on when things didn't seem to be going your way. Ellie's Tarot cards were just that...her fall back. Her comfort zone.

She had glanced up when a program entered. As Seer knew, all it took was paying attention to the way one carried themselves, the way they spoke, or didn't speak, to tell them apart from user or program. Of course, Ellie with her fiery red hair and strange cards stood out as a user, but she could tell Seer was a program, and one she hadn't ever seen around. Not meaning to stare, she finally tore her gaze away and looked back down to the cards on the table in front of her.

One of the workers, one she was familiar with after being a frequent of this place, pointed to her glass and smiled, knowing Ellie had her own music playing through her earbuds. Ellie looked up, pulling one out nonchalantly, and smiling.

"Yeah, thanks Orel, I would like another." She said. Orel, the program she was addressing nodded with another smile, retrieving her drink and setting it down.

"You know, you spend so much time here--why don't you ever get a hotel room, Ellie?"

Ellie laughed, shrugging off the question, rolling the earbud between her fingers as the program acquaintance asked her the same question a lot of people did.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I just don't worry about it."

"Well," Orel laughed, crossing his arms. "What do the cards tell you today?" She had explained to Orel what they were after days of him being curious.

"They tell me to be careful." Ellie smiled a bit. "But aren't I always?" A laugh was exchanged as the program got to work and Ellie set to placing the earbud back in her ear. Maybe she'd try another spread, this one had unsettling results.

[SEER]

Seer simply sat and listened, taking in everything the users and few program workers were saying. The basis of his program needed the "feel" of the grid, and users were slowly making a larger presence on the grid. For the most part, he didn't read any sort of problems from them either. The program didn't have anything against users. If it came down to it, he'd protect them - even if he wasn't a security program. He supposed his time around Tram was the cause for that.

"What do you want to do next?"

"The Grid is is so much more than I thought it would be."

"Huh, they actually have burgers here."

"Encom really outdid themselves this time."

Those were all examples of the bits he picked up on. As he suspected, they were fairly positive. It had been that way the last times in which he had gathered data from the place. It was a good sign at least that users tended to not threaten the grid, not openly at least.

"What do the cards say today?"

"They tell me to be careful. But aren't I always?"

He almost disregarded the first one, but it was intriguing. Cards? What could cards possibly say? He broke out of his listening mode and looked in the approximate direction of the conversation. A red-haired female immediately grabbed his attention. He had seen her on previous visits, and had by now determined her to be a user. Even if he hadn't seen her before, the soda in front of her was a giveaway. Thinking back on his previous data, he stood up and walked over to her.

The prediction program caught sight of Ellie's tarot cards, and although he didn't know what they were exactly, they were cards after all. He was right, she was the one of the ones he heard talking. However, she had something in her ears and he wasn't sure how to approach her. He decided touching her would be a bad idea. Users reacted far too differently. Thus, he ended up instead sitting in the booth opposite of her table. He decided to wait a few moments for her to see him and hopefully hear him.

"The cards speak to you? How do they speak? Is it...something only concerning users?" He finally asked.

[Ellie Langley]

Ellie had focused herself back on her cards, the music ironically helping her to clear her mind so she could get an accurate reading. If one was too distracted, too stressed or worried, the cards could tell them something completely different, and for someone who relied on them as much as she did, that was a no-no.

Her fingers drummed the table after she flipped the three cards, her hair falling down to frame her face as her eyes danced over them, hardly noticing the program she'd noticed earlier had moved to the booth across from her. However, her music was low enough that she caught his words, and she looked up, a little surprised he was speaking to her. Orel was an exception, Orel was an acquaintance, she'd realized most programs didn't just start up conversations with users on their own.

"Huh?" She took the earbuds out of her ears, and after a few moments registered what he said. So, he was interested in her cards. She never dreamed she'd start up a conversation with them. Raising a brow, looking almost as surprised as she felt, the red-head responded.

"...well...you have to read them, actually." She said, looking down to them. "Each card has a different meaning for everyone to interpret in their own way, I wouldn't imagine it strictly concerned users. You could probably do this too, if you were practiced enough." Ellie paused, scooping the cards back up into her deck and clacking them against the table.

"I'm sorry...your name? I didn't catch it.."

[SEER]

"Ah...I see," Began the program. But he was then asked for his name. Most that knew Seer also knew his social graces were...lacking. Such was a time he wished his user had better programmed his social skills. "My name is Seer. I'm a program that...I suppose does similar things to those cards. I gather data all over the grid and determine the most probable future outcomes from the "feel" of things. I apologize for my interruption, User."

Seer's lips twisted a bit into a soft smirk. For all he tried, the male program hardly ever genuinely smiled. He just didn't have it in him. From the limited contact he had with his creator, Beowulf, he had eventually come to the conclusion it was either how he was programmed or it was a piece of the user's personality that somehow marked itself into his coding. It would take reading the rest of his face and body language for most understand he didn't actually mean any harm in it. "I couldn't help myself when it sounded like you were predicting your future. If users are capable of doing such things on their own, my user would've had little reason in creating me."


He then paused for a moment. He was forgetting something. The smirk left his face as he realized what it was he had forgotten. "What would your name be?"

[Ellie Langley]

Ellie raised a brow when he spoke about what his user programmed him for. Gathering data to decide the most probable outcome of a situation? It was kind of what she did with the cards, just...not so much the gathering data. Ellie hardly knew anything about the people she read for, and if she was correct about something, well, leave it to fate or something mystical. She couldn't help but smile, this program had to be the most interesting one she'd met as of yet. She couldn't recall ever hearing of a program that predicted the future, but either way, this was fascinating.

"Seer. It's a fitting name for what you do." She said with another smile, a friendly one. She disregarded his smirk, not taking it to heart and assuming he meant no harm. Looking down to her cards, she listened to him speak about being unable to help himself. "It's no problem, I'm always willing to share my knowledge of the cards with others. It's not often I'm asked, other users think I'm strange for it. A black sheep, if you know the term." She said, her fingertips grazing the tops of the cards.

"What would your name be?"

"Ellie Langley, nice to meet you, Seer." She said, extending a hand. She wasn't sure how much programs knew about handshakes...even though that may have been naivety on her part speaking. Surely they knew the social graces that were basic knowledge of users. Their creators had to hardwire that into their programming, didn't they?

"Why don't you sit down?" She gestured to the seat across from her. "I'd really like to hear more about your predictions. I'll tell you more about mine in return."

[SEER]

Seer nodded a bit as Ellie commented on his name being appropriate, however, he looked quizzical at the term of "black sheep." "No," he answered. "I haven't heard that term before. I'm afraid my user vocabulary only goes so far. However, I did understand strange." He considered various questions to ask her, even as she spoke her name and offered a handshake.

He had fortunately been programmed with that much knowledge and took her hand, giving it a fairly firm shake. "Nice to meet you as well, Miss Langley." Upon getting the invitation to sit on the other side chair, he simply nodded and took his seat. His eyes gazed down at the deck of cards. He wondered what could be found in such simple objects. He would've wondered if they truly worked but weirder things happened with users he had found.

As he heard Ellie's statement about swapping predictions, he paused to contemplate this. He wasn't really supposed to give his information to anyone besides Beowulf, or other important users in Encom. However, the program had found a weakness in himself for information and didn't mind too much in saying pieces.

"My predictions are mainly to report on what, if any, threats are coming to the Grid. It's imperative to know such things - especially with more and more users appearing daily. I have more information to gather before I can come up with a fully correct report. However, I can say that as it stands now...there isn't an immediate threat to the Grid that should cause panic," he said. In all actuality, he was telling a fib. Even if he didn't know about a few disappearances as of late, he himself could be considered a threat easily. He decided to add in, "Again, I still have more to do."

The program looked down at his gloved hands. The medium gray circuitry on his armor was reflected in the cloak he wore. Yes, there was so much more to do. Seer then looked again at Ellie. "What sort of predictions do you make, Miss Langley?"

[Ellie Langley]

Ellie got the feeling she wasn't getting the whole story from him. It just seemed like too easy of a job, to determine threats to the Grid. All you had to do was pay attention and survey who came and went, as far as she knew, there weren't any special instructions to it. However, she let it go and put off the strange vibe she got from Seer's answer, nodding as he talked and taking in everything he said. She honestly was very intrigued, there had to be more to this program's story than he was letting on. She would have loved to know it.

The red-head blinked a few times, seemingly lost in thought when he asked about her 'predictions', and she laughed, spreading the cards slightly and flipping a few over, the art and words visible to Seer. Ellie looked down to them, and contemplated the best way to describe just how to read the cards and how you told someone what was in store for them.

"Predictions with these aren't always accurate. I'm no sorceress." She said with a small smile, looking up to him and holding up a card. "Every card has a different meaning. When you pull the card for someone, you interpret the meaning as best you can, and the person will fit it into their lives. Sometimes the predictions are accurate; outcomes of a certain situation, how the person's day will be. Things like that."

[SEER]

Seer watched on, taking in every word and committed them to memory. He wondered what was going on inside her head with the thinking she was apparently doing. "So you're saying basically that even with the cards the one being told has to apply it, thus still being the masters of their own destiny," he stated, looking a tad disappointed. No wonder he was being used instead of the cards. His gaze turned more thoughtful as he thought on his given purposes.

"Mine has to be far more accurate than that. I have much, much data to collect before I can even begin to give my reports...or predictions. They give insight on the Grid's current mind-set. All it takes is just a few to impact the entire path we're currently going down. It's my job to alert the system of any major threats that need to be looked into, whether it'd be close at hand or further down the cycles," he stated. After a slight pause, he spoke again. "However, your cards have me curious. Do you suppose you would be able to give me a prediction with them?"

It was an odd request, to be sure, but he didn't wish to ignore the data before it'd even be usedin front of him. Seer realized then that while he didn't ask for a particular timeframe in which to have the 'reading' done, it didn't have to be right then. "Err...if you don't mind that is. I'm also in no rush with it," he quickly added.

[Ellie Langley]

"Slightly, yes. Everyone interprets a reading differently, and sometimes, fate has other things in store for you. It's a matter of what you believe in." She said with a small smile, taking a sip of her soda, then beginning to put her cards away. However, she listened to Seer carefully as he spoke in more detail about his predictions, before looking back up and nodding to signal she was listening, a glint in her eyes showing just how interested she was.

When he paused, she began to speak, but stopped as he did again.

"However, your cards have me curious. Do you suppose you would be able to give me a prediction with them?"

No program had asked her for a reading, and she wondered if they would end up the same or even as accurate with a program. Weren't their intentions pre-installed? Though...she had seen plenty that were the masters of their own destines.

"I'd...I'd love to, actually." She said, smiling brightly, reaching back into the silk pouch she kept the cards in, and taking them out. Shuffling the deck, she looked over to him. "I can do a quick one for you. Past, present, and future spread..." She held the cards out to him. "Pull three from the deck and lie them face down, don't look at them."

[SEER]

Seer almost managed a smile, though one corner of his mouth shown the more familiar smirk. Her offer was exciting to him, even though it wasn't accurate. When she held out the cards he gently took hold of. Them. How odd it was that he felt happy about getting such a prediction. It was illogical for the most part. He supposed he simply wanted to know what she would say.

He spread the cards in his hand, still facing away from his face, and picked 3 cards from the deck. The predictor then set them down in the order he picked them beffore setting the rest neatly down. "I have done as asked," he announced to her, looking up at her eyes expectantly. His curiosity was getting the better of him for sure.

[SEER]

Seer almost managed a smile, though one corner of his mouth shown the more familiar smirk. Her offer was exciting to him, even though it wasn't accurate. When she held out the cards he gently took hold of. Them. How odd it was that he felt happy about getting such a prediction. It was illogical for the most part. He supposed he simply wanted to know what she would say.

He spread the cards in his hand, still facing away from his face, and picked 3 cards from the deck. The predictor then set them down in the order he picked them beffore setting the rest neatly down. "I have done as asked," he announced to her, looking up at her eyes expectantly. His curiosity was getting the better of him for sure.

[Ellie Langley]

Pulling the cards toward her, she nodded in response to his saying he did what she told him to. Of course he did, she watched him. Flipping the first card, she stared at it for a few moments, her chin in her right hand and her elbow on the table. Making a face, she frowned.

"This card represents your past. Deception. This card tells me you took part in a lot of deception in your past. Just who you deceived or how you did it isn't revealed to me yet." Ellie murmured, wondering if she was really hitting this head on yet. Sometimes, she got so accurate she even frightened herself. Flipping the next card, she explained that it represented his present.

"You're figuring yourself out, things are falling into place and going decently well. You're...figuring out some kind of problems in your life." She said, tapping her fingers on the table, not looking up to him just yet. Ellie had a habit of not making eye contact until the reading was finished.

"Finally, this represents your future." She flipped the last card, biting her lower lip as she stared at it. It wasn't too good. Clearing her throat, she spoke. "Betrayal...of some sort. Someone you can't trust, something will happen." She said, finally looking up to Seer. "You should probably be careful, whatever path of life you're on."

She would wait to see his reaction to judge how close she was.

[SEER]

Seer listened and merely watched as Ellie flipped the cards. It was perhaps a good thing that programs didn't have to worry about blood. If they did, his face would've been a bit paler than normal. Luckily, the only outword signs were his facial expression and the fact his circuitry dimmed for a few seconds. She was spot on, or would've been if the last one didn't seem so vague. He felt that the betrayl would most likely be his doing, not directed towards him. But the rest... it made him wonder.

"You have an interesting story coming from your cards," he said as his circuitry regained its normal medium-gray glow. "I'm afraid you may be off on that, although the 'present' card seems to be the most accurate." He managed a smile, though he felt regretful. He did not wish to lie to the user sitting across from himself but it had to be done. Admitting to one deception would possibly lead to another until his secret was found out. While a part of him didn't mind being de-rezzed for the good of the Grid, an even greater part didn't want to cease existing. Not to mention, Beowulf would certainly just make another of him if given the chance.

"Miss Ellie, you wouldn't have happened to see a user who looks similar to me outside of the Grid, have you? Perhaps you know of a Beowulf?"

Seer was unaware of the name's origins and lore, all he knew was that was the first name of his user. The conversation was being changed too soon perhaps, but he wanted to know if she knew his user or not.