I Spyware || Margot and Norma
TIMING: Current LOCATION: Norma’s Apartment PARTIES: @g0t-ri5h and @normallee SUMMARY: Margot helps Norma with her steaming computer
Norma checked on her computer. It was no longer steaming, which was an improvement, she supposed, and the rice seemed to be softer now. She was not sure if that meant it was progressing appropriately or not but the internet had said rice solved water issues with electronics so she assumed it was doing its job. Hopefully the computer expert she had contacted online would be here shortly to fix her problems. There were so many days Norma wondered if the world was easier to navigate and exist in before the invention of modern electronics. No, easier was not the word. Many things were easier now, like ordering a pack of two hundred scrunchies. She didn’t know what a scrunchie was or why there was a need for two hundred of them, but the rainforest website recommended them to her so it seemed like a sensible purchase. Still, things were simpler when she didn’t have to care for strange electronic boxes. Who knew that spilling a vase of water would damage it? Preposterous. There was a knock on the door. Norma waited for a moment. “Come in!” she said, waiting a little longer before remembering that the cousto was she had to go and open the door because it was in fact locked. “Hello, my name is Norma Lee. How may I help you?”
Margot had been very excited to receive a message from this Norma person, it meant her name and work was gaining a reputation around White Crest, and that she might actually make rent this month. She was still getting used to this town; how backwards and seemingly frozen in time it seemed. Most of the jobs she had done had consisted of her turning the outdated device off and on again, then being paid for it. This job seemed far more her speed. Norma had broken one of Margot’s golden rules; never keep liquids around your computer. She had learned this lesson the hard way, frying her first laptop with a cup of coffee. Hopefully, this would act as Norma’s lesson, and she wouldn’t need to return to fix such a sadistic mistake. Margot knocked on the door, her shoulders drooping under the weight of her backpack. Norma had failed to identify what kind of PC she had, so Margot had brought almost all of her spare parts in hopes that one would fit. She heard a voice beckon her inside. Margot turned the handle to find it was locked. She rolled her eyes and lifted her left hand to knock again. The door was open before she could and was greeted by the face of Norma. “Margot.” She replied shortly to the introduction, “I’m here to fix your steaming computer.” She was becoming short of breath now, the weight of the equipment beginning to crush her lanky frame. “Can I put this stuff down?” Margot requested curtly.
“Margot?” she asked, tilting her head. Then Norma remembered. The computer person was in fact named Margot. “Oh yes! You are in fact that person! Please come in!” She opened the door widely and gestured for the woman to walk inside her apartment. Norma led her along the shag carpet though her living arrangement, past the furniture from that Swedish furniture shop that sounded like a sneeze. She wasn’t sure why so many mortals complained about the difficulty in putting the pieces together, she found it relatively simple. Sure, they didn’t seem sturdy and they hardly matched the picture, but she assumed it was a “get what you pay for situation” that humans were so fond of mentioning. “The computer is right over here. As you can see, it is not functioning as listed. I feel as if I should send a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer. This is clearly a defective product.” Norma sighed and pointed to the steaming tower covered in rice. “It’s not supposed to do this, correct? This is very upsetting. What kind of machine can’t handle a vase full of water spilling nearby?!”
Margot entered the apartment, shrugging off her bag one shoulder at a time and putting it beside the door. “Okay, where’s the fire?” She asked, only now looking up. It was unlike anything Margot had seen before. Her sneakers brushed against the shag carpet, a texture she had only encountered in her Grandmother’s living room. “Nice place.” Margot gulped at the sight of multiple flamingos. Yes, flamingos. Green instead of pink and assaulting to the eyes. Margot wondered if she had actually wandered into her Grandmother’s house. She had to stop herself from commenting on the rest of the interior -- it’s charm, and focus on the task at hand. She sat down in front of the computer. “No, that’s certainly not a listed function, but I don’t think appealing to the manufacturer’s goodwill will do you any good.” She assessed the damage as she spoke, pushing aside what seemed to be several cups of rice from the device. “You’re correct. It’s not supposed to do this,” Margot retrieved her small toolkit and took out a screwdriver, “But you’re not supposed to spill water on electrical devices either.” She noted the pool of water around the machine as well as the vase just beside. “Please, for the love of god, tell me you didn’t have the vase on top of the computer, did you?” Margot held the bridge of her nose between her thumb and finger.
Norma felt as if she should be taking notes, but instead she simply nodded along and planned to keep all of this information in mind for later. Suely it was handy to know so she could avoid this in the future. It was good to see that Margot came well prepared and ready to work, she was highly confident that she knew what she was doing. “Oh, of course not! I would never place a vase on a computer, that would be silly!” Norma rolled her eyes at the very notion. “No one could see it if I put it on the computer. No, no, I put it on the table next to the computer!” She reached down to pick up the very heavy, slightly off balance vase. It was cement, made of two hands sticking upright from a base, holding up a bowl. It was very heavy and not the most stable, but it was one she saw for sale online that claimed it had good reviews. She assumed every human had at least two. “Once you’ve fixed the steaming issue, would you be able to tell me if my computer is sick? A man named Norton keeps reminding me of his anti-virus for computers. I would like to know if I should be concerned or if I can tell Norton to go away.”
The vase was a safety hazard, entirely unbalanced, and furthermore, was rather disturbing to look at. “That’s very ugly.” Margot said before she could stop herself. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Norma, knowing that she had probably offended her. She turned her attention back to the computer. “In future, it is best to keep liquids of any kind far away, just to be safe.” Margot sounded like a public service announcement, but it seemed the only way to communicate effectively with this person. “We’ll deal with this first and then Norton. I’ll make sure he leaves you and your… sick computer alone.” This exchange was painful, worse than the time Margot had taught her Grandmother to use Facebook. Her Grandmother was eighty-three. Margot had unscrewed the wall of the tower, and could now assess the damage inside. “Just what I thought,” She dissected the pieces inside, “You’ve drowned it.” Margot placed the various components on the desk in front of her, all sopping wet. “Would you have a towel? We need to dry this stuff out before it starts to corrode.” Margot has a feeling this job would take longer than expected.
“Is it?” Norma picked it up and looked it over. It didn’t make much sense to her, sure, but neither did much of mortal’s decorations and customs. “Many people on the internet seemed to like it. I assumed it was a nice vase.” She let out a sigh and then simply shrugged and tossed the cement vase over her shoulder. It landed with an unceremonious thud. “Oh well. I will simply find another one on RegrEtsy later.” Norma pulled up a chair nearby and sat down, elbows on her knees and chin in her hands, watching the woman work on her computer. “That’s very nice of you. I like you far more than Norton. He’s so pushy.” This woman seemed very aggravated by this whole situation. It was baffling. She was told to keep a smile on at her job, it was odd that was not the case for all humans in other jobs. “I drowned it?” Norma puffed out air through her lips. “That’s silly, computers can’t drown, they are inanimate objects!” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, small smile on her face as she went to get that towel as requested. What a silly prank to pull. Only… “Computers aren’t sentient, right?” she asked, leaning her head out of the kitchen door frame for a moment to look back at Margot. “They don’t have eyes like potatoes, right?” Though many had assured her potatoes were safe, Norma still refused to keep them in her house. Would she need to take similar precaution with this electronic device?
Margot flinched when the vase hit the floor, not expecting such a reaction, but it seemed the object was rather replaceable to the woman. “RegrEtsy, that’s a good one.” Margot looked around, an Etsy shopping spree would explain the mismatched decor and other knick knacks. “Norton, like myself, only wants what is best for your computer.” Still, she was strangely flattered by Norma’s compliment. No one had ever liked her more than an antivirus software before. When Norma left the room, Margot dried her hands on her sweater. “No, not sentient, but they can think, I suppose, interpret data and process it.” Margot narrowed her eyes at Norma as she popped back out. “Potatoes?” Norma may be the strangest person Margot had met in White Crest so far, and considering four people had already warned her about dangerous mimes, dogs and worms, so it was quite the achievement. “I don’t think your computer has eyes, but this webcam up here,” Margot gestured to the small camera, “You should really keep a cover over it. Anyone can hack it and watch you.” She went and retrieved her back pack from beside the front door.
“Yes, potatoes. I don’t trust them. I’m very glad to see that they’re regularly tortured and fried in vats of oil at work daily.” Norma did in fact know the likelihood of a potato watching her or an ear of corn listening to her was very slim, but the possibility existed and that was enough to warrant concern. There was a bounty on her after all. “Data processing used to be much simpler, you know. You would simply write it down on a stone— I mean on paper and humans would do the processing.” Though, again, Norma supposed this was simpler in the long run, to simply use the computer. For her at least. Fixing this electronic processor seemed like a lot of work and she stood to the side and watched, arms crossed. She hoped to learn something but she wasn’t even sure what she was looking at. Or who cared to look at her. “A cover? Oh. What kind of cover? I don’t think a blanket would be entirely suitable for this application.” There were so many ins and outs to these rather unimpressive looking rectangular boxes. She wasn’t entirely sure how mortals managed to keep up with things with the short time they had. “Please make sure no one can spy on me. I will pay you extra. A lot extra. It’s important no one is able to back trace me through the internet.” She hoped those were the correct terms. They sounded like things she had heard in relation to technology before.
“Where do you work?” Margot asked, wondering where in this odd town this odd person would fit. She began to rifle through her pack, pulling out various tools in preparation. Then she began to pat down the various parts of the machine until they seemed dry enough. Deep in concentration, she barely heard Norma’s audible slip. “Those days were simpler I suppose, but there’s more error in letting humans do those kinds of tasks.” Margot believed that computers were far superior to humans. Computers she understood. Humans she did not, not even herself. Parts dry, Margot assessed their condition. It seemed she would only have to replace a few things, thankful it would not be a complete rebuild. “No need for a blanket,” Margot rolled her eyes, “A piece of paper with tape will do. But, yes, this costs extra.” Margot fetched a piece of tape from her kit, fashioned a sticky note into a blindfold and stuck it over the camera. “There you go. If you want to video chat just take that off.” Margot’s eyebrows perked up, she was just fitting the first piece of hardware back into the desktop, “Why is security so important to you anyhow?” Margot imagined Norma only used the computer for the occasional online purchase; this was far more interesting. She turned to Norma, “Have you got something to hide?”
“Bottomless Booty! We have the world’s best gARRRlic fries! You should come aboard and join us on a tasty adventure!” Norma was sure that she convinced this woman to come patronize her at her work. She looked forward to her tip already. Though she did wonder if this woman was questioning her at all, she did emphasize the word human. Norma’s eyes narrowed a moment in scrutiny, but she couldn’t be sure if Margot was implying something or not. For the time being, she would offer this mortal the benefit of the doubt. She was proving useful, after all. “Thank you very much, that was an oddly simple solution.” Norma wondered if she could maintain her promise of payment, all things considered. No, no, she had said she would and so she would. Tipping service was important no matter how seemingly simple it was, she had learned that much. Though the woman’s next question caught her off guard. “What?” she exclaimed, trying not to appear too flustered. “Security is important to everyone! Everyone should want to be safe and secure and not hunted down! I have nothing to hide!” She gave a very convincing, unnervous laugh. Certainly not at all fake and highly confident. “I would never hide anything at all! I am very open and forthcoming!”
Margot sniggered at the familiar slogan, one she’d heard over the radio many times since moving here. “I’ll be sure to come by and try the, uh, gARRRlic fries.” They did sound appetizing. Margot continued her work, securing the last of the pieces of hardware, some old and some replaced. She was pleased with her work, admiring it now it was complete. She screwed the wall of the tower back on. Norma appeared shocked by Margot’s question, the reaction of some with something to hide. Margot felt ‘hunted’ was an odd choice of words. Too specific. “I’m sure… You’re practically an open book.” Margot stated sarcastically. Then, she had a thought. “Let’s boot this thing up.” Like that, her attention was back on the PC, connecting all the relevant cables before hitting the power button. It was up and running, a miracle after the tragedy of the spilt vase. “I just need to install some additional hardware, it will help to protect your system, since that’s so important to you.” She gave Norma a sideways look and bent down to retrieve a flash drive from her back pack. It was one she had owned for many years and had used many times. It contained a virus, one that did not corrupt a system, but instead monitored it, recorded and sent the data straight to Margot. She inserted the drive and gave Norma a reassuring smile. “Won’t be long.” Margot hoped Norma was as clueless about computers as she led on.
Norma was relieved to see that the mortal had bought her act, hook, line and whatever it was that they said in their silly phrase to indicate that their usually not so cunning plans had worked. It was remarkable how strangely complicated the machines and parts were that Margot worked on. Norma simply stood by and watched, hoping that maybe something of what she was doing would make sense or be applicable to some future endeavor. No matter how closely she watched, none of it made much sense. Oh well. “A boot? Hold on! I’m sure I have a boot to use for such an occasion!” Norma ran off into her bedroom to go find a boot, the use of which she was unsure of but she wanted to be helpful to the poor human. She only had so long to live after all. Any expediency of time that Norma could provide certainly gave Margot a few more of her own precious moments to live and enjoy. They were ticking away, after all. When she returned to the room, boot in hand, the computer had already been turned on. “Oh, look, it’s working! You should have told me you had your own boot. But this is wonderful! I’ll go grab my check book. Bee-Are-Bee, as the children say!”
At the sight of Norma’s left boot, Margot’s worries melted away. Margot resisted the urge to roll her eyes once more, in fear of straining them. The woman had no idea what Margot was truly doing to her device. While Norma returned the boot in the other room, Margot executed the malware, ensuring that it was near invisible unless you were looking for it, and she was sure Norma would never catch on. The installation was finished, and now Margot would be able to see every one of Norma's clicks and keystrokes from the comfort of her own computer. A perfect crime. She removed the flash drive, and placed it back into the safety of her bag. At the mention of money, Margot felt finally at ease in this strange home. A rare smile sweeping across her features. They were finally speaking the same language. “Perfect! It seems my job is done here.” Margot breathed a sigh of relief. “I hate to ask, but would you have cash?” She called after Norma. Margot preferred this form of payment, “it’s just easier for me. Saves me a trip to the bank.” Well, that and bank tellers had a tendency to ask questions.
“Perfect” Norma said, mirroring the mortal. But her brows furrowed at her next request. She was very relieved the task had been completed, and so quickly it seemed, and with a bonus! However, the matter of specification on payment was quite alarming. “No check? They do work, I know how to write them, I’ve practiced! And I have the proper currency if that is your concern.” The thing about living for a few centuries was that she had quite a lot of money in banks and things all over the world and had amassed a decent bit of wealth she supposed without hardly trying. Mortals valued time so much that they made it into currency in a way, rewarding longevity in investments and giving more value to older items. It certainly served her well over the years. She didn't care much one way or another, it was all meaningless to her, but it did come in handy. Though she was not one to carry cash, it was impractical and silly since it never seemed to work the same from place to place. The borders and lines in the sand had changed hands so many times, it was hard to follow and care. The only cash she had was all her tips that had not made their way to the bank. “I do have cash, I think. It’s mostly in single dollar bills and coins. But I will gladly sit with you and count it out if you like! I don’t mind,” she said with a smile and went to grab her pile of tips and started counting out the money owed.