Selfishness

San picked up the little robot, smiling a little as he listened to its little engine work as its internals searched for purchase. His eyes flicked towards the argument brewing in the bright square of the main space of the hideout. It sounded like the girls were having a serious disagreement about something. San shrugged. He turned and walked away, deeper into the shadows of the hideout and out the door into the late afternoon sun.

He paused, luxuriating in the feel of the sun's warmth on his skin. There was no prickling, no irritating sensitivities to distract from his enjoyment. He tugged the hood of his hoodie over his distinctive features. His smile deepened a little as he continued walking.

A few blocks later, he slipped into a coffee shop, heading towards the back. Occupying a table, he amused himself by flipping the robot through his fingers, just barely holding the rim of the circular electronic to keep it from slipping free.

A girl sat down across from him, a warm smile on her lips. Her long brown hair curled attractively around her face, and her green eyes seemed to sparkle even in the dim coffee house lighting. She was dressed in the nondescript hipster-wear that Jebediah and Rena were intent on wearing all the time. San could see the use in it; it was so common in this coffeeshop that no one even paid her any attention when she breezed through the door.

"So, is that mine?" She asked, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small snuffbox.

"It can be," San replied. He stilled the rotating robot who was still making whirring noises. "A fair trade for a trade?" He pushed his hoodie back, freeing the annoying curls that were tickling his ear and adding to the distracting phantom whispers that had been slowly growing as he sat waiting.

The girl pushed the snuffbox towards him. San responded by handing her the little robot.

She took the little vacuum cleaner and tapped on one of its sides. A small hatch popped open, exposing a memory card. A quick push and it was in her hands. The warm smile turned brilliant for a few seconds before returning to its original, encouraging warmth.

"This should be enough to keep you stable for, oh, a few days or so," she said, pocketing the card and removing a fresh one from her purse. "If you want to do another trade for something stronger and more effective, then call for another meetup." Her eyes danced over San's face. "We only want you to be happy."

"This makes me happy," San said, picking up the snuffbox. He examined the contents with a quick, satisfied smile. "Same contact info?"

"For this? No, we have new. There was an incident that has invalidated this last one, I'm afraid." The girl took out a small piece of paper and scribbled a few numbers on it. She pushed it towards San. "When it's full, or you have something really good for us, call. We'll hook you up with something that will truly please you."

San drew the paper towards him with one finger. He was pleased that there wasn't a trench dug into the soft wood of the table by his actions. The stuff they were providing was truly the best.

"What do you mean 'something really good?'" He asked as the girl stood up.

"It could be anything, really. As long as my bosses like what they hear, then I guarantee that you will love what they then provide." The girl left the little robot on the table as she walked away.

San watched her walking away. Then he stuffed the snuffbox into his pocket and stood. Picking up the little robotic vacuum cleaner, he made his way back to the door.

"Hey, handsome! Wanna coffee?" A flirtatious voice asked with a hint of hope.

He glanced over to see a brunette standing with two of her friends. They were clearly goading her to speak, giggling nervously behind her. All three were dressed in trendy clothing, making him a little amused that they were bothering to talk to him.

"That's okay. I was just meeting a friend," he told them. His lips quirked into a nearly subconscious grin at the deflated looks.

"Wish I was the friend," the brunette muttered as she turned away. Her friends patted her shoulders in mock sympathy as they watched San turn away.

San shook his head and opened the door. A few quick steps and he was back on his way to the hideout, robot in hand. His hand grazed his pocket, assuring him that the snuffbox was still firmly in his possession.

The sun had started setting while he ran his errand. The sunset dyed the streets in shades of red, yellow and darkening, shadowy blue and purples. People were scurrying from place to place, lost in their own worlds. San tugged up his hoodie as he noticed some appreciative looks thrown his way. He wasn't in the mood to be nice to someone again.

A flash of bright blue from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He stopped and turned towards the alleyway it came from. San took a few steps forward and glanced around. He could have sworn he'd heard a variety of people talking, including his current supplier.

The alleyway was dingy, dirty and devoid of anything other than a rather full dumpster and unsavory puddles of water. The only anomaly was that a couple of the puddles were shimmering as if disturbed by something. He could almost hear the vibrations of the water shifting against itself.

San frowned a little, concentrating. There wasn't anything visible to cause a change in the puddles, and his hearing wasn't even picking up the skitter of insect legs. He shook his head a little. That broke whatever concentration he'd gathered and the world came pouring back in in a cacophony of noise.

Clearly, he needed to put the robot back in the hideout and try out his new stuff. He was hearing far too much.