Paying Back Potion Debt [Bell]

"Yeah... Even we know our lifestyles are kinda bullshit. But it's hard to give up a nice thing, y'know?"

There was a hint of nostalgic resignation in his voice as he settled into his seat, enjoying the feeling after so long. Like any other time in history, it was not a perfect life. Science and technology had done wonders for health and general prosperity, but it also made people... spoiled and kind of lazy. Bell could already see the beginnings during her own time. Still, it was the life he had always known and probably would not have asked for anything else.

For example, Orion got a nice boost of pride as Bell called his car beautiful. It had been forever since he had seen his car, much less got to show a girl it. So knowing it still had a nice effect was welcome.

"I don't think I've ever seen you operate anything more complicated that a kitchen appliance, and you wanna try your hand at a flying car? Hm..."

He feigned thought as he used his glove to activate the car fully. The screen lit up and, while it was all very slick and electronic, was still recognizable as the typical things on a dashboard: radio, climate control, and the like. Orion tapped a few buttons the screen effortlessly until it displayed the words LEARNER MODE in big letters.

"I did promise you a good time, so... alright. Hop into the driver's seat."

Orion would, of course, hop into the passenger's seat.

"So I put this into the mode what we would use to teach kids how to drive these things. You'll be in control, but it'll go auto the moment things go wrong and some functions are disabled for you. Namely the functions that govern altitude.

He pointed out all the things that should have been recognizable to her, like which pedals did what and the extent of the steering wheel.

"When you think you're ready, hon, request an empty lane from the computer."

The car rose smoothly and quietly, moving slightly laterally and rotating to fit into the empty lane it had found for the learner. Orion sighed in enjoyment as he fondly remembered the feeling again after being stuck on the ground for so long in Bell's time. It felt liberating. Even if they were not floating in the vast wildness of the sky where the airplanes still held dominion, it was nice to feel oneself moving in three dimensions again.

But his enjoyment was quickly cut short by his jerking back. He had completely forgotten about that part about driving a flying car. It was almost like he was learning to drive one himself again.

"Of course they do! There's no friction with the road nor is there any torque in the tires to overcome. So it's just straight acceleration. Granted, my car is a little more high performance than others..."

His car--and by extension, all other cars--really did posses high acceleration, and the meters were already reading faster than highway speeds(from Bell's time). At first he was not too concerned. The speeds for flying cars was generally higher than ground-based cars by their very nature, and Bell seemed to be steering fine enough. But there came a point where even Orion was pressing on an imaginary pedal like every parent trying to teach their child to drive.

Thankfully, the Learner Mode did its thing to ease the tension. Above a certain speed, it forcibly slowed the car down to a point and even put a signal on the HUD saying "LESS ACCEL". Plus, it had chosen a mostly empty lane for Bell to practice.

So we've got a nice cruising speed now, and we're in the middle of the city. Is there any place you would want to check out or visit? You can drive us there~"

All around them, there were multiple lanes of cars going every which way. Each direction seemingly on a different flying level and moving in perfect harmony like a school of fish. The ability for people to drive so fast, yet so precisely could be chalked up to the computers in every car, which did about a third of the work. The computers communicated with each other and coordinated movements faster than the humans, and made small adjustments along the way. Bell would experience this first hand as the computer would nudge the car left or right if she got too close to something.

"I'll make sure to remember, hon. I'm just so used to these things, and I don't really think about them."

Orion realized that he would have start unfamiliarizing himself with his own world if he wanted to avoid any mishaps with Bell interacting with anything. What was everyday and forgettable to him was going to amazing or unexpected for her, and that would prove to be embarrassing or disastrous in some situations.

When she did finally get the hang of his car, he calmed down and didn't even think twice when she looked around while driving for a place to check out. The car could handle her handling it, especially in the Learner Mode.

"A toy store? Yeah, we'll be fine. My uniform really only gets attention in proper locations where a uniform is to be expected.

Enter: parking training"

His command was for the car, and it registered.

"Just steer towards the store and gently press the wheel forward, like flying a plane. That's how you descend."

Orion pointed out what looked to be parking structure nearby the complex that the toy store was located in. It looked familiar enough to be identified as a place to park. Even in the future, something hardly changed because there was little to improve upon. The car's computer and HUD would put up indicators for Bell to follow.

"Just ease it in.... Now what made you want to go to a toy store of all places?"

To an outside observer, yes, the world that Orion came from was weird. It was still recognizably human and still Earth in many way, but there were enough things that were just off that it could throw someone for a loop if they were not properly prepared or introduced.

The world Orion came from was still very much a nice place. People were generally healthier and more prosperous. Tolerance and equal rights had come a long long way. Technology and science just made everything better, and so fast too. But the world generally suffered from... Orion would have called it laziness. Bell could already see the beginnings in her time. Technological and electronic convenience trumped nearly everything else, and the integration of computers and the Internet only exacerbated the problem.

Complacent was probably a better word for happened to the world. Everything was so nice, convenient, and nice that it overshadowed some of the more dubious aspects of the world. Companies freely peeked into your personal life, but it was okay because they could personalize everything. Corporations almost ran the world, but enough of them were run by nice enough people that it didn't become a dystopia. It was like everything balanced out in a way. Not great. Not totally bad. Just... life.

Orion locked up the car and caught up with Bell, happy to see that she actually had a clever little reason to want to visit a toy store. It was a sneaky little way to get a peak inside technology as it was used in a most innocuous way.

"Clever girl. Just don't think that you'' intuit the secrets of, say, how we make flying cars from just these toys. Some things still require intense education."

Once inside, the pair would be bombarded by color and light, as if the toy store had taken a cue from Willy Wonka. In general, it looked more like a showroom than any aisle-based toy store Bell might have been familiar with. Toys were arranged like exhibits, on display in futuristic cases that had them free floating and slowly turning for all to see. Each display would have one or several little kiosks surrounding it, and it seemed that was where the purchases were made. Immediately, Orion started pointing out things, as was his duty as Bell's guide in his Time.

"3D printing gave way to instant micro-fabrication and production. Higher-end goods stores like this one started offering "built-on-site" services. You see a toy you like? Customize it at the kiosk and it'll be built in a minute or two specifically for you. It's neat, but I think it's a gimmick. Like somehow it makes me people think that "fresh" toys are somehow better than ones that were shipped over a few days(?)"

There were definitely familiar shapes and sizes of toys. Children's tastes had not changed all that much in the future. The real interesting stuff was how computers and communications were embedded in everything.

"The cool thing nowadays is to have basically your toys and gadgets talk to each other. Your action figures and dolls will play specific voice lines when near a specific play set. Your baby toys will track your child's mental growth, supposedly, and record it to your smart device. And so on. If you really want future-y stuff, I suggest looking at all the little robots you can get for your kids, or these new 'Sprites' that are all the rage."

He pointed to a highly decorated collection of displays selling a line of electronic toys called 'Sprites'. On the surface, they just looked like small, palm-sized electronic disks. But when a small child that already owned one came looking for another, he showed the true deviousness behind it. The disks projected small, colorful holograms of cartoon-ish creates and animals that animated and played and said things and did everything it could to keep the child's attention. When brought near another child with a Sprite, the Sprites would interact or even battle. It was a collectible pet toy that combined all the delight of a pet and cartoon, with the money sink that was a collectible toy franchise.

"It would seem really expensive to you because of inflation..."

As they walked around the store, Orion idly eyed the price tags. It might as well have been the first time he had ever been in a store like that one. He had no children and his job kept him busy, so he had no real reason to ever visit.

"... They're only kinda expensive to me."

Bell's next question about actually seeing the process was easily answered with Orion pointing to a section of wall that was lined with windows to a mini-fabrication on the other side. Not all toys got the live construction treatment, and it seemed only the ones in close proximity to the windows were given that... honor.

There were a number of "stations" that were comprised of one large lighted stage with upwards of a half dozen smaller stages surrounding it. With about three little robot arms per stage, the individual parts and pieces needed to make the toy were fabricated on the spot. It looked like they were spray painting the pieces into existence, "spraying" a material onto the stage in the proper shape within seconds, then moving the piece to be assembled into the full toy. Any pieces that could not be fast fabricated, like chips and computer parts, were carried from somewhere else. The finished product would rotate once, then be carried off to check out.

"Why pretend it's magic when the manufacturing process can be an extra entertainment cost you can tack onto the price of the toy itself?"

Her last question, however, about his own childhood experiences with toys, drew an unexpected reaction from Orion. At the mention of his past, he froze and looked visibly uncomfortable. He looked away from Bell and was obviously looked for something to change the subject of the question with.

"Um... Well... Hey! Check it out! A hove rboard!"