3571/Money

Money
Date of Scene:	26 September 2020
Location:	Boardwalk - St Martin's Island
Synopsis:	Siobhan meets Maxima and Maxima learns that Earth requires money in exchange for goods and services.
Cast of Characters:	Maxima, Siobhan Smythe

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Maxima has posed:
It has been a month since Maxima first appeared upon the Earth causing no small amount of chaos as she blasted down into the heart of Metropolis. Since then with the Watchtower's blessing she has been scouring the waters off the coast searching for her lost city, taking some time out here and there to do things like help thwart an invasion by Mongul and Warworld.

It is on one such side errand that she finds herself today. Everyone needs to relax sometimes even the otherwise hyperfocused warrior princess of Almerac and today she has taken some time to browse the various human wares in the shops along this boardwalk. She strolls from place to place looking at the various clothes and souvenir trinkets, though it is hard to impress the girl who has pretty close to literally everything. That is until she spies a unique display of Earthly cultural sensibilities, a knickknack shop.

The Almeracian Space Princess, still dressed in her cape and metal bikini, steps into the shop and begins looking over all of the small curiousities, each tied to some cultural relevance that is completely lost on her but all being so very /Earth/.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Siobhan is in the same area, mainly just to chill out and relax. She wasn't really seeking a city or anything special. Instead she was seeking normalcy. However, she was apparently not going to get that today.

Spotting the woman in the cape and metal bikini has her pausing and staring a moment before she walks toward the knickknacks shop and looking inside. Hopefully this woman is here for fun and not trauma.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima elicits her fair share of stares not just from Siobhan and not just for the outfit, her figure is something that would normally get accused of excessive airbrushing were she to appear in a magazine 'unearthly' some might say, 'impossible' others would counter. To say that she stands out is an understatement.

At length Maxima picks up a snow globe with miniature Metropolis inside. She is quite taken with it due to the resemblance to Brainiac's bottled cities and at first she seems to be peering very closely looking for tiny humans. Then she accidentally shakes it triggering the snow and it is settled, she will have this small Earth city, it is in a shop afterall it must be for the taking.

She turns to leave but no sooner has she stepped out of the storefront than there is a throat clearing sound from behind her, "Hey! Excuse me miss! Are you going to pay for that?" Maxima keeps walking causing the small shopowner to leap out of his seat and start chasing after her, "Hey! Stop! You need to pay for that! Shoplifter!"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A sigh escapes Siobhan as she sees this happening and she casually steps into the path of Maxima and smiles, "Hey, dere." She grins and gestures past Maxima, "Listen, lady, ya cannae just go takin' tings Dat don't belong to ye." She nods her head and shrugs, "Ya gotta pay for it."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima blinks for a moment looking at Siobhan, "I am Maxima and I desire this, I do not see the issue." she replies as if that should clear up everything.

Meanwhile the shopkeeper catches up with them, "Look lady, I don't care if you want to prance around in metal underwear but if you want something from my shop you're going to have to pay for it!"

Maxima looks between them "Pay." she repeats slowly, "Ah like compensation. Perhaps you do you not understand who I am? I am Maxima, Crown Princess of the Almeracian Empire. Someone will be sent to compensate you appropriately."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A sigh and Siobhan shakes her head, "I don't know who or what an Almeracian is but I imagine dey tink you are pretty great dere, but here, no one knows who dat is." She nods her head, "And as such ye gotta pay for stuff."

Siobhan looks over at the shop keep and tilts her head, "How much is dat little snow globe?" She gestures at it before looking to Maxima with a smile.

Maxima has posed:
"Lady, I don't know an Almeracian from an Armadillo but I do know you owe me seven fifty for that snow globe!" The shopowner seems to be at his wits end as he watches the exchange between Maxima and Siobhan, both of whom tower over him at 5'6".

"This world is so primitive," Maxima lets out an exasperated sigh, "I suppose it to is to be expected from a planet that can't even establish a single ruler. What do they use for money here?" she thinks for a moment, "How about diamonds? They're useful in a variety of technologies." There is a swirling of light in her hand as atoms are realigned forming new molecules and then larger carbon structures as a perfectly cut diamond the size of quarter appears. She holds it out to the shopowner, "Will this suffice?" she asks looking between him and Siobhan. This young woman clearly is /not/ from around here.

The Shopowner for his part stands there slackjawed for a moment just gaping at the diamond that is likely worth a small fortune on Earth.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A sigh and Siobhan stares a moment before face-palming, "Probably but that isn't how to deal with this." She pulls out a ten and gives it to the shop owner and pushes him back, "Keep da change." She nods her head before she looks to Maxima, "Look, Maxima, ye can't just create and hand out diamonds. You'll crash some market or somtin' somewhere." Siobhan nods before gesturing at the globe, "Consider dat a gift."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima makes a non-comprehending face at Siobhan's talk of exchanges. Bur she shrugs and crushes the diamond in her grip, along with all of the shopowners hopes and dreams. The diamond dust unravels into atoms even before it even hits the ground. She looks at the ten dollar bill the dumbfounded man is now holding in his hands as she looks to Siobhan, "Small green rectangles are the unit of exchange here then? How do I procure these small green rectangles without crashing these 'markets'?"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A sigh and Siobhan simply states, "A job or sometin'" She nods her head, "I play music for dem and I sing." She smiles and nods. Siobhan shrugs, "Use whatever talents ye have and people will often give ye dem in return if dey have use of dose talents." She gestures to the shop owner as she turns to walk with Maxima.

"Dat man, for instance sells tings people might like ta buy." She grins and den points to an ice cream shop, "Dey sell sweet foods."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima watches Siobhan non-comprehendingly, "I am the Crown Princess of one of the great Interstellar Empires." she replies at the mention of a job. "Are diamonds not desired here in exchange for currency? That man seemed eager to trade one for his snow globe? Perhaps ultra-pure Tellurium crystals then? Or condensed solar plasma? Whatever this planet desires for trade goods, it can almost certainly be procured."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A sigh and she chuckles, "Ye can't just make diamonds and solve ye problems. Diamonds are only really valuable here cause dey don't flood da market wit' 'em." She considers, "Honestly, dey really shouldn't be all dat valuable but den people do tings." She shrugs, "And ya keep sayin' ya are a princess but of some, I'm assumin' outerspace place and people here don't care about dat."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima considers, "So don't flood the markets with them, just a few diamonds here and there?" She straightens up perhaps bristling a bit at that last remark, "I can easily make them care. Though I am here only to recover what is mine and had not intended to conquer this world if they insist upon such ignorant disrespect they will be met with a Trial by Combat as is only proper!" She sounds completely serious in the way only a newly arrived warrior space princess can.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
And then Siobhan's eyes close a moment, she sucks in a deep breath before letting it out. Part of her wants to take that offer right here and now. She isn't sure what this woman is capable of, however, and doesn't want to deal with that. Either way, she opens her eyes and states simply, "Ye can't just fight dis planet's people either." She shakes her eahd, "Dat's now how tings work here." She then looks around before frowning, "Ye gotta understand, people here aren't big on royalty. The United States isn't really big on bein' ruled by a dictator. Normally."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima looks at Siobhan like she is talking nonsense, "I am Maxima, I do as I please. None may command me. The stellar powers do not care what this planet wants. The only reason this world hasn't been scooped up already is it's a rimworld beyond the edge of civilized space, a backwater that nobody is interested in. Mongul showing up here recently was a surprise, I can only guess at his motives though I imagine it had something to do with that Kryptonian, this planet seems to attract them light light to a black hole. In the grand scheme of things though, there are Great Powers and the conquered. So far this world has been lucky so far to largely escape notice of the true Great Powers. But they should wise up and learn about larger stellar society before they are consumed by it."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Careful, dere are dose here who can defend it." She states simply enough, "As Mongul learned." She looks at Maxima, "Dere is far more dan just dat Kryptonian, as ye put it." She then shrugs, "And it wouldn't be wise of anyone to come here seekin' trouble.' She then shrugs and sighs, "And while I don't disagree dat we ought be aware of tings beyond our planet, it isn't likely dat one should underestimate this small world."

Maxima has posed:
"Maxima fears no one, backs down from no one. Maxima also has no interest in conquering this world so far in the rim away from the civilized spaceways, but no challenge to Maxima's honor or dignity shall go unanswered!" Maxima watches Siobhan, perhaps taking her measure. It's an eerie feeling like she is looking through her as much as at her, almost like she can hear her thoughts. "Who do you think eliminated most of Mongul's air fleet? It was Maxima." She crosses her arms and begins floating up into the air, hovering a few feet off the ground, perhaps tiring of this conversation and someone trying to tell her what she can and cannot do.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A look at the woman and Siobhan sighs, "Look, Maxima, I'm not gonna sit here and have a contest of strengt' wit' ya." She looks at the woman even as she looks through her, "I don't even know me own. I prefer not to figure it out in da moment." She closes her eyes, "But ye really ought to not take everytin' people say to ya as a challenge. Dere are rules and da like on every world. I'm sure yours has quite a few. You're a guest here. Tradition dictates we welcome ya and treat ya well, but in return ye are supposed to respect the host's ways and laws."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima's long red hair whips around like it has a life of its own as she floats there in the air, she seems to take Siobhan's words as backing down from a challenge whether it's intended or not. This idea of challenge seems to be deeply ingrained in her way of thinking. "One of the few traditions agreed upon throughout the courts of known space is to treat visiting dignitaries with the respect due to their position. Surely even such a fractured planet as this should be able to understand that since its factions do not seem to be in a constant state of war. Respect is a two-way street, unless it is the tradition here not to respect Guests. If Maxima is a Guest she expects to be accorded her due." she doesn't elaborate on the if not a guest, that's been more or less stated already.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Look, I understand dat you expect to be treated a certain way, but nobody knows dat ya are anytin' more dan a lady in a bikini." She gestures and shrugs, "And in America, respect is often more earned dan simply given. People work hard here." She nods her ehad, "And dat is what dey respect. So, just don't be surprised if not everyone is scrapin' and bowin' just cause you showed up." She nods her head, "All da same, welcome to Eart' I suppose."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima gives a slow nod as she considers Siobhan's words. The snow globe is held up, "Thank you for this." She tells her and it sounds sincere. A split second later she is streaking off through the sky faster than sound and out of sight.