“...and those are the options,” the staffer said, finishing the lengthy explanation. “Dear customers, which one suits your needs the best?”
Ralf didn’t hesitate in his answer. “The third option. We just moved into the Blue Wing District. Please register us.” He fished out the document, proving his claim and placed it on the counter.
The staffer’s eyes lit up as they ran through the details and the look she showed the mother and son pair instantly shifted.
“Excellent, glad to have you on board with us. Just give me a second.” The staffer went silent for a few seconds as she communicated the request. “Okay, done. The payment has gone through, you two have been registered,” she confirmed.
With Enviso being under the Pillar faction umbrella, Ralf merely needed to confirm his account details and viola, transactions were smooth as butter, able to be completed in a matter of seconds. On that subject, Samantha had already been paid.
“So, what will you two do?” the staffer asked, following up.
Ralf turned to Hana and asked, “What do you want to do, mom?”
“We’re already here so we might as well get the full cinema experience.”
“Then, we’ll do just that,” Ralf turned back to the staffer. “We’ll rent a private booth till…six.”
The staffer nodded after a pause. “It’s done. You may move up. Enjoy your stay.”
“Thanks. Okay, let’s go.” Finished up, Ralf took his mom’s hand and led her away.
After lining up and ransacking the snack bar, the trio moved to their destination.
Popleigh’s Enviso; there are three ways one can experience it. The first way was the most common way and the one most resembling the cinema back in Rei’s world.
There are seven theatres, nearly identical to normal theatres, able to hold several hundred people at a time. The audience took their seats, and instead of a projector or speakers, the movie was streamed through their minds in the same way the trailers on the wall was, just on a much larger scale. This was the most common way and also the cheapest. People bought tickets for the movies currently being shown, and that was that.
The second way deviated from the duo’s notion of cinema. Instead of a fixed cluster of movies, people were allowed to pick what they wanted to watch from a catalogue. Not just movies, but videos, series, documentaries; pretty much everything.
Better yet, one would watch them in the comfort of a private booth. The second to fifth floor was dedicated to this option and had dozens of booths, which one had to rent by the hour at a hefty cost. This was to be expected, such luxury wouldn’t come cheap. Even the cheapest booth cost quite a bit.
However, while this was an issue for your average citizen, the duo wasn’t troubled in the slightest. While they hadn’t been paying attention, their pouches had grown very heavy, that even the third option, several times more expensive was nothing to them.
The third option allowed for remote viewing. For a handful of wealthy districts, Enviso had set up remote ‘ports’. After buying in, those in the area could connect to these ‘ports’ and enjoy Enviso’s catalogue from the comfort of their own home.
The duo was greatly interested in the prospect and inquired about the locations of these ‘ports’. Luckily for them, Blue Wing District had this option available. Naturally, the duo chose it. It was essentially a streaming service.
*Step*
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Cleared for entry, the trio headed up the stairs. Not stopping on the second floor, they proceeded to the fifth floor where they strode down a long and wide corridor.
Black doors lined either side of them, with each door leading to a private booth. Eyeing them, the trio noted which ones were occupied and which ones were empty. As they continued walking, the spaces between doors widened.
After reaching the final third, the trio finally entered a booth. The black door swung open and revealed a small room. Comfy couches and fluffy pillows; it appeared no different from a high-end karaoke private booth. Wowed, the group took no time to get themselves comfortable.
Once seated side by side, snacks and drinks positioned strategically around them, a voice sounded through the telepathic network.
[Good day, folks. My name is Ravy and I’m in charge of this booth today. Before we begin, I have to go over the ground rules. Everything in here will be monitored and recorded so please be conscious of that fact. Destruction of property or inappropriate behaviour will see you ejected and possibly fined.]
[Understood. Don’t worry, there are no rotten apples present,] Ralf assured the voice.
[I see, that’s good to hear. Okay, with the rules out of the way, let’s move onto preferred settings.]
The room’s lighting, the audio’s volume, whether the video should be displayed through a ‘monitor’ like the trailers below or whether it should be displayed into the ‘back of their eyelids’, the room’s temperature, etc.
In the several minutes it took to run through all these details, Telekinetic Psi had invaded the room and coated the walls, floor and ceiling, to form a sound absorption barrier, as was customary.
[Okay, all done. Now, without further ado, the catalogue.]
The duo browsed it. Rei’s eyes moved to the top section, where he noted the various categories to choose from. True to what he had been told, there was quite a lot of variety, however, running through it all, he couldn’t help but squint. ‘This place is lacking…culture.’
While he was thinking this, the Enviso employee continued.
[Our catalogue is practically limitless, featuring everything under the sun,] the staffer boasted with a prideful tone. [Each of the blue coloured items can be expanded upon….like this. Every item has a summary written up, and even a trailer you can view.]
[That’s amazing, Enviso really lives up to their name,] Hana said, amazement written clearly on her expression.
In the distance, the staffer’s lips curled up. [Many thanks, we always strive to offer our customers the best possible experience.]
Ralf nodded in approval then turned to Hana who was reaching for more popcorn. “You said there were a few that caught your eye, let’s start with those first.”
Hana smiled. “Sure.”
With these words, Hana and her sons began their hours long cinematic journey.