//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Nursing 
// Story: Friendship is Optimal: A Watchful Eye 
// by Sozmioi 
//------------------------------//

Hikaru's burst of enthusiasm for tending Kimiko had waned by the time he'd reached his car, and by the time he was home it had boiled off into a resolve to at least not take half-measures this time. He stayed with her and talked about old times for twenty whole minutes before wearing out.

The white pony-princess-game-thing said Tasha 'could use a kind word', so I suppose it'd be good to find her even though I don't know her yet... and if the game guessed I knew her, she's probably around here somewhere. At the nurses' station overlooking the common room, Hikaru found Stephanie. He asked, "Do you know anyone named Tasha? I have a sort of message for her."

Stephanie considered. "Tasha? Only one Tasha around here."

Hikaru nodded, unsurprised. Stephanie went down the hallway, looking in on each of the rooms and greeting the occupant.

The fifth room was occupied by a twenty-something cleaning lady with a sizable afro, mopping the floor. Hikaru was about to leave when Stephanie gestured to her. "Is this her?"

Tasha looked up. She grouchily asked, "Am I what?"

Hikaru coughed and said, "Someone whose name I forget who may be a mutual acquaintance told me to tell you hello."

Tasha blinked. "Can you narrow it down?"

"She's white - whiter than usual."

Tasha shrugged. "I know a lot of white folks."

Hikaru glanced back for Stephanie - she had moved on. If Tasha was in the game there was no cause for embarrassment relative to her - unless he was holding himself above her. In a sense I can, right? I'm 80, and she's under 30. I'm a professor, and she's a cleaning lady. She plays a game, and I use it for practical purposes.

Tasha suddenly grinned. "Oh! You mean..." Tasha lowered her voice a little. "P.C.? With the funky hair?" She rippled her fingers.

Hikaru nodded. That sounded and looked right.

Having established he was on the 'inside', she opened up: "Huh! Well, tell her thanks for the surprise. I'm Jubilant Rubilee Simmering, or Ruby for short."

Hikaru nodded politely, not really wanting to mix. And that name was absurd. But not more absurd than, say, 'Coconut Cream'.

"Oh come on. Who're you? And you seriously actually forgot Princess Celestia's name?"

"Yes. We only met for a moment. I'm just conveying a message."

"Suure. Well, thanks, Mr. Maeda."

He blinked. She knew him? Of course she would. She would know Kimiko by name, and it wouldn't take a genius to pair him up to her, considering the lack of anyone else from east Asia in this suite.

He retreated downstairs towards his room so he could get back to thinking about the detector problem in peace and quiet.

As he passed the Independent Living common room, his neighbor Isaac, Alice's son, hailed him: "Oi, Hikaru! What do you think of this?" He was sitting at the puzzle table with the usual crowd. When Hikaru approached, Isaac passed him a newspaper. Hikaru had a feeling it would be that article - and sure enough there was Celestia's face above the headline.

As he reread the article - finishing it for the first time - he asked the five, "What about it?"

"We're thinking of pooling up and getting one for the hospice suite common room upstairs. Would have helped mother."

Hikaru reddened. Miroku had made him get one for himself, but he really should have sprung for one for Kimiko as well - the degree of attentiveness the pad would provide was far beyond what the nurses could. Seconds mattered with strokes. And it was just $60.

He reached for his wallet, pulled out a $10, and put it on the table.

Isaac laughed. "That was simple. We were having a big argument about just what that machine is thinking. Whether it is."

Hikaru shrugged, "You can debate causes, but I'm interested in the effects. It provides an extra layer of attentiveness. Worth the tiny investment. All done."

Isaac nodded. "Works for me."

"I think I'll get another for Kimiko outright, to cover her the rest of the time."

Hikaru's immediate strong response pushed some others over the edge. As he moved on to his room, Isaac finished up making the collection.

The incident sharpened Hikaru's sense of duty, so after composing an email bringing his colleagues up to date with the details the workshop had given him and his immediate reactions, he returned to Kimiko. He held her hand but otherwise ignored her, as he thought about what could be done with the detectors to improve their longevity. Whatever solution we take, we'll need to be fairly quick. That telescope will go up with or without our experiment on board. The distractions from the TV and chatter were as bad as he remembered, but he tried to let it roll over him.

The distraction became acute when Isaac returned with the new pad. So soon? I guess it has been over an hour, all told! Hikaru gave up on thinking about the detector and 'informed' Kimiko, "Oh, look. We got together and got something for the common room. It'll keep an eye on you, and should be pretty interesting." The other old ladies around the room - save Alice - paid close attention. One tried to ask what was going on, but could only croak. Stephanie heard that and gave her a cup of water.

Once Isaac had set up the pad, Hikaru watched him set up the game in a way more typical of usual users than his experience had been - registration. As Isaac asked it who should be registering, Hikaru realized it hadn't had to ask him where he lived to determine that he might know Tasha. The only difference I can see is that I was introduced beforehand through the demo, and Miroku.

Princess Celestia appeared in response to his confusion, and had a short conversation with Isaac about the arrangement - it would watch over everyone it could see, and he gave permission for anyone with an account to use the pad, and the pad came with one account.

There was a bit of a 'no, you take it' shuffle between those present. Isaac 'lost' and thereby gained the account, principally because he was able to use the controller - and not helping them with it would be a bit like bringing a book and hoping they enjoyed the cover. So, he began exploring the woods as an orange unicorn. The sounds of plucked strings drew him to the side, and he came across two ponies sitting on a log: a lavender pegasus strumming idly - Hikaru took a moment to recognize her as Sweetsong due to the different art style - and a large gray male pegasus Hikaru didn't recognize, holding a trumpet.

"Well hello, friends!" Sweetsong eagerly said. "Would you like to hear a little something we were working up?"

Isaac sat back and said "Sure".

"Then would you settle down? Maybe turn off the TV? Unless the others mind..."

A short, vigorous and nearly incomprehensible argument erupted among the ladies as each tried to convince the others that it was okay to turn off the TV.

Hikaru ignored the content of Sweetsong's tale, thinking about how to improve the detector's radiation resistance, but certain things leaked through. The larger pegasus - Sweetsong's father - had a calm, wise voice exuding age and experience; Sweetsong played off him with a bouncy energy. Further thoughts percolated through over time. Reminds me of a Prairie Home Companion sketch. Actually, it reminds me more of Jean Shepherd crossed with Big John and Sparky, and the Stan Freberg show. All those old 45's. And sometimes we'd play them at 78 rpm on purpose... This is part of how I learned English.

And then the segment came to a close. Sweetsong's father addressed Isaac, "Well, sir. I know you're new - so new you haven't only not got a bit to your name, you haven't got a name yet. So this one was on us. If you want more like it, for an hour, to a crowd like that, that'll be a hundred bits."

Isaac thought. "How much is that in dollars?"

"Dollars? I don't know about dollars. We take bits."

"All right. Can I buy bits with dollars?"

The father seemed uncomfortable with that question. A brown earth stallion walked in the side of the screen. He wore a green visor stereotypical of an accountant from the 1920's; this impression was reinforced by a bundle of coins emblazoned on his hip. "Excuse me."

Isaac looked back to the others in the room, saying "Here comes the cash grab..." as if he hadn't floated the idea first.

The pony pushed his visor up a little. "Actually, sir, bits are not for sale, not from Equestria Online or anyone else."

"What."

"Most cases of trading bits for human currency are against the rules and we have some very strong mechanisms for preventing such trades. We do allow, at our discretion, cash-for-bits trades among friends."

"Then where do I get bits?"

"Completing in-game quests and achievements will be your initial source until you gain an income stream from normal economic activity - producing and distributing goods, providing services, and so on."

"Sounds like work!"

He nodded. "Yes, though it lacks most of the negative aspects of work as you are accustomed to it. If you were to emigrate to Equestria..." He paused a moment after positing the seemingly absurd hypothetical, then continued, "Ten hours of work a week would suffice to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle. As a mere player, you can do with less."

"What? They just said that Rarity worked around the clock..."

"And she did that to satisfy values beyond sheer mercantile gain, as I'm sure you recall. Doing a lot is certainly not prohibited."

"Well, yes." Isaac shrugged. "I never really thought a story about pony fashion shows could be that good. Well. Off to get some bits, I guess."

A voice cut in that Hikaru recognized immediately, even completely out of context: his granddaughter Miroku. "No need quite yet. I'll cover the next hour." Hikaru almost turned to see if she'd come into the room, but before he finished looking around, realized that she had found them in-game.

Even before Isaac got his hands on the controls again, the view turned around. To Hikaru's surprise, there was a pitch black pony - his pony, he guessed, representing his being in attendance - sitting on a log, with a light green pegasus with a brown mane sitting alongside. That's probably her.

His certainty that the black pony was him rapidly grew as it matched his changing facial expressions. Curious, he lifted an arm, and it mirrored the motion with a foreleg.

Meanwhile, Sweetsong, now off-screen, said, "Thanks, Juniper! Do you have a request?"

Miroku/Juniper Spray replied, "How 'bout the Cutie Mark Chronicles?"

The show went on. Hikaru wanted to talk with Miroku, but there was only the one pad, and he couldn't exactly claim it. He patted Kimiko on the hand, then got up and went to the rear of the room. Facing the screen, he patted his wrist as if to indicate his watch - hopefully it would be reflected in-game and Miroku would understand. Then he took the elevator down to the garage - she might still be on if he made it to the office reasonably soon.