Vin was used to facing some prejudice for his augments, but the reactions of the crowd were stronger than he had expected. He’d assumed – falsely, it seemed – that a place like Derelict would be more accepting of the abnormal. He looked back and took stock of the crowd: some seemed indifferent, many were chattering among themselves, and a few were even staring at him with contempt. They could think whatever they wanted; his body, his choice. He refused to let it get to him. At the officer’s call, the clamor eventually died down, and he turned back to the interviewer.

“Professionally, or on a personal level?” Vin maintained a neutral tone, biding for time as he tried to discern where his prospective employer stood on the matter. The crowd’s opinion might mean little to him, but if this d’Agenais was a skeptic, he might need some convincing. The scientist’s eyes were focused squarely on Vin, but his expression remained professionally impartial. If he had a strong opinion, he was keeping it to himself.

“I’ve had no big problems with it that I wasn’t able to fix,” Vin opened tentatively, shuffling his feet. “I spent pretty much all of my savings on this thing. Didn’t want to cheap out with some half-assed junk.”

It was probably safest to keep to the practical aspects. The fewer opinions shared, the lower the chance he’d offend.

“It’s not too different from bringing a computer with you everywhere,” he continued, his nerves steadying as he began threading familiar ground. “Except my hands are free and I’ve got more fine control over what it’s doing. I [i]think [/i]instead of tapping the screen or pressing the keys. And I see the results in my head instead of a display. It’s pretty convenient, really.”

He’d used the same simplified explanation dozens of times before, in bars and at parties and with prospective employers. He doubted they would understand – [i]truly [/i]understand – just what it meant to have a neural augment, just how game changing it was. It wasn’t just like using a computer, but faster. It was like adding an entirely new layer of thought. There were plenty of tasks that computers could do millions of times faster than the human brain. Delegating those to a CPU let him spend his focus far more efficiently.

“Does wonders for your memory, too,” he added in a lighter tone, almost playfully. “Ever forgotten where you put your keys? Well, no more.”