You don't want to drive around with a rifle or a shotgun, so you scan the pistols and revolvers. Most are cheap, badly maintained, or overpriced. A few are all three. But finally you spot a Springfield Armory XD-M behind a SIG Sauer you can't afford.
"$400," Elena says, handing you the .45 so you can check how it feels. It looked bulky in the case, but it settles easily into your hands. Elena watches you as you rack the slide and sight down the barrel.
You'd need something bigger to knock down a vampire, or even an old and powerful ghoul, but this is the perfect anti-mortal weapon. One round will take a regular mortal out of the fight. And it fits under your leather jacket without being too obvious.
Unfortunately, you can't afford both it and a vehicle.
Springfield Armory XD-M Pistol: $400
Wealth: $603
Most of Elena's swords are shitty mall katanas that you couldn't use to beat a Chihuahua to death. A few are the real deal and start at $2,500. But one is much cheaper.
Elena unlocks the case and hands you the Bavarian M1869. Someone refurbished this, but they also removed the quillons; it's supposed to be a bayonet, but now it's almost like a machete with a better-balanced blade.
And the balance is really good. You flick it through the air a few times, getting a feel for it. Now this is a vampire stopper; heavy enough to chop through limbs or necks, it's nonetheless a precision instrument, reliant on your agility and training.
"Is it authentic?" you ask. You actually don't care because unlike everyone else who comes here, you might actually need to kill someone with this thing.
"Well, it was," Elena says. "Until the guy who used to own this place cut off the, what's the word, the hand-guard part so he could practice Escrima with it."
Unfortunately, you can't afford both it and a vehicle.
Springfield Armory XD-M Pistol: $400
Bavarian M1869 Cutlass: $300
Wealth: $603
Data intrusion is an increasingly important aspect of modern unlife, and you can't do everything just by calling up the front desk and pretending to be the password inspector.
Trailed by Elena, you inspect the heaps of laptops, tablets, and hybrids. You know that any computer you buy will only be a shell into which you pour your own expertise (and torrented software), but nothing you see combines portability with flexibility in quite the way you need.
Then you spot an odd mini laptop on the counter.
"My work," Elena says as you flip open the Raspberry Pi laptop. There's a finished version on a nearby shelf, but you're not interested in someone's personal machine. You want something you can shape yourself.
You boot it up. It's fast. It has a ridiculous number of ports for its size.
"What's the Wi-Fi password?" you ask.
Elena taps a plastic sign.
The connection is strong. It feels solid, too, despite how light it is.
Damn. You're a little bit in love.
"How much?" you ask.
"$600," Elena says. "No refunds. I'll throw in a trash bag full of cables and peripherals. No refunds on them either."
Unfortunately, you can't afford both it and a vehicle.
Springfield Armory XD-M Pistol: $400
Bavarian M1869 Cutlass: $300
Arduino Laptop: $600
Wealth: $603