Working Things Out

[tech_nically]

Who: Tech and you!
What: Being a busybody as usual. General activities during downtimes.
When: Throughout the month
Where: Various locations
Content Warnings: N/A
Notes: Will match tag style preferences!


I. Tests Are Easy, It's Answers That Are Hard - The Magitech/Central Command (Closed to the Doctor)

"I haven't nearly researched enough on magitech to work out how exactly it's integrated..." Tech observes. "But in comparison to the towers, I think the incorporation is much less complex. I believe the programming may still be mainly technologically based, but I'm not quite sure how it functions as a whole..."

Now that they have the time, the two have finally gotten together to try and figure out the inner workings that make this automaton canine tick. At least they wouldn't be rushed in that matter. The beast looks deceptively peaceful when it's not functioning, but Tech had been on the opposite end of those jaws, and he vaguely recalls the Doctor being chased.

"Having a look at the codework won't be very effective while it's not powered up and I'm not exactly certain as to where we can connect. We may have to remove some plating. Any ideas on how to turn it on?"


II. Tinkering Around - The Electric Heart (Open)

A better method of transport around the camp as well as a way to haul larger things seemed like an ideal investment. Of course, with funds only going so far, Tech's resorted to piecing a hoverbike together from parts. The ones used here don't seem too different from speeder bikes, and the prospect of modifying one to his standards had seemed an interesting challenge. He'd been fortunate enough to be given the chassis of one that hadn't seen use in a few years. The owner of the fix-it shop he's managed to find part-time employment under more or less told him if he could get it running again, it was his.

Of course, it's a side project he picks at during his time off, so the process is slow-going. If one doesn't catch him poking around the junkyard they might find him on his way back, or at the shop itself. And if anyone needs anything fixed or has an idea for something to be built, well, they're more than welcome to bother him about that too.


III. Hunter Never Took Him Shopping (Open)

One thing's for sure, there's always something new to see around the Witches' Camp. When he's not busy working on something or another, Tech's perusing the market areas and street vendors. He tries to keep an eye out for interesting examples of magitech that he can study, or things and parts that might be repurposed for the ever-growing list of useful devices he'd like to prepare for future missions. And perhaps he'll find some nice tea-related items for his Tether.

Tech's come to appreciate a good cup of coffee, so whenever he's not over in the Mage's Sector for a beer, then you'll find him at the Cyborg where he can enjoy a cup and go down the rabbit hole of interaweb links.


IV. Reverse - aka Choose Your Own Adventure (Open)

((OOC: Got anything else you might be interested in playing out? This is your space! Or just ping me via the usual methods to hash something out!))

Comments

IV - Just lmk if I need to edit!

[makemeasong]

Clara hasn't spoken to Tech since the mission, and she knows she should. So, she heads to camp with two to-go coffees and the idea to find him and talk. If he's anything like the Doctor, she'll know where to find him tinkering, and sure enough she does.

Clearing her throat to announce her presence, she gives him a half-smile and holds out both coffees.

"One has a little sugar and milk, one's black. I can go both ways, so I'll let you choose." She's held up the first choice on the left, the second on the right. Once he chooses she clears her throat.

"We have two options. I could pretend to be nosey for a bit and ask what you're working on before awkwardly asking if you want to talk about what happened at the tower, or we skip to the part where you say 'you're right Clara, there's nothing we could have done differently and it isn't our fault you got hurt. Which one?"

Looks fine to me!

[tech_nically]

Tech lifts his head at the sound of someone there, a faint smile flickering upon his lips in surprise at who it is. Setting his tools down, he arches a brow at the offerings before opting for the lighter of the two. Sometimes a little sweetness doesn't hurt. "Thank you," he says, taking a careful sip to gauge the temperature.

He looks at Clara from over his coffee cup as she gets to the reasons for her visitation. Perhaps he should have expected it to come up. That particular mission overall had not been one of his best. He sighs.

"On the contrary I think that a lot could have been done differently, and ultimately boils down to being better prepared. But even then there are limitations. No plan is foolproof." The clone shakes his head. "I must however disagree that we're without responsibility in your getting hurt. It was our duty to protect you, and we still failed."

[makemeasong]

"Alright, so you're doubling down."

Clara sighs softly, and when she sees a large toolbox she sits on it, holding her coffee.

"This question is gonna require a yes or no answer only. Do you have the access to know how every single aspect of the Sylphid technology works?"

[tech_nically]

It's just how he is. Clara's response makes him uncertain, and he watches her as she takes a seat. Given a limitation on how to answer seems to make him a little anxious, but he manages to clamp down on any objection or lengthy reply at her request.

His reply once he does make it seems incredibly reluctant, almost like a scolded child.

"...no."

[makemeasong]

"Uh-huh. So, two things. One: You couldn't have possibly known then that the Sylphid who shot me had that particular piece of technology. Two: you did protect me. Without you and the Doctor, I would've been dead with no chance to get the tower shut down at all."

Clara looks at Tech and takes another sip of her coffee. Sometimes, breaking things down and forcing people to repeat it, helps. She doesn't want him blaming himself; she can't stop him from it, so she won't pester him anymore after this. She had to try, though.

"I think we were all aware of every danger there was. None of us went into it blindly."

III

[maskedtyrant]

There's a familiar face working at Cyborg now. Tech may not notice her at first, absorbed as he is in his network device of choice, but she does notice him, and decides that she needs to make a point of having her presence known.

There's a gentle clink of a coffee cup placed on the table, followed by a second plate with a sugary pastry of some kind deposited directly next to Tech's hands. Codi is on the other end of it, in full Cyborg barista livery and with a bright, slightly teasing smile on her face.

"You know," she muses, a playful glint in her eye, "I tried to tell my boss to cut you off the drip, since kids your age don't need to be drinking so much caffeine, but she thought I was messing with her."

[tech_nically]

He's fairly certain he hadn't ordered anything more than coffee, so when something else is set there beside him Tech does look over, and then up. He blinks, not that it takes him long to recall who it is, but more as he registers the uniform she wears. Her comment has him arch a brow at first before giving almost a frown of a pout.

"I suppose if you worked at The Hare and Hammer you'd be giving me as hard a time," he notes, although he's probably joking. It's just difficult to tell considering his tone verges slightly on sarcasm. He does nod a thanks for the service as he reaches for his coffee. "How is it here? Have you been employed here long?" He's not sure what he would have expected Codi to take up as a job around here when her previous one was specialized, but given what she'd told him, he can see why she might choose to work at a coffee shop.

[maskedtyrant]

Genuine humor or dry sarcasm, Codi finds both equally worthy of a throaty chuckle. "I interviewed there, too," she says, casually grabbing the empty seat opposite from Tech and inviting herself to sit down. "Ultimately decided to work here instead, about three weeks ago - the staff already knows me well enough. Plus, the pay's better and I get to write off pastries and drinks whenever."

She nods pointedly at the large, croissant-looking object covered in sugar syrup next to Tech. It's not actually quite so simple - she's only allowed to take the pastries when they're write-offs and would be thrown out anyway. This particular one exceeded its two-day shelf life this morning, and is perhaps a little on the stale side. But Tech doesn't need to know that.

"What are you up to?" Codi asks back, leaning forward on her elbows in what is, at this point, likely a familiar expression. "Haven't seen you around in a while."

[tech_nically]

While Codi explains, Tech has a sip of his coffee. Having access to such a variety of food and drink is likely to spoil him, and he's certain he would probably at the very least miss a good cup of coffee if he ever left this place. He eyes the pastry again. It looks like something Wrecker or Omega would enjoy, the thought bringing a faint but wistful smile.

"Unwinding," he replies when Codi turns a question back his way. He gives something of a nod as he can imagine he's been a bit scarce depending on where one might have been looking. "As expected, the last missions we'd been dispatched on have brought up issues that would best be prepared for come the next. Aside from that my list of projects just continues to grow, and then there's the job I've undertaken at the repair shop..."

[maskedtyrant]

Codi studies Tech's expression carefully to check for a proper reaction to her gift. It seems that she's made the right choice, coincidental as it was, though she can't quite place if Tech himself wants the pastry or is just fondly remembering someone who would. She'll have to make a more targeted attempt at sweets he likes some other time.

At his explanation, though, Codi can't help but let her smile grow, corners tugging at her cheeks. "...So you're taking my advice," she muses. "Picked a good place for it - I get a lot of casual organization and planning done here, too, before things get crazy later in the day. Never ends, right?"

tests are easy, it's answers that are hard

[twelfthsong]

It's funny how the Doctor can have the mind of a steel trap but also have it be full of holes at the same time. With the way his eyes gleamed when he and Tech finally sat down to start looking at the automaton, you never would have guessed that his calf had been mauled by it several short days ago. In his mind, it wasn't the automaton's fault; as far as he knew it wasn't a sentient being and had a set code it was programmed to abide by. If he and Tech had their way that wouldn't be the case anymore.

The Doctor was doing a rotation around the slumbering automaton with his sonic screwdriver to get a full reading on it that would then transfer to the tablets they had been given by the Witches. "Give it a little tickle under its nose?" It's a joke. Mostly. "I thought you could speak to machines - or was that a hallucination I had?"

[tech_nically]

In that they're in agreement. It's pretty much the same sentiment Tech has with Separatist droids, although he knows some of his own squad doesn't share the same opinion.

He gives the Doctor a dry look at the suggestion but does look to see if there's any sort of a switch they may have missed. "Perhaps it's activated remotely..." he muses before straightening up again.

"Ah, well... No, that wasn't necessarily a hallucination. I suppose that assumption isn't too far off." Tech fingers his chin, glancing from the Doctor to the automaton again. "I've found that my ability is with machines, so yes, in a way I can speak to them. Activation and deactivation is the easiest, although that's with devices that are completely technical and not a hybrid. But...getting around magitech isn't impossible that I've found. At least I can take my time with it." Instead of getting his head flooded with code because he was trying to rush-hack a system.

[twelfthsong]

"Being activated remotely seems a little counterintuitive don't you think? That's like leaving the remote at home for a portable flashlight." Not that that would make any sense, but here they are. The sonic completes its scan a moment later with a bit of a whir and the Doctor goes to pick up one of the tablets, flicking the scan in front of them to overlay on top of the automaton.

The inner workings seem like your standard fare, top of the line automaton but there were cannisters for example that seemed to hold more than just hydraulics. Those could have easily been the magitech component Tech had been talking about. He hums partially in response to Tech's reply and partially to the scan. "No obvious big red on switch unfortunately." His gaze moves to Tech. "Was that something you could always do?"

[tech_nically]

"Perhaps, but not completely unheard of. It was a major weakness for the droid armies we faced in that if you took down their command ship or managed to disrupt the signal somehow, you could essentially shut them all down."

Tech steps over beside the Doctor as he brings up the overlay, studying the automaton and now the components making it up. He frowns thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose it would be pointless to make it so simple," he says, not that he's upset about the matter. It wouldn't be much of a challenge if all they had to do was hit a switch or a button. To the Doctor he shakes his head then.

"No, it's entirely new to me. It only started to happen some time prior to when we'd set out on that last mission. Helped out considerably for causing some momentary confusion during one of the rescue operations." He moves closer to the automaton for a closer look at its head. Most constructs tended to be designed closely to their organic counterparts, so if there was any main programming to be had, it should theoretically be housed there.

"I'm going to see if I can find anything that will activate it and hopefully it won't be as bad as looking into that sensor tower," Tech says as he glances at the Doctor again. He doubts it should be, but he feels a head's up is probably better to give than none.

[twelfthsong]

The Doctor let out a snort. "Seems like pudding brains still make the same mistake regardless of what universe we come from. But at least it was a good outcome for you." But that still didn't stop him wishing for a big red button that would just make it easy to get things done sometimes.

Turning a couple of the interfaces on the tablet, he casts a brief glance towards the clone. "I thought that might have been the case. Didn't seem like the right time to ask though." There had been a time or two that he had tapped into a machine interface himself but his biology was different from Tech's and it was always with something else facilitating the connection so he was curious to observe it now that they weren't in a firefight situation.

He nods. "Did you want me to record it?" He wiggles the tablet a little bit. "For note keeping sake."

II

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

Steven is on his way back from magic practice for the day when he spots Tech, burdened by a bunch of what looks like junk. That's Marc's friend! Or as close to a friend as Marc actually has!

Which means Marc really ought to be the one here right now, to talk to him, but summoning each other still isn't an exact science, and Tech is about to drop one of his pieces of junk. So Steven, with his spells fresh in his mind, runs to try and catch it before it hits the ground and tosses up a Mage Hand right under the bit of metal and wire to cushion it's fall.

"You dropped this!" He's trying his best to match Marc's accent, while frantically trying to poke him into fronting, on the inside.

[tech_nically]

He really needs a better way to carry things around, but that would be another project in itself and he's already swimming in them. The sound of hurried footsteps coming towards him gets Tech's attention even before Marc (?) calls out.

The voice still isn't quite right, but Tech knows he's heard it once before. He's still not sure what to make of it, save that it seems to happen when Marc makes use of magic, so far as he can tell. Having two instances to go by isn't nearly enough to make a satisfactory hypothesis and it still doesn't explain why it only seems to occur when the man uses magic. Magic shouldn't affect...accents? Of course, there's a lot to magic he doesn't know so he's not completely willing to dismiss the possibility.

"Oh! Thanks," he says, the brief puzzlement not nearly enough to keep him from offering a faint smile as he turns. He reaches for the part that Steven had caught, pausing to study the...well, it is a hand, isn't it? Although the clone doesn't look nearly as put off by seeing such a thing as one might think someone should be. "New trick?"

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"I actually picked it up a couple weeks ago, but haven't had a lot of chances to use it around the town," Steven says cheerfully, as the hand floats up to offer Tech his dropped piece of junk. Cheerful is kind of out of character for Marc, too; Steven doesn't manage his dour demeanor very well. The chatter that follows isn't very Marc, either, though the accent is stabilizing a little as he goes: "It seems silly to just cast it for carrying your book or tea or something, and it isn't the most steady of hands, it actually tipped most of my tea out once when I tried it. And it's not very useful on missions." He considers. "I guess if I wanted to tap someone on the shoulder with it to distract them."

You know what, he ought to suggest that to Marc. Maybe then he'd take a little more interest, himself.

[tech_nically]

Tech adjusts his goggles as he watches the hand come near enough for him to reclaim the part it had caught. He can't help but give an experimental poke at the hand, though his attention trails back to 'Marc', curious.

"Does it have a weight or stress limit? How fast does it disperse?" he asks since they still are on the subject on the hand, though he's watching and listening carefully the more the other man speaks. This...isn't Marc.

[fightingevilbymoonknight]

"If all it's doing is floating around, I can hold it up as long as I'm thinking about it," Steven explains, happy to be asked. He loves talking about his spells-- another thing Marc definitely doesn't normally do. "If I make it carry things or push things, it gives me a headache to hold it longer than about five minutes. It can only carry a couple pounds, so it's a good thing whatever that is that you dropped isn't very heavy."

II

[heeroized]

Heero hasn't said anything, at least not yet, but every now and then he glances at Tech's progress curiously. It's not quite the same as the work he'd done on Wing, but it's similar enough he can roughly follow along with what Tech is doing.

But otherwise he's content to sit nearby cleaning one of the many guns he's added to his arsenal. This way he's technically in the company of other people without directly having to do anything. So the next time Eight, or anyone else for that matter, asked if he'd been holing up by himself again he can truthfully say that no, no he hasn't.

Plus, it means he's nearby in case Tech needs help with something. Which ultimately ends up being that he can't quite reach something and so Heero gets up and gets it for him, handing it over.

"Here." Honestly, even for Heero he's not looking too great, but that's what happens when you've been untethered for this long. Something Tech has probably seen before now, given how many untethered people he seems to know. "If you need any more tools just ask. I'll get them."

[tech_nically]

Not that the teenager's presence has been unnoticed. Tech had at some point given Heero a nod, but otherwise had been fine with leaving him to his own devices when it appeared that he didn't specifically want anything. In a way it reminds him of his interactions with some of his brothers.

At least the clone is pretty preoccupied with his own work, saving Heero any unwanted wordy explanations. He is however pleasantly surprised when the boy grabs him the spanner that sits just on the other end of the workbench furthest from Tech. "Thank you," he says, nodding at him as he takes it. With this closer interaction he's able to really have a better look at Heero's condition.

"I should have asked when you first got here, but do you need anything?" he asks, even as he turns back towards the hoverbike to tighten a few bolts.

[heeroized]

It's honestly, pretty nice all things considered. No expectations to talk and just exist? Heero could get used to socializing if it was always like this. Which, probably defeats the purpose since there's no real socializing going on. But the silent companionship is surprisingly enjoyable either way.

"You're welcome." He'd finished the gun he'd been detailing anyway, so it's not like getting up had been a hassle.

It's an unfortunate reality, but all the people who's company Heero has found enjoyable? They've all been fellow Hebas. Which is unfortunate when a Tian is required for his ultimate longevity, but really there's no one's he's felt that pull to yet. They'd said you'd know when you found someone who was compatible, and so far? There wasn't anyone.

"No. If I'd needed something, I would have said so." Which is true, after all it's not like there's anything he needs from Tech. Given that Tech is on the list of Hebas that Heero doesn't mind spending time with. It's admittedly a small list, but still.

Detailing done, Heero sits and watches Tech while sipping from a bottle of water. Got to keep his fluid levels up after all.

[tech_nically]

That's something Tech could relate to. He counts himself all the more fortunate that he'd become early acquainted with someone Tian-aligned that had proven a strangely compatible match. It hasn't been lost on him that when it came to those he was most familiar with were however Heba just like himself.

"Of course," Tech acknowledges, nodding when he glances back at him. It seems that he's willing to leave the matter at that as he returns to his work, but he's all too mindful of Heero's actions, simple as they may be.

"...if I were able to offer assistance in other ways, I would," he says after a moment, setting the spanner down to check on the panel he'd just secured. "I can make recommendations or suggestions but they may at best only be that." He isn't sure who all Heero is familiar with, much less how open the Tians he knows would be to a Tether. "...I know it isn't a simple matter, but it's unfortunately a vital one."

[heeroized]

Admittedly it hasn't really been a priority for Heero before now. If he's completely honest, it's still not. This? This is manageable. A tether isn't something he's going to force on himself or anyone else until he's absolutely sure and so far? That hasn't happened.

A little nausea and a headache isn't enough to stop him. It's fine.

"I know." Tech was someone that Heero probably would tether to without any hesitation. But right now it's not part of the plan. So it's not really something to dwell on. Still, he listens to Tech's offer seriously and after a moment he nods.

"I don't know if it'll be helpful, but I'm not in a position to say no right now." Refusing would be foolish at best and while he's stubborn, he's no idiot.

"So they've told us and so it would seem."

But it'll still be a while before it's actually a grave issue. So that's good. Heero's never been one to shy from a dangerous situation before.