[ 002 | VOICE/VIDEO ] late at night

[spah]

Howdy, folks.

[It's fairly late at night. You may have heard that drawl around. Or maybe you heard about a guy with a Texan accent setting fire to a pile of lingerie in a sex shop by accident. Either or.]

So. This ain't my first time around alien technology. Last extraterrestrials I met wrecked my property and tried to kill me. Then me and some other fellas stole their guns and forcefed 'em beer until they crashed.

[nOW WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO UNPACK ALL OF THAT--]

But these folks are alright by my standards. And all this... cybernetic enhancement and augmentation business has me curious:

Anybody here got something similar in 'em? Prosthetics, bionics, cybernetic enhancements... anything along them lines. And since it wouldn't be fair if I didn't meet ya'll halfway--

[Video comes on. It's a downward shot of Engineer sitting at a desk chair, his device's camera pointed at his skeleton-like metal hand. He open and closes the fist, splays fingers out, turns them over - and wiggles them.]

This here's the Gunslinger. Pretty as you please. Designed by my grandfather, built by me. Oh, and there's my heart too, but... can't exactly pop that open for y'all. Heheh.

Anyway, I'm just curious. I been thinkin' about how different places come up with different ways to fix the parts we've either lost... or wanna improve on. One way or another.

[And, after a pause--]

While I'm at it... can anyone tell me a decent area to buy garage space? [Prismagram is: Now Looking For Recommendations.]

Comments

video:

[pidgeypidge]

[That's really...

a lot to try to process in a short span of time. But Pidge is honestly just interested in one thing.]

That hand is beautiful! You really built it?

[There's no reason for him to be lying about it, and indeed, her tone is more awed than distrustful.]

How'd you lose it?

[Yes, she really did just ask that.]

permavoice

[spah]

Sure did. Appreciate it, miss. The design is mostly my grandfather's - but I took a few improvements to it while I was at it.

[As for the next question... hm. He doesn't mind telling it, it just gets hard to gauge what kind of reaction he'll get.]

It was less of a "loss" and more of a... voluntary replacement.

permavideo;

[pidgeypidge]

Nice, nice. That might be the coolest hand I've ever seen.

[Shiro's didn't count because it wasn't the same. And it was his entire arm.]

What kind of improvements?

[Pidge was no stranger to how cruel the world could be sometimes, so she was fully expecting some kind of horror story about how he'd lost it. What she got, though, was almost a relief to hear? Maybe.]

Whoa! You just decided to replace it one day?

[spah]

Why, thank you kindly. [He chuckles.] Here-and-there sorta things. Some of it was basic mechanical improvements - he drafted 'er up almost sixty years ago now - but I also set myself up somethin' of a keypad on the cuff. Lets keep an eye on my machines out on the field a lot easier.

Yes ma'am. Right after I found all his old blueprints. Heck of an upgrade.

[pidgeypidge]

You're welcome. [He wasn't even the first person she'd run into here that did this sort of thing, but he was the first who'd apparently willingly opted in to replace a part of themselves.]

I'm not sure if I'd be that brave, but I think it's great!

video

[cadeuces]

( Angela's seen the hand before, that's nothing new or interesting (sorry, Dell); what she hasn't heard or seen was that apparently his heart is also mechanical??? SIR??? Her brows pinch and she's glancing up at the camera, clearly comfortable in... not her home, with someone shuffling around just off to the side, the sounds of a kitchen being bustled through. )

Mr. Conagher, would you care to run that by me again? The bit about your heart?

—Regardless, I know we'd had this conversation before, so I don't have much else to add I'm afraid.

( She's just gonna snoop on any answers he gets because she's curious as well. )

permavoice

[spah]

That's alright, doc. I reckon anyone who chimes in might give you somethin' interesting, though.

My heart, though, was, uh... upgraded, by a co-worker of mine. Different guy besides Spy. He was our Medic, and we did all types of experiments together.

The heart was all him, though.

[cadeuces]

Anything I need to know in case you happen into my care, in the future? Avoid the electromagnets?

[spah]

I can't tell if you're upset or not, miss.

But, uh... not really. It's a baboon heart. With a high-voltage pulse device on top of the right atrium.

You don't gotta worry about that part either, 'less you wanna figure out how to make me bulletproof again.

[cadeuces]

( Her carefully neutral demeanor can only last so long— he says he can't tell if she's upset or not and he'll see the quiet bounce of a huffed bit of amusement when she begins to murmur some reply about that remains to be seen, and then the confusion sink in when... baboon. It just sort of escalates from there. )

...A baboon heart. With a pulse device. ( ?????????? ) Why...?

And what do you mean bulletproof again?

( She's definitely squinting. )

video;

[hopefanatic]

That's very impressive craftsmanship. It's a shame that one of my classmates isn't here, the two of you would get along. He built me this.

[He waves his left hand to show a prosthetic of his own.]

Is your entire heart cybernetically enhanced, or do you just have something similar to a pacemaker?

[spah]

Much obliged, mister. That's a hell of a hand you got on you, yourself. You happen to know what that's made of?

[Asking in case the classmates would know better than him.]

Well... technically, it's a baboon heart. With a high-voltage pacemaker attached to it, if a pacemaker could make your whole body bulletproof in the right circumstances.

The fella who did it could probably explain it better than me, though. It's mainly his work.

[hopefanatic]

Unfortunately I'm not very mechanically-inclined myself, so I'm not the right person to ask. Some kind of metal, but anything more specific than that I can't answer for sure. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful.

[He hadn't asked too many questions at the time anyway. It was better than what he had it's place previously, and that was all he cared about.]

And there wasn't any problem with your body rejecting the heart belonging to a different species? Fascinating.

[spah]

That's alright. Still looks like damn good craftsmanship. Function about the same as a regular hand? Or do you got... "upgrades"?

Nope. Same fella's always had a fancy for shoving animals parts into people. Think he figured out tissue rejection a long time ago.

[hopefanatic]

Oh no, nothing fancy! He was really pushing for a rocket-powered fist, but we were a little pressed for time.

[And there was frankly no way he was letting him go that overboard with the whole thing. Putting extra weird bits in the hand could have lead to even more issues in the long run, after all.]

"Always"? That's an odd thing to have a habit for, but I guess I don't have any right to judge! [he definitely doesn't given what he's done to his own body.] That's truly amazing, though! I'm really surrounded by such talented people here!

@crescentrose

[sanguinertia]

That's so cool! Do you, uh, do you teach people how to make or...maintain that stuff?

[ She has a vested interest, since her sister now has a prosthetic arm, and...

It would be cool to be able to know more about them, okay? ]

[spah]

Huh.

[Engie has to think about that for a secon.]

Can't say I've ever taught someone how to do it. But I wouldn't mind takin' a look myself, either. [Seeing as he's got a feeling he knows what she's going to ask.]

[sanguinertia]

I'd particularly like to learn about robotic arms!!

[ Yang isn't here but she can totally surprise her with knowledge later. Maybe? ]

[spah]

[Engie chuckles.]

Alright, alright. I don't think I could teach ya how to make one in one sit-down, but... I could definitely show ya how to maintain somethin'.

voice;

[bratworth]

( Look, he can't help but ask: )

Is there anything normal about you and your life?

( Cornfields aside. )

[spah]

Now that's a little rude, ain't it?

[bratworth]

I prefer 'direct'.

( Yes. )

[spah]

"Direct" can still be a lil' kinder.

[He's kidding. And technically avoiding the question.]

But just 'cause people in hell want ice water don't mean they get it. [That's a southern colloquialism. He's saying that's a pointless observation, friend.]

video;

[grandtheftautomata]

(Late night calls are all the rage, let's be real. Nico's as wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as can be at this hour thanks to however much coffee she's drank. In fact, there's a barely-filled pot in the background that looks like it's acting as her personal mug and all.)

Garage space? You asking 'round for that sorta thing? (Really, she's kind of curious as to what he's getting up to that he needs that much space.) Wonder if there's enough room for somethin' like that 'round here...

(Judging from the area around her in the video, it seems she just builds straight out of her apartment. The roommate is not pleased. He never is, but the junk strewn about is enough to drive anyone batty. Sometimes drives her nuts, but the stress is easily alleviated by kicking it around.)

[spah]

[Had Engineer shown off the rest of his apartment, Nico would have seen that his own apartment is about the same. Luckily, he doesn't have roommates.]

Sorta. I don't doubt this place has space that Prismals would be willin' to sell. I work out of my apartment, for the most part, but - I'm mainly lookin' for somethin' I can call a storefront.

[And, after a pause--]

Reckon you do the same?