[open] have you ever wanted to disappear?

[bropane]

Who: Tadashi Hamada (bropane), Demo the talking CYbuddy, + you!
When: 16-17 Feb IC (7-10 Aug OOC)
Where: Tech & Auto shop, shopping district, and the residential district.
What: A follow up log to his network post. Stalker app installments (as well as other tech related things), nerdery, and passing out on a bench.
Rating/Warning: Will update when necessary!

---

a: tech & auto shop (semi-open)

[ he's been feeling really tired and sickly lately, but thankfully, a bunch of aspirins and orange juice, as well as some tea has been keeping him going. a few days after things get back to normal, he sends a message to some people who expressed interest in the app he came up with, saying that they can meet up now if they're available. if he hasn't sent the address yet, then he'll tell them to come to the tech and auto shop, and even attaches a map with it. what a nice guy this tadashi hamada is.

with him in his workshop is a miniature st. bernard cybuddy. when the doors slide open upon somebody arriving, it's the first thing that will welcome the person. at least the dog just talks, and doesn't bite! ]

Hello, hello! Welcome to Tadashi's workshop!

[ the dog sniffs at the shoes of tadashi's visitor as the roboticist himself gets up from his seat, approaching the door. ]

Hey. Good to see you, [ and he offers a hand to shake if he hasn't met the person yet before gesturing to a wheelie chair nearby. ] Have a seat.

[ though if this isn't the first time he's met this person, he'll just gesture to the seat right away, telling them to take a seat while he gets his laptop. ]

b: shopping district (late morning)

Demo, I really don't have time for this right now, [ tadashi says, looking pretty exhausted. he's carrying some bags with him - groceries - which he wants to put down on a counter soon since it's getting heavier by the second. not to mention, he probably should get some rest. working while being sick isn't fun at all, so getting home is a priority.

too bad his cybuddy doesn't seem to agree with him. the dog is barking at an alleyway that probably connects to a deadend. tadashi said he has no time for it, so he isn't even checking it out. ]

But Tadashi, there's something out there! [ the dog responds loudly before barking at the alleyway again. fun… and a talking dog might be weird for some people passing by. they probably haven't met the demo the dog before, or heard of tadashi's incoming line of cybuddies yet. ]

c: residential district + wildcard (post-baseball plot)

[ the day after his excursion with demo, he decides not to bring the dog out shopping again any time soon. having to put him in sleep mode wasn't fun, since he's supposed to have configured demo to work properly. he didn't see any signs of any glitching either, when he checked on his cybuddy's software after getting home… (cybuddies are officially troublesome.)

now, he's on his way to work again, though he's running a bit late. it's just a few hours into the afternoon since he woke up at lunchtime not feeling rejuvenated at all. his limbs are also sore from all the baseball he played the day before. he probably looks sick to someone who can sees him and the cybuddy walking around, so feel free to tell him to go back home and get some rest.

during the evening, he can be found walking back to his apartment looking like he needs a lot of sleep, too. he's sent his cybuddy to go home ahead of him, so he's just alone. though when he receives a text, he takes a seat on a nearby bench by one of the apartments before answering… and ultimately passing out.

feel free to draw on his face, or be a good person and wake him up. ]

Comments

[bropane]

[ tadashi does notice his cybuddy getting pet, only because it speaks as it's touched. ]

Down there, no, over there... that's the spot!

[ he may have given his cybuddy a little too much personality. tadashi will just quietly watch the two interact. it's not every day that demo meets new people, after all. ]

[jawdacity]

[ rin, always weak to small cuddly fluffy things, is now finding that he's just as weak to small cuddly not-so-fluffy things. ]

You're a good boy, aren't you? There's a good boy.

[ his skritching gets more vigorous, both hands now joining the effort. rin's grin gets out of hand until he - abruptly - remembers where he is, and he forces himself to return to neutrality. ]

—ah. Tadashi. [ he clears his throat, looking embarrassed, but doesn't stop petting the little dude. ] Your pet's pretty lifelike -- never seen anything like it. You do his programming, too?

[bropane]

[ tadashi doesn't even mind that rin seems to be enjoying himself, or the fact that he seems embarrassed. don't worry about being yourself in front of him, rin! ]

Yeah, gave him a personality and all.

It's what I do, after all. Make CYbuddies.

[ he turns and clicks on something, activating a bunch of 4d holograms of various animals like cats, dogs, and horses in the center of the room. ]

I'm working on a line of them that doubles as nurses, or at least helpers around the house.

[jawdacity]

[ he pulls off the scarf he's wearing and knots it into a ball — it's a poor substitute for a frisbee or a tennis ball, but it'll have to do.

plus, a CYbuddy isn't likely to knock over any of tadashi's work, right? right. ]

There you go, boy.

[ still, he's careful when he tosses it, making sure that his wadded scarf ends up in a relatively uncluttered part of the lab. it helps that its flight capabilities are severely limited, given that it's... a wad of cloth. ]

Pretty cool.

[ rin perks up, his attention returning to tadashi. and then to the display. a moment of startled observation, then he wanders from animal to animal, hands passing through the holograms. ]

Anything with combat capabilities?

[bropane]

[ demo's definitely pawing at it, even muttering a thank you to rin before playing with it. tadashi just shakes his head and lets the dog do this thing... though he probably has to consider making cybuddy toys in the future. toys for toys...?

as for rin's query, he rubs the back of his neck before answering. ]

Well, that might be good, but not ideally something I want to make.

[ he doesn't like fighting, after all. ]

[jawdacity]

[ he understands — and yet he doesn't, not really. to hate violence is one thing, rin himself has felt the full weight of that hatred day in and day out, but to remain staunch in that hatred when their entire lives were destroyed by senseless violence?

rin frowns, turning away from the array of holograms. it's not his place to argue with someone he hardly knows, but he at least needs to make his case known. ]

That's why they brought us here, isn't it? To fight off the bastards that destroyed our worlds.

[ to do something. anything. ]

[bropane]

[ tadashi doesn't mean to offend, but he has to ask - ]

You believe in that?

[ he pulls a lever that reveals a secret wall, containing some gauntlets and other fighting gear. kind of like the stuff in iron man, except less sophisticated. what tadashi has in that compartment are just a pair of gauntlets, and some boots. though they don't look like ordinary and fashionable boots. ]

I made these for ViViD, but they work outside of it, as well. [ he puts one of the gauntlets (though his are black and white) on, showing the palm part of it to rin. ]

These are electromagnetic gauntlets. Pretty shocking, huh?

[ I'M SO SORRY HE HAD TO MAKE THAT PUN. ]

[jawdacity]

[ the question has him pausing, but he doesn't take offense — he's not stupid enough to take everything they've fed him at face value, but the fact remains that there's someone out there they're going to have to fight to get back to where they were. in some capacity. whether it's a troop of aliens or a shady corporation masquerading as their saviors. ]

As shocking as that was lame.

[ but he's grinning, his tension from earlier fading away. ]

You gonna give me a demonstration?

[bropane]

What, here?

[ he shakes his head, laughing. ]

No way, but don't worry. It works.

[ he tinkers with his laptop again to show rin a video feed of him playing in vivid (tHE GAMEPLAY IS SIMILAR, AT LEAST, except it's... tadashi in a hoodie with his gauntlets and rocket powered boots and not hiro. ]

Check this out. I tested it in ViViD.

[jawdacity]

[ rin's not so great at hiding the wide-eyed amazement, so it makes its second appearance now. ]

Damn.

[ he might as well have said that's awesome by the tone of voice that he uses.

a moment of watching tadashi jump about with the gauntlets, and then rin's too-eager attention returns to tadashi. ]

And you don't need any magic powers to begin with, right?

[ worth asking. he's met more than a few people that could conjure that kind of power without needing any machinery whatsoever. ]

[bropane]

No magic here, [ he says lightly. ] Just pure science at work.

[jawdacity]

[ well, the next question should be obvious... ]

Great. Are you selling any of those?

[ even if tadashi is a pacifist, the fact that he'd made the gloves at all speaks of necessity. he has to understand. ]

[bropane]

[ he gives a nonchalant shrug. money's money, and if rin is interested, he wouldn't mind making another one for him. ]

I can make you a customised one, for sure. But yeah, as much as I hate to say it, it'll cost you.

[ tadashi can even let rin design it. it'll be... fabulous. and not at all agreeable with tadashi's tastes, probably. ]

[jawdacity]

Yeah. 'Course.

[ like he'd let tadashi put in the work to make it without compensating him. ]

Probably won't be able to pay all at once, but I can send over the credits installments if you give me some kind of deadline. A month or so?

[ yeah. fabulous is putting it lightly. ]

[bropane]

We can talk finances later, [ he says, crossing his arms. let's be real here, this guy is excited to make new tech. ] I wanna know what plans you have.

[jawdacity]

[ there's a moment where rin resembles a deer in the headlights. he hadn't expected that question.

at the same time, maybe he should have. tadashi is obviously a smart guy; he wouldn't be doing what he's doing if he wasn't. ]

You have a brother here, don't you? You know how it is. I don't know who's the big bad 'round here, but there are people I want to protect, too.

[ there's a furrow in his brow, and his gaze cuts away when he says as much — he wouldn't admit it to their faces, and it's not something he wants to share with a guy he's just met, no matter how easygoing and likable tadashi seems.

well. it is what it is.

rin's expression hardens into something definitive, determined. ]

That's pretty much it.

[bropane]

[ yeah, he definitely gets it. tadashi may be a bad judge of character, trusting his mentor so much who ends up being part of his demise, and that's why he immediately trusts rin. he doesn't think that rin would use tadashi's tech for anything other than defending those important to him, so hopefully his instincts are right...!

tadashi nods accordingly, a soft smile on his face. ]

You know, come to think of it... Makoto and Haruka are your friends, aren't they?

[ this comes out of left field, but he's been wondering for a while why rin looks so familiar. haru and makoto gave tadashi a poster of rin's face on it before...

no wonder. ]

Are they the ones you want to protect?

[ whoops sorry if this is too personal, rin. tadashi just can't help but ask about the resemblance. ]

[jawdacity]

[ the mention of his friends has rin visibly startling, enough to take a step back. it's not that trust is at stake here - he doesn't think that tadashi would bring them up for any nefarious purposes - but rin has made a study of keeping his attempts at internalizing violence away from makoto and haru. they exist in a different sphere of existence, one that rin doesn't want to associate with what he's discussing with tadashi.

but it makes sense. haru and makoto have been here longer than he has. tadashi is clearly someone of consequence. the fact that they've crossed paths, that makoto and haru may have mentioned him — it shouldn't be a surprise.

he relaxes, though it takes a moment. he's not used to second-guessing motives. trust comes naturally to him. ]

Yeah.

[ his voice is soft, his smile sheepish. ]

They've both done a lot for me. This is my chance to finally repay the favor.

[bropane]

I only know because I helped them look for you, and their other friend, [ whose name he can't remember right now. but if he went home and checked the posters, he'd know. ]

They're nice people, those two. I barely know them, but I can say for certain.

[ he moves to fix some stuff on his desk, then some more things on his shelves. sorry, rin! he's still in work mode. ]

I can definitely build some tech for you, [ a pause, and he cocks his head slightly. ] Do you want it to be exactly like mine, electromagnetic gloves and rocket powered boots?

[jawdacity]

[ he must be talking about kisumi. rin doesn't interrupt - it's not important, anyway, since kisumi is long gone.

which isn't a thought worth pursuing. he's spent enough time dwelling on things he can't change. he's here with tadashi to find something that he can accomplish. ]

Yeah.

[ rin watches tadashi shuffle about. in the meantime, he crouches back down, resuming his earlier pursuit of demo's affection. his scarf has admittedly seen better days, but it was sacrificed for a good cause. ]

The rocket boots are pretty cool, but -- [ he looks his age when he grins. all seventeen years of it. ] Can you do fire for the gloves instead? And red. Definitely red, metallic red. White flames down the side, black accents. Maybe some gold, too.

[ and then a beat where he realizes -- ]

If it's possible, of course.

[bropane]

Fire.

[ not that he has an aversion to it, but he'd like to avoid working closely with anything that generates fire right now... he repeats the word again with a little bit of judgment and resentment, but the whole idea of gloves that could send out mini-fireballs isn't so bad. ]

Well, I'm sure I can work on something like that... [ it's money too, and not to mention, he was right about rin being makoto and haru's friend. tadashi barely knows them - haru especially - but he does like them for being good friends. he'll do them a favour by helping out their friend rin in his goal to protect his friends.

after all, it's inadvertent protection for those two, as well. ]

As for the design, you got it. [ though he can't help but laugh. ] I feel like that's something my brother would make, to be honest.

[jawdacity]

[ rin's embarrassment isn't a subtle thing, marching across his face in the same red hue he'd asked about.

he doesn't miss the judgment in tadashi's voice, but the laughter afterwards wipes the slate clean. it's alright. this isn't for him, this isn't for fun, even if rin's currently thinking about it the wrong way. it's for protection, nothing else. ]

I can't even tell if you think that's a good thing or a bad thing. Thanks, Tadashi.

[ but it's obvious that tadashi cares a lot about his brother, so he'll leave it at that. ]

How'd you learn how to do all this stuff, anyway?

[bropane]

[ as he finishes fixing up his shelves, he crouches over to where demo is and grabs rin's scarf. the good thing about cybuddies is that they don't drool. at least, demo sure doesn't. so the scarf is just slightly messed up, but not wet! good for rin!

he bundles it up in a ball and tosses it to the younger guy before responding. ]

It started as a self-taught thing, then I ended up wanting to study it.

I was a robotics student in college before - [ a pregnant pause. before he died. he almost says it, but he stops himself. ] before I arrived.

[jawdacity]

[ rin catches it one-handedly, distracted by the conversation at hand. he tosses it from hand to hand, restless energy running through him. he's normally not this keyed up, but tadashi's introduced the idea of flaming gloves to him. he has a right to be excited. ]

Robotics, huh.

[ he sounds impressed, despite himself. he's a good student, dedicated to his coursework, but there's a difference between regurgitating information and actually being exposed to coursework that gives you free license to create. if he didn't love swimming so much, he might have asked tadashi for information about his university.

you know, on the off chance that their worlds haven't been decimated. ]

What kind of college program teaches you how to make gloves that shoot electricity?

[ he misses the pause. sometimes rin's not as observant as he likes to believe that he is. ]

[bropane]

Oh, that? [ okay, he can't help but feel slightly bashful now. incoming nerdery, please excuse him. ] My brother and I just make things at home when we're bored. We usually get ideas from anime and video games.

It's not college.

[ you know, just... saying the last statement to make things clear. ]