continuation of a meme thread (closed)

[perfectpower]

BEEP BOOP see tag below (I'll add memes here later)

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[perfectpower]

[The first thing he's doing when Viktor returns is casting a soundproofing spell on the room. That should keep prying ears from listening in on their conversation, especially if Viktor remembered to lock the door.

Brad visibly perks up when he sees the hex crystal. He definitely knows what that is, yep.]

Oh hey, that's a natural-growing mana stone! I'm amazed you got that to work at all, those things are notoriously unstable.

[Maybe it's roundness has something to do with that.]

[becomerobot]

We have spent years upon years refining and reinforcing them.

[He reaches for a hammer and just... clocks the thing. It sure sparks! Big sparks! But no explosion. This guy truly has no fear.]

Our goal... was to supply them to the common people. To make the toils of labor easier and improve lives on a ground level. Below ground, even...

[Viktor has never forgotten the Undercity, he has always wanted to help them in their struggles. To use the privilege he lucked his way into for good...

He coughs again, wheezing and out of breath from the walk and his own enthusiasm,]

... what do you think?

[perfectpower]

[Honestly, Brad feels kind of bad about this. He knows the answer, but Viktor seems so proud of his work...how can Brad just upend him like that?

But then again, collaboration can help make Viktor's dream come true, right? So maybe sharing a big secret would help...]

I think you did really good here! Drawing power from a mana stone isn't easy, especially not these kind. They're powerful, but very unstable, as the mana in them comes from within the earth. It's basically untempered mana, up until you refine it.

You might have better luck with a mana stone from another source.

[He flicks his wrist, and then there's a small stone in his hand, similar in color to the hex crystal/mana stone that Viktor has but shaped more like an actual gemstone.]

Here, give this one a try.

[If Viktor attempts it, the power won't be as strong but it will be far easier to control.]

[becomerobot]

This-? Is another type of the same stone-?

[Here they could only ever find the one type and it was exceedingly rare, nothing that could be mined by unskilled hands, given the volatility. But there goes Brad, plucking it from thin air...

After looking it over, Viktor will swap out the hex gemstone for what Brad provided. He fits his goggles on to protect his eyes, gesturing Brad towards a spare pair out of courtesy.

The stone doesn't fit quite as well, but Viktor will recalibrate and boot the machine up- which seems to really struggle with the new task. Viktor doesn't flinch, he just cranks the device until he finds the breakthrough point- magic flashing within the space and beaming brightly out the windows.

There is definitely going to be a knock on the door soon, from a curious co-worker unable to stay away. Viktor isn't thinking about that, he just comments,]

Incredible... The raw output is not as high, but it stabilized so much faster and more even than our own. This would be ideal for common use!

[perfectpower]

Yeah, these are the ones we give to newbie wizards. They eat these and gain the mana from it, thus increasing their own. These ones aren't too bad to get, so long as you don't mind fighting darkspawn. They're probably the easiest of any of the magical beings to kill.

[Which. Says something about the farming process. As well as wizard culture as a whole, if they're eating these things.]

What're you gonna use 'em for?

[becomerobot]

Hold on, hold on. You eat the rocks?

[this is the most important thing to question about all that]

[perfectpower]

Yeah. I could eat that round one you made and get stronger from it.

Oh, but don't try it yourself. It only works for wizards. For a regular human, you'd mutate into a horrible monster.

[He says this so casually, like it's no big deal.]

[becomerobot]

Eh, well... duly noted. [that is a wise warning to put on these if they are meant for a commoner population. You know, since kids and certain kinds of adults might want to put the shiny marble in their mouth.]

We should not talk more on this here. It is risky, but... at my home, I will bring some notebooks back with me. [he doesn't know there is a sound proof spell on the room, Viktor is just being excitedly reckless up onto now. Reaching a hand to Brad, he lightly squeezes at his arm to emphasis,]

Thank you, for showing me this. This could change so much.

[perfectpower]

[Oh nooooo that gets a small smile out of Brad. A more genuine one, that is typically seen when he feels like he's done something good for once.]

Hey, anything that helps, right? You gotta change the world, I might as well make it easier.

[But yeah, they need to clean up quickly and hide the device that Viktor brought over. Once they're in the clear Brad quickly drops the sound proofing spell and leans back against the desk.]

So, what now? Do we get to go home early?

[becomerobot]

I could get more done back there- yes. Where we can talk freely. [he'll just take notes and leave the testing equipment behind for now. There is so much to recalculate with Brad's knowledge. Viktor is definitely feeling a raw urgency to get as much information from the man as he can.

He might only be around until next he sneezes, right? At any moment, couldn't he just poof away, leaving Viktor with too many questions to ever answer by himself?

There is a noise like someone trying the door without knocking, rattling the handle. Then a knock, a voice trying to not be too worried comes through- "Viktor? Are you alright?" And Viktor quickly stashes the gemstone in a pocket before handing Bradley back the other crystal. He pulls off his goggles as he crosses to open the door again, gathering an armful of notebooks as he went. So much so he can barely pop the door open without dropping any, once there.]

Perfectly fine, Jayce. Just on my way out.

[perfectpower]

[Brad will just casually follow Viktor to the door, though he stops short so Viktor can open the door. And when the door opens, Brad does his best attempt at looking put-out.]

Stop dashing around here so much, I'm supposed to be the one grabbing stuff for you.

[Something something cover story paycheck.]

[becomerobot]

[Brad speaking up about their cover does make Viktor hand off the pile of note and textbooks back to the man, filling his arms with it. A good thing, too, so Viktor can take his crutch from nearby the door and be ready to leave, just like that-

Oh, right- he gestures vaguely between the two men, tall hunks that they both are,]

Jayce- Bradley. Bradley- Jayce. He is helping me carry things. I'll work the rest of the night from home. ["night" when it's still midday, but Viktor is making it clear he won't be back,]

Call if you need. [just like that he's already leaving, whoops, saying as little as possible sounds best to him!]

[perfectpower]

[He now has the papers, and he's holding them carefully as he gets ready to go. But as he's walking out the door, he'll pause to nod at Jayce. Then he nods his head towards Viktor before raising his eyebrows a couple times, like he's saying yeah, he's mine tonight. Then he's out the door, following after Viktor.

While he's hurrying out, he'll call out to Viktor (but also say loudly enough for Jayce to hear) something in particular:]

We should get drinks too! Does your academy salary get you wine or beer?

[Let it never be said that Bradley Bain isn't a good actor.]

[becomerobot]

[Viktor answers quickly and doesn't restrain his volume.

He also means this quite seriously, a very natural response of sternness from him.]

I need you sober tonight.

[He'll realize how it must sound only after they walk out of the building,]

[perfectpower]

[Oh nooooo that's so great, it gets a bark of a laugh out of Bradley.]

Sure thing.

[It isn't until they're out of the academy and in the courtyard that Bradley speaks again.]

You might have to apologize to him later, he looked liked a kicked puppy there.

[becomerobot]

[Viktor smirks right back for a moment, realizing he was a bit clever there. People will talk. It's almost... fun to know.

The look fades into confusion at the next comment,]

Apologize for what?

[clueless, too focused on science to consider why Jayce might be so concerned with all this]

[perfectpower]

[Ah. Too distracted by his thoughts to notice those around him. Brad knows the type.]

I'm sure you'll figure that out eventually.

[They're friends, right? Strong friendships survive someone having sex a few times. Or not having sex, as they are right now.]

He's your co-worker, right? Are you gonna share this "amazing breakthrough" with him?

[becomerobot]

[Viktor... really doesn't like to feel like there's something he's not getting here. He gestures with one hand as they walk,]

Of course! He is a brilliant mind, believe it or not. And he knows how to present our findings outside the lab. Little can be accomplished if we cannot secure the funding to actually build it.

[perfectpower]

Right, I figured. So at what point do we rope him into all of this?

[Probably once Bradley has shared his knowledge and sneezed away, for the safety of both of them.]

[becomerobot]

I... will decide on that later. There is much to learn before I can determine that.

[And Viktor is definitely rushing, because the idea Bradley could just disappear is an ever present ache of uncertainty. He must extract as much knowledge from the mage as possible in this window of time. It isn't like Viktor himself has all that much time himself,

His apartment is at least easy to get back to, though Viktor looks very tired going through the door. He pivots to Bradley and takes a few books off the top of the pile the man is holding, spreading them out over his kitchen table/working space, since that's clearly the duel use it has. Immediately back to work! This guy... he is a diligent one.]

[perfectpower]

[Home sweet home!

Viktor may have taken some of the books, but Bradley will set the rest on the table before he turns his attention to Viktor. He saw how tired he looked after just a short walk, so!]

Oi, pick a seat already. I'll hand you whatever you need.

[becomerobot]

Pull up a seat beside me. I want to ask you more questions. Now-

[Bradley is truly in for it, Viktor diving right into his notes. He will absolutely be testing the mage's patience for entertaining his curiosity. The man is not going to break for food unless it is put in front of him, in which case he will eat and work at once.

Viktor's avarice is for knowledge and discovery, all else can be ignored.]

[perfectpower]

[They talk for hours, going over the magic Bradley knows and how it works. Fortunately Bradley is something of a braggart, and is all too happy to share his genius in developing some of the magic he uses. Duplication spells so he never runs out of ammo for his gun, temperature control spells so that he feels comfortable regardless of the climate he is in, teleporting spells so he can keep all of his gear in a locked room and just bring it to him at will, even a transformation skill to change his features if he needs a quick escape, though admittedly that one takes a lot of mana to do and is difficult to hold for a long period of time. He demonstrates any of them that Viktor asks him to, up to the most recent one being the sugar spell that he used to sweeten Viktor's tea, also providing him some energy should he choose to drink it.]

That's actually one of the first ones I learned, as it's pretty easy to do and a safe one for kids to practice.

[But by now hours have passed and Bradley has already teleported dinner in for them to eat. It's dark outside, with them relying on light sources (or a light spell from Bradley) for Viktor to keep taking notes.]

Got any other questions? I think I've talked about everything I know.

[He has not, but there's some secrets he will not tell any non-wizard, including Viktor.]

[becomerobot]

[He is definitely asking for demonstrations and jutting down notes rapidly as they go. The wonder in Viktor's eyes is so energetic, so impossibly enthused by each new discovery. He's greedy to try and understand, demanding in his focused attention, but Brad is being generous with him.

So much is written down that he ends up unable to even hold his pen, rubbing at his wrist to sooth how locked up he made it in his persistence. A good enough time for Brad to teleport in dinner and insist they stop to eat it, but Viktor just... looks at it. Contemplating and then hesitant to ask,]

... You teleported this here? Who did it belong to? [and then he looks sternly angry and ungrateful,]

I will not eat food stolen from someone else's pantry.

[perfectpower]

[Viktor...]

Nah, this is all from my place. It's actually a good thing we're eating this, the chicken would've gone bad after a couple'a days.

[He will also bring a whiskey bottle, just because.]

I've been dealin' with this for years, and I always need stuff I can cook on the fly. So my fridge is full of meat, eggs, and other things that'll keep ya goin' on the trail. Any time I make it back home, I make sure to keep the fridge 'n cupboard stocked.

[This is somewhat true. He does have a well-stocked pantry. But the fridge belongs to Nero, and he is definitely stealing some chicken Nero left in the fridge. Not that he'll admit to that, his poker face is strong and he wants Viktor to eat.

He tries to pull a couple of glasses too, but he frowns when his gesture produces nothing.]

Damn, Owen must've taken my cups again. Bastard.