002 • video

[akito]

Advanced courses are supposed to be more challenging, ne?

[ this is one tiny teenager surrounded by textbooks and notebooks, colourful tabs marking particular pages of interest. the textbook levels range from grade eight to grade twelve, both standard and advanced, with only the occasional lower-level visible through the pile of more advanced texts.

Akito frowns at it all, utterly baffled. he thought he would have to catch up over the next few weeks before the school year started... ]


Does anyone know of any good arcades in the porter cities? Or somewhere I could get custom mechanical parts built? Or both!

[ he's gone too long without air trecks and video games. time for some fun distractions! and it's no fun by yourself, so he'll bug the only fun person he knows so far-- ]

Ne, Mr. Jesse, do you want to get your butt kicked at video games then get some ice cream?

[ pleeeeeeeeaaaase mr. jesse save him from his boredom and thinking about how scary everything is. ]

Comments

[crapbearer]

Hey, not bad. Think you can help the rest of us study if we fall behind?

[akito]

Ah... I guess so? I've never done that sort of thing, but it shouldn't be too hard!

[crapbearer]

Hey, it's easy! We just sit around a table going over problems until one of us gets bored and distracts the rest of the group into playing video games or something.

[hands4healing]

What kind of custom parts?

[Yes, you got her attention.]

[akito]

[ it's much easier to show than to explain, and so he shows carefully sketched blueprints for a few separate A-T mechanics, plus a few more basic parts - not enough to give the whole picture, but enough. ]

My Air Trecks didn't come here with me so I need to build a new pair.

[hands4healing]

I could probably make those...what are they for?

[akito]

Flying!

[hands4healing]

...Really?

[akito]

Un! I'm not showing the blueprints of how they work, since that could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but built properly and with training a person can use them to fly!

[hands4healing]

Okay. I'm an engineer, I can make those for you. Do you want them out of metal or plastic?

[akito]

Metal. Do you have any strong, lightweight alloys here?

I don't have any way to pay right now, but I can find some jobs to earn some money once there's a final price.

[hands4healing]

I can see what's available and let you know!

[akito]

That would be very good, thanks!

[hands4healing]

You're welcome.

I'm Winry Rockbell.

[akito]

I'm Akito.

[hands4healing]

It's nice to meet you, Akito! It'll take me a little bit of time - maybe a day or so? - to find out what metals are available. Is that okay?

[akito]

It's nice to meet Winry-san, too. I don't mind waiting a little longer!

[hands4healing]

Great. I'll be back in touch as soon as I have any information for you!

I'll talk to you soon!

[And she disconnects the communication.]

[iamtetsuo]

[Hey, it's you]

I know an arcade.

[akito]

Oh, it's you! The rude, grumpy guy! Did you find the info you needed at the library?

[iamtetsuo]

Tetsuo.

Since you asked, no. I found some other things.

[akito]

Tetsuo, then!

Anything you wanted to know?

And where is the arcade? Is it any good?

[iamtetsuo]

Yeah... Stuff I didn't know I was looking for.

You've been useful, so I guess I can tell you. It's in Nonah. They've got some good stuff there.

[Also he works there, but he doesn't have to admit that.]

[akito]

Nonah? Where in Nonah?

[iamtetsuo]

Look at a map sometime.

[As an afterthought, he pings directions to the other kid's comm. Something about cutting this off before he gets asked more questions.

By the way, this totally counts as his good deed for the year.]

[akito]

If you didn't tell me I would have! But it's always quicker to ask somebody who knows, ne?

Thanks!

[iamtetsuo]

Don't mention it.

I mean it.

[akito]

Un, sure.

[ a tsundere type! ]

[ video ]

[hostage]

Sure. You been to the boardwalk yet?

[ video ]

[akito]

I haven't! Where is it?

[hostage]

Down by Cape Canaveral. We could take a drive.

[akito]

Cape Canaveral is near where we got brought to this world, ne?

[ --speaking of driving, actually... ]

Mr. Jesse, is there a way to transfer licenses over to here? Like if you were licensed to drive a car or a helicopter back home, how does it work to get licensed here?

[ S.W.A.T. was shitty but it did have some pretty good perks at time... ]

[hostage]

Yeah - Yeah, you just take the test here. Or get the government to write it off, I guess, but I just took the test over 'cause it seemed easier.

[akito]

[ he pulls a bit of a face at that. ]

They definitely wouldn't let me, since I'm not sixteen yet.

[hostage]

You're an imPort. Sometimes they make exceptions.

[akito]

I don't know if I'd want to be treated as an exception to some rules. They could always expect something in return for it, you know?

[hostage]

They can expect whatever they want. Doesn't mean you gotta give it to 'em.

[akito]

Un... Though there's always the worry of blackmail, or other methods of coercion. Do we really know all the features of the nanites they forced into us?

[ so much trust. can u feel it, jesse? ]

[hostage]

If it comes down to it, I don't think they'll be keeping track of how many favors we owe 'em. I say, might as well take advantage while the taking's good.

[akito]

...I guess I'll think about it, then. Or just wait a few months until I'm sixteen. Maybe by then I'll have enough money to get a motorcycle!

[hostage]

Nice. I got a Ducati racer like... first thing when I got here.

The only downside to having a bike over here is all the rain. Never had that problem where I came from.

[akito]

That's what rain jackets are good for, ne? It can be pretty fun!

Where is Mr. Jesse from?

[hostage]

New Mexico. The desert.

[akito]

I've never been to New Mexico! Or a desert! But deserts have really cool wildlife, ne? Like snakes that dance over sand and lizards with horns?

[hostage]

And giant spiders.

[akito]

[ a pause. Wherein he looks mildly less enthused. he wouldn't call himself scared of spiders, but the way that arachnids move give him the heebie jeebies. ]

Ah... But at least the bigger they are the less chance of them being venomous!

[hostage]

True, true.

[Is that true? He doesn't actually know.]

[akito]

[ akito will just... nod... because he doesn't actually know if it's true, or just another old wives tale. ]


Are you at the school today? We could meet up at the entrance and then go exploring from there!

[hostage]

Sure, yeah. I'm here all day, so whenever.