[PRP] Brains (Kaleb/Chester)

[Smerdle]

As it turned out, it wasn't all that difficult to get simple machines to move on their own. Wind-up teeth, slinkies, pullback racing cars, they all did it, and it didn't take long for Chester to emulate every last one of them in his own work. He got a little distracted by it all, but where he wouldn't have cared prior to visiting the gallery, the guilt that surfaced from postponing his trip to the library actually stung.

He only had a limited amount of time in this body and he was wasting it.

One of his more obvious problems with regard to moving forward was that he had no idea how exactly he was meant to proceed. Yes, the library was where he needed to go, but Vivien had mentioned having a goal in mind when he did, and that just wasn't happening for him. How was he supposed to come up with something to research when he had the world at his fingertips? It was daunting. He found it easier to play with his robots in the park instead.

Today he was testing a palm-sized creature with long, spindly legs. It was part toaster, flashlight, and hole punch, and it whistled sharply every time its limbs whipped around to carry it through the grass.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

At first the park was very quiet, very peaceful. When Kaleb had settled in to read, hidden behind the trunk of a large oak, all he could hear was spring birds chirping away in the trees, the rustle of the wind through the leaves, and only the most distant sounds of human presence drifting through the air. He always assumed Ashdown was just like that, with little pockets of tranquility here and there that were lacking in the larger city.

Unburdened by distractions, the freckled teen was going over old class notes on thermodynamics and the conservation of energy. He knew the material, had already been tested on it, but ever since his introduction to magic he had another side of everything to consider. How could these scientific principles be used to improve his abilities on the other side, and how far could magic itself stretch them?

At first the whistling of the tiny mechanical creature didn't register in his awareness as he ruminated over physics and magic. It could have been the distant squealing of construction equipment, or perhaps a strange bird. Certainly nothing that required his immediate attention... At least not until it got closer, and then something scuttled through the grass next to him.

Kaleb squeaked loudly and half jumped, half tumbled out from behind the tree opposite the little robot, and into full view of the rest of the park.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

The last thing Chester expected to see was a young man spilling out from behind the trunk of a tree. He hopped back, then realizing it was, in fact, a person and not a huge, pasty otherworm wearing clothes, he changed course and darted forward, scooping up the robot and tucking it behind his back.

"I am so sorry." He stood there guiltily for several seconds more, making no move to help or leave. Just kind of... lingering... while he caught his breath and his heart slowed.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Or to be startled himself. He hated that.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

At least one of them had been able to save some face, Kaleb had been too frightened by the thing in the grass to even notice Chester's startled jump. He didn't even notice the other man until the whistling mechanical creature was scooped up.

"It's okay, I..." Kaleb remained where he sat on the ground, and intended to do so until the jitters went away. "I'm sorry, I must have been concentrating too hard, I didn't notice it until it was right beside me."

His cheeks began to turn a little pink as he realized how silly it was, being scared so badly by someone's remote control... robot... thing? It had been scooped up so quickly after the scare, Kaleb realized he had no idea what exactly it was that had crept up on him. Perhaps it was a glint of silver in the sunlight, or the rhythmic whistling noise, that had him thinking robot, but it could have been anything.

Shifting back to his spot behind the tree, he picked up the book that had been lost in his flailing. "What was that thing?" He asked, hesitation in his tone.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Invited to talk about one of his creations, Chester brightened considerably, bringing the thing back into view. He had switched it off in his haste to get it out of the way, but now he clicked on its Maglite face and set it in the grass. It didn't stand very well when it wasn't moving, sagging to one side like a sleepy pet.

"It's a robot, of sorts. I kind of take things apart and put them back together without an instruction manual. I think I'm starting to get movement down, but I want them to... do things." He hesitated to mention magic, even though imbuing them with some sort of life force, however primitive, was his real wish.

His eyes found the book for a moment and he swallowed before asking, "Do you go to Rider-Waite, by any chance?"

The pinkness and general fluster was ignored following Chester's initial apology. He was intimately familiar with the reaction himself and was loath to make too much of it in others, considering how much it embarrassed him personally.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb peered curiously at the little robot, encouraged by the other young man's response. He had been prepared to let it go, as well as offer up many apologies for being nosy, but having so much information volunteered right at the start of an interaction was just what the shy teen needed.

"Wow, you built that yourself? The movement is pretty organic already, it definitely had me fooled for a minute!" He smiled sheepishly, but with honest humour. "What sort of things do you need to make a robot that walks?"

For a second Kaleb also looked down at the book. It was definitely a textbook. "Yes! Ah... Finishing my first year, in Life Sciences," he replied quickly, and then gave the book a second glance. Physics. Definitely not Life Sciences curriculum, thus branding him as the nerd he was.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Chester nodded. "I'm a math major now. I don't take a lot of science courses anymore, but I'm still surprised I haven't run into you." Especially if physics was an idle hobby. "Chester Poole."

He tried to suppress his reaction to sudden praise, but he smiled a little anyway. "I build a lot of them these days, but I never really know what I'm going to use until it sort of... comes together. This one was a lot of office supplies and the surprising use of a flashlight." He was unused to speaking of magic openly, but there was kind of no other way to explain how he knew enough to build a robot without having completed more than the most rudimentary of engineering classes. "I have a little help. Of the supernatural variety."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Kaleb Sullivan, it's nice to meet you!" Kaleb's smile turned somewhat sheepish. "I'm not... exactly the type to stand out in a crowd." He had a bad habit of making himself small and unnoticeable whenever possible, and hiding away in between lectures to get reading done without being disturbed. It was pretty much how he survived high school.

"It looks really amazing for just office supplies and stuff," he was back to looking at the robot with admiration. "I thought you'd need all sorts of fancy things to make something move like that."

The moment Chester mentioned 'supernatural' assistance, Kaleb froze. Did he mean magic? Maybe he was reading too much into it, but had he just met someone else who had magical talents? In the midst of his wonderings, something suddenly clicked.

"The listserv!" He exclaimed quickly. "Are you CNP on the listserv?"

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Chester wasn't normally the most publicly conceited sort, but when someone was feeding his ego so effectively, he couldn't help preening a little. Yes, his creations were impressive. Yes, he was that CNP. He had a fleeting notion that he might enjoy having his name precede him on a more regular basis someday, but he pushed it aside as soon as it appeared. Now he was being ridiculous.

"I am." He smiled just a little, grateful that his admission of magic hadn't led Kaleb to suspicion. Chester might have argued that he'd meant outside supernatural assistance had he been pressed, but he was glad he hadn't needed to.

"Do you have... abilities too then?"

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

However innocent it might have been, Kaleb was quite good at stroking egos. But his appreciation for skilled knowledge mixed with his natural curiosity was perhaps the only way he could properly interact with anyone on a first meeting.

"Not over here, at least nothing I've found so far," he admitted with a sheepish smile. The park was peaceful and quiet, as it always was when he settled in to read, so he felt a bit more comfortable speaking openly. "But I've been working on some things on the other side and that's going okay!"

He looked at the robot again. "That's still really incredible, getting magic to help you with something so complex! Do you build them on this side?'

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

He nodded once more. That was understandable enough. He never would have discovered one of his more obscure powers had he not been left to fend for himself in 1969 with a family that had loved their board games a little more than most people.

"I do build them here, which can be hit or miss. The magic makes the mechanical parts a breeze to put together, but I'm still no designer. The exteriors can be a little haphazard." Case in point: the droopy robot in the grass. Chester shrugged slightly. "As long as they work, I can't complain. It's a lot easier to practice on the other side though. Even better if you can find a teacher."

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"I think a working robot is more impressive than a fancy messed up one," Kaleb agreed with a smile. "I didn't know magic could help with that sort of mechanical insight, does it feel any different when it helps you out?"

This wasn't the first time someone had indirectly suggested that finding a mentor would be the best way to learn about magic. Kaleb had also benefitted from some tips on more than one occasion, it was only with some encouraging that he had shield magic to work on, but he was altogether too shy to ask for more consistent help.

"I used to be afraid to end up there, on the other side, now it's more like... an opportunity."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"It feels like it wants something. Anticipatory, almost. Like an animal at the petting zoo when it knows you've got those little food pellets." To be fair, he'd only been to the petting zoo once a very long time ago. He hoped the pellets hadn't been discontinued or his analogy would be meaningless. "It makes me want to work on them, which only helps with the whole practice thing."

Chester nodded, a small smile lingering on his face. "I know what you mean about that." Even though he couldn't recall a time when he'd been afraid of the other side minus the first, that initial visit had been rather spooky. Not to mention the woman and the well. "It's a learning opportunity, when it's not being weird. I just wish going there was more reliable."

Grey Dragon

i did itttttttt /confettis a lot

 

[Grey Dragon]

That description made Kaleb smile, it was vague and not necessarily related to robots at all. It reminded him of some ways he had felt the presence magic on the other side, a combination of sensory experiences somehow blended together to describe one thing. He didn't need to ask for any clarification.

"That's pretty neat, does it just work like that when you are putting something together? Or does it make it easier to fix things too?" The teen's eyes were big and blue and curious behind those glasses.

"It really would be easier if the doorways weren't so... random..." Kaleb agreed. He reached out and touched one of the robot's legs, super gentle as though not wanting to disturb it. Like it were really some sort of magical creature. "I can feel them when I'm on the other side, but usually getting there is mostly an accident. Wouldn't that be neat if you could build a robot that could find them?"

Smerdle

The most confetti! ^o^

 

[Smerdle]

"That would be something," he agreed. "Though I feel it would almost be a kind of magic unto itself, the ability to... bestow portals. Or something." Chester smirked.

"It mostly works when I touch things as if I'm going to use them in the way they were originally intended. The feeling comes back every time I touch a thing after that until I take it apart, but that first touch conveys the most. After that it can almost feel like they're whining if they're really insistent. I don't know. It's difficult to explain." He shrugged. "I've had to pick up the actual building on my own though, which is why..." He gestured at the robot. It could have definitely been put together better, no matter how remarkable.

"But you can get home whenever you want?" That was never really a priority when he was on the other side, but he could see how such a skill could be useful in an emergency. The robot remained still, no more alive than the parts it had been made of.

Grey Dragon