[ Audio + Brief Video ] Domino Day Eighteen

[themasterthief]

I know there's a lot of this going around lately, but I promise to try and make this quick.

There are people on board this train that are good with technology, right? Computers and things like that? Everyone knows the name Tony Stark--it's hard not to hear someone talking about him--or him talking about himself... So I'm going to ask where he is right now. If it's the Quiet Carriage, he won't hear this but maybe someone will let me know they saw him there recently.

But if anyone else is as good or better with tech than he is I'd like to know. I've got a few things to share. On one condition: make something useful with it.

[The feed switches off and then a video turns on in it's place a second later. No one is visible except for a black hand with sharp claws that holds what basically looks like a foreign cellphone in it's grasp. It's rotated slightly one way and then another before the video feed shuts off abruptly. An audio-only starts again.]

That's what you have to work with. We could use a better device than these things. [He does not miss Ryslig but gods does he miss the communicator devices from there.] For lots of reasons. [Someone is paranoid.] Any takers?

Comments

It's maybe about five minutes max before he gets a response.

[runs_on_batteries]

[The dining car can be seen behind Tony as he answers this.]

There are a few people on the train who are from a world more advanced in technology than I am, but I'd be very interested in seeing if I can't make use of those. Do you want to meet somewhere to discuss it?

He likes the...relative promptness.

[themasterthief]

I'll keep that in mind. You know their names?

[He can always look them up or something if they don't eventually respond. Write notes for doors or some crazy old fashioned thing like that.]

Yes.

He was in the quiet room!

[runs_on_batteries]

Luke is the main one that comes to mind, although I just met this man known as the Doctor. Feanor isn't from the future but he's still formidable.. with this and otherwise.

[He thinks for a moment, giving this a serious consideration.]

Cal is also from Luke's world and has a droid, so he likely knows a few things. I know I'm forgetting people at the moment, but I'll keep thinking for you. If you're coming to the dining car, how do you like your coffee?

ofc, ofc.

[themasterthief]

The man with the screwdriver that doesn't screw? Yeah, I noticed him. You think he's good with technology? Huh. What about this Feanor? Are you implying he knows magic? That could be good for this sort of thing, too.

[Garrett doesn't know much about this stuff but he knows that the people responsible for the ones in Ryslig used both technology and magics to make theirs and try to keep them as safe to use as possible. And unavailable to prying eyes.]

I don't. I'll be there shortly.

[He's quick as an arachne. Also, it's less he doesn't like coffee and more that he doesn't accept drink from strangers. There's a subconscious reason for that. It involves Trickster gods and horrible vines and we'll leave it at that.]

[runs_on_batteries]

Yes.

[He frowns a bit.]

Why don't I wait till you're here before openly discussing other people's abilities.

[He isn't the only one with a healthy case of paranoia.

Whenever Garrett arrives, he'll find Tony with his laptop and a cup of that coffee he turned down. Tony gives the man a curious look, wanting to know why he saw claws in that video.]

[ Action ]

[themasterthief]

[That was fair. That was the whole point of creating something new after all. To be discreet.

It took Garrett about two minutes to travel from the back of the train to the dining car. Not only was he quick but being able to travel on the ceiling made it so much easier not to run into people. Except when he ran into Dread or Piccolo. Damn tall people. As for his appearance, Garrett was dressed in full black at this point having cobbled together pieces from stolen clothing from the mountain valley village and working with Kumoko to remake his usual thief's attire. The black clothing helped to hide some of his arachne bits but if Tony was truly scrutinizing him he would see the scorpion pincers folded up at his shoulders and notice the spiky bits at his shoulders and elbows were not apart of any armor but rather chitinous protrusions, the same as his clawed hands and feet. There was also a scorpion tail curled up against his back and four long harvestman like legs that he tried to hide folded against his body but honestly didn't completely disappear like some parts of him. His extra sets of eyes were hidden beneath the hood over his head at least.

Garrett walked up the stairs into the dining room instead of crawling across the ceiling since the double decker made it awkward. He moved over to Tony and sat opposite him. He gave the man a moment to take him in since he knew what it was like for humans to see him for the first time.]

Re: [ Action ]

[runs_on_batteries]

[His eyebrows rose as the man approached. His eyes darted to those areas where he was obviously different, but also kept returning to his face. There was calculating and looking for any hint of danger. So far so good, so he smirked.]

I can see why video chat isn't your thing. What's your name again?

[hashtagparkerluck]

Dude, no one is better at tech than Tony Stark. I mean, I'd show you lots of examples with several cited sources, but I kinda can't.

[themasterthief]

Because we're not in your world? Yeah, kid, I'm not surprised. It's all right. I've heard you talking about him. [Why no he doesn't eavesdrop, why would you think that.]

[hashtagparkerluck]

[ He's not really too sure how he feels about that but it is a closed space so people are bound to overhear things. ]

Yeah, exactly that, actually.

He designed my webshooters though, I can show you those?

[themasterthief]

[I mean, anything over the ICP was public as public could be... but no, Garrett eavesdropped without the ICP's help a lot too. Just in his nature. Usually didn't amount to much. But sometimes... back in The City at least... he could find a real nice prize for his efforts.]

Sounds good. [ Wait. ] Wait, that's not natural?

[hashtagparkerluck]

Um. No? The stickiness and extra-strength. That's uh... natural, you could say, but I make the webbing with a chemical mixture.

[ Why do people always assume his webbing is organic? Oh well. ]

[themasterthief]

[Because his is actual spun spider silk.]

Huh. So I guess it's just us true spiders that have real silk. I'm not sure which is worse to have to deal with.

[hashtagparkerluck]

[ He's definitely making a face. Wow. That sounded so rude. ]

Way to sound like some kinda Spider elitist.

[tinkerheart]

If you have communication devices in mind, it’s something I have been working on recently.

[The feed shows Fëanor holding a black sphere. It’s small, twice the size of tennis ball at most but it looks heavy and oddly fluid, as if something moved under it’s surface. Judging from the background, he’s in the garden car.]

A made a few of these. They are, however, yet to be tested.

[themasterthief]

It is. These don't really do us any good during missions for one thing.

[Garrett considers what Fëanor showed him. He has no idea how that would work.]

...does it require magic to be able to use it?

[tinkerheart]

It does not. Only getting attuned to the person using it beforehand. They are, sadly in short supply.

[He might have brought a full rucksack of obsidian from the burning world but it's still not enough to equip everyone with a palantir.]

I wouldn't be so quick to disregard the SCA's. I studied them. I don't have much trust in them. No more than I trust their source. [Which is almost zero.] Still, those contraptions have their uses. They are what keeps us alive in harsh conditions. [There's a hint of a smirk forming.] And before you ask, yes, I tested it.

[themasterthief]

What does that mean?

The SCAs don't allow for communication. And I was referring to the ICPs that aren't handheld like the laptops back in Ryslig that we used to carry around. [A beat.] I'm not sure I want to ask how you tested that.

[tinkerheart]

It means I have exactly four of them and no material left to produce more. So those will have to do for now.

[So the world he comes from has similar technology like the one Tony and Peter come from? Good to know.]

The ICP's are useful only around the train. The SCA's, on the other hand, we take everywhere. So if I was trying to work with any of the train-provided technology, it would be those. They have more features that we're allowed to use but I have to find a way to unlock them first.

[You're right, don't.]

[themasterthief]

No, the part about "getting attuned to the person using it" part. Materials is easy if it's something I can pick up on the worlds we go.

[Not quite but close enough! Garrett would explain...but probably not right this second.]

I wouldn't work with any tech from the train. That defeats the purpose. But something like that... yeah, we could use it.

Video

[wizard_redfive]

[All this talk of Tony Stark is really getting on Dairine's nerves. So she appears slightly grumpy on camera, but she's far more eager to get her hands on some tech and proof herself.]

[Very confidently:]

I'm great with computers. Got any more to spare?

[She rolls her eyes at the mention of the ICP.]

Tell me about it. There is no backlog or filter functions that I've found. What gives?! [It's the worst. She kinda misses the journal from Paradisa too.]

[ Audio ]

[themasterthief]

I have a few to pass around.

[He's dubious about what he sees and hears from this one but hey. What did he know. He was crap with the laptops unless somebody programmed it for him.]

It's basic, I guess. Not to mention it's stuck to the train. Not exactly useful for missions on open worlds.

[ Audio ]

[wizard_redfive]

Great. Seems like we could use the resources.

[Doubt all you want, these hands were pro at programming back when she was eleven.]

[Dairine does look rather offended and horrified at the mention of missions. But for a separate reason.]

You mean our wrist devices have no communication function even off the train? How do people coordinate!?

[ Audio ]

[themasterthief]

It's function is more like an amulet than a watch or communicator from what I've gathered. All I know is it's important to keep it on in case a world's environment isn't agreeable. It probably keeps tabs on us when we're off the train, too. It certainly knows when we're about to leave a station or world and insists on getting on the train. I'm not certain of the consequences if you don't get on in time... but knowing my luck, it's best if I don't fight it to find out. [Because in Ryslig if you weren't supposed to do it it usually meant death. And just because death wasn't permanent in some worlds didn't make it any more pleasant than one might expect.]

As for coordination... that's one of the reasons we could use proper communication devices. The teams mostly just do their jobs separately from one another. It works but maybe not as well as everyone would like.

[Though Garrett didn't really...participate much himself, he knew the value of communication devices from other experiences. So, he doesn't mind helping out if it means he gets a new toy, so to speak.]

Video - Forgot which one Dair was using

[wizard_redfive]

So it's an information hub that's got all the surveillance and none of the perks. Great. Just great.

[Dairine likes this less and less.]

Oh yeah, I noticed the flashing lights. [And the odd dread. Not that Dairine had stayed off the train too long, given that her sister was getting on.] Does the train usually give us advanced warning of what the time limit is?

That might work for now, but what'd happen if part of the team got separated? Or one job spiraled out of control? Seems pretty dangerous to be working without a line of communication to the rest of the group.