ArchivedLogs:Chocobots

Chocobots
Part of the Morpheus TP
Dramatis Personae Sage, Sebastian
In Absentia	2014-02-04 '
Location <XS> Roof
The view from up here is phenomenal, a panorama of the expansive Xavier's grounds, forest and lake and rocky cliffs alike. Even without the view outwards, the rooftop itself holds its own delights, in the form of the tiny jewel of a flower garden tucked away up here, tended by one of the school's teachers. From the edge of the roof, with a veeery careful jump, it looks like it just might be possible to reach the treehouse in the old oak tree. It's after classes but the sun is still up -- and the chocolate rain still going strong. The grounds below are quite packed with students out enjoying the bounty and up here a number of containers have been set out, bowls, buckets, capturing the downfall. Out at roof's edge -- probably not overly /safely/, given how close he is to the edge -- one small sharktwin is perched in a crouch. Sebastian is dressed in what has become standard attire for him, though it's a far cry from the brightly colourful feminine attire he used to wear. Plain dark cargo pants, a dark peacoat, black hiking boots. There's something shiny-bright hovering in front of him -- a large metallic-gold dragonfly that is currently projecting down in front of him what seems to be a map of the school grounds. He swipes one portion bigger, rotating it. Hovering over his shoulder are a trio of other dragonflies -- cobalt blue, blood red, and a smokey dark. None of them seem particularly affected by the chocolate falling from the sky, though every so often Sebastian shakes himself to dislodge it from /his/ clothing. Before coming up to the roof, Sage has changed her outfit for the day, wearing an XS jacket hoodie with thick jeans and the hood up, a t-shirt underneath, and boots, along with ATHENA rested on her face. As she approaches, she glances around, and when her eyes meet Sebastian's direction she's heading that way. "Mr. Holland-Zedner, good afternoon. How are you doing?". And then she's taking a quick glance at the dragonflies, mainly the one projecting the map. "You built these, correct? Quite impressive. It is quite amusing that this chocolate rain is not affecting them, in real world logic they would have short-circuited by now.". Sebastian unfolds reflexively, sliding an inch or so towards the edge of the roof before his sturdy boots gain purchase on the slippery-wet surface. "Professor." His tone is quiet-shy, polite, and he bobs his head in an automatic nod. His gills flutter alongside his neck, a darker tint creeping into his cheeks. "-- no," he denies. "Mostly they'd be fine." His gills flutter again. "They're /my/ bots. Might have slowed them. Wouldn't have stopped them. I don't -- think." He doesn't, admittedly, sound /entirely/ certain. He blows the map up wider still, rotating it farther to pick out a segment of cliffside. His claw sketches out a circuit along the cliffs. "Over here, Blacky. Check back in with me this time tomorrow." It's /not/ the black dragonfly that clicks its agreement with this command but the blood-red one; its eyes light and it buzzes off over the edge of the roof. The black one is much quieter as it takes the place of the red one at Bastian's side. "How're you, Professor?" "I am not a professor, that requires doctorates.". Sage quickly corrects, calm and emotionless. "What do they run on? It is quite impressive, as I said before.". Sage tilts her glasses, which are fine even if they get hit by chocolate rain, before activation. "ATHENA, check text messages.". And then, she returns to pay attention to Bastian. "I am good. Greeted a returning colleague who will be teaching a variant of physics, you should be acquainted with Ms. Dane shortly. Though troubling things are still happening and this whole thing is getting more and more unpredicatble.". "Most of 'em need to be recharged every few days -- they're smart enough to come home and dock /themselves/ when their power's running low, but they plug in to their charging stations same as most normal appliances," Sebastian explains. "I mean they have batteries. Blacky's ---" He waves his hand off in the distance to the disappearing speck of red flitting off through the chocolate rain. "Self-sustaining, though. He's motion-powered. Kinda experimental, though, I haven't gotten it strong enough to power the bigger ones, the battery gets too heavy for the bodies and equipment I put on --" He blushes, looking down at his hands. "{Sorry,}" he says in Vietnamese, "I start to ramble. I finished all my science credits already, ma'am." He sounds disappointed about this. "-- Finished all my credits already, actually, after this year. But not if I take any more science. -- What's troubling?" "Very neat. What is their intended goal, if any? I can imagine various tasks that could be done better with the help of drones like these.". Sage nods, and then begins her computeristic rambling once Sebastian asks what is troubling. "The whole dream business, whilst it seems to be harmless and cheerful, I believe things may be vanishing. No exact proof on this but both me and your father have been missing things since we have experienced dreams. Though it is nothing for you to worry about, I apologize if I concerned you.". She nods again, before changing the subject back, a short sigh. "This is why we have clubs, after all. I sponsor our Science and Tech club myself.". "What's Pa missing?" This is a little sharper, Sebastian's gills flaring outward as his brows crease inward. "What are you missing, ma'am?" is a softer afterthought. His blush returns with the admission: "-- I started a robotics club but --" His toe scuffs against the roof. "Not -- anybody really --" His enormous black eyes fix up on the big gold dragonfly-robot. "Really wants to join." He shakes chocolate droplets out of his hair. "They do different things." He claps his hands together, collapsing the map back into nothing. "Blacky's my best ranger. Frith -- is like the lord of all of them, if he sends out information or commands it overrides all the information from all the others. Blackberry --" He gestures to the cobalt blue one. "Is my tester, he's got the smartest AI but it's experimental. He's the best at learning about his environment and adapting to the new data. I have thirteen right now and they're each a little bit different, I could show you some time what -- their strengths all are. Some scout. Some fight -- um. I had to take those all off-campus but they helped when there were zombies around." He shrugs a shoulder, eyes dropping shyly back to his boots. "S'probably not that interesting, apologies." "Your father is missing a crucifix. I am missing my mother's wedding ring which was locked away and that I know for a fact was in it's location.". Sage says, calmly, before her ears perk up slowly. "A robotics club? Does it have a sponsor?". Sage's voice seems..partially intrigued, and curious to this answer. When Sebastian explains about his drones, she shakes her head. "No, very interesting. I actually teach Computer Science and these are very interesting indeed. I have not built anything to this extent but the glasses I am wearing were designed by myself and people here at the school with skills similar to yours, and can be described as a Google Glass 2.0.". Sebastian's frown deepens. "His crucifix, but he never touches --" /Frown/. He takes a few steps back further from the edge of the roof. "Frith, El, home. Yeah, Professor McCoy -- on paper. Um. Why would all those things be missing?" His arms wrap around his chest as the drones fly off, the black one making almost no sound in contrast to the humming of the much larger gold one. "It's kind of my job," he adds with a blush. "I mean literally kind of my job, I -- get paid for this." Sage pauses, as her brain begins to make up possibilities. This takes roughly two minutes of pausing. "Well, perhaps there is a payment. Every object created requires an object of value, possibly sentimental, possibly random. We all know mutant abilities do not come without a price, as I now possess a migraine.". And then, she's clutching her head, as she sighs. "I must go rest again, I have overdone it. But it is a very talented job, and you could pioneer the future at this rate. I see great things for you.". Sage smiles slightly, before heading towards the stairs. "Take care, Mr. Holland-Zedner.". Sebastian's eyes widen, enormous-huge to dominate most of his narrow face. "-- For me?" His head ducks. "Um -- thank you." His cheeks color deeply, and he nods. "I hope you feel better, ma'am. Take -- care, too." His gills flutter quickly, and he watches her leave before turning back towards the edge of the roof.