ArchivedLogs:Unready

Unready
Dramatis Personae Ryan, Spencer	2017-08-27 "Faulty slide rules brought down many an Enlightenment-era space flight."
Location <NYC> The Bazaar - Queens
This was once a Flushing office building that rented to startups, rapid growth industries, and fly-by-night operations who don't want any questions asked. Since the first zombie outbreak, it has lain largely empty, and as of late it has been converted into an immense indoor marketplace. The lobbies are packed with food vendors and the hallways lined with kiosks selling a dizzying variety of goods, flea-market fashion. Various offices are given over to groups of merchants selling similar wares: one dedicated to books, another to computer components, and a rather popular one selling (perfectly legal) weapons...at least during the day. Rumor has it that the Bazaar's night market is becoming the go-to place for trade in illicit goods. But night or day, the place is bustling with activity, noisy and raucous commerce in many languages (though predominantly Mandarin and Spanish). Chances are, you can find anything your heart desires here...if you're willing to pay the price. It's a busy Sunday afternoon, the marketplace flooded with shoppers recently liberated from religious services. Spence darting from stall to stall, bright-eyed and ceaselessly grinning. His pale blue t-shirt features a huge red heart bracketed with yellow lightning bolts and the words 'Compassion is Invincible!' He pauses in front of a kiosk bristling with moving, lighted...stuff. "Ooh, I'll probably need /these/." He seems to be referring to a pen -- pencil? -- with a LED-lit gyroscope on its non-writing end. "For writing," he adds, very seriously. "Shit, who /doesn't/ need that?" Trailing behind Spencer, Ryan is more languid in posture but no less in /smile/. Eyes -- maybe not so bright, sunglasses today worn less for obscurity purposes and more to shade reddened hangover-sensitivity. With a quick swipe, Ryan has snagged /three/ of the pens, forking over the cash for them and adding them to their growing hoard. "Is that enough pens? Do y'all even really use pens in school still?" He seems /highly/ skeptical of this. "Do you still use abacus... sss..." Pause, frown, "abacapodes too?" "Gracias!" Spence chirps brightly. He has already taking one of the pens out to fidget with the gyroscope on top, holding it up like a steampunk wand to dowse their way through the marketplace. "Yeah we use pens and even /pencils./" His eyebrows go /way/ high before he adds, scrunching his forehead. "/Sometimes./ Oh! Wow, I definitely need an abacus. Did you use those in school? They're /awesome/ they're like, ancient computers, right?" He's rising up onto his tip-toes and scanning the nearby kiosks, as if intent on finding some abacapodes /right then./ "/School/," Ryan is scoffing at this with an easy cheer, "I never had time for that, not between all the time we were on the road. My folks' travelling puppet show took up a /lot/ of the year." His head is tipping back, scanning their surroundings -- down one crowded lane of kiosks, to the side where another branches off. "/Someone's/ gotta have those around here. But they've probably got modern computers too, right? Do you get your own yet or are you gonna --" His fist lifts, fingers spreading as he exhales a small puff of air. "Punt it." Spence doesn't miss a beat. "Well did you use those in the travelling puppet show?" He's skipping along until he comes to a screeching halt in front of a stand that, among a lot of Feng Shui items, sells abacuses. "Oh, cool! I want that one." Pointing at one with some kind of subtly sparkling blue counters. "There's a whole room full of computer /parts/, they /probably/ have whole computers, too. And I haven't lost a /phone/ in like..." His mouth twists aside. Then, kind of sheepishly, "...a /while/, anyway." "We used sand tables if we had to work anything out. Real colorful sand, too, you wouldn't believe the trouble I got in just playing around when I was supposed to be --" Ryan comes to a stop beside this new stand, hand lifting to tap one finger at his chin. Scrutinizing Spence for a moment. "-- Well, I guess /you/ would." The abacus is picked up, looked at intently. "You sure this is regulation standard for your classes? Looks like it's kind of just set up to do space math." Regardless, he's buying the abacus too, tucking it into an oversized mesh bag with the rest. "I'm /sure/ we could find you a computer. What else is on your list?" "Whoa like a mini sandbox? I have so many colors of kinetic sand, I should do /math/ with that." Spencer evidently doesn't see any problem in playing with his math. "But definitely /space math/ on the abacus. Do astronauts carry those that as /backup/ in case their computers crash? And their calculators. And...slide rules?" He's already haring off in the general direction of the electronics marketplace as he blurts out, "That would be /so/ awesome I mean B made me a computer but it stays in my room and if I had a computer /with/ me I could sit /with/ Gae and -- you know, do homework." "Faulty slide rules brought down many an Enlightenment-era space flight. Gracias a dios," Ryan pauses to kiss forefinger and thumb, here, eyes turning REVERENTLY skyward -- ceilingward -- whatever -- "we've come a long way in the development of space-ready calculating machinery." He pats the bag with its glittering beaded abacus significantly. Not far down the hall there is an all too familiar gasp of recognition -- some excited chatter, a few eager faces turned their way. Ryan speeds up /just/ so, duuucking that much faster after Spencer. "Does Gae do homework?" Spence laughs brightly, turning around to walk backwards a few steps. "I'm /so/ ready for a space expedition now." His smile dims a little, but he gamely adds, "Not that being /un/ready ever stopped me. Pa doesn't like it when I do that, though." This last as if it were the main reason he doesn't just jump into space in his street clothes. He turns around again, just in time to avoid a near collision, and leads Ryan into the cube farm that has been converted to a marketplace for electronic components. "Gae? Sure, I mean...he just doesn't like to make a big deal of it, you know?" "Yeah your Pa he's strangely /fussy/ that way. Well, Gracias a dios," This time Ryan through some skillful crowd navigation is actually catching up to Spencer, slinging an arm loosely around the boy's shoulders, "you've come a long way in the field of spacefaring too, huh? Hey, you think they sell space suits anywhere here? No, wait, /school/ supplies. Right. I'm focused." "Yep! I mean I'll definitely need a /spaceship/ if I want to do some serious exploring, but it's /so/ amazing out there. So /huge/." Spence's next few steps bounce just a little higher than usual. "They /probably don't sell actual whole space suits, but I bet you can find components. You should tap B if you want a spacesuit. You could be like Mister Universe!" His face turns upward, hazel eyes sparkling. "Except with better music." He looks blank for a moment, then smiles wider, "Oh right! School supplies! Yeah so computer...what else? Pencil leads, /lots/ of little colorful sticky tabs, and probably some goggles..."