revivalproject | Indictment

Entry tags:

Indictment

WHO: Absolutely everyone.
WHERE: The diner.
WHAT: A decision has to made about threats to the community.
WHEN: After an attempted murder, a chaotic rescue, and an awkward reunion. Now.
WARNINGS: Nothing yet. Mark it if something comes up because...
NOTES: Structurally, this is a mingle, so you can decide what part of this is actually important to you. What you talk about in here doesn't have to be directly Beck-related, but for details about the incident, further organizing, and if you want to determine what your characters might have done/seen/heard in the meantime, this post is still good!

[NETWORK//text @ everyone]

Come to the diner. We have to talk.
If you don't show up, I'll assume you agree with me because you're incredibly intelligent and graceful. The city of Temba thanks you for your contribution to our justice system.

This was the last thing Tony wanted to do. The diner at least felt familiar, neutral--somewhere he could be in control, without having all of the attention on him. Being able to bask in the attention would have been so much easier. As it was, that felt like he would be inviting everyone to really examine the cracks in the armor. They were here because he had already lost control.

As if that didn't already feel enough like an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Tony found himself standing in a circle of seats that he had arranged, the tables pushed up against the walls, and couldn't honestly say how much that had been intentional. He raised a lip, and looked to Felwinter as though he would have any illuminating insight about productive interior design. He seemed like he wanted to be here even less than Tony did. Beck was his charge for the time being, though, and as awkward as it was to stand in his stupid chair-circle with the pair of them, Tony did appreciate having Felwinter there to keep an eye on their...problem. Even if having witnesses to his restless energy made it all the more humiliating. Felwinter couldn't sit on Beck forever just to make sure he didn't lure anyone else off the edge of a cliff, so they were all going to have to survive a little humiliation.

"I think the coffee's done," Tony declared, with absolutely no idea what state the coffee was actually in and readily moving toward the kitchen regardless. "Do you want one? I'll get you one. Do you do that sort of...?" He was still talking, and what Felwinter did or didn't eat and drink might have otherwise been something Tony pushed him about, but he was already mentally in the kitchen and trailed off as he went, flapping a hand to wave off any refusal of his offer or explanation about Felwinter's digestive situation. Maybe he would just stay in the kitchen and listen, let Beck hang himself.

Tony took a deep breath, pushing his sunglasses up his nose and squaring his shoulders, readying himself for a performance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

York rolled his eyes. There was a certain optimism to this guy that he didn't seem to want to shake, but the android did his best to ignore it. It's when the man groans, and not from eating pizza, does he really pay attention.

In fact, that was a poor choice of words. "Thing?" He stands up quick, anger turned up towards Richie because of course the man's taller than he is. "I hope you're not insinuating that I'm a thing."

A pause and he scowls away. "But you're wrong, on both counts. I'm not a thing, I'm a person despite being built and I think the Tony that's here is different than my dad. I came to find out, got into an argument and left. Stayed to try and hear what the fuck is going in with that Beck dude."

Richie instantly understands the mistake he made and actually drops his pizza to hold his hands up in surrender. "Woah! Woah, no. I'm sorry, man. No, no, no. I meant thing like another thing Tony could do. I'm not a dick.

"Well. Okay, I am. But not that much of a dick. I swear."

He lowers his hands hoping that convinces him.

"And. Uh. Sorry about the fight? Family sucks sometimes?"

York lets his glare hold a little longer before he backs down at the hands up in surrender. "…I don't think the Tony here is the same one from my world. But I wanted to check because if he was, I have to avoid him. But I got wrapped up in arguing with a guy with glasses that told me I'm not allowed at the library or whatever."

He scoffs, pulling the hoodie a little further over his head to hide his face in shadow. Then laughs at Richie's remark about family.

"Yeah that’s an understatement where I'm from." His mind helpfully relays images of looking at his former shell, former body, laying on that table down in the workshop. He shakes the memory away. York turns the teal gaze to the older man. "So where the fuck are you from? I'd guess earth but apparently that guess is wrong here. A lot."

Richie rolls his eyes. "Guy with glasses and a library. Yeah, that's Jon. He's a dick, don't take it personally. Besides, who wants to go to a library?"

Richie picks his pizza back up and goes back to eating.

"I'm from Earth, yeah. But the real boring Earth without superheroes or magic or robots walking around. Everyone else got the cool shit and I got to almost get eaten by a clown when I was twelve. Rip off."

"I argue with a lot of people. If I took it personally, I would never get shit done." Have another eyeroll. York wanted to go to a library. Both to see what information he could find outside of that datapoint he had initially touched and because he was told he couldn't go in there. For now, the android leans against the wall to watch the human eat his greasy pizza.

A brow raised. "A clown?" He had to do a search through his installed dictionary.

'a comic performer, as in a circus, theatrical production, or the like, who wears an outlandish costume and makeup and entertains by pantomiming common situations or actions in exaggerated or ridiculous fashion, by juggling or tumbling, etc.'

"Huh. Never seen one before. They eat people? Definitely not in the definition. I'll trade you - I think I could deal with a man eating clown instead of the human population trying to wipe me and others out."

Richie shrugged. "It was from space or hell or something. I don't know. It was all sort of weird but he's dead now. No more snacking on kids and using their worst fears to terrify them. So I guess my Earth got even more boring?"

Richie paused and looked over at the android though.

"Wait. So your Earth is like... robot-racist?"

Space or hell. Hm. York figured maybe it could be both. Spacehell. Spaell. It didn't matter if the people eating clown thing was dead. A side glance at Richie, then away, shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket with a nod.

"Yeah. It's fucking shit. They built androids but then when they started wanting rights, being seen and accepted as people... I was brought here in the middle of our revolution. After they sent in a military to raid our home, our safe space for us. Shot those that didn't comply, took others for deconstruction."

He slid down the wall, burying his face against his knees.

Richie looks at the kid as he falls to his knees and then just sort of...waits. He looks around, sort of hoping that someone else will come along and know what to do for someone in emotional upheaval. But apparently he's the only one around. That sucks for both of them.

"Ah. Yeah, that. That sounds like shit. I'm sorry that your world is full of assholes. Maybe it will be better by the time you get back?"

York uses the small crouch to keep himself from falling into the saved files of his lost home. It wouldn't do any good remembering that here. Especially when he didn't have any explosives to start torching this city out of anger anyways.

He finally looks up to Richie, blinking. "...Maybe? Wanna trade instead? I'll handle the world with the people eating clown, you go back to the revolution between androids and humans?" The android finally stands back up and does a very human thing - scrubs his hands over his face. No tears though. No tear ducts installed for them.

"My name is York Stark."

Richie smirks at the kid and shakes his head. "Oh no. I killed that fucker. I'm not about to fuck off to a new world with problems. You can come to my Earth and enjoy the quiet but I can't handle another fight."

At the name Richie nods and offers his own. "Richie Tozier. Glad to meet ya. And if you wanna sneak into the library, I'm game for that. Anything to piss Jon off."

A smirk. "Good. Anyone with human flesh for a diet doesn't need to be around anyways. I wonder if I can go to someone else's world. A life of peace for as long as my structure lasts. Might be difficult without thirium but better than my actual home." And better than the home before Jericho.

He looks to Richie. "Yeah that’s the guy I upset. I don't see how he can ban someone from the library. Aren't those supposed to be for the public? Which I'm part of of course."

A few puffs of air come from his mouth and he pulls the hoodie off. Too warm. Didn't need a system overheat. It out the teal color of the LED on his chest visible, glowing from under the dark shirt he wore. "…for a human you legit don't seem too bad. For now."

"Heh. I think that's the first compliment I've gotten in awhile. I'll take it. Especially since humans on the whole suck, I'm with you on that one."

He smirks at York and then uses his chin to gesture at the library.

"Also...you might be banned, but Jon is a little busy right now. Might be the perfect time to slip in..."

"Why would you agree? You are human. One clown ruin the whole lot for you?" But the rest of that conversation was lost to him at the physical gesture to the library. That was true. If Jon was in charge of the library, that meant it was either understaffed or empty of people.

York grinned at the thought. "And if he comes back? Is there a rear exit or a window?" He thought for a long moment and then looked back at Richie. "…You’re coming, too, right?"

"Humans are sometimes really good at this thing called 'self-loathing'. I'm a fucking pro."

He glances back inside and just tries to get a feeling for what's going on. When York asks about the library layout he scoffs.

"Do I look like someone who visits a library? Even if Librarian Douchenozzle wasn't there, I'm not exactly a scholar.

"But yeah. I'll watch the door for ya. I have one skill and it's talking. Great to slow someone down with."

"Yeah, you do actually. Only nerds would want to help break into a library, and before you say that makes me one, I'm an android. I should be a walking nerd." He tied his hoodie arms around his waist tight. One last peek into the diner - still incoherent talking in the crowd - and York started towards the library.

This was the time for small talk, right? Some of the other androids liked to partake in it back home. "…so. Uh, how long have you been here? Seems like a great place with murderers hanging out."

At least there weren't any clowns.

"How long have I been here? Huh. Awhile, I guess. Year or so? Maybe two? I dunno, man. Too long. But it's not like I have a lot to rush home to. And it's also not like heading back home means magically being free of murderers. I think we statistically have less here, honestly."

Richie walks behind him, unbothered by the stuff he's saying apparently.

"How about you? You're new but I was gone for a bit so who knows how long."

"I arrived yesterday." So York wasn't kidding saying he hadn't been here long. Murder trials and library bannings. A lot happened for him apparently. "And apparently there's only one. But one is still worrying to me. Because I don't know the why and I don't know what kind of person that Feck dude is."

So York worried, what if he was next? He wasn't human, maybe the Agrii wouldn't count him as a person if there was violence done against him.

He shoves his hands in his hoodie pocket as they walk away from the din of the diner. Getting away from those people and just hanging around one is better. No doubt he could just book it away from Richie if the situation called for it. His programming could map out a good route to get away as well.

"Was kind of hoping that this place wouldn't have things like murdering. Universe, at this point, I think hates me."

"Yesterday. Fuck, man. That is bad timing."

Richie walks alongside him and just sort of watches his profile as he talks.

"Universe I am pretty sure hates all of us," he continues, sounding tired. "Or the universe doesn't give a shit at all which is maybe the better option? Crap just happens in crappy ways and none of it is personal. Just. Crap."

He shrugs.

"I prefer that to being specifically cursed which is the other option."

"Seems to be my lot in synthetic life," he grumbles under his breath as they walk. He doesn't seem to notice the human watching him. With his hoodie off, the glow from his LED makes his covered upper chest and some of his exposed neck glow teal. For a moment it goes a soft golden color, then back to teal. York seems pretty mellow compared to ten minutes ago when Richie first started talking to him.

A small smirk. "Maybe it doesn't intend for all the shit to be tunneled to people like us. Maybe mine feels worse because it's hella personal."

Richie glances over just in time to see the color change on York's neck. He thinks for a moment and then decides to just go for it. "Sorry if this is like...rude for androids or whatever. I don't know what microaggressions you all might have. But, uh. Is that color thing like a mood ring?"

Well sooner or later, someone was going to ask. York was surprised someone hadn't by now. He glances up to Richie, and then away. Debates on telling him or keeping it as a secret. But if he's in trouble later down the metaphorical road, it might be handy that at least one person knows what it does.

"It's an indicator for my overall status. This color, right now, means everything is good. If it's gold, I'm processing information. Or searching for it if I were home and connected to the vast networks available. If it's red, either I'm overwhelmed with too much information that I can't keep up but that usually goes back to gold and then to teal once I get through all of it. If it stays red, then something's wrong with my hardware, software, or both if I'm damaged enough." And that was said with a tone of experience. There was a flicker of quick gold before calm teal again. "I suppose you could think of it as a mood ring.

"It's mostly done so humans can keep an eye on our status since we're not supposed to be able to emulate emotions. Cyberlife models have it in their temple," which he tapped on his own for emphasis. "The Stark brothers have it all on our chest so we can pass as humans easier."

York looked up towards the man. "Easy enough to grasp?"

"Huh. Cool," Richie decided after a moment, eyeballing the light. "Not about the emotion thing. That's weird. But yeah. Nice to at least know if something is wrong."

He looked down at his own chest and chuckled.

"God, if humans had something like that? I bet mine woulda been red for like three years straight. But that's fine; it's an okay color outside of balloons."

"The worst things are seeing it flickering or straight up off." He thought of his brother Duncan. Thought of the park in NYC. It had been Duncan that found him, red light flickering between them as he was carried back home for repairs.

Thankfully Richie talking about balloons kept him out of those thoughts. York cracked a smirk. "Are you scared of balloons? Does that have to do with that people eating clown thing you were talking about? What the hell was that clown all about?"

It wasn't funny but it sort of was. Richie cracked his own smirk and sighed deeply. "Look. The clown liked to make us scared. He knew our worst fears and would use that to terrify us. He'd also make like these hallucinations just for fun I think. Some of them were of these red balloons."

Richie shuddered at the memory.

"Fucking hated those red balloons. Even when I forgot about the whole situation, I couldn't stand balloons like as a general thing. Never knew why until I went back and remembered."

Wow, that sounded like an awful time. At this point, York wouldn't know which was worse - his home being raided or a killer clown making him see hallucinations. Could that even happen to an android?

He didn't want to find out.

"Got it. So if you piss me off, I'll just tie a red balloon to your doorknob." There's actual mischief in his smirk now, even as they approach the library. He looks over the door and glances at Richie. "You're not setting me up on this, right? Last thing I need is that pompous fucking nerd coming over to snap my neck or something."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject