[Open] Calibrations Still Hurt

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Sheperd, OTA
WHERE: Tommy’s Calibration Room
WHAT: Calibrations
WHEN: May 9th through June 10th
WARNINGS: CW: Tommy’s Calibrations room potentially contains depictions of child abuse and neglect, deprivation of food to a minor, bullying, and possible references toward unintentional property destruction. It depends on what you touch (each will have warnings in strike-through attached). Happier memories are possible though


Calibrations Waiting Room

Here

Calibrations [CW: Tommy’s Calibrations room potentially contains depictions of child abuse and neglect, deprivation of food to a minor, bullying, and possible references toward unintentional property destruction. It depends on what you touch (each will have warnings in strike-through attached). If there are no strikethroughs then you get a happy or neutral memory.]

Arriving means awakening on an unfolded futon couch in a relatively cramped apartment. There is a whole collection of pillows spread on it, a varitable nest of pillows, and even blankets. Tommy himself perches on the arm of it, sipping some craft beer or other.

"Hey, way to be awake. I think. Don't burn the place down."

It's all he says before he moves faster than a thought, stopping by a window on the far side of the room. He pulls back the curtain and it reveals a view of the Las Vegas Strip at night, but from an angle that is pretty impossible, because the apartment would have to be in one of the lanes of the street itself.

"Out is in and in is out," he says, not taking his gaze from the view. At least, he won't without prompting.

Of course it means that it might be easier to poke around the space. And there are a lot of things in the space that seem to beg to be touched. For instance there's a small table beside the futon, where there's a customer rewards card for a place called 'Mr. Whippy D’s Frosty Delights'. Next to that rests a pair of goggles with orange lenses, ones that probably go with the silver and green super hero costume slung over a nearby chair.

Some things don't really seem to fit the rest of the apartment though, and these are scattered further apart, half hidden by mounds of clearly worn out novels, or framed pictures of people, or even sometimes discarded shirts (some of which definitely look a little too business casual for them to belong to Tommy). One such item hidden by clothes is a beat-up bookbag cw: bullying with Captain America's shield on it. And buried under books one might find a battered high school yearbook cw: explosions, property destruction for a school in New Jersey, Go Pumas. Both the bookbag and yearbook are torn and dirty and otherwise showing signs of wear beyond what might be reasonable from the passage of time.

Inspection of the kitchenette in the room finds it filled with lots of quick cook meals, things that can be microwaved or cooked by adding boiling water, simple things for someone who don't know how to cook. Even the fridge and freezer involves things like these. The only exception is one pantry filled with various types of individual coffee pods for the machine on the counter, and one pantry with two items that don't fit at all. On the lower shelf is a half-eaten package of off-brand poptarts cw: neglect and deprivation of food. On the upper? A worn brown leather belt cw: physical child abuse, too big for someone Tommy's size.


[OOC: The secret to getting out of Tommy's room before the 'timelimit' is to view at least one memory and then 'sleep' in the bed.

Comments

[buildingitsir]

Last he checked, York hadn't fallen asleep in a bed of any kind. He didn't use a bed. So when he wakes up surrounded by a nest of linens and pillows, the android startles. Some of the pillows bounce to the floor, the blanket gets tangled in his legs. He looks and Tommy only to blink and he's at the window.

Weird. What the fuck was going on?

The teenager gets up to straighten his shirt out - did he take his hoodie off before going to sleep? - and looking out the window. A brow raises up. "Is that the Strip? In Las Vegas I mean. How the fuck did I-- I guess I mean we, get here?"

He doesn't quite understand just where he is right now.

[doubled_speed]

"Yeah," Tommy said noncommittally from the window. "What else woudl it be?"

ALl the lights, all the structures, clearly it's vegas. Why you gotta ask such weird things, kid?

[buildingitsir]

Because he's a weird adult android trapped in a kid body. So if it's weird for him, might as well make it weird for everyone in the room.

"It could've been a lot of places, I just wasn't expecting Las Vegas. If my room had windows you'd probably get NYC, or maybe Detroit. Maybe a scenic view of Malibu." A shrug and he moves away from the window. York's tone seems a little defensive. "Don't think we've met yet outside and awake."

He's looking at the room, how messy and human it is with little things cluttering it. It feels lived in, like a home, and York feels his own emulated pang of longing for his bigger brother. Brows pinch together above teal and he picks up the customer rewards card.

"The fuck is a Mr. Whippy D's?"

[doubled_speed]

That's a damn good question, but not one that it's going to get answered in the most straightforward way. Instead the apartment around them is gone, and instead they're in what is clearly some sorta fast food place along the lines of a Smoothie King meets a milkshake place, dripping with local color in the form of horrible knickknacks everywhere.

The focus of the memory is immediately obvious because there's Tommy at a table by a window, his leg bouncing a mile a minute (probably literally actually given the blur), playing with a straw and repeatedly tapping his phone to check the time. He looks nervous.

And York? Well, he's at a table next to that, seated with another version of Tommy, one that looks just like he did in the room. This Tommy groans, his cheeks heating.

"Fucking hell this is going to be embarrassing. Look at how lame Past-Tommy looks."

The other Tommy is fiddling with his straw still, and occasionally looking up toward the door.

[buildingitsir]

The android startles as the apartment vanishes, or at least transforms into... a fast food place? York is visibly confused. He's never actually been in a restaurant of any sort, since he didn't need to eat and Antonio didn't take him or Duncan anywhere. That was a privilege reserved for Gervais for some reason. Either way, he looks around from the table he's at. Interesting place.

Then he focuses on Tommy - the one bouncing his leg faster than Thumper in that old animated movie with the deer in it.

York smirks. "I don't see much difference between then and now," he points out, drumming fingers on the tabletop as he waits to see what happens.

[doubled_speed]

"Punk ass little shit," Tommy grumbles at him, rolling his eyes.

The Tommy at the other table jumps to his feet as someone enters. A tall, African American man with a yellow coat and a nervous smile. The guy moves to the table and settles in with a smile.

"Hey David," Tommy said, smiling, and then he must have thought he looked too eager because he changed it to a smirk.

"Just shoot me now," Temba-Tommy says, letting his head bang against the table.

[buildingitsir]

The smirk stays even with Tommy's remark. He wasn't wrong after all. Attention goes back to the memory-Tommy when he gets to his feet to greet the new arrival in yellow. What was the real Tommy worried about?

"A friend of yours?" comes the question, then York attempts to figure it out going through various scenarios. He doesn't have enough data or experience to figure it out though. A frown tugs at his lips. Whatever was going to happen, the Tommy with him didn't look happy about it.

"…Did I pick a bad memory?"

[doubled_speed]

"There are way worse memories than this," Tommy answered. It would be easier if York had chosen Vegas of course.

"Tommy," the man, David, was saying. He smiled so warm and sat down. Then thought better and rose to move their seats closer. And he held a hand out and memory Tommy hesitated before taking it with a shy smile. "We're a bit overdue for this, don't you think?"

"What? The holding hands? The feelings?"

"The feelings," David chuckled, a voice low and full of a chuckle and Temba-Tommy blushed over it.

"Stupid sexy voice," Temba-Tommy grumbles. "That's why all this happens. It's the voice."

Actually, it's probably the way that David's thumb runs over the back of Tommy's hand and Tommy flinches. There's a half second where his drink is falling over and in a blur of motion it's righted.

[buildingitsir]

A glance to the Tommy seated with him, then back to the memory version hanging out with David. It was... sort of sweet? To watch? York wasn't entirely certain, but he continued to watch, almost enthralled by the scenario playing out. What was so embarrassing about this?

Another glance just in time to see Tommy's blush paint those cheeks.

York hasn't interacted with human couples to really get what's going on. It isn't until the remark about the 'stupid sexy voice' is said that he gets it. "Oh. Oh."

Building architecture? York's fantastic at it.

Building relationships? He doesn't even understand those.

But he doesn't point out the obvious with words, choosing to instead (and maybe for once), to keep his mouth shut of commentary.

[doubled_speed]

"Calm down," David says carefully, and memory-Tommy looks at him in confusion. "I'm not going to rush you. We take this at your pace."

"That could be super slow," then-Tommy says.

"Wouldn't that be refreshing for you?" David questioned, and man did he smile.

And like that, the memory faded, leaving Tommy pacing in the apartment.

[buildingitsir]

York wants to go over and look closer, but stays put. He doesn't know how the memories work, or how Tommy's mind functions. Despite how obnoxious he is about humans in the waking world, he doesn't want to do damage in a place like this.

He sees the smiles, enjoys the quips, then they're back in the apartment. "Smooth game you got," he teases, setting the card back down where he had picked it up. "But maybe I don't understand the nuances of humans dating or something, but that didn't seem embarrassing from an outsider's POV. Looked like you were into him. I think."

[doubled_speed]

"Don't even, man," Tommy sighs, rolling his eyes. "He's too good for me, and being good enough for him is fucking hard."

Super into David. A genius that chose him for some reason.

[buildingitsir]

York watches Tommy, with any little quips he might've had stopped before they were vocalized. A confused squint at him before glancing back down towards the card. "Who is he anyways? Aside from someone you like?"

A genuinely curious question. York may have his own unrestrained emotions, but it didn't mean he understood most of them. Anger and fear he did. Sadness probably. But he wants to understand this memory better from the human's perspective.

[lionunchained]

It was strange, falling asleep and suddenly finding yourself in someone else's room. He paused as he entered Tommy's room, looking around at it in curiosity. There seemed to be a fair amount of stuff here. He did also notice when the curtain was pulled back that the perspective out the window seemed a little... off. More like they were going to get hit by a car in his apartment or they were hovering. Which, given what he had seen, might have been possible.

"Interesting placement of the apartment," he couldn't help but comment.

[doubled_speed]

"I mean, I've seen weirder," Tommy answered, leaning against the window frame to look out at it. "I live in New York though. So this isn't real to me."

He can't explain it.

[lionunchained]

"To be fair, I have too, but the middle of a road seems a bit strange." He raised any eyebrow at that. "Really, you live in New York, but yet it places you here? Strange."

He was looking at the things around the futon, eyes settling on the customer card. "'Mr. Whippy D's?' Any good?"

[doubled_speed]

Yeah, it does, because his memories linger on the happiness of his brother. But without the touch to them, it's not a memory that will overwhelm them.

While Shiro looks, Tommy's eyes settle on the card.

"They do good milkshakes and smoothies. Good for a speedster on the go."

[lionunchained]

Perhaps later, but at the moment, Shiro was currently distracted by the card. "Sounds interesting."

And he reached to pick it up.

[doubled_speed]

Instead the apartment around them is gone, and instead they're in what is clearly some sorta fast food place along the lines of a Smoothie King meets a milkshake place, dripping with local color in the form of horrible knickknacks everywhere.

The focus of the memory is immediately obvious because there's Tommy at a table by a window, his leg bouncing a mile a minute (probably literally actually given the blur), playing with a straw and repeatedly tapping his phone to check the time. He looks nervous.

And York? Well, he's at a table next to that, seated with another version of Tommy, one that looks just like he did in the room. This Tommy groans, his cheeks heating.

"Fucking hell this is going to be embarrassing. Look at how lame Past-Tommy looks."

The other Tommy is fiddling with his straw still, and occasionally looking up toward the door.

[lionunchained]

Woah! That was weird. Suddenly, yet again, finding yourself in another place. And of course it was not only in another place, but a place watching someone else's memories. Shiro watched the seen that was playing out in front of him.

He tilted his head slightly at the comment and the fact that there were two Tommy's here. Well, he was going to keep watching... not that he had much choice otherwise.

sorry for the typo in the last one. the last one 'york' should have been shiro because me bad

[doubled_speed]

"You can sit down," current Tommy absolutely suggested to Shiro, keeping his eyes on Shiro because he can't stand to watch himself and what comes next. Because at the other table the past-Tommy is bounding to his feet as someone enters to the chime of a bell.

A tall, African American man with a yellow coat and a nervous smile enters. And, when he looks to see Tommy. He moves with a bit more confidence toward the table and settles in with that smile warming a bit.

"Hey David," past-Tommy said, smiling, and perhaps he thought himself too eager because he changed it to a smirk.

"Why am I so embarrassing?" Tommy groans.

It's all good

[lionunchained]

Shiro nodded and sat down. Yeah, probably better he didn't watch his former self if this was making him embarrassed, but Shiro was going to watch.

Shiro chuckled. "I guess it is hard not to be?"

[doubled_speed]

Yeah, he supposed it was. Tommy was settled with his back to the other table, and definitely a bit nervous.

"Tommy," the man, David was busy talking. His smile was so warm as he sat down. Then the man seemed to think better of this and stood a bit and rose to move their seats closer. Only then did he sit back down, holding his hand out to then-Tommy, who hesitated before taking the offered hand with a shy smile. "We're a bit overdue for this, don't you think?"

"What? Holding hands? The feelings?"

"The feelings," David chuckled, a voice low and full of warmth, and current Tommy with Shiro blushed over it.

"Stupid sexy voice. I'm so fucking weak to his voice. And it's why it happens. Definitely the voice."

What the it is will become obvious in a moment, but it's probably more accurate to say that the catalyst is the way David's thumb runs over the back of Tommy's and and Tommy flinches from it. Then there's a half a second where the drink is falling over and in a blur of motion it's righted.

So ungraceful for a speedster.

[lionunchained]

Shiro watched this, already knowing what this was pretty quickly and he couldn't help but smile at it.

"I can't say that I blame you," Shiro said in a low voice. "He does have a good voice."

[doubled_speed]

Oh yeah, he can totally see what this is. The first official date of a guy that was very awkward about having feelings and romance. Tommy's so embarrassed.

"His voice is pretty much the best thing," Temba-Tommy agrees.

"Calm down," David is saying over at the other table, which makes the past-Tommy look up, confusion plain on his face for a second before it's gone. "I'm not going to rush you. We can take this at your pace."

"That could be super slow," then-Tommy says.

"Wouldn't that be refreshing for you?" David questioned, and his smile was definitely what a Tommy would categorize as 'radiant'. Which there isn't much time to enjoy before the memory fades, leaving them back in the room with the view of The Vegas Strip.