Unwanted Projects

[quark_assassin]

WHO: Dustin and York, also Dustin and YOU
WHERE: York's factory, and the Amphitheater (both in Temba)
WHAT: Dustin has finished a project for York and tries to give it to him. Meanwhile, he's starting a bigger project at the Amphitheater.
WHEN: Throughout September, after the plants stop being so mean
WARNINGS: Enough strong language between Dustin and York for an R rating

1. York's Factory [Closed to York]

The last couple of months have been very productive and informative in some ways, and extremely unproductive and annoying in others. Dustin has it in his nature to focus on the latter. He'd made commitments, dammit. Sure he's come away from it all with more than double the amount of tools and raw materials to work with, plus some excellent knowledge to safely tuck away for later, but that doesn't stop him from feeling irritated at his inability to keep up with his self-imposed deadlines regardless.

The biggest of these - and the one Dustin is looking forward to completing the least - is York's prototype. It's bad enough that he hasn't been able to dedicate a lot of time to its construction lately, and that he's had to guess at the function of some of the parts he remembers the little biocomponent having, particularly in regards to where it interfaces and appears to process Thirium. But all of that pales in comparison to what needs to happen when he finally sorts all of those problems out and feels he has a satisfactory product:

The delivery to York.

He could have just flagged down Celty and had her drop it off for him. Then he could just avoid the angry little android entirely, maybe worked out details and revisions over text or something. Except, part of him worries that York would either ignore or destroy a mysterious package at his door, or maybe even go out of his way to wreck it if Dustin wasn't there to supervise. He might still do that even if he's there, Dustin considers - make some kind of grand gesture about how much he hates him and everything to do with him. At least then he'll know.

Hardly a comforting thought, as Dustin cautiously strides up to the door of York's factory house. He pauses for a few moments to glance around, checking for continued signs of habitation first, then for indicators of increased security second. Once he's satisfied that he's not about to be caught in some kind of anti-Dustin trap, he tucks the cumbersome metal box with York's testing equipment and prototype under one arm and firmly knocks on the side door with his free hand.

2. Amphitheater [OPEN]

Dustin's other main project for this month is a lot less stressful. Considering the sheer scale of his plans, it might not seem that way, but he doesn't expect it to involve a lot of people and, therefore, it should be much easier to deal with.

...Except, maybe it should involve a lot more people. At least, more than just the pitifully scrawny 16-year-old that has taken it upon himself to climb up and into the Amphitheater stadium lights on a regular basis. When he's not clambering around inside of them taking measurements and tentatively investigating their electronic hookups, Dustin can be found clearing out the remaining dead and dying plant life from around them and on the paths leading through the stands to the service entrances, some of which were so clogged at first that he couldn't even walk through them. He takes his working knife to them, hacking at the plants with an aggression that they probably don't deserve.

This is a lot of manual labor, and his workshop is a long walk across the city away, so he can also sometimes be found holed up in one of the stadium boxes taking a nap. He leaves a little nest of blankets and pillows in the one he prefers - as well as a simple fishing line tripwire across the doorway, attached to a suspended stack of metal scraps and a cast-iron pan on the side. They aren't positioned to cause any damage to any intruders, just to fall, make an absolutely apocalyptic amount of noise to alert him that someone's there, and hopefully scare them off before there's an actual confrontation.

Comments

Amphitheater

[plate_builder]

Oh dear, there is a lot of problem with apocalyptic levels of noise. Because see, the thing about this particular cat is that he's a robot-construct, not a real cat. And so he's less skilled on his feet. Which means, seeing something worth looking at, Mini trips right over the line and then shouts in horror at all the noise.

Which, in turn, brought Reeve looking for his companion.

"Mini? What's going on?"

[quark_assassin]

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the stands, Dustin nearly hits his head on the underside of the spotlight fixture he's rolled beneath. The shock of being startled out of his work quickly gives way to annoyance.

Someone's poking around his shit.

Around the time Reeve comes to check on his wayward companion is when Dustin comes striding up the stairs to the box, shoulders hunched and bristling. Recognizing Reeve from his recent time on the Palm Cottage doesn't soothe his temper any.

"Hey!" he barks. "The fuck are you doing?!"

[plate_builder]

"Seeking Mini," Reeve answered. Ah, the angry young man. The attitude has him standing straighter, stretching for his full 'corporate politeness' attitude. The kid just gets it for assuming. "We're doing structure reviews."

Because they hadn't been able to check until recently as to whether or not the plants had caused great damage.

"I sent Mini to check rooms while I was reviewing other areas."

The storage rooms specifically. He thought it might be a good place to take the lumber he wanted to fell to let it cure for working.

And speaking of Mini, the construct moved out of the room, ears flicking with annoyance, tail lashing.

"Tha was loud!"

[quark_assassin]

Dustin spares Mini a single, withering glare before returning his full attention to Reeve. Maybe he would've had more sympathy for the little creature if he'd known that he's a construct rather than some kind of sentient biped cat. As it is, the only thing Mini is to Dustin at the moment is an annoyance.

"Well, send them somewhere else," he snaps back. "I'm staying in that room, I've cleaned it out, I've sealed the cracks. I don't need anyone else rifling through my shit to check behind me."

[plate_builder]

Mini didn't do anything wrong! He looks offended, his tail lashing angrily.

"Why da all ya kids gotta be such-"

"We didn't know," Reeve said, his voice soft and placating as he moved to pick up the robot. "My name is Reeve, and this is Mini. I've been working on the city repairs for a long time now, and I try to keep records of states places are in."

[quark_assassin]

"I know who you are," Dustin says impatiently. Reeve's tone doesn't do much to smooth over the boy's frustrations, but picking Mini up does, since it clears a path to the empty doorway. Dustin takes this opportunity to scuttle into it, blocking the way in for further intrusions with his body, slight as it is.

"Let your records show that this room is accounted for. Now fuck off."

[plate_builder]

How strangely he's behaving.

"What is it with youths here being so abrupt?" Reeve said with a sigh. "Are you claiming the whole structure? I just need to know whether I can use the store rooms for curing and storing lumber."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin gives a quick but exaggerated roll of his eyes. "Of course not," he quips. "This room and the stadium lights. I don't care what you do with the rest of this dump."

...Well, no, he does care a bit. At least, he can't deny that Reeve's intentions for the store rooms have him curious. It comes through in his expression, which shifts from outright hostility to guarded interest, eyes narrowed and head moving to a slight tilt.

[plate_builder]

"The stadium lights?" he asks, because honestly, he's very intrigued. What could someone want for all of that?

1, of course

[buildingitsir]

York's been quiet since his return. Dealing with plants wasn't his idea of fun but with that past them now, he had future things to look forward to. He's thought about things others had told him while on that other planet, on the ship, and in the days even before all of that. He's been mulling over a lot on Richie's offer, especially since people keep just... fucking, letting themselves into the factory.

There's no change to the place, no new security measures put into place. The office space he's claimed for himself is at least cleaned out, with the ruined light fixture out in the hall and some of the excess rubble.

'Apparently it's part of your programming to be as much of an irritating shithead as possible so, fuck it!' He hates his memory sometimes. The words echo in his mind, Dustin's image and his own creator's temporarily overlapping visually before a knock cuts through the other wise silent building. Scowling, but intrigued, he heads down to the main floor to open the door.

There's no hiding the shock on his face seeing Dustin of all people there, a package with him. "Dustin?" And there's the surprise to match his face, in his voice. "...Surprised you even knocked." There's the sarcasm. He's at least not being an insufferable twat right off the bat at least...

[quark_assassin]

Surprise is definitely better than the immediate and outright hostility Dustin had been expecting. It's good enough that he even misses the sarcasm, taking it at full face value. After all, that's a critique he deserves, right?

"I'm a fast learner." Deadpan, Dustin shifts the box to both hands and holds it out in front of him. It looks heavy and...handmade? The sides all appear to be from the same sheet, crimped and welded together, with a metal latch holding the top flap in place on one side. "Here--your biocomponent. I know it's late, been busy. Test rig is in there so you can check my work."

[buildingitsir]

York's teal eyes look from Dustin's face down to the box he held in his hands. There's even more surprise on his face. It looked like a gift. Was it one? The android realizes he's never really received one before... Unexpected and unwanted 'upgrades' for his system were not considered as such.

He considers the box, then Dustin for a long moment. Then steps to the side to offer the other welcome into his 'home'. "If something goes wrong, I might not be able to disconnect it so I guess I'll have to rely on your help. We can do it up in my room, but there's no chairs or anything to sit on."

He was an android so he didn't need the same sort of comforts that humans did.

[quark_assassin]

It's Dustin's turn to be surprised. He stands in the doorway to the factory, looking between York and the threshold with an absolutely baffled expression on his face.

That's...that's it? Really? No fight? His eyes narrow for a moment on York. Is he about to screw me over? No--he's been earnest so far. I think this is genuine.

What the fuck did I do to deserve this?

With the utmost caution, Dustin tucks the box back under an arm and steps through the door. "I'll manage," he mumbles, distracted as his gaze flickers around the factory to look for differences between now and his last visit - the only warning he might get for a trap. "Wherever you want. The testing rig is compact and uses its own power source, so there's no restrictions on setup."

[buildingitsir]

Don't spoil it, Dustin! York's trying to do better, even if he's not the best at adjusting. But he thinks of what others have said to him recently, to the way Dustin unzipped a memory of someone he didn't want to think about from home. He shoves his hands in his hoodie pocket with a scowl and almost pulls the hood up. But he doesn't knowing it'd be futile since he'd have to pull it down again to be able to access the audio processor.

The factory looks the same at least, though there's a pile of rubble that's burnt swept out of the main room that York goes into. Lots of windows to let in light, he goes to sit near his first aid kit. "How long can the power source sustain itself? It might be more efficient to link it directly to me if you can manage it."

Though as he speaks he's watching Dustin, in case the guy as some sort of ulterior motive York hasn't caught onto yet. He holds out a hand for the box, wanting to get a better look at the device fashioned for him.

[quark_assassin]

No obvious signs of a trap, then. The mound of charred debris pushed to one side is a little concerning, but Dustin doubts York would be careless enough to leave evidence of a previous victim behind before accepting new guests. Either way, he gives the area a wide berth on his way to York's preferred testing location.

"Two hours, give or take a few minutes either end," he says. "It's solar-rechargeable. Stick it by a window when you're not using it."

Dustin comes to a stop a couple of feet ahead of York and his seat, giving the android's outstretched hand a careful stare.

"...Could link it to your power source, if you're willing." The box is hesitantly passed over. "Would take an hour or so, maybe. I, uh. Assumed you wanted something separate from your systems for preliminary biocomponent testing."

You know - to make sure Dustin isn't trying to sabotage him somehow. It's what he would expect someone to do for him, especially if Dustin made it clear that he trusted that person as far as he could throw them.

[buildingitsir]

York hadn't had time to actually trap his factory, since there were plans on the horizon. That, and the trip to another fucking planet and then dealing with stupid fucking plants that could potentially damage him beyond repair... yeah, he hasn't been to the factory in a bit.

For what it's worth, York doesn't actually want to kill people, he just doesn't want them to fucking let themselves in like it's some sort of shop.

"Fair." A short response, but it's better than his usual snark. This is someone that might have his hands in York's components after all. He supposes the equivalent would be pissing off a tattoo artist right before get started inking you. "Testing on the compatibility with my system first would yeah, be best, then hooking it up to the power source. If we find that this one works, and then is compatible, you might be able to make another one of these to just be a backup, or be able to make other parts."

They were, after all, in this city together as a whole and he had to start trusting someone to make his parts. That someone should be Tony, but here he was with Dustin, who hated him worse than York hated Tony.

He opens the box when it's given, pulling out the little device to inspect it closely. His eyes run scanners to check it to make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary for it. It seems to pass a metaphorical smell test and he holds it up to look at it in a better light. It wasn't pristine, like a Stark Technologies part, but it was... passable for what was available here.

"My scanners show it should work." The right side of his head change, with the exoskin layer and hair disappearing as he switches the section around his audio port off. A panel whirs and raises before splitting in two to reveal where it would go. The android reaches up and gently unhooks the OEM part and blinks the notification away.

"The hearing in my right ear is offline, so you'll have to talk more to my left side if you decide to be fucking quiet about it." He scowls a little. "...I don't think I can get your piece in properly though so... fuck."

A pause. "You'll have to do it. Because I can't see it."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin nods along, silent as he studies York who is, in turn, studying his work. The biocomponent is definitely not up to the standards that Dustin would've liked, but these are not the ideal circumstances that would allow him to provide the sort of craftmanship he expects. The parts are clearly refurbished and a little clunky-looking - heavier than the original for sure - and yet it still manages to be an exact replica. The dimensions are a perfect fit. Even the interior working of the device line up with the original. Like filling in the last pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, Dustin knew how to connect those exterior features together in the only way that made sense. The 'testing rig' that York pulled the biocomponent from, in a similar show of precision, is a rough facsimile of the side of the android's head, complete with underlying tubes where Thirium should flow. The only differences are the string of connectors on the side for data output and monitoring, and the row of little solar panels on the top rim, obviously lifted from somewhere else and repaired to the best of Dustin's ability.

To reiterate: This is not Dustin's best work. The way his shoulders sag in relief when York show preliminary acceptance of the biocomponent gives away how worried he was about it being rejected as such. But it seems, at least for now, that it's acceptable enough to test further.

"It works in a neutral environment, without Thirium," he elaborates as York disconnects the original. Then, as directed, leans a little to the android's left. "It has all of the proper connections for it, though, and should accept it as a new power source. I'll...right. I'll show you."

With a couple of hesitant, awkward jerks of movement, passing anxious glances in-between at York to verify that this is all still okay, Dustin crouches to his right so he can attach the part. Connectors line up like I remember, some minor expansion from the colder temperatures, will need to reconfigure the next model for that, and...

The biocomponent clicks into place.

"--Got it." Dustin stands upright and takes a step back. It will take a couple of seconds for the power to spool up from the new source, York's programming is unlikely to immediately recognize the new hardware, and the drop in audio quality from the original is noticeable, but the part does work. Acceptably so, even.

Amphitigh- Amphitheater (let me know if this is okay)

[notsuitedforthis]

"Goodness, looks like someone's been keeping busy!"

Maybe that isn't the best way to break the ice, but here Steven is, using the shovel as a temporary crutch while nudging some of the mixed cuttings away with a foot. "All of this must've taken some time- a bit too much time, if you ask me," he adds with a shrug, glancing up after a few beats to greet Dustin properly with an awkward smile. "Hello!"

this is great!

[quark_assassin]

Having come to terms with his progress for the day in clearing out this particular Amphitheater entrance, Dustin was retreating around the corner when Steven calls to him from the other end. He reacts with a noticeable start and a backpedal, eyes wide with recognition, then narrowed in suspicion.

Something's not right. He's met Steven before - rather, he's met Marc back in Sh'ka, and that man was entirely too paranoid for chipper greetings and pleasantries. Even the accent's wrong. Did something happen to him? Hit his head, along with his leg? Is this some kind of act?

Too many uncertainties. Dustin refuses to approach or return the greeting, keeping his shoulders up and guarded.

"What do you want?"

\o/

[notsuitedforthis]

Somewhat oblivious to Dustin's wariness, Steven feels just dandy. Maybe he's a little more self-conscious now that Dustin is still staring at him like that, but he tries to shake it off like he does with the dead plants that decide to attach to his boot, finally clearing it so that he can set both feet on the ground.

His whole posture is wrong. The shoulders slope a bit, and he isn't standing like he's ready for a fight. And when the shovel is lifted, both hands grasp onto it in a manner Marc Spector would never hold it.

"Thought I could help out a bit," comes Steven's tentative answer. He remembers seeing Dustin back in Sh'ka when Marc was fronting at the time, but now he's catching some similarities in how they both act. So he continues to try diffusing the situation through rambling. "Like a good neighbor - loosely termed, more or less?" He shrugs. "Don't have the right tools for it, but a shovel can be useful?"

[quark_assassin]

Unfortunately Steven's attempts at easing Dustin's nerves only make things worse. He felt like he had a good idea of what to expect with this man, and now, suddenly, he's decided to just show up and break all the rules. This is not okay. Dustin doesn't know what Steven's game is exactly, but he absolutely refuses to play along with it.

"I don't believe you," he declares bluntly.

[notsuitedforthis]

Unlike Dustin, Steven isn't aware that there are rules set in place. All he thinks is if he's open and approachable, then it will be easier to make a connection and proceed from there. Obviously, that isn't the case, and he's getting suspicious looks that make him feel a bit apprehensive.

"Don't believe- " Steven's initial disbelief putters and he pauses to frown, puzzled and mildly offended by Dustin's distrust. His eyes then quickly dart downward at the shovel he's still holding loosely in his grip.

[knightlyperformance]

In the somewhat dulled reflection (hitting things with it will do that), Marc gives Steven a Look with a pointed tilt of his head. "You're not gonna get anywhere with this kid," he notes.

[notsuitedforthis]

Steven's brow draws together at the sliver of his 'reflection.' "Looks that way," he says under a breath, still hopeful that things can change. "I may be getting through to him, maybe just a little."

[quark_assassin]

If Steven actually was getting through to Dustin, the fact that he's now staring at his shovel and apparently muttering to himself is quickly eroding that trust. Images of Marc casually hefting the same shovel over his shoulder flash through Dustin's head. Is he thinking about using it? On me?

Nervously, Dustin takes a step back, chin tucked. "What are you playing at?" he demands, voice wavering. "I don't have time for whatever weird shit you're trying to do here. Either tell me what you're really up to, or get lost."