[Calibrations] Another Room Of Memories

[plate_builder]

WHO: Reeve Tuesti, OTA
WHERE: Reeve’s Calibration Room
WHAT: Calibrations Experiences
WHEN: June 10th to July 10th
WARNINGS: CW: Reeve’s Calibration room contains memories that reference a shooting assassination attempt, general gun violence, and the kidnapping of a child. Any item which might fit a trigger warning will have strike through text with the appropriate warning listed after it.

Welcome, dreamer, to the museum. Awaken as you will seated on a well padded bench, placed in the middle of an exhibit room. Glass cases line the walls with all sorts of artifacts and metal plaques labeling them. And amid it all is Reeve in a suit, pacing and looking very upset.

"What is this supposed to be, an homage to Rupert's damn foolish little self praising museum in the building? I'm not so conceited as to want something like this!"

This, of course, being some form of 'the greatest hits' of his life, most of which were behind glass. There was the model of Midgar, hung on its side on a wall. Nearby there's a case that holds a small human-like figure made of straw. In another case one might even see a strange stone with dark lines on it that almost radiates a sense of foreboding.

The things that aren't behind glass or hung out of reach are rare, scattered around like little treats for people to inspect. On a mannequin in the corner is a long blue coat cw: attempted shooting assassination that people might have seen him wear before on Agra-10. It's label reads 'Coat of Director Reeve Tuesti of the WRO. Near that is a suit similar to the one Reeve wears now, this one dirty, torn, and with evidence of some blood and burns on it.

Another corner seems dedicated to Cait Sith, showcasing a large white form with purple wings, upon which sits a black and white cat. Together the two stand an four feet tall, and they are definitely strange. Next to them stands a highly detailed model of a bipedal cat.

A different corner of the room seems dedicated to Reeve's companions, with a variety of weapons serving to memorialize them. The only open case there involves a long battle staff, in front of which is a vase filled with yellow lilies wrapped with a pink ribbon cw: referenced child kidnapping. This one Reeve moves to, considering with a sad and pensive expression.

"If anyone deserves a museum to their efforts, it's her. It was always her."

The final section of the room seems dedicated to what might be charitably called trophies. A massive sword longer than Reeve is tall, a strange shot gun, black armor, and even a strange helmet cw: general gun violence with glowing accents.

"I think I'd rather not be remembered if what is in here is deemed to be my 'greatest hits'."


[OOC: The secret to getting out of Reeve's room before the 'time out' point is to watch two memories, or to have a serious conversation with Reeve and then going out through the sealed door labeled 'Post WRO Wing' together. If there is a specific memory vibe you'd like message me and something special can be arranged.]

Comments

[thepurpleone]

This sure isn't a museum as Donnie's used to. ...then again the most he's seen of museums personally is afterhours and even then it hadn't been particularly to check out the exhibits.

Ah, but the sole other person here looks familiar. Donnie peers around a display case towards Reeve.

"Kind of a weird choice of headspace here, huh?"

[plate_builder]

Indeed it was strange. And annoying.

"I did not choose it I assure you. It mimics a space I hated. The last two times it was my old office."

So why the change? He wished he knew.

[thepurpleone]

"Huh. ...waaaait a sec, you've been through this twice before?" Once already seems bad enough!

Donnie steps around from the case, looking about. "So...it's still somewhere familiar. What the heck is that??" he can't help but blurt as he catches sight of the big white blob with...a cat on top? It's weirdly cute, and he can't help but drift closer for further inspection.

[plate_builder]

Yes, twice. Reeve was tired of falling for it. And he missed those that had been here before.

“That’s Cait Sith, Mini’s predecessor. He-“

And of course just getting closer happens to be the worst choice here. Studying museum exhibits meant more here. Like weird memories Reeve wasn’t even apparently in? Except instead of dropping Donnie into the memory, a screen flickers to life between him and the exhibit and the memory plays out on that. With multiple views. As if watching from security cameras.

[thepurpleone]

The turtle almost jumps at the screen that pops up. He blinks, squinting at the odd clip, brow arching.

"...Uh...huh. I reiterate, what the heck."

[plate_builder]

"Calibrations," Reeve says with a shrug. "This is what is taken from us with how this happens. People see your memories."

And that one was somehow one of his.

[thepurpleone]

"Yeah, I picked up on that, but...I'm not seeing where you fit in there," Donnie admits, glancing back at Reeve. "You were saying something about a Mini..?"

[plate_builder]

Oh, that. Reeve moves to join Donnie.

"See the cat on the big creature? That's Cait Sith. A self-aware construct, a blending of magic and technology. Connected to me by magic and other controls. The memory was supplementary surveillance footage that I used to supplement my controls from the other video input I got. And Mini... Well, you can meet him around Temba."

[thepurpleone]

"Whoa... so like...a magically powered, animatronic cat?" It looks way cuter than Albearto and his band members any day, that's for sure.

Donnie points as he steps closer to the other cat then. "So then this is, what, version two-point-oh?"

[plate_builder]

"Yes, for all intents and purposes, that's correct."

It's not really all that correct at all but it will do as an explanation for now, unless Donnie wishes to reach for that same memory point again and see more. Which seems likely.

"Yes, and no. This Cait Sith is the first, the Mog was a secondary because it houses a Mako-Engine which allowed me to direct magic spells through him to assist him in his deep cover operation. He had acted without it before. Or... or perhaps this is two. One and two were basically identical. Mini is more of version number nine. But he's also independent in ways that the Cait Sith line was not meant to be. They are recon, my hands and my eyes and my ears. He's more of... My keeper I suppose."

[thepurpleone]

"Huh, interesting," Donnie hums. He has the general idea at least. Coming up in front of the other display, he can't help but smirk a bit.

"Definitely a big jump in the design. So this is Mini then?" he asks.

[plate_builder]

"This is Cait Sith. It seems Mini isn't in here this time."

HE has been before, but then again, this was the only time Mini got to 'rest' in a year, so he wished the construct the relief of it.

"These are definitely both Cait Sith models. I refined him over many years. AS... well, he was intended as a friend."

But the display comes to light once more as Donnie looks it over. This time the screen comes to life in a dark room filled with computers and... Reeve. Reeve sitting at a lighted table, working a servo of a metal skeleton, testing the articulated limbs. And then leaning forward. He breathes out over it and there is a glow of pale blue-green light. And the arm starts to move on its own, without his touch. The fingers curl, the head twists. Reeve breathes in and the pale blue-green light rises from it and is taken back into him. Then another small video, where the same form is on the table, covered like the Cait Sith construct, and again he breathes out. This time the thing sits up and looks at him, and he's hugged.

Then the image shifts again. A room in a broken down place. A stuffed black and white doll, only a foot and a half high. A breath out, and the cat doll moves. Comes to its feet. And immediately puts its padded limbs to its hips as if to chide him.

"They are very quickly active," Reeve says as he sees the videos. "The doll one was Mini."

[thepurpleone]

"Oh," Donnie nods then. That makes more sense, especially looking at it by versions. Ah, but then it's movie time, so he perks up as the screen plays another memory. At least this isn't nearly as intrusive as some of the things he's stumbled upon.

"Whoa..." It's weirdly fascinating seeing something so clearly mechanical having what must be magic applied, and the results that followed. It looks way too simple, but Donnie can't be sure what all goes into that breath of life that Reeve exhales. "You're...instilling part of yourself in it," he observes. It makes more sense now as to how the man said he'd acted through them.

He does smile a bit at Mini, so much more simplified, so very judgmental. His brow furrows a little though as he notes the surroundings, so different from when Cait Sith was being created.

"...why the different space?"

[plate_builder]

"Exactly. A tiny bit of my soul, drawing more from the Lifestream into it so it can live. Back home I have less limits. Here I can only work with my own so I can only have MIni."

But yes, simplified and judgemental. Until Tony helped upgrade him. He does applaud the young turtle's astute observation though.

"Mini was created here in Temba. That's the difference. The first was a testing for Cait Sith Version 0.5. The second would have been Cait Sith Version 1. And Mini is... Well, he's a whole other thing.

[thepurpleone]

Donnie begins to nod. If it's Temba, then Reeve would have more limited resources at his disposal. Yet, simple as Mini was by construction, he already seemed to have a deeper personality, if one were simply to base it off of such brief introductions.

"That's pretty amazing though..."

[plate_builder]

"Thank you," Reeve says with a smile. He hasn't noticed there's a door open now. He's too intrigued with talking to Donnie. Again.

"I give them life, in a way. The Cait Siths were meant to be only semi independent as spies and the like. Mini needed to be more."

[thepurpleone]

At least the museum has so far proved a neutral enough space that Donnie's not itching to escape.

"Heh, spies, huh. Mini kind of reminds me of SHELLDON. He's an AI drone I made. Kind of has an attitude problem ever since my brothers messed around with his programming though, I haven't managed to work out some of those bugs." But at least S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. wasn't trying to kill him anymore.

[plate_builder]

Reeve was actually forgetting his own issues with this place and how it was presenting his memories thanks to talking to Donnie.

"Yes, that sounds similar. Cait Sith wasn't originally intended to be a spy, but he was taken in that direction. And he and his brothers seemed to like it a lot, so I didn't argue."

Bugs, though, were hard to remove from a soul. They just existed. He couldn't change Mini.

[thepurpleone]

"SHELLDON started out as our smart lair assistant to help tidy things up and keep things orderly." Which hadn't been an entirely bad idea considering their lair was home to a lazy bachelor and his four teenage sons. "But...that didn't work out for very long," Donnie admits, muttering the last bit with the implication that he'd rather not expound on the why's.

Despite S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.'s attitude and adoption of a surfer accent, the rebuilt AI's at least been helpful for now.

[plate_builder]

There is a lot of complication implied in that 'didn't work out for very long'. A hell of a lot of heavy lifting.

"I've heard siblings can be like that."

[thepurpleone]

Stuff happens when you decide to program your butler AI to favor you over the rest of the fam.

"Yeah... They're a pain sometimes but we're still close. It's...been weird without them."

[plate_builder]

Yes, there are absolutely issues with that. Donnie, please try and be fair.

"I imagine it would be. Your brothers would have been there with you the whole of your life."

[thepurpleone]

He was perfectly justified! It was payback for all the things they'd ever done to him, after all.

"Yeah, we're hardly apart, back home, and even when we do sneak out to do our own thing it's never been longer than a day," Donnie sighs.

[plate_builder]

Was it though?

"Then you're off on an adventure for a chance. Your own chance to see the world."

[thepurpleone]

Absolutely. He's fourteen, of course he's going to stick to his guns.

Reeve's insight should invoke some excitement, but there's nothing that's going to fill in Donnie's family-shaped holes and he knows it. "I guess..." he says, unconvincingly.