001 - Speed Is Productive!

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd and Anyone
WHERE: Hotel and Greenhouse
WHEN: First Days on Agra 10
WHAT: Settling In and Learning Practical Skills
WARNINGS: N/A yet, will update if change


Finding Pear Dice - Greenhouse Exploration

There is a serious issue here, namely that Tommy hates moving at snail pace. Part of the issue with being a speedster is that the mutation that made him move fast made a lot of the rest of him fast. Which included two things that were already a problem here on Agrii Whateverthefuck: his brain, and his metabolism. There was literally no turning off how fast his brain ran, even when he was choosing to operate in the sorts of time frames that humans do. Sure, he could slow it down some, but in the end how fast it ran meant that walking at normal human paces left his brain bored if there wasn't other stuff to do. Exploration, as it were, wasn't exactly the easiest for Tommy to manage. Which flowed into the second issue, his metabolism.

As much as Tommy wanted to speed around, make a full mental map of this place, figure out how to start improving it, he couldn't. His body needed food to fuel it, and speed was something that had to be sacrificed for the basic rule of survival. Which was literally the opposite of what Tommy had always thought he should do. He had managed to survive everything by running away, running to find answers, or otherwise using his speed as a survival strategy. Which meant not having enough food to maintain speed very long was sort of frustrating.

This was what led to Tommy staying in a relatively small area for his initial explorations. More than that, this is what led Tommy to a glass building, and through the doors. Was it wrong that he smiles the second he opened the doors and realized what was going on? Probably. Maybe not. Food. There is food in here. It isn't cooked, it isn't starch, but it's something.

And more than that? Another glowy orb. As weird as the previous one had been, this one Tommy is prepared for. Or so he thinks. When he touches it there is a moment of immobility as the system uploads to his brain, and a jolt that goes through him when a glitch prevents him from getting everything. But what he gets is enough to leave a grin on Tommy's face as he cracks his knuckles.

"Talk about a worthwhile project."

The only question is where to start. And the answer is easy. Bypass the seeds, ignore the broken irrigation system, and he makes his way up to the over-grown upper level. He moves to twisting, curling, monstrous vine covered in what looks like small cyan bananas. He plucks one down and just devours it in three bites. The peel is nutritious, and good for fiber, his new knowledge tells him. The flesh inside tastes something like a pickle, but one seasoned with lime. Full of good vitamins. Tommy laughs and pulls off his long-sleeved shirt and ties it around him at an angle to make a sling. Like he cares about being shirtless right now. Food is a great first step.

Over the next hours and days he starts doing more than a recurring task of gathering food. For one thing, overgrown plants absolutely have lots of dying and choked material below them. Tommy spends a lot of time squatting under plants, crawling around, and otherwise pushing things aside to start pruning back this dead material. It will be great fertilizer, his new knowledge tells him, even sets himself up a corner where he starts piling material until he can clear an area or tools enough to start a compost pile. When he isn't slowly working his way through one area he's trying to water everything he can. The problem, of course, is the process of watering, how to carry water from the fountain outside and in to the plants. This he solves rather clumsily, with a large, cup-like leaf from some durable sort of plant from a more tropical corner. The thing is more durable than he was expecting, and he doesn't care too much about the repeated treks. He even pours the water into a second leaf he pokes some small holes into near the top to make it more like a watering can.

Sometimes there is an advantage to fast brains: creative solutions to problems. And so it is, somehow, that digital age and tech loving Tommy Shepherd becomes, well, a farmer.




Personal Space - Hotel Exploration

In the early mornings and evenings when light isn't nearly deep enough for him to really want to work by, Tommy gets to the other tasks of living. Which means heading back to the hotel with a small selection of fruits and vegetables from the overgrown green house, together with some of what he can handle that is left over from the Whale Comb those cherries are a serious advantage for someone who has trouble getting drunk. He walks through the halls and up to the third floor where he's set himself up, and if he passes anyone in the hall he offers over a piece of food, usually one of the cyan bananas he's come to enjoy that taste like pickles made with lime in the brine, or a crimson red cucumber that tastes, just faintly, like tomatoes seasoned with oregano. That one, he knows well, is starchy as hell, and that's great for survival.

Once he gets up to the hallway he lives in and puts the rest of the food away, it's about securing the place. Checking over windows that may be present to make sure there are no new cracks or hole. Checking the pile of dried leaves he gathered from the green-house and laid out on the floor to make something like a mattress mostly a barrier from the floor to maintain warmth, and making sure his little degree of personal items are still around.

After that he goes down the hall and starts cleaning up other rooms. More people might come, and you never know what space they'll want for themselves. And he hates doing nothing.

When all of that is done Tommy sleeps. At least, he tries to. His body doesn't like more than four hours of sleep, stupid being fast. Which means often in the darkness of the night and early morning, Tommy moves quietly through the halls, one hand on the nearest wall to keep himself going in a straight and predictable line. Hopefully he doesn't scare anyone or start a fight.



[OOC: Wildcard or other starters available on request. You can message me here, find me on plurk @ churbooseanon or discord at Churby#4290. Happy to take Tommy's TDMs canon unless you wanna choose otherwise except Billy, mostly because we changed up timing, hit me up on that one bro

Will do brackets but prefer prose.]

Comments

[unbearablynaive]

He catches his breath subconsciously, recognizing the fragility of the moment but also relieved he hadn't made things worse. He's walking on thin ice, but if he can tread lightly this may work out.

He thinks about the offer, nodding to show he accepts it. There's so much he wants to know that he hardly knows where to begin. They've already been talking about food, and things like pets or dream jobs or favorite media are all academic when they're not on Earth anyway. And they're all shallow things, but he wants to know anyway. On the other hand, those might be something he can get out of Tommy in regular conversation.

"I--would like to know when your birthday is, Tommy. I realize we're on sixty-hour day cycles here and have no idea what the months and years look like, but that doesn't mean my own internal clock isn't running. Perhaps by the time it rolls around I'll have figured out a present for you."

[doubled_speed]

A present? Tommy definitely doesn’t know what to do with that information. Like, at all. The only reason anyone has ever spent any time on his birthday has been the last few years and they figured it out because of Billy. One stray comment about their birthday being miserable and unlucky and people had started trying to make it better. But he knew mostly it was something where he had been tacked on to Billy’s already planned life.

“October,” he says at last. “Thirteenth. I was born on Friday the thirteenth. Just my luck, right?”

Really was a weird question to ask.

“You really shouldn’t focus survival time on presents.”

[unbearablynaive]

"That's nearly two months out by the Drift Fleet calendar," he muses. "More than enough time to establish ourselves here, I think. Though if we're still struggling by then, perhaps the present will be as simple as an extra-large ration of giant potatoes," he concedes.

But somehow he doesn't think they will be - or, rather, he's optimistic enough to think they'll have a good routine by then, one that will allow for personal downtime. Cake and ice cream, probably not, but a present? Even if it's as simple as new tools or a proper pillow or --something (he still doesn't have a great grasp on what sort of things Tommy likes)--it'd be better than nothing.

[doubled_speed]

Listen, he's had two birthdays since leaving his parents. Which means one where he had gifts. So literally Vision could give him a rock and Tommy would be happy.

"Thanks, man. I mean, you don't have to. But make sure you get Billy something. He'll care about it."

[unbearablynaive]

Hey, if it was a particularly cool rock, it might even be a good present. (It will probably be something much cooler than a rock.)

"So the two of you still have the same birthday, despite all the complications? That is handy to remember," he remarks, smiling a little. "Though I know even less of him than I do of you. Aside from an autographed picture of the Avengers, what sorts of things does he like?"

Cause he'd gotten the whole fanboy impression, but hadn't realized at the time that was Tommy's brother.

[doubled_speed]

What does Billy like? Ouch, hard question with the context they are in.

“Nerd stuff. Comics and collectibles and Sci-fi and fantasy. Autographs. Red capes.”

Billy clearly has a cape thing. Then again, their parents do. And grandfather. So maybe it’s genetic.

[unbearablynaive]

It might be genetic, for all that. He raises a brow doubtfully. "I could do the autographs, but he could also get those simply by asking, I think. Provided we can find or make something to write with besides charcoal, that is."

Surely there are some plants that will make good ink. Or, who knows? Maybe one of the ruined buildings was an office supply store once upon a time. Stranger things have happened.

"I suppose I'll keep my eyes open. There is some time to think about it."

[doubled_speed]

"You know you really don't have to do that, right?" Tommy asks. Because he doesn't want to be thought to be begging for a gift. Even though he's already tried to talk Vision out of it once. "Because, like... I know Billy would like the thought. But he won't be upset if you don't do it."

[unbearablynaive]

"Yes, well."

He gathers his thoughts for a moment.

"If I had to, it wouldn't be much of a gift, would it? It would be an obligation. It's more worthwhile when it's freely given."

He gives Tommy a mock-serious glare. "Although it's entirely possible I won't find anything reasonably gift-like, mind."

[doubled_speed]

People don't give him things. So even a rock would be lovely.

"Well, you're smart. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Still, he figures turn about is fair play, right?

"Do... you have a birthday? And what's Wanda's, while we're at it?"

[unbearablynaive]

"I was activated on the first of May," he says, eyes unfocused, "in 2015. Wanda's is the tenth of March, although--"

He grimaces.

"I--don't know if you already know this, but in our timeline, her brother has died. She does not find it easy to celebrate on her birthday because it reminds her too much of her loss."

[doubled_speed]

Wow, not even made until more than a year into Tommy's future. That's super weird. Still, he winces at the information. Uncle Pietro has died. That's... not nice.

"Yeah. I get that. I'd be the same if B died."

[unbearablynaive]

It's pretty bad, not gonna lie. But he'd at least been in the Fleet for a few months once, so the Vision got a chance to know him better.

So he nods. "With that in mind, it would be best not to celebrate her birthday unless she requests it. Still, there are plenty of other occasions. Or--well. She's never been averse to something from out of the blue, when it comes to that."

[doubled_speed]

"I'm not a party for holidays sort," Tommy says briefly. Because he doesn't really handle sentiment well.

[unbearablynaive]

He nods, although there's a hint of disappointment in his expression. Not much of one, though; Tommy would hardly be the only one to feel that way.

"I imagine it's difficult for anyone without an internal clock to keep track of an Earth calendar here, anyway."

[doubled_speed]

"And the days are so hella long that it's... Pretty impossible to get the right day anyway."

What? That's the best he can come up with. Giving you an out, Vision.

[unbearablynaive]

He taps the side of his head, as if to remind Tommy that it's full of circuits instead of grey matter. "For others, yes, it would be. And to be fair I'm synchronizing it based off the old Drift Fleet calendar, whose accuracy is debatable at best."

And then he shrugs, grinning a bit. "Perhaps we will learn some new festival dates local to this world and culture."

[doubled_speed]

"I mean, why would we wanna do Agrii festivals?"

That's a bit of a mess, right? They'd have no association with all of their stuff. It wouldn't be fulfilling.

[unbearablynaive]

"A break from usual duties for a celebration is generally good for one's well-being," he replies, shrugging again.

[doubled_speed]

Like his wellbeing even figures into this.

"If they feed us, and it's not truth-juice, I'll go."

Because why wouldn't he? Parties are his thing. Food is his thing. The chance that he could fill up just enough to do something fast, to revel in his mutation again... it's worth it.

[unbearablynaive]

He has his doubts about the Agrii's intentions as far as that goes too, to be frank. But when in Rome....

"I'll even test the drinks for you this time, if you like."

[doubled_speed]

"What?" Tommy asks, frowning, tilting his head. "Could you even tell what it would do?"

[unbearablynaive]

"Not comprehensively, but if they have any of these agricultural components, I should be able to tell. And I feel the truth serum should be fairly easy to detect."

Normally he would say experimentally, but they've already had the conversation about that word.

[doubled_speed]

Smart guy, learning Tommy's triggers so fast. That's support right there.

"That's nice of you. Super nice. Thanks."

[unbearablynaive]

"You're welcome."

And with that, they continue to work in companionable silence.