20th Fix

[technohippie]

After talking with Sanguinius, and realizing that his one-year Mayfield anniversary is around the corner, Quinn's had enough sitting on his ass doing nothing, watching his friends get hurt or droned for good.

But what can he do? His technological talents were no good here, a sort of reverse obsolescence. He wasn't physically strong - anything but. Stick-thin, 9 years as a smoker, and has barely ever exercised in his life. That, and he abhorred violence, and was a coward to top it off. What could he do?

It was time to change all that! He had to become a better person. Time to shape up, Quinn Hatch!


For the next few days Quinn will be up to the following things:

[1) Quitting smoking, going cold turkey. It's not the best way to do it, especially when you have a 2-packs-a-day habit. At home and at school, he'll be noticeably, uncharacteristically irritable. That ever-present cigarette not being in his mouth might be a clue to the observant.]

Okay, today in class, everyone's just gonna sit quietly and... read. Or somethin'. Whatever ya want, so long as it's quiet. Sound good?

[2) Jogging through the neighborhood. No, it's not a joke. Well okay, maybe it is, because it's pathetic. He's trying really hard, but he gets about two blocks before he's leaning against a lamp post, wheezing and sweating.]

This is... bullshit, man. People seriously... do this... every damn day? For miles?

[3) The garage doors of 339 Brady Lane are open as always, the space Quinn has converted into his hang out and shop. The giant TV is currently playing a movie. It's Cloverfield to anyone who knows it; to anyone else it's a shaky camera movie involving monsters and a lot of screaming, stupid people. Quinn only has it on for background noise, though. He's got parts strewn all over the table, as he's dismantled dozens of appliances and machinery. He's currently standing in front of his laptop, doing inventory on what he has. Feel free to stop in.]

[4)Speaking of laptops, in the mail Quinn gets his next regain - his first ever computer, given to him when he was only 8 years old, right after his technomancy powers came to be. Baffled as to why Mayfield would send him this, of all things, he gets a good laugh at it. You might come across him in the garage, playing around with it, smiling the whole while.]

Comments

3

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

[Given that Lyn lives just next door, it's not surprising that the TV gets his attention. Especially the fact that it's playing a movie he knows. He's drawn like a moth to a flame, and immensely pleased to see it.]

Shit, you've got movies from - [He finds himself wanting to say things like 'back home' or 'the present' or something like that, and almost stops himself because this is Mayfield and there's no guarantee that's accurate...but then, on reflection, realizes that this guy wouldn't exactly have them if they weren't from his home.] - from back home? And an actual TV? That's fucking badass.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

[Quinn grins a little.] Sure do, man. TV, movies, music... Maybe some day they'll send me back my game consoles. Have a seat if a want. And I got hundred of movies on these servers, so name somethin' and I'll see if I got it.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

Holy fuck. [Despite his long life, Lyn is very much a creature of the technological age, and his tech lust at all the stuff Quinn is describing is obvious. And, with Quinn living right next door to him and freely offering to share, stealing any of this stuff doesn't even seem necessary - an extra bonus.] You got Die Hard, man?

[He sits - or, more accurately, perches, like a skittish bird that might fly off any second, because it's impossible for Lyn to completely relax. But he's staying until Quinn kicks him out, in any case, eyes hungrily devouring the screen.] You even have fucking game consoles coming to you? You must have had one hell of a setup back home.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

[Oh Lyn. You just sealed your status as New Super Awesome Friend with that request.]

Do I? Man, you're only askin' about my favorite movie ever. [He'll walk over to his laptop and switch that movie on. But interestingly enough, he doesn't type on the keyboard. He just lays a hand on the machine, and it does it in a manner of seconds.]

Sure do, man. The hippest condo on the entire East Coast, in my opinion.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

[Lyn's got sharp eyes - they're probably the only part of him faster than his hands, or his mouth. He notes how Quinn pulls up the movie.] Are you from the future or something? [This is his first guess - that maybe Quinn's computer is somehow super advanced.] But hell yes, Die Hard is badass. This and Pitch Black are pretty much all I need for the rest of forever.

East Coast, hunh? Where do you live out there? [Lyn actually knows next to nothing about geography, despite being over 200 years old - anything outside the limits of his city long ago ceased to matter to him. Still, he can't help but wonder if they were anywhere near to each other - especially since Quinn is one of the first people he's met who is very definitely from his world.]

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Got that too, man. You're in luck.

I'm from 2010, so Mayfield's future, yeah. I'm guessin' you're closer to my time too then.

Charlotte, North Carolina. [His accent gives him away as a southerner, though it's not terribly thick. I'm Quinn, by the way.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

Well, I've got that one on my computer already. But it'll definitely look way better on this TV than my screen.

2010? Seriously? Same fucking year, even. [Man, Lyn feels more at home than he has in a long while, talking to somebody who's from his world and time and knows all the same pop culture he does.] So...where'd you get a computer that can do that kinda thing? Never heard of hardware that can do that.

[Lyn, if he has any accent at all(it's very faint), sounds like he comes from the vicinity of New York City - not that his city is nearly as big or all that close to it, but some hints of the dialect has still transferred. And he's not necessarily prepared to tell Quinn where to find him, either, so he leaves his response comfortably vague.] Yeah, guess we've got a few states between us.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Seriously! Man, that is a relief to hear. Maybe we come from the same place? Wouldn't that be great.

Ah, that? Sorry, that wasn't software, that was me. Technomancer. Talent of mine.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

Seems similar enough to be basically the same, anyway, if our worlds have the same movies and shit.

['Technomancer' gets Quinn a raised eyebrow, although Lyn is way beyond being skeptical at this point. It's not something he's heard of before, though he's not sure if that's concrete proof that their worlds are separate or not.] Yeah? The hell is a technomancer? Exactly what it sounds like?

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

A type of magic. Pretty rare, but not unheard of. My family's almost all mages, but I'm the only technomancer. I can talk to all kindsa machines and stuff.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

That's...actually pretty awesome. [Lyn is suitably impressed. Not that talking to machines sounds interesting in itself, save that Quinn has quite clearly demonstrated its practical applications...which seem quite cool.] Way more useful than most of my powers. [This is a subtle testing of the waters, although he already doubts Quinn is the type to flip out if he mentions the whole demon thing. Especially since he's some kind of technomage himself.]

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

It's done me a lotta good, I gotta admit.

Most powers I know are useful, unless they're the double-edged kind. Know a few folks stuck with that myself, back home. Can I ask whatcha do?

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

[Despite his impression that Quinn is too relaxed to get upset by this, Lyn still watches him closely as he speaks.] 'M a demon. There's a few powers that come with the package. Speed, telekinesis, shapeshifting, pyrotechnics, teleportation...that kinda stuff.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

[His eyebrows do raise at the mention of being a demon. There are summoners in his world, but demons aren't usually what they call out.] A demon, huh? That's a first for me. Sounds like ya get some nifty stuff, though. Mayfield given ya all that back yet?

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

Every damn bit of it, yeah. I've been here for...shit, over a year now. It's just giving me back my tech and stuff now. [He shrugs slightly at this.] Just got my laptop back, although it's pretty goddamn useless without internet access, beyond the files I've got stored on it. I was gonna talk to the guy who suggested setting up some kinda server in Mayfield or whatever awhile back, but I dunno who it was - didn't matter at the time - and they never answered my call about it.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

That woulda been me! And we got somethin' like an internet, thanks to Ruri. I can get ya set up, no problem.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

[Lyn looks understandably startled. He'd thought maybe Quinn might know who it was if he had his own computer, but he hadn't figured Quinn was the guy. Talk about convenient coincidences.] Shit, really? Then you oughta listen to the phones better. Fuck, if I'd known you were right the fuck next door I could've gotten set up the same day.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Sorry man, usually I'm hidin' in here so I miss a lotta stuff. Bring it on over whenever 'n' I'll hook you up.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

[Lyn is considerably pleased by this.] Fuck, I could head back and get it now. I mean, it's right next door.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Hey, go for it, then. Ain't like I got much else goin' on.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

Alright. [Lyn is on his feet and out of the garage in seconds - probably way faster than Quinn is used to seeing someone move. This is partially because Lyn - being paranoid and twitchy in any case - is almost always ready to bolt, but it's just as much due to the fact that his demonic nature gives him far more speed than an average human could manage.

Likewise, he comes back, laptop tucked under his arm, a lot faster than should be possible even if his laptop was sitting right inside the door of his house(and it wasn't); it's less than thirty seconds and probably closer to fifteen. Nor is he out of breath.

Judging by the way his eyes flicker hungrily back to the movie as he holds out the laptop to Quinn, it's just as possible he didn't want to miss any of the movie as it is that he was showing off in any way.] Here. Work your magic, or technomancy, or whatever.

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

Damn, you're a speedy guy. Alright, won't take but a minute or two.

[He'll take the laptop, turn it on, and then sits there with it open without touching it. He's got to talk to it first, become friends, before he can work at it this way. Plus, he can't resist talking to new machines. He loves doing it. He always wants to make sure it's in top working order, and that Lyn takes care of it. But it won't be too long before he's silently saying goodbye and handing it back over.]

There. Ya should be ready to go.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

[Lyn takes it back with a rapidity that suggests he's not used to - or comfortable with - handing his stuff over to other people; he tends to guard his things as jealously as a dragon protecting its hoard. It's no insult to Quinn so much as one of the many manifestations of his general paranoia. Quinn is probably the first person to touch it since Lyn stole it.

He can't resist opening it and looking it over before glancing at Quinn.] So...how do I connect, or whatever?

[techno-mancer.livejournal.com]

You're already on. So long as you boot it up, it'll connect to the network automatically. My servers should be available to ya too, for all the movies and music.

[kleptophile.livejournal.com]

Seriously? [Lyn looks obviously pleased - which is understandable, since he only has a few movies and a limited selection of music on his own laptop. To have access to Quinn's more extensive library isn't exactly the same thing as having access to the entire internet, but it's still a hell of an upgrade.] That's fucking badass. Thanks, man.