Meridian Highrise / New toys / Pakpao 18 years ago

New toys

Feeling vaguely lost Pak made her way down to the archives for the first time. Stepping off the elevator she was surprised how empty the place was, although it made sense. How many humans wanted to work this late at night? Although some of her team had gotten rather used to the hours, not many but one or two of them; god bless geeks.

Once downstairs and not wanting to have anyone question what she was up to she followed the advice that when in doubt you should walk fast and carry a clipboard; well she had a binder a small pouch and some software and that was just as good. She had been promised a computer to install a new program on and that the archivists would try it out so she could work out the bugs. But which one of these... ah that was it.

Making herself at home the first thing she did was to check the computers specs. She frowned, it figured they'd give her the one that needed an update. OK, so it didn't really need an update, the program just had very specific requirements. So she'd come prepared. Glancing around the desk she realized the computer itself was under the desk.

Grabbing a small screwdriver out of the pouch, she shoved the chair out of the way, sat down on the ground and began to open the case.

Kem`Raaisu 18 years ago

Pakpao

"If I'm their leader do I get a cape?"Â?

Kem chuckled. "Not only that, you get to wear your underwear on the outside, too."

He had to agree... he had always thought Km also belonged on the table of elements. "I never figured out what kind of element I'd be. And I'm afraid to speculate too far." Was 'loser' an element? Probably not. Yet. He'd better get to work on that.

Her ramblings amused him, and at least he wasn't the only one prone to doing so, which was a comfort.

As he thought over a list of names to give her, she saved him from having to come up with one right away. "Yeah. I can email you in a bit. I'll have to figure out who exactly we should have play with this toy."

Kem was happy to elaborate on the nature of his position with Meridian. "There's no Indiana Jones in my future, unfortunately." That was definitely more Aishe's thing than his, anyway. "I'm only here on a temporary basis. The Head Archivist is away on maternity. I'm filling in until she gets back. In the past, I've mostly traveled for Meridian... I've handled a lot of the shipping and requisitioning of artifacts from other countries. And I'm a psychometrist too, so that's come in handy."

He shrugged easily. "Most of the work I've done has been on my own. Stocks, finances, that sort of thing. Although recently I've been... missing it here, I guess. I'm thinking of seeing if there's a place for me permanently." He glanced over at Pak, wondering if it would make much sense. "You'd think after I've been all over the place, I'd get used to roaming. But I suppose it's just the opposite."

He frowned momentarily. "There have been a few, well - complications." Like Aishe. And this bond. And trying very hard to ignore the nagging feeling that she was close, because she wouldn't follow him here, not to Nachton, not just because she lo... cared. She was far too practical for that.

"Most of all I suppose this just feels like home."

Pakpao 18 years ago

“I’m shocked. We’ve just met and you’re already trying to see my underwear. I knew it wasn’t safe down here.”

Refusing to laugh Pak just looked astounded and shocked.

But where would you put a KM on the periodic table. Certainly not a gas…

“We all probably all belong somewhere around iron and copper.”

It rather made sense considering their diet. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just munch iron supplements to make a balanced diet? So much easier than having to…

“Please give it to someone who might break it. We can only plan for so much and I’d rather not have it installed for everyone and have it go boom. I’d wind up working days trying to put it back together and un break everything.”

So far, she’d learned the most from people doing very odd things to the computers and their programs. While you couldn’t out think stupid you could plan for it and head some of the worst questions off at the pass.

Pak twitched nervously at the idea of psychometry bothered her. She had quite enough voices in her head without inanimate object talking to her too, but she was still rather curious.

“OK I’ll bit how does the psychometry work?”

The feeling of home, that was something she could relate too. After leaving Siam Pak had traveled extensively and slowly realized she was just happier having once place to come back to. It got frustrating being new or trying to be someone else for long periods of time.

“Complications?”

Damned, hadn’t meant to say that. Pak quickly provided an out for Kem.

“The roller skating storm troopers out to get you?”

Kem`Raaisu 18 years ago

"Ah... I didn't mean... I mean, your underwear... no, not that. I... gah."

Kem's ability to formulate coherent sentences was apparently indirectly related to the shade of red his face could turn. He finally just gave up and stopped trying to talk, settling instead for jabbing an accusatory finger at Pak, who finally showed mercy by returning to the safe subjects of the periodic table and the new program.

"Someone who can break it?" Damn. Aishe. She could break computers like nobody's business. Why did he keep thinking of her? She could, though. One press of a button, and sparks and smoke everywhere. It was a thing of wonder. "I could probably manage that."

Pak seemed a little wary of the psychometry bit, and he lifted his shoulders helplessly when she asked about it. "It's different for everyone. Some see things, some hear things. In my case, I get a timeline. I see where a things was created or made, and I can tell where it's been and when it was there up until the present. A little disorienting, but useful in this field. And great for parties."

Not surprising, either, when Pak picked up on his allusion to complications, which he never should have mentioned. He was trying very hard not to be grumpy, and it wasn't difficult when she was inclined to laugh at the same things as him, but still he wasn't perfect. So he took the out she graciously provided... maybe another time, another setting, but not tonight... and in an act of pure cowardice blamed it all on the would-be roller derby enthusiasts.

"I'm telling you... they're out to get us all." He finished entering the last bits of data into the computer and uploaded it all in one shot. Technology was a wonderful thing.

Pakpao 18 years ago

Rather ungraciously, Pak snickered at how fluster Kem was becoming. She hadn't meant to be shocking, but the results were entertaining. Trying to be a little nice, she covered her mouth with her hand and attempted to cough her way out of the snickers as she nodded at his promise to find someone who could break it.

"I can see where timelines would be great party tricks. So much more entertaining than yahtzee."Â?

It was actually rather hard to get a sense of what Kem was saying. It was probably one of those had to be tried to be believed gifts. While the time line didn't sound bad there was still the possibility of hearing things or seeing things, so no matter what Kem said, it remained on Pak's list of things she hoped never to deal with, just below Martha Stewart.

"But the closest I want to get to my work talking to me is MARI."Â?

She wasn't surprised he'd chosen to duck the question about complications and oddly enough was relived. She probably wasn't the best person in the world for sorting out things. Pak had a tendency to say the wrong thing and further complicate matters.

Letting it slide she retrieved her CD from the computer and started to pack things up.

"Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."Â?

Kem`Raaisu 18 years ago

"Yahtzee has its perks," Kem said. "It doesn't make me dizzy, for one. Nothing could possibly be more annoying than picking up that one 'thing' that's been here there and everywhere. I think that's why archaeology appeals; most of the things I have to use psychometry on have been buried in one place for centuries, and only recently moved around."

It was difficult to explain, even after so long, to someone who didn't use the ability. Particularly the way Kem's worked, which wasn't as simple as "I hear a voice" or "I see a picture."

He grinned at Pak when she claimed MARI was as in-depth as she wanted to get. "That's pretty close. My work doesn't have meaningful philosophical conversations with me, but yours does! How does that work?"

Kem raised his eyebrows at Pak at the irony. Scooting his chair out of the way so she could open the CD-Rom drive, he laughed at her advice regarding paranoia.

"Honestly, I would hope to notice the army of roller derby-ing vampires. I can get caught up in my work, but if I don't see that coming, I know it's time for a long vacation."

He stood. "Thanks for the new program. I'll be sure to get a few people on it to break it as soon as I can."

Pakpao 18 years ago

“The problem is yahtzee involves spelling and I’m better with numbers.”

Pak hoped the psychometry came with an off switch she couldn’t imagine having all that going on in your head all the time.

When he mentioned working with objects buried for centuries Pak almost laughed. It suddenly occur to her that Kem was working with artifacts that were older than she was in some cases… most cases.

“OK, I give. I can’t explain how MARI developed any more than you can explain to me exactly how psychometry works. At least not unless you want a lot of white boards and several million lines of code.”

Please god don’t say yes. Not that she thought he would…

Back to the roller army. This time Pak did laugh, you had to, white storm trooper gear, roller skates, capes, vampire, and a disco ball; it was funny.

Having everything she’d come down with and having completed her errand Pak stood and nudged the chair back under its desk. She didn’t want to be accused of causing any more accidents.

“Just let me know who. Oh, and no fair using a baseball bat to break it dropping it out the window is out too.”

Not having any call to hang around any longer, and having a few other projects that needed her attention, she was ready to go.

“Thanks for the machine. Just keep me posted and I’ll see you when its breaks or is perfected whatever comes first.”

((OOC…out pending response.))

Kem`Raaisu 18 years ago

"Yahtzee only involves counting," Kem corrected. "I would think you could handle it though, considering your previous work."

Kem shook his head vigorously, silver hair fanning out behind him, at the mention of several whiteboards full of code. "You do that, and I'll retaliate with several archives' worth of incredibly boring notes and large words like dendrochronology, long acronyms like NAGPRA, and confusing words that sound similar but mean entirely different things like provenience and provenance."

He sat back, looking slightly smug. If she could confuse him with code, he could certainly attempt to bore her to a second death. "Then again, if I bore you to death you might actually die a martyr and I'd have to deal with Saint Pak forever. I'm not sure I could handle that.. patron saint of leaving screwdrivers under my feet. A horrid thought."

He waved to Pak as she left, and promised not to drop the computer from any windows. It seemed to be running smoothly enough that the bat would be unneccessary as well.

"Feel free to drop by anytime," he called after her with a grin. "I'll have the disco ball set up."

Settling in for another few good long hours of work, he alsmot caught himself humming. Almost.

((ooc: Kem out))