[Video]

[withazippo]

Laptops? Last I saw this was in a museum. Guess they're into the antiquities.

[He’ll mess with it a bit and turn it upside down so that the only thing visible is a table for a moment. Some odd scratching noises and rubbing sounds follow, the video fuzzes a bit before clearing back to him facing the camera again. His expression is pretty serious.] Doesn’t look so bad. But is it fireproof?

You never know, this thing could just combust on you when you’re asleep. Burn down the whole apartment structure and a block radius before someone even notices it. People don’t always wake up from excessive smoke inhalation. Sometimes the smoke gets to them first. But… there’s enough of us here that someone is bound to wake up before it gets out of control, right? People not comfortable living in these apartments, maybe? [Shrug, he really doesn’t seem all that bothered by this notion.]

Well, at least these laptops are free. And hey, getting paid to fight in a war? Not bad at all.

Comments

[withazippo]

If you're into that kinda thing, sure. Doesn't sound half bad.

Say, have you ever been in a war before?

[moralperil]

...I can't talk about my work with people, sorry! [smiling]

[withazippo]

[Eye brow raise] I can understand that. Seems pretty common, really.

[moralperil]

[Just awkwardly changing the subject.] I could teach you to bake something! With your expertise we'd probably keep the oven from exploding.

[withazippo]

My expertise isn't exactly preventing the fires, you understand. But no thanks anyways, I'm a decent enough cook already.

[moralperil]

You really should find a constructive hobby.

Something that helps end wars instead of continuing them, maybe. [Yes he is really inferring that cake wins wars.]

[withazippo]

I'm not really interested in ending any wars, my friend. That's pretty impossible, don't you think? Really, I just want to survive them.

[moralperil]

[Mahdi makes a face. He's definitely annoyed.] No. I don't think it's impossible, just difficult. And anyway, stopping a war is a way to survive it, isn't it?

[withazippo]

Ah, but usually another one just follows right after it. Pretty awful cycle, really.

But that's not the point. So now I've got to ask you, have you ever tried dealing with an explosive?

[moralperil]

You mean aside from ovens? [deadpan] No, my talents don't work that way.

[withazippo]

So you're more of a knife and gun kinda guy, right?

[moralperil]

--I'm a purple flashlight kinda guy. [seriousnod.]

[withazippo]

Purple.... [Pause]

Yeah, I don't get it.

[moralperil]

Neither do I! The Initiate told me to pick a weapon and that just seemed like it would be more useful.

[withazippo]

I've never heard of a flashlight being a weapon, but hey, if anything can explode than anything can be used as a weapon, right?

[moralperil]

...Right. Back to explosions.

[withazippo]

[Smiiirk. Come now, are you really surprised?]

At least it's something you can count on?

[moralperil]

I'd rather not be!

[withazippo]

All right then. But you might just be surprised one day at how useful a well placed rig might be.