one: this one's for you, rain. [video]

[oncearanger]

[There is a damp-looking teenager on the screen. One might expect him to be miserable from all that rain and cold, and he was for a while, but there's a look of triumph on his face. The reason for this intrudes into the frame a second later, held up by its inventor.]

Hey. I'm Billy, and I've just arrived. I'm a mechanic wondering how much I'll be able to assist here, so I thought I'd prepare for the local climate as a test project.

[The object of his admiration is an umbrella, pieced together from whatever happened to be in his bag and what parts he could buy or find. The fabric is a patched together blue and gray, obviously taken from different items. It's not going to win any Prettiest Umbrella awards. The folding mechanic works, though it looks a little lopsided due to the lack of perfect tools. He tugs on the runner, folding and unfolding it. It works smoothly enough to pass initial inspection and he places it aside.]

I know materials are in short supply, but I brought my own tools and most of this was mine. I'd be happy to work on things and start trading---electronics, vehicles if we have any, or home supplies. I could even build more umbrellas. Is there a market, or have I just reinvented something I could have bought?

[Not that he particularly cares. The way he's glancing to the side and admiring the ugly but functional umbrella, he probably would have done things himself anyway.]

Comments

[unlikelyrebel]

I don't really know about most of the stuff you asked about, but... did you really make that yourself?

[It might be ugly, but still Rinoa's quite impressed all the same, because it works. If she tried that not only would it be uglier, it wouldn't work either.]

[oncearanger]

Yeah. It took me a little while to sketch out the mechanisms and remember how they fit together, but I took an umbrella apart when I was seven. My parents were baffled, but they gave me my own to experiment with. Then I moved on to the vacuum and there was trouble.

It's strange, how many things we came to rely on that aren't so readily available here.

[unlikelyrebel]

You remembered how to put an umbrella together because of something you did when you were seven?

[Her opinion of him just sky rocketed even more, because gosh that's way more than she could ever hope to do herself.]

It's not too bad, they do have a lot of stuff here. Sometimes it just takes a while to find it.

[oncearanger]

I don't have an eidectic memory---it's more that I learned the theory by building lots of things, and that helps me fill in the blanks.

[He's sitting here thinking for a moment.]

Have you filled up your apartment yet? Anything I should be looking to save up for?

video; hope you don't mind the slight lateness

[defending]

I haven't seen an umbrella around here so far, so you might be in good shape market-wise. [ Have a grin. ] Pretty inventive of ya.

no problem!

[oncearanger]

[He smiles back, twirling the slightly crooked handle in his hand.]

I'd alter the design, of course. There's always room for improvement. A jacket's probably the better choice if you need free hands, but umbrellas can be useful sometimes.

Do you want one?

<3

[defending]

You'd be surprised how many uses you could find for an umbrella. One time? Totally turned one into a weapon. [ Doot doot... ] Y'know?> I think I do.

[oncearanger]

We have more dedicated weapons now, though. Unless...someone could choose an umbrella as their weapon, and I'm sure the spokes would transform themselves into gun barrels, deploying bullets when the base button is pressed, or...well, it could transform any number of ways. But I have a weapon, I'm not trying to build another.

I'm sure I can make one with a consistent pattern now. Do you have a fabric you want me to use, or a color?

text;

[painfeels]

You made that? Pretty good if you did.

text;

[oncearanger]

I did, and thank you.

I'm just trying to see how I might be able to help. I can learn to build more practical things to supplement our weapons, but it would take some time. Do you know of anything we really need?

text;

[painfeels]

You mean besides a way out?

text;

[oncearanger]

I've gathered that a way out is highly improbable if not impossible, so yes. Anything that would make our stay easier or improve our chances of survival, I'd be happy to work on.

Even if it's as mundane as another coffee maker. I'd love to have one around.

video;

[minded]

In this place I'm sure you'll have ample opportunity to build and work on things.

video

[oncearanger]

[He nods]

Do you? Or do you know other people who do? I could find somewhere to assist.

video

[minded]

[ Conner throws a glance over to where Sphere rests. ]

I don't think so, not right now.

[ There's a curious little warble then that sounds over the feed, and it's not from Conner. ]

video

[oncearanger]

Right. I'll keep looking.

[That noise catches Billy's attention, predictably. He starts craning his neck to investigate the sides of the screen. It didn't sound like another person, so...]

What is that sound?

[Audio]

[strategic_guile]

It's good to know who can build stuff, even if we have umbrellas for sale.

[Audio]

[oncearanger]

...oh, I see. Well at least it'll be replaceable should this one break.

I'm sure I'll find something that needs fixing given enough time. It's either that or training, right?

[Audio]

[strategic_guile]

Oh, there's plenty to fix around here. Depends on what kind of mechanics you're into, I guess. They have a science lab. If you like building things though, there isn't much to offer without scavenging for it.

[audio]

[inline]

Huh, that's pretty cool. You know anything 'bout A-Ts?

[audio]

[oncearanger]

Could you narrow that down slightly? I can think of a few things A-T might apply to. But if I'm not familiar, I'll learn about it.

[audio]

[inline]

Air Treks!

[There's a note of genuine surprise, like the answer should be a given.]

Y'know, the skates?

[whatsupcroc]

You say mechanic?

( Collette gives Billy an interested look. )

You can buy umbrellas, sure, but maybe not ones you like. Making more is a great idea, and could be a nice little welcome gift to the Transports, but um. What kind of mechanic are you?

[oncearanger]

I worked with anything I could get my hands on.

[He holds up a wrench from his bag to demonstrate.]

Radios, weather-tracking devices, vacuums, coffee makers...but nothing interested me more than cars. I know they're in short supply here, but I'll be ready if we need to take one for a mission.

[whatsupcroc]

We still have the odd electric car around, and I heard about a kind of car junkyard. I bet you'd love that! Have you, hmm... Have you ever worked with something like a wheelchair? Oh, or a skateboard.

( Or wait... )

Or a surfboard?