Stark Industries, Tuesday, 8/28

[ultron_junior]

When Victor got to work today, he was a little psyched that the first repair job in the store's queue was an Atari 2600 that looked like somebody had dropped it in a swimming pool. The thing was about twice as old as he was, but that just made the challenge of getting it to work that much more interesting.

It took all morning to get the circuits dried out and reconnected. When everything finally lit up like it was supposed to, he looked around for a game to test the system on.

The only one he could find was AI the Alien Invader.

After an hour of falling into holes, dying, restarting, and then falling into another hole and dying again, he understood why people thought it was the worst game ever.

[OOC: Open repair shop.]

Comments

[ultron_junior]

"They made us camp for a while over the summer?" Victor told her. "Like, out in the woods in actual tents, wireless never worked in my tent. You get used to it. It was all... pioneery."

He also hadn't had decent access back under La Brea, but that was a long story.

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Ugh, I hate camping," Olive sighed, shaking her head. "My friend Rhiannon's parents are like, the hippiest people ever? And they used to make us camp with them in their backyard and listen to Aboriginal flutes, eat vegan loaf and do bong rips. I mean, they would. I mostly smiled and said polite things and just said no." She paused, and added, "I think my camping experience is maybe not like normal camping experiences."

[ultron_junior]

"Yeah, there's like no pot here," Victor said. "Not that it's a huge thing for me either. But there were probably some flutes. And ridiculous amounts of food on sticks. I think people were really bored and just wanted to light things on fire, there were s'mores like every night."

"I have no idea what normal camping is like, if not that."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Well, they took away the rest of your fun," Olive pointed out. "Pyromania seems to be basically all that was left. But hey, if the movies are anything to go by, teenage camping usually results in a guy in a hockey mask killing everyone, so congrats on making it out."

[ultron_junior]

"See, but I think they quit killing the Mexican guy in those movies," Victor said. "I might have made it all the way to the sequel."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Lucky," Olive sighed. "Redheads get taken down almost as fast as dumb blondes, so I'm a goner. Avenge me, will you?"

[ultron_junior]

"I'm your guy for avenging," Victor told her, and then gave the back of his neck an awkward little rub. "And hey, you seem like you're doing okay here so far. You might surprise yourself, be the one who takes the killer out with a stiletto or something."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"That does seem possible," Olive said thoughtfully, smiling at him. "Not much of a stilettos girl these days but I could re-learn the art of walking in heels if it means I get to live through a totally hypothetical summer camp of horror. Worthy cause, all that."

The using-a-shoe-as-a-weapon would obviously come naturally.

[ultron_junior]

"You could take pointers from my friend Nico," Victor offered. "She has the Goth thing going on. I'm pretty sure most of her shoes are registered as weapons."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Does she ever trip in them?" Olive asked, genuinely kind of interested. "I spent half a semester in spiked heels and I almost broke my ankle like four times." A pause, and, "Again, it is shocking that I managed to dump coffee all over my expensive electronic toy. Shocking."

[ultron_junior]

"I've never seen her do it. She can even fight in them." Yes, Victor was still a little awed by this particular Nico Minoru skill set. "... why were you in spiked heels if you can't walk in them?"

She didn't exactly seem the type.

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Performance art," Olive answered, but not especially convincingly. She'd been sticking with that particular explanation, though. She wasn't exactly ashamed of what she'd done back in Ojai -- it was just one of those things you didn't necessarily tell the cute guy fixing your computer. At least, she didn't. "Kind of a lead-up to my pep rally thing. Hey, Tony said that sometimes we all wake up the wrong gender, so if that happens, you're welcome to borrow my heels and take the non-injury walk challenge yourself."

[ultron_junior]

"I'd break my neck," Victor said firmly. "And yeah, that's one of the things I don't think can happen to me. But I said the same thing about the pony thing and I was wrong there."

Which still made his head hurt. Cybernetics should not be subject to transformational magic -- he was pretty sure if he'd come with a manual, that would be in there.

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Pony thing?" Olive asked, leaning a hip against the counter. "There was a pony thing? I heard we have a teacher who's a pink pony but this sounds more personal and thus, fills me with a resigned sort of dread."

[ultron_junior]

Victor stepped toward her, resting both palms on the counter, and said -- in a low voice full of resignation -- "I was orange. With sparks coming from my mouth."

He sounded as if this were the tragedy of all time.

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

Olive snorted, in a highly attractive sort of way. Really. Because honestly, the other option was to start flailing about ponies and she had to stop that. "You sound adorable. If slightly dangerous. I wouldn't mess around with a spark-shooting pony."

She would. Lies.

[ultron_junior]

"Next time I'm a pony" -- and Victor dearly hoped there wouldn't be a next time -- "I'll come find you and you can see if you still think I'm adorable."

He was wondering what Olive would look like as a pony. Probably pretty cute, he decided.

You know. For a horse.

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"And with any luck, I won't also be a pony." Oh, Olive. "So I can judge your adorableness objectively. Also, I've never postulated about whether I might wake up as a pony before." Olive cocked her head. "I feel like the fact that I actually said that and didn't burst into hysterical tears or laughter is maybe not the best sign for my continued sanity."