two 王 video ○ taka candroid

[controlsdesire]

[When the video starts, the camera is facing down towards a particularly non-descript carpet. While the camera isn't moving around a lot, it is shaking quite a bit, and a small, high-pitched noise accompanies it. It almost sounds like a bird is in the room, though the noise is more mechanical than animal. The noise continues near the camera for another few seconds before the camera moves up and over to a patio door, not showing much of the apartment its in on the way there.

Oddly enough, when the camera reaches the patio door, there's just enough reflection to see that it's a small, red and silver mechanical bird, who begins tapping its beak against the door as if to ask to be let outside. It hovers in front of the door, continuing to make the same mechanical caw.

In the background, there's a voice that only a handful of people on the Network might recognize, speaking in Japanese.]

"Stop recording."

Comments

audio;

[hopediesalone]

[... ok, it's been ages since his days of tracking down bootleg fansubs on VHS, but "stop" is a pretty basic word. he remembers that one. he's vaguely interested in the mechanical bird, but he doesn't comment on it.]

Pets are always getting up to something.

text;

[controlsdesire]

It's not a pet. It's a machine.

audio;

[hopediesalone]

Is there really a difference here?

[controlsdesire]

I don't see how either of those things have anything in common.

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

[Well...that's an interesting little development. Not something Hajime would have expected the stuffy cop to acquire. He'll respond in Japanese.]

I wouldn't have thought you were the kind of guy to keep a pet bird.

text; japanese

[controlsdesire]

[Well, he certainly recognizes that voice.]

Birds seem to keep finding me.

It wasn't like that when I got it.

[Audio, Japanese]

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime's sticking to audio for now. He also wonders what Shuji means when he talks about birds finding him...but he'll leave that alone for now.]

What, it had feathers? Or there wasn't as much life to it?

[controlsdesire]

It wasn't a bird. It didn't look like a bird at all. It's some kind of machine.

[AUDIO, JAPANESE]

[happybirthdaytoyou]

MAGNIFICENT! He looks just like Taco and Batter!

[Those would be the octopus and grasshopper candroids that Eugene has.]

text;

[controlsdesire]

[oh it's that cake guy again. ... what in the world.]

What?

VIDEO (STILL IN JAPANESE)

[happybirthdaytoyou]

[Okay, time to switch to video, which is going to take a bit because Eugene needs to get to the back office and switch on webcam.

But once that's done... here, have Eugene holding up the blue can and pulling the tab to transform it into the tiny floating octopus candroid.]

This is Taco! I found him in my totebag after the cave misadventure along with Batter! [The grasshopper candroid is already transformed to its robot form.] My brother got another just like Batter and now he knows how to build more Tacos!

... unfortunately, we don't have the supplies to do it.

[controlsdesire]

[Well, at least the visual is helping. Both of which feel a bit familiar to him.]

That was when I received mine.

[Now he's even more suspicious about this thing...]

video {iphone}

[ursoreckless]

[well. that's a new one. Shou is going to snicker a little abotut he bird.]

You really must have a bird thing, cousin.

text;

[controlsdesire]

[He's making a face when he receives that message.]

You could refrain from calling me that sort of thing on public venues.

That's not the only new thing I've received.

permavideo

[ursoreckless]

Mm? oh, yeah, I suppose I should.

Is it something we would need to talk about?

text; non-network phone call

[controlsdesire]

Hold on.

[It's a few minutes later when Shuji switches off from the Network, dialing Shou's number. Phone calls probably aren't the safest means of communication, but he'll work with it.]

( text )

[argents]

[ Banagher doesn't understand a lick of Japanese, but the little machine was plenty enough to catch his eye. ]

Another one. Robot, I mean.

text; english

[controlsdesire]

What do you mean by another one?

[argents]

Um well, there's the octopus one! And a while ago I got a little robot that talks from one of those pulses. He's pretty sophisticated for something that looks like a basketball.

Video

[kingofthetoybox]

Haha. Some toy.

[Porky sits back and takes a moment to admire it. For a guy who has thoroughly gone through catalogs, making sure to buy up any toy that amuses him remotely with his allowance, his look betrays far more wonderment than his words communicate. More than just a toy, it looks like it can be useful.]

So. How much do you want for it? Name your price.

text;

[controlsdesire]

It's not a toy. I'm not selling it.

[kingofthetoybox]

Then let me rephrase the question. How did you get it so that I can get my own hands on one of those neat doodads?

[Text, Japanese]

[talktothedoll]

[That robot is oddly similar to the ones Mort and his brother have received, and the similarity was enough to make Mort want to jump at the chance to communicate with this young man, but there was one of those odd throbbing pulses...and a very bad feeling about this guy. The feeling was sudden enough and strong enough that it made Mort disregard that hollow feeling, and it delayed his response a bit.

He'd seen that Eugene had already replied to the guy, which made him uneasy. What was it about this individual that inspired such a strong sense of dislike? The only reason he's replying now is to try to get a sense of what sort of guy the bird robot's owner is.]

Odd that there are so many robots that turn into cans popping up here.

[This is the best casual conversation starter he can think of.]

[controlsdesire]

[Well, this suddenly makes him uncomfortable. Mentioning of a fact that he hadn't made public on the Network -- the bird having been in the shape of a can before it was activated.]

How did you know that?

[talktothedoll]

[Normally, he would be quite willing to say how he knows. That he recognized aspects of the design as being similar to the plans he remembered, to the robots he and his brother had received.

But that's silly. This is the first time Mort's spoken to this individual, why such a strong reaction? He's just going to try to push these sudden negative feelings away, for the sharing of information is rather important.]

I remember plans for a similar octopus robot. There are similarities in the design.

[Yet saying this feels like pulling teeth.]