hugtopia | Video // 1

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[ Looks like there's a redhead enjoying a nice dinner for himself. Nothing too fancy, just a partially eaten burger is visible on the screen, and the booth seat behind him.

That he found some way to lounge in with an arm stretched across the back. ]

So, free housing, huh? Not bad, but I'm not sold on the kitchen appliances in 'em just yet. I mean, I've had MREs, but that's just a whole new level, yo. How do they really taste?

Anyway, name's Reno, and accordin' to everyone else, guess I'm stuck here too.

Please tell me I can buy alcohol here..

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[ He'd share the materia more easily than he would his mag rod--she was his baby, and he'd be far more fussy and particular about just handing that over.

It was easier to patiently wait for the materia to be handed back, and he had no qualms with letting the mag rod tap at his shoulder as an idle tick while looking around the room, taking stock again of all the research he had to pick through, and all the machinery and experiments laying about. Verstael being versed in weaponry would make Reno more apt to let him investigate the mag rod, but he'd still need a little more trust built up with the good doctor. ]

Only the kings, huh? Sounds like bullshit to me. [ A snort and an easy laugh. ]

If we can find out a way to make more here, I'm sure bossman's got you on the gift list. Did he explain how materia works back home for you?

[ When the materia was handed back, he slotted it back into the handle of the mag rod, eyebrows raising with lazy curiosity. He watched the crystal in Verstael's hands, and while they conversed, Reno waited with a slack posture while he set everything up, his expression was quite alert and intrigued. ]

Yep, I got you, doc. I think it's best not to test our limits 'til you get a second one [ There wasn't a visible change in the mag rod to alert that it was live, but rest assured, it held a weak current in it. Just equivalent to casting Thunder. ] Good thing it is. I mean, we had deities, but they were more just guardians, and even they drew energy from the planet itself. The idea of the gods powering everything, but they're gettin' energy from us? Sounds a little fishy, so I'll be glad to nose around with you on the matter.

[ He lowered the tip of his rod near the crystal, and electricity jumped from it to the crystal, lighting it up. He held the mag rod steady near the crystal for about fifteen more seconds after it lit up, but stopped to look back at Verstael for further instruction or permission. Or satisfaction. ]

I might be able to see about getting a second crystal for you, you know. If you needed the help.

[He watched, and raised a hand to let Reno know to stop. The way the crystal lit up was quite familiar.]

It reacted much the same every other time. ...I'll need to build a machine around it to truly understand it, I believe. Sometimes there is no better way to learn than to build from scratch and see what works. Fortunately, that's what researchers specialize in.

[He had patience.

But then, Reno did yet another thing that left a good impression, and Verstael couldn't help but grin.]

Should you so happen to find a replicator that has been opened, and so happen to discover a conduit nearby that looks quite similar to this one, I will not be opposed to experimenting with it.

[Pesky morals got in the way of progress more often than not. What was wrong with a little treasure hunting inside of someone else's house? He had his standards, but research was far more important than little things like that.]

The president has explained some to me, but it doesn't seem that there has been a scientist yet from your world who can fully explain. [He let out an amused snort.] It's amazing what can be so commonplace on another world that it's hardly questioned. I don't intend to thank our captors for violating my freedom, but I am truly grateful that I've had this opportunity to expand my horizons far beyond what I had ever thought possible. It's a humbling experience to see what other worlds have to offer.

[He stepped beside him to pick the crystal back up. For the moment there was nothing else to do with it, so he placed it back into storage.] Speaking of... I would love to hear more about this 'helicopter'.

[ At the signal, the current was cut, and with one hand, it retracted back into itself for easy storage inside of his jacket pocket. ]

So a computer. Cool. Do we know if the natives have this crystal in them, too? I don't plan on looking for any discarded natives, but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

[ As luck would have it, something as petty as social expectations never got in Reno's way. Whether that was good or bad depended entirely on circumstances, and it seemed like the good professor here was in agreement. ]

Yeah, no problem. I won't part of the research department either, so I'll leave it at what he was able to tell you. Hopefully you'll be able to take somethin' back to really shove it to this king of yours, yo. Whoever that is.

But yeah, 'course. Uh.. [ He patted his chest and hips to check his pockets for a pen. No luck. ] You got somethin' to draw with? I can show you while I explain it.

Of course.

[The guy was obsessed with writing everything down, so count on him to have writing equipment on hand. While he pulled faux-paper and pen out of a drawer for him in front of a seat, he continued talking.]

It is possible. I have not seen inside a native. If I were to guess, I would say it may be "Nicean ore". The natives need a component called 'Sildar ore' to live, while Nicean ore is used as a conduit.

The mine at the factory, by the way, had traces of Nicean ore in it, so it could be worth comparing. I had been preoccupied with the fact that the mine left another potential opening to invade the city, and concentrated more on efforts to monitor it.

[He pointed lightly towards the monitor with the fuzz. The signal came in once in a while, so it was obviously connected, but it was also suffering from massive interference.

And, since it seemed a waste not to, he would place his hand on Reno's shoulder if he chose to sit while drawing. It was different than what he was used to - usually he had people hold his shoulder while he worked. But no big deal. Despite not being a fighter he did have a pretty sturdy grip, though.]

[ He waited patiently, and did indeed sit to draw. It would also take a bit of concentration from him, since he was certainly not an artist by any stretch of the imagination. ]

Mines--so was there Sildar ore in the mines too, or just the Nicean? And what factory? [ Ugh, there was gonna be so much catching up. But he did glance briefly to the monitor. ]

Yeah. I'll start with harvesting from the replicators, first. Then we can worry about investigating the mines further, 'long as there's an eye out on the mines, it can wait.

[ Anyway so this drawing. The smaller models were built for speed and mobility. Just an eye in the sky. He drew a circle, and inside of it, mapped out the shape of the dashboard, seats, and controls as if looking at it from a cross section, so the shapes, while already being wildly imperfect, looked awkward without giving the brain the context of space or depth. From it, a box on top with four propellers, a long skinny tail with four more propellers on the side--in all, it looked like a dragonfly on water skis.

The controls, though, he could make a perfect copy of. The shapes were still imperfect and odd, but it was by far the most detailed part since he dealt with that the most.

He did not mind the hand on his shoulder while explaining the parts, and in fact appreciated making the extra dora. ]

This model's just recon work and mobility. We got heavier ones built for transport and holding artillery. [ He tried drawing a military grade helicopter, but again. It was. Hmm. A sight to look at. The cockpit was again spot on, but the rest was.

He did his best. ]

It was a Nicean mine. The factory is located in the outer area, along with a bathhouse and arena of sorts. Another has concentrated on restoring the bathhouse. I focused more on the factory.

[No surprises there.]

Artillery is a specialty of mine, so I should have no problem figuring that out. ...You know the controls quite well.

[Which might be the most important part. On the outside if he knew the general shape he could work with it. The detailed controls, though, were much harder to make up off the top of ones head. It gave him a much better idea of how to have it work.

Reno might be doubtful of Verstael still, but Verstael was finding him quite useful.]

So you this is a main method of traveling the world? The scale of it... [He tilted his head a bit. While the picture didn't exactly show the size, when Reno put in little details like controls and seats it became more and more apparent that the space within must be quite limited.] How many can it hold?

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He's a smart boy and will only push it if given permission.

Very good boy

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