Players:
Summary: Theo takes his new pet robot our for the first time, and bumps into Elizabeth painting in the gardens.
Date: June 9, 2010.
Log Title: Introducing Proto
Rating: PG
Xavier's Mansion - Japanese Gardens
A large area of the grounds is landscaped with a Japanese Garden. A river filled with coi fish runs through the middle with a wooden bridge. There is even a small waterfall splashing on the rocks. Bamboo can be heard clacking on the rocks. A small statue of a Buddha can be found in various places. The trees hang over the area and when the flowers are in bloom, it brings a variety of color to the peaceful landscape.
The peaceful gardens are even more peaceful with the finals in process. Theo, however, isn't concerned with the finals. He has real studying to do. But he's not doing that either. He isn't the sort that is commonly found to romp through the grounds like a child, but today he is. He sprints across the grounds, a toolbelt around his waist, and behind him he has a friend. Well, kind of a friend.
A small four legged robot thing bounces behind him, keeping up the best that it can. As Theo leaps over a bush of flowers, the robot attempts to do the same, but doesn't clear it. It lands in the flowers, mutilating them as it attempts to crawl out. Suddenly, it stops moving, and the dark-haired technopath turns around, and short of breath, he walks back to his robot, pulling it out of the vegetation before more damage is done. Once it is back on the path, he pulls some of the leaves off of it before it starts to move again, this time at a slower pace.
Wandering through the gardens comes Elizabeth. A small sketchbook tucked under one arm and a worried look on her face. "Where could it have got to…?" she wonders to herself, glancing skywards. Oddly there are rips in the sleeve of what seems to be a very expensive sweater and underneath bandages can just been seen…
Theo doesn't seem to notice Elizabeth immediately. Instead, he watches as the robot begins to dive along the path like some sort of mechanical frog. It almost runs into Elizabeth before Theo realizes that she's there, and then it bounds narrowly to the side, and into another bush. "Hey!" he calls out. "Sorry about that, been playin' with this thing, didn't see you there." He doesn't have a remote in his hands, though.
Elizabeth glances down at the machine, then frowns. "What is it?" she wonders. "And have you seen a Kite around here? I seem to have lost it when I bandaged up my arm."
Theo arches his brow, "Um, I don't think so," he says. Haven't really been looking for it. "What'd you do to your arm?" His gaze drifts to the bandaged arm and torn sweater. He glances quickly across the gardens, but doesn't see the kite immediately.
"I didn't do anything to it. The Kite did," Elizabeth explains, glancing skywards again. "This is the last time I'll bother with birds. They're far more trouble than they're worth!" She scowls and switches the sketchbook from one arm to the other. "So, what is this machine or yours? Does it do anything?"
Theo furrows his brow. "You got attacked by a bird while flying a kite?" he asks, not certain how that would happen. He looks down at the robot. "Yeah, this is Proto. It's my first one. Right now it just runs around and messes up flowers. Still a work in progress." He steps on top of it. "It's strong though, check this out." The robot stands up, even with Theo's weight on top of it, and the boy backs off back onto the ground.
Elizabeth opens her mouth as if to say something, then laughs softly. "A Kite /is/ a bird. Like Hawks or Eagles," she explains, watching the display with the robot with polite interest. "I should have drawn some protective padding now that I think about it. But getting a good fit is so very tiresome."
Theo gives Elizabeth a measured look after her last statement, as if he doesn't want to ask a stupid question. He clearly didn't understand what she meant, though. "What do you mean?" he asks, folding his arms across his chest.
"In what regard?" Elizabeth wonders, her eyes drifting skywards in the hope of spotting her wayward Kite. "About a Kite being a type of bird? Technically it's called a Swallow-tailed Kite and they're black with a white underside."
"What do you mean draw padding? Is that some bird handling term or something?" he asks, not knowing what Elizabeth's powers are. He doesn't ask about other people's powers. "I can't say I know much about birds, never was much of an animal person." Well, not really, he did have a dog, though. Theo looks up at the sky as well, looking around for a bird. But all birds look mostly the same to him, so he's not likely to be much help.
Elizabeth smiles. "Draw padding like I drew the bird. It was a watercolour for a little variety," she explains distantly. "The pencil sketches are even harder to spot. But I think my control over them is improving a little, enough so that they won't fly away without me wanting them to." She pauses, then blushes. "I'm so very sorry. I've forgotten my manners, my name is Elizabeth White. A pleasure to meet you Mr…?"
Theo returns with a freckled grin. "Theo Fegenbush, the pleasure is mine." he offers. But he was always taught that it was rude to offer a handshake unless a lady offered her hand first, so he doesn't. "That's a pretty cool power," he confesses. "So when you make stuff, does it stay forever?" he asks, his curiosity piqued.
"Oh.. no not forever. That would be terrible," Elizabeth assures. "They eventually fade away before reappearing where I drew them. But I like to keep track of them while they're out. It's irresponsable to just let them run rampant.. Although the Cerberus managed that even with me around. You wouldn't believe the damage a very big dog can do to trees."
"I used to have a dog," Theo says, "I'd believe it," he comments. "That's a pretty cool thing you do, though," he adds. "I can't even draw stick figures without them looking weird," he offers with a laugh. "So anyone who can do art has one up on me."
"Daddy wasn't pleased when I told him how much it was going to cost to have the damage repaired. But I reminded him how much cheaper it was for me to be here than at home," Elizabeth says, perching on one of the benches. "I don't think it's cool. I would rather not have the 'power' at all, then I could paint without worrying about anything bad escaping…"
Theo shrugs, "Well, you could always paint things that don't come to life and move around," he suggests. The robot begins to walk again. "I gotta get back to studying. I have a crazy amount of summer work to get done. I hope you can find your bird," he says. "If I see it I'll let you know."
Elizabeth raises an eyebrow. "I could, but then I wouldn't enjoy painting them. It was a pleasure meeting you," she offers distantly, flicking her sketchbook open as if half expecting to find what she's looking for inside. "And good luck with the studying."
