i_speak_softly | Forty-Third Theory [Mostly Action]

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Forty-Third Theory [Mostly Action]

((General post for the next two weeks or so. Preemptive tl;dr, find him anywhere, though suggestion of day/place/activity is appreciated.))

[As May begins, and as a fairly large percentage of May goes by, Donatello can be found doing the following things:

-Jogging through the woods, tracking down any signs of life detected by the departed Mr. Scott's not-really-new-and-not-exactly-improved-either tricorder. ((New Feathers, feel free to jump in here.))

-Hauling huge loads of books to and from the library.

-Studying these books - in and around House 55, at the library itself, by the fountain, at the coffee shop, alongside the river... pretty much anywhere.

-Copying diagrams from the books into his journal.

-Working at the smithy, trying to create physical equivalents of these diagrams.

-Digging through bins at the item shop.

-Practicing wind magic or good old-fashioned ninjutsu in various open areas around the edges of the village.

And a few more specific actions:]

[Don needs a few minutes of your time. If you don't dare to approach him while he's working, he'll come looking for you.]

[Some rainy evening, Don will show up at Robert's door with a duffel bag and a goofy grin. You owe him a nanocomputer demonstration - and he brought you a gift.]

Frederic, a question, if you have a minute...

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Ah... I think it's called a "snorkel". [Such an odd word. Can that really be right? Ah well.]

I really hope you like it. Swimming, I mean. It's so different from anything else... [He's discovering that in some ways, he's glad you've never been underwater before. He can't wait to see you experience it for the first time.]

"Snorkel". [Robert repeats the word with the same incredulosity. It does sound like a strange word.]

...

I think I will like it, provided you are there to teach me... [If he can hang on to Don's shell, Robert will probably be happy.]

I just hope that I don't entirely shame all amphibious biota by my attempts.

[He smiles, already looking forward to it.]

But in the meantime, weren't you going to teach me something? I'll try not to be an embarrassment to your century.

Oh, yes... Right. Certainly. [And there goes Robert off to get his nanocomputer off the nearby, well-used desk that it's on.

He's, uh, forgotten that he isn't wearing clothes. Don might want to remind him on that.]

What with your aptitude, I think you won't have much trouble learning to use it...

[When Robert turns around again Don will be holding out his pants and wearing an awkward smile. You might want to put these back on?]

[... Huh.

... Oh yeah, clothes. That's what he forgot. Time to be sheepish.]

... Ah. Should I replace my clothing...?

[Wait, does this mean he's discomforting for Don to look at? Robert is suddenly a little awkward.]

... I apologize if my body is strange...

[You're pink and narrow and he can see your inside-ribs. All those muffins Splinter has been ordering him to eat? He wants to smuggle them over here and force-feed them to you. Because you're clearly more in need.]

You're not strange, you're human...

[And humans are really big on wearing clothes. All the time. So surely you want to put your pants on now.]

[This human is not so obsessive about clothes-wearing, at least not in the presence of people he doesn't think he has to be hyper-professional around anymore.

Consider it a sign of trust, Don.

After another uncomfortable beat, Robert stoops to pick up his briefs and replace them on his thin hips, still mumbling nervously as he goes to pull them on.]

W-Well, I suppose they'd be... much the same thing, for you...

... And I know I'm... n-not particularly pleasant to look at.

[Especially his chest, which he's still conspicuously anxious about.]

[Don doubts that humans will ever stop looking strange to him. But as humans go he wouldn't call Robert unpleasant - and in fact he didn't. Now is probably not the time to try to convince Robert of his non-unpleasantness, though, so Don will try to convey the idea by acting normal. He moves to sit on the couch, waiting for his partner to join him.]

[Don stopped looking "foreign" to Robert a long time ago, even when his own body did as a turtle - a little odd, perhaps, but Robert loves Don how he is, and normally that includes his body too.

The scientist finishes nervously redressing himself - probably giving Don a chance to see how clothing sits on a human body, and how it's properly put on - before he returns to Don's side and sits with him, holding his nanocomputer in his lap, running his fingers reflexively over the smooth black epoxy case.]

Ah, well.

Where to actually start...? [Well, maybe at turning it on, but...]

[Don absorbs this potentially-useful information peripherally.]

[While Robert thinks about how to begin the lesson, Don helpfully pulls out his adaptive keyboard from some ninja place. Do they still have USB ports in the future?]

[Potentially-useful information indeed.

Something similar enough exists to a USB port - an adaptive port in general - that Robert does recognize it. He slides the nanocomputer open almost delicately, revealing the complex inner workings, including the display and the panels for interfacing with the various scientific tools at the nanocomputer's disposal.]

... This particular variant of the nanocomputer is a standard-issue scientific tool, manufactured by the Head Institute and distributed throughout the scientific institutions of Terra.

... Did you want me to connect that keyboard for you? [The actual nanocomputer keyboard is a lot smaller, though there's a clear intent to provide support for adaptation; there are slots built into it, looking like they are meant to handle extensions of the usable surface.] Were we on Terra I could probably find an adapter there, but you would likely be more used to your own keyboard anyway.

Please. [He disentangles the cord and offers Robert the end.] It's much easier...

Then certainly.

[Robert takes the cord, and physically adjusts the port to accept the USB cable; the port seems almost flexible, as if it melds to conform to the connector, and not the other way around.

A small indicator light flicks on for just a moment, and the computer itself hums softly.]

... Ah, there we go.

It should be usable at this point... [Robert looks over at the keyboard.] That would have been nice to have when I was a turtle myself. It must make typing significantly easier than trying to use smaller keyboards...

[Don watches this in fascination.] How does it do that?

Well, it has much to do with the properties of Terran conductive polymers and innovations in the manipulation of quantum bit states...

[Robert launches into an explanation of various aspects of conductive polymers and how they respond to electrical input signals, as well as how quantum bit states signal both how many logic "pipes" and "endpoints" are needed and how the unique device signalling procedures are put into place. ~~Really, the mun should come up with something more distinct some day.~~ After a moment, Robert gives a bit of a sheepish smile.]

... But my knowledge on this topic is relatively limited, so I would be unlikely to be able to replicate this here.

We could always request the Malnosso if it became useful, but... [Robert shrugs non-committally.]

[Don listens and files away this useful information. ~~Little does he know he'll soon have a use for such a port.~~]

Enough about the hardware then - show me the interface.

[At this, Robert slides his fingers over the keyboard, waking the device from the automatic power-saving "sleep mode" it had been in.

Don might notice the seemingly-millions of tiny solar panels, much more intricate than the ones he might be used to, coating the outer surfaces of the device; the black epoxy case seems as though it's meant to protect and prevent overcharging, and Don might've seen a similar case nearby, but transparent instead.

Robert's fingers dance over the keyboard as he cues the interface for the nanocomputer. Because it's something Robert uses - and because it's somewhat standardized - the interface has a simple-but-efficient design; the console glows gently with a soft light that seems calibrated not to cause injury staring at it too long.]

As this is a professional nanocomputer, built mostly for the use of scientists, these nanocomputers tend to focus on functional attributes... One might find a more robust interface on an entertainment or communications nanocomputer, for example.

... Mike seemed to express some interest in the thought of immersive virtual gaming... [Robert smiles a bit.] Unfortunately, it would be almost impossible for me to obtain any here, because they generally need the Terran planetary Internet to function.

[Don can't even express how much he's missed technology, and people who know how to use it. His fingers itch to try out the nanocomputer - obviously much more powerful than his laptop, despite Robert's dismissive comments - and he doesn't want to hear about Mike and his video games.]

[Don may or may not notice that during the demonstration he leans closer and closer to Robert, until he's practically sitting on him.]

[Likewise, Robert has really missed having somebody to actually share said technology with. The fact that it's his awesome boyfriend is a bonus. Which is why he not only doesn't mind that he's nearly being flattened, but he's in fact curling gently back into Don, his slender frame snuggled against the turtle's plastron.

Robert shifts the nanocomputer closer, perhaps inadvertantly into his lap, so that Don can reach it easily while practically glued to him.]

... You seem very eager to try this yourself...

... Would you like to?

[It's like some bizarre kind of nerdy foreplay.]

[Don automatically moves one knee to catch the computer, and one of his arms somehow winds up behind Robert's back as the two of them try to occupy the same space in front of the screen, and his other hand dances over his keyboard, entering commands. Technology may have changed, but the psychology of the users hasn't, and it's intuitively obvious to him how to control the interface. Within seconds he has brought up a list of available programs.]

Ooh...

[There are very few people Robert would trust to touch his nanocomputer, and Don sits squarely in this category. It helps that he's a quick study and has almost no problems finding the programs.

It helps that the screen is mostly touch-sensitive (though there's an optional peripheral for those who'd rather not touch the screens, but Robert doesn't use it much), so that probably makes it simpler to use.

Most of the programs on the computer are pretty much geared for scientific pursuits - data compilers, analyzers, tools for building mathematical charts, diagrams and the like, text-handling programs... there's also programs for handling the holophotography/video. ~~Don might get a few awkward surprises if he pokes through that.~~]

You seem... highly enamoured of my nanocomputer.

[Robert almost nuzzles Don gently, arching a little into the strong arm resting against the curve of his spine.]

... And perhaps of me, at the moment? After all, we are... quite close.

[Not that Robert seems to mind. If anything, it's the exact opposite.]

[Don doesn't bother much with touchscreens either - most devices seem to have trouble reading his thick digits as fingers. At any rate, he prefers text commands over icons. GUIs are for wimps.]

Huh? [A vague sideways glance. His eyes don’t really leave the screen.] Mm-hmm.

[Sorry, Robert, your boyfriend is leaving you for a computer.]

[He would find this touchscreen to be remarkably responsive, actually. It's, after all, designed to be used by non-human sapients too...

Robert just smiles at how absorbed Don is by his nanocomputer. It's so much like him that he's almost struck, again, by how similar-and-yet-different they are.

So he just snuggles into Don's side and watches Don explore the nanocomputer's functionality, enjoying the closeness and the obvious interest and affinity Don has for Terran technology.

Clearly they are now in a polyamorous relationship with the nanocomputer.]

I reiterate how much I would love to take you to Terra. You seem so engrossed in the technology.

You would be a wonderful engineer there... quite possibly a candidate for the Head Institute.

[Robert is excited just thinking about that.]

[That's what he gets for not experimenting thoroughly.]

[At Robert's words, a burst of static in his head. He freezes momentarily, then slowly slides the nanocomputer back to Robert's lap.]

An... engineer?

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