022 -- [Action || Voice]

[endgames]

[Filtered to Konoha Shinobi and Temari || 100% Unhackable]

Meeting tonight, at sundown. [What about goes without saying - most of them should know already.] Fourth floor's kitchen. Try not to pull a Kakashi.

[And thus starts off the long to-do-list of Shikamaru's day. The filter goes up in the morning, giving - hopefully - everyone time to see it.

He's decided he needs to talk to Naruto before then. On his way out the building he'll stop by his apartment, or send another filter off to him if he's not around. With everything going on he would be surprised. After he's tracked him down, it's off to the other side of the village to find Tony Stark at his casa, to hand over a project he's been working on for the last several nights. Playing delivery boy again, ugh. No notice this time, though. He's acting like a functional human being again, but he's not up for the sarcastic banter. Once he's done there, it's over to the school to find Katara in the thirty minute window he has after classes let out. Apologies are an order.

Specific things attended to... wow, without Masaomi around this week, he has a lot of time on his hands, huh. Well okay. He goes off to the forest with a bag of coconuts of all things and lines them up at head level when he finds a good spot to sit them for tanto practice - or more precisely: strength training. He's never used his short sword much. The one time he did, he wasn't strong enough with it to do as he intended, so he should work on that now.

And okay, surely by then the sun will be going down... or okay, nope. With a few hours to kill, somehow he winds up at the Seventh Heaven restaurant. In part because he figures it could be a good place to drop off some of the coconuts, and also because he realizes on the way over he hasn't actually eaten yet. Or done much of anything this past week, besides getting Asuma up to speed about Luceti, or working on various projects.

Sooo. Might be nodding off there at the restaurant. Might be napping after he eats, if he doesn't get kicked out for it. SITTING DOWN WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA. Fine, he'll pose a random pointless question to the masses, maybe that'll keep him occupied.]

[Voice]

Wonder why they call this place Luceti. Seems like a dumb name. Does it even mean anything? 

Comments

action;

[alloys]

[Yes, most likely.]

And your verdict on my little work-in-progress, here?

action;

[endgames]

It looks good. [Turning back to it for another once-over.] Really good, from what I can see.

Don't suppose you can actually explain to me how some of it's meant to work now, could you?

action; gmail ate this tag like a jerk (fuu)

[alloys]

Good. I'm glad it's matching to what you remember.

[Starting from scratch or even working backwards would be a real bitch.

He crosses in front of the droid, tapping a fingertip into a hollow port in the center of the torso.]

There's a reason powerhouses often end up right here in a bot like this--it's easy to reinforce and protect, and it's central to all other parts of the droid. So my theory is this is where the power source will be. The question is if I can really figure out what the power source is. That is indeed--the big question. This source, I believe, is what gives the rest of the droid its juice. Its ability to move, its ability to self-repair, its ability to suppress any resistance.

[Needless to say, unlocking it would be a pretty big deal.]

It's okay, I just figured you didn't like me T_T

[endgames]

So needless to say, what's in there would be heavily protected.

[It's one of the few parts of the droid he couldn't tear into in the time he had, so that makes sense.]

Such a thing would be impossible. 8'|

[alloys]

[He nods.]

I can't believe I'm about to admit this, but unless I get more information about that core itself, I might not be able to complete this. It's not exactly something I can just fill in the gaps on.

[endgames]

[He imagines that reality is probably more disappointing for Tony then it is himself. Even if it won't work he has a better idea now of how it might. What they've learned isn't completely useless.]

Maybe someone else can fill in the blanks.

[alloys]

Hopefully someone can lend me the info I'll need to do so.

[He really hopes that 'other people have been studying the droids' hypothesis isn't a dud.]

In either case, this is a start. If no one else knows something, we'll just need to find a way to trap one of those droids and pull out the parts I still need to see. Easy peasy.

[endgames]

I'm sure that'll go off without a hitch.

[Regardless:] I'll see what I can come up with.

[alloys]

[You know, Tony can really appreciate your pessimism, Shikamaru. Keep up the good work.]

Great. And I'll let you know if I get anything when I ask over the tunnel filter.

[And he actually will. Strangely. He doesn't mind sharing that with him.]

[endgames]

[Tony, we're starting to have respect for one another, what in the fresh hell is this.]

When are you planning to do it?

[alloys]

Sometime in the next few days--you know. When I get around to it.

[Which of course, he'll make sure to do it sooner rather than later.]

[endgames]

[He'll bank on that.]

Bring me up to speed the day after, I guess. We can meet at the library.

[alloys]

Library it is. And I'd tell you--once again--to bring something sweet, but I'm beginning to feel like that's a pretty futile effort at this point.

[endgames]

What do you know - he can be taught.

[They find out anything good from this endeavor, he might just bring something. MIGHT.

But no need to let him know that.]

[alloys]

[Tony would be so delighted and surprised. And probably never let him forget it, either.]

By the way--what do you make of Bil's little offer he threw our way?

[endgames]

[Rapidly, his mood turns serious once again.]

Way too many risks involved. I hear the last time that he tried something like that, it didn't work out well.

[...it wasn't until three days ago that he even started considering the idea.]

[alloys]

[Oh, hold the phone.]

Come again? 'The last time'?

[endgames]

There's something in the journals about it. There was a portal everyone was supposed to jump into that would take them home. [Handwave, like that went well.] Just dumped them back here, talking like animals instead.

[alloys]

[Huh. Well, that's good to know.]

At least that was all. Seems to me like things could be much worse in a situation like that.

[endgames]

[Exactly his point.]

What he intends to do now is far more complicated.

[alloys]

Sure it is. Put the payoff--could be worth it.

[Yes, he's very seriously considering it.]

[endgames]

[It could. That's the hard part.]

[alloys]

To be completely honest--I'll probably do it. Opportunity is worth the risk, in my opinion. And I'm all about reckless decisions.

[endgames]

Your world, or someone else's?

[alloys]

My own. I know someone there who I'd be very interested in talking about Luceti to.