[ How very considerate of him! Looking back, Harold is a little embarrassed at how desperate he'd been for resources, but he also hadn't expected the person he was directed to to be a teenager... ]
That's alright, I managed to accrue enough cooperation points to earn my own set up. When we met I was going through some serious computer withdrawal. It wasn't my best look.
[Shaw loiters in the library until Harold shows up, a fully-grown jet black kestrel perched on a makeshift leather brace that's wrapped around her forearm. Visible under the sleeve of her t-shirt is a fresh bandage - a souvenir from a pre-brace IncidentTM.]
Hey. What kind of hawk is this?
[If Harold's particularly skilled at lipreading, he'll be able to understand what she says. Otherwise, though, it just looks like her mouth is moving without any sound coming out. The kestrel ruffles its feathers and preens; that, too, is completely silent.]
[ Harold is not particularly skilled at lipreading. It's a difficult task in the first place and one he never saw much point in pursuing when he could just hack into their existing devices instead.
He actually doesn't realize at first that she's even spoken, because when he spots Shaw and her kestrel he stops short and his eyes go wide. It's easy to piece together what had happened between his own egg hatching into a tiny wren and Accelerator messaging him for advice taking care of owlets, but somehow he wasn't expecting Shaw to have one of her own. ]
Isn't a bird of prey a little too apropos? [ he says, automatically sarcastic to help conceal how fascinated he is. He actually can't place what it is immediately -- it looks like a kestrel, but American kestrels don't have black morphs...
Only then does he realize he can't hear himself, either, and a different kind of surprise -- actual alarm -- comes across his expression. ] What?
[Shaw brings Carver to a public but out-of-the-way side room on the first floor of the library, knowing that John and Harold wouldn't be wild about him knowing where their personal quarters are - which is dumb, as far as she's concerned. If the library itself is public and they have no reason to be secretive about their identities here, then why bother with all the extra subterfuge?
But. Not her space, not her choice. She sends Harold a quick text letting him know they've arrived, then turns back to Carver.]
Batman and Alfred are on their way. Or Alfred is, anyway.
[ He's too savvy to say of course -- he's extremely wary of Carver now, at the same time as he wants to bundle him up in a nice coat and buy him a steak dinner -- but he is hoping he can fulfill it. ]
[A little while after everyone is finally off the train, Accelerator is sending a text.
It feels pretty damn awkward after all that nonsense on the train, but this is important enough that he's going to just power through.]
Yo. Your bird ok?
[He's also going to send Harold a new video clip of his owl, which hasn't gotten much bigger but is definitely looking more like a proper bird and not a giant ball of lint with a beak. He's even put appropriately-sized sticks and branches in her box, as Harold had suggested.]
[ Okay. Well. He does appreciate this video clip of the owlet, even if by now he's had some new parent regrets with his own bird. Having a break while he was on the train was frankly a relief. He loves birds, but that doesn't mean he wanted to be a wildlife rehabilitator. The baby bird needed feeding and attention basically every hour for a while there.
They're just much nicer from a distance or on video. ]
Fine, I think. Difficult to tell with a bird. It fledged while we were away which I must admit I was disappointed to miss. But at least it can largely fend for itself now.
[Sometimes you have a really bad day and it completely drains you. Sometimes it's an entire week, and that's really rough.
It's been an entire lifetime for Accelerator, and these last few weeks in particular feel like they've hit him like a freight train. This is far from the first time he's felt like this, of course, but it's harder when he's away from Academy City and his family. Even the really dumb stuff that's familiar helped a tiny bit.
The train was difficult, learning he can't fix the loss that came with his death is difficult, dealing with Connor and Hank and Jayce is difficult. It feels like it's all building on top of each other, one stress after another. That's dangerous for a normal esper, too much psychological instability and they run the risk of contracting RSPK syndrome. For him it's disastrous, so while he isn't sure what he's supposed to do he knows that losing control isn't an option. That goes without saying. He'd love to break shit or beat the hell out of someone, but he's aware that being who he is and what he can do, he doesn't get that luxury.
Not wanting to bother Laura, Accelerator goes out to wander around for a bit and stew in his thoughts alone.
When he gets really restless he finds himself texting Harold. Harold, despite the insane way he thinks the best of people, still gets him in a way other people around here don't.]
I know this is a stupid question, but have you ever felt like you wanted to just burn the whole fucking world down?
[ Harold can easily read into this as a request to vent, and accordingly he doesn't respond with tedious moralizing. The feeling is completely different from taking action on it, after all, a distinction he considers paramount. ]
Only in my less flattering moments, but it has been known to occur, yes. What in particular has earned your ire? Perhaps we could limit the arson to the culprits.
[ This is obviously a joke, but maybe some dark humor will help. ]
So of course he might have ideas about what one would do to protect somewhere from potential future trouble. Probably better than Gorgug himself; which, he's had some anxiety over (his own skills, that is), but he's been pushing those down, refusing to mull over them. If he's leaving his friends to stay behind to work on security with Aurora (and by himself), he can't be second-guessing himself. He's got to do the work. Make the time meaningful.
Talking to a tech guy absolutely can't hurt.
Gorgug arrives at the library as he does whenever he visits, the few times he does. He parks his van to the side of the building, a thrumming from the engine (not gas-powered, but still with some noise thanks to age) dying when he kills the power. And when he comes in, he pokes his head in first-- ready to greet Harold, if he's there, with a ] Hey.
[ But what comes next, regardless, when he comes fully in? He's cleaning his shoes on the door mat. Always clean your feet on the door mat before going in anywhere, is what his parents taught him.
If he has to wander deeper to find Harold, then Gorgug will. He's got his backpack on it, rather filled for the possible talk he'll have with the other; not knowing if it'll be relevant, but he's been learning a lot about security equipment, drones and cameras, since he's been in Etraya...
[ Harold meets him at the circulation desk right inside the front entrance, peacefully reading while he waits. It's well-known that he regularly haunts the library and works out of it, but that it's his actual residence -- his and John and Shaw's -- they try to keep quiet, a secret known to few. To that end he makes sure no one has to go very far to find him if he knows they're looking for him here.
For his part, he's also concerned with making his time spent in Etraya while the rest are away on the mission fruitful. Harold doesn't disagree with John's logic in using points to keep him out of something that sounds this dangerous, but he can't stand being fully sidelined. He should have something to show for it when they return. He's eager to work with Gorgug and, honestly, to have some form of company while everyone else is gone.
He's good at being solitary, but he's not good at being truly alone. ]
Hello, Mr. Thistlespring, [ Harold says politely, noting and appreciating that Gorgug wiped his shoes off. He closes his book to signal his attention. ] Mr. Reese let me know you wished to talk?
[ Maybe that's an exaggeration of their exchange, he doesn't know, but it's a nice opening. ]
[Scratch has been enjoying himself immensely after being cooped up in a small flat all winter. The big white dog has been running around, chasing birds and squirrels, playing with sticks and pinecones, and rolling in the dirt. Now, he catches something familiar in the scent of a nearby man – John and Shaw's scents, not that he can communicate that – and hurries over to sniff enthusiastically at the man's trousers.
Shadowheart, meanwhile, is making a valiant attempt at making what she's been told is supposed to be a lizard out of beads. There seems to be no purpose to the activity; it hones no skills, it acquires no knowledge, it isn't creating anything especially worthwhile, it certainly isn't fun...
Finally, in frustration, she hurls the fiddly little beads and bits of wire down on the table.]
Blasted thing!
[At her outburst, Scratch turns to her, his ears pricking up in concern for her as he whines.
She sighs.]
I'm alright, boy. You've made a new friend, I see. [She addresses that to the dog, rather than to the man.]
[ Harold is disgruntled to be in cargo shorts and a tie-dye t-shirt -- though his is more artistically rendered than most, something like sunbursts or geodes in complementary colors -- but he can't really complain about getting points for participating in something so innocuous. He's gamely trying his best for the sake of said points, and given his lack of willingness to embarrass himself with physical activities or games, he's parked at the arts and crafts table much of the time.
He knows who Shadowheart is, of course, because he's a snoop and he'd made Chirper specifically to collect information on others, including to associate a name with their physical appearance. Knowing she's been so friendly to John makes him extremely positively predisposed to her, and he glances over sympathetically at her frustration.
He'd been covertly petting Scratch but now retracts his hand to straighten up and engage in conversation. ]
He probably thinks it's about time we met, [ Harold says, quite politely despite the fundamentally absurd surroundings. ] My name is Harold Finch; I wanted to thank you for being so kind to John over the past few months.
[ Vincent tells himself that he got side-tracked with his rebuilding of the Order's church. Rebuilding did take up his time, but he also realizes that he avoided this conversation until he felt it would go well.
Maria is a gift from God and this is someone that she trusts, so -- he waited until he felt a little more at ease (stable) before he said anything: ]
Well, it seems like you found out something amazing about Maria.
[ Hm. ] I'd say congratulations, but I feel that may be a little inappropriate.
[ Harold is more than a little surprised to see Vincent contacting him, and is frankly baffled by the content of it. He's polite and curious enough to respond, though his tone of voice is droll. ]
Why on earth would a private conversation between us merit a congratulations from you?
[One day upon Harold's visit to the library, he'll find a package left for him! It's not a particularly small box, either. On the contrary, it's quite heavy (not that Peter Parker had any issue carrying it).
Upon opening the box, he'll find a Xerox Alto computer — never before opened before this moment, fresh and new.
[ Harold is genuinely so surprised and pleased and flustered by this -- he gets gifts exceedingly rarely, not least of which because he's a mysterious reclusive billionaire who objects to sharing personal information. He's really created his own circumstances, which means he tends to give gifts, not receive them. But it's not difficult to put together where it came from, and since it's in such pristine shape, there's no chance it came from the junkyard.
He has to recruit John to help him bring it up to a staff room that he can lock. He wants it somewhere accessible he can show people without inviting them into their secured residence, but he's not so civic-minded as to leave it out and about publicly. This is a precious piece of history and he treasures it.
He sends Peter a message once it's set up. ]
Thank you for the gift, Mr. Parker. It's extremely generous. Would you like to come by to see how it works?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text, un: gorgug
Hi, I'm glad you're getting to work on network stuff like you wanted to. Sorry I couldn't help before.
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That's alright, I managed to accrue enough cooperation points to earn my own set up. When we met I was going through some serious computer withdrawal. It wasn't my best look.
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text; shortly after Christmas
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un: Accelerator | text; shortly after the eggs start hatching
That's a serious question. I'm not joking around.
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Did your egg hatch into a bird as well? I have a wren chick that I'm almost afraid to breath on.
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Hey. What kind of hawk is this?
[If Harold's particularly skilled at lipreading, he'll be able to understand what she says. Otherwise, though, it just looks like her mouth is moving without any sound coming out. The kestrel ruffles its feathers and preens; that, too, is completely silent.]
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He actually doesn't realize at first that she's even spoken, because when he spots Shaw and her kestrel he stops short and his eyes go wide. It's easy to piece together what had happened between his own egg hatching into a tiny wren and Accelerator messaging him for advice taking care of owlets, but somehow he wasn't expecting Shaw to have one of her own. ]
Isn't a bird of prey a little too apropos? [ he says, automatically sarcastic to help conceal how fascinated he is. He actually can't place what it is immediately -- it looks like a kestrel, but American kestrels don't have black morphs...
Only then does he realize he can't hear himself, either, and a different kind of surprise -- actual alarm -- comes across his expression. ] What?
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Harold + Carver + Shaw
But. Not her space, not her choice. She sends Harold a quick text letting him know they've arrived, then turns back to Carver.]
Batman and Alfred are on their way. Or Alfred is, anyway.
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[ He holds his hands loosely at his side. Calm and still, for once. ]
He okay with it?
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text | un: mason
but listen, I'm working on a project and I'm wondering if you might be able to help?
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[ Meaning he wouldn't like to. ]
What is it you're working on?
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Text; un: f.s.
[ Guess who's incredibly sleep deprived and maybe losing his mind a tiny bit. ]
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[ He's too savvy to say of course -- he's extremely wary of Carver now, at the same time as he wants to bundle him up in a nice coat and buy him a steak dinner -- but he is hoping he can fulfill it. ]
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( during train event ) un: gorgug, text
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14th february, un: gorgug, text (i know we have a thread but, v important question)
of course!!!!
Is this for a Valentine's assignment?
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un: jaycetalis | audio
If you have the time, I'd like to speak with you again.
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un: Accelerator; text+video
It feels pretty damn awkward after all that nonsense on the train, but this is important enough that he's going to just power through.]
Yo. Your bird ok?
[He's also going to send Harold a new video clip of his owl, which hasn't gotten much bigger but is definitely looking more like a proper bird and not a giant ball of lint with a beak. He's even put appropriately-sized sticks and branches in her box, as Harold had suggested.]
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They're just much nicer from a distance or on video. ]
Fine, I think. Difficult to tell with a bird. It fledged while we were away which I must admit I was disappointed to miss. But at least it can largely fend for itself now.
Your owl is making good progress.
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un: Accelerator; text oh no I tl;dred
It's been an entire lifetime for Accelerator, and these last few weeks in particular feel like they've hit him like a freight train. This is far from the first time he's felt like this, of course, but it's harder when he's away from Academy City and his family. Even the really dumb stuff that's familiar helped a tiny bit.
The train was difficult, learning he can't fix the loss that came with his death is difficult, dealing with Connor and Hank and Jayce is difficult. It feels like it's all building on top of each other, one stress after another. That's dangerous for a normal esper, too much psychological instability and they run the risk of contracting RSPK syndrome. For him it's disastrous, so while he isn't sure what he's supposed to do he knows that losing control isn't an option. That goes without saying. He'd love to break shit or beat the hell out of someone, but he's aware that being who he is and what he can do, he doesn't get that luxury.
Not wanting to bother Laura, Accelerator goes out to wander around for a bit and stew in his thoughts alone.
When he gets really restless he finds himself texting Harold. Harold, despite the insane way he thinks the best of people, still gets him in a way other people around here don't.]
I know this is a stupid question, but have you ever felt like you wanted to just burn the whole fucking world down?
delicious tl;dr
Only in my less flattering moments, but it has been known to occur, yes. What in particular has earned your ire? Perhaps we could limit the arson to the culprits.
[ This is obviously a joke, but maybe some dark humor will help. ]
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1-2 days before march mission, action
So of course he might have ideas about what one would do to protect somewhere from potential future trouble. Probably better than Gorgug himself; which, he's had some anxiety over (his own skills, that is), but he's been pushing those down, refusing to mull over them. If he's leaving his friends to stay behind to work on security with Aurora (and by himself), he can't be second-guessing himself. He's got to do the work. Make the time meaningful.
Talking to a tech guy absolutely can't hurt.
Gorgug arrives at the library as he does whenever he visits, the few times he does. He parks his van to the side of the building, a thrumming from the engine (not gas-powered, but still with some noise thanks to age) dying when he kills the power. And when he comes in, he pokes his head in first-- ready to greet Harold, if he's there, with a ] Hey.
[ But what comes next, regardless, when he comes fully in? He's cleaning his shoes on the door mat. Always clean your feet on the door mat before going in anywhere, is what his parents taught him.
If he has to wander deeper to find Harold, then Gorgug will. He's got his backpack on it, rather filled for the possible talk he'll have with the other; not knowing if it'll be relevant, but he's been learning a lot about security equipment, drones and cameras, since he's been in Etraya...
Where shall one half-orc find one Harold Finch? ]
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For his part, he's also concerned with making his time spent in Etraya while the rest are away on the mission fruitful. Harold doesn't disagree with John's logic in using points to keep him out of something that sounds this dangerous, but he can't stand being fully sidelined. He should have something to show for it when they return. He's eager to work with Gorgug and, honestly, to have some form of company while everyone else is gone.
He's good at being solitary, but he's not good at being truly alone. ]
Hello, Mr. Thistlespring, [ Harold says politely, noting and appreciating that Gorgug wiped his shoes off. He closes his book to signal his attention. ] Mr. Reese let me know you wished to talk?
[ Maybe that's an exaggeration of their exchange, he doesn't know, but it's a nice opening. ]
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Voice; un: f.s.
Finch, come get your idiot man. He’s drunk.
[ Guess who sounds really goddamn pissed. ]
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[ He should have, shouldn't he? Harold sighs. ]
Where are you?
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un: Accelerator; text
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text; un: f.s.
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text; un: f.s.
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action; during the may mission
Shadowheart, meanwhile, is making a valiant attempt at making what she's been told is supposed to be a lizard out of beads. There seems to be no purpose to the activity; it hones no skills, it acquires no knowledge, it isn't creating anything especially worthwhile, it certainly isn't fun...
Finally, in frustration, she hurls the fiddly little beads and bits of wire down on the table.]
Blasted thing!
[At her outburst, Scratch turns to her, his ears pricking up in concern for her as he whines.
She sighs.]
I'm alright, boy. You've made a new friend, I see. [She addresses that to the dog, rather than to the man.]
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He knows who Shadowheart is, of course, because he's a snoop and he'd made Chirper specifically to collect information on others, including to associate a name with their physical appearance. Knowing she's been so friendly to John makes him extremely positively predisposed to her, and he glances over sympathetically at her frustration.
He'd been covertly petting Scratch but now retracts his hand to straighten up and engage in conversation. ]
He probably thinks it's about time we met, [ Harold says, quite politely despite the fundamentally absurd surroundings. ] My name is Harold Finch; I wanted to thank you for being so kind to John over the past few months.
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I saw nothing
thank you 😔 and also sorry for the delay
omg no problem at all, take your time
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text; un: f.s.
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[ And to his credit, he does immediately tell John and Shaw not to go there. ]
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voice | un: vsmith
Maria is a gift from God and this is someone that she trusts, so -- he waited until he felt a little more at ease (stable) before he said anything: ]
Well, it seems like you found out something amazing about Maria.
[ Hm. ] I'd say congratulations, but I feel that may be a little inappropriate.
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Why on earth would a private conversation between us merit a congratulations from you?
1/2
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Mysterious (sure Peter) Drop-off, Before the Mingle Log
Upon opening the box, he'll find a Xerox Alto computer — never before opened before this moment, fresh and new.
Ohhhh baby.]
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He has to recruit John to help him bring it up to a staff room that he can lock. He wants it somewhere accessible he can show people without inviting them into their secured residence, but he's not so civic-minded as to leave it out and about publicly. This is a precious piece of history and he treasures it.
He sends Peter a message once it's set up. ]
Thank you for the gift, Mr. Parker. It's extremely generous. Would you like to come by to see how it works?
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handwave they spent a day being computer history nerds??
un: Accelerator; text
I need your help with something.
[Maybe he should have asked if he was busy first....
Ugh, even just typing those words out feels wrong. He isn't sure he'll ever get used to it.]
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Of course. What do you need?
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