[This is hard enough, having to explain himself, even if it’s over text, would make this more awkward. He’s going to hope Harold will head over there even if he isn’t given a reason, and Accelerator will without waiting for an answer. He’s going to be hanging out near the checkout desk looking irritated, with what looks like a very stylish handgun (with a slightly weird silencer-ish attachment) sitting on the desk.]
[ Harold was just being cagey by default; he meets Accelerator downstairs at the circulation desk promptly, arriving from among the stacks rather than the front entrance. He eyes the stylish handgun but only says, ]
[Thank God! Accelerator is going to be quietly grateful there’s no fuss so far.
He doesn’t consider himself a kind person, and unless you count saving a life the only gift he’s ever really given was a gun to Connor. This is similar, but there’s all that holiday baggage, Harold giving him a gift baggage, and it’s a lot for an emotionally stunted teenager to deal with. He’s doing his best, though his best is to glare at Harold and shove the ‘gun’ in his direction.
The ‘silencer’ isn’t a silencer, anyone who has been around firearms will be able to tell that it’s off a bit. Additionally, there’s an unobtrusive dial on the side. The additions should make it look goofy, but this is Accelerator and if he’s going to make something he’s at least going to make sure it looks cool, so it somehow all works.]
Here. It’s a short-range ultrasonic weapon. Nonlethal, unless you point it at someone with a serious heart condition.
[ Harold speaks automatically, taken aback and truly surprised. He takes the weapon carefully and examines it in his hands. It is considerate of Accelerator to remember their conversation about guns, and then get him something that's a nonlethal option. It's with immense relief that he'll retire or pass on his pistol.
But this also instantly kicks into gear the mechanics side of Harold, and he's fascinated with the device itself. Since Accelerator already snooped on his file, he really doesn't have a reason to hold that back. It makes for a nice change and a rare opportunity to just speak forthrightly to someone that isn't John. And as much as he appreciates John, he just doesn't match Harold's enthusiasm for intellectual puzzles and machines. ]
[Accelerator looks irritated at being called considerate, but resists the urge to go as far as telling Harold off. It's the holidays, he'll survive one compliment.
It's also easier not to dwell on it when Harold is asking him about the device. He waves his free hand casually, sounding as if he's discussing the weather.]
Of course I do, I built the damn thing. It wasn't hard to do, Academy City uses acoustic technology in a lot of different ways, so I just put what I knew about that shit together with knowledge I have on soundwaves that came from my ability. I had to ask Aurora for a few things, but a lot of it came from random crap from the convenience store that I took apart. I can provide the blueprints, but I seriously doubt you'd need them.
[ Harold hadn't even meant it as a direct compliment, just one of those things polite people say to acknowledge the kindnesses others do them. He's aware Accelerator has a dismal view of himself, but in his opinion, it's just factual and literal: it was considerate.
His whole expression brightens with interest at this response. ]
I didn't realize you had that skill set.
[ Academy City having the technology hardly means Accelerator should be capable of reconstructing it from spare parts. Harold chooses to ignore the implicit compliment of his own, because yes, while he could likely reverse engineer the device through his own ingenuity, it seems like far too much trouble to go to when he has the builder right here in front of him. ]
Instead of the blueprints, I'd prefer if you showed me, or at least provided guidance as I took it apart.
[ If he can't take it apart and rebuild it himself, how can he really trust it? Maybe Harold is starting to see John's point with the weapons maintenance... ]
Yeah, this isn't a skill that's really come up in Etraya. Aurora and the bots have provided all their basic necessities and on a day-to-day basis Etraya isn't very dangerous, so he hasn't had any need to do any engineering. Accelerator shifts his weight from foot to foot, shrugging.]
Yeah, well... it's not a big deal. I made my crutch. The original one I got from the hospital wasn't good enough.
[So he went and made something flashier and far more useful. No big deal at all!
He looks a bit surprised at the request, not expecting it. Harold doesn't need his help, he's sure about that, so he supposes this is just him wanting to be... sociable... or something. He can manage that, Harold is okay and it'd mean he could explain the weapon in more depth.]
[ Harold still prefers software to hardware, but that's a matter of inclination, not capability. Under their circumstances it seems wise to familiarize himself as much as he can with any technology around them, and he sees no reason to pass up a credible source, even if he isn't usually prone to working with others.
He also hates having his own skills treated like they're remarkable, so he only nods in acceptance at Accelerator's explanation about his crutch. Though he does look at it anew, interested. ]
It's a type of technology I'm completely unfamiliar with, and your assistance would expedite things considerably, I'm sure, [ he says frankly. ] I've been tempted to look into several other things here I'm unfamiliar with, but I wouldn't like to damage anything.
[ Especially the bots. Harold has his own skepticism about valuing artificial life the same as organic life, but he's fairly confident at this point that the bots have achieved a non-zero level of sentience, even if it's unquantifiable, which makes him accordingly reluctant to mess with them at all. ]
[Sometimes it's weird coming from a city that's a lot more advanced compared to what most people around here are used to. What some people find baffling or suspicious is normal to Accelerator, and everyone else just needs to catch up.]
Aurora could likely help with that if you asked her.
[People may be wary about her, but he's found she's happy to explain things when she can!]
... Do you have any tools here? You can use basic stuff to take it apart and put it back together.
[Some small screwdrivers, mostly. From his experience with guns he knows how important maintenance is.]
[ Harold does feel like he needs to catch up, and in the absence of text resources to study from, he's not about to pass up learning from the local genius teenager. It's a much more comfortable idea than asking Aurora for something again. Harold doesn't fully trust his own A.I., much less this one. How could he? They're an entirely new kind of sentience, a consciousness wholly unlike his own.
And he doesn't even trust most people.
He is, however, gradually and painstakingly accumulating some trust in Accelerator, so he nods at this question. ]
We could take over a private study room if you'll give me a moment to retrieve my tools. I acquired quite a collection through the car-building mission.
[This feels kind of weird, and Accelerator isn't sure he'll be able to fully shake that feeling, but it isn't enough to just duck out of there. He isn't that unsociable (usually).]
Sure, that'd be fine. Save either of us from having to explain it to some random fuck who wanders by.
do you want to handwave the rest of this to spare us SCIENCE bullshitting?
[ Whatever his penchant for working alone, Harold had gone through college at MIT and then a master's program, and he'd had friends throughout that experience. He's worked on his share of group projects both educational and professional, and once in a while he even works alongside one of the numbers they're helping. This doesn't feel uncomfortable to him, just mildly strange.
He leads them toward the nearest study room, still speculatively turning over the weapon in his hands and examining it. ]
You said Academy City uses acoustic technology for a lot of things?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[This is hard enough, having to explain himself, even if it’s over text, would make this more awkward. He’s going to hope Harold will head over there even if he isn’t given a reason, and Accelerator will without waiting for an answer. He’s going to be hanging out near the checkout desk looking irritated, with what looks like a very stylish handgun (with a slightly weird silencer-ish attachment) sitting on the desk.]
no subject
[ Harold was just being cagey by default; he meets Accelerator downstairs at the circulation desk promptly, arriving from among the stacks rather than the front entrance. He eyes the stylish handgun but only says, ]
Yes? What is it?
no subject
He doesn’t consider himself a kind person, and unless you count saving a life the only gift he’s ever really given was a gun to Connor. This is similar, but there’s all that holiday baggage, Harold giving him a gift baggage, and it’s a lot for an emotionally stunted teenager to deal with. He’s doing his best, though his best is to glare at Harold and shove the ‘gun’ in his direction.
The ‘silencer’ isn’t a silencer, anyone who has been around firearms will be able to tell that it’s off a bit. Additionally, there’s an unobtrusive dial on the side. The additions should make it look goofy, but this is Accelerator and if he’s going to make something he’s at least going to make sure it looks cool, so it somehow all works.]
Here. It’s a short-range ultrasonic weapon. Nonlethal, unless you point it at someone with a serious heart condition.
no subject
[ Harold speaks automatically, taken aback and truly surprised. He takes the weapon carefully and examines it in his hands. It is considerate of Accelerator to remember their conversation about guns, and then get him something that's a nonlethal option. It's with immense relief that he'll retire or pass on his pistol.
But this also instantly kicks into gear the mechanics side of Harold, and he's fascinated with the device itself. Since Accelerator already snooped on his file, he really doesn't have a reason to hold that back. It makes for a nice change and a rare opportunity to just speak forthrightly to someone that isn't John. And as much as he appreciates John, he just doesn't match Harold's enthusiasm for intellectual puzzles and machines. ]
Where did you get it? Do you know how it works?
no subject
[Accelerator looks irritated at being called considerate, but resists the urge to go as far as telling Harold off. It's the holidays, he'll survive one compliment.
It's also easier not to dwell on it when Harold is asking him about the device. He waves his free hand casually, sounding as if he's discussing the weather.]
Of course I do, I built the damn thing. It wasn't hard to do, Academy City uses acoustic technology in a lot of different ways, so I just put what I knew about that shit together with knowledge I have on soundwaves that came from my ability. I had to ask Aurora for a few things, but a lot of it came from random crap from the convenience store that I took apart. I can provide the blueprints, but I seriously doubt you'd need them.
no subject
His whole expression brightens with interest at this response. ]
I didn't realize you had that skill set.
[ Academy City having the technology hardly means Accelerator should be capable of reconstructing it from spare parts. Harold chooses to ignore the implicit compliment of his own, because yes, while he could likely reverse engineer the device through his own ingenuity, it seems like far too much trouble to go to when he has the builder right here in front of him. ]
Instead of the blueprints, I'd prefer if you showed me, or at least provided guidance as I took it apart.
[ If he can't take it apart and rebuild it himself, how can he really trust it? Maybe Harold is starting to see John's point with the weapons maintenance... ]
no subject
Yeah, this isn't a skill that's really come up in Etraya. Aurora and the bots have provided all their basic necessities and on a day-to-day basis Etraya isn't very dangerous, so he hasn't had any need to do any engineering. Accelerator shifts his weight from foot to foot, shrugging.]
Yeah, well... it's not a big deal. I made my crutch. The original one I got from the hospital wasn't good enough.
[So he went and made something flashier and far more useful. No big deal at all!
He looks a bit surprised at the request, not expecting it. Harold doesn't need his help, he's sure about that, so he supposes this is just him wanting to be... sociable... or something. He can manage that, Harold is okay and it'd mean he could explain the weapon in more depth.]
Uh... sure, if you want.
no subject
He also hates having his own skills treated like they're remarkable, so he only nods in acceptance at Accelerator's explanation about his crutch. Though he does look at it anew, interested. ]
It's a type of technology I'm completely unfamiliar with, and your assistance would expedite things considerably, I'm sure, [ he says frankly. ] I've been tempted to look into several other things here I'm unfamiliar with, but I wouldn't like to damage anything.
[ Especially the bots. Harold has his own skepticism about valuing artificial life the same as organic life, but he's fairly confident at this point that the bots have achieved a non-zero level of sentience, even if it's unquantifiable, which makes him accordingly reluctant to mess with them at all. ]
no subject
Aurora could likely help with that if you asked her.
[People may be wary about her, but he's found she's happy to explain things when she can!]
... Do you have any tools here? You can use basic stuff to take it apart and put it back together.
[Some small screwdrivers, mostly. From his experience with guns he knows how important maintenance is.]
no subject
And he doesn't even trust most people.
He is, however, gradually and painstakingly accumulating some trust in Accelerator, so he nods at this question. ]
We could take over a private study room if you'll give me a moment to retrieve my tools. I acquired quite a collection through the car-building mission.
no subject
Sure, that'd be fine. Save either of us from having to explain it to some random fuck who wanders by.
do you want to handwave the rest of this to spare us SCIENCE bullshitting?
He leads them toward the nearest study room, still speculatively turning over the weapon in his hands and examining it. ]
You said Academy City uses acoustic technology for a lot of things?