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[eisenheimhaus]

Eduard has totally been around.

Around Sophie, as much as he can get away with.

But for now, he's hiding from his work in his father's shop, sketching out a new design. Come say hi.

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[says_the_booyah]

There is someone peering over Eduard's shoulder, looking at the sketch. Amazing how someone that big can lurk at all.

[eisenheimhaus]

Eduard is concentrating hard enough that he makes Cyborg's job pretty easy. When he finally does notice, Eduard jumps in his seat, charcoal pencil clutched in one hand.

What? Cyborg is a little...intimidating, to an Austrian boy from the 19th century.

[says_the_booyah]

"I have GOT to remember where I am," he says more to himself than to the boy. "Sorry about that. Let me guess. You've either never seen a cyborg, or think I'm a Cyberman. Which I'm not."

[eisenheimhaus]

"The first one," the boy's voice comes out with a German-language lilt to it. "You are...very different."

Quickly: "Not that that's bad! I've known people here who are also very different, but I've never seen..." Eduard looks down at the bigger guy's arm, lacking the right vocabulary.

[says_the_booyah]

"The word is cyborg. Short for cybernetic organism.

"Which means that machines substitute for my original body parts." He once looked up the word "cybernetic" in a dictionary and didn't get why his robot parts are referred to that way. But he likes the word "cyborg" despite that.

[eisenheimhaus]

Eduard's eyes go wide at the explanation and he stands, unfolding himself from his chair and eventually letting himself step back from the new arrival.

"How far in the future are you from? That is astounding."

[says_the_booyah]

"I'm from the 21st century. How is that from you?" He smiles at the kid's wonder. He much prefers that to fear or loathing.

[eisenheimhaus]

"End of the 19th century, for me."

Does he always have to be the only person he meets here that is so far back?

"I have family at home that would think you magical," Eduard starts to feel comfortable enough to offer a joke.

[says_the_booyah]

"There are people in my day who might think the same thing. I'm still fairly unique." He takes a seat. "But it's all science. Things I don't think anyone really come close to inventing in your time, outside of electricity."

[eisenheimhaus]

"And even electricity is not common where I live right now."

Eduard's finger is extended once he sits back down again, pointing (but not quite close enough to touch) the material of Cyborg's chest plate.

"I really need to go to the twenty-first century. The materials alone..."

[says_the_booyah]

"Would probably really confuse you, for a while. And you probably shouldn't bring any of them back to your time." He hasn't really studied anything about time travel, but it seems like a good idea to leave well enough alone.

"And you can touch. It's basically a ceramic metal alloy. Well insulated."

[eisenheimhaus]

The fingertip presses until contact, Eduard nodding almost reverently before pulling back.

"Now that I've stared at your..." another vocabulary floundering, "alloys, I suppose I should mention. My name is Eduard. Hello," he laughs. "Were you looking at my drawing earlier? I am afraid it will only be made of wood, not...your things."

[says_the_booyah]

"I'm actually called Cyborg. Hi.

"And I was looking at your drawing. It's okay if it's wood. I used to take woodshop." He used to take everything. He was as much of an overachiever in high school as he is as a super-hero. "What are you making?"

[eisenheimhaus]

Eduard straightens the schematic out and turns it to show Cyborg.

"A trinket box with a false bottom. I am working on my seams to hide them, but with the heavier woods it is becoming difficult."

[says_the_booyah]

"That's pretty cool. You're not trying to be a smuggler, though, are you?" He's teasing. "Why work with the heavier woods?"

[eisenheimhaus]

"To mask weight. People expect heavy, dark woods to weigh more, so they are less suspicious. If you were to pick up a balsa wood box and it weighed five kilograms, you would know there is something more to it."

After a second, "I like illusions. Tricks."