Fifteen: In Which Klaus Finds Himself in the Present Once Again

[myblimpisbigger]

[This isn't Westport. That means this is Mayfield, and for the first time, Klaus is honestly relieved to realize that.

His first order of business is checking on a certain someone left behind -- that is, Hiccup, who he last saw with his head ripped open, very much dead. Hiccup, if you are in the house, expect Klaus to find you... and inspect your

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[techno_mancer]

[Walking on by, Quinn can't help notice there's science a-happenin'. He stops for a peek, wondering what it is you're up to in there.]

[myblimpisbigger]

[Oh, hello, Quinn! You might want to duck, because a hot piece of metal is zipping towards your face. Have you ever seen a Spark work before? Probably not. But it involves a lot of tearing things apart with such ferocity that... well... other people get hit in the face by shrapnel.]

[techno_mancer]

[With a short yelp, Quinn barely ducks out of the way, metal whizzing through his long hair.]

Whoa! H-Hey there man, might wanna put up some warnin' signs or somethin'.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Just be glad he isn't working on his brain-coring drill. Which you might want to talk to some time, because oh man, the things that drill has seen...]

Warning signs only serve to attract unneeded attention, in my experience.

[...Oh my god what is that voice. It is like a door that has never even heard of hinges. And still, bits of metal and tubing continue to fly.]

[techno_mancer]

[Quinn, who's never been the brave type, shrinks back a bit from the scene. Maaaybe this wasn't worth it? This looks like a bona fide mad scientist here.]

Oh. Yeah, maybe? Ya must be buildin' somethin' crazy in there, though. That's a lotta shrapnel.

[myblimpisbigger]

Building? Oh, no. I am not building. I AM IMPROVING.

[Mad scientist? What makes you think that, Quinn? Is it the crazy voice, or the various Strange Implements scattered about? You're terribly observant.

You are also very lucky, however. This particular mad scientist knows how to tone it down in the presence of those who might not understand his fervor.]

...Ah. But of course it wouldn't be clear to anyone but me. I am working on a gun made for me by Dist some time ago. It was a patch job and this must be amended if I am to get any serious use out of it.

[techno_mancer]

[Now that Klaus has taken it down a few notches, Quinn is less ready to bolt.]

Yeah? You know Dist? He's a hell of an inventor, that guy.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Wanting to bolt is normal around this man, Quinn. He is a very scary person.]

Oh, quite. And to his credit, despite it being a patch job, it worked quite well when I used it to kill him.

[... Uh. Yeah.]

[techno_mancer]

[Ooookay, taking a few steps back again]

Wait, you--what?!

[myblimpisbigger]

In my defense, I was not entirely in my right mind at the time, and he did run when I told him not to.

[Jealousy plot, you see. Very nasty.]

At any rate, I have improved it. It is now held together with more than simply the expectation that it will be held together. I have also standardized the composition of the shells, which badly needed doing.

[Because the gun is way more important than the casual way that he talks about killing one of his friends. I mean, he came back, right? Jeez.

Seriously Quinn. Talk to the brain-corer sometime. Ask it about Vapnoople.]

[techno_mancer]

[Maybe running is a bad idea. Maybe this guy will shoot Quinn in the back if he tries. Gulp.]

Oh. Got it. [Note to self, talk to Dist about this later.]

Can I ask what you're buildin' stuff from, in this town? Materials are hard to come by, from what I've tried to gather...

[myblimpisbigger]

[Well, no, the gun is hardly at the point of testing on moving targets. Give him an hour or so, then come back if you want to help with that.]

Ah, well. Some time ago I regained a clank of mine which was in disrepair, and after a few cursory attempts at fixing it I broke it down for parts instead.

[He gestures at a huge pile of scrap that takes up about half the garage, however much it tries to look neatly organized.]

[techno_mancer]

[He peers at it from where he stands.]

"Clank"? Does that mean ya know Theta, too? Geez, that looks like a big one.

[myblimpisbigger]

Oh, no, that term is used in my own world and not a byproduct of association with Miss Buckley.

[Who he hasn't actually associated with for some time, after she went just a little bit crazy for a while. Which is the pot calling the kettle black if you think about it, but there you are.]

And yes, it was quite large -- for use at hospitals, you see, to let the patients be mobile even while on strict bed-rest. My doctor was never terribly fond of it.

[techno_mancer]

Yeah? Ya'll sound like ya come from interesting places at least. Geez, this thing transport like 3 people at once? It's pretty big.

Oh, uh, I'm Quinn by the way. Figure I should introduce myself since ya seem to know everyone else I know here already.