Application: Dairine Callahan, Young Wizards series

[computerwizkid]

With a small bang of displaced air, a twelve-year-old girl appeared, carrying what might have been a laptop computer, if laptops had eyestalks and jointed legs. She looked around, an increasingly annoyed expression on her face, and groaned

Comments

[tomatohacker]

"Dancing computer!" Of course that's what Ed would gravitate to. "Ed wants Tomato to walk too!" Since that wasn't happening (because Ed does not know that spell), she'll settle for dancing with said computer on her head.

[computerwizkid]

Dairine glanced doubtfully at the computer on the other girl's head. "I might be able to do something about that, actually," she said. She'd never tried giving another computer the kind of upgrade Spot had - actually, she didn't know if a computer that wasn't part wizard's manual could be upgraded that way. But if all that Ed wanted was a walking computer... she might be able to manage that.

[tomatohacker]

Oh, now Ed had a new best friend!

"Ed would like that! Then Ed can talk with Tomato, and Tomato would talk back, and Ed and Tomato would have fun!"

[computerwizkid]

"I'm not sure how much talking Tomato will do," Dairine warned. "Spot started out as magical, if Tomato isn't already magic, he might not be vary smart. But I'm sure I can at least get your computer to follow you around."

[mini_gps]

Molly knew there were other kids here, but until now she'd never actually seen one--especially not one with what looked like a sentient computer. (Sentient. Can you tell the girl hung around Mohinder?)

"Could you really blow up Barney?" she asked. Like most children with more than three brain cells, she had always hated Barney.

[computerwizkid]

"Sure. It's not that hard of a wizardry," Dairine replied. "But it's not exactly reversible, so it's not one I generally use if I have any choice."

[mini_gps]

"I still haven't found any spells that can do that sort of stuff," Molly said, almost gloomily. "Potions will, though." Even if it wasn't always on purpose...she'd learned that one with Mohinder. "What kind of computer is Spot? I've never seen one like it...him...before."

[computerwizkid]

"He started out as an Apple IIIc+. He's been... upgraded, several times," Dairine shrugged. "Not all of those upgrades happened on Earth."

[ibrokeaplanet]

"And I shall call her Mini-Me," Brenda muttered under her breath with a smile. This girl was so her-five-years-ago.

"Pass on the bologna, but can I have one of the lemon drinks please?"

[computerwizkid]

"Just a moment." Dairine reached into thin air and pulled out a can of store-brand lemon soda, and handed it to Brenda.

[ibrokeaplanet]

"Thanks." She took the can and cracked it open. "Nice laptop. I take it your Spot's not a Microsoft product?"

[computerwizkid]

Dairine grinned. "Nope. Apple, actually."

[entilzha_delenn]

"Welcome." Delenn steepled her fingers at her midsection and bowed. "May I ask, what is a Rirhait?"

[computerwizkid]

Dairine imitated the bow before replying. "A native of Rirhaith B, where the Crossings Intercontinual Worldgating Facility is," she explained. "They look like giant centipedes, and they eat almost anything."

[entilzha_delenn]

"Most interesting. In my part of space we use jump gates that let us travel through what we call hyperspace. Is your...Crossings Facility...related to hyperspace somehow? I am no physicist, but as I understand it, hyperspace is a kind of buffer zone between dimensions."

[computerwizkid]

"Could be similar. Although if yours are done by technology, it's probably a bit different - worldgates are done with wizardry. But I do know that they can go from one dimension to another, under some circumstances."

[dungbombsrule]

"I think inventing Death or inventing a city is aiming pretty high, considering my brothers. Hullo there, I'm Ron." Finally, someone who actually looked like she was young enough to start school. He was worried Hogwarts would get an unfair reputation.

[computerwizkid]

"I'm Dairine," she replied. "You never know with siblings, though, do you? My complete geek of a sister volunteered to be eaten by a shark last year."

[dungbombsrule]

"Hey, my brothers could do that! Uh, I don't think things would turn out very well when Yuletide comes around, though. Some of my family's grown pretty fond of them. Having a brother have to talk through a shark's mouth would get real tiresome."

Ron paused and then gave Dairine a closer look. "Uh... your sister's alright now, right? Otherwise I'm a complete tosser."

[computerwizkid]

"Oh, yeah. I'm still not really sure how it happened, but she came out of it alright." Dairine shrugged. "Something about the shark opting to make the sacrifice, instead."