Is a bad idea still a bad idea if it's FOR SCIENCE?

[wallcrawler]

Who: This arachnerd
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Yep!
When: Throughout the month of October (and also backdated accordingly)

Option A:
It probably shouldn't have been all that surprising that Peter would be able to find an opportunity in the midst of all this junk. It wasn't like he'd had a whole lot to work with before, and was already tinkering with second-hand materials and parts. This was just third-hand materials. Or so he'd keep telling himself anytime he had to avoid getting buried under an exceptionally unstable pile of scrap.

Sure, he had his own list of things he was searching for, but he was also doing his best to find a whole lot of tech-related bits and pieces out here to help Pidge get her his workstation back up and running. And for anything he couldn't find, he'd just end up going to some of the various traders to try haggling for rather than waste his time with more fruitless searching. And while his needs might be fairly simple, a certain green-themed Garrison cadet has a list twice as long as his arm, so. Feel free to pitch in.

And maybe bring a wheelbarrow. Or a really big cart.

Option B:
Not all of the upgrades he's after are things he can build himself, however. Some of them required more know-how and resources than he has at his disposal- which is why he was super thrilled that one of the more enterprising techies on the planet was willing to lend him both as a "favor" ...on one condition. Namely, that he prove they'd be going to good use, by testing out some of the friendly neighborhood philanthropist's other inventions.

With his fists.

Naturally he's not about to show up in the arena in his civvies, so Spider-Man's going to be a participant in the arena bouts for a few days. He won't be facing off against dangerous beasties or the usual combatants, though. No, he gets to "enjoy" a few exhibition matches against machines (and maybe a piloted mech suit or two). Not one of his best decisions, but also not one he's going to back out of, no matter how much sense that would make. And hey, there's probably money to be made from those fights too, right? Maybe not for him, but the guy putting him up to all this is probably entertaining plenty of wagers on the outcome. What Pete's gone and asked for might be free (ish) for him, but it's not going to build itself after all!

Maybe you're there to try making a quick profit yourself, or maybe even as a lucky partner in one of the larger bouts. Or heck, maybe you're just there for moral support!

Or, y'know, just somebody near the Huntress sometime during the aftermath of one of those fights, wondering why the ship's smaller lab support is trying to sneak his way back aboard while looking like he'd just gone ten rounds with an exceptionally angry steamroller. Whichever!

Comments

Option B

[pidge_out]

[Pidge has only gone up here because she wants to see if Peter has found anything new and useful since the last time she saw him. Instead, she finds him sneaking into his own damn ship looking like hell.

And it has her folding her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at him in suspicion.]

What did you do this time.

[wallcrawler]

[Crap.

He definitely jumps a bit, not because Pidge was particularly well hidden or sneaky but because wow has his situational awareness taken a hit. Along with, y'know, the rest of him. Thankfully his usual civvies do a good enough job at hiding most of it, but...well, the busted lip and one heck of a shiner in the making are gonna take some work covering up. At least that mess of hair covers up some of the worse lumps.]

Nothing! I mean, I uh. I'm haggling. In the middle of haggling.

[Well it's not a lie, per se...]

[pidge_out]

[Her eyebrow arches higher.]

For a guy with a whole secret identity thing going on, you're really bad at this.

[She then steps closer, squinting slightly at the beginnings of that black eye as she gets closer.] You look like you got hit by a truck.

[wallcrawler]

Come on, if I was trying to cover it up I'd totally be able to think of something better.

[No. No he would not.]

They're just very, very combative negotiations.

[But don't mind him just reflexively leaning away a little, Pidge. And finding something very interesting to look at somewhere over there, which coincidentally means he has to turn his head just enough to hide the bruising, what an unexpected and unforeseeable consequence that is in no way tied to him just being particularly sheepish about anyone getting too far into his personal bubble when he's not expecting it]

Though I mean, I think part of it might have been. Or from some other vehicle. There were bits of everything in there.

[pidge_out]

[Pete, you're not making this any easier on yourself.

Pidge has the most Suspicious look on her face right now. She may not be much of a people person, but she knows what he's doing. Because it reminds her of her friends and their own ridiculous tendencies to pull stupid stunts (and then occasionally lie about it, poorly).

And then of course, he has to go and talk about truck parts. Vehicle parts. Machine parts. Which, being the big brain that she is, just makes Pidge's eyes widen in shock as she puts two and two together.]

Wait, you-- Were you fighting a robot in your spandex?! Are you a moron?!

[wallcrawler]

[Wow excuse all 5 foot nothing of you, Pidge!]

Hey, I'm a professional robot fighter! Or, I would be, if anyone ever paid me for it.

[Which would be never, because the only version of the Avengers to be found in his universe happens to be less superhero team, more terrible Sean Connery movie.]

These were just a little tougher than I expected. I mean, for being made from actual garbage, they take a punch better than anything Mysterio's ever thrown at me. And they look cooler!

[pidge_out]

[At least Pidge wears armor when she has to go robot killing!]

[Her eyes narrow slightly, just before she lets out an exasperated sigh and rolls her eyes.]

Uh-huh. Well, maybe this "Mysterio" wasn't building bots designed specifically to try and kill people.

[wallcrawler]

...well, maybe not all of 'em.

[Maybe? I mean, sure, there were some obviously designed to kill him dead, not a whole lot of room to misinterpret a giant bear robot with knives for claws, but who knows what all his stupid duplicates were capable of.]

And hey, not like these are either! They're just for fighting! With normal robot hands and everything! No blasters, or flamethrowers, or lightning guns!

[SEE HOW SAFE HE'S BEING?? Though it might be a good idea to just ignore the part where any of that is something he's at all familiar with. Still, he's just gonna trying to move around Pidge to get back to the ship now, if (s)he wants to keep on him over this he may as well make Pidge do it on the move.]

I'll be fine, honest. And I'll get plenty of good tech out of it, I'll even see if the guy can throw in some extra stuff for your workstation. Or Pigeon Coop, I guess.

[He's still under the impression Pidge is just short for Pigeon but also he's never, ever going to call her work station anything different.]

[pidge_out]

[A hand comes up to wipe down over her face in exasperation. Peter do you hear yourself. How can someone so smart also be so dumb?!

Well, whatever. And she's absolutely going to follow him because this conversation is absolutely not over. Technically Pidge hasn't even circled back around to the original reason she came looking for him yet.]

You're a moron. You should at least armor up and not fight in your underwear like you're just playing make believe in your house.

Also, please stop calling it that. [It's mildly demeaning, but also not entirely inaccurate if she thinks of herself as the pigeon.] And if this is how you always handle business transactions, I refuse to do further business with you.

[wallcrawler]

I'll stop calling it the Pigeon Coop when you stop insulting the suit.

[Granted, he wouldn't say no to making it more durable- if only because it'd cut back significantly on post-battle suit repair- but it's not like he could just custom-order some fancy bulletproof space fabric. Or even afford it if he could.]

And I wasn't aware we were doing business, but if you want me to start typing up an invoice, I'm not gonna complain. Might make it less likely I gotta play test dummy to some mad scientist down the road anytime I want a tech upgrade!

[...that bluff was probably going to be painfully easy to call. He'd never charge a fellow nerd. He wasn't going to try shooing her away either, since even getting lectured about dumb super-related decisions was a weirdly liberating experience he'd grown a little fond of.]

So, you come over here to check on Lance and Keith? Or are you that determined to make sure I don't get put out of commission before you get to play with the web shooters?

[pidge_out]

It's spandex, Peter. [She's not being insulting, she's being matter-of-fact. But still, she does smirk a little.] Please upgrade it while we're still on this planet.

We were definitely doing business, sort of, because you were helping me find parts for my projects. And I only pay in measures of respect, if you really wanna write up that invoice.

[Her smirk goes a little fond, because the bantering is fun and makes her feel less... well. Lonely.

And then of course Pete has to go and mention Keith and Lance. The expression on her face wavers for only a fraction of a second, only until she shakes her head in response.] Neither. I actually came to see if you found anything else interesting in the junkyard.

[wallcrawler]

I'm not sure actual garbage would count as an upgrade. Besides, I'm more durable than most of the junk around here. It'd be like you sprucing up your outfit with...I dunno, Jell-O.

[Though, ignoring the concerns about hampered mobility and low-quality materials, there was also a very good reason to avoid putting anything into his suit that conducted electricity more efficiently.]

I'll see about borrowing a console for that later. I'm thinking I deserve at least three Attaboys an hour, with a 25% fistbump bonus after I meet my monthly salvaging quota. And extra respect for working weekends! Whenever those are.

[He's...probably kidding. And if he noticed Pidge's expression shift, he doesn't acknowledge it. Instead he just keeps on going, opening up the cargo bay and stepping inside the Huntress. He won't lock her out though, instead he just waits inside the door until Pidge's made it inside, and shuts it behind them.]

Nothing really interesting, but it's all stuff on the list. Even scrounged up a few circuit boards for you to mess with! Cleaning all that stuff up's been a good way to pass the time. Just gotta grab it out of my bunk.

[pidge_out]

[She raises a finger in the air.] It would be actual garbage that's been converted into useful armor, okay? And your outfit isn't going to protect you from concussions and cuts, okay?

[But she's smiling all the same as she follows him onto the Huntress, pushing her hands into her pockets as she walks.] Now I wanna know what 25% of a fistbump looks like. Do we just touch the tips of our index fingers together, or what?

Oh, awesome! And they don't look too damaged? Still totally workable? Oh man, I should've brought my laptop to check them out.

[wallcrawler]

Whoa whoa whoa, not 25% of a single fistbump- don't go all J.J. on me. That's not a bonus, that's an insult! 25% of my monthly salary tacked on as bonus fistbumps, or I walk!

[Negotiating hypothetical wages with no monetary value, that's where they're at now. And fortunately, Pidge is nowhere near as intimidating a presence as the other person he's used to arguing over payment with, so, really he's going to be quite the negotiator in these zero-stakes contract talks.

But still somehow a fairly timid one, since he actually is trying to keep himself from getting too loud. He was not great with cover stories and he knew this and he was definitely not the only person to call this ship home. Plus there were animals onboard, and only truly awful people could ever bring themselves to lie in front of an otter.

Thankfully it wouldn't have to come to that, since they're at the hatch to his bunk soon enough- thankfully most of the Fleet ships were pretty small, and the Huntress was no exception.]

They don't look too beat up. Most of the traces are fine, but it's definitely a toss-up with anything else. Safe bet any batteries on 'em need replacing, though. I mean, I think they're batteries...

[They're...kiiiind of like the ones he recognizes from back home? But hey, alien tech, no knowing for certain without the right equipment. Or augment.]

I've got you covered with the laptop, but you're gonna have to work some tech wizardry with anything else you need. If you wanna test 'em here, anyway.

[pidge_out]

[A smirk.] I have no idea who J.J. is, but you don't get full fist bumps or high fives until you've reached Hunk-levels of trust.

[Never underestimate a Pidgeon's ability to be petty as fuck, Mr. Parker. She may not look intimidating, but she'll choke a bitch without batting an eye. He's lucky that so far he's stayed on her good side.

Pidge follows him into his room, immediately bee-lining for the stacks of equipment he's got stored in his room and crouching down to examine each piece in turn. She's quiet for a good long moment while she works, only letting out the occasional thoughtful hum as she starts to sort everything out into piles: For Testing, Good to Go, For Future Projects. Her augment is particularly useful at the moment, helping her distinguish what goes to which pile fairly quickly.

Eventually she pauses, picking up a circuit board, raising it up close to her face for even further examination.] ... Gimme your laptop.

[wallcrawler]

That feels like it should be a labor violation. At the very least it qualifies as a hostile work environment. I might just have to offer my services to some other engineer.

[He's kidding, and at this point, pretty convinced Pidge has long since stopped listening and gone into full geek mode. Which suits him fine, it gives him a chance to duck into his closet and get out of his suit. It might not have been as big as whatever the captain's quarters came with, but well, he wasn't all that big either. And any closet was a walk-in closet when you were Napoleon-sized.]

It's in the desk, top drawer. Just don't do anything too nuts with it, I don't know how long it'd take to find another one.

[He's got plenty of faith in Pidge's ability to avoid breaking it, but considerably less faith in Pidge's ability to resist tweaking it in any way that would impede his ability to use it.]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge pays no mind to whatever Peter's doing at the moment. (Which is probably a good thing.) She just pulls herself up from her spot on the floor and makes her way to his desk. The laptop is retrieved from its spot fairly quickly... and then Pidge is immediately flipping it over to open it up. She's careful at least, deliberate in her actions as she pulls the casing apart.]

Relax, I won't break it. I just need to compare the motherboard to this piece you found.

[She places each piece to one side so she can easily grab them again when she's done, darts back to pick up the piece from the junkyard, and holds it up to the exposed motherboard.]

Hm. Nice. Yeah, this should work...