destinystrings | [OPEN] Maybe someone should call an exterminator...

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[OPEN] Maybe someone should call an exterminator...

Who: Agatha Heterodyne, some dingbots, and you
Where: The Pisces apartments, and possibly also the other apartments via the teleporters.
What: Agatha has built herself some small assistants. They've gotten bored and are wandering around unsupervised.
Warnings: Precocious little robots. Potential mutilation of household appliances.
OOC: Let me know in the subject line if you want the Dingbots, Agatha, or both.

[Agatha has been busy since her arrival in Hinoto-Ri. The first order of business was to build a more reliable death ray. But, as she preferred to work with assistants, she'd built a handful of dingbots before she started in on the project.

This is all well and good, but while she is occupied with tests and adjustments on her new gun, the little dingbots decided to make a few new friends. And then those dingbots decided to go exploring.

By the time Agatha looked up, she was facing a single dingbot. The rest of the room is littered with parts and tools, but all the other dingbots are nowhere to be found. ]

Oh, no....

[So, those who live in the Pisces apartments may have noticed the tiny clanks rushing about. They can be found poking around rooms, exploring the greenhouses, and perhaps even trying to be helpful by fixing or improving any small appliances they might find.

If not the clanks, perhaps you might see Agatha, wandering the apartments, peeking around corners, peering into rooms, and checking behind potted plants. She's clearly looking for something. Those with sharp eyes may notice the dingbot in her pocket.]

Ugh, why do they always run off like this?

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[Agatha looks chagrined. She hadn't meant to barge into his room, she just didn't want it to get away and had forgotten herself in the moment.]

Oh, of course. Sorry.

[She steps back to let him through. The little clank peers at him with it's one large eye. It considers it's options carefully. Then it very slowly starts to walk toward him.]

[Erk reaches out a hand slowly, trying to beckon it closer without startling it.]

All right, good little... clank. Come this way... I'm sure we can find you something more interesting to do than hide under a bed.

[He's not entirely sure how much it actually understands him, so he's doing his best with a soothing tone of voice and trying not to think how his life seems to have gotten even crazier ever since he ended up here.]

[It continues moving cautiously forward until it reaches his hand. After checking to see if he's holding anything, the dingbot climbs onto his palm.

Agatha watches with interest. Maybe speaking to them gently would get a better response in general. The old 'I am your creator! You must obey me!' routine never seemed to work.]

[Erk pauses for a moment, thinking, before deciding that he probably can't close his hand fast enough to keep it from getting upset and jumping back out. So he crawls out slowly and draws his arm back, bringing the dingbot out into the light.]

There, see? Much more interesting out here.

[Erk isn't remarkably good with animals or anything, but he knows at least in theory how you're supposed to deal with them, and he's operating on the same principle. He straightens up slowly and holds the dingbot out to Agatha.]

[Agatha takes the little clank with a smile.]

Thank you.

[She sticks the dingbot safely into her pocket.]

I really need to work out something to keep them in my room.

[A difficult thing since they can pick locks.]

[Erk chuckles a little, dusting himself off.]

I suppose keeping them contained would be a challenge, if they're bright enough to fix machines. Sort of like having young children, I guess.

[He'd been hearing an awful lot about that lately, at least until he was brought here.]

Where should we look next, do you think?

They're designed to act as my assistants, but sometimes it does feel like I'm babysitting.

I guess we could try the lower floors. They might be trying to take apart the equipment in the training room...

[She hopes not. That just means she'll have to put everything back together.]

Oh, lovely. That's going to end well. I suppose we'd better go and see, then.

[He just hopes he isn't expected to help repair things, because he still has no idea how most of them work.]

Right.

[Sure enough, once they get down there, they'll find two dingbots fiddling with one of the treadmills. One of them is holding a wrench.

Agatha steps up behind them and clears her throat loudly. They both look up in surprise and the one with the wrench attempts to hide it behind his back.]

Alright, enough of... whatever you're doing. You can't take apart other people's things.

[Erk is going to try very hard not to laugh at the one hiding that wrench.]

You know, people are always looking for help in this city. Perhaps you can find a job that will let you - and your assistants - put your talents to use.

[He steps around to the side as inconspicuously as he can, just in case one of them decides to make a break for it like the one in his room tried to do.]

[Now that they've been caught, they don't put up any fuss as she picks them both up and deposits one on each of her shoulders. The wrench goes into a loop on her belt.]

I hope so. I'm going to need money for materials if nothing else.

I was planning to check in town to see if there's a machine shop or lab that might need some extra help.

Probably the best idea.

[He looks thoughtful. Partly he's contemplating where they might search next, and partly he's gone back to his own occasional question of whether he should be going to school instead of looking for a job. It's mostly a question of whether he does what he's used to or what everyone else his age seems to be expected to do here.]

Hmm... well, if there aren't any more in here, I suppose we ought to look elsewhere on this floor. I don't know what they might be doing in the swimming pool, but I suppose it's worth a try to check?

Hmm, I hope none of them got in the pool. I didn't make them waterproof.

[Perhaps the next ones she makes should be.]

Considering that the first one wasn't going anywhere by opening my window except straight down, perhaps we'd better move quickly.

[The quick turn would be a lot more dramatic if he hadn't left his cloak on his bed. As it is it mostly serves to hide his smile at the dingbots perching on Agatha's shoulders. He wonders if she intends to do that with all of them.]

[Until she runs out of shoulder space. Then it's pockets. Then... hoping she can get them to follow her.]

I wasn't as worried about that one. They can climb fairly well.

[She hurries after him.]

I suppose they'd have to, at their size.

[Thankfully the pool isn't far. He pauses to take off his boots before stepping out onto the pool deck, seeing as those are sort of the rules and the five seconds it takes aren't likely to make too much difference. Then it's time to step out and look around for sneaky hiding dingbots.]

[Agatha follows suit, removing her shoes before steps onto the deck. The first place she checks is the pool itself, which is fortunately dingbot free.

She does not, however, notice the one peering at her from the top of the diving board.]

It looks like none of them decided to take a swim, anyway....

[Erk is deliberately looking a different direction... which means he does spot the one on the diving board. He turns his back deliberately so that he can gesture that direction without seeming to do so - he doesn't want it to get startled and slip if it sees it's been caught.]

Not yet, anyway. I hope none of them do anything dangerous; I don't know what's in this water, but it smells odd.

[He starts to stroll around the pool casually, moving slowy toward the diving board.]

[She catches on to the subtle gesture but manages not to be too obvious about it. She sniffs the air.]

It's just chemicals. Probably to keep the water clean.

[She makes a point of not looking at the diving board as she walks casually toward it.]

... Putting chemicals in the water keeps it clean?

[Erk's been reading a lot of books, but not medical ones, and Elibe isn't quite up to germ theory yet. So he's a little skeptical.

In any case, he hopes that if they're closing in on opposite sides the dingbot won't have much opportunity to escape. He'll pause at the base of the platform and look up.]

That's really not safe, you know. It would probably be best if you were to get off of there. Certain people are worried about you.

[She raises an eyebrow in surprise. Agatha's world is behind Hinoto-Ri in regards to things like computers, but is actually ahead in biology and medical science.]

Of course. It'll keep things like algae or bacteria from growing.

[The dingbot, realizing that it's been seen, glances around itself for some avenue of escape. Agatha on one side, Erk on the other. Nowhere to go. The game is over. It makes a clicking noise that sounds almost disappointed, then starts walking slowly toward the other end of the diving board. ]

[And this is where Erk decides to avoid revealing his ignorance further by not asking about what bacteria are. He makes a note to look it up later - though frankly he thinks it sounds like something to do with frogs.

So he'll just content himself with maneuvering carefully around the front of the structure that supports the diving board, so that he at least has a chance to try and catch the little clank if it falls.]

[Once it reaches the back end of the board, it climbs down rather gracefully. Then it looks up at Agatha expectantly. She scoops it up and deposits it in her remaining free pocket. Let's see, one in each pocket, and one on each shoulder...]

Hmm, I think I'm running out of room. I might have to drop these guys off in my apartment while I look for the rest.

[Erk chuckles a little at the sight of Agatha with dingbots perched all over her.]

That might be a good idea. How many was it you lost origi- whoa!

[Unfortunately, being so close to the slippery edge of the pool is kind of iffy. As he tries to maneuver back out from in front of the diving board, he slips. This leads to a lot of arm flailing as he tries to get a grip on the diving board and fails; with a yelp, he falls backward into the pool.]

Ah!

[She surges forward, trying to grab him before he falls. But it's too late, and she winces as he splashes into the pool.]

Are you okay?

[The dingbots are peering at him from her shoulders, mirroring her look of concern.]

[OPEN] Maybe someone should call an exterminator...

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