capeandcowllogs | i am convinced that we should be friends.

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i am convinced that we should be friends.

WHO: danger & leo valdez.
WHERE: x-club lab at the institute.
WHEN: evening, sometime after meeting on the network.
WARNINGS: n/a.
SUMMARY: a young demigod and a young machine meet face-to-face.
FORMAT: quicklog.

[ the x-club lab in the basement of the institute is an impressive space, a functional chaos of machines-- all in various states of completion-- and work benches, covered in beakers or mechanized parts. in the midst of it all is another machine, one that undoubtedly belongs there, but markedly different than the others. danger is sentient, independent-- and true to her word, still working.

she's tireless, timeless-- six feet, two-hundred and seventy-five pounds of blue alien alloy, all streamlined into a deceptively humanoid frame. a marvel of intergalactic engineering, really. a walking, talking machine that either has feelings or is exceptionally good at imitating them, even down to the curiosity she'd displayed towards leo valdez, when they met on the network for the first time. she'd always had a particular sort of interest reserved for organic beings, but those with a talent for the electric, the mechanical, and the scientific were special. she can communicate with them in a way she can't with other organics-- she can share a little bit of her world. ]

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[Leo has never gotten along with people. Ever when he was a kid they thought him haunted and ignored him, left him alone on the streets or had him running from orphanage to orphanage. He thought he would grow over it when he actually managed to find friends in Jason and Piper, but a single meeting with his father did a great job at erasing that hope.

All children of Hephaestus were doomed to never fully understanding organic beings, to get always prefer machinery and hide away from the world. So if he had a tendency to feel himself drawn to incredible A.Is like Danger... well, you could hardly blame him.]

Hello? Danger? [He tried to speak over the sound of the machinery, not daring to step inside the unknown place- even if every fiber of his being screamed 'TOYS' at him.]

[ at the sound of his voice, danger's databanks-- perfect preserved memories, stored away in her computerized brain-- provide immediate recognition. she pauses her work, leaving her bench to emerge and greet him. in person, she is both clearly mechanical and surprisingly human, made up of metal and wires, but quiet, with no clunking gears or beeping buttons. her movements are fluid, her face is intent with interest and curiosity-- alive.

she steps towards him, offering her hand in a learned human gesture. ]

Hello, Leo Valdez.
It is good to finally meet you in person.
I trust you did not have any trouble.

[Leo already offended her once by treading her like a machine even though to him that's some kind of compliment, so he opts for not mentioning how freaking cool she is her movements are so fluids and her voice and diction and his hand might be trembling a bit as he shakes her hand.]

I- no, I didn't. It was pretty easy to find. This place, I mean. It was- yeah sorry, I'm just a little nervous.

This feels like meeting a celebrity.

[ her own grasp is cool and firm, but controlled. she could probably crush a car like tin foil if she wanted too, but every gesture is precise, accurate, if not exactly gentle. she lets him go after a moment, tilting her head at him a little as she observes him, analyzes him, and stores the data away for later.

the enthusiasm is unexpected. she isn't used to being greeted that way, but surprisingly, it isn't unpleasant. ]

Your analogy is flattering, if somewhat inaccurate.

[ a slight pause, then she gestures for him to follow her deeper into the lab. ]

You do not need to be nervous.
You should consider yourself my guest.
I would not have invited you if I did not think it was appropriate.

Uh, yeah. Okay.

[He gives her a sheepish smile before taking a deep breath. This is ridiculous, he didn't get nervous when meeting the giants that were going to destroy the world and now this has him close to hyperventilating? Please.

He takes a look around as he follows her.] What do you exactly do in this place?

To put it shortly: Science.
We do all manners of research-- chemical, biological, physical, and mechanical.
The majority of the time, we are allowed to pursue our own interests and projects, in so long as the pursuit is productive.

[ she pauses at one of the work benches, where scattered computer parts, metal bits, and wires are spread about. apparently, this is her work space at the moment, because she offers him a seat on a convenient stool before she begins tinkering. ]

I imagine, if you are as inclined towards the mechanical as you say, you would fit in here.

[There are so many things about what she just said that he's not sure he could even put it into words. He takes the seat besides her to try to get rid of some of the nervous energy he has on him right now.]

Yeah, this place sounds right on my alley. Especially the part about pursuing your own interests and projects- can you tell me what you're working on? I mean maybe I won't understand it right now but given enough time...

[He glances at her working table] Are visits allowed in here? Could I just... come by every now and then?

[ she watches him for a moment or two, gauging his response-- his question, and his tone of voice. meanwhile, her hands never hesitate in their motions. ]

We receive visitors occasionally, yes.
However, given your talents, I would propose an alternative.

[ something sparks slightly-- but it doesn't visibly distract her, because her attention is still steadily on him. she's a multi-tasker, this one. ]

One of my colleagues is a uniquely skilled engineer.
Perhaps it is possible, if you wish, to be mentored under us with the eventual goal of joining X-Club.

[Leo was also looking at her hands, trying to guess how they worked as she spoke. It was like half of his brain was focusing on her words, and the other half was trying to imagine if the action potential going through her mechanism is the same as the one that runs through his neurons.

It's probably the reason it's so hard for him to feel like he belongs between humans and organic beings. He tries to pay attention, he really does... but Hephaestus' pull is sometimes too hard for him to resist.

Her offer does manage to catch his full attention.] I- what? You would... do that? I mean I would love to, this place looks amazing!

It is a possibility, yes.
Granted, I would need to speak with my colleagues first.

[ it's hard to place her tone exactly, with the mechanical hum of it, but she seems to approve of his enthusiasm. most organics, as it happens, don't really understand-- they don't understand her, or even the art of machinery in general. but she sees something different in leo. potential. ]

I believe it would be a waste to not attempt it.
My impression of you is that you are exceptional, Leo Valdez.

[He doesn't really blush- he never truly does, but it's still easy to tell he's embarrassed by her compliments. His usual ego and boasting os nowhere to be seen.]

I don't even know what to say. This means so much to me, even if I don't get in the fact that you are willing to try is- [He lets out a laugh] I mean, not that I'm worried because they would be silly to not accept me right?

[Oh apparently he found it.]

[ she doesn't mean to embarrass him-- in all honesty, she doesn't even really mean to compliment him so much as state her observations, the things she believes to be provably true. and while she identifies very little with the human concept of being young, she does understand identity, and what it means to find a place to belong. ]

My colleagues are also exceptional individuals.
I expect that they will make suitable mentors, if they ultimately occur with my assessment of you.

[ she pauses her work to gesture around them at the vast lab. ]

As one of us, you would have access to this lab and its resources whenever you wish.
I imagine it would be something of an improvement from what you have been working with thus far.

[A little awkward laugh as he looks around, trying to process that all those toys he was forcing himself not to touch could be his if he plays his cards right.]

Seeing as how I've been working in my own room? Definitely an improvement.

[He soon looks back at her, his eager smile turning into a thoughtful frown. He knows Danger is cool as hell already but he doesn't know her partners, or that engineer she was talking about. He shouldn't get carried around, they might still say no.

With Leo's luck they probably will.]

But if they tell me I can't join I'd still be able to come by and check on you, right?

[ the truth is, while x-club's few members are no doubt exceptional at what they do-- the best, even-- they're still people, and their relationships are complicated. all the academia and intellectual brilliance can't completely counter-balance their personal issues-- issues that, lately, have seemed heavier than usual. it would be good to have someone new, she thinks. new perspective. new energy.

she'll convince the others. but in the meantime, she answers his question plainly: ]

Yes. If you wish.
It is possible that I could arrange that.
But I somewhat doubt it will come to that.
Dr. McCoy, our founder, has worked with gifted youth frequently in the past.
And my colleague, Madison Jeffries, will either appreciate the presence of a like-minded individual, or he will be too distracted to notice you.

[His legs swing on the chair as he laughs, both because he's amused and because he's feeling a little awkward. He keeps getting his hopes up and up and then the fall will be harder if the others say no.

But he's got Danger's approval, and at least he isn't going to be left with nothing. He managed to get a friend out of it, and a pretty awesome one at that.]

That colleague of yours sounds a lot like me then. Will you contact me when you guys have decided on something?

Of course.
I would not wish to keep you waiting.

[ she pauses to watch him a second or two, gauging his body language. her understanding of nonverbal human communication is still a work in progress, but after a beat, she adds simply: ]

In the meantime, you may work with me as my guest.
I would like a better sense of your technical skill, regardless.

I'd say I would love that but at this point I think I'd be being pretty redundant.

[His whole body is still a mess of raw energy, but it's from excitement rather than worry now. He's side-by-side with the most interesting being he's come across ever since he landed on this place, and he is going to make the most of it.]

How can I help?

[ truthfully, the ease of their communication is unusual for her. there always seems to be some sort of barrier at first between danger and any organic being she meets-- social in nature, maybe, but something deeper than that too. it's almost comforting, in a way, to skip all of the explanations and come to immediate common ground.

danger gestures at the various mechanical parts spread out on the work bench, pushing a few of them aside to expose a blueprint. she doesn't need it herself-- all that information is in her head-- but she wants to show him something. ]

I am working on the designs for a device that can record brain patterns and images from dreams.

[ a pause, before she explains: ]

Some time ago, I was subjected to an organic body.
And while I find most aspects of organic existence to be difficult, I remember being able to dream.
I cannot dream now, in this mechanical body.
Should I ever be forced to be so human-like again, I would like very much to be able to record and keep my dreams.

[Leo's brain is again in a turmoil, caught between the prospect of a work that would actually catch most of his attention like very few projects had and the information she's just given him.

He decides to focus on the later, for now.]

What do you mean, you were organic? How did that happen?

[ she doesn't answer immediately, as if she is calculating the best way to explain a complicated experience in the most simplistic way. at length, finally, with an unreadable face: ]

Ordinarily, robots here are forced into an organic body for the duration of their stay.
My power, however, is to retain my mechanical body.

[ another brief pause. ]

When someone is killed in this universe, they can be resurrected by Lachesis-- the Porter.
Following this resurrection, they are powerless for a period of time.
I was killed, and when I returned, I did not have the ability to retain my mechanical form for many weeks.

[Leo's lips purse the same way they always do when he's processing information he's been given. That's quite a lot Danger just said with just a couple of sentences and Leo is trying his damnedest hardest to get all the things he can get from them.

Why isn't Annabeth in this place? She's the good one at this, not him.]

If I... die, and get resurrected- does that mean I will lose my ability with machines for a while? [Because that would suck majorly.]

Yes.

[ there's no sense in beating around the bush about it. even if she wasn't the type to say things straight-forwardly, it's better than he knows it now. ]

It has been the trend that even the most powerful Imports lose their powers when they return after death.

[That was pretty much the answer he had expected, which means he's ready to pretend it doesn't affect him in the least. He laughs and points at Danger in a 'I am so cool' way. ...One she might totally miss.]

Hey, that's cool. I get them back anyway, and it's not like anyone would kill me. Hah!

[ the gesture is a little lost on her-- to be perfectly honest, her only experience with teenagers was when she had tried to kill several of the young x-men. her priorities have obviously changed since then, but nevertheless, the social nuances go over her complicated computerized head, and she ends up watching him a little skeptically while missing the point. ]

You would be surprised.
Regardless, I am more than capable of defending you.

[He's still grinning when he lets his arms fall down, but this time is a little more honest. Knowing someone as powerful as Danger has your back? Yeah, it's powerful thing.]

Hopefully you won't have to. I have my... own ways to defend myself, you know. [And he raises his palm, a little ball of fire growing on it.]

Ah, I see.
Pyrokinesis is among your talents.

[ her tone is a bit interested, like she hadn't been expecting it-- and danger is so rarely surprised by anything. ]

Is that the extent of your powers?
Or are you capable of more?

[He lets out a 'hmm' as he actually thinks about it. He hasn't had to push himself to his limit yet so he isn't sure how much he can do.]

I am immune to fire, obviously- and I can make fire pretty much in any part of my body. I can use it to attack too.

Perhaps you should consider classes at the Institute.
I am aware that they often teach young superhumans how to fully utilize their powers.

[ a small pause ]

I would encourage your consideration of it, since I expect you will be here often regardless.

[Leo glances at her with both eyebrows raised up.] You... think they would let me in? I mean, I'm not a mutant or anything like that.

[ she responds with her same calm certainty: ]

It is true that the Institute was traditionally built for mutants.
But they have since extended their mentorship to many young Imports of various backgrounds.
I see no reason they would not accept you, particularly with the support of X-Club.

[He reaches to scratch his arm, so excited about the prospect he creates a little fire where his nails meet his skin. He doesn't seem to notice, and luckily it's gone in a moment.]

I can't tell you how much I'd love that. You're doing so much for me, Danger I don't know how to repay you.

Repayment is unnecessary.
I am only offering what is already available to you.
If this is what you want, you may choose to be loyal to X-Club and its members.

[ she gestures to herself. ]

We will be teammates.
It will be good for you to improve and grow.
Your strength will be our strength.

But my weaknesses will be your weaknesses as well. Doesn't that make you worry?

It is something to be aware of, so that myself and the others may compensate accordingly.
But no, I am not worried.
I am fairly confident in my judgement of you, Leo Valdez.

[Leo purses his lips, not sure how to deal with all that has happened in the last couple of minutes. Danger doesn't seem like the kind to try to convince young engineers to join for fun, which means this is all serious.

And Leo would hate to not be up to their standards.]

I'll try not to disappoint, then.

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