fresh starts [open]

[tadashiwashere]

CHARACTERS: Tadashi Hamada and several others!
LOCATION: Throughout the ship during the month of June
WARNINGS: Fire. Always fire. Maybe some science bro shenanigans.
SUMMARY: Coming soon! Hiro's starter is in here now. I'm working on the general one and some other individual ones.
NOTES: He's working his way out of his more somber mood as the month goes on!



[SHUTTLE BAY]
[open for earlier interruption, though the end is aimed at Hiro]

The time following the memory swaps that he and Hiro had gone through had been rocky for Tadashi. He had decided to continue forward as best he could, but the nightmares that greeted him nearly every time he closed his eyes were demoralizing. There had been a few days where he had to drag himself out of bed (and several more where he just stayed planted there without opening his eyes, mumbling and waving a hand at Hiro if he tried to convince him to get up). When he did get a decent amount of sleep, he found himself slipping into his own thoughts, wondering constantly what he should take away from his fate -- what he should do with his borrowed time to repay the universe for the extra chances. And also what he should do for Hiro to get him safely back home to Aunt Cass. Connected to that, he agonized over every goodbye, especially before the Jump. If one of them was sent back home, that would be it. There wouldn't be any other chances.

There were several times when Tadashi had to fake smiles and shrug off his brother's concern about him. While he appreciated it, Tadashi just couldn't find a way to confront what had happened out loud after that time lost in the corridors. He wrestled with it mentally plenty, but saying it out loud... it would have only led to drowning in the reality of it again.

So Tadashi decided that "fake it til you make it" was going to be his motto to live by.

He threw himself into his projects, volunteered wherever he could, and tried to redouble his efforts to be the voice of optimism on board the ship.

Eventually, it seemed to work. While he wasn't completely over it, Tadashi didn't feel like he was faking happy. That shift that had started the moment he forced himself to keep moving had clicked into place. He was going to be okay.

Which... led to making it up to Hiro for the times he'd been occasionally distant while putting himself back together.

Tadashi had slipped out of their room impossibly early to get out to the shuttle bay and make some shady decisions. He'd technically volunteered his services to help do various repairs, but he didn't know if that extended to possibly breaking things. He didn't plan to break anything, but you never knew... He at least took precautions to place his little work station far away from the shuttles in a relatively open space.

Over the course of a few days he'd dragged the parts together that he'd been using to get a hands-on idea of how some of the mechanical bits for the shuttles went together, then went to town with a welder, scrap metal, and a temporary disregard for common sense. What he ended up with was reminiscent of a childhood project that... honestly could have ended better. Once he was satisfied that it was ready enough, Tadashi wiped the back of his arm across his forehead and keyed the voice function of his communicator, sending a message to Hiro.

"Hiro. Hey, knucklehead. You up? I need you to get down to the shuttle bay ASAP. I've got something to show you."

He smiled to himself and leaned back against his project, arms folded across his chest. This was probably a bad idea. But it was a good bad idea.

[Near Engineering]
[Open to anyone around Engineering + Rikku]

Maybe he should have signed up for Engineering.

The idea was still appealing, despite Tadashi's convictions that training under medical would allow him to more effectively help his fellow passengers. There were an entire twenty-four hours in every day (and time was relative in space with no windows, anyway) and only a few of those needed to be dedicated to sleep. And showers. Eating could be taken care of while working -- Tadashi had mastered snacking between projects during his first semester of college.

His goal today was to meet up with Rikku to talk over some ideas he'd had for her bots and see if he could brainstorm with her for his own project rebuilding Baymax. But right now... he was just loitering sheepishly in the corridors, trying desperately to look busy when he had nothing to do.

Somehow, he'd gotten some messages crossed, or looked at the time wrong... he was definitely early. Really early.

So this was Tadashi. Attempting in vain to look like he wasn't up to anything. He'd been hanging out with Hiro a lot -- he was starting to feel guilty by association. Even when his intentions were perfectly innocent!

[Bar]
[open, also Firo can come scoff, any science-y friends can come and techno babble]

The talk about supposedly psychic abilities had piqued Tadashi's interest lately. He was still leery of the connection that had allowed his and Hiro's memories to swap, but at the same time... science demanded experimentation and answers. The real tipping point had been hearing about some of the people on board creating objects with their minds. On one hand, it was so far away from science fact to Tadashi that he stayed skeptical even as he made his way to the bar area for the fourth night in a row. Looking at it from the other way, a controlled ability like that held endless potential.

Back home there were high-speed synthetic fabricators and continuous interface liquid production, but there weren't a whole lot of tech that you could carry around in your pocket for when you needed to create something on the fly. If this turned into something legitimate that the passengers were capable of and not just an illusion, maybe they could use it to produce necessary medical equipment as needed, or think up a perfectly realized model of the part they needed.

Those thoughts were the ones that had Tadashi perched on a stool at the bar, an untouched drink sitting within reach (just in case his inhibitions and skepticism turned into hindrances), and a puzzled expression on his face.

He wanted something simple -- just a block or a disc, but no matter how much he flexed his fingers or squinted at the space in front of him, it remained empty.

Once, something flickered, but it startled Tadashi so much that he completely lost concentration and had trouble reproducing it immediately.

Comments

engineering!!

[klutziness]

Early, late--they're both subjective on the Tranquility. Who knows what time Rikku actually got to the engineering bay. What she does know is that at a certain point, her base need to eat overpowers her acquired desire for tinkering. Putting her project on hold hurts her on a deep emotional level (okay, it's just kind of annoying), but a quick trip to the kitchen gives her enough fuel to keep on trucking.

She's stuffing a hunk of bread into her mouth when she rounds the corner and sees Tadashi lurking around. Yes, lurking. What else would she call it?

Even with her mouth half full, she breaks into a wide smile. "Whadder ew doing 'ere?" She realizes that he might not entirely understand her, so she hastily swallows. After a second of hacking and coughing, she wheezes out: "What're you doing here?"

[tadashiwashere]

Tadashi's back was to Rikku when she spoke up. His shoulders hunched as he cringed like he'd been caught at something, but then he straightened and turned around with a lopsided smile. He shrugged easily before answering.

"I promised to take a look at some bot stuff with you at some point, didn't I? I know I've been a little scarce lately." Major understatement right there. "But I had some free time today, so I thought... why not."

He started forward, torn between amusement and concern over Rikku swallowing food so fast that she nearly choked herself, but stopped again when she seemed to recover.

"Bad time? I don't want to interrupt your lunch."

[klutziness]

The way he looks, like he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, makes her grin widen. If she'd known he was stopping by today, she would have cleaned up her work area a little bit. And herself, for that matter--there's a spot of grease on her nose and her fingernails could use a good scrubbing. But she doesn't think about any of it for more than a moment. Tadashi is here, and she has to show him around.

"Naw, you're just fine. I was just catching a quick bite before getting back to the grind, anyway." That wasn't entirely true, but it is now. "So, bots, huh? I'll show you my own stash."

[tadashiwashere]

"Great. And yeah, if you don't mind. I thought I might get some ideas for my Baymax build."

Said build had been going... slowly. It was an involved enough project as it was, but he had to scavenge and machine every individual part that he needed. There weren't any quick online searches or putting in orders with the university. Everything had to be done the slow, long way around.

It was nice to take a break and get out in the "fresh air". He needed to find a new angle if Baymax was going to be completed any time in the near future.

[klutziness]

"Sure, no problem." The idea of Baymax had piqued her interest. They'd never had anything like a medical diagnosis and care robot or whatever in Spira or the City. If Tadashi can build one on the ship, she can't even begin to imagine how useful it will be. Rikku wipes her hands on her jeans and then starts towards the door to the engineering bay. "Let's get to it!"

Bar

[foundafamily]

Firo is doing his best not to mess around with any of the new possibilities people are reporting. He doesn't want to share his stupid memories and stupid feelings with anyone. And creating things out of thin air is also stupid.

Filled with wariness and resentment after that last jaunt through the hallways, Firo cautiously makes his way to the bar and is relieved when he actually gets there.

He pauses right in the middle of approaching for a drink when he sees TAdashi. "What the hell're you doin'?"

Leaving a drink untouched to mess around with... whatever it is he's messing around with? Just crazy.

[tadashiwashere]

Tadashi sighed and dropped his hands onto the counter when he heard Firo, but he wasn't too put-out by the interruption. This little experiment hadn't gone as well as he hoped it would. Any outcome could still considered a result, however. Skepticism seemed to be winning, but there was still time to continue his attempts later. For now, he offered Firo a wry smile.

"Currently? Nothing." He splayed his hands and shrugged, unconcerned with his failures for the time being. "It's not going well."

Glancing at his untouched drink (it had really just been there for motivation and the idea that he could drink it if needed), Tadashi reached out and slid it in front of the space beside him. He wasn't going to drink it, but that didn't mean it had to go to waste if Firo wanted it.

[foundafamily]

He leaned against the bar and just managed to hold back a laugh. "Nothing's exactly what it looked like, but I wanted to check."

Firo smiled at the drink and reached for it, sparing Tadashi a nod of gratitude before downing a large gulp.

"So what were you tryin' to do? Looked tough."

Judging by the way Tadashi was concentrating. But, then again, Firo thinks anything involving thought is tough.

[tadashiwashere]

"I'm trying to manifest solid matter using just my brain waves." Tadashi frowned, glancing up toward the ceiling before nodding. Yeah. That sounded just as crazy out loud as it had in his head. Which was exactly why he'd come to the bar. This sort of thing seemed more in line with what a drunk guy would try. Like Fred trying to use the Force three beers into a night out.

Tadashi rested his forearms on the counter and studied his interlocked fingers as he continued. "What I really want to do is do some testing on a manifested object. Basically try to break whatever is thought up. Do some stress tests. I didn't want to bother anyone else with sitting through hours of testing, so I thought I'd try to do it myself."

He glanced Firo's way, lifting both eyebrows in an expression that said again, but we see how well that plan's going.

[foundafamily]

Firo tried to listen to the explanation, he really did. After all, he was the one who asked, right? But when there are too many technical sounding words, his brain just checks out. He still nods and tries to look like he gets it, though.

...And then gives up.

"You know, none a' that made sense to me, but I'm gonna assume you're not crazy." He paused, then amended that statement. "For now."

He set the glass down and put his hands on his hips. "And why're you doin' this? What's the use?"

Bar!

[mikangirl]

She doesn't see the flicker at all-- she's not paying much attention, actually, nursing her own drink in the corner. But every time she happens to glance in Tadashi's direction he's kind of... burning a hole in the bar with his stare.

Well, then.

When Nami comes back for a refill, she fetches up on the stool next to him, reaching out with one finger to delicately push his drink into the space he's squinting at.

"That help?"

So dry.

[tadashiwashere]

Tadashi sighed, his shoulders slumping as he just... stared mournfully at the drink for a moment before shaking the mood off and offering Nami an amused look.

"It might," he allowed carefully after glancing around warily to make sure Hiro hadn't managed to find him while he wasn't paying attention. "And then again, it might not. I'm not really sure what I'm playing with here."

He couldn't run any tests until he'd actually produced something, and even then it would be difficult to run tests on, given how far flung it was from his particular brand of science.

[mikangirl]

"What is it you're actually trying to do?"

The problem with arriving so recently is she really does have no clue.

[tadashiwashere]

Tadashi eyes the drink for another moment. It's just a shot. And one shot probably won't kill him. He closes his eyes and knocks it back, immediately regretting it. But it's done now. He won't have to feel bad about wasting something. He still makes a face, before considering the question.

"Well... have you heard anything about what happened right before the Jump you came in on?"

[mikangirl]

Her expression turns thoughtful for a moment as she downs much of her own drink. She'd read through the entire package of stuff from Death, though how much of it had really sunk in is another story-- there was something right down the end.

"It didn't make much sense to me. Something about you guys all being connected, somehow."

Engineering because LMAO GLUTTON FOR AWKWARD SURE THING

[theroadwarrior]

Max had his own plans for loitering around engineering, too, only he wanted to actually see what the hell was going on behind the scenes. He didn't have any particular place to be, but he had already made it a point to... try and be a team player. And by team player, he means it very loosely — he'll work on whatever they need to get the attack ships running, to increase his own odds for not dying, and then... well, he'll see what happens.

He certainly isn't in any mood to screw up his slight odds, so he's been a perfect little desert angel. Well, other than taking religiously from the garden. Like, a lot. But he's hush-hush about it. Nobody needs to know he's having a growing infatuation with taking all their vegetables. He sort of pokes his head around, hoping to get a glimpse of how the machinery here works. But hrmmmmph. It's mostly all locked away.

Clearly he is entirely scot-free now that he is turning this corner.

Yessum.

[tadashiwashere]

Tadashi has to wonder if maybe he should just cut his losses and head back to his room. The project with Baymax is progressing... well? It's still going to take him a few months to gather all of the necessary materials and to change up the wiring and base schematics to fit with what he's got to work with, but it's getting there. So long as he works on it often enough instead of standing around awkwardly in empty areas.

He's just decided to walk to somewhere else, to at least stop standing in one spot doing nothing, when he starts around a corner and--

Well, he doesn't yelp.

His eyes do widen as he stumbles back a step, but he recovers relatively quickly.

"Oh. Er. Hi?"

That's Tadashi for you. Most eloquent guy alive.

[theroadwarrior]

Hngh. Of course, he somehow would run into the kid again. He goes a little rigid and his eyes go a little dark, but once he recognizes a complete lack of danger (literally, this kid doesn't radiate an ounce of it), he sags a bit. He glances around like he thinks maybe he's been caught in some elaborate set-up to prove his been Up To No Good, and then looks at Tadashi. His brow wrinkles.

"Uhm... Hi."

Tadashi's eloquence is matched perfectly by Max's own.

He rubs the back of his neck, looking like he's a bit lost. Not lost in that he's literally lost, but lost as to how to say anything else; even if he hadn't threatened Tadashi at scalpel-point, he still wasn't very good at talking to people without danger nipping at their heels. One thing for sure, he doesn't want to get the kid on him again. Last time he didn't play ball nice with the others, this guy had alerted people to where he'd gone, and he got beat up by soldiers and dogs, so...

[tadashiwashere]

Huh. Well. This was certainly different.

Tadashi doesn't move or say anything for a moment as he warily sizes Max up, wondering just how friendly he plans to be without any bars between them. He does remember that warning about not being very cautious. When Max actually returns the greeting, Tadashi lifts one eyebrow, his concerned expression relaxing. This still seemed like an awkward meeting, but hopefully it wouldn't be a physically painful one.

"It's, er, been a little while, hasn't it? Looking to join engineering?" Tadashi gestures towards engineering at large before clasping his hands behind his back and watching Max curiously.

He still doesn't know the guy's name. Is it rude to even ask at this point?

[theroadwarrior]

"No."

No, he just wanted to snoop and see what was around here, that could potentially be beneficial to him getting back where he belonged, if not off the giant evil deathship (though he's wondering how much of a deathship it really is, what with how calm it has been since his being locked up). After a beat of silence he realizes, begrudgingly, that he has to say more than just a no, because this is... y'know. How to talk like a normal person. Whelp.

"Better at gunnery, or flight," he says, flexing his healing hand unconsciously; it's doing a lot better. And now that he has his dingy knee-brace on and his old dusty outfit, he's looking more like himself. "... Better with cars."

IDK WHY I'M FAILING AT LOGS, BUT ANYWAY--

[hirobotics]

It had been rough lately. Hiro was definitely not about to deny that much.

The strangest part was that the memory swapping wasn't even the most frustrating thing about what was going on between them. The most frustrating part was not knowing whether or not they would see each other again after every jump. Hiro wasn't good at goodbyes - he'd had enough to last him a lifetime at this point, really - but he still made an effort. He even adopted Aunt Cass's habit of getting in a last hug whenever they went in separate directions. Maybe it was overkill, but Hiro couldn't bring himself to care. He knew this wasn't an easy time for Tadashi, and he wanted to support him in whatever ways he could. It didn't seem like much, but Hiro had to hope it was enough.

When he got that message from his brother, though, he was momentarily confused. Tadashi had sounded so much more like his old self, and it had surprised him. He supposed it shouldn't have, because for one thing this was a good sign, and for another, well... Tadashi had always been the optimistic one between the two of them. Once he got over the surprise, he smiled a little to himself as he picked up to respond, already up and ready to head out.

"Please tell me you ripped up one of those shuttles for parts," he said with an amused grin. "I know Firo'd freak out, but I just know there's some sweet tech in there that we could use."

HAVE YOU SEEN MY FAILS THIS WEEK. I'M SO SLOW. LIFE EXPLODED.

[tadashiwashere]

Tadashi cast a sidelong glance toward the shuttles. Some of them seemed fairly beyond help. They might be good for parts for the few working shuttles, but that was about it. He didn't know if he was feeling quite reckless enough to try to take one apart without express permission, but... he was close to that point. It was a good day. The terrible things that seemed to happen on the ship seemed to be in hibernation mode for a bit, and he was going to take advantage of it.

He keyed his comm again, rolling his eyes at the idea, but still grinning. "I try my best not to give Firo a heart attack. That being said, I'd hurry up. We can inspect the damaged shuttles after the other thing. Just to look. We might have to touch a few things to look at everything."

As long as they were careful about what they messed with, they probably wouldn't get in trouble.

Maybe.

ajkcalksc BUT I'VE BASICALLY BEEN FAILING THIS WHOLE MONTH

[hirobotics]

Hiro quirked an eyebrow slightly, intrigued. If he hadn't gone in and torn up some of those more rundown shuttles for parts, then he wasn't entirely sure what else Tadashi could be hiding up his sleeve. And being told to "hurry up"? What were they dealing with, some kind of time bomb?

"Dude, you're acting so weird right now." He felt like it had to be said, but he did it with an easy half-smile. "Did you build Baymax without me or something?"

In spite of himself, Hiro was hurrying down the hallways to get to the shuttle bay as quickly as he could. His mind was already churning with ideas of what Tadashi might've been up to down there. He knew that building things served as a great distraction nine times out of ten, and Tadashi had been sorely in need of a good distraction. Of course if Hiro was in his shoes, he would've built some kind of giant mechanized robot suit to go around tearing through walls and flying out into space. ...Or at least he would've tried to. Tadashi wasn't quite as... ferocious as Hiro, though.

PSHT. AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL HAVING FUN, IT IS COOL, DUDE <3

[tadashiwashere]

"I might have." Tadashi couldn't help getting in a little bit of teasing while he waited. "With the time it's taking you to show up, I should have a Baymax army built. I'm going to need to test each one before I let them out into the ship. Mind picking up some duct tape on your way?"

Okay, so even one Baymax would take the better part of next month.. and maybe some of the month after that... to complete. He didn't actually have any plans to finish Baymax in secret without Hiro around and helping. He probably couldn't finish Baymax without Hiro with the way he'd packed his schedule -- hanging out in engineering with Rikku and Harry, trying to learn his way around the med bay, and his vague attempts at cooking when he couldn't find anything else to do. That on top of trying to force himself to socialize even when he was feeling down.

"Actually, we might need two rolls."

I AAAMMMMM

[hirobotics]

That was almost enough to make Hiro completely freeze in place. It did get him to pause, his eyes widening just a little bit. It wasn't out of shock so much as it was out of... hopefulness, was probably the best word for it. But then in the next second Hiro felt pretty sure that he honestly couldn't have built Baymax without him just yet, so the thought got pushed right back out of his head.

He picked up the pace a little bit more for the final stretch to the elevator. Only once he got there and was good and ready did he pick up his comm again.

"You should've said something earlier. Store's closed." Tadashi wasn't serious about needing duct tape, after all. ....Right?