un: man's greatest treasure (video)

[reparo]

[-- a scramble of images: sky, trees, rooftops. And noise: flapping of wings, birds cawing, and in the distance, for those who recognise her voice, Hermione Granger yelling-]

Give that back! I don't want to hurt y - ow, you little - Accio communicator.

[Whatever projects image with the communication talismans/crystals/what-have-you goes decidedly zoooom as it gets yanked, bird holding it in its beak and all, back into Hermione's outstretched hand. She wrestles it out of the beak, and sends the mad bird flying with a shielding spell, on camera.

Then finally, harried and disheveled, her face appears in the video in full glory: the scratches at the edge of her face, and neck, and the mad look. It melts into concern, when she notices the device is transmitting.]

Oh - balls. [A sigh.] There's something wrong with the birds. They've been attacking all morning - and no, these aren't mine. I've seen farmers try to chase them from the crops, so everyone please be aware.

[ooc; LET'S GO PLOT, LET'S GO.]

Comments

[unpurposed]

From when they retrieved me from the ocean on their way here, yes.

Forgive me for any ignorance, I have been running constant diagnostics to ensure I have not formed patterns of delusion, and am slowly attempting to adjust to the changes that reality has suffered.

I understand from your original warning that the birds of this area are not traditionally violent?

[reparo]

No, don't worry about it - I don't judge. I know magic isn't really a phenomenon that happens for everyone in their homeworlds.

Anyway - the birds were rather pleasant until recently. I had a handful of friendly, social crows follow around from time to time, so this is unusual.

[unpurposed]

It is a common saying where I am from that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic - perhaps there are simply forces we have yet to discover and master.

I am not a physicist. [ There is something almost wry in his calm, pleasant voice. ]

Are you in need of assistance?

[reparo]

[Amused, at that.] People tend to call anything they do not understand or fear magic - they did, anyway. So that's a reasonable approach.

[Is she, though?] I think I'm fine, but thank you for the offer.

[unpurposed]

People fear and misunderstand a great many things. [ His still was delivered in the calm, pleasant voice, but there was something slightly off about it. A second later, it’s gone. ]

Understood.

May I then enquire how best to safely remove the birds from my chassis? I do not have a veterinary module installed, and never thought to download anatomical references for them. I do not wish to hurt them.

[reparo]

[She's connecting the dots.

Chassis, module, download.

Not human, for sure, but - what?]

I can come help - try running for now, if possible. I'll meet you in the main square.

[unpurposed]

I can run.

I will wait in the square.

May I ask your name so I can verify when you have arrived?

to action!

[reparo]

Hermione Granger.

[Should she check first, for their name and appearance? Sure. But there's someone to rescue from birds, so she doesn't - she Apparates herself in the same alleyway where she had a conversation with Wrathion on their first day here, and then makes her way to the square on foot. Protego repells birds just fine, it turns out.]

Re: to action!

[unpurposed]

[ The birds, it seems, thought that the robot standing near the edge of a field without moving must have been some sort of strange pole, with plenty of perches for them to take while their little beaks tried to dismantle the toy under them. So when Cato breaks into a sudden run - strange, awkward loping with limbs that are too long and a body heavily top weighted - they all suddenly take off with a squawk and shrill cries from what they had thought was a steady place to sit.

So when Cato arrives in the square, it is only after some hurried gaps from locals fleeing the scene from a “terrifying creature” announce his imminent arrival, and then the rather loud sound of his unpracticed run, clanking metal pieces that were hastily replaced slightly out of sync with each other.

When he arrives in the middle of the square he stops, standing still as a stone, and a few birds that had decided to chase him out of the sheer indignity of a perch leaving from under them land back on him and start pecking at the worn metal.

Compare to his ungainly run, Cato is now absolutely still, the only indication of his continued function being the gentle whirring of gears and electronics from inside his chassis. ]

[reparo]

[Already there, she notices the locals breaking into a panicked run, and readies herself for some sort of confrontation, reaching already for her wand, which stays disguised under the heavy sleeves of her cloak.

What comes out, instead, is a giant looking humanoid made out of metal. Now, she's no expert, 80s baby and all, but is that a robot does fly through her head immediately.

And it stops. In the square. And the birds land on it and start pecking at - chassis.]

Ah! Shoo, begone! Go bother someone else before you become dinner! [There's a lot of waving birds off, and then casting a bubble spell on one of them, just to scare the pack away. No, don't trifle with Hermione Granger, birdies.

She does it again on a few more birds, and the bubbles, stuffed with birds, float way; with the birds too stunned to fight.

Oh, right - stunning spells.

She'll use that later.]

...hello?

[unpurposed]

[ Cato’s head swivels to look at her, the black faceplate empty save where it looks like scratches or gouges are appearing on the edge of his jaw. Left by the birds? Who knows. He turns fully and then bows a little to her. At well over six feet and with legs longer than a human’s would be at his height, even the bow looks ungainly. ]

Hello. I presume you are Hermione Granger, with the sufficiently advanced technology.

[ A joke? Hard to tell from his tone. ]

Thank you for your assistance. I am Cato. How did you encapsulate the birds so effectively?

[reparo]

[She approaches, taking all of those details in. The head screen, the tone, the everything - some fingers to point towards robot, but there are people around with stranger stories. Who is she to judge?]

Erm. I - magic. [So that's that for sufficiently advanced technology.] Are you wearing armor? Is this a suit?

[unpurposed]

Ah - no. This is me.

[ He raised his arms. ]

Or rather, this is the mechanical body that houses my artificial intelligence.

[reparo]

Artifici - that's incredible! [Sure shows on her face that she's impressed.] You're the first I've ever met - I think.

Anyway - I hope that helped with the birds. You're a bit scratched up.

[unpurposed]

You are the first person I have met capable of magic, so I am equally excited to meet you.


Ah- Yes. Thank you. I am not sure how long they will keep away, but I will endeavour not to stand so close to fields.

Ah - could you please point out the damage to me?

[reparo]

[He is delighted - artificial intelligence is one thing, but perhaps this goes beyond smarts? Empathy? Sympathy? Emotions? Gods, he's quite remarkable and she should not get distracted by that.

But he's cool.]

Oh, yes - of course. Here and here. [She points to near the screen, the shoulders. Not touching, though, just pointing.] Do you have assigned quarters here, from...[whispered:] the Merchant?

[unpurposed]

[ He raises his hand and delicately touches where she indicated in a strangely human-like gesture, though he is expressionless. He seems to be considering silently before she lowers her voice and asks her question, and then he tilts his head curiously and leans down a little as if to hear her better. ]

Ah - do you mean my designated Family Unit? Yes. Though why are you whispering?

[reparo]

We're not really meant to advertise we're from other places, are we? I'm also not entirely sure that affiliation with the Merchant is a good thing around here...

So that would be why.

[unpurposed]

[ Cato tilts his head to the other side and then straightens up. ]

I see. I will endeavour to be cautious. However, it is impossible for me to pretend I am native to this area. Even if I were able to lie...

[ He gestures to all of himself. ]

I would be given away rather quickly. As far as I can tell, there are none of my kind in this place at all. I have been told my visage is very frightening to the locals.