spellbinders | itp: good decisions

There's the barrier on the island too. If we really do get through it this time, maybe we'll finally learn something useful about how it's made.

[He's not exactly counting on that one, but their chances seem good either way. The right technical know how plus magic knowledge seems like a combination that could accomplish anything.]

The technology you're working with is probably way out of my league, but if you give me some guidance I can probably help with the base components.

Data like that could come in handy... Not to mention, whatever's on the other side might explain the technology the Palai have been exposed to.

[Although that's only a possibility rather than anything probable. It'd be nice to have an answer to that question now that they don't have the threat of the Uvi looming over them quite so intently as before.

Surely some still live, but...

Well. More immediate is Alphonse's suggestion, and he sits up straighter for it]

Do you mean you can help make them or something?

[With that not-magic?]

Sure.

[He props an arm up on his knees, tilting his head in consideration.]

Alchemy's versatile enough to do more detailed work too. All that matters is having the right materials.

[Don't mind him as he leans just a bit closer to Al. He's all ears]

What determines the kind of materials you need?

[All he knows of alchemy at this point was the futile pursuit of turning lead into gold, and Alphone's ability to change the terrain in whatever manner suited him. His image of this magiscience is woefully incomplete.

But he's nothing if not curious, and having access to materials this planet doesn't have is an unbelievably handy prospect]

[He's always down for nerd shoptalk.]

That depends on what you're trying to make. The basis of alchemy is equivalent exchange. You can reshape things, even change them around on a molecular level, but you can't make something out of nothing. What you end up with is always going to be equal to what you put in.

If you just need some basic metal for your barrier device, that's easy because it can be pulled straight from the ground. Something more complicated might take more work.

So under that system, what determines value? A fragment of a meteorite's pretty expensive where I come from, and hard to come by, but I'm betting it's got nothing to do with that kind of trade value.

[If something can be changed on a molecular level, what creates that equivalency? It seems very complicated, more so than Waver's explanation of converting energy into something else using the magic he was familiar with.

And yet the concept of exchange remains prevalent in both]

Not everyone's an alchemist, so it's probably not as different as you're thinking.

[On that point, at least.]

Things like transmuting gold are illegal because of the damage it would do to the economy.

...So you guys figured out the gold-thing?

[The Old World was pretty obsessed with it, no way he can just ignore the idea. Even if he's still not sure how it works, at least he's seen Alphonse in action enough to question it less.

Still, the mechanics are unclear to him. But gold is a digression, and useless to him unless it's being melted down for weaponry]

Er, anyway. If I wanted specific parts, how would you figure out what you'd need to start with?

Gold's not that hard.

[He doesn't really realize it's a Thing yet in other places, give it time. At the question, he gets a little more serious.]

I'd need you to describe them to me in as much detail as you can. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can figure it out.

I can do better than that.

[He raises a hand and pokes at the air, and a holographic screen springs into being in front of them. The screen's populated with text and different monitoring systems taking a variety of measurements as always.

A few taps at this screen pulls up a list of materials 9S commonly works with, and from there, he points out a type of circuit. Details on what it's made from and how fill the screen, down to component level, including an image]

Will something like this work?

[SO COOL. Al all but jumps up, leaning forward with excitement. For a long moment he doesn't even attempt to answer, too engrossed in trying to absorb as much of the text as he can.]

And you said alchemy looks like magic! That's incredible!

[Al, you were asked a question.]

It's more than enough. With this kind of information, we can make just about anything.

[He smiles, pleased that his data is sufficient. It's pretty fortunate every material he had came across was recorded in this manner, but then, that's what a Scanner's meant to do]

That's great, I was feeling pretty limited with what the locals have around here.

[And that's left him unable to carry out one of his primary functions as well as he should be able. Feels bad, that]

But something like this [he gestures at the screen] is part of a Scanner's basic specifications. I could even show you the technology that enables this if you wanted, since it's something I was built for.

Really?

[It's not a priority, but it would definitely be nice to be a little less lost about something technological for once.]

If you don't mind, that'd be great. I'm so behind on things like this that anything you can tell me would be really valuable.

Maintenance is something I'm responsible for, so maybe I wouldn't have to worry as much about parts with you around.

[Which is his way of saying that it'd be doing himself a favor, though he does enjoy sharing his area of expertise. He used to be one of so many Scanners, and now he's not even one of two. Being the only one here is a bit lonely at times]

I've got detailed schematics on all sorts of systems, so I can teach you whatever you want.

If there's something you or 2B might need, that's the best place to start.

[Equivalent exchange is all well and good, but it's not something you apply to people. Besides, Al understands the frustration of not being able to self-repair all too well.]

Not that I wouldn't want to learn other things too.

It's possible we might need spare parts. Back where we're from, we can just get replacement bodies, but that's not really the case here.

[9S is a particularly bad offender when it comes to sustaining heavy damage. Actually with that in mind, he rifles through his onscreen data for information concerning the more mechanical end of android physiology.

Ever wonder what they looked like under their synthetic skin, Alphonse? They sure do have something like a skeleton made of metal]

And you never know, I could lose an arm and a leg again.

[He absolutely wondered, and even though the information is too advanced for him to grasp all that much from a brief look, having data to back up the imagery does make the idea of androids seem like a less outlandish concept. More pressing than that, though, is once again hearing 9S' casual attitude about damage. There's no way to ask someone if they feel pain that isn't rude and invasive--another point of personal experience--but he does want to know, and drops his voice in case anyone else is paying attention to their conversation.]

But you're not like me, though, right? If something like that happens it actually hurts you?

[He knows that 9S sleeps and seems functionally human in so many other ways. It stands to reason that might hold true here too.]

It doesn't hurt you?

[The question slips by before he can quite stop himself, voice colored by surprise, and something of concern. He knows Alphonse's body is a suit of armor, but he hadn't thought about what that must mean for how he interacts with the world around him, other than the observation of his movement.

Frowning, he turns his attention to the screens in front of them]

I feel pain, but you sort of... I guess, after going through some things, you tolerate some of it better. Not everything, of course, but if androids were crippled by our pain, we wouldn't be of much use.

[Like a proper hypocrite, he ignores the question and follows 9S' look back to the screens. The way androids are treated is sounding more and more horrific, and he's honestly starting to wonder how often hopelessly corrupt military organizations pop up across the multiverse.]

You say that like it's no big deal, but...

[Now is hardly the time to get into a debate on the matter, but he can't hide that it bothers him.]

Being useful isn't everything.

Without a purpose, life doesn't hold much meaning for an android.

[There's a certain weight that settles over those words, because 9S knows from experience what it is to be robbed of that purpose. He knows the burdens that come with losing everything, piece by piece, until all that remains is self-directed destruction. Purpose is fulfillment to an android. It lets them move forward and gives them something to hold onto.

In the absence of that, there is only despair. It's why he never shared the cruel truths he'd learned with other units, lest they lose hope too. Even machine life-forms were that way. He remembers the Wise Machines and their struggles with a lack of purpose all too well. For all that, when he speaks again, the weighs about him eases as though he's simply shrugged it off]

For someone like me, it's pretty important.

Edited 2017-09-20 02:03 (UTC)

Isn't purpose more complicated than that?

[Hating the idea of self-sacrifice is kind of a Thing with him, so he's naturally opposed to linking the two together. That's maybe a little more philosophical than he intended, though, so he doubles back.]

What I mean is there are a lot of ways to help, and just as many reasons to be more careful while you're here.

[Ones that go beyond the difficulty of repairs.]

No one wants to see you get hurt.

It'd hurt 2B if I was reckless. [And that's enough to ground him, despite his long-standing record of suffering heavy damage and destruction. He has something to protect now, and no replacement bodies that he can back up his data into, which means he has to exercise more caution. Still...] But that doesn't mean I can let somebody get hurt if I can stop it.

[That would go against his core programming. Rather, letting a human someone come to harm without interceding would certainly go against what he is. At least that much wasn't a lie, even if so much he knew was. Androids love humanity and desire to protect it, no matter what]

I know there are no backups...but humans are even less likely to recover than I am, aren't they?

[They seem so fragile by comparison, much as it troubles him to think it]

["But that doesn't mean I can let somebody get hurt if I can stop it."

He's used almost that exact phrase on more than one occasion, even if he thinks he means it differently. There's something almost funny about being in a position to argue.]

Not all of us. [Jokingly, because he knows he hardly counts in that respect.] The best thing we can do is work as a team and not treat anyone like they're more expendable than anyone else.

I think you'd have more than me to convince.

[Just based on what he's seen of others around him, he knows he's not the only one that operates this way. It's far more alarming to him to see humans risking their lives in such a cavalier manner, but he also knows he was designed to hold those lives in a certain reverence, which isn't true of is.

He recognizes Alphonse's words as a kindness, but he doesn't know if they're well-invested or even truly deserved. At the end of the day, he's an android. And so he shifts the topic just enough to press on]

...Battler models are as reckless as Scanners are curious, so I think 2B will benefit from the parts too. Proper maintenance is pretty important for anybody, right? ...Even if it comes in different forms.

[It's true, this is pretty much Human Shields: The Game.

Al's willing to let it go for now, and nods in response.]

That's what the B stands for?

[Not the point, Alphonse.]

Do you need much for day-to-day maintenance or is it just an issue when one of you gets hurt?

itp: good decisions

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