IC Inbox for Ryslig

[certaininequities]

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Comments

[certaininequities]

[Norman shakes himself out of his reverie. Sometimes there are moments when Peter sounds so much like His Peter that it's uncanny, and he smiles. It feels like - no, he IS home. He's feeling it more and more these days. He claps a hand warmly on the young man's shoulder]

Of course. Ever practical. Thank you, Peter. Sometimes I need to be reminded to learn to crawl before I try running. C'mon, let's get something started. I'm thinking visual microscopic analysis first, then a structural ... I have enough equipment for diffusion, so that should help us break it down into quantifiable components. Maybe a snack while that cooks, later.

[snacks, their beloved mutual love language]

[heyunderoos]

After doing enough stupid stuff, I kinda came around to something occasionally practical. [The teenager answers with an amused huff. More than aware he's made mistakes and won't stop making them any time soon.]

A visual analysis sounds like a good start, especially since this feels like the same webbing I used before. So something very specific but minuscule had to be changed to make it more stable in this reality. [He does perk up at mention of snacks. Between beats, Peter shifts back into his normal pooka shape. The suit is baggy on him, but he taps at the emblem to adjust it.]

[certaininequities]

Unsurprisingly, I had a similar thought. C'mon, there's a prep sink over here where we can wash up.

[he pauses to watch as Peter adjusts the suit, shaking his head with a wide grin]

I'm still not over that nanotechnology. It's so close to something I wrote a theory paper on not too long before, well, everything started going to hell. But I knew that the technology had to catch up to the idea, ya know? I didn't think I'd see it in my lifetime. Amazing.

[and with that, to the sink! he rolls his sleeves up to his elbows to make sure he's clean, wincing before he's even turned on the tap. when the water hits his hands and forearms, he hisses sharply]

Maybe someday I'll get used to this...

[heyunderoos]

I should probably just get out of the suit anyway. [He brushes his gloved hand across the front of his suit at the thought of washing up.] I don't even know if its a variation of Mr. Stark's nanotechnology. I printed this on a fabricator-? Happy let me use one in his apartment. It pretty cool. His nanotech is cool but weird, it reacts to your thoughts.

[The teenager has no idea Norman is more than aware of Stark Industries fabricators. He is distracted by the reaction Norman has to the water.] Maybe we should invest in some more gloves or something so you can skip that at least?

[certaininequities]

Not a bad idea - the gloves, I mean. But I've seen those fabricators you're speaking of - or at least, a portable version of one. You used it to print the replacement inhibitor chip for Otto.

[he smiles at the memory, as he's getting out the supplies they'll need to analyze the web fluid]

It was incredible watching you work. Like a fish in water. Like you belonged there - you knew exactly what you were doing. That confidence ... I may not have known Tony Stark, but I'm glad he was able to help you find that. Everyone needs someone who can help them find their calling, help them make their way. Even if it's only for a little while. I had a professor like that, myself.

[heyunderoos]

Later, we'll like stock this whole area with gloves. [There was always more to learn about what happened when he meets Norman and Otto in the future.

Peter still never quite knows what to do with compliments. His ears fold back slightly as his whiskers flick somewhat. His smile doesn't go away though.] Thank you- I- kinda figured it out on my own? Mr. Stark was- well, he was already gone by the time I used the first one.

[certaininequities]

I'm still so sorry that you had to lose him.

[he puts a hand on Peter's shoulder and gives it a firm, warm squeeze]

But enough of that, why don't you pop into my office over there and change while I get things set up. We've got work to do!

[and he looks absolutely overjoyed at the prospect]

[heyunderoos]

[Peter nods at that, happy for the change of subject. What they are working on now is a lot better than dwelling on his own mixture of odd feelings when it comes to Tony Stark.

His expression warms back up.]

Yeah, I'll be right back.

[He is quick to duck into the office, changing out of his suit quickly. When Peter emerges, he's dropped back into his now more normal pooka shape. More used to using his smaller rodent hands than his human shaped ones.

He's quick to wash up as well, rolling up his sleeves as his whiskers wiggle somewhat.] Okay, lets get started.

[certaininequities]

[by the time Peter comes back, Norman has gotten the requisite equipment out and set up - slides, droppers, litmus strips, the whole nine yards. he's even gone ahead and moved the centrifuge over to the work area just in case they decide to try and separate out the liquid and see what happens]

Perfect. Let's see that sample - you should set up the slide, get the first look. It's your formula, after all. You'll know how it should look up close better than I would. If you've got your original notes, I can draw a comparative molecular diagram...

[heyunderoos]

[Peter draws out the web fluid vial and a folded square of paper out of his jean pockets as he walks over to Norman. He places the original written formula aside.]

I have a vial here, so we can sacrifice it for science. See what we can figure out from just this one.

[Without much more prompting Peter falls into the easy motions of getting the vial popped open, and taking a quick careful sample before re-sealing the vial. He gets the sample onto the slide. Its totally legit and science-y, trust me. I'm just a artist playing a scientist.]

finally got Word of Mod back on this

[certaininequities]

Perfect. Let's see what we got here.

[Norman lets Peter take the microscope, pen poised over his clipboard, ready to draw out the structure. as he describes the molecular chains, Norman lets the diagram grow line by line, little clusters filling the page in a complicated diagram.]

Okay. This is... hmm.

[he frowns down at the paper, tapping the end of his pen against the clip of the clipboard with a repetitive little pingpingping that's almost annoyed]

Peter, you know this all better than I do, it's your formula, but ... I hate to say it. It looks like there's no difference at all. Or if there is, it's so subtle that I'm not picking it up.

[heyunderoos]

I mean... It really does honestly. [Peter has to admit as much too, feeling more and more confused by the minute. He draws back from the microscope to glance back at Norman.] I'm having a hard time really picking out anything that different-?

[certaininequities]

Me, too. ... Ugh, it's the magic again, isn't it?

[Norman reaches up and runs a hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh]

Any time I feel like I'm even remotely close to something, there's some variable that inevitably leads back to magic. It almost makes me wish your friend the magician was here, the one with the Halloween party cape.

[heyunderoos]

Seems like it.

[Peter wrinkles his snoot a little, whiskers folding briefly back against his face before flicking forward again as he glances at Norman.]

Doctor Strange-? [He has to laugh a little at the description.] Hey, his cape is cool, it was really nice to me when we interacted! Its like alive.

[And that is what he focuses on instantly. Priorities.]

[certaininequities]

All the nicknames in the world to choose from, and this guy decides he's going to call himself "Strange"? You'd think a magician would be a lil' more imaginative.

[says the guy who just rolled over and let Jameson dub him 'the Green Goblin'...]

The cape .. was ... Peter, you mean he was just manipulating it with magic so it seemed friendly, right? Like a puppeteer, with a puppet.

[heyunderoos]

I think that was his real name-? I didn't talk to him a lot honestly. I mean, we were in space together, but that was kind of a stowaway situation. [At this point, he's comfortable enough to admit to Norman he wasn't exactly invited to super hero things.]

No-? It did stuff without him a lot. It seemed a lot friendly too. Um, no offense meant to Doctor Strange anyway.

[certaininequities]

[somehow a live cape is easier to swallow than:]

Peter. Are you telling me .... you stowed away .... to outer space?!

[Norman, have you even met this boy who's died several times already in Ryslig? HAVE YOU?]

[heyunderoos]

Mr. Stark told me to save the wizard! I had to go make sure the aliens didn't like- steal him! [Even years on, his voice pitches up slightly in defensiveness as he fluffs up slightly.]

[certaininequities]

[he huffs a little laugh]

Y'know, it still boggles my mind that you've dealt with actual, honest-to-goodness aliens. I mean, obviously the universe is vast enough that it was bound to happen eventually, I just didn't think it would be in our lifetimes.

[heyunderoos]

Yeah, I didn't think so either, at least until they showed up to like steal a wizard. [sentences that only be said in rare contexts such as this one. Peter is as ever casual about the strangeness of his life as he gestures with his hands as he talks.] I wish I could've actually gone to space to look around at living planets.

Like we ended up on this dead one, and Thanos went on this long rant about the planets history and kind of didn't understand how the economics worked, so he thought killing half a population would solve a problem instead of looking at the structure of why things weren't working.

With the gauntlet and the Infinity Stones he could have cleaned up all pollution everywhere, or made all food sources reproduce at double speed on every planet, or made it so people knew more about supply distribution to make sure things ran smoothly, but he kinda chose to just kill people first.

[certaininequities]

[there is So Much Wrong with this Thanos guy's ideaology that Norman's face just furrows with more and more disgust as Peter talks. the expression he's wearing by the end is just shy of a Goblin Sneer, and he scoffs. there's sympathy for Peter in his voice when he speaks, though, not condemnation of Thanos. the words do enough of that on their own:]

What an asshole. ... Might even give the Fog God a run for her money.

[heyunderoos]

Yeah, asshole is about the only thing you can really call him. Without getting into Beck's level of ranting. [Peter muses with a snort, the thought more fond these days than anything else.] Pretty sure he and I have about the same feelings on the people who are like 'Thanos Was Right'.

[He shakes his head a little.] Either way, things are fixed back home now, even if they're not perfect, they can get better.

care to start wrapping so we can focus on the new stuff?

[certaininequities]

I don't think I'd know what to do with myself if you actually worked yourself up to his level.

[Norman chuckles softly, starting to clear up the workspace. it's clear that with the equipment he has, they won't be able to study anything from Mana, and he's trying not to be mad about it. talking about other things with Peter as he does so is helpful]

Isn't that ever the goal. Always better.

[he reaches out and gives Peter a couple of Very Dadlike thumps on the shoulder]

We'll just do the same thing here, won't we? As best we can.

Works for me!

[heyunderoos]

To be fair, I don't think I'd ever reach his level. [Peter answers with a shake of his head.] Pretty sure being with Steven has kind of made him chill out a little.

[Peter glances back at note pad Norman had been using. So much for them figuring out the differences. It all just... is the same. Maybe now they can just make his normal formula? Peter isn't sure.]

It's all we can do sometimes. Keep striving to get better, even when its not easy.