Calibrations (Mariana/open)

[ruma]

The way that people were discussing it within the fortress, you'd think a revolution was afoot. People looked to see if the sky was falling and the oceans were running red with blood. But that was not the case, it was simply a case of Ruma going outside. Nothing in the fortress provided her with the power she needed to run her airship. It was getting frustrating so she had to go and find someone with the technical prowess to rival her own.

In Hyrule Castle Town, she began to ask around for someone with access to large quantities of gadgetry and some quality tech. After a couple of hours of admiring the scenery and doing a little sightseeing, she finally got on topic and started to find a couple of people who seemed to know of a girl with some access to what she was looking for.

Before long, Ruma found herself at the back end of town, staring down a shop door. According to her info, this was the place. She took a deep breath. She wasn't used to talking to others from her own people, let alone other races. This would be interesting. Politely, she knocked on the door, waiting for a response.

[Mariana]

"...constructing such a large and powerful engine would require a huge amount of manpower... but with it... a fortress... insurmountable power... and then the earthlings would finally be free..."

Standing closer to the door, Ruma would hear the ramblings of the Ooccan hybrid behind it. Though not entirely clear, she stopped her self-monologue upon hearing the door knock. Inside, she had been looming over a desk covered in paper with many scrawled notes and images. With a visitor at the door though, she began to gather up the papers and roll them up crudely. "Of course... logic dictates interruptions during the most deepest of thoughts." she muttered to herself as she threw the rolled up papers in a stone holder.

Making her way over to the door, she opened up a slot at her eye level to gaze down upon the Gerudo woman outside. She was donned in odd attire, but it was attire familiar to her.
"Interesting. A form of communication stone mounted into a helmet mechanism. That's one way to control who's listening or not..." she said with a mixture of intrigue yet lacking in enthusiasm. She seemed unsurprised about the device but interested in the person wearing it. With the slot suddenly sliding shut, the door promptly opened afterward.

Mariana stood, wings flitting slightly. She stood in the way of Ruma, a slight smile across her face as she awaited the request of a fellow scientist.

[ruma]

Ruma couldn't help but nod at the woman's evaluation of her helmet. "Yes, the helmet itself is outfitted with a communication stone. Rather than keep it around a necklace like most of the others I've seen, I outfitted mine so that I can focus when I need to." Hearing the woman say all of that must have meant that she had arrived in the correct location.

"Judging by that, you must be Mariana. I'm Ruma, and I'm looking for something. May I come in?" She pulled rolled up paper out of her bag and held them in her hand. "I have some schematics here. I have the parts except for one." Her voice contained a deal of enthusiasm and optimism. This was her best shot at finding the right part.

[Mariana]

Her eyes narrowed and her smile widened - she'd hit the nail right on and she knew it, as Ruma confirmed the purpose of her helmet. But idle banter was over and both as individuals of science, business was prompt. Seeing that the woman knew of her (a fact which only served to boost her ego 2 stages), she stepped to one side and allowed the woman entry. Inside, there was a plethora of things to intrigue the scientific mind... and maybe some to entice the curiosity of the uneducated.

Mariana's Bowcannon rested beside her writing desk, fully opened out. It seemed certain parts were opened up, possibly for tinkering's sake. Many canisters containing varied powders... deku nut extract, gunpowder and varied coloured powders. Lots of complex mechanical devices resided on the walls, with identical wooden models accompanying it. Cans with nozzles, a furnace but many MANY blueprints plastered on the walls. Only the windows of the shop were a break in the blueprint wallpaper. One particular model, a small model of a particularly LARGE looking airship, rested on the desk.

"So, schematics for what exactly? What might you be looking for?" she said simply, now strolling towards her desk, looking for seemingly anything nearby.

[ruma]

Ruma was impressed with the collection of items littered through this room. Most she recognized, some not. Regardless, she was not here to gawk, although she found her eyes drawn to the airship model. She studied it, for it was something similar to her primary project.

"This looks like an airship of incredible size. I've been working on a similar project myself." The desk was cleared already so Ruma unrolled her own airship schematic, more powerful but only built for 2.

"As you can tell, my airship is a much smaller design, made for carrying a pair of people in an incredibly short amount of time. However, I can't stabilize the main power supply, and more importantly, I can barely make her float, let alone fly. I need a stronger source of energy, one capable of supply massive amounts of power. Everything I've tried has been unable to produce the power I needed. I think my own magical abilities, if concentrated, could provide sufficient energy. However, I can't bottle them, and I can't sit behind the ship and power it myself, the power core is in the back."

[Mariana]

Another airship, but for personal transport. Mariana couldn't help but look down at the lack of ambition behind the girl's design, a simple transport made for two. Analyzing the design more, however, she spotted the engine's requirements and frowned.
"Using an individual's magical energy to sustain power to an airship is incredibly uneconomical. You may say your own magic is enough to power it, but it's unlikely you'd be able to keep it going for long. This is a high output. You need something that wont need a living battery."

Placing thumb to mouth, Mariana bit her nail lightly as she thought for a moment about suitable ideas to replace the living battery concept. "Perhaps... perhaps a simple energy converter but on a larger scale. One that can capture the essence of a chosen object and utilize it as magical energy. The Ooccan's made a set of armour using a converter once... it used Rupees as its power source to produce a magical barrier. Simple but it worked. It may work for your airship, as long as you can find something easily renewable."

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair had heard quite a bit of gossip around Castle town lately. Normally, he would hear things about the recent goings on of Hyrule, the world ending and such. But recently he got a nice change of pace. He'd been hearing of some aspiring inventor that knew their way around technology. He was rather interested, and thought that he might be able to purchase some things that will help him out while questing.

As he approached the shop in question, he saw that the door was already open. Glancing inside, he was pleased with what he saw. Alistair wasn't all to great when it came to working with machinery, but he assumed that by the amount of blueprints on the walls, he'd come to the right place. Before crossing the threshold of the door, he lightly knocked.

[ruma]

Ruma couldn't help but frown as well. She didn't want to use the living battery concept, she needed a way to keep the bird in the air, and no power source had the juice to keep it afloat.

Her eyes widened at the rupee barrier. What an unconventional concept, to use rupees as an energy source. She wasn't aware that rupees contained any latent energy. "So rupees can be used as a power source? Do you know what the energy output per second is for a rupee-created magic barrier? And how do you feed the energy converter to a constant stream of rupees? Do you just stick a tube into your wallet and have it suck the rupees through a vacuum? And if that is the case, what's powering the vacuum?" She got this way faced with the unknown. She would just ask questions until the unknown became known.

She didn't even notice the man at the door, even after she knocked. She was in the zone. She had to know how a rupee-powered engine functioned as an energy source.

[Mamimi Raharu]

So yeah, she'd heard the hawker. The Ooccan said there'd be some goddamn adventure, and Mamimi loved herself some goddamn adventure. Sure, she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but she could take stuff apart and put it back together, no probs. Haruko was her proof. Goddesses, she loved that frickin' guitar. It was her baby, no question.

Said baby slung over her shoulder, the eccentric human woman meandered along the roads of Castle Town, absentmindedly peering into shop windows and home windows and window windows, looking for the house that belonged to the smart-ass hawker chick.

Lucky for her, Mamimi found it pretty quick.

Bouncing up behind the kid who was being ignored standing outside the chick's door, the human lifted Haruko, swung it up over her head and down onto the door, all the while screeching something about "ADVENTURE!" and "METAL SUPER THINGIES!"

[Mariana]

"It's rudimentary. Everything has a magical potential, no matter how small, which is what defines it as existing. Some people would call this "soul" in humans, I just refer to it as energy, for lack of a better generalisation. Converting that energy into something useful is just as simple, by creating something able to withdraw the essence of hte object. It isn't just limited to rupees, mind. You could use tree sap, fairy dust, even cat hairs but there's a problem in it. You'd need such vast quantities of it..."

Her long winded explanation was halted when she noticed there was someone by the door. Another visitor? How intriguing. She looked past Ruma firstly then got up and walked past to get the door. She made it halfway across the floor before the screeching pierced the walls, and the loud crash of guitar-on-wood. The door initially succumbed to such psychotic assault but resisted the full impact, the thick oaken bark holding about halfway through.

On the other side of the door, Mariana had made a quick slip back to her desk, reaching for her Bowcannon then taking it to the door. She could see where the Guitar had struck, the door bowing out towards them. Moving cautiously, she kept her weapon held with two hands until the last moment before she let one free to reach out and open the door. Pulling it open gently, her second hand took up the weapon's barrel again, darting it directly at the pink-haired lunatic.

A stern expression on her face, she didn't even intend to ask what had happened, only find out why.

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair jumped when a girl came up behind him and smashed the door with her guitar. This was a bad time for me to come, I suppose. He politely stepped aside and let her do her... well... whatever it was she was doing.

He jumped a second time when another girl came to the door with a weapon drawn. What's going on here? Was the only thought he had time to think as the events passed by so quickly. He decided that it would be best if he just remained quiet for now. While he silently observed, he took time to curiously examine the people. They were certainly odd, at least, that's what he thought.

[ruma]

Mariana's explanation would have to wait. Someone had taken a large blunt object to Mariana's door. While Mariana reached for her large crossbow, Ruma was much faster in taking out her pistol.

"I got your back." She stayed back towards the desk as Mariana opened the door and revealed two people on the other side. The girl appeared to be the culprit, alongside a confused male. Her gaze turned towards the male, as she had never really gotten used to guys, living her entire life in the desert surrounded by women did that to her.

[Mamimi Raharu]

Mamimi rolled her eyes and shouldered Haruko when the door finally opened, giggling a bit at the dramatics the two geeky women were showing off. Silly geeks~ Didn't they know an awesomesauce chick when they saw one? Obviously not, since they spent all their time holed up in their geeky labs or whatever. Dorks.

"Calm yourselves, nerds~" Mamimi said, casually sauntering into the Ooccan's house. "The super-awesome Mamimi Raharu is here to solve all your problems!"

Once inside, she twirled around and dramatically pointed Haruko at the chick with wings, tilting her head slightly. "You need super-awesome sciencey superhero types for adventure and other cool sciencey thingies, right? Whelp, I'm your girl, 'cause I'm super-awesome with my super-duper FORCE OF WILL~!"

Just breaking down doors, insulting people, and walking into their houses. No big deal.

[Mariana]

"Of all the people to..."[/size] Mariana muttered under her breath upon hearing the introduction of the snooker loopy Mamimi. Of course. She had attracted a nutcase with her earlier pitch. This was highly unfortunate, but then she caught a glimpse of hope in the confused young man standing to the side. The look on his face clearly proved he wasn't in cahoots with the maniac and she was thankful. She looked at him with small smile and hopeful eyes before having to deal with the loudmouthed hyperactive girl. She lowered her weapon as Mamimi passed her by.

"Yes, you're just the psycho I ordered." she said after the girl declared her intentions. There was already no hope of getting rid of her so she had to think of a way to make use of her. At least she knew how to use the guitar as a weapon, anyway. She gestured a little more kindly to the male adventurer, giving him a moment to enter before she shut the door behind them all.

"Apologies for such an intrusion, Ruma, but what the asylum escapee says is correct, I'm actually looking for artefacts to aid in my future projects. Perhaps you could find an object powerful enough for your energy conversion needs if you were to accompany... us... on our treks? she proposed to Ruma, the only one seemingly clueless about the purpose of the other pair. She kept Mamimi in the corner of her eye as she turned to Alistair. "And might I ask your name?"

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair caught the smile as he was welcomed into the shop, and it put him a little more at ease. The girl who had flamboyantly introduced herself as Mamimi might have frightened him at first, but he actually thought she wasn't so bad. She seemed like the kind of person that would never let a conversation get boring. Based on the more gentle nature of the woman who had let him in, he thought he had made a decent impression. Well, better than smashing a door with a guitar, anyways.

"And might I ask your name?"

Alistair calmly smiled as he introduced himself. "I'm Alistair Luor, and it's a pleasure to meet you." He heard Mariana say something about trekking for artifacts. Alistair had heard that she was looking for adventurers, he just didn't know he would be one of them. It goes without saying that he would gladly join them, even if those weren't his original intentions for coming.

[ruma]

As everything seemed to calm down, Ruma put her pistol back and smiled. So this Mamimi was searching for artifacts. Perhaps Mariana was right and her power source would be one of these ancient rare items. Either way, she would be in, although she wasn't very worldly and might be just as much of a hindrance as a help.

Regardless, as introductions were being made, Ruma rolled up and put away her schematics before doing her introduction. "Hi Mamimi, I'm Ruma." It might not have been lost on the others that she didn't acknowledge Alistair. After all, she was Gerudo and he was male, and outside of her cousin, no men were worth her time.

"Well Mariana, it would be something to go hunt for some old artifacts. Some of them do hold incredible amounts of power, and that would be perfect. I know there are old ruins in the desert, and some have been excavated, but there might still be something left."

[Mamimi Raharu]

The insane woman stuck her tongue out at the Ooccan, rolling her eyes once again as she plopped onto the floor. "You're just jellin' on my awesomeness," she muttered, pouting as she strummed her guitar. "Y'all would be hopeless without me. Doncha know about the monsters all over the place nowadays? Nooo, you're too busy holed up in your nerdy labby things. At least this kid" --here she jerked her chin in Alistair's direction, since it seemed like he was more of a fighter type -- "knows what the heck I'm talkin' about."

Mamimi paused in her strumming and narrowed her eyes at each of the group in turn, lips pursing as she tried to put a name to each face. "Alistair, Ruma, and..." She squinted at the Ooccan, frowning and scowling and tapping her chin as she attempted to recall the chick's name. "... Mariabalabluhbluh. Good enough." Her eyes seemed to light up as she bounced back to her feet, a wide grin appearing on her features.

"So, broskis~! Mariabalabluhbluh, nerdy Gerudo Ruma-chick, this dorky kid over here, and the awesome me are all goin' to the desert to hunt down some cool gadgety thingies, right? What we need" -- she pointed at no one in particular, she was really just being dramatic -- "is transportation and shiz. We gotta know what the hell we're getting and how the hell we're getting it out, ya dig?"

[Mariana]

"Yes, because I built such a large weapon for decoration and not for defending myself against the aforementioned monsters." she retorted at the lunatic's insinuation that she knew little about monsters. Her eyes had since narrowed drastically and it was clear her thoughts were moving towards causing potential harm to the fruitloop in her workshop - she counted at least 13 separate ways she could dupe the moron into blowing herself up with one of the tools she had around.

Of course, she'd rather not clear up the mess, but the prospect of letting her roast alive in the desert sounded far more appealing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alistair." she said simply in response to the sane warriors introduction, giving a small smile and nod. "And as for transportation, I assume you're looking to accommodate yourself? I'm not exactly willing to carry you there." she said bluntly towards Mamimi, her face souring to a frown. It was almost as if she were directing the statement only at her...

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

I'm not dorky... Alistair mentally sighed. He stretched for a moment, and wondered why the other girl-Mariana addressed her as Ruma?-had ignored him. Before long, he decided to actually speak up.

"Actually, I'm good friends with a nearby innkeeper. They just got a large shipment of supplies, so they shouldn't be using their carriage for some time. It has more than enough room for the four of us, and if we each chipped in a few rupees, I'm sure we could rent it out. I've guarded it on deliveries before, and the horses that pull it can fully handle themselves in off-road conditions. Two people could sit up front, and two could sit in the back, and we should still have room for whatever supplies you may need to bring. The thing is, I'm not an experienced driver, so one of you would have to lead us." It was a mouthful to say, and Alistair hoped it would help. Subconsciously, he might have been trying to defend Mamimi. He knew she couldn't be a bad person, she was just straightforward and a little insane.

[ruma]

Well, it would appear that this man had an idea after all. Maybe men weren't as useless as she thought. Being able to get her there with a carriage would be so much easier than walking. Suddenly, her inner Gerudo kicked in and wondered if she could get them caught in a desert trap. The potential was exciting, and she started to think.

"It's certainly the best option available to us. I don't have any efficient way to carry 4 on me, Mariana what about you?" She wanted to exercise all possible options. She needed to make sure she knew exactly what was going on so that she knew how to effectively trap them. This was set to happen at some point, she may be lighthearted and flippant, but she valued her people and her tech.