[OPEN/CLOSED] seize your capability

[subtract]

Who: Add & OPEN
When: All through June
What: Catch-all log with various prompts in the comments☆
Warnings: Add Some imp-induced murder in the first prompt. Will update as needed!

source

((Open/closed prompts will be marked appropriately in the comments, and format (prose/brackets) doesn't matter to me so I'll match with w/e. If you'd like to thread something out that isn't covered here, feel free to hit me up on plurk at BlueFlewFedUQueen, ping me through the game discord, or send me a PM!))

Comments

OPEN | 6/6, just after 6am

[subtract]

[It's an early Sunday morning when Add decides to take a more in-depth look at the vending machines. He doesn't really need or want the snacks within, but it's a machine that has thus far resisted all his attempts to break into it... which means he's either not trying hard enough, or there's some other anomalous property preventing him from getting inside.

Regardless, he has a very straightforward test to determine which of those options is the correct answer, and that's why Add has dragged the blowtorch over from the workshop and is mere moments away from torching the glass point-blank. Don't worry, he's a professional!! This is probably safe, he thinks.]

[closewithnewintown]

[aw yeah time to get some milk for breakfast, most important meal of the day, surely nothing can go wrong--]

-- Stop! [she shouts the first word, but then remembers that it's early and most people are asleep, so instead she just stage whispers as she rushes over.] What are you doing?!

[subtract]

Hm?

[He does stop... barely a centimetre away from scorching the glass. And the blowtorch is still running, so she'll just have to live with all these blatant safety hazards for the time being (he's not even wearing protective goggles!!)]

What does it look like? I'm breaking in.

[closewithnewintown]

... On top of that being a really bad idea that's gonna get you into a lot of trouble, you're... you're gonna melt your eyeballs! You'll be in detention, and you won't have eyes.

[both of these are equally not good.]

[subtract]

Trouble? Kukuku, why should I care about that? No one is around who can tell me what to do. Are you saying you'll tattle on me tomorrow? [don't be a SNITCH steph]

I know what I'm doing. Unless you want to get hurt, stay out of my way.

[and he's wasted enough gas already, so he's just gonna ignore her warnings and stick the torch's flame right up against the vending machine, probably warming up all those cool drinks inside so they'll be lukewarm the next time someone wants one. hell yeah!!!!]

[closewithnewintown]

You very clearly do not know what you're doing!

... Is it even working? It's probably some... weird magic glass that doesn't melt, or something.

[subtract]

I know exactly what I'm doing. You just don't understand the genius behind my experiment.

There's no such thing as "magic unbreakable glass". Even magic follows rules—so I'm going to find those rules and determine how to break them. [very literally, in this case]

Hmm. Possible that it might be fireproof, though...

[closewithnewintown]

The genius of turning your corneas to hockey pucks... [but she manages to keep her smug grin at him basically declaring defeat at a cool 25% intensity.]

Why are you even stealing? It's not vacation; you can just buy snacks.

[subtract]

[he does, eventually, shut off the blowtorch... for now. the glass is pretty scorched but appears to be otherwise unharmed. it's not cracking from the heat alone, anyway...

hmmmm. he lifts up the blowtorch again, as if considering its weight.]

Worry about your own pathetic corneas. And like I already said, this is an experiment. The snacks are just an unfortunate casualty... I'm more interested in results.

[and with a fair bit of effort, he lifts up the blowtorch in a clear motion to swing the tank at the scorched glass. now he's not even pretending to know blowtorch safety that shit's gotta be somewhere on the warning label]

[closewithnewintown]

... Are you a scientist or something? [because god knows she's had this exact conversation with pixel at least once.

she watches his tactics change without the slightest decrease in worry.]

Um, maybe you can hit it with something that definitely won't explode and take your hand off? I can get you something

[subtract]

Did it take you that long to figure it out? Obviously.

[but he does pause, thinking about her suggestion for a moment before slowly lowering the tank back onto the ground. Well, he would probably need something heavier, or someone stronger to do the swinging...]

... Hmm. There should be hammers in the workshop. Isn't it standard for buildings like these to have a fire axe somewhere?

[closewithnewintown]

Oh, I'm sorry for not immediately recognizing the scientific merit of melting a vending machine. [I'd have two nickels etc etc]

This place isn't exactly "standard." [does the air quotes.] But, it could be used as a weapon, so maybe we do have one.

[subtract]

You don't find it interesting that it doesn't melt...? How boring.

It'd be troublesome later if the blowtorch was damaged. [or if he... lost a hand... w/e it's fine] Very well. We'll go with plan B, since it has a higher chance of success anyway... you can do all the heavy lifting.

[they're not friends, but he has enough vague memories to know that she's into a lot of sports, so she's probably stronger than him.]

[closewithnewintown]

[honestly she'd continue being a snide dick but he just Respected Her Physical Strength so she shall refrain for the moment.]

Anything for science, I guess.

[subtract]

[look, he's met some pretty ridiculously strong preteens, he would not be surprised in the slightest in Stephanie could lift a car... but also, have you seen his wimpy arms?? he was struggling with that blowtorch and it's not even that big. so hell yeah he's going to "respect" her physical strength (if by "respect" you mean "use to his advantage")]

Kekekeke, excellent... perhaps you're not completely boring after all.

Ah, but it would be poor practice to leave our experiment unattended. Imagine if there was a delayed reaction and no one was here to observe it...? We'd have to start over from the top. Wasteful. Since we're in agreement, you can fetch the necessary equipment while I keep watch.

[in other words... he's just gonna sit here and make her do all the legwork, too.]

[closewithnewintown]

-- I don't know where I'm supposed to go! I didn't even know we had a workshop until just now!

[EXCUSE ME SIR IS THAT LAZINESS SHE SENSES]

[subtract]

Ugh. How can you not know? Haven't you been here longer than me?

[he prefers the term "delegation"]

[closewithnewintown]

I was never exactly the "inventor" person in the group. [now if pixel was here, this vending machine would already be Hacked.]

Besides, what if I get killed by the demons on my way there? [... wait this guy probably wouldn't care about--] You'll never get to do your science!

[subtract]

[well she's 100% right about one thing]

Tch. Utterly useless. I have to do everything myself...

Fine. But you'll be carrying everything, and we're doing this properly. So follow my instructions to the letter and don't ask any stupid questions. Is that clear?

[he is going to lead the way, though, so at least she doesn't have to go alone now. but he's also gonna mutter about how annoying this is the whole way there so]

[closewithnewintown]

Crystal! [by which she means she waits a whole

three minutes

before she comes out with:] So, is there an actual reason you're doing this besides "getting lots of free snacks?"

[subtract]

[that's three minutes more than Elsword would've waited, so... his annoyance level remains about the same. still gonna scowl about it tho.]

I wanted to look inside it. See how it works, see if it contained any useful parts.... [but then it was indestructible and his goals shifted to "destroy it just to prove it can be done"]

[closewithnewintown]

I see. [pause] And you do know it's one of our more reliable sources of food? Which we do need to live?

[subtract]

That you need to live.

[and he doesn't since he's a dead guy made of space crystals so

that's it that's his entire counterpoint]

[closewithnewintown]

Oh, cool. Think of all the science you'll get done when we're all a bunch of skeletons in the corner.

Until the day something you need is on a high shelf. Then what, smartypants?

[subtract]

There's more than one vending machine. I don't see what the problem is. [you can afford to sacrifice one to science!!!]

Besides... I'd just use a ladder, if other options weren't available. You're not making a good case for yourself, considering you're the same size as me anyway.