call me maybe

[from_scratch]

Cam is out flying. There's a decent cloud of atmosphere around the gold plane, now, millenia of demons making air around themselves for comfort and not sealing it up because why would you bother. There's a small forest, here - the effect is kind of ruined by the lamps it has to grow under, but it's still pretty.

He feels an open summons and lets it grab him -

with the Joker (kappa)

with Ripper (kappa)

with Darren (Aestrix)

with Minus (kappa)

with Emma (Marri)

with Facility 3141592 (armokGoB)

with the admin (kappa)

with Jarvis (kappa, Aestrix)

with Miles (kappa)

with Hank (Nemo)

Comments

[neverbeatme]

"Sure, that makes perfect sense. You could for example give me one of your nifty future computers."

[from_scratch]

"You couldn't charge it unless I also give you a wireless electricity station and a whole string of power adapters to plug it into your wall, and I have not yet decided to supply that kind of tech, either the wireless electricity or the computation, nice try. Besides, you wouldn't know how to operate it unless I gave you lessons."

[neverbeatme]

"I'm assuming nifty future computer batteries last at least long enough for me to read the highlights and maybe retype some things. I'm also assuming that the interface isn't so arcane I couldn't figure it out on my own with a little effort, because I don't expect intuitive usability in computer design to decline over the next century and a half. It would admittedly be more convenient if you could get it in a format modern computers could read - the library machines are ancient, by the way, and my home computer is not, you might have better luck there."

[from_scratch]

"My concerns include that you would take apart the nifty future computer when its battery died. What counts as 'intuitive' changes a lot with background culture. I will happily make you a - what came after floppies? DVDs?"

[neverbeatme]

"Technically CDs came after floppies, but DVDs have in fact been invented and my computer can in fact read them, so they're a better option."

[from_scratch]

"Okay, here's the box set," says Cam, producing what does indeed look like a boxed set of DVDs in a plain white case. "Annotated medical textbooks for the last century and a half, have fun."

[neverbeatme]

"Thanks, I will."

[from_scratch]

"Anything else?"

[neverbeatme]

"It would be convenient to have a way to contact each other, in case you decide you want to meet my aunt the witch, or you want something done that requires going places where your awkwardly bulky leather coat is going to stand out. You know more than I do about your options for using things like phones and email."

[from_scratch]

"If people are going to notice through the coat I might as well just saw them off," grumbles Cam. "I can make phones and computers and so on but that doesn't automatically get them onto any subscription-based service. I'd offer you a walkie-talkie, but, tech concerns. You could buy me a phone."

[neverbeatme]

"I could buy you a phone," she agrees. "If I buy you a phone, I'd like some help paying for it. Any moral qualms about, oh, a handful of diamonds? My aunt uses them as a spell component sometimes; if we don't have to keep stocked, that's more money to pay for your phone."

[from_scratch]

"Sure, diamonds aren't a tech problem, just give me specs on how big and how you want them cut."

[neverbeatme]

"Probably better to ask Chris about that kind of detail," she says. She gets out a phone and calls her aunt.

"Hi, Chris. If I had a source that could get you arbitrary diamonds, what kinds of sizes and cuts would you prefer? Also, I made a new friend and we need to buy him a phone." She listens to the response, laughs, and then relays information about a variety of types of diamond her aunt would like for various purposes - mostly very small ones, the size to go on a ring, but a few significantly larger.

[from_scratch]

"Is your aunt the witch who is not as much of a mess as other sources on magic?"

[neverbeatme]

"Yep."

[from_scratch]

"Are we friends, now? I'm still way back in 'not giving out arbitrary information about future technology'."

[neverbeatme]

"In this case 'friend' was meant to communicate 'person I expect to be talking to and cooperating with frequently in the near future'."

[from_scratch]

"Okay. How are we getting me my phone?"

[neverbeatme]

"Well, I could go get it and then mysteriously find you again, but I'm going to guess you won't be fond of that option. And mysteriously finding people takes time and effort I could be putting towards better things. Relatedly, it might interest you to know that Slayer senses definitely think there is something up with you, but aren't clear about what. I can tell vampires from anything else and some kinds of demon from each other if I pay attention, and sometimes I get a read off an especially powerful or strongly affiliated magic user; you're just some unspecified kind of slightly weird. But it's an indication that getting rid of the wings might not completely do the job of letting you pass for human."

[from_scratch]

"How many people are going to be sensing me Slayerishly, though?"

[neverbeatme]

"One, I hope, since if you met another one that would indicate I was dead. But if Slayerish senses in particular get something from you, it's likely that there's some other kind of magic somewhere that gets something from you too. And I wouldn't know what kind it might be or who might have it. Magic doesn't tend to come in perfectly unique kinds without any overlap in scope. There's only one Slayer, but there's other magic that improves your strength or reflexes or lets you sense things most people can't or gives you unreliable, uninformative, and unpleasant prophetic dreams. Can you tell which part of the Slayer package I like the least? I bet you can."

[from_scratch]

"I'm going to guess it's the improved reflexes," deadpans Cam, "I don't blame you, those sound terrible. Okay. So I'm detectable via nonvisual means, potentially."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah. I thought that might be useful information. Anyway, regarding getting you your phone - do you particularly want to come along and shop for it? Either way, I think the simplest thing to arrange would be to meet back here or at some more easily findable landmark at some agreed-upon time tomorrow; the only difference is whether I bring you a phone or we proceed to go get one. I know the town better than you do, so you should pick a meeting place you know you can find."

[from_scratch]

"I can find this park bench tomorrow morning, does this park bench tomorrow morning at like I don't know eight work for you? And I will trust your judgment on phones, do you need the diamonds in advance?"

[neverbeatme]

"Diamonds in advance would be nice but isn't strictly necessary. This park bench tomorrow morning at eight works just fine."